He fought his way through to the miscreant Thorg.
Thorg was still on foot, armed with a sword, and laying about him savagely among the crowd of foes that had surrounded him.
Cloudesley was still on horseback--he had caught up an ax that lay carelessly upon the lawn, and now he rushed upon Thorg from behind.
He had no scruple in taking this advantage of the enemy--no scruple with an unscrupulous monster--an outlawed wretch--a wild beast to be destroyed, when and where and how it was possible!
And so Cloudesley came on behind, and elevating this formidable weapon in both hands, raising himself in his stirrups and throwing his whole weight with the stroke, he dealt a blow upon the head of Thorg that brought him to the earth stunned. From the impetus Cloudesley himself had received, he had nearly lost his saddle, but had recovered.
"They fly! They fly! By the bones of Caesar, the miscreants fly! After them, my men! After them! Pursue! pursue!" shouted Cloudesley, wheeling his horse around to follow.
But just then, the young British officer standing near Edith, resting on his sword, breathing, as it were, after a severe conflict, caught Cloudesley"s eyes. Intoxicated with victory, Cloudesley sprang from his horse, and raising his ax, rushed up the stairs upon the youth!
Edith sprang and threw herself before the stripling, impulsively clasping her arms around him to shield him, and then throwing up one arm to ward off a blow, looked up and exclaimed:
"He is my preserver--my preserver, Cloudesley!"
And what did the young ensign do? Clasped Edith quietly but closely to his breast.
It was a beautiful, beautiful picture!
Nay, any one might understand how it was--that not years upon years of ordinary acquaintance could have so drawn, so knitted these young hearts together as those few hours of supreme danger.
"My preserver, Cloudesley! My preserver!"
Cloudesley grounded his ax.
"I don"t understand that, Edith! He is a British officer."
"He is my deliverer! When Thorg set his men on me to hunt me, he cast himself before me, and kept them at bay until you came!"
"Mutinied!" exclaimed Cloudesley, in astonishment, and a sort of horror.
"Yes, I suppose it was mutiny," said the young ensign, speaking for the first time and blushing as he withdrew his arm from Edith"s waist.
"Whe-ew! here"s a go!" Cloudesley was about to exclaim, but remembering himself he amended his phraseology, and said, "A very embarra.s.sing situation, yours, sir."
"I cannot regret it!"
"Certainly not! There are laws of G.o.d and humanity above all military law, and such you obeyed, sir! I thank you on the part of my young countrywoman," said Cloudesley, who imagined that he could talk about as well as he could fight.
"If the occasion could recur, I would do it again! Yes, a thousand times!" the young man"s eyes added to Edith--only to her.
"But oh! perdition! while I am talking here that serpent! that copperhead! that cobra capella! is coming round again! How astonishingly tenacious of life all foul, venomous creatures are!" exclaimed Cloudesley, as he happened to espy Throg moving slightly where he lay, and rushed out to dispatch him.
The other two young people were left alone in the hall.
"I am afraid you have placed yourself in a very, very dangerous situation, by what you did to save me."
"But do you know--oh, do you know how happy it has made me? Can you divine how my heart--yes, my soul--burns with the joy it has given me?
When I saw you standing there before your enemies so beautiful! so calm!
so constant--I felt that I could die for you--that I would die for you.
And when I sprang between you and your pursuers, I had resolved to die for you. But first to set your soul free. Edith, you should not have fallen into the hands of the soldiers! Yes! I had determined to die for and with you! You are safe. And whatever befalls me, Edith, will you remember that?"
"You are faint! You are wounded! Indeed you are wounded! Oh, where! Oh!
did any of our people strike you?"
"No--it was one of our men, Edith! I do not know your other name, sweet lady!"
"Never mind my name--it is Edith--that will do; but your wound--your wound--oh! you are very pale--here! lie down upon this settee. Oh, it is too hard!--come into my room, it opens here upon the hall--there is a comfortable lounge there--come in and lie down--let me get you something?"
"Thanks--thanks, dearest lady, but I must get upon my horse and go!"
"Go?"
"Yes, Edith--don"t you understand, that after what I have done--after what I have had the joy of doing--the only honorable course left open to me, is to go and give myself up to answer the charges that may be brought against me?"
"Oh, heaven! I know! I know what you have incurred by defending me! I know the awful penalty laid upon a military officer who lifts his hand against his superior. Don"t go! oh, don"t go!"
"And do you really take so much interest in my fate, sweetest lady?"
said the youth, gazing at her with the deepest and most delightful emotions.
""Take an interest" in my generous protector! How should I help it? Oh!
don"t go! Don"t think of going. You will not--will you? Say that you will not!"
"You will not advise me to anything dishonorable, I am sure."
"No--no--but oh! at such a fearful cost you have saved me. Oh! when I think of it, I wish you had not interfered to defend me. I wish it had not been done!"
"And I would not for the whole world that it had not been done! Do not fear for me, sweetest Edith! I run little risk in voluntarily placing myself in the hands of a court-martial--for British officers are gentlemen, Edith!--you must not judge them by those you have seen--and when they hear all the circ.u.mstances, I have little doubt that my act will be justified--besides, my fate will rest with Ross, General Ross--one of the most gallant and n.o.ble spirits ever created, Edith!
And now you must let me go, fairest lady." And he raised her hand respectfully to his lips, bowed reverently, and left the hall to find his horse.
Just then Cloudesley was seen approaching, crying out that they had escaped.
"You are not going to leave us, sir?" he asked Cloudesley, catching sight of the ensign.
"I am under the necessity of doing so."
"But you are not able to travel--you can scarcely sit your horse. Pray do not think of leaving us."
"You are a soldier--at least an amateur one, and you will understand that after what has occurred, I must not seem to hide myself like a fugitive from justice! In short, I must go and answer for that which I have done."
"I understand, but really, sir, you look very ill--you--"
But here the young officer held out his hand smilingly, took leave of Cloudesley, and bowing low to Edith, rode off.
Cloudesley and Edith followed the gallant fellow with their eyes. He had nearly reached the gate, the old green gate at the farthest end of the semi-circular avenue, when the horse stopped, the rider reeled and fell from his saddle. Cloudesley and Edith ran toward him--reached him.
Cloudesley disentangled his foot from the stirrup, and raised him in his arms. Edith stood pale and breathless by.