The Admirable Lady Biddy Fane
Page 40
CHAPTER XL.
I FIND AN EXCELLENT FRIEND IN PLACE OF A CRUEL ENEMY.
Hearing these words, I held my hand for amazement, though the knife waswithin a span of his throat. In that instant it came across my mind thatthe letter which had so distracted me was not of Lady Biddy's writing. Ihad not hitherto questioned this matter; for, firstly, I knew not herhand; and, secondly, neither Lewis de Pino nor any one else we had metsince our coming on these shores had comprehended one word of ourlanguage. The letter was badly writ in a large and painful hand, butthat might have been owing to ill accommodation for writing; and,indeed, I had not regarded the manner of it, but only the matter. Butnow, hearing this fellow speak in English, it did, as I say, cross mymind that he had penned it.
This took no longer to present itself to my intelligence than a flash ofa musket.
"Fellow," says I hoarsely, "was it you that wrote that letter to me."
"Ay," says he, "with a plague to it; for if I had not writ it I shouldnot have got into this mess."
Whereupon I flung aside the knife, and, laying hold of his two hands,could have kissed him for my great delight, despite the suffering I hadendured through his handiwork.
Then I covered my face with my hands for shame to think how I hadwronged that pure sweet girl by leaping so quickly to an evil opinion ofher; and to think she might have so fallen away from a noble condition,I burst out with tears, and sobbed like any child; and from that tothink that she had not fallen away, and was still the same dear woman Ihad thought her, I fell to laughing; and, springing to my feet, cut acaper in the air like a very fool, and might have proceeded to furtherextravagances in my delirium but that my good angel (as I dubbed thefellow), laying his hands on me whispered:
"For Heaven's sake, master, contain yourself a bit, or I shan't come outof this business with a whole skin yet. I doubt but you have waked someof the cursed Portugals by your antics."
With this he creeps over to the door, and thrusting his head over thestairs stands there listening carefully a minute or two; after which,seeming satisfied that no one was astir, he closes the door gently, andcreeps back to me, by which time I had come to a more sober condition,though still near choking with the bounding of my heart and thethrobbing of the blood in my veins for excess of joy.
"'Tis all quiet below," says he in a whisper; "but betwixt getting mythroat cut by you, and being fleaed alive by the Portugals for beinghere, I've had a narrow squeak. Howsomever, I suppose you bear me noill-will?"
"Heaven forgive me for treating you as an enemy!" says I, grasping hishand again.
"As for that," says he, "I don't blame you for your intent to stick meif you thought I was one of those accursed Portugals; and how were youto know better, finding me crawling on you in their own manner. Let usdrink a dram, master, to our better acquaintance; 'twill stiffen ourlegs and clear our heads, and mine are all of a jelly-shake with thislate bout."
"Where is my cousin?" I asked him, as he was drinking from the jar.
"That's good," says he, taking the jar from his mouth and handing it tome. "Take a pull at it--asking your pardon for drinking first, but I'velost my good manners with twelve years of slavery."
"My cousin," says I--"the lady in whose name you wrote that letter?"
"Drink," says he. "We've got no time to lose if, as I do hope, you'reminded to get away from this."
"Ay," says I; "but my cousin?"
"Drink," says he.
Seeing he was of a persistent sort, I lifted the jar to my lips to cutthe matter short.
"The female," says he, "went on with De Pino and his train about tenminutes after you were brought up here. De Pino made her believe you hadgone on ahead, being in a strange dull humor, and she, to overtake you,hurried away. Drink," he adds, seeing me still with the jar a littlefrom my lips. So I drank; but betwixt two gulps I said:
"They are still gone on the road to Caracas?"
"Caracas!" says he. "Lord love you, master!" (an exclamation with whichhe larded his sentences continually), "when they get to their journey'send they won't be within a hundred leagues of Caracas."
"Whither is he carrying her, then, in Heaven's name?"
"To Quito, where De Pino spends his time when he is not trafficking.Lord love you, master, don't spare the liquor."
I drank deeply to satisfy him, and that we might come more quickly tothe matter I had a greater thirst for.
"Now," says I, "tell me how you came to write that letter."
He took the jar out of my hand and drank again in silence. At length heput it from his lips with a gasp.
"Have another turn; we may not have a taste of wine for many a long dayhence," says he.
"I can drink no more. Would to Heaven I could get you to answer myquestions!"
"Time enough for that," says he, "when we get where we can talk above apig's whisper with no fear of being heard. Now, master, if you can drinkno more, we'll set about getting out of this. We shall be all right ifwe tread light, and don't bungle till we get to the foot of the stairs.There I must put out the lantern. But you lay hold of my shoulder andget ready for a bolt if needs be. Are you got a knife?"
"No," says I.
"Then I must manage to get you one when we are below. A couple of swordswon't be an inconvenience to us, neither. You won't have another dram?"
"No," says I; "and you have had enough."
"That's as may be," says he. "I could drink a tun of it. Howsomever,I'll take it you're right, so far as our safety is concerned. Now,master, you take my knife and follow close. Keep your questions till weget a league on our way. I'll carry the lantern and this bag ofvictuals, and if I'd got another hand, hang me if I'd leave the jarbehind. Here goes, master. Remember, if we are caught we shall be fleaedalive. Now, then--softly does it! Not a word!"