Yet one thing more I heard, before my senses left me--a loud, proud, imperious voice, the voice that speaks to be obeyed, whose a.s.sertion brooks no contradiction. It rang in my ears where nothing else could reach them, and even then I knew whence it came. The voice was the voice of M. de Perrencourt, and it seemed that he spoke to the King of England.
"Brother," he cried, "by my faith in G.o.d, this gentleman is innocent, and his life is on our heads, if he lose it."
I heard no more. Stupor veiled me round in an impenetrable mist. The figures vanished, the tumultuous singing ceased. A great silence encompa.s.sed me, and all was gone.
CHAPTER XV
M. DE PERRENCOURT WHISPERS
Slowly the room and the scene came back to me, disengaging themselves from the darkness which had settled on my eyes, regaining distinctness and their proper form. I was sitting in a chair, and there were wet bandages about my head. Those present before were there still, save M.
de Perrencourt, whose place at the table was vacant; the large sheet of paper and the materials for writing had vanished. There was a fresh group at the end, next to Arlington; here now sat the Dukes of Monmouth and Buckingham, carrying on a low conversation with the Secretary. The King lay back in his chair, frowning and regarding with severe gaze a man who stood opposite to him, almost where I had been when I drank of the King"s cup. There stood Darrell and the lieutenant of the Guards who had arrested me, and between them, with clothes torn and muddy, face scratched and stained with blood, with panting breath and gleaming eyes, firmly held by either arm, was Phineas Tate the Ranter. They had sent and caught him then, while I lay unconscious. But what led them to suspect him?
There was the voice of a man speaking from the other side of this party of three. I could not see him, for their bodies came between, but I recognised the tones of Robert, Darrell"s servant. It was he, then, who had put them on Jonah"s track, and, in following that, they must have come on Phineas.
"We found the two together," he was saying, "this man and Mr Dale"s servant who had brought the wine from the town. Both were armed with pistols and daggers, and seemed ready to meet an attack. In the alley in front of the house that I have named----"
"Yes, yes, enough of the house," interrupted the King impatiently.
"In the alley there were two horses ready. We attacked the men at once, the lieutenant and I making for this one here, the two with us striving to secure Jonah Wall. This man struggled desperately, but seemed ignorant of how to handle his weapons. Yet he gave us trouble enough, and we had to use him roughly. At last we had him, but then we found that Jonah, who fought like a wild cat, had wounded both the soldiers with his knife, and, although himself wounded, had escaped by the stairs. Leaving this man with the lieutenant, I rushed down after him, but one of the horses was gone, and I heard no sound of hoofs. He had got a start of us, and is well out of Dover by now."
I was straining all my attention to listen, yet my eyes fixed themselves on Phineas, whose head was thrown back defiantly. Suddenly a voice came from behind my chair.
"That man must be pursued," said M. de Perrencourt. "Who knows that there may not be accomplices in this devilish plot? This man has planned to poison the King; the servant was his confederate. I say, may there not have been others in the wicked scheme?"
"True, true," said the King uneasily. "We must lay this Jonah Wall by the heels. What"s known of him?"
Thinking the appeal was made to me, I strove to rise. M. de Perrencourt"s arm reached over the back of my chair and kept me down. I heard Darrell take up the story and tell what he knew--and it was as much as I knew--of Jonah Wall, and what he knew of Phineas Tate also.
"It is a devilish plot," said the King, who was still greatly shaken and perturbed.
Then Phineas spoke loudly, boldly, and with a voice full of the rapturous fanaticism which drowned conscience and usurped in him religion"s place.
"Here," he cried, "are the plots, here are the devilish plots! What do you here? Aye, what do you plot here? Is this man"s life more than G.o.d"s Truth? Is G.o.d"s Word to be lost that the sins and debauchery of this man may continue?"
His long lean forefinger pointed at the King. A mute consternation fell for an instant on them all, and none interrupted him. They had no answer ready for his question; men do not count on such questions being asked at Court, the manners are too good there.
"Here are the plots! I count myself blessed to die in the effort to thwart them! I have failed, but others shall not fail! G.o.d"s Judgment is sure. What do you here, Charles Stuart?"
M. de Perrencourt walked suddenly and briskly round to where the King sat and whispered in his ear. The King nodded, and said,
"I think this fellow is mad, but it"s a dangerous madness."
Phineas did not heed him, but cried aloud,
"And you here--are you all with him? Are you all apostates from G.o.d? Are you all given over to the superst.i.tions of Rome? Are you all here to barter G.o.d"s word and----"
The King sprang to his feet.
"I won"t listen," he cried. "Stop his cursed mouth. I won"t listen." He looked round with fear and alarm in his eyes. I perceived his gaze turned towards his son and Buckingham. Following it, I saw their faces alight with eagerness, excitement, and curiosity. Arlington looked down at the table; Clifford leant his head on his hand. At the other end the Duke of York had sprung up like his brother, and was glaring angrily at the bold prisoner. Darrell did not wait to be bidden twice, but whipped a silk handkerchief from his pocket.
"Here and now the deed is being done!" cried Phineas. "Here and now----"
He could say no more; in spite of his desperate struggles, he was gagged and stood silent, his eyes still burning with the message which his lips were not suffered to utter. The King sank back in his seat, and cast a furtive glance round the table. Then he sighed, as though in relief, and wiped his brow. Monmouth"s voice came clear, careless, confident.
"What"s this madness?" he asked. "Who here is bartering G.o.d"s Word? And for what, pray?"
No answer was given to him; he glanced in insolent amus.e.m.e.nt at Arlington and Clifford, then in insolent defiance at the Duke of York.
"Is not the religion of the country safe with the King?" he asked, bowing to his father.
"So safe, James, that it does not need you to champion it," said the King dryly; yet his voice trembled a little. Phineas raised that lean forefinger at him again, and pointed. "Tie the fellow"s arms to his side," the King commanded in hasty irritation; he sighed again when the finger could no longer point at him, and his eyes again furtively sought Monmouth"s face. The young Duke leant back with a scornful smile, and the consciousness of the King"s regard did not lead him to school his face to any more seemly expression. My wits had come back now, although my head ached fiercely and my body was full of acute pain; but I watched all that pa.s.sed, and I knew that, come what might, they would not let Phineas speak. Yet Phineas could know nothing. Nay, but the shafts of madness, often wide, may once hit the mark. The paper that had lain between the King and M. de Perrencourt was hidden.
Again the French gentleman bent and whispered in the King"s ear. He spoke long this time, and all kept silence while he spoke--Phineas because he must, the lieutenant with surprised eyes, the rest in that seeming indifference which, as I knew, masked their real deference. At last the King looked up, nodded, and smiled. His air grew calmer and more a.s.sured, and the trembling was gone from his voice as he spoke.
"Come, gentlemen," said he, "while we talk this ruffian who has escaped us makes good pace from Dover. Let the Duke of Monmouth and the Duke of Buckingham each take a dozen men and scour the country for him. I shall be greatly in the debt of either who brings him to me."
The two Dukes started. The service which the King demanded of them entailed an absence of several hours from the Castle. It might be that they, or one of them, would learn something from Jonah Wall; but it was far more likely that they would not find him, or that he would not suffer himself to be taken alive. Why were they sent, and not a couple of the officers on duty? But if the King"s object were to secure their absence, the scheme was well laid. I thought now that I could guess what M. de Perrencourt had said in that whispered conference. Buckingham had the discretion to recognise when the game went against him. He rose at once with a bow, declaring that he hastened to obey the King"s command, and would bring the fellow in, dead or alive. Monmouth had less self-control. He rose indeed, but reluctantly and with a sullen frown on his handsome face.
"It"s poor work looking for a single man over the countryside," he grumbled.
"Your devotion to me will inspire and guide you, James," observed the King. A chance of mocking another made him himself again as no other cure could. "Come, lose no time." Then the King added: "Take this fellow away, and lock him up. Mr Darrell, see that you guard him well, and let n.o.body come near him."
M. de Perrencourt whispered.
"Above all, let him speak to n.o.body. He must tell what he knows only at the right time," added the King.
"When will that be?" asked Monmouth audibly, yet so low that the King could feign not to hear and smiled pleasantly at his son. But still the Duke lingered, although Buckingham was gone and Phineas Tate had been led out between his custodians. His eyes sought mine, and I read an appeal in them. That he desired to take me with him in pursuit of Jonah Wall, I did not think; but he desired above all things to get me out of that room, to have speech with me, to know that I was free to work out the scheme which Buckingham had disclosed to me. Nay, it was not unlikely that his search for Jonah Wall would lead him to the hostelry of the Merry Mariners at Deal. And for my plan too, which differed so little yet so much from his, for that also I must be free. I rose to my feet, delighted to find that I could stand well and that my pains grew no more severe with movement.
"I am at your Grace"s orders," said I. "May I ride with you, sir?"
The King looked at me doubtfully.
"I should be glad of your company," said the Duke, "if your health allows."
"Most fully, sir," I answered, and turning to the King I begged his leave to depart. And that leave I should, as I think, have obtained, but for the fact that once again M. de Perrencourt whispered to the King.
The King rose from his seat, took M. de Perrencourt"s arm and walked with him to where his Grace stood. I watched them, till a little stifled laugh caught my attention. Madame"s face was merry, and hers the laugh.
She saw my look on her and laughed again, raising her finger to her lips in a swift stealthy motion. She glanced round apprehensively, but her action had pa.s.sed unnoticed; the Duke of York seemed sunk in a dull apathy, Clifford and Arlington were busy in conversation. What did she mean? Did she confess that I held their secret and impose silence on me by a more than royal command, by the behest of bright eyes and red lips which dared me to betray their confidence? On the moment"s impulse I bowed a.s.sent; Madame nodded merrily and waved a kiss with her dainty hand; no word pa.s.sed, but I felt that I, being a gentleman, could tell no man alive what I suspected, aye, what I knew, concerning M. de Perrencourt. Thus lightly are pledges given when ladies ask them.
The Duke of Monmouth started back with a sudden angry motion. The King smiled at him; M. de Perrencourt laid a hand, decked with rich rings, on his lace cuff. Madame rose, laughing still, and joined the three. I cannot tell what pa.s.sed--alas, that the matters of highest interest are always elusive!--but a moment later Monmouth fell back with as sour a look as I have ever seen on a man"s face, bowed slightly and not over-courteously, faced round and strode through the doorway, opening the door for himself. I heard Madame"s gay laugh, again the King spoke, Madame cried, "Fie," and hid her face with her hand. M. de Perrencourt advanced towards me; the King caught his arm. "Pooh, he knows already,"
muttered Perrencourt, half under his breath, but he gave way, and the King came to me first.
"Sir," said he, "the Duke of Monmouth has had the dutiful kindness to release his claim on your present services, and to set you free to serve me."
I bowed very low, answering,