The Nest of the Sparrowhawk: A Romance of the XVIIth Century

by Baroness Emmuska Orczy Orczy

  CHAPTER XX

  MY LORD PROTECTOR'S PATROL

  Alone, Sir Marmaduke de Chavasse had taken no part in the confusedturmoil which raged around the personalities of Segrave and RichardLambert. From the moment that he had--with studied callousness--turnedhis back on his erstwhile protege he had held aloof from the crowd whichhad congregated around the two young men.

  He saw before him the complete success of his nefarious plan, which hadoriginated in the active brain of Editha, but had been perfected in hisown--of heaping dire and lasting disgrace on the man who had becometroublesome and interfering of late, who was a serious danger to hismore important schemes.

  After the fracas of this night Richard Lambert forsooth could never showhis face within two hundred miles of London, the ugly story of hishaving cheated at cards and been publicly branded as a liar and a thiefby a party of gentlemen would of a surety penetrate even within thefastnesses of Thanet.

  So far everything was for the best, nay, it might be better still, forSegrave enraged and maddened at his losses, might succeed in gettingLambert imprisoned for stealing, and cheating, even at the cost of hisown condemnation to a fine for gambling.

  The Endicotts had done their part well. The man especially, with hiswide cuffs and his quick movements. No one there present could have theslightest doubt but that Lambert was guilty. Satisfied, therefore, thatall had gone according to his own wishes, Sir Marmaduke withdrew fromfurther conflict or argument with the unfortunate young man, whom he hadso deliberately and so hopelessly ruined.

  And because he thus kept aloof, his ears were not so completely filledwith the din, nor his mind so wholly engrossed by the hand-to-handstruggle between the two young men, that he did not perceive that othersound, which, in spite of barred windows and drawn curtains, came upfrom the street below.

  At first he had only listened carelessly to the measured tramp. But thecry of "Halt!" issuing from immediately beneath the windows caused hischeeks to blanch and his muscles to stiffen with a sudden sense of fear.

  He cast a rapid glance all around. Segrave and Lambert--both flushed andpanting--were forcibly held apart. Sir Marmaduke noted with a grim smilethat the latter was obviously the center of a hostile group, whilstSegrave was surrounded by a knot of sympathizers who were strivingoutwardly to pacify him, whilst in reality urging him on through theirunbridled vituperations directed against the other man.

  The noise of arguments, of shrill voices, of admonitions and violentabuse had in no sense abated.

  Over the sea of excited faces Sir Marmaduke caught the wide-open,terrified eyes of Editha de Chavasse.

  She too, had heard.

  He beckoned to her across the room with a slight gesture of the hand,and she obeyed the silent call as quickly as she dared, working her wayround to him, without arousing the attention of the crowd.

  "Do not lose your head," he whispered as soon as she was near him andseeing the wild terror expressed in every line of her face. "Slip intothe next room ... and leave the door ajar.... Do this as quietly as maybe ... now ... at once ... then wait there until I come."

  Again she obeyed him silently and swiftly, for she knew what that cry of"Halt!" meant, uttered at the door of her house. She had heard it, evenas Sir Marmaduke had done, and after it the peremptory knocks, the loudcall, the word of command, followed by the sound of an awed andsupplicating voice, entering a feeble protest.

  She knew what all that meant, and she was afraid.

  As soon as Sir Marmaduke saw that she had done just as he had ordered,he deliberately joined the noisy groups which were congregated aroundSegrave and Lambert.

  He pushed his way forward and anon stood face to face with the young manon whom he had just wreaked such an irreparable wrong. Not a thought ofcompunction or remorse rose in his mind as he looked down at thehandsome flushed face--quite calm and set outwardly in spite of theterrible agony raging within heart and mind.

  "Lambert!" he said gruffly, "listen to me.... Your conduct hath beenmost unseemly.... Mistress Endicott has for my sake, already shown youmuch kindness and forbearance ... Had she acted as she had the right todo, she would have had you kicked out of the house by her servants....In your own interests now I should advise you to follow me quietly outof the house...."

  But this suggestion raised a hot protest on the part of all thespectators.

  "He shall not go!" declared Segrave violently.

  "Not without leaving behind him what he has deliberately stolen,"commented Endicott, raising his oily voice above the din.

  Lambert had waited patiently, whilst his employer spoke. The lastremnant of that original sense of deference and of gratitude caused himto hold himself in check lest he should strike that treacherous cowardin the face. Sir Marmaduke's callousness in the face of his peril andunmerited disgrace, had struck Lambert with an overwhelming feeling ofdisappointment and loneliness. But his cruel insults now quashed despairand roused dormant indignation to fever pitch. One look at SirMarmaduke's sneering face had told him not only that he could expect nohelp from the man who--by all the laws of honor--should have stood byhim in his helplessness, but that he was the fount and source, theinstigator of the terrible wrong and injustice which was about to landan innocent man in the veriest abyss of humiliation and irretrievabledisgrace.

  "And so this was your doing, Sir Marmaduke de Chavasse," he said,looking his triumphant enemy boldly in the face, even whilst compellingsilent attention from those who were heaping opprobrious epithets uponhim. "You enticed me here.... You persuaded me to play, ... Then youtried to rob me of mine honor, of my good name, the only valuable assetswhich I possess.... Hell and all its devils alone know why you did thisthing, but I swear before God that your hideous crime shall not remainunpunished...."

  "Silence!" commanded Sir Marmaduke, who was the first to perceive thestrange, almost supernatural, effect produced on all those present, bythe young man's earnestness, his impressive calm. Segrave himself stoodsilent and abashed, whilst everyone listened, unconsciously awed by thatunmistakable note of righteousness which somehow rang through Lambert'svoice.

  "Nay! but I'll not be silent," quoth Richard unperturbed. "I have beencondemned ... and I have the right to speak.... You have disgraced me... and I have the right to defend mine honor ... by protesting mineinnocence.... And now I will leave this house," he added loudly andfirmly, "for it is accursed and infamous ... but God is my witness thatI leave it without a stain upon my soul...."

  He pointed to the fateful table whereon a pile of gold lay scattered inan untidy heap, with the tiny leather wallet containing his five guineasconspicuously in its midst.

  "There lies the money," he said, speaking directly to Segrave, "take it,sir, for I had never the intention to touch a penny of it.... This Iswear by all that I hold most sacred.... Take it without fear orremorse--even though you thought such evil things of me ... and let himwho still thinks me a thief, repeat it now to my face--an he dare!"

  Even as the last of his loudly uttered words resounded through the room,there was a loud knock at the door, and a peremptory voice commanded:

  "Open! in the name of His Highness, the Lord Protector of England!"

  In the dead silence that followed, the buzz of a fly, the spluttering ofwax candles, could be distinctly heard.

  In a moment with the sound of that peremptory call outside, tumultuouspassions seemed to sink to rest, every cheek paled, and masculine handsinstinctively sought the handles of swords whilst lace handkerchiefswere hastily pressed to trembling lips, in order to smother the cry ofterror which had risen to feminine throats.

  "Open! in the name of His Highness, the Lord Protector of England."

  Mistress Endicott was the color of wax, her husband was gripping herwrist with a clutch of steel, trying, through the administration ofphysical pain, to keep alive her presence of mind.

  And for the third time came the loud summons:

  "Open! in the name of His Highness the Lord, Protector of England!"

 
Still that deathly silence in the room, broken only now by the firm stepof Endicott, who went to open the door.

  Resistance had been worse than useless. The door would have yielded atthe first blow. There was a wailing, smothered cry from a dozenterrified throats, and a general rush for the inner room. But this doornow was bolted and barred, Sir Marmaduke--unperceived--had slippedquickly within, even whilst everyone held his breath in the first momentof paralyzed terror.

  Had there been time, there would doubtless have ensued a violent attackagainst that locked door, but already a man in leather doublet andwearing a steel cap and collar had peremptorily pushed Endicott aside,who was making a futile effort to bar the way, after he had opened thedoor.

  This man now advanced into the center of the room, whilst a couple ofsoldierly-looking, stalwart fellows remained at attention on thethreshold.

  "Let no one attempt to leave this room," he commanded. "Here, Bradden,"he added, turning back to his men, "take Pyott with you and search thatsecond room there ... then seize all those cards and dice and also thatmoney."

  It was not likely that these hot-headed cavaliers would submit thusquietly to an arbitrary act of confiscation and of arrest. Hardly werethe last words out of the man's mouth than a dozen blades flashed out oftheir scabbards.

  The women screamed, and like so many frightened hens, ran into thecorner of the room furthest out of reach of my Lord Protector'spolice-patrol, the men immediately forming a bulwark in front of them.

  The whole thing was not very heroic perhaps. A few idlers caught in anillicit act and under threat of arrest. The consequences--of atruth--would not be vastly severe for the frequenters of this secretclub; fines mayhap, which most of those present could ill afford to pay,and at worst a night's detention in one of those horrible woodenconstructions which had lately been erected on the river bank for theexpress purpose of causing sundry lordly offenders to pass anuncomfortable night.

  These were days of forcible levelings: and my lord who had contravenedold Noll's laws against swearing and gambling, fared not one whit betterthan the tramp who had purloined a leg of mutton from an eating-house.

  Nay! in a measure my lord fared a good deal worse, for he looked uponhis own detention through the regicide usurper's orders, as an indignityto himself; hence the reason why in this same house wherein a few idlescions of noble houses indulged in their favorite pastime, when ordersrang out in the name of His Highness, swords jumped out of theirsheaths, and resistance was offered out of all proportion to the threat.

  The man who seemed to be the captain of the patrol smiled somewhatgrimly when he saw himself confronted by this phalanx of gentlemanlyweapons. He was a tall, burly fellow, broad of shoulder and well-lookingin his uniform of red with yellow facings; his round bullet-shaped head,covered by the round steel cap, was suggestive of obstinacy, even ofdetermination.

  He eyed the flushed and excited throng with some amusement not whollyunmixed with contempt. Oh! he knew some of the faces well enough bysight--for he had originally served in the train-bands of London, andhad oft seen my Lord Walterton, for instance, conspicuous at everyentertainment--now pronounced illicit by His Highness, and Sir AnthonyBridport, a constant frequenter at Exeter House, and young LordNaythmire the son of the Judge. He also had certainly seen young Segravebefore this, whose father had been a member of the Long Parliament; theonly face that was totally strange to him was that of the youngster inthe dark suit of grogram, who stood somewhat aloof from the irate crowd,and seemed to be viewing the scene with astonishment rather than withalarm.

  Lord Walterton, flushed with wine, more than with anger, constitutedhimself the spokesman of the party:

  "Who are you?" he asked somewhat unsteadily, "and what do you want?"

  "My name is Gunning," replied the man curtly, "captain commanding HisHighness' police. What I want is that you gentlemen offer no resistance,but come with me quietly to answer on the morrow before Judge Parry, acharge of contravening the laws against betting and gambling."

  A ribald and prolonged laugh greeted this brief announcement, and sometwenty pairs of gentlemanly shoulders were shrugged in token ofderision.

  "Hark at the man!" quoth Sir James Overbury lightly, "methinks,gentlemen, that our wisest course would be to put up our swords and tothrow the fellows downstairs, what say you?"

  "Aye! aye!" came in cheerful accents from the defiant little group.

  "Out with you fellow, we've no time to waste in bandying words with ye..." said Walterton, with the tone of one accustomed to see the churlever cringe before the lord, "and let one of thy myrmidons touch a thingin this room if he dare!"

  The young cavalier was standing somewhat in advance of his friends,having stepped forward in order to emphasize the peremptoriness of hiswords. The women were still in the background well protected by aphalanx of resolute defenders who, encouraged by the captain's silenceand Walterton's haughty attitude, were prepared to force the patrol ofpolice to beat a hasty retreat.

  Endicott and his wife had seemed to think it prudent to keep well out ofsight: the former having yielded to Gunning's advance had discreetlyretired amongst the petticoats.

  No one, least of all Walterton, who remained the acknowledged leader ofthe little party of gamesters, had any idea of the numerical strength ofthe patrol whose interference with gentlemanly pastimes wasunwarrantable and passing insolent. In the gloom on the landing beyond,a knot of men could only be vaguely discerned. Captain Gunning and hislieutenant, Bradden, had alone advanced into the room.

  But now apparently Gunning gave some sign, which Bradden theninterpreted to the men outside. The sign itself must have been veryslight for none of the cavaliers perceived it--certainly no actual wordof command had been spoken, but the next moment--within thirty secondsof Walterton's defiant speech, the room itself, the doorway andapparently the landing and staircase too, were filled with men, each oneattired in scarlet and yellow, all wearing leather doublets and steelcaps, and all armed with musketoons which they were even now pointingstraight at the serried ranks of the surprised and wholly unpreparedgamesters.

  "I would fain not give an order to fire," said Captain Gunning curtly,"and if you, gentlemen, will follow me quietly, there need be nobloodshed."

  It may be somewhat unromantic but it is certainly prudent, to listen attimes to the dictates of common sense, and one of wisdom's most cogentaxioms is undoubtedly that it is useless to stand up before a volley ofmusketry at a range of less than twelve feet, unless a heroic death isin contemplation.

  It was certainly very humiliating to be ordered about by a close-croppedPuritan, who spoke in nasal tones, and whose father probably had mendedboots or killed pigs in his day, but the persuasion of twenty-fourmusketoons, whose muzzles pointed collectively in one direction, wasbound--in the name of common sense--to prevail ultimately.

  Of a truth, none of these gentlemen--who were now content to oppose acomprehensive vocabulary of English and French oaths to the brand-newweapons of my Lord Protector's police--were cowards in any sense of theword. Less than a decade ago they had proved their mettle not only swordin hand, but in the face of the many privations, sorrows andhumiliations consequent on the failure of their cause and the defeat,and martyrdom of their king. There was, therefore, nothing mean orpusillanimous in their attitude when having exhausted their vocabularyof oaths and still seeing before them the muzzles of four-and-twentymusketoons pointed straight at them, they one after another droppedtheir sword points and turned to read in each other's faces uniformdesire to surrender to _force majeure_.

  The Captain watched them--impassive and silent--until the moment when hetoo, could discern in the sullen looks cast at him by some twenty pairsof eyes, that these elegant gentlemen had conquered their impulse tohot-headed resistance.

  But the four-and-twenty musketoons were still leveled, nor did theround-headed Captain give the order to lower the firearms.

  "I can release most of you, gentlemen, on parole," he said, "an you'llsurrender your swo
rds to me, you may go home this night, under promiseto attend the Court to-morrow morning."

  Bradden in the meanwhile had gone to the inner door and finding itlocked had ordered his companion to break it open. It yielded to thefirst blow dealt with a vigorous shoulder. The lieutenant went into theroom, but finding it empty, he returned and soon was busy in collectingthe various "_pieces de convictions_," which would go to substantiatethe charges of gambling and betting against these noble gentlemen. Noresistance now was offered, and after a slight moment of hesitation anda brief consultation 'twixt the more prominent cavaliers there present,Lord Walterton stepped forward and having unbuckled his sword, threw itwith no small measure of arrogance and disdain at the feet of CaptainGunning.

  His example was followed by all his friends, Gunning with arms foldedacross his chest, watching the proceeding in silence. When Endicottstood before him, however, he said curtly:

  "Not you, I think. Meseems I know you too well, fine sir, to release youon parole. Bradden," he added, turning to his lieutenant, "have thisman duly guarded and conveyed to Queen's Head Alley to-night."

  Then as Endicott tried to protest, and Gunning gave a sharp order forhis immediate removal, Segrave pushed his way forward; he wore no sword,and like Lambert, had stood aloof throughout this brief scene ofturbulent yet futile resistance, sullen, silent, and burning with adesire for revenge against the man who had turned the current of hisluck, and brought him back to that abyss of despair, whence he now knewthere could be no release.

  "Captain," he said firmly, "though I wear no sword I am at one with allthese gentlemen, and I accept my release on parole. To-morrow I willanswer for my offense of playing cards, which apparently, is an illicitpastime. I am one of the pigeons who have been plucked in this house."

  "By that gentleman?" queried Gunning with a grim smile and nodding overhis shoulder in the direction where Endicott was being led away by acouple of armed men.

  "No! not by him!" replied Segrave boldly.

  With a somewhat theatrical gesture he pointed to Lambert, who, more of aspectator than a participant in the scene, had been standing mutely byoutside the defiant group, absorbed in his own misery, wondering whateffect the present unforeseen juncture would have on his future chancesof rehabilitating himself.

  He was also vaguely wondering what had become of Sir Marmaduke andMistress de Chavasse.

  But now Segrave's voice was raised, and once more Lambert found himselfthe cynosure of a number of hostile glances.

  "There stands the man who has robbed us all," said Segrave wildly, "andnow he has heaped disgrace upon us, upon me and mine.... Curse him! ...curse him, I say!" he continued, whilst all the pent-up fury, forciblykept in check all this while by the advent of the police, now once morefound vent in loud vituperation and almost maniacal expressions of rage."Liar ... cheat! ... Look at him, Captain! there stands the man who mustbear the full brunt of the punishment, for he is the decoy, he is thethief! ... The pillory for him ... the pillory ... the lash ... thebrand! ... Curse him! ... Curse him! ... the thief! ..."

  He was surrounded and forcibly silenced. The foam had risen to his lips,impotent fury and agonized despair had momentarily clouded his brain.Lambert tried to speak, but the Captain, unwilling to prolong a conflictover which he was powerless to arbitrate, gave a sign to Bradden andanon the two young men were led away in the wake of Endicott.

  The others on giving their word that they would appear before the Courton the morrow, and answer to the charge preferred against them, werepresently allowed to walk out of the room in single file between adouble row of soldiers whose musketoons were still unpleasantlyconspicuous.

  Thus they passed out one by one, across the passage and down the darkstaircase. The door below they found was also guarded; as well as thepassage and the archway giving on the street.

  Here they were permitted to collect or disperse at will. The ladies,however, had not been allowed to participate in the order for release.Gunning knew most of them by sight,--they were worthy neither ofconsideration nor respect,--paid satellites of Mistress Endicott's,employed to keep up the good spirits of that lady's clientele.

  The soldiers drove them all together before them, in a compact,shrinking and screaming group. Then the word of command was given. Thesoldiers stood at attention, turned and finally marched out of the roomwith their prisoners, Gunning being the last to leave.

  He locked the door behind him and in the wake of his men presentlywended his way down the tortuous staircase.

  Once more the measured tramp was heard reverberating through the house,the cry of "Attention!" of "Quick march!" echoed beneath the passageand the tumble-down archway, and anon the last of these ominous soundsdied away down the dismal street in the direction of the river.

  And in one of the attics at the top of the now silent and lonely housein Bath Street--lately the scene of so much gayety and joy, of suchturmoil of passions and intensity of despair--two figures, a man and awoman, crouched together in a dark corner, listening for the last dyingecho of that measured tramp.

  PART III