The Rock of the Lion

by Molly Elliot Seawell

  CHAPTER XVIII

  "Now, tell me, my captain," cried Archy, "what I have been longing toask--what brought you to England?"

  "A desire to serve my country. Knowing that I must soon return toAmerica, and hoping that one of the first things which will engage theattention of Congress will be the organization of a navy, I determinedto find out all I could about the English dock-yards. For this purpose Ilanded at Plymouth two weeks ago. I managed, by means I cannot nowreveal to you, to inspect the dock-yards at Plymouth and Portsmouthboth, and I have in my head a complete knowledge of the methods by whichthe British navy is built, armed, manned, and victualled; and thisinformation I shall lay before the Marine Committee of Congress as soonas I return. I have also a complete list of every ship in the Britishnavy, with the rating, metal, boats, officers, and men, when and wherebuilt, and present station and employment. How I got it goes with me tothe grave, a secret.[1] Meanwhile, it became advisable for me to getaway from England as soon as possible. I found all the ports in thesouth of England were watched, but I played with my enemies by takingpost for Yorkshire. The captain of a Portuguese vessel, which lay atGravesend, was to call at Bridlington for a part of his cargo, and Ipersuaded him, by the promise of a considerable sum of money, to waitfor me north of the Humber for three days. He is probably there now, andhe is to land me in France. And now for our mutual adventures."

  "Your's first, of course."

  And then Paul Jones began and gave Archy a clear account of how thingswere going, as nearly as he could tell, in America. It was then Archy'sturn, and he told with great relish of Lord Bellingham's efforts toinduce him to become a British subject, of Colonel Baskerville'sunvarying kindness and wisdom, of Trevor Langton's brilliant prospects,in case he were alive.

  "I hope he may still be living; but I heard through a well-informedperson in London that sickness was making fearful inroads upon thegarrison. I remembered your cousin's name, and asked if there were newsof him. It seems that the Duc de Crillon is most generous in allowingnews of individuals, and I was told that he had lately had a severeattack of fever, and it was not known whether he was alive or dead."

  This was distressing news for Archy to hear. He was silent a fewmoments, and then said:

  "I will mention this first to my uncle, and leave it to him whether hewill tell my aunt and cousins and my grandfather. It will break hismother's heart if Langton is--" Here Archy stopped, unable to continue;but after a while he recovered himself, and began to take his usualcheerful view of Langton's chances.

  "He may be as well as you and I are at this moment, so I will not allowmyself to fear for him. And now, will you advise me for myself?"

  "I can only repeat to you the advice I gave you in Paris. If I saw theslightest danger of your being beguiled into giving up your country, Iwould wish you to leave England at once. As it is, I see that LordBellingham is most kindly disposed towards you; and you are much betteroff until affairs have finally settled themselves with him, andespecially Colonel Baskerville, of whom I have formed a high opinion.Remember, you are still, technically, an officer on parole, and so youwill remain until peace is signed. I recommend, both for your interestas well as your real welfare, to remain with your relatives until youare quite free. I am glad to see that you have some domestic influences.It is well for a young man who has no mother or sisters to have theassociation with some one else's mother and sisters--and if the motherof those sweet and modest girls be like them, you are fortunate."

  Archy had not thought he could laugh so soon after hearing of Langton'ssupposed illness, but at the recollection of Mary's and Isabel'sgratification and delight at being noticed by Paul Jones, Archy burstinto laughter, long and loud.

  "If you could but hear us quarrel! My cousins are, as you say, sweet andmodest; but they hate everything connected with our cause, and when Itell them that it is you--"

  Paul Jones joined in Archy's merriment, so that the postilion thoughtthe two gentlemen inside had lost their minds, they laughed so much.

  They reached the first and last stage--a village on the coast--atdaylight. From thence Archy was to return to Bellingham in thepost-chaise. Dawn was breaking over the German Ocean, and the eastglowed with a soft radiance that was turning the sky to an exquisiterose-color, and was presently to break into the splendor of the sunrise.Few vessels dotted the sea, but near the shore lay a Portuguesebrigantine, which Paul Jones at once recognized. Afar off, the pile ofScarborough Castle frowned over the sea. Paul Jones's eyes sparkled, asdid Archy's, when they looked seaward.

  "It was yonder," cried Paul Jones, "that we fought the _Serapis_. Underthose waves rests what was left of the gallant old _Bon Homme Richard_.Yonder is the sea on which I struck one good and ringing blow for mycountry!"

  "And made the name of Paul Jones immortal," replied Archy, feeling hisheart swell at the sight of the man who had earned so much glory on thatspot.

  The parting was painful for both, although they expected to meet shortlyin their own liberated and victorious country; but it was brief. Thebrigantine sent a boat ashore, and almost before Archy realized that hehad said good-bye to his friend and captain, Paul Jones was aboard, andthe brigantine was stretching out to sea with a fair wind.

  Archy turned towards the little public-house where the horses werebaited, and ordered some breakfast for himself. He felt dazed. It seemedto him as if weeks separated him from the same hour the day before.After getting his breakfast he went to the chaise, while the horses wereresting, entered it, and fell sound asleep. He did not stir until noon.By that time the horses were being put to, and they took the road forhome. Archy, who was a good sleeper, dozed nearly all the way, but hewas disturbed by troubled dreams and thoughts of Langton. However, whenin the dusk of evening he drove up to Bellingham he was quite wideawake, and not all his anxieties for his friend could wholly damp hisglee at his prospective triumph over Mary and Isabel. He had no fears asto the manner in which Lord Bellingham would receive him after knowingthe name of his mysterious guest. His grandfather would never on earthadmit that he had been hoodwinked in any way, and no matter howchagrined he was he would put a bold face on it. But Isabel and Mary!

  Archy rushed in the hall and found them sitting around the fire as theyhad been the previous evening, with the addition of Colonel Baskervilleand Mrs. Langton.

  "Grandfather," bawled Archy, quite unable to moderate his exultation,"do you know who it was you entertained last night? Ha! ha!"

  "Perfectly," replied Lord Bellingham, with a cold smile.

  Archy felt rather flat, and looked reproachfully at Colonel Baskerville,who, he felt convinced, had robbed him of the pleasure of springing thesensation on his grandfather. But Mary and Isabel were left. ColonelBaskerville had not been cruel enough to deprive him of that delicioustriumph over them.

  "Do _you_ know, Mary and Isabel?" he cried.

  "No," replied Isabel, "but he was so graceful and agreeable. We toldmamma we were sure he is a man of rank."

  "So he is," shouted Archy, in reply.

  "And there was something so romantic about him," chimed in Mary.

  "When he showed us the portrait of Queen Marie Antoinette, we thought itmight be possible--though I dare say it was foolish enough--that hemight be the King's brother, the Comte d'Artois."

  At this Archy capered with delight. Colonel Baskerville whisperedsomething to Mrs. Langton, who started with surprise, but who laughed inher gentle way at the little comedy being played by Archy, whom she hadlearned to love, and Mary and Isabel.

  "At all events, he was very civil," announced Isabel, "and I am sure Ihope he liked the way we curtseyed. Oh, how easy it is to tell personsof rank and birth."

  "Indeed, that is true," Mary echoed; "and I dare say, cousin Archy, yourfriend is very much opposed to these extraordinary American sympathiesand notions of yours."

  "Do you want to know who he is?" shrieked Archy, joyfully. "Do you wantto know, I say? He is Captain Paul Jones, of the continental navy--somuch for his rank; and
as for his birth, he is the son of a gardener.O-oo-ooh!" Archy's yells of rapturous laughter fairly made the roofring, and it was so infectious that even Lord Bellingham burst into acackle--the nearest approach he ever made to audible laughter.

  But it was no laughing matter to Mary and Isabel. They sat as ifparalyzed, looking blankly at each other, and quite stunned by themagnitude of the mistake they had made. Mary gasped out:

  "Paul--"

  And Isabel added, faintly:

  "Jones."

  And then, unable to stand the laughter, in which even their motherjoined, while Colonel Baskerville haw-hawed openly, they flung out ofthe hall and rushed up to their rooms, where, locked in each other'sarms, they wept bitterly from pure chagrin.

  All this was bliss to Archy, but serious thoughts were lurking in hismind. He took the first opportunity to speak to Colonel Baskervillealone without attracting observation--and that opportunity did not comeuntil bedtime, in the Colonel's own room. Then he repeated what PaulJones had told him of Langton's illness.

  "Poor lad! poor lad!" said Colonel Baskerville, pacing the floor. "Inever saw him, but in my heart I love him. I think, with you, it is bestnot to tell his mother of this new anxiety, but it would be well to letLord Bellingham know. As Captain Paul Jones says, the Duc de Crillon ismost chivalrous in permitting communications with the garrison atGibraltar respecting individuals, and there might be means, through LordBellingham's influence at the Admiralty, to find out something aboutLangton."

  Next morning all the members of the household were surprised when theyfound that Lord Bellingham's solicitor had arrived from York at anearly hour. Archy surmised that the solicitor had been sent for inregard to making Lord Bellingham's will, and was not surprised, duringthe course of the afternoon, to be invited to his grandfather's room.Lord Bellingham thought he had made up his mind to make Langton his soleheir, but Archy had so won upon his pride and ambition, which took theplace of a heart with him, that he could not forbear one last appeal tohim.

  When Archy, so frank, so manly, so handsome, stood before him, LordBellingham yearned to make him the heir; and for that purpose assumed adignity and sweetness of manner which he possessed, but rarelyexhibited. Although Archy's determination was too firm to be shaken, herealized that Lord Bellingham could be, when he chose, a very persuasiveman. Lord Bellingham used every argument, and one in especial waspeculiarly touching to Archy, while not convincing.

  "I will acknowledge," he said, "after having been of another mind forthirty years, that I was unduly hard on your father. He was a better sonto me than I was a father to him. Suffer me, therefore, to ease myconscience of its reproach to my dead son by helping me to give you yourrights."

  Archy remained silent. He knew not how to put his refusal in words, butpresently he rose.

  "Grandfather," he said, "I thank you for your justice to my father. Hehad his faults to other people, but he had none to me; and if I followhis injunctions I shall never disgrace him or you or myself. I feelsure, though, that he would advise me to stand by my country, and I mustdo it. But you have another grandson--at least, I hope you have--who ismuch more likely to fulfil your expectation than I am--Trevor Langton."

  All this was very pretty, thought Lord Bellingham, but it did not serveto give him his own way, which he dearly loved, and especially in thisgreat and important matter. From the most winning mildness he suddenlychanged to the blackness of wrath. He sat quite silent, beating thedevil's tattoo on the floor, and suddenly burst out with--

  "Hang it! I'll give you a thousand pounds and let you go back to yourdamned country!"

  "Thank you--thank you!" cried Archy, who inherited his grandfather'sdisinclination to acknowledge that he was disappointed. "A thousandpounds! I'll be glad to get a hundred, sir! And a thousand! It will buyme my outfit for the navy, when we get one, and leave enough to livelike a prince on besides!"

  At which Lord Bellingham most unexpectedly found himself laughing, inhis silent way, to see that what he had intended to be a miserablepittance should be received so debonairly by this unconventionalyoungster.

  "And now, sir, may I go and tell my aunt that you have cut me off with ashilling, so to speak--for I take it that Langton is to be your heirnow, poor chap, if he is living?"

  "You may; and I say, you dog--I'll give you two thousand pounds."

  Archy dashed into Mrs. Langton's sitting-room, where, with ColonelBaskerville, Isabel, and Mary, she was anxiously awaiting the result ofthe conference.

  "Hurrah, aunt!" he cried, "my grandfather has behaved like a king. Hehas given me two thousand pounds, and the rest will be Trevor's. Andnow, Miss Mary and Miss Isabel," he added, maliciously, "I beg you tonotice that I could have been as English as you if I had chosen, andcould have been a lord to boot--but not I! If I can but get alieutenant's commission in the American navy, I'd rather have it than tobe Lord Bellingham of Bellingham Castle. Do you believe me now?"

  And even Mary and Isabel received the announcement with respect. Mrs.Langton kissed him tenderly, saying:

  "You are a noble boy, and I wish you were my son, too," while ColonelBaskerville shook his hand warmly.

  "You have done the very thing I could not wish you to do," he said, "butI must admit that you have acted the gentleman and the man of honor."

  Lord Bellingham showed that he was in earnest in sending for hissolicitor to make his will, but the news they had just learned ofLangton's illness made it important that it should be known whether hewere still alive at the moment of disposing of so much property. LordBellingham showed the most intense eagerness. After having put offmaking his will until his old age, he then became morbidly desirous tomake it; and at last, after many conferences with his solicitor andColonel Baskerville, the Colonel hit upon a plan in his own mind onwhich he congratulated himself. He spoke privately to the solicitorabout it before mentioning it to Archy or Lord Bellingham.

  "My nephew, Mr. Baskerville, has a safe-conduct from the Frenchgovernment which would easily enable him to go to Gibraltar by way ofFrance. He could go there, find out whether Trevor Langton is alive ordead--alive, I trust and pray--and return in one-half the time it wouldtake for an inquiry through the regular channels. I have no doubt hewould go. He is at the restless age which, happily, does not lastalways; and besides, if he does this for Langton, it must meet with areward from my brother besides the paltry two thousand pounds he haspromised, or rather threatened, in his will. But not a word of this tomy nephew. He is not without perversity, and besides, having done anoble and disinterested thing, however mistaken we may think it, he istoo acute to sully it by trying to make interest with his grandfatherafterwards."

  Lord Bellingham grasped eagerly at this, and, of his own volition, said:

  "I should not fail to remember this in making my testamentaryarrangements."

  It was enough to mention the journey to Archy. The eyes of Europe wereturned on Gibraltar. The moment was fast approaching when the lastmortal struggle was coming between the dauntless garrison and thegigantic naval and military power of France and Spain, and no young manof spirit but would have been fascinated at the idea of seeing theclimax of these great events. Archy could not start soon enough toplease himself, and, within the week, had taken the road to London. Hetravelled in state, in Lord Bellingham's private post-chaise, which wasto take him to London. He carried with him letters to AdmiralKempenfelt, who commanded the _Royal George_--one of the splendid fleetof thirty-four vessels that were being made ready at Spithead, night andday, for an effort to save Gibraltar--and numerous other letters,calculated to forward his journey to France under a flag of truce, andhe had also a considerable sum of money in gold.

  He stopped but a day in London, to have his safe-conduct vis?d at theAdmiralty. Then he sent the post-chaise back with a long letter to hisgrandfather, and a short but affectionate one to Trevor Langton'smother. In this last, he actually forced himself to send his love toMary and Isabel, but he could not forbear adding at the bottom:

  "P.S
.--DEAR AUNT,--I hope my cousins are not pining away for Captain Paul Jones. He admires the ladies very much, but I do not think he has the intention to ask any particular fair one to share his glorious destiny with him. Break this gently to my cousins.

  "A. B."

  That very afternoon Archy took post for Portsmouth, and arrived there ina few hours. He went to the celebrated Angel Inn, and tumbled into bed,and was astir early the next morning to find a way of reaching themighty and invincible Rock.

  FOOTNOTE:

  [1] Paul Jones did possess this list, and he never revealed the sourceof his information, which was supposed to be some one high in authorityat the Admiralty.