CHAPTER THIRTY TWO.
A BIG WIGGING.
"I won't show that I mind," thought Frank; and in a matter-of-fact wayhe went into the bedroom, and made quite a spiteful use of the captain'sdressing table and washstand, removing all traces of having passed thenight in his clothes, and he had just ended and changed his shoes, whichhad been brought there, when the outer door was unlocked, and thecaptain's servant came in to tidy up the place.
The servant was ready to talk; but Frank was in no talking humour, andwent and stood looking out of the window till the man had gone, when theboy came away, and began to imitate Andrew Forbes's caged-animal-likewalk up and down the room, in which health-giving exercise to a prisonerhe was still occupied when there were more steps below--the tramp ofsoldiers, the guard was changed, and Frank felt a strong desire to lookout of the window to see if another sentry was placed there; but he felttoo proud. It would be weak and boyish, he thought; so he began walkingup and down again, till once more the door was unlocked, and thecaptain's servant entered, bearing a breakfast tray, and left again.
"Just as if I could eat breakfast after going through all this!" he saidsadly. "I'm sure I can't eat a bit." But after a few minutes, when hetried, he found that he could, and became so absorbed in the meal andhis thoughts that he blushed like a girl with shame to see what aclearance he had made.
The tray was fetched away, and the morning passed slowly in theexpectation that Lady Gowan would come; but midday had arrived withoutso much as a message, and Frank's heart was sinking again, when he oncemore heard steps, and upon the door being opened, Captain Murrayappeared.
"He has come to say he believes me," thought the boy, as his heartleapt; but it sank again upon his meeting his visitor's eyes, for thecaptain looked more stern and cold than ever, and his mannercommunicated itself to the boy.
"You will come with me, Gowan," said the captain sternly.
"Where to?" was upon the boy's lips; but he bit the words back, andswallowed them. He would not have spoken them and humbled himself thenfor anything, and rising and taking his hat, he walked out and acrossthe courtyard, wondering where he was being taken, for he had halfexpected that it was to the guardroom to be imprisoned more closely.But a minute showed him that the growing resentment was unnecessary, forhe was not apparently to submit to that indignity; and now the bloodbegan to flush up into his temples, for he grasped without having had toask where his destination was to be.
In fact, the captain marched him to the foot of the great staircase,past the guard, and into the long anteroom, where he spoke to one of theattendants, who went straight to the door at the end leading into thePrince's audience chamber.
And now for a few moments the captain's manner changed, and he bent hishead down to whisper hastily:
"The Prince has sent for you, boy, to question you himself. ForHeaven's sake speak out frankly the simple truth. I cannot tell you howmuch depends upon it. Recollect this: your mother's future is at stake,and--"
The attendant reappeared, came to him, and said respectfully:
"His Royal Highness will see you at once."
There was no time for the captain to say more--no opportunity offeredfor Frank to make any indignant retort concerning the truth. For thecurtain was held back, the door opened, and Captain Murray led the wayin, slowly followed by his prisoner, who advanced firmly enough towardwhere the Prince sat, his Royal Highness turning his eyes upon him atonce with a most portentous frown.
"Well, sir," he said at once, "so I find that I have fresh bad news ofyou. You are beginning early in life. Not content with what haspassed, you have now turned traitor."
The Prince's looks, if correctly read, seemed to intimate that heexpected the boy to drop on his knees and piteously cry for pardon; butto the surprise of both present he cried indignantly:
"It is not true, your Royal Highness."
"Eh? What, sir? How dare you speak to me like this?" cried the Prince."I have heard everything about this morning's and last night'sbusiness, and I find that I have been showing kindness to a young viperof a traitor, who is in direct communication with the enemy, and playingthe spy on all my movements so as to send news."
"It is not true, your Highness!" cried the boy warmly. "You have beendeceived. Just as if I would do such a thing as that!"
"Do you mean to pretend that this young Forbes, your friend andcompanion, is not in correspondence with the enemy?"
"No, your Royal Highness," said the lad sadly.
"You knew it?"
"Yes."
"Then, as my servant, why did you not inform me, sir?"
"Because I was your servant, sir, and not a spy," said the boy proudly.
"Very fine language, upon my honour!" cried the Prince. "But you arefriends with him; and last night, after his first failure, you helpedhim to escape."
"I did not, sir!" cried the boy passionately.
"Words, words, sir," said the Prince; "even your friend here, CaptainMurray, feels that you did."
"And it is most unjust of him, sir!" cried the boy.
"Don't speak so bluntly to me," said the Prince sternly. "Now attend.You say you did not help him?"
"Yes, your Royal Highness."
"Mind this. I know all the circumstances. Give me some proof that youknew nothing of his escape."
"I can't, sir," cried the boy passionately. "I was asleep, and when Iwoke he was gone."
"Weak, weak, sir. Now look here; you say you are my servant, and wantme to believe in you. Be quite open with me; tell me all you know, andfor your mother's sake I will deal leniently with you. What do you knowabout this rising and the enemy's plans?"
"Nothing, your Highness."
"What! and you were hand and glove with these people. That wretched boymust have escaped to go straight to his father and acquaint him witheverything he knows. What reason have I to think you would not do thesame?"
"I!" cried the boy indignantly; "I could not do such a thing. Ah!" hecried, with a look of joy, making his white face flush and growanimated. "Your Royal Highness asked me for some proof;" and he luggedat something in his pocket, with which, as he let his hands fall, onehad come in contact.
"What have you there, sir?"
"A book, your Highness," panted the boy; "but it won't come out. Hah!that's it. Look, look! I found that on the table when I woke thismorning. See what he has written here."
Frank was thinking nothing about royalty or court etiquette in hisexcitement. He dragged out the book, opened the cover, went close up tothe Prince, and banged it down before him, pointing to the words, whichthe Prince took and read before turning his fierce gaze upon the lad'sglowing face.
"There!" cried the boy, "that proves it. You must see now, sir. Hecheated me. I thought he was very bad. But you see he was well enoughto go. That shows how he wanted me to join him, and I wouldn't. Oh,don't say you can't see!"
"Yes, I can see," said the Prince, without taking his eyes off him."Did you know of this, Captain Murray?"
"I? No, your Royal Highness. It is fresh to me."
"Read."
Captain Murray took the book, read the scrap of writing, and, forgettingthe Prince's presence, he held out his hands to his brother-officer'sson.
"Oh, Frank, my boy!" he cried, "forgive me for doubting your word."
"Oh yes, I forgive you!" cried the lad, seizing and clinging to hishands. "I knew you'd find out the truth. I don't mind now."
"Humph!" ejaculated the Prince, looking on gravely, but with his facesoftening a little. "The boy's honest enough, sir. But you occupy avery curious position, young gentleman, a very curious position, andeverything naturally looked very black against you."
"Did it, your Highness? Yes, I suppose so."
"Then you had been quarrelling with that wretched young traitor aboutjoining the--the enemy?" said the Prince.
Frank winced at "wretched young traitor"; but he answered firmly:
"Yes, sir; we were a
lways quarrelling about it, but I hoped to get himto think right at last."
"And failed, eh?" said the Prince, with a smile.
"Yes, sir."
"And pray, was it about this business that you fought out yonder?"
"It had something to do with it, sir," said Frank, flushing up. "Hesaid--"
Frank stopped short, looking sadly confused, and grew more so as hefound the questioner had fixed his eyes, full now of suspicion, uponhim.
"Well, what did he say, sir?"
Frank was silent, and hung his head.
"Do you hear me, sir?"
"Must I speak, Captain Murray?" said the boy appealingly.
"Yes, the simple truth."
"He said, your Royal Highness, that my father had joined the enemy, andwas a general in the rebel army, and I struck him for daring to uttersuch a lie--and then we fought."
"Why?" said the Prince sternly, "for telling you the truth?"
"The truth, sir!" cried the boy indignantly. "Don't say you believethat of my father, sir. There is not a more faithful officer in theKing's service."
"Your father is not in the King's service, but holds a high command withthe rebels, boy."
"No, sir, no!" cried the lad passionately; "it is not true." At thatmoment, when he had not heard the rustling of a dress, a soft hand waslaid upon Frank's shoulder, and, turning sharply, he saw that it was thePrincess who had approached and now looked pityingly in his face, andthen turned to the Prince.
"Don't be angry with him," she said gently; "it is very brave of him tospeak like this, and terrible for him, poor boy, to know the truth."
"No, no, your Highness, it is not true!" cried Frank wildly; and hecaught and kissed, and then clung to the Princess's hand.
"My poor boy!" she said tenderly.
"No, no; don't you believe it, madam!" he cried. "It is not--it can'tbe true. Some enemy has told you this."
"No," said the Princess gently, "no enemy, my boy. It was told me byone who knows too well. I had it from your mother's lips."
Frank gazed at her blankly, and his eyes then grew full of reproach, asthey seemed to say, "How can you, who are her friend, believe such athing?"
"There boy," said the Prince, interposing; "come here."
Frank turned to him, and his eyes flashed.
"Don't look like that," continued the Prince. "I am not angry with younow. I believe you, and I like your brave, honest way in defending yourfather. But you see how all this is true."
"No!" cried the boy firmly. "Your Royal Highness and the Princess havebeen deceived. Some one has brought a lying report to my poor mother,who ought to have been the last to believe it. I cannot and will notthink it is true."
"Very well," said the Prince quietly. "You can go on believing that itis not. I wish, my boy, I could. There, you can go back to yourduties. You will not go over to the enemy, I see."
The boy looked at the speaker as if about to make some angry speech; buthis emotions strangled him, and, forgetting all etiquette, he turned andhurried from the room.
"Look after him, Captain Murray," said the Prince quietly; "true gold istoo valuable to be lost."
The captain bowed, and hurried into the antechamber; but Frank had gone,one of the gentlemen in attendance saying that he had rushed through thechamber as if he had been half mad, and leaped down the stairs three orfour at a time.
"Gone straight to his mother," thought the captain; and he went on downthe staircase, frowning and sad, for he was sick at heart about the newshe had that morning learned of his old friend.
In Honour's Cause: A Tale of the Days of George the First Page 32