Scar, my darling, you do not know."
"Oh yes, I do, dear," he said calmly; "the house is full of rebels, andthey have their outposts everywhere. I have had a fine task to get herewithout being seen."
"And you must not stay a moment, my darling. You must escape before youare discovered."
"Hush! don't speak so loudly; we may be heard. There is no danger, ifyou keep still."
"But, Scar, my boy, why have you run this terrible risk?"
"Soldiers have to run risks, mother. My father, who is at Ditton, witha strong body of horse, was terribly anxious about home. A spy came inand said the rebels were in this direction, so I said I could make myway here and get news, and he trusted me to come. That's all."
"But if you are taken, Scar?"
"I don't mean to be taken, mother. I shall go back as I came. Rebelsentinels are clever, but some people can manage to elude them."
"Oh, my boy, my boy!"
"Don't--don't fidget, dear, like that. I tell you there is no risk.But I must not stay long."
"Are you sure no one saw you come?"
"Quite certain. But I am sorry that I have such poor news to lake back.But, mother dear, they have treated you with respect?"
"Oh yes, my boy. Fred Forrester's with them."
"Ah!" ejaculated Scarlett, angrily.
"And he has been most respectful and kind."
"For a traitor."
"Do not speak harshly of him, Scar."
"Not I; but have they sacked the place?"
"No, no. Nothing has been touched."
"I'm glad of that, for poor father's sake. He will be enraged when heknows they have taken possession here."
"But he is in no danger, Scar?"
"Not more than usual," said Scarlett, grimly.
"And when is he coming home?" said Lil, thoughtfully.
"Coming home, Lil! Ah, who can say that? Well, I must soon be going.If I stay, it is to be taken prisoner."
"My darling!"
"Hush, mother! the sentries may hear you speak. They are all around."
"I will be careful, dear," she whispered. "Then you must go? So soon?"
"Yes; and it is bad news to take to my father, but he will not care whenhe hears that you are safe and well. What's that?"
He ran softly to the window, and they realised that he was barefooted,and only dressed in light breeches and shirt.
There was the sound of a challenge, a reply, and then the trampling ofhorses came through the open casement.
Lady Markham seized her son's hand as he stood listening at the deepmullioned window, while Lil clung to the other.
"A fresh detachment joined, I suppose," whispered Scarlett, as he drewback. "Perhaps I had better wait half an hour before I go back."
"Oh, Scar, Scar!" half sobbed Lil.
"And you so cold and wet, my darling," sighed Lady Markham.
"Pish! what of that. I don't mind. I would not go so soon, for it isquite delightful to be with you again, but I must be right away beforeit's light, and one never knows how far one may have to go round toescape notice from the enemy's men. They seem to swarm about here,mother."
Lady Markham could say nothing, only kiss and embrace her boy, torn asshe was by conflicting emotions--the desire to keep him, and that ofwishing him safe away.
All at once, Scar started from his mother's encircling arm, and dartedto the window, but only to draw back, for there were two sentinelstalking just beneath.
Then he ran to the door, but drew back, for steps of armed men wereheard coming along the corridor, and escape was cut off there.
"Caught," he said grimly. "Poor father will not get his news."
At that moment there was the sharp summons of a set of knuckles on thedoor.
CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT.
HOW LADY MARKHAM LEFT THE HALL.
"Hist!" whispered Lady Markham, in her agitation snatching at the firststraw that offered. "They may think we are asleep, and will go away."
Vain hope; there was another sharp rapping at the door.
"Answer," said Scarlett, in a low, firm voice. "Hear what they have tosay."
"Who is there?"
"I, Fred Forrester, Lady Markham. Have the goodness to open."
"The traitor!" muttered Scar, glancing once more at the window, but thesounds from without told him that attempt to escape there was vain, for,if he dropped from the sill, the chances were that he would hurthimself, and even if he succeeded in reaching the ground unharmed, thealarm would be given by the sentinels, who would fire at him, and ifthey missed, there was a detachment of horse waiting to ride him down,for the steeds were stamping impatiently, and uttering a loud snort fromtime to time.
"Why am I disturbed at this time of the night?" said Lady Markham,trying to speak firmly and haughtily.
"I am sorry to have you disturbed, Lady Markham; but there is goodreason. My mother is here."
"A ruse," said Scarlett, softly. "Never mind, dear. It is not thefirst time I have been a prisoner. It is madness to try to escape. Isurrender."
"No, no," whispered Lady Markham. "You shall not." Then aloud. "Irefuse to open my door at this time of night."
"Lady Markham, will you admit me alone to speak with you?" came now fromoutside.
"Hist!" whispered Scarlett. "They do not know I'm here. Open the door.It will be best."
As soon as he had spoken, he ran toward the great bedstead, but cameback and whispered quickly--
"Open, dear mother, and try to invent some plan to get them all awayfrom this room. Then I can easily escape. Quick. Open."
He darted to the bedstead, and drew one of the head curtains round him;while driven, as it were, to obey the stronger will of her son, urged,too, by his words about escape, Lady Markham went to the door, openedit, and Mistress Forrester stepped in, to pause for a moment, then,forgetful of everything but their old friendship in the happy days, shethrew her arms about the trembling woman, and kissed her passionately.
"I have come to fetch you and dear Lilian," she said, "at my son's wish.He has obtained permission from the general, and horses are waiting.You are to come at once."
"Come--leave my husband's house?"
"Hush! do not oppose the plan," said Mistress Forrester, gently. "Thisis no longer a place for you. Perhaps for some time to come it may bethe retreat of rough soldiery. My home is so near, and you will be atpeace."
"I cannot leave my husband's home," said Lady Markham, firmly.
"You must," said her visitor. "It is for Lilian's sake as well as yourown."
For Lilian's sake? Yes, and it was for Scarlett's sake. For what hadhe said? Get them away from this room, and he could escape. How orwhen she had no idea. All she knew was that he had said decidedly thathe could, and she must believe him.
"Ah, you are hesitating!" said Mistress Forrester, tenderly. "You arethinking of enemies. What is this warfare to us? We are mothers, andour duty is toward our children. Say that you will come and stay withme in peace till better times are here."
Lady Markham hesitated no longer. It was a way of escape for her son,and protection for herself and daughter. Besides which, the oldsisterly affection was as warm as ever.
"He would tell me to go, if he were here," she said to herself. "It isto save my boy;" and without another word she laid her hand in hervisitor's.
Mistress Forrester kissed her eagerly, embraced Lilian, who stood theretrembling and cold, and then ran to the door.
"Fred, my boy," she said quickly; "have all ready. Lady Markham willcome."
There was the first sense of relief to the trembling mother's overladenheart as she heard the tramp of men in the corridor, and she glancedquickly toward the curtains which concealed her son.
"It will leave the way open for his escape," she said to herself. Thento Mistress Forrester, as she pointed at the farther door--
"Two of the servants who have remained with me through the troubles arethere," she said.
"And they will accompany us, of course," said her visitor. "Will youtell them to get ready?"
"If you would not mind," said Lady Markham, appealingly; and withoutfurther parley Mistress Forrester crossed the room, tapped lightly, andpassed through the door, while Lady Markham darted to the curtain andseized her son by the arm.
"Am I doing right?" she whispered.
"Quite, dearest mother," he replied in so low a tone that she couldhardly hear. "Some day perhaps Fred and I may be friends again."
"Then I am to go?"
"Yes; it will give me a chance to escape."
"They are dressed and ready," said Mistress Forrester, returning. "Poorthings, they have not been to bed."
At that moment there was another tap at the door, and upon its beingopened, Fred was standing there.
"The horses are ready," he said quietly. "I have had your pony saddled,Lilian. Lady Markham, the two servants will have to ride pillion behinda couple of our men."
For answer Lady Markham drew her hood over her head, and assistedLilian, who was ready to burst into a fit of hysterical sobbing; and infear lest she should betray her brother's whereabouts, her motherhurried her to the door, but stopped to see all out before her, leavinglast, and taking the precaution to slip the key from the lock, lest someone should come and her son should find it fast.
Ten minutes later, Scarlett Markham stood at the window listening to thesetting off of the little party, with his head well hidden behind thecurtain, and remained motionless till the trampling of the horses diedaway in the silence of the night.
"Ah," he said to himself, "nothing could have happened better, as theenemy is in possession. Poor mother! Poor Lil! What a pang to have toleave the dear old home; but they will be away from the tumult andbloodshed if the rebels stand. Now for my news, if I can carry itwithout being caught."
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE.
SCARLETT ESCAPES UNDER DIFFICULTIES.
"Ugh! it's cold," said Scarlett, as he moved away from the window in hismother's chamber, and gave one look round in the gloom at the familiarold place, associated with his childhood and boyish life before he wasforced into this premature manhood by the exigencies of the war. "Butnever mind; I shall soon be warm enough--hot enough, if I am seen andpursued."
He tightened the belt he wore, and drew a long breath, as if about tostart running. Then crossing the room softly, he opened the door,meaning, as his mission was at an end, to make a bold quick rush for thesecret stair, to open the slide and pass in. If he made a little noisethere, the sentry might hear it and welcome, he would discover nothing.
A sudden thought struck him.
"Capital!" he said to himself, joyously. "Fifty men quietly introducedby the secret passage, and led right into the house. Why, we couldsurprise them all asleep, and the place would be taken without loss oflife. What a result to an accidental discovery!"
Then a damping thought occurred.
"No," he muttered; "Fred will have remembered it, and made all safe.Perhaps let us get in, and trap us. He is too clever to leave thatplace open. He has not had time to secure it yet. What a pity we twoare on opposite sides!"
As he thought this, he involuntarily raised his hand to his shortly cuthair, and a look of vexation crossed his face.
"Forward!" he muttered, as if giving an order, and to put an end to hismusings; and at the word he was in the act of passing through thedoorway, and had taken a step into the corridor when there was a sharpchallenge from the sentry down in the hall. But the password was given,and by the sounds it seemed to Scarlett that two armed men had begun toascend the stairs.
Yes, undoubtedly two, for one said something lightly, and he caught thereply.
"We'll soon see about that."
The words were in a subdued tone of voice, and passing back into theroom, Scarlett drew the door after him, leaving a mere crack, so that hecould listen.
"Officers going to their quarters," he thought. "I wonder which roomthey occupy."
He listened, and they reached the top of the stairs, turning to theleft, a movement which brought them towards him.
He would have closed the door entirely, but dreading a noise that mightbetray him, he left it ajar, and stood waiting for them to pass, butonly to flush crimson with indignation as a sudden thought struck him inanswer to his wondering question.
"They would not dare!" he ejaculated in an angry whisper; and he turnedto flee into the farther room, where the servants had been, and where asa rule his sister slept. But as he moved towards it quickly, itoccurred to him that there were no such voluminous curtains for hidingbehind, and, quick as thought, he darted to his old place ofconcealment, only just having time to throw the heavy hangings round himas the door was thrust back, and two men strode into the room.
"The cowardly, plundering villains!" muttered Scarlett, and his handsinvoluntarily clenched, and he felt ready to rush out and face thesenocturnal marauders, but he checked the desire.
"Poor mother!" he sighed; "she would not value every jewel she possessesas a featherweight against my safety. They must go, I suppose; but oh,what a delight to make the rogues disgorge!"
"Plaguey dark," said one of the new-comers. "Light enough for what wewant to do, my lad. Shut and fasten the door. We don't want any one toshare our bit of luck."
"No. Just enough for two. It may be weeks before we get such anotherchance."
They were evidently well-to-do men, by their conversation, probablyofficers; and Scarlett bit his lip with rage as he thought of hismother's watch and chain, and the beautiful set of pearls, his father'spresent to her in happier days. Then, too, there was a case with ringsand brooches, beside many other elegant little trifles that would bewelcome to a plunderer.
Once more the desire to rush out and face these wretches was strong uponhim, but a moment's reflection told him that to do so was to surrenderhimself a prisoner, and place himself beyond the power of givingvaluable information to the general, his father, who might unwittinglycome on to his old home and walk into a trap.
"Better lose a thousand times as many jewels," he muttered, "than that.Let them steal, for I suppose my poor mother would not have placed hertreasures in a place of safety." He listened breathlessly behind thethick curtain, hoping that the plunderers would be quick and leave, andgive him the opportunity to escape.
The chance came more quickly than he had anticipated, for it seemed fromthe footsteps that the men had gone into the inner chamber, leaving himfree to slip out.
His hand was upon the thick fold of the curtain, for all was still inhis mother's room, and he was mentally going on tiptoe to the door, whenthere was a loud yawn from the _prie dieu_ chair close to the bed'shead, and a voice almost at his elbow said--
"Well, what's it like?"
"Can't see much; but it seems a cosy little nest, as soft as can be."
"Which will you have, that or this?"
"Oh, I'll stop here," was the reply.
"Then may the trumpeter forget to blow for twenty-four hours," said thevoice at Scarlett's elbow, "and the enemy never know that we are here."
"Amen!" came from the further room.
"And, I say," exclaimed Scarlett's neighbour, as he seemed to be movingabout vigorously.
"Yes."
"Don't disturb anything. Poor ladies! it's like sacrilege to takepossession here; but when there's a soft bed on one side and some strawon the boards of a loft on the other, one falls into temptation."
Clump went a heavy boot on the thick rug, and then another.
"Yes. Goodnight. Don't talk any more," came from the inner room.
"Not I," said Scarlett's neighbour; and there was the sound of asword-belt being unbuckled, and the weapon laid across a table.
Then, as Scarlett stood there, hot and indignant, he heard the softsound of stockinged feet crossing the room, and directly after a faintrattle at the door, followed by an angry exclamation, and then by a loudrumbling noise.
"What are yo
u doing?" came from Lil's chamber.
"Pushing something against the door--big table. There's no key."
"Oh!"
The table seemed to be followed by something else heavy, and directlyafter the occupant of the room crossed to the bed, and it seemed toScarlett that he threw himself upon his knees for a few minutes.
Then he rose, sighed, and yawned.
"Oh, for dear old home again, and peace," he muttered, and threwhimself, all dressed as he was, upon the bed.
"By your leave, Dame Markham," he muttered again, with a sigh ofsatisfaction. "If you knew how dog-tired this poor soldier is, youwould forgive me. Hah!"
There was a long deep sigh, and as Scarlett stood there so closely thathe could have laid his hand upon his enemy's head, he felt that he wascompletely trapped, and that perhaps even to move was to ensure capture.
"What shall I do?" he asked himself. "It will be getting toward morningsoon;" and now the necessity for escaping at once seemed ten thousandtimes more clear.
"He will come in search of me, for he will never think that the enemycan be at the Hall, or if he does, he will come to try and save me,thinking I am a prisoner,