第12章

AgaintherewasthelittlenervouscoughfromBattiscomb。"Ihavescarcehadtimetocompletemyroundofvisits,"hetemporized。"YourGracehastakenussobysurprise。I……IwaswithSirWalterYoungatColytonwhenthenewsofyourlandingcamesomefewhoursago。"Hisvoicefalteredandseemedtodieaway。

"Well？"criedtheDuke。Hisbrowsweredrawntogether。AlreadyherealizedthatBattiscomb"stidingswerenotgood,elsewouldhebehesitatinglessinutteringthem。"IsSirWalterwithyou,atleast？"

"Igrievetosaythatheisnot。"

"Not？"ItwasGreywhospoke,andhefollowedtheejaculationbyanoath。"Whynot？"

"Heisfollowing,nodoubt？"suggestedFletcher。

"Wemayhope,sirs,"answeredBattiscomb,"thatinafewdays—whenheshallhaveseenthezealofthecountryside—hewillbecuredofhispresentluke—warmness。"Thus,discreetly,didthemanoflawbreakthebadnewshebore。

Monmouthsankbackintohischairlikeonewhohaslostsomeofhisstrength。"Lukewarmness？"herepeateddully。"SirWalterYounglukewarm！"

"Evenso,YourGrace—alas！"andBattiscombsighedaudibly。

Ferguson"svoiceboomedforthagaintostartlethem。"Theoxknowethhisowner,"hecried,"theasshismaster"scrib;butIsraeldothnotknow,mypeopledothnotconsider。"

Greypushedthebottlecontemptuouslyacrossthetabletotheparson。

"Drink,man,andgetsense,saidhe,andturnedasidetoquestionBattiscombtouchingothersoftheneighbourhooduponwhomtheyhaddepended。

"WhatofSirFrancisRolles？"heinquired。

Battiscombansweredthequestion,addressinghimselftotheDuke。

"Alas！SirFrancis,nodoubt,wouldhavebeenfaithfultoYourGrace,but,unfortunately,SirFrancisisinprisonalready。"

DeepergrewMonmouth"sfrown;hisfingersdrummedthetableabsently。

Fletcherpouredhimselfwine,hisfaceinscrutable。Greythrewonelegovertheotherandinavoicethatwascarefullycarelessheinquired,"AndwhatofSidneyClifford？"

"Heisconsidering,"saidBattiscomb。"Iwastohaveseenhimagainattheendofthemonth;meanwhile,hewouldtakenoresolve。"

"LordGervaseScoresby？"questionedGrey,lesscarelessly。

Battiscombhalfturnedtohim,thenfacedtheDukeagainashemadeanswer,"Mr。Wildingthere,cantellyoumoreconcerningLordGervase。"

AlleyessweptroundtoWildingwhosatinsilence,listening;

Monmouth"swereladenwithinquiryandsomeanxiety。Wildingshookhisheadslowly,sadly。"Youmustnotdependuponhim,"heanswered;"LordGervasewasnotyetripe。AlittlelongerandIthinkImusthavewonhimforYourGrace。"

"Heavenhelpus！"exclaimedtheDukeinpetulantvexation。"Isnoonecomingin？"

Fergusonswungahandtowardsthestillopenwindow,drawingattentiontothesoundswithout。

"DoesYourGracenothear,thatyecanask？"hecried,almostreproachfully;buttheyscarceheededhim,forGreywasinquiringifMr。

Strodemightbedependedupontojoin,andthatwasamatterthatclaimedthegreaterattention。

"Ithink,"saidBattiscomb,"thathemighthavebeendependedupon。"

"Mighthavebeen？"questionedFletcher,speakingnowforthefirsttimesinceBattiscomb"sarrival。

"LikeSirFrancisRolles,heisinprison,"thelawyerexplained。

Monmouthleanedforward,andhisyoungfacelookedCarewornnow;hethrustaslenderhandunderthebrowncurlsuponhisbrow。"Willyoutellus,Mr。Battiscomb,uponwhatfriendsyouthinkthatwemaycount？"

hesaid。

Battiscombpursedhislipsasecond,pondering。"Ithink,"saidhe,"thatyoumaycountuponMr。LeggeandMr。Hooper,andpossiblyuponColonelChurchill,thoughIcannotsaywhatfollowingtheywillbring,ifany。Mr。Trenchard,uponwhomwecountedforfifteenhundredmenofTaunton,hasbeenobligedtoflythecountrytoescapearrest。"

"WehaveheardthatfromMr。Trenchard"scousin,"answeredtheDuke。

"WhatofPrideaux,ofFord？Ishelukewarm？"

"Iwasunabletoelicitadefinitepromisefromhim。ButhewasfavourablydisposedtoYourGrace。"

HisGracemadeagesturethatseemedtodismissPrideauxfromtheircalculations。"AndMr。Hucker,ofTaunton？"

Battiscomb"smannergrewyetmoreillatease。"Mr。Huckerhimself,Iamsure,wouldplacehisswordatyourdisposal。Buthisbrotherisared—hotTory。"

"Well,well,"sighedtheDuke,"ItakeitwemustnotmakecertainofMr。Hucker。ArethereanyothersbesidesLeggeandHooperuponwhomyouthinkthatwemayreckon？"

"LordWiltshire,perhaps,"saidBattiscomb,butwithalackofassurance。

"Aplagueonperhaps！"exclaimedMonmouth,growingirritable;"Iwantyoutonamethemenofwhomyouarecertain。"

Battiscombstoodsilentforamoment,pondering。Helookedalmostfoolish,likeaschoolboywhohesitatestoconfesshisignoranceoftheanswertoaquestionsethim。

Fletcherswunground,hisgreyeyesflashingangrily,hisaccentmoreScottishthanever。

"Isitthatye"recertaino"none,Mr。Battiscomb？"heexclaimed。

"Indeed,"saidBattiscomb,"IthinkwemaybefairlycertainofMr。

LeggeandMr。Hooper。"

"Andofnonebesides？"questionedFletcheragain。"BethesetheonlyrepresentativesoftheflowerofEngland"snobilitythatistoflocktothebannerofthecauseofEngland"sfreedomandreligion？"Scornwasstampedoneverywordofhisquestion。

Battiscombspreadhishands,raisedhisbrows,andsaidnothing。

"TheLordknowsIdonotsayitexulting,"saidFletcher;"butItoldYourGraceyourswashardlythecaseofHenrytheSeventh,asmyLordGreywouldhaveyoubelieve。"

"Weshallsee,"snappedGrey,scowlingattheScot。"Thepeoplearecominginhundreds—aye,inthousands—thegentrywillfollow;theymust"

"Makenottoosure,YourGrace—oh,makenottoosure,"WildingbesoughttheDuke。"AsIhavesaid,thesehindshavenothingtolosebuttheirlives。"

"Faith,canamanlosemore？"askedGreycontemptuously。HedislikedWildingbyinstinct,whichwasbutareciprocationofthefeelingwithwhichWildingwasinspiredbyhim。

"Ithinkhecan,"saidMr。Wildingquietly。"Amanmaylosehonour,hemayplungehisfamilyintoruin。Thesearethingsofmoreweightwithagentlemanthanlife。"

"Oddsdeath！"blazedGrey,givingafreereintohisdislikeofthiscalmgentleman。"Doyousuggestthataman"shonourisimperilledinHisGrace"sservice？"

"Isuggestnothing,"answeredWilding,unmoved。"WhatIthink,Istate。

IfIthoughtaman"shonourimperilledinthisservice,youwouldnotseemeatthistablenow。Icanmakeyounomoreconvincinganswer。

Greylaughedunpleasantly,andWilding,afainttingeonhischeek—bones,measuredhimwithastern,intrepidlookbeforewhichhislordship"sshiftyglancewasobservedtofall。Wilding"seye,havingachievedthatmuch,passedfromhimtotheDuke,anditsexpressionsoftened。

"YourGracesees,"saidhe,"howwellfoundedwerethefearsIexpressedthatyourcominghasbeenpremature。"

"InGod"sname,whatwouldyouhavemedo？"criedtheDuke,andpetulancemadehisvoiceunsteady。

Mr。Wildingrose,movedoutofhishabitualcalmbytheearnestnessthatpervadedhim。"ItisnotformetosayagainwhatIwouldhaveYourGracedo。YourGracehasheardmyviews,andthoseofthesegentlemen。

ItisforYourGracetodecide。"

"YoumeanwhetherIwillgoforwardwiththisthing？WhatalternativehaveI？"

"Noalternative,"putinGreywithfinality。"Norisalternativeneeded。

We"llcarrythisthroughinspiteoftimorousfolkandbirdsofill—omenthatcroaktoaifrightus。"

"OurserviceistheserviceoftheLord,"criedFerguson,returningfromthewindowintheembrasureofwhichhehadbeenstanding;"theLordcannotbutdestineittoprevail。"

"Yesaidsobefore,"quothFletchertestily。"Weneedheremen,money,andweapons—notdivinity。"

"YouareplainlyinfectedwithMr。Wilding"sdisease,"sneeredGrey。

"Ford,"criedtheDuke,whosawWilding"seyesflashfire;"yougotoofast。Mr。Wilding,youwillnotheedhislordship。"

"Ishouldnotbelikelytodoso,YourGrace,"answeredWilding,whohadresumedhisseat。

"Whatshallthatmean？"quothGrey,leapingtohisfeet。

"Makeitquitecleartohim,Tony,"whisperedTrenchardcoaxingly;

butMr。WildingwasnotaslostasweretheseimmediatefollowersoftheDuke"stoallsenseoftherespectduetoHisGrace。

"Ithink,"saidWildingquietly,"thatyouhaveforgottensomething。"

"Forgottenwhat？"bawledGrey。

"HisGrace"spresence。"

Hislordshipturnedcrimson,hisangerswelledtothinkthattheverytermsoftherebukeprecludedhisallowinghisfeelingsafreerein。

Monmouthleanedforward。"Sitdown,"hesaidtoGrey,andGrey,solatelycalledtotherespectheowedHisGrace,obeyedhim。"Youwillbothpromisemethatthisaffairshallgonofurther。IknowyouwilldoitifIaskyou,particularlywhenyourememberhowfewarethefollowersuponwhomImaydepend。Iamnotincasetoloseeitherofyouthroughfoolishwordsutteredinaheatwhich,inbothyourhearts,isborn,1know,ofyourloyaltytome。

Grey"scoarse,elderlyfacetookonasulkylook,hisheavylipswerepouted,hisglancesullen。Mr。Wilding,onthecontrary,smiledacrossthetable。

"FormypartIverygladlygiveYourGracetheundertaking,"saidhe,andtookcarenottoobservethesneerthatalteredthelineofLordGrey"slips。Hislordship,too,wasforcedtogivethesamepledge,andhefolloweditupbyinveighingsturdilyagainstthesuggestionthattheyshouldretreat。

"Idoprotest,"heexclaimed,"thatthosewhoadviseYourGracetodoanythingbutgoforwardboldlynow,areevilcounsellors。IfyouputbacktoHolland,youmayleaveeveryhopebehind。Therewillbenosecondcomingforyou。Yourinfluencewillhavebeendissipated。Menwillnottrustyouanothertime。IdonotthinkthatevenMr。Wildingcandenythetruthofthis。"

"Iambynomeanssure,"saidWilding,andFletcherlookedathimwitheyesthatwerefullofunderstanding。ThissturdyScot,theonlysoldierworthyofthenameintheDuke"sfollowing,who,eversincetheprojecthadfirstbeenmooted,hadheldoutagainstit,counsellingdelay,wasinsympathywithMr。Wilding。

Monmouthrose,hisfaceanxious,hisvoicefretful。"Therecanbenoretreatforme,gentlemen。Thoughmanythatwedependeduponarenotheretojoinus,yetletusrememberthatHeavenisonourside,andthatwearecometofightinthesacredcauseofreligionandanation"semancipationfromthethraldomofpopery,oppression,andsuperstition。

Letthisdispelsuchdoubtsasyetmaylingerinourminds。"

Hiswordshadabravesound,but,whenanalysed,theybutformedaparaphraseofwhatGreyandFergusonhadsaid。Itwashisdestinytobeamereechoofthemindsofothermen,justashewasnowthetoolofthesetwo,oneofwhomplotted,seemingly,becauseplottingwasadiseasethathadgotintohisblood;theotherforreasonsthatmayhavebeenofambitionorofrevenge—nomanwilleverknowforcertain。

Inthechambertheyshared,TrenchardandMr。Wildingreviewedthatnightthescenesolatelyenacted,inwhichonehadtakenanactivepart,theotherbeenlittlemorethanaspectator。TrenchardhadcomefromtheDuke"spresenceentirelyoutofconceitwithMonmouthandhiscause,contemptuousofFerguson,angrywithGrey,andindifferenttowardsFletcher。

"Iamcommitted,andI"llnotdrawback,"saidhe;butItellyou,Anthony,myheartisnotconfederatewithmyhandinthis。Bah！"

herailed。"Weserveamanofstraw,aPerkin,averypopeofafellow。"

Mr。Wildingsighed。"He"sscarcethemanforsuchanundertaking,"saidhe。"Ifearwehavebeenmisled。"

Trenchardwasdrawingoffhisboots。Hepausedintheact。"Aye,"saidhe,"misledbyourblindness。Whatelse,afterall,shouldwehaveexpectedofhim？"hecriedcontemptuously。"TheCauseisgood;butitsleader—Pshaw！WouldyouhavesuchapuppetasthatonthethroneofEngland？"

"Hedoesnotaimsohigh。"

"Benotsosure。Weshallhearmoreoftheblackboxanon,andofthemarriagecertificateitcontains。`Twouldnotsurprisemeiftheyweretoproduceforgeriesoftheoneandtheothertoprovehisfather"smarriagetoLucyWalters。Anthony,Anthony！Towhatabusinessarewewedded？"

Mr。Wilding,alreadyabed,turnedimpatiently。"Thingscriedaloudtoberedressed;aleaderwasnecessary,andnoneotheroffered。Thatisthewholestory。Butourchanceisslender,anditmighthavebeengreat。"

"Thatrake—hell,Ford,LordGreyhasmadeitso,"grumbledTrenchard,busywithhisstockings。"Thissuddencomingishiswork。YouheardwhatFletchersaid—howheopposeditwhenfirstitwasurged。"Hepaused,andlookedupsuddenly。"Blisterme！"hecried,"isithislordship"spurpose,thinkyou,toworktheruinofMonmouth？"

"Whatareyousaying,Nick？"

"TherearecertainrumourscurrenttouchingHisGraceandLadyGrey。

AmanlikeGreymightwellresorttosomesuchschemeofvengeance。"

"Gettosleep,Nick,"saidWilding,yawning;"youaredreamingalready。

Suchaplanwouldbeoverelaborateforhislordship"smind。Itwouldaskavillainyparallelwithyourown。"

Trenchardclimbedintobed,andsettledhimselfunderthecoverlet。

"Maybe,"saidhe,"andmaybenot;butIthinkthatwereitnotforthatcursedbusinessoftheletterRichardWestmacottstolefromus,Ishouldbegoingmywaysto—morrowandleavingHisGraceofMonmouthtogohis。"

"Aye,andI"dgowithyou,"answeredWilding。"I"velittletasteforsuicide;butweareinitnow。"

"`TwasasadpityyoumeddledthismorninginthataffairatTaunton,"

musedTrenchardwistfully。"Asadderpityyouwerebittenwithatasteformatrimony,"headdedthoughtfully,andblewouttherushlight。

CHAPTERXV

LYMEOFTHEKING

Onthenextday,whichwasFriday,thecountryfolkcontinuedtocomein,andbyeveningMonmouth"sforcesamountedtoathousandfootandahundredandfiftyhorse。Themenwerearmedasfastastheywereenrolled,andscarceafieldorquietavenueinthedistrictbutresoundedtothetrampoffeet,therattleofweapons,andthesharpordersoftheofficerswho,bydrilling,wereconvertingthisrawmaterialintosoldiers。OntheSaturdaytherallyoftheDuke"sstandardwassuchthatMonmouththrewoffatlastthegloomyforebodingsthathadburdenedhissoulsincethatmeetingonThursdaynight。Wade,Holmes,Foulkes,andFoxwereabletosetaboutformingthefirstfourregiments—theDuke"s,andtheGreen,theWhite,andtheYellow。

Monmouth"sspiritscontinuedtorise,forhehadbeenjoinedbynowbyLeggeandHooper—thetwouponwhomBattiscombhadcounted—andbyColonelJoshuaChurchill,ofwhomBattiscombhadbeenlesscertain。

CaptainMatthewsbroughtnewsthatLordWiltshireandthegentlemenofHampshiremightbeexpectediftheycouldforcetheirwaythroughAlbemarle"smilitia,whichwasalreadyclosingroundLyme。

Longbeforeeveningwillingfellowswerebeingturnedawayinhundredsforlackofweapons。InspiteofMonmouth"sbigtalkonlanding,andoftherumourthathadgoneout,thathecouldarmthirtythousandmen,hisstockofarmswasexhaustedbyamerefifteenhundred。Trenchard,whonowheldaMajor"srankinthehorseattachedtotheDuke"sownregiment,wasloudinhisscornofthisstateofthings;Mr。Wildingwassad,andhisdepressionagainspreadtotheDukeafterafewwordshadpassedbetweenthemtowardsevening。Fletcherwasforheroicmeasures。Helookedonlyaheadnow,likethegoodsoldierthathewas;and,already,hebegantosuggestabolddashforExeter,forweapons,horses,andpossiblythemilitiaaswell,fortheyhadampleevidencethatthemencomposingitmighteasilybeinducedtodeserttotheDuke"sside。

ThesuggestionwasonethatinstantlyreceivedMr。Wilding"sheartiestapproval。Itseemedtofillhimsuddenlywithhope,andhespokeofit,indeed,asaninspirationwhich,ifactedupon,mightyetsavethesituation。TheDukewasundecidedasever;hewastoomuchtroubledweighingthechancesforandagainst,andhewoulddecideuponnothinguntilhehadconsultedGreyandtheothers。Hewouldsummonacouncilthatnight,hepromised,andthemattershouldbeconsidered。

Butthatcouncilwasnevertobecalled,forAndrewFletcher"sassociationwiththerebellionwasdrawingrapidlytoitsclose,andtherewasthattohappeninthenextfewhourswhichshouldcounteractalltheencouragementwithwhichtheDukehadbeenfortifiedthatday。

TowardseveninglittleHeywoodDare,theTauntongoldsmith,whohadlandedatSeatownandgoneoutwiththenewsoftheDuke"sarrival,rodeintoLymewithfortyhorse,mounted,himself,uponabeautifulchargerwhichwasdestinedtobetheundoingofhim。

Newscame,too,thattheDorsetmilitiawereatBridport,eightmilesaway,whereuponWildingandFletcherpostponedallfurthersuggestionofthedashforExeter,proposingthatinthemeantimeanightattackuponBridportmightresultwell。ForonceLordGreywasinagreementwiththem,andsothematterwasdecided。Fletcherwentdowntoarmandmount,andalltheworldknowsthestoryofthefoolish,ill—fatedquarrelwhichrobbedMonmouthoftwoofhismostvaluedadherents。Byill—lucktheScot"seyeslighteduponthefinehorsethatDarehadbroughtfromFordAbbey。Itoccurredtohimthatnothingcouldbemorefittingthanthatthebestmanshouldsituponthebesthorse,andheforthwithledthebeastfromthestablesandwasabouttomountwhenDarecameforthtocatchhimintheveryact。Thegoldsmithwasarude,pepperyfellow,whodidnotmincehiswords。

"Whataplagueareyoudoingwiththathorse？"hecried。

Fletcherpaused,onefootinthestirrup,andlookedthefellowupanddown。"Iammountingit,"saidhe,andproceededtodoashesaid。

ButDarecaughthimbythetailsofhiscoatandbroughthimbacktoearth。

"Youaremakingamistake,Mr。Fletcher,"hecriedangrily。"Thathorseismine。

Fletcher,whosetemperwasbynomeansofthemostpeaceful,kepthimselfwithdifficultyinhandattheindignityDareofferedhim。

"Yours？"quothhe。

"Aye,mine。IbroughtitfromFordAbbeymyself。"

"FortheDuke"sservice,"Fletcherremindedhim。"Formyown,sir;formyownIwouldhaveyouknow。"AndbrushingtheScotaside,hecaughtthebridle,andsoughttowrenchitfromFletcher"shand。

ButFletchermaintainedhishold。"Softly,Mr。Dare,"saidhe。"Ye"reatrifleo"ertruetoyourname,asyouoncetoldhislateMajestyyourself。"

"Takeyourhandsfrommyhorse,"Dareshouted,veryangry。

Severalloiterersintheyardgatheredroundtowatchthescene,cullingdiversionfromitandspeculatingupontheconclusionitmighthave。

OnerashyoungfellowofferedaudiblytolaytentoonethatPaymasterDarewouldhavethebestoftheargument。

Dareoverheard,andwasspurredon。

"Iwill,byGod！"heanswered。"Come,Mr。Fletcher！"Andheshookthebridleagain。

TherewasadullflushshowingthroughthetanofFletcher"sskin。"Mr。

Dare,"saidhe,"thishorseisnomoreyoursthanmine。ItistheDuke"s,andI,asoneo"theleaders,claimitintheDuke"sservice。"

"Aye,sir,"criedanonlooker,encouragingFletcher,anddidthemischief。ItsogoadedDaretohavehisantagonistinthistriflingmattersupportedthatheutterlylosthishead。

"Ihavesaidthehorseismine,andIrepeatit。Letgothebridle—

letitgo！"Still,Fletcher,strivinghardtokeephiscalm,clungtothereins。"Letitgo,youdamned,thievingScot！"screamedDareinafury,andstruckFletcherwithhiswhip。

Itwasunfortunateforthemboththatheshouldhavehadthatswitchinhishandatsuchatime,butmoreunfortunatestillwasitthatFletchershouldhavehadapistolinhisbelt。TheScotdroppedthebridleatlast;droppedittopluckforththeweapon。

"Hi！Ididnot……"beganDare,whohadstoodappalledbywhathehaddoneinthesecondortwothathadpassedsincehehaddeliveredtheblow。TherestofhissentencewasdrownedinthereportofFletcher"spistol,andDaredroppeddeadontheroughcobblesoftheyard。

Fergusonhasleftitonrecord—and,presumably,hehadFletcher"swordforit—thatitwasnopartoftheScot"sintenttodoMr。Dareamischief。Hehadbutdrawnthepistoltointimidatehimintobettermanners,butinhishasteheaccidentallypulledthetrigger。

Howeverthatmaybe,therewasDareasdeadasthestonesonwhichhelay,andFletcherwithasmokingpistolinhishand。

Afterthatallwasconfusion。Fletcherwasseizedbythosewhohadwitnessedthedeed;therewasnonethoughtitanaccident;indeed,theywereallreadyenoughtosaythatFletcherhadreceivedexcessiveprovocation。HewashaledtothepresenceoftheDukewithwhomwereGreyandWildingatthetime;andoldDare"sson—anensigninGoodenough"scompany—cameclamouringforvengeancebackedbysuchgoodlynumbersthatthedistraughtDukewasforcedtoshowatleasttheoutwardseemingofit。

Wilding,whoknewthevalueofthisScottishsoldieroffortunewhohadseensomuchservice,strenuouslyurgedhisenlargement。Itwasnotatimetoletthefortunesofacausesufferthroughsuchanactasthis,deplorablethoughitmightbe。TheevidenceshowedthatFletcherhadbeenprovoked;hehadbeenstruck,athingthatmightwelljustifytheangerintheheatofwhichhehaddonethisthing。Greywasstolidandsilent,sayingnothingeitherfororagainstthemanwhohaddividedwithhimundertheDukethehonoursofthesupremecommand。

Monmouth,whiteandhorror—stricken,satandlistenedfirsttoWilding,thentoDare,andlastlytoFletcherhimself。ButitwasyoungDare—

Dareandhisfollowers,whoprevailed。Theyweretoonumerousandturbulent,andtheymustatallcostsbeconciliated,ortherewasnotellingtowhatextremestheymightnotgo。AndsotherewasanendtotheshareofAndrewFletcherofSaltouninthisundertaking—theendoftheonlymanwhowasofanycapacitytopilotitthroughthetroubledwatersthatlaybeforeit。Monmouthplacedhimunderarrestandsenthimaboardthefrigateagain,orderinghercaptaintosailatonce。

ThatwastheutmostMonmouthcoulddotosavehim。

WildingcontinuedtopleadwiththeDukeafterFletcher"sremoval,andtosuchgoodpurposethatatlastMonmouthdeterminedthatFletchershouldrejointhemlater,whentheaffairshouldhaveblownover,andhesentwordaccordinglytotheScot。EveninthisthereweremanifestationsofantagonismbetweenMr。WildingandLordGrey,anditalmostseemedenoughthatWildingshouldsuggestacourseforLordGreyinstantlytoopposeit。

TheeffectsofFletcher"sremovalwerenotlonginfollowing。OnthemorrowcametheBridportaffair,andGrey"sshamefulconductwhen,hadhestoodhisground,victorymusthavebeenassuredtheDuke"sforcesinsteadofjustthathonourableretreatbywhichColonelWadesogallantlysavedthesituation。Mr。WildingdidnotmincehiswordsinputtingitthatGreyhadrunaway。

InhisroomattheGeorgeInn,Monmouth,deeplydistressed,askedWildingandColonelMatthewswhatactionheshouldtakeinthematter—

howdealwithGrey。

"ThereisnoothergeneralinEuropewouldaskthat,YourGrace,"

answeredMatthewsgravely,andMr。Wildingaddedwithoutaninstant"shesitationthatHisGrace"scoursewasplain。

"Itwouldbeanunwisethingtoexposethetroopstothechanceofmoresuchhappenings。"

MonmouthdismissedthemandsentforGrey,andheseemedresolvedtodealwithhimashedeserved。Yetanhourlater,whenWilding,Matthews,Wade,andtheotherswereorderedtoattendtheDukeincouncil,therewashislordshipseeminglyonasgoodtermsaseverwithHisGrace。

Theywereassembledtodiscussthenextstepwhichitmightbeadvisabletotake,forthemilitiawasclosinginaroundthem,andtoremainlongerinLymewouldbetobecaughtthereasinatrap。ItwasGreywhoadvancedthefirstsuggestion,hisassurancenowhitabatedbytheshamefulthingthathadbefallen,bythecowardicewhichhehadbetrayed。