IV
THE LEAGUER OF HARBY
Halfman proved himself a creditable henchman. There was much to doand little time to do it in, for any hour might bring news that theenemy was near at hand. Brilliana, as he told her and as she knew,would have done well without him, once she had warning of danger,but, as she told him and as he knew, she did very much better withhim. There was no help to be had in the neighborhood, but byHalfman's advice a message was trusted to a sure hand to be carriedto Sir Randolph Harby, of Harby Lesser, now with the King, tellinghim of what was threatened. All the servants were assembled in thegreat hall, and there Brilliana made them a stirring little speech,to which Halfman listened with applauding pulses. She told them howHarby was menaced; she told them what she meant to do. She andCaptain Halfman meant to hold the place for the King so long as therewas a place to hold. But she would constrain none to stay with her,and she offered to all who pleased the choice to go down into thevillage and bide there till the business was ended one way or theother. Not a man of the little household, nor a woman, offered tobudge. Perhaps they did not care very much about the quarrel, butthey all loved very dearly their wild, high-spirited young mistress,and it was "God save Brilliana!" they were thinking while theyshouted "God save the King!"
This was how it came to pass that when the hundred men fromCambridge, under the command of Captain Evander Cloud, made an end oftheir forced march, they found the iron gates of Harby's park closedagainst them. This was in itself a matter of little moment, needingbut the united efforts of half a dozen stout fellows to arrange. Butit was the hint significant of more to follow. The Puritan partytramping through the park was greeted, as it neared the moat, with avolley, purposely aimed high, which brought them to a halt. ThePuritans eyed grimly a place whose great natural strength had beenmost ingeniously increased by skilful fortification, and while theirleader advanced alone and composedly across the space between theinvaders and the walls of Harby, the followers were bale to note howall the windows were barricaded and loop-holed, and how full ofmenace the ancient place appeared.
Evander Cloud advanced across the grass until he was within a fewfeet of the moat. Then an upper window was thrown open, its woodencurtain removed, and a young, fair woman appeared at the opening andquietly asked of the Puritan the meaning of his presence.
Evander Cloud saluted the lady; he could see that she was young andcomely. His own face was in shadow and the chatelaine could notdistinguish its features.
"Have I the honor to address the Lady Brilliana Harby?" he asked.
"I am the Lady Brilliana Harby," the girl answered. "What is yourbusiness here?"
"I come, madam," Evander replied, "a servant of the Parliament and ofthe English people, to safeguard this mansion in their name."
"You may speak for the London Parliament," Brilliana said, firmly,"but I think you are too bold to speak in the name of the Englishpeople. As for this poor house, it can safeguard itself very well,with the help of God."
"Madam," responded Evander, "I am empowered to take by force what Iwould gladly gain by parley."
"This house is the King's house," Brilliana said, scornfully, "anddoes not yield to thieves."
"It is the King's evil advisers who have forced civil war upon theland," Evander replied, gravely. "And it is in the King's name andfor the King's sake that we would secure this stronghold."
"Ay," retorted Brilliana, derisively. "And do the King honor byhauling down the King's flag. No more words. This is Loyalty House.You have ten minutes in which to withdraw your men. At the end ofthat time we shall fire again, and you will find that we can shootstraight. And so you may go to the devil."
Evander would have appealed anew, but with her last word Brillianadisappeared from the window, which in another moment was barricadedas stubbornly as before.
And this was the beginning of the siege of Harby House.
Mr. Samuel Marfleet, in his "Diurnal of certain events of momenthappening of late at Harby," is very eloquent over the coming of thelittle company. He sees in them the deliverers from Dagon, thedestroyers of Babylon, and in sundry heated if confused allusions tothe worship of Ashtaroth, it seems certain that the indignantschool-master was vehemently protesting against the popularity ofBrilliana. He probably goes too far, however, when he interprets thesilence of Harby villagers as the Cambridge company marched throughthe main street as the silence too great for speech of a liberatedpeople. Harby villagers were, for the most part, serenely indifferentto the quarrels of the court and the Parliament, but they had ahearty liking for Brilliana, and would, if they could, very likelyhave shown active resentment at the attack upon her home. But withnobody to lead them, there was nothing for them to do but to stare atthe grave-faced men in sober clothes with guns upon their shouldersand steel upon their breasts who tramped along towards Harby Hall.Even to the siege itself they were perforce indifferent, seeing verylittle of it, for the parliamentary leader took care that none ofthem came into Harby park, and did not, as we may gather fromoccasional asperities in the "Diurnal," greatly encourage even thevisits of Mr. Marfleet himself.
The full chronicle of that siege does not concern us here. Those thatare curious in the matter may seek for ampler information, if theywill, in the Marfleet "Diurnal." Thanks to its situation, thanks tothe experience of adventurer Halfman in barricading windows and soloop-holing them for musketry as fully to command the moat on allsides, Harby Hall proved a hard nut to crack. It was but child'splay, indeed, if you chose to compare it with the later leaguer ofLathom, but to those immediately concerned, and to Harby village, allopen mouths and open eyes, the business was a very Iliad. There was agreat deal of powder burned and but little blood shed. The littleParliament party soon learned that there was no taking the place by arush or a ruse, that it was discretion to keep due distance andinvest. For the besieged, on the other hand, there was no chance of asortie, their numbers being so few and their provisions were sorelyscarce. If no one could for the moment get into Harby, neither couldany one get out of Harby.
So day succeeded day, and Halfman found them all enchanted days. Hewas inevitably much in the company of the lady, and he played thepart of an honest gentleman ably. He made the most of his oddscholarship, of that part of his knowledge of the world best likelyto commend him to the favor of a gentlewoman; his buccaneeringenterprises veiled themselves under the vague phrase of foreignservice. He had been in tight places a thousand times; he weighedthem as trifles against a chance to win money and the living toysthat money can buy. But it was new to him to hold a fort under thecommand of a woman, and the woman herself was the newest, strangestthing he had ever known. Ever the lover of his abandoned art, heconceived shrewdly enough the character that would not displeaseBrilliana and played it very consistently: the soldier of fortunetrue, but one that had tincture of letters and would be a scholar ifhe could. So the siege hours were also hours of such companionship ashe had never experienced, ever desired; he ripened in the sunshine ofa girl's kindliness, and he deliberately tied, as it were, the foulpages of his book of memory together with the pink ribbon of a girl'sgarter. He would have been content for the siege to last forever. Butthe siege did not last forever.
The Lady of Loyalty House: A Novel Page 5