"Noa! noa! not that Oi could see."
"Go back to him, friend," she said, with sudden eagerness, "tell him that he must come to me at once ... I ... I would speak with him."
It required all Bathurst"s firm strength of will not to betray himself before her. The tender pleading in her eyes, the gentle, womanly sympathy in her voice, set all his pulses beating. But he had made up his mind that she should not know him just then. A look, a cry, might give him away, and there was but one chance now to be of useful service to her, and that was to take the letters at once to London, whilst their joint enemy had for the nonce no thought of him.
Therefore he contrived to say quite stolidly,-
"Noa, noa, the gentleman said to Oi, "You can bring a message, but th"
lady mustn"t come nigh me!""
She gave a quick little sigh of disappointment.
"Then, my good fellow," she said, "try to remember ... tell him ... tell him ... I would wish to thank him ... tell him.... Nay! nay!" she suddenly added, pulling a faded white rose from her belt, "tell him nothing ... but give him this flower ... in token that I have received his letter ... and will act as he bids me.... You"ll remember?"
He dared not trust himself to speak, but as she held out the rose to him he took it from her hand and involuntarily his finger-tips came in contact with hers just for a second ... long enough for the divine magnetism of his great love to pa.s.s from him to her.
She seized hold of his hand, for in that one magnetic touch she had recognised him. Her heart gave a great leap of joy, the joy of being near him once more, of again feeling the tender, grey eyes resting with pa.s.sionate longing on her face. But she uttered neither cry nor word, for it was a great, silent and G.o.dlike moment-when at last she understood.
He had stooped still lower and rested his burning lips upon her cool fingers, and upon the rose which she had worn at her breast.
Neither of them spoke, for their hearts were in perfect unison, their whole being thrilled with the wild, jubilant echo of a divine hosanna, and around them the legions of G.o.d"s angels made a rampart of snow-white wings, to shut out all the universe from them, leaving them alone with their love.
CHAPTER x.x.xIV
A LIFE FOR A LIFE
That moment was brief, as all such great and happy moments are.
But a few seconds had pa.s.sed since both her hands had rested in his, and he forgot the world in that one kiss upon her finger-tips.
The next instant a fast-approaching noise of hurrying footsteps, accompanied by much shouting, roused them from their dream.
Both through the back and the front door a crowd of excited soldiers had pushed their way into the inn, whilst the folk in the bar-parlour, attracted by the sudden noise, pressed out into the narrow pa.s.sage to see what was happening.
John Stich, foremost amongst these, made a rush for Patience"s side.
She found herself suddenly pressed back towards the foot of the stairs, and face to face with a noisy group of village folk, through which the Sergeant and some half-dozen soldiers were roughly pushing their way.
She looked round her, helpless and bewildered. Jack Bathurst had disappeared.
The whole thing had occurred in the brief s.p.a.ce of a few seconds, even before Patience had had time to realise that anything was amiss.
The narrow staircase, at the foot of which she now stood, led straight up to the private parlour, where Philip was even now awaiting her return.
"Out of the way, you rascals," the Sergeant was shouting, whilst elbowing his way through the small group of gaping yokels, and pressing forward towards the stairs.
"Will your ladyship allow me the privilege of conducting you out of this crowd?" said a suave voice at Patience"s elbow.
Sir Humphrey Challoner, closely followed by the obsequious Mittachip, had pushed his way into the inn, in the wake of the soldiers, and was now standing between her and the crowd, bowing very deferentially and offering her his arm, to conduct her upstairs.
But a few moments ago he had heard the startling news that Jock Miggs had been captured on the Heath, in mistake for Beau Brocade. As far as Sir Humphrey could ascertain nothing of importance had been found on the shepherd"s person, and in a moment he realised that, through almost supernatural cunning, the highwayman must have succeeded in filching the letters, and by now had no doubt once more restored them to Lady Patience.
All the scheming, the lying, the treachery of the past few days had therefore been in vain; but Sir Humphrey Challoner was not the man to give up a definite purpose after the first material check to his plans.
If her ladyship was once more in possession of the letters, they must be got away from her again. That was all. And if that cursed highwayman was still free to-day, "sdeath but he"ll have to hang on the morrow.
In the meanwhile Philip"s momentary safety was a matter of the greatest moment to Sir Humphrey Challoner. If that clumsy lout of a Sergeant got hold of the lad, all Sir Humphrey"s schemes for forcing Lady Patience"s acceptance of his suit by means of the precious letters would necessarily fall to the ground.
But instinctively Patience recoiled from him; his suave words, his presence near her at this terrible crisis, frightened her more effectually than the Sergeant"s threatening att.i.tude. She drew close to John Stich, who had interposed his burly figure between the soldiers and the foot of the stairs.
"Out of the way, John Stich," shouted the Sergeant, peremptorily, "this is not your forge, remember, and by G-- I"ll not be tricked again."
"Those are her ladyship"s private rooms," retorted the smith, without yielding one inch of the ground. "Landlord," he shouted at the top of his voice, "I call upon you to protect her ladyship from these ruffians."
"You insult His Majesty"s uniform," quoth the Sergeant, briefly, "and do yourself no good, smith. As for the landlord of this inn, he interferes "tween me and my duty at his peril."
"But by what right do you interfere with me, Master Sergeant?" here interposed Lady Patience, trying to a.s.sume an indifferent air of calm haughtiness. "Do you know who I am?"
"Aye! that I do, my lady!" responded the Sergeant, gruffly, "and that"s what"s brought me here this morning. Not half an hour ago I heard that Lady Patience Gascoyne was staying at the Packhorse, and now the folks say that a new serving-man came to give a helping hand here. He arrived in the middle of the night, it seems. Strange time for a serving-man to turn up, ain"t it?"
"I know nothing of any servant at this inn, and I order you at once to withdraw your men, and not to dare further to molest me."
"Your pardon, my lady, but my orders is my orders: I have been sent here by His Royal Highness the Duke of c.u.mberland hisself to hunt out all the rebels who are in hiding in these parts. I"ve strict orders to be on the lookout for Philip James Gascoyne, Earl of Stretton, who, I understand, is your ladyship"s own brother, and as I"ve a right o"
search, I mean to see who else is staying in those rooms upstairs besides your ladyship."
"This is an outrage, Sergeant!"
"Maybe, my lady," he retorted drily, "but with us soldiers orders is orders, saving your presence. I was tricked at the smithy, and again on the Heath. My belief is that we were hunting a bogey last night, There may or mayn"t be any highwayman called Beau Brocade, but there was a fine young gallant at the forge the day afore yesterday, who did for me and my men, and I"ll take my oath that he was none other than the rebel, Philip Gascoyne, Earl of Stretton."
""Tis false and you talk like a madman, Sergeant."
"Maybe! but your ladyship"ll please stand aside until I"ve searched those rooms upstairs, or I"ll have to order my men to lay hands on your ladyship. Now then, John Stich, stand aside in the name of the King!"
John Stich did not move, and Lady Patience still stood defiant and haughty at the foot of the stairs. The villagers, stolid and stupid, were staring open-mouthed, not daring to interfere. But of course it was only a question of seconds, the worthy smith could not guard the staircase for long against the Sergeant and a dozen soldiers, and in any case nothing would be of any avail. Philip in the room upstairs was trapped like a fox in its lair, and nothing could save him now from falling into the soldiers" hands.
In vain she sought for Bathurst among the crowd: with wild, unreasoning agony she longed for him in this moment of her greatest need, and he was not there. She felt sure that if only he were near her he would think of something, do something, to avert the appalling catastrophe.
"I give your ladyship one minute"s time to stand quietly aside," said the Sergeant, roughly. "After that I give my men orders to lay hands on you, and on any one who dares to interfere."
"Give me the letters," whispered Sir Humphrey Challoner, insinuatingly, in her ear. "I can yet save your brother."
"How?" she murmured involuntarily.
He looked up towards the top of the stairs.
"Then he _is_ up there?"
She did not reply. It was useless to deny it, the next few moments would bring the inevitable.