The Lady of Loyalty House: A Novel

by Justin H. McCarthy

  XXXI

  HALFMAN DISPOSES

  Brilliana came in from the garden. Halfman heard her step and turned.She was pale with many emotions; he never had seen her morebeautiful.

  "The King has gone, friend," she said; "God bless him for hisclemency."

  "My heart does not sing because a Puritan lives," Halfman answered,sourly. He stared into the fire again and saw burning towns betweenthe dogs. Brilliana paused for a moment and then came a little closerto him.

  "We have ever been friends," she said, softly. There was a note oftimidity in her voice, new to Halfman, and he turned in surprise.

  "Indeed," he said, roundly.

  "We have been fellow-soldiers," Brilliana went on, still with thatcurious hesitancy that sat so strangely upon her. "We have shared asiege. I have a secret to tell you."

  Halfman felt a sudden uncanny warning of danger. "A secret," herepeated, staring at her.

  Brilliana was outblushing all things red--peony, poppy, flamingo,anything.

  "You have always loved me, Hobbin?" she asked, half timorously.

  "I have always loved you," he answered, slowly, with a rigid face.

  "Then you will be glad of what I have to tell," she said. "There willbe no change here. For I love this gentleman even as this gentlemanloves me, and we are to wed when this meddling war is ended."

  "You love him?" Halfman echoed, dully. "You wed an enemy to theKing?"

  Brilliana sighed.

  "Love is the greatest power in all the world," she said; "greaterthan kings, greater than emperors, greater than popes. But I will wedno enemy to the King. If these wars were to endure forever, thenforever my dear friend and I would remain unwed and bear our singlesouls to heaven."

  Her voice was low and dreary; suddenly it brightened.

  "But these wars will not endure forever. The King will be in Londonin a few days; the Parliament will be at his feet; my friend will beno more a rebel, for all rebellion will have ceased to be."

  "How if your friend be killed before the King reaches London?"Halfman asked her, hoarsely. "The wheels of war do not turn from thepath of a lover."

  "If he be killed," she said, simply, "I do not think I shall longoutlive him. My heart does not veer like a vane for every breath ofpraise or passion. First and last, I have found my mate in the world;first and last, I will be loyal while I live. But if he die, I hopeGod will deal gently with me, nor suffer me to grow gray in sorrow."

  She turned away from Halfman that he might not see the tears in hereyes, and so turning did not see the tears that stood in his. Shemoved towards the harpsichord and dropped into the chair that servedit. Her fingers fluttered over the keys and a tinkling music answeredthem and underlined the words she sang:

  "You ride to fight, my dearest friend, I bide at home and sigh; God only knows what God may send, To test us, by-and-by. If 'tis decreed that you must die, So comes my world to end; And I will seek beyond the sky The features of my friend. Come back from fight, my dearest friend, The idol of my eye, That hand in hand ourselves may bend Before God's altar high. If death consent to pass you by, How sweetly shall we wend To the last home where we shall lie Together, friend and friend."

  As Brilliana sat at the harpsichord playing the brave Cavalierballad, Halfman, watching her, found his eyes dim with mostunfamiliar water. Fierce memories of his life seemed to come beforehim sharply, vivid succeeding pictures, rich in evil. In a flash hetramped across forests, sack and battle and rapine new paintedthemselves upon his brain; deeds long dead and forgotten suddenlybecame instant agonies. He seemed like a prisoner before an invisiblejudge, and his startled spirit sought wildly and vainly for some gooddeed it might offer in plea for pity. If only he had spared thatgirl, that child unripe for love, who never dreamed of brutal hands.He seemed to see her in the room where he ran her down, her staringeyes; he seemed to hear her screams; he remembered how hot his bloodwas then, though now it ran like ice at the memory. If only he hadnot helped to torture the old Jew in San Juan; if only he could blotout his share in all those acts of lust and blood. And through allhis horrid thoughts came the sweet voice of Brilliana singing thesweet, brave words, and he saw her curls sway as she sang, and hethought of her love for her kinsman which she had told him so simply,and he thought of his own mad love for her, which she would neverknow, which no one would ever understand. And then he thought of thatgrim sentry at the western gate whose hate was black, whose aim wasfatal.

  A fantastic purpose came into the man's thought. His mind was everlike a stage with the lights lighted and the curtains drawn, uponwhose boards himself played a thousand parts and played them to thetop. Here was the part he had never played, the noblest, the mostheroic, chiefly perhaps in this, that it was also the loneliest. Thepurpose had hardly pricked before he seized it, hugged it to hisbreast, made it incorporate with his being. Mingled with his tenderpity for Brilliana there was now a splendid pity for himself, thenoblest Roman of them all. But the purpose must not cool. Histhoughts were all a-jumble. One of them seemed to assert to hisfeverish fancy that this way meant atonement; the quenching of historch some measure of compensation for the candles he had puffedout.

  Unseen he stretched his hands as if in benediction towards Brilliana,and then went noiselessly out of the room. On the stairs he metEvander descending to say farewell to his hostess, his hat in hishand and his cloak over his arm. Halfman stopped him. "She waits youin the garden-room," he said; "I will hold your cloak and hat for youhere while you make your adieus. A lover should not be cumbered."Evander thanked him, surrendered cloak and hat, and entered thegarden-room. He did not hear what Halfman said, though Halfman spokeit aloud, with all the lovers of all time for audience: "There goesthe blessedest man in all the world." Then, with Evander's cloakabout him and Evander's hat upon his head, Halfman went out into thegarden.

  At the sound of Evander's step Brilliana turned and rose to greethim.

  "My dear!" she cried, her eyes luminous, her breast heaving.

  "My riding-time has come," he said, sadly. He stood apart, but shecame near to him and put her hands on his shoulders.

  "You found me in tears, but you must think of me as smiling--smilingfor joy in my lover, smiling at the thought of his return."

  He caught her in his arms, clasped her close to him, and kissed herlips. It seemed to him as if that moment consecrated him forever. Shewas simply glad that the man she loved had kissed her.

  "These are evil days," he said. "Who knows when we shall meet again."

  "At least we have met," she answered. "I shall thank God for that,morning and night. Nothing can change that, if we do not meet formonths, for years, if we never meet again."

  "These wars must end soon," Evander said, confidently. Brillianacaught at his hands.

  "You will never hurt the King," she cried. "Promise me that. You willnever hurt the King."

  "I will never hurt the King," Evander promised. "And now, dearlove--"

  He could not say farewell.

  There was a moment's silence as they stood facing each other, holdinghands, the woman trying to smile. The silence was suddenly, brutallybroken by the loud, clear report of a shot. Brilliana stiffened withthe start.

  "What was that?"

  "It seemed a pistol-shot in the garden," Evander answered.

  "Who should fire now?"

  "I will go see," Evander said, turning towards the open space.Brilliana restrained him.

  "Oh no, dear love, my heart misgives; there may be danger."

  Evander gently released himself.

  "And when are you or I afraid of danger?"

  Brilliana accepted this.

  "Then I go with you."

  Instantly Evander paused.

  "No, no," he said.

  Brilliana repeated his words.

  "Why, when are you or I afraid of danger?"

  There was a noise of running feet in the garden, and thenThoroughgood spe
d across the moat and into the room.

  "Captain Halfman has been shot," he gasped.

  "Oh, by whom?" Brilliana wailed, her eyes wide with horror.

  "Is he killed?" Evander asked.

  Thoroughgood answered both in a breath.

  "Badly wounded. They bring him here."

  As he spoke, Garlinge and Clupp entered from the garden, bearingHalfman between them, wrapped in Evander's mantle.

  The man of gallant carriage, of swaggering alacrity, seemed to liehorribly limp in the men's arms. Evander hurriedly made a couch ofchairs and bade them lay their burden on it, that he might examinethe wound. Brilliana bent over him.

  "Oh, my dear friend," she sobbed.

  The sound of her voice seemed to awaken Halfman. He opened his eyes.

  "Lift me up," he said, feebly, to his supporters. He looked atBrilliana. "Lady, you have been deceived. Sir Randolph escaped fromhis enemies. A snare was set for Captain Cloud--" he paused.

  "By whom?" cried Brilliana, the woman eager for her lover.

  Something like a smile came to Halfman's face.

  "That I may not say. I was privy to the plot. But I walked into thetrap myself. I fear, sir, you will find a hole in your mantle."

  "You wore my cloak?" Evander asked, in wonder. "You died for me?"

  "Ah, why did you not warn?" Brilliana cried.

  Halfman moved his head feebly.

  "I did not want to live."

  "But you shall live," Brilliana insisted, prayed.

  Halfman laughed very faintly.

  "I do not think so. I am an old soldier, and--ah!"

  He gave a great gasp. Then suddenly lifted himself a little andsaluted Brilliana as if on parade.

  "Here, my sweet warrior," he said, clearly. He looked fixedly atBrilliana and declaimed, "I did hear you speak, far above singing."Then his chin dropped; his head fell back on the supporting arms.Evander touched him, turned to Brilliana.

  "Alas! he's sped."

  The only sound in the silent room was the weeping of Brilliana inEvander's arms.