The MS. in a Red Box

by John A. Hamilton

  CHAPTER XXIV

  A letter from Anna awaited me on my return to the vicarage, from whichI copy as much as it is fit for other eyes than mine to see.

  "An armourer in Amsterdam has made himself a name and great gain by ashirt of mail, which is said to be verily pistol proof, and, at thesame time, more light and flexible than any heretofore made. I havesent one for you, and one for your friend, and trust they will come tohand in time, and prove as useful as our military friends say they are.It will be great joy to me, if the idle gew-gaws with which they werebought have been converted into stout and serviceable covering for thebreast of my reckless soldier and his comrade. I try to persuademyself that danger flees from those who court it, for well I know youwill ever be in the forefront of battle, when you anywise may. But formy sake, pray remember that there is a soldierly prudence.

  "We have been here at the Hague for some weeks, my father having beencalled in to consult with the Stadtholder's physician; but in a fewdays we go to Leyden, where a professorship has been found for myfather. Strangely enough, my father has made acquaintance with yours,who had some business with the Stadtholder, and they fell into a mutualliking, before either knew the other's name. If they had but met inAxholme, how many evils might have been averted! Mr. Vavasour is aboutto go on some secret embassy to the East, at the instance of friends,who are in authority at Venice. Doubtless you know more of theseItalian gentlemen. He spent more than an hour with us in our lodging,and made me think him a great and magnanimous man, who might have donethe state much service, if he had been more highly placed. But he hassorely lacked woman's counsel to remind him of the near duty and theplain, homely wisdom which women have by instinct. Be you warned intime, my Frank. Your father has ruined his estate for want of ahousewife's wit!

  "You will be pleased to know that his leave-taking with me had a touchof fatherliness....

  "There is high dispute among the natural philosophers at Leyden whetherit be true that some trees produce flowers but no fruit, and othersfruit without flowers. My father bids me ask your answer to thesequestions following: Do oaks and beeches bear no flowers? Do the elm,poplar, and box bear neither flower nor fruit? He is reconciled tohaving you as a son-in-law, partly by the quickness and sureness withwhich you see and observe! Said he to me but yesterday, 'If Frank werehere, I believe I could prove that fruit is preceded by blossom farmore often than has been supposed.' Yes; he called you 'Frank.' How Iwish you were here, instead of preparing for Sweden and all the chancesand horrors of the battlefield! Is it utterly impossible for you tocome here before you join the army of King Gustavus?"

  When I had read and re-read my letter, and while I was giving my auntthe news it contained, and the messages for herself, Dick Portingtoncame in to bid me to a supper the next evening at the White Hart, wherea number of old friends would meet, to wish me a good voyage, and drinkto our next merry meeting. Although I had no great inclining to abanquet on the last evening before my departure, I could not bring mymind to offend my well-wishers by a refusal.

  Dame Hind outdid herself in the provision she made for the feast, whichwas spread in the "court-room," the same in which Commissioner Tunstallhad trouble with the wasps. Squire Stovin presided, whose ancestor waschief of the bowmen in the army of the Conqueror at Senlac Field. Hewas accounted one of the wisest and boldest gentlemen of the Isle.With him was his son George, a little older than I, and a good comrade.There were present also Squire Mell of Belton, and his son, who hadstood by me at Belshaw, and Dick Portington and his father, the Squireof Tudworth, and some other gentlemen (twelve or more) whose names havenot appeared in my pages, besides a few men of humbler condition, amongthem being Daft Jack and my man Luke.

  Over supper the talk at our table ran on the affairs of the nation; theseizure of our ships by the Duke of Epernon, and the coming war withFrance; the mystery of the policy of the King, or rather of the Duke ofBuckingham. Some one voiced the opinion that the favourite had deepdesigns, incomprehensible to the vulgar. Squire Stovin laughed incontempt.

  "Say 'contradictory to all the adages of common folk' and I am withyou. 'You cannot have your cake and eat your cake,' runs the saw;Buckingham thinks he can. He believes the sky will rain potatoes, ifhe wishes it. He rules England just as much as the weathercock on mybarn rules the wind."

  "We may hope for better days, think you not," asked Squire Mell, "sincethe judges have at last taken a stand, and declared the new loanillegal?"

  "I see not much promise in that, since the King's answer is to dismissSir Randal Carew from his Chief Justiceship," replied Stovin. "That isas high-handed a piece of tyranny as the sale of our land over ourheads to the Dutchman; and the country takes it as tamely as we haveta'en the loss of our property and our rights."

  "There are more than fifty gentlemen of the county committed to prisonfor refusing to pay the money demanded," said one.

  "Ten of them had been appointed commissioners to collect the loan,"said another.

  "I heard a rumour the other day," said a third, "that the Earl ofLincoln is to be sent to the Tower."

  "These are not times for our young men to be enlisting for foreignservice; there will be civil war in England before we are much older,"declared Squire Portington.

  "There's not much sign of it yet," growled Stovin. "We are toowhite-livered for 't. But 'tis no bad thing some of our lads shouldlearn how to win battles under a master of the art."

  "Vavasour and Drury will be apt pupils, I warrant," said the youngerMell. "He is a good captain who knows how to get the victory when heis outnumbered three to one, and the enemy has horsemen and he footmenonly. How the Mulgrave men fled at Belshaw!"

  "Nay, the chief credit for that must be put down to thee," I replied.

  "The Mulgrave men are not likely to be the tools of oppression infuture," remarked Squire Mell. "The young earl is reducing the numberof his train. And I have it on good authority that he has put the caseof the Isle Commoners to my Lord Scrope in a new light. He is a justyoung man, and judicious beyond his years."

  "The guest of the evening has reason to think so," some one said.

  "Owes Frank for his coronet," another shouted.

  "His earldom came to him by the judgment of the Almighty," answeredMell, gravely. "We know Vavasour had no intent to kill Lord Sheffieldon the best of testimony--that of Frank himself, who would not lie tosave his neck."

  "'A speaks as straight as 'a hits and shoots," cried a voice from theother table.

  "For my part," continued Mell, "I applaud the earl's courage indespising misconstruction."

  "What is the meaning of the uproar below?" asked Portington, as we alllistened to a noise of voices in anger and alarm, which came throughthe side door, just opened for the carrying out of the remnants ofsupper.

  At the same moment, a servant rushed into the room, almost breathless.

  "Would your honour condescend to come to give order what's to be donewith a murthering villain?" she panted toward Squire Stovin.

  A dozen men hurried forward, but the squire called out--

  "Order, gentlemen. Be so good as to remain until I have seen what'sthe matter. Portington, Drury, Vavasour, follow me."

  At first we could scarcely see, the change being great from the lightof many wax candles to the dimness of the few tallow dips in tinsconces of the common room of the inn; but shortly we discerned afellow held down on a chair by two men, Host Hind standing over himwith a stout cudgel in his hand, and a group of labourers and the like,who had been disturbed at their potations, as was plain by anoverturned table, and a quantity of liquor spilled on the floor, andthe shards of a broken jug. Briefly told, the matter stood thus: theman now on the chair had come, wrapped in a horseman's long cloak, andwearing a big beard; had called for Schiedam, and sat drinking byhimself. A wandering cripple who played a pipe had entertained thecompany with the tricks of a Barbary ape, which made the round of theroom after the performance, holding out a box for the gifts of th
eliberal. When the man in the cloak took no heed of him, the animal hadpulled at his beard, which came off in his paw, whereupon the man hadstruck the beast, and the beast had instantly fastened his teeth in theman's hand. A scuffle followed, the stranger beating and trying toshake off the ape, its owner endeavouring to save the animal from theheavy blows which the stranger dealt on its head, and the companymaking confusion worse by crowding on the queer combatants. As soon asthe ape had been struck down, the stranger had kicked it furiously, andalso its owner the cripple, which stirred the ire of the spectators,who seized him, calling him a brutish villain. In struggling withthem, the man had lost his cloak, revealing pistols in his belt, one ofwhich he had pulled out, threatening to shoot. Host Hind had rappedhim over the knuckles with his cudgel, called on two stout fellows tohold him, and sent a servant to Justice Stovin.

  "Hold up your head, and let me have a closer sight of you; you and Ihave met before, or I am grossly mistaken."

  So saying, the Squire took a candle from the wall, and passed it beforethe man's face, and I saw it was Vliet.

  "Let every man in the room go elsewhere for a few minutes, barring thelandlord and the gentlemen who accompanied me."

  When the order had been obeyed, the Squire bade Hind to pinion theprisoner. Vliet looked at me with murderous eyes, but sullenlysubmitted.

  "Now I have saved you from being made dogs' meat," said the Squire."If the honest fellows in the house knew you were the Sebastian Vlietwho escaped from arrest on the charge of attempted murder, and guessedyou were lurking here, disguised, expecting that it would be easy toshoot a man, merry with wine, and thinking no evil, they would tear youlimb from limb--small blame to them. Do you understand me?"

  "If you permit," said John to the Squire, "I will be your interpreter."

  Squire Stovin nodded, and there ensued some interchange of speechbetween the two.

  "You have said much more than I did," quoth the Squire.

  "I added a word of advice about the ape's bite, for which I receivedsome choice Dutch blasphemy."

  "What was the advice?"

  "To allow me to apply a white-hot poker to the wound. The bite of anape is a nasty thing."

  "And what was the reply?" asked Dick.

  "Stripped of the cursing, it was to the effect that my gentleman couldmake better use of a hot poker than to burn himself with it. Excuse mefrom repeating the precise terms: they were not in the best taste."

  "Give him to understand that he will be removed to the lock-up, wherehe will be strongly guarded, and committed to Lincoln to-morrow."

  "And you will give order that his hurt be looked to, will you not,Squire?" I put in.

  "Why, in Heaven's name, should I concern myself about his rascallycarcase? Why you should, God only knows."

  I certainly did not know; but, nevertheless, a sort of pity had filledme for the wretched man, who had lost so much; love, above all, health,as his bloated face and body showed, his money, as I suspected from histhreadbare garments, and every remnant of gentility and self-respect,as he proved by look and word and tone. Poor soldier of fortune thoughI was, I had infinite wealth in comparison.

  "Well, be it so," said the Squire. "I will send for Tankersley."

  Then Vliet burst out into a torrent of oaths in English, and the Squirebade John and me return to our friends, while he took measures for thesafe custody of the prisoner. When we had satisfied the curiosity ofour friends, and the Squire reappeared, the festivities went on again.After the King's health had been drunk, the Squire wishing him "wisercounsellors," my old friend made a speech about me, in which he saidfar more than it would be decent for me to write, even if I couldremember it all. But some of his words dealt with the state of thingsin the Isle, and are, in my judgment, well worthy of remembrance.

  "There have been Vavasours at Temple Belwood more than two hundredyears, and most of them gentlemen of a public mind, but none more sothan our 'solicitor,' Thomas Vavasour. He has lost his patrimony indefending our rights and properties. In all likelihood, he would nothave relinquished his estate, but for his belief that his son was dead,and right sure I am that every gentleman in the Isle would have donewhat in his power lay, to retain the honourable family of Vavasour inits rightful seat. I may say that I, for one, endeavoured to persuadeour solicitor to accept contributions from the Isle Commoners, towardsthe expenditure needful to maintain our cause, and I think it an errorin judgment that he declined, but it was the error of a proud andgenerous man, and, moreover, of a man who had confidence in theadministration of law in this country. His confidence was so farjustified, that the highest court of law in the land decided in hisfavour, as it was bound to do. Mr. Vavasour did not expect that lawand justice would be overridden by royal prerogative. No man expectedthat. We have fallen on evil times, when a man's property may be takenfrom him by a stronger than he, on the plea that the stronger man canmake a better use of it than the rightful owner. You may by and byhave Charles and Cornelius walking into your grounds. They see a lake.Says Cornelius to Charles, 'I should like to fill up that lake, andgrow potatoes there.' 'Says Charles to Cornelius, 'Give me so much,and you may.' And in spite of law and equity and reason, becauseCharles and Cornelius are giants, and you are a man of ordinary size,they do as they please. And they have the impudence to call themselvesbenefactors for growing potatoes where no potatoes grew before! But Icrave pardon, gentlemen, for threshing this old straw over again. Iwill add but this: We have learned to our cost that the Dutchman'splans are as bad as his title. So the men of the south of the Islehave learned, and those who live on the border of the West Riding. Iam sure the outfall will be choked up in a few years. The wholebusiness is wrong, and will end in the ruin of the projectors, and thenthe inhabitants of the Isle may regain their rights. We are not likelyto receive amends for our losses, I fear. One of our losses is thebanishment of our solicitor and of his son, our guest."

  The remainder of the Squire's speech was given to commendation of me,and good wishes for my future prosperity. The health was drunk withcheering enough to shake the rafters, which was renewed, when I madethe best reply I could to the kind things said by the Squire, andshouted from end to end of the tables.

  Then the younger Mell called on us in a pleasant vein of talk to drinkthe health of John Drury; and John made a speech, full of merry quipsand jests, that set us all laughing and put formality to rout.

  While tongues were wagging of blithesome days in the forest, now nomore to be enjoyed, of salmon-spearing in Trent, of otter hunts in Don,of duck-shooting on the meres, and the like sports and pastimes of theIsle, the wine flowing freely, and every other man blowing a cloud oftobacco-smoke from his lips, the landlord came to whisper in my earthat some one, whose name I did not catch, begged to have a word withme.

  "Speak up, mine host," said I. "Who is it?"

  "'Tis lawyer Gibberd from Hatfield, on pressing business, he says. Andpressing it must be to bring such as he out on this bitter night. Hisfeet were frozen to the stirrups, and his face and hands were awmostdead, but we've rubbed 'em well with snow. Says he's been well-highflayed out of his wits by highwaymen. He's been to the vicarage, andthey sent him on here."

  Before Hind had ended, nearly every one in the room was listening; andwhen I rose to go with him, wondering what this Gibberd, whose name Idid not remember having heard, could want with me, Squire Stovin said--

  "We have had one queer fish here this evening. By your leave,Vavasour, I will see whether the man is Gibberd."

  I bowed and sat down, and the Squire went out, the younger Mellattending him. They returned shortly, bringing an elderly man withthem, who blinked and coughed and trembled, as he took the chair placedfor him.

  "Fill a cup of brandy-wine for Mr. Gibberd," ordered the Squire."Drink it off, man, and then tell Vavasour your news."

  When the man of law had quaffed his drink, and coughed again, he began--

  "You will pardon my intrusion on this festive occasion, an
d at thislate hour, urgent business being my excuse. Indeed, if it had not beenof a most pressing nature, I should not have faced the rigour of theweather, and the perils of the road, for I am by habit a home-keepingman, and not accustomed to be abroad after dark, especially at thistime of the year. But as I chanced to hear, quite by accident, of yourintention to leave the country to-morrow, though I was not fullyassured of the truth of the information, I thought myself in duty boundto use the utmost haste and diligence in acquainting you with facts ofthe utmost consequence, being, in a sense, your professional adviser,at least for the immediate present, and as I hope and trust in thefuture also."

  "Poor man! the frost has touched his brain," said Dick.

  "But not his tongue," laughed John.

  "If you can come to the point, I shall be obliged, Mr. Gibberd," said I.

  Mr. Gibberd coughed, helped himself to a little more liquor, andcontinued--

  "I had the honour to be the legal adviser of the late Mr. Staniforth,who died yesterday, very suddenly at the last, poor gentleman, thoughin my experience it is always sudden. Perhaps I should more correctlysay 'observation,' but no matter. Of late, Mr. Staniforth has foundcomfort in making several testamentary dispositions of his property;since the death of his much-lamented son, he has done so often----"

  "Let's have an end to this prolixity, man," thundered Squire Stovin."You made poor old Staniforth's last will and testament? Is that whatyou mean?"

  "I did."

  "And he has left something to Mr. Frank Vavasour, eh?"

  "He has left to Mr. Frank Vavasour, on condition of his taking the nameof Staniforth, his house known as Staniforth Hall, his----"

  "Cut it short, Mr. Gibberd; spare us the language of the law," said I.

  "Everything he had is yours, Mr. Vavasour; his property in Staniforth,Sykehouse, Fishlake, Cowick, Baln, and Pollington; his money out onmortgage----"

  Dick jumped up. "Fill your cups, gentlemen. Here's to FrankVavasour-Staniforth, or Staniforth-Vavasour, wishing him joy of hisinheritance, and then three times three."

  What an uproar the good fellows made! And when they had finished thethree times three, some one shouted "One more!" and then another calledfor "Just a little one," and another for "A good one to end up with."

  And so they went on, until they had made themselves hoarse and dry.Luke came and stood behind my chair.

  "Ye can't do bout a bodysarvant now, Measter Frank. 'Tis my place. Norunning your head again' cannon bullets i' forrin parts, now. When bewe agoin' to Holland?"

  John gripped my hand, saying, "I suppose Providence makes no mistakes,but I could wish this stroke had not come just now. I hoped to see youa colonel at least, but Mistress Goel will forbid it."

  "The first thing to be done," I answered, "is to go to the help of thatworthy man in Hull."

  "To-morrow, early," he answered heartily.

  While this passed, the room was full of clamour of talk and laughter,which grew louder every moment, until Squire Stovin's great voicecalled for order.

  "Gentlemen," said he, "this has been a trying time for our guest. Inever heard that coming in to fortune killed a man, but this suddenchange in our friend's affairs is something of a shock. If you willaccept my ruling, we will drink a parting cup, and go home. Frankshall invite us to a merry meeting as soon as he finds it convenient."

  To this all agreed, and at length, after much handshaking, John and Iwalked together to the vicarage.

  "You, too, will renounce the Swedish project," said I.

  "Nay," he answered; "if I don't go abroad, I shall turn gipsy."

  THE END