CHAPTER LXI
DISCHARGED FROM DUTY
While loyalty thus rejoiced and throve in the warmth of its owngeniality, a man who was loyal to himself alone, and had no genialityabout him, was watching with contempt these British doings. Carne hadtethered his stout black horse, who deserved a better master, in a duskydell of dark-winged trees at the back of the eastern shrubbery. Here thegood horse might rest unseen, and consider the mysterious ways of men;for the main approach was by the western road, and the shades of eveningstretched their arms to the peaceful yawn of sunset. And here he foundgood stuff spread by nature, more worthy of his attention, andtucking back his forelegs, fared as well as the iron between his teethpermitted.
Then the master drew his green riding-coat of thin velvet closer roundhim, and buttoned the lappet in front, because he had heavy weight inthe pockets. Keeping warily along the lines of shadow, he gained a placeof vantage in the shrubbery, a spot of thick shelter having loops ofoutlook. Above and around him hung a curtain of many-pointed ilex,and before him a barberry bush, whose coral clusters caught the waninglight. In this snug nook he rested calmly, leaning against the ilextrunk, and finished his little preparations for anything adverse to hisplans. In a belt which was hidden by his velvet coat he wore a shortdagger in a sheath of shagreen, and he fixed it so that he could draw itin a moment, without unfastening the riding-coat. Then from the pocketson either side he drew a pair of pistols, primed them well from a littleflask, and replaced them with the butts beneath the lappets. "Death forat least three men," he muttered, "if they are fools enough to meddlewith me. My faith, these Darlings are grown very grand, on the strengthof the land that belongs to us!"
For he heard the popping of champagne corks, and the clink of abundantsilver, and tuning of instruments by the band, and he saw the flash oflights, and the dash of serving-men, and the rush of hot hospitality;and although he had not enough true fibre in his stomach to yearn fora taste of the good things going round, there can be little doubt, fromwhat he did thereafter, that his gastric juices must have turned togall.
With all these sounds and sights and scents of things that he had noright to despise, his patience was tried for an hour and a half, or atany rate he believed so. The beautiful glow in the west died out, wherethe sun had been ripening his harvest-field of sheafy gold and awnycloud; and the pulse of quivering dusk beat slowly, so that a man mightseem to count it, or rather a child, who sees such things, which latermen lose sight of. The forms of the deepening distances against thedeparture of light grew faint, and prominent points became obscure, andlines retired into masses, while Carne maintained his dreary watch,with his mood becoming darker. As the sound of joyful voices, and ofgood-will doubled by good fare, came to his unfed vigil from the openwindows of the dining-room, his heart was not enlarged at all, andthe only solace for his lips was to swear at British revelry. For thedining-room was at the western end, some fifty yards away from him, andits principal window faced the sunset, but his lurking-place afforded aview of the southern casements obliquely. Through these he had seenthat the lamps were brought, and heard the increase of merry noise, theclapping of hands, and the jovial cheers at the rising of the popularMarquis.
At last he saw a white kerchief waved at the window nearest to him, thewindow of the Admiral's little study, which opened like a double doorupon the eastern grass-plat. With an ill-conditioned mind, and bodystiff and lacking nourishment, he crossed the grass in a few longstrides, and was admitted without a word.
"What a time you have been! I was giving it up," he whispered to thetrembling Dolly. "Where are the candles? I must strike a light. Surelyyou might have brought one. Bolt the door, while I make a light, andclose the curtains quietly, but leave the window open. Don't shake, likea child that is going to be whipped. Too late now for nonsense. What areyou afraid of? Silly child!"
As he spoke he was striking a light in a little French box containing acube of jade, and with very little noise he lit two candles standing onthe high oak desk. Dolly drew a curtain across the window, and thenwent softly to the door, which opened opposite the corner of a narrowpassage, and made pretence to bolt it, but shot the bolt outside thesocket.
"Come and let me look at you," said Carne, for he knew that he hadbeen rough with her, and she was not of the kind that submits to that."Beauty, how pale you look, and yet how perfectly lovely in this eveninggown! I should like to kill the two gentlemen who sat next to you atdinner. Darling, you know that whatever I do is only for your own sweetsake."
"If you please not to touch me, it will be better," said the lady,not in a whisper, but a firm and quiet voice, although her hands weretrembling; "you are come upon business, and you should do it."
If Carne had but caught her in his arms, and held her to his heart, andvowed that all business might go to the devil while he held his angelso, possibly the glow of nobler feelings might have been lost inthe fire of passion. But he kept his selfish end alone in view, andneglected the womanly road to it.
"A despatch from London arrived today; I must see it," he said, shortly;"as well as the copy of the answer sent. And then my beauty must inserta NOT in the order to be issued in the morning, or otherwise invert itsmeaning, simply to save useless bloodshed. The key for a moment, thekey, my darling, of this fine old piece of furniture!"
"Is it likely that I would give you the key? My father always keeps it.What right have you with his private desk? I never promised anything sobad as that."
"I am not to be trifled with," he whispered, sternly. "Do you think thatI came here for kissing? The key I must have, or break it open; and howwill you explain that away?"
His rudeness settled her growing purpose. The misery of indecisionvanished; she would do what was right, if it cost her life. Her face wasas white as her satin dress, but her dark eyes flashed with menace.
"There is a key that opens it," she said, as she pointed to thebookcase; "but I forbid you to touch it, sir."
Carne's only reply was to snatch the key from the upper glass door ofthe book-shelves, which fitted the lock of the Admiral's desk, thoughthe owner was not aware of it. In a moment the intruder had unlocked thehigh and massive standing-desk, thrown back the cover, and placed onecandlestick among the documents. Many of them he brushed aside, asuseless for his purpose, and became bewildered among the rest, for theCommander of the Coast-defence was not a man of order. He never knewwhere to put a thing, nor even where it might have put itself, but founda casual home for any paper that deserved it. This lack of method hasone compensation, like other human defects, to wit, that it puzzles aclandestine searcher more deeply than cypher or cryptogram. Carne hadthe Admiral's desk as wide as an oyster thrown back on his valve, andjust being undertucked with the knife, to make him go down easily. Yetso great was the power of disorder that nothing could be made out ofanything. "Watch at the door," he had said to Dolly; and this suited herintention.
For while he was thus absorbed, with his back towards her, she openedthe door a little, and presently saw the trusty Charles come hurryingby, as if England hung upon his labours. "Tell my father to come herethis moment; go softly, and say that I sent you." As she finished herwhisper she closed the door, without any sound, and stood patiently.
"Show me where it is; come and find it for me. Everything here is inthe vilest mess," cried Carne, growing reckless with wrath and hurry."I want the despatch of this morning, and I find tailors' bills, way tomake water-proof blacking, a list of old women, and a stump of old pipe!Come here, this instant, and show me where it is."
"If you forget your good manners," answered Dolly, still keeping in thedark near the door, "I shall have to leave you. Surely you have practiceenough in spying, to find what you want, with two candles."
Carne turned for a moment, and stared at her. Her attitude surprisedhim, but he could not believe in her courage to rebel. She stood withher back to the door, and met his gaze without a sign of fear.
"There are no official papers here," he said, after another
shortransack; "there must have been some, if this desk is the one. Have youdared to delude me by showing the wrong desk?"
Dolly met his gaze still, and then walked towards him. The band hadstruck up, and the company were singing with a fine patriotic roar,which rang very nobly in the distance--"Britannia, rule the waves!"Dolly felt like a Briton as the words rolled through her, and the melodylifted her proud heart.
"You have deluded yourself," she said, standing proudly before thebaffled spy; "you have ransacked my father's private desk, which Iallowed you to do, because my father has no secrets. He leaves it openhalf the time, because he is a man of honour. He is not a man of plots,and wiles, and trickery upon women. And you have deluded yourself, indreaming that a daughter of his would betray her Country."
"By the God that made me, I will have your life!" cried Carne inFrench, as he dashed his hand under his coat to draw his dagger; but thepressure of the desk had displaced that, so that he could not find it.She thought that her time was come, and shrieked--for she was not at allheroic, and loved life very dearly--but she could not take her eyes fromhis, nor turn to fly from the spell of them; all she could do was tostep back; and she did so into her father's arms.
"Ho!" cried the Admiral, who had entered with the smile of good cheerand good company glowing on his fine old countenance; "my Dolly and astranger at my private desk! Mr. Carne! I have had a glass or two ofwine, but my eyes must be playing me extraordinary tricks. A gentlemansearching my desk, and apparently threatening my dear daughter! Have thekindness to explain, before you attempt to leave us."
If the curtain had not been drawn across the window, Carne would havemade his escape, and left the situation to explain itself. But the stuffwas thick, and it got between his legs; and before he could slipaway, the stout old Admiral had him by the collar with a sturdy grasp,attesting the substance of the passing generation. And a twinkle ofgood-humour was in the old eyes still--such a wonder was his Dolly thathe might be doing wrong in laying hands of force upon a visitor of hers.Things as strange as this had been within his knowledge, and proved tobe of little harm--with forbearance. But his eyes grew stern, as Carnetried to dash his hand off.
"If you value your life, you will let me go," said the young man to theold one.
"I will not let you go, sir, till you clear up this. A gentleman mustsee that he is bound to do so. If I prove to be wrong, I will apologise.What! Are you going to fire at me? You would never be such a coward!"
He dropped upon the floor, with a bullet in his brain, and his course ofduty ended. Carne dashed aside the curtain, and was nearly through thewindow, when two white arms were cast round his waist. He threw himselfforward with all his might, and wrenched at the little hands claspedaround him, but they held together like clenched iron. "Will you forceme to kill you?" "You may, if you like"--was the dialogue of theselovers.
The strength of a fit was in her despair. She set her bent knees againstthe window-frame, and a shower of glass fell between them; but sheflinched not from her convulsive grasp. "Let me come back, that I mayshoot myself," Carne panted, for his breath was straitened; "what islife to me after losing you?" She made no answer, but took good carenot to release so fond a lover. Then he threw himself back with all hisweight, and she fell on the floor beneath him. Her clasp relaxed, andhe was free; for her eyes had encountered her father's blood, and sheswooned away, and lay as dead.
Carne arose quickly, and bolted the door. His breath was short, and hisbody trembling, but the wits of the traitor were active still. "I musthave something to show for all this," he thought as he glanced at thebodies on the floor. "Those revellers may not have heard this noise. Iknow where it is now, and I will get it."
But the sound of the pistol, and shriek of the girl, had rung throughthe guests, when the wine was at their lips, and all were nodding to oneanother. Faith sprang up, and then fell back trembling, and several menran towards the door. Charles, the footman, met them there, with hisface whiter than his napkin, and held up his hands, but could not speak.Erle Twemlow dashed past him and down the passage; and Lord Southdownsaid: "Gentlemen, see to the ladies. There has been some little mishap,I fear. Bob, and Arthur, come with me."
Twemlow was first at the study door, and finding it fastened, struckwith all his force, and shouted, at the very moment when Carne stoodbefore the true desk of office. "Good door, and good bolt," mutteredCarne; "my rule is never to be hurried by noises. Dolly will be quietfor a quarter of an hour, and the old gentleman forever. All I want isabout two minutes."
Twemlow stepped back a few yards, and then with a good start delivered arushing kick; but the only result was a jar of his leg through the soleof his thin dress sandal.
"The window!" cried the Marquis. "We'll stop here; you know the house;take the shortest cut to the window. Whoever is there, we shall have himso. I am too slow. Boy Bob, go with him."
"What a fool I was not to think of that!" shouted Twemlow, as he set offfor the nearest house door, and unluckily Carne heard him. He had struckup the ledge of the desk with the butt of the pistol he had fired, andpocketing a roll of fresh despatches, he strode across the body of theAdmiral, and with a glance at Dolly--whose eyes were wide open, buther face drawn aside, like a peach with a split stone--out he went. Hesmiled as he heard the thundering of full-bodied gentlemen againstthe study door, and their oaths, as they damaged their knuckles andknee-caps. Then he set off hot-foot, but was stopped by a figureadvancing from the corner of the house.
This was not a graceful figure, as of gentle maiden, nor venerable andslow of foot, as that of an ancient mariner, but a man in the prime ofstrength, and largely endowed with that blessing--the mate of truth.Carne perceived that he had met his equal, and perhaps his better, in about of muscle, and he tried to escape by superior mind.
"Twemlow, how glad I am that I have met you! You are the very man Iwanted. There has been a sad accident in there with one of the Admiral'spistols, and the dear old man is badly wounded. I am off for a doctor,for my horse is at hand. For God's sake run in, and hold his head up,and try to staunch the bleeding. I shall be back in half an hour withthe man that lives at Pebbleridge. Don't lose a moment. Particularshereafter."
"Particulars now!" replied Twemlow, sternly, as he planted himselfbefore his cousin. "For years I have lived among liars, and they calleda lie Crom, and worshipped it. If this is not Crom, why did you bolt thedoor?"
"You shall answer for this, when time allows. If the door was bolted, hemust have done it. Let me pass; the last chance depends on my speed."
Carne made a rush to pass, but Twemlow caught him by the breast, andheld him. "Come back," he said, fiercely, "and prove your words. Withoutthat, you go no further."
Carne seized him by the throat, but his mighty beard, like a collar ofhemp, protected him, and he brought his big brown fist like a hammerupon the traitor's forehead. Carne wrenched at his dagger, but failed todraw it, and the two strong men rolled on the grass, fighting like twobull-dogs. Reason, and thought, and even sense of pain were lost inbrutal fury, as they writhed, and clutched, and dug at one another,gashing their knuckles, and gnashing their teeth, frothing with oneanother's blood, for Carne bit like a tiger. At length tough conditionand power of endurance got the mastery, and Twemlow planted his kneeupon the gasping breast of Carne.
"Surrend," he said, for his short breath could not fetch up the thirdsyllable; and Carne with a sign of surrender lay on his back, andput his chin up, and shut his eyes as if he had fainted. Twemlow withself-congratulation waited a little to recover breath, still keepinghis knee in the post of triumph, and pinning the foe's right arm to hisside. But the foe's left hand was free, and with the eyes still shut,and a continuance of gasping, that left hand stole its way to the leftpocket, quietly drew forth the second pistol, pressed back the hammer onthe grass, and with a flash (both of eyes and of flint) fired into thevictor's forehead. The triumphant knee rolled off the chest, the bodyswung over, as a log is rolled by the woodman's crowbar, and Twemlow'sback was o
n the grass, and his eyes were closed to the moonlight.
Carne scrambled up and shook himself, to be sure that all his limbs weresound. "Ho, ho, ho!" he chuckled; "it is not so easy to beat me. Why,who are you? Down with you, then!"
Lord Robert Chancton, a lad of about sixteen, the eldest son ofthe Marquis, had lost his way inside the house, in trying to find ashort-cut to the door, and coming up after the pistol was fired, made avery gallant rush at the enemy. With a blow of the butt Carne sent himsprawling; then dashing among the shrubs and trees, in another minutewas in the saddle, and galloping towards the ancestral ruins.
As he struck into the main road through the grounds, Carne passed andjust missed by a turn of the bridle another horseman ascending the hill,and urging a weary animal. The faces of the men shot past each otherwithin a short yard, and gaze met gaze; but neither in the dark flashknew the other, for a big tree barred the moonlight. But Carne, inanother moment, thought that the man who had passed must be Scudamore,probably fraught with hot tidings. And the thought was confirmed, ashe met two troopers riding as hard as ride they might; and then saw thebeacon on the headland flare. From point to point, and from height toheight, like a sprinkle of blood, the red lights ran; and the roar ofguns from the moon-lit sea made echo that they were ready. Then therub-a-dub-dub of the drum arose, and the thrilling blare of trumpet;the great deep of the night was heaved and broken with the stir of humanstorm; and the staunchest and strongest piece of earth--our England--wasready to defend herself.
Springhaven: A Tale of the Great War Page 61