CHAPTER XXVI.
The parliamentarian looked at Captain Barecolt, and Captain Barecoltlooked at the parliamentarian. The former had a cynical sort of smileon his countenance, as if he recognised in the worthy captain apersonage whom he had seen before under different circumstances; butBarecolt's face was a perfect blank, at least if that which bore soprominent a gnomon could be called so. At all events it said nothing;there was not the slightest glance of recognition in his eyes; therewas not the smallest curl of consciousness round his mouth. He lookedfull in the officer's face, with the stare of a stranger, for verynearly a minute, and then civilly asked him if he would not sit downand join their party.
"No, I thank you," replied the parliamentarian, with the same sneeringsmile; "but I think I shall ask you to join ours."
"I am much obliged, my friend," replied Barecolt, without any changeof countenance; "but I have nearly dined."
"Dined or not dined," rejoined the other, "you must come along withme."
"How now?" cried Barecolt, rising with a look of indignation; "Ithought, from your look, that you were a God-fearing and worthy man;but if you be, as I now judge from your words, one of the malignantfermenters of strife in Israel, I tell you you are in the wrong partof the country to play your pranks, even if you had a company ofswaggering rakehelly troopers at your heels."
"Come, come," replied the other, "I am what I seem, and what you knowme right well to be. Did you ever hear of a certain Captain Batten,sir? Were you ever at such a place as Bishop's Merton?"
"Of a Captain Batten I have heard when I was in London," repliedBarecolt, boldly, "and I have seen him too, but you are not he; for,in the first place, he is a godly and well-disposed person, and in thenext place I do not recollect you. Then, as for Bishop's Merton, thevery name of it is naught, and smacks of Prelacy and Popery."
"I am not Captain Batten, certainly," replied the other; "but I wascornet of his troop when you were at Bishop's Merton, and I watchedyou well along the road for forty miles and more, after you had madehim prisoner. You have changed your dress, but I know you, CaptainBarecolt."
"Captain Barecolt!" cried our worthy friend, lifting up his hands andeyes with a look of astonishment and indignation; "am I never to havedone with Captain Barecolt? This is the third time within these fourdays that I have been mistaken for that good-for-nothing, worthlessfellow. If ever I meet him I will cut off that nose of his, or heshall cut off mine, that there may be no more mistaking between us.However, sir, if you are really, as you say, a cornet of CaptainBatten's troop, I am glad to meet you: there is my hand, and I amquite prepared to show you to your satisfaction that I am not theswaggering malignant you take me for, but a poor officer of Frenchextraction, whose parents took refuge in this land during thepersecutions of those who fought as I do for the cause of true faithand freedom of conscience. My name is Jersval, and you must, mostlikely, have heard of it, as I have for the last three months beenassisting that worthy and pious man, Sir John Hotham, in strengtheningthe fortifications of Hull."
The officer looked at him for a moment or two with a bewildered stare;for, though he thought he could have sworn to the person of the manwho had been pointed out to him, not many weeks before, as CaptainBarecolt, a notorious malignant, yet the captain's coolness andeffrontery were so great as almost to overbear his belief. He was notconvinced, indeed, but he was staggered; and being somewhat of adogged nature, he resolved to resist giving credence to mereassertions, however boldly made.
"Come, come," he said, "you say you can give me proofs. Where arethey? I know your face quite well. The proofs--the proofs, man, or youmust away with me to Hull."
"Be that at your peril, sir," replied Barecolt, with an air ofdignity. I am travelling on business of importance for the governor,and I will resist being stopped to the shedding of blood. As to theproofs, here they are. You probably know Sir John Hotham's signature;and as he spoke, he drew forth from his pocket the pass which he hadobtained from the governor of Hull.
So well had he combined all the particulars of his story, that everyword in the pass tallied exactly with what he had said before. He wascalled therein the French officer, Captain Jersval, employed upon thefortifications; and all the authorities of the town and itsdependencies, as well as all persons well affected to the state, wereenjoined to give him free passage, aid, and assistance on all lawfuloccasions. The parliamentarian, as he read, became more and morebewildered, and indeed somewhat doubtful of Captain Barecolt'sidentity. The landlord also joined in on behalf of his guest, andvouched for his having behaved himself in a very comely and discreetmanner. The Roundhead was, however, of a stubborn and stiff-neckedrace, as I have before hinted. He was far more inclined to believe hisown eyes than any piece of paper in the world; and although he readthe pass twice, he looked at Captain Barecolt often, each timemuttering between his teeth an expression of conviction that he wasright after all.
"Well, it does not signify," he said aloud, at length; "you shall goto Hull. You may have stolen this pass, or forged it, for aught Iknow. Unless some one can swear that you are the same man here spokenof, back you shall troop."
"That I can swear," cried Diggory Falgate, starting up, and forgettinghis companion's injunctions to silence.
"And who, in the fiend's name, may you be?" demanded the parliamentarysoldier, growing hot; for Barecolt had by this time quietly freed hislong sword from the sheath, and placed his back towards the corner,giving a glance as he did so to the window, across which two otherfigures on horseback passed at the moment.
"Who am I?" said Falgate; "a citizen of Hull, sir; and I am ready toswear that I saw that gentleman walking and talking with the governoryesterday, and that he is the same to whom that pass was given."
"Go to, go to!" said the parliamentarian scornfully; "you seem somemechanic, who can know nought of such matters. Meddle with whatconcerns you, good man. Landlord, call in two of my troopers."
"Be it at your peril and theirs," replied Barecolt, in a voice ofextraordinary loudness, bringing the point of his weapon towards thechest of his opponent who had taken a step forward. "Whoever says I amnot Captain Jersval, lately employed by Sir John Hotham on thefortification of Hull, is a liar, and the consequence be upon his ownhead."
Just as he was pronouncing in a stentorian voice this recapitulationof the qualities and titles he thought fit to assume, and while ArrahNeil was drawing back to the farther side of the room with some alarm,but with the profound silence she had preserved throughout this scene,the landlord opened the door to obey the order he had received; but hewas encountered at the threshold by two gentlemen, whom, to say truth,Captain Barecolt had seen a minute or two before, crossing the windowon horseback. Now our worthy friend, at his heart, did not knowwhether to be sorry or rejoice at their presence, for there was muchmatter for very mingled feelings in their sudden appearance.
The first face that presented itself was that of Lord Beverley; andwith all Barecolt's bad qualities he had a certain degree ofchivalrous generosity in his nature, which made him unwilling to haveanother engaged in the same awkward scrape as himself, especiallywhen, as in the case of the earl, many important interests he fearedmight be periled by his capture, while his own apprehension wouldprincipally affect his own neck. He had therefore shouted aloud, assoon as he saw his noble companion dismount to enter the inn, for thepurpose of giving him some notice of what was going on within; nor hadhis words failed to catch the earl's ear, for the distance from thedoor of the room to the door of the house was but a step, and thewindows were open.
If, however, the sight of the earl caused Captain Barecolt as muchalarm as pleasure, the face of the personage who followed was anythingbut satisfactory in his eyes; for the last time he had seen it was inearnest and apparently secret conference with Sir John Hotham; and ourfriend had no means whatsoever of knowing whether his evasion fromHull had become public before the earl and his companion had set out.
What was his surprise, however,
when Lord Beverley advanced towardshim, holding out his hand and exclaiming, "Ah! Captain Jersval, I wasafraid I should have missed you, for we came by the cross-roads. Butwhat is all this? Sword in hand, my gallant captain! What is all this,sir?" he continued, turning to the parliamentary officer with an airof authority. "I hope you are not molesting this gentleman, who is avery grave and respectable person, and not one to draw his sword uponanybody without just occasion."
Barecolt was for once in his life wise enough not to say a word. Hedid not venture to hint at his feats in the Cevennes; he said nothingof Navarre or Arragon; he uttered not the name of Rochelle, butquietly left the earl to settle it all his own way.
Falgate, too, was overpowered at the sudden recognition of CaptainBarecolt as Captain Jersval, and the Roundhead officer looked foolishand confounded, muttering for a moment or two something about "amistake," till he recovered himself sufficiently to return to hispoint and declare, "that if ever human eyes were to be trusted, theman calling himself Jersval was no other than one Captain Barecolt, anotorious malignant."
"And pray, sir, do you know me?" demanded the earl; "for you seem tobe much more knowing than your neighbours."
"No, I never saw you before," replied the man, bluffly.
"But I know you, Master Stumpborough," said the earl's companion,advancing in turn. "At least, if I am not mistaken, you are the man Iwas told to look for while accompanying this gentleman on his road.You are the cornet of Batten's troop of horse, are you not?"
"The same, sir," replied the other with a stiff bow; "it seems weshall get at the truth of the matter now."
"It is only your stupid thick head that has prevented your getting atit before, Master Stumpborough," replied the gentleman. "This personwhom you persist in calling Barecolt--you must be a bare colt yourselffor your pains--is Captain Jersval, who has been employed by Sir JohnHotham in strengthening the defences of our town, and who is now goingon with this gentleman upon business of importance. We have beenlooking for him all along the road; so, if you had stopped or injuredhim, you would have lost your ears for your pains."
"I told him so! I told him so! I told him so!" cried Barecolt, atevery pause in the other's words.
But the gentleman from Hull proceeded to hand a small paper to theparliamentarian. "There is a word or two for you from Sir John. Nowget ready to march on without further delay. I will return with you. Ithink, sir," he continued, addressing the earl, "you will not want meany more."
"No, I thank you, sir," replied Lord Beverley; "I can find my way onwith my companions here. Commend me to Sir John, and accept my bestthanks for your company so far."
While these few words were passing between the royalist nobleman andhis companion of the road, the Roundhead officer had been spellingthrough Sir John Hotham's note, looking both puzzled with the writingand confounded with all that had lately taken place. When he had done,however, he thought fit to make an apology to Barecolt for taking himfor the man he really was.
"I will never believe my eyes again, sir," he said, "for I would havesworn that you were that blaspheming ribaldy varlet, Barecolt, onlydressed in a brown suit and with a steeple-crowned hat on. You are aslike as two peas; only, now I think of it, he may be a little taller.But I hope you do not bear malice, sir; now I know who you are, I amsatisfied; I only wished to do my duty."
"I certainly do not thank you, sir, for taking me, a peaceable andGod-fearing man, for a blaspheming ribaldy varlet," replied Barecolt,with a solemn air, "but I forgive you, sir, I forgive you! Every manneeds forgiveness more or less, and so farewell; but use your eyes tobetter purpose another time, and if ever you see Captain Barecolt,tell him that when next he and Jersval meet, I will set such a markupon him that there shall be no more mistakes; and so fare you well."
A few words had in the meanwhile passed in a low tone between the earland his companion from Hull, and the latter then took his leave,seeing the commander of the party of troopers and the landlord of thehouse out before him. Barecolt immediately turned a glance full ofmerriment to Lord Beverley; but that nobleman with a grave face puthis finger to his lips, and then, seating himself at the table,said--"Well, Captain Jersval, by your leave I will share your dinner,which, by the fulness of the plates, seems to have been somewhatunpropitiously interrupted."
"Certainly, certainly, sir," said Barecolt, resuming his seat at thehead of the table. "Come, Falgate; come, Mistress Arrah Neil."
At the latter name the earl started, and gazed at Arrah for a moment;but took no further notice, and only whispered to Barecolt, "Makehaste!"