CHAPTER XI.
"Prithee, Kate, let's stand aside, and see the end of this controversy." _Shakspeare_.
During the warm discussions of the preceding chapter, Miss Howard hadbowed her pale face to the arm of the couch, and sat an unwilling anddistressed listener to the controversy; but now that another, and onewhom she thought an unauthorized, intruder on her privacy was announced,she asserted the dignity of her sex as proudly, though with somethingmore of discretion, than her cousin could possibly have done. Risingfrom her seat, she inquired:
"To what are we indebted for so unexpected a visit from Mr. Dillon?Surely he must know that we are prohibited going to the part of thedwelling where he resides, and I trust Colonel Howard will tell him thatcommon justice requires we should be permitted to be private."
The gentleman replied, in a manner in which malignant anger wassufficiently mingled with calculating humility:
"Miss Howard will think better of my intrusion, when she knows that I amcome on business of importance to her uncle."
"Ah! that may alter the case, Kit; but the ladies must have the respectthat is due to their sex. I forgot, somehow, to have myself announced;but that Borroughcliffe leads me deeper into my Madeira than I have beenaccustomed to go, since the time when my poor brother Harry, with hisworthy friend, Hugh Griffith--the devil seize Hugh Griffith, and allhis race--your pardon, Miss Alice--what is your business with me, Mr.Dillon?"
"I bear a message from Captain Borroughcliffe. You may remember that,according to your suggestions, the sentinels were to be changed everynight, sir."
"Ay! ay! we practised that in our campaign against Montcalm; 'twasnecessary to avoid the murders of their Indians, who were sure, MissAlice, to shoot down a man at his post, if he were placed two nightsrunning in the same place."
"Well, sir, your prudent precautions have not been thrown away,"continued Dillon, moving farther into the apartment, as if he felthimself becoming a more welcome guest as he proceeded; "the consequencesare, that we have already made three prisoners."
"Truly it has been a most politic scheme!" exclaimed Katherine Plowden,with infinite contempt. "I suppose, as Mr. Christopher Dillon applaudsit so highly, that it has some communion with the law! and that theredoubtable garrison of St. Ruth are about to reap the high glory ofbeing most successful thief-takers!"
The sallow face of Dillon actually became livid as he replied, and hiswhole frame shook with the rage he vainly endeavored to suppress.
"There may be a closer communion with the law, and its ministers,perhaps, than Miss Plowden can desire," he said; "for rebellion seldomfinds favor in any Christian code."
"Rebellion!" exclaimed the Colonel; "and what has this detention ofthree vagabonds to do with rebellion, Kit? Has the damnable poison foundits way across the Atlantic?--your pardon--Miss Alice--but this is asubject on which you can feel with me; I know your sentiments on theallegiance that is due to our anointed sovereign. Speak, Mr. Dillon, arewe surrounded by another set of Demons! if so, we must give ourselves tothe work and rally round our prince; for this island is the main pillarof his throne."
"I cannot say that there is any appearance at present, of an intentionto rise in this island," said Dillon, with demure gravity; "though theriots in London warrant any precautionary measures on the part of hismajesty's ministers, even to a suspension of the habeas corpus. But youhave had your suspicions concerning two certain vessels that havebeen threatening the coast, for several days past, in a most piraticalmanner?"
The little foot of Katherine played rapidly on the splendid carpet,but she contented herself with bestowing a glance of the most sovereigncontempt on the speaker, as if she disdained any further reply. With theColonel, however, this was touching a theme that lay nearest his heart,and he answered, in a manner worthy of the importance of the subject:
"You speak like a sensible man, and a loyal subject, Mr. Dillon. Thehabeas corpus, Miss Alice, was obtained in the reign of King John, alongwith Magna Charta, for the security of the throne, by his majesty'sbarons; some of my own blood were of the number, which alone would be apledge that the dignity of the crown was properly consulted. As to ourpiratical countrymen, Christopher, there is much reason to think thatthe vengeance of an offended Providence has already reached them. Thosewho know the coast well tell me that without a better pilot than anenemy would be likely to procure, it would be impossible for any vesselto escape the shoals among which they entered, on a dark night, and withan adverse gale; the morning has arrived, and they are not to be seen!"
"But be they friends or be they enemies, sir," continued Dillon,respectfully, "there is much reason to think that we have now in theabbey those who can tell us something of their true character; forthe men we have detained carry with them the appearance of having justlanded, and wear not only the dress but the air of seamen."
"Of seamen!" echoed Katherine, a deadly paleness chasing from her cheeksthe bloom which indignation had heightened.
"Of seamen, Miss Plowden," repeated Dillon, with malignant satisfaction,but concealing it under an air of submissive respect.
"I thank you, sir, for so gentle a term," replied the young lady,recollecting herself, and recovering her presence of mind in the sameinstant; "the imagination of Mr. Dillon is so apt to conjure the worst,that he is entitled to our praise for so far humoring our weakness, asnot to alarm us with the apprehensions of their being pirates."
"Nay, madam, they may yet deserve that name," returned the other,coolly; "but my education has instructed me to hear the testimony beforeI pronounce sentence."
"Ah! that the boy has found in his Coke upon Littleton," cried theColonel; "the law is a salutary corrective to human infirmities,Miss Alice; and among other things, it teaches patience to a hastytemperament. But for this cursed, unnatural rebellion, madam, theyoung man would at this moment have been diffusing its blessings from ajudicial chair in one of the colonies--ay! and I pledge myself, to allalike, black and white, red and yellow, with such proper distinctions asnature has made between the officer and the private. Keep a good heart,kinsman; we shall yet find a time! the royal arms have many hands andthings look better at the last advices. But come, we will proceed tothe guard-room and put these stragglers to the question; runaways,I'll venture to predict, from one of his majesty's cruisers, or perhapshonest subjects engaged in supplying the service with men. Come, Kit,come, let us go, and----"
"Are we then to lose the company of Colonel Howard so soon?" saidKatherine, advancing to her guardian, with an air of blandishment andpleasantry. "I know that he too soon forgets the hasty language of ourlittle disputes, to part in anger, if, indeed, he will even quit us tillhe has tasted of our coffee."
The veteran turned to the speaker of this unexpected address, andlistened with profound attention. When she had done, he replied, with agood deal of softness in his tones:
"Ah! provoking one! you know me too well, to doubt my forgiveness; butduty must be attended to, though even a young lady's smiles tempt me toremain. Yes, yes, child, you, too, are the daughter of a very brave andworthy seaman; but you carry your attachment to that profession too far,Miss Plowden--you do, indeed you do."
Katherine might have faintly blushed; but the slight smile, whichmingled with the expression of her shame, gave to her countenance a lookof additional archness, and she laid her hand lightly on the sleeve ofher guardian, to detain him, as she replied:
"Yet why leave us, Colonel Howard? It is long since we have seen you inthe cloisters, and you know you come as a father; tarry, and you may yetadd confessor to the title."
"I know thy sins already, girl," said the worthy colonel, unconsciouslyyielding to her gentle efforts to lead him back to his seat; "theyare, deadly rebellion in your heart to your prince, a most inveteratepropensity to salt water, and a great disrespect to the advice andwishes of an old fellow whom your father's will and the laws of therealm have made the guardian of your person and fortune."
"Nay, say not the last, dear sir," cried Katherin
e; "for there is not asyllable you have ever said to me on that foolish subject, that I haveforgotten. Will you resume your seat again? Cecilia, Colonel Howardconsents to take his coffee with us."
"But you forget the three men, honest Kit there, and our respectableguest, Captain Borroughcliffe."
"Let honest Kit stay there, if he please; you may send a request toCaptain Borroughcliffe to join our party; I have a woman's curiosity tosee the soldier; and as for the three men--" she paused, and affectedto muse a moment, when she continued, as if struck by an obviousthought--"yes, and the men can be brought in and examined here; whoknows but they may have been wrecked in the gale, and need our pity andassistance, rather than deserve your suspicions."
"There is a solemn warning in Miss Plowden's conjecture, that shouldcome home to the breasts of all who live on this wild coast," said AliceDunscombe; "I have known many a sad wreck among the hidden shoals, andwhen the wind has blown but a gentle gale, compared to last night'stempest. The wars, and the uncertainties of the times, together withman's own wicked passions, have made great havoc with those who knewwell the windings of the channels among the 'Ripples.' Some there werewho could pass, as I have often heard, within a fearful distance of the'Devil's Grip,' the darkest night that ever shadowed England; but allare now gone of that daring set, either by the hand of death, or, whatis even as mournful, by unnatural banishment from the land of theirfathers."
"This war has then probably drawn off most of them, for yourrecollections must be quite recent, Miss Alice," said the veteran;"as many of them were engaged in the business of robbing his majesty'srevenue, the country is in some measure requited for the formerdepredations, by their present services, and at the same time itis happily rid of their presence. Ah! madam, ours is a gloriousconstitution, where things are so nicely balanced, that, as in thephysical organization of a healthy, vigorous man, the baser parts arepurified in the course of things, by its own wholesome struggles."
The pale features of Alice Dunscombe became slightly tinged with red, asthe colonel proceeded, nor did the faint glow entirely leave her pallidface, until she had said:
"There might have been some who knew not how to respect the laws of theland, for such are never wanting: but there were others, who, howeverguilty they might be in many respects, need not charge themselves withthat mean crime, and yet who could find the passages that lie hid fromcommon eyes, beneath the rude waves, as well as you could find the waythrough the halls and galleries of the Abbey, with a noonday sun shiningupon its vanes and high chimneys."
"Is it your pleasure, Colonel Howard, that we examine the three men,and ascertain whether they belong to the number of these giftedpilots?" said Christopher Dillon, who was growing uneasy at his awkwardsituation, and who hardly deemed it necessary to conceal the look ofcontempt which he cast at the mild Alice, while he spoke; "perhaps wemay gather information enough from them, to draw a chart of the coastthat may gain us credit with my lords of the Admiralty."
This unprovoked attack on their unresisting and unoffending guestbrought the rich blood to the very temples of Miss Howard, who rose, andaddressed herself to her kinsman, with a manner that could not easily bemistaken any more than it could be condemned:
"If Mr. Dillon will comply with the wishes of Colonel Howard, as mycousin has expressed them, we shall not, at least, have to accuseourselves of unnecessarily detaining men who probably are moreunfortunate than guilty."
When she concluded, Cecilia walked across the apartment and took a seatby the side of Alice Dunscombe, with whom she began to converse, ina low, soothing tone of voice. Mr. Dillon bowed with a deprecatinghumility, and having ascertained that Colonel Howard chose to give anaudience, where he sat, to the prisoners, he withdrew to execute hismission, secretly exulting at any change that promised to lead to arenewal of an intercourse that might terminate more to his advantage,than the lofty beauty whose favor he courted was, at present, disposedto concede.
"Christopher is a worthy, serviceable, good fellow," said the colonel,when the door closed, "and I hope to live yet to see him clad in ermine.I would not be understood literally, but figuratively; for furs wouldbut ill comport with the climate of the Carolinas. I trust I am to beconsulted by his majesty's ministers when the new appointments shall bemade for the subdued colonies, and he may safely rely on my goodword being spoken in his favor. Would he not make an excellent andindependent ornament of the bench, Miss Plowden?"
Katherine compressed her lips a little as she replied.
"I must profit by his own discreet rules, and see testimony to thateffect, before I decide, sir. But listen!" The young lady's colorchanged rapidly, and her eyes became fixed in a sort of feverish gazeon the door. "He has at least been active; I hear the heavy tread of menalready approaching."
"Ah! it is he certainly; justice ought always to be prompt as well ascertain, to make it perfect; like a drumhead court-martial, which, bythe way, is as summary a sort of government as heart could wish to liveunder. If his majesty's ministers could be persuaded to introduce intothe revolted colonies----"
"Listen!" interrupted Katherine, in a voice which bespoke her deepanxiety; "they draw near!"
The sound of footsteps was in fact now so audible as to induce thecolonel to suspend the delivery of his plan for governing the recoveredprovinces. The long, low gallery, which was paved with a stone flagging,soon brought the footsteps of the approaching party more distinctly totheir ears, and presently a low tap at the door announced their arrival.Colonel Howard arose, with the air of one who was to sustain theprincipal character in the ensuing interview, and bade them enter.Cecilia and Alice Dunscombe merely cast careless looks at the openingdoor, indifferent to the scene; but the quick eye of Katherine embraced,at a glance, every figure in the group. Drawing a long, quiveringbreath, she fell back on the couch, and her eyes again lighted withtheir playful expression, as she hummed a low rapid air, with a voice inwhich even the suppressed tones were liquid melody.
Dillon entered, preceding the soldier, whose gait had become moresteady, and in whose rigid eye a thoughtful expression had taken theplace of its former vacant gaze. In short, something had manifestlyrestored to him a more complete command of his mental powers, althoughhe might not have been absolutely sobered. The rest of the partycontinued in the gallery, while Mr. Dillon presented the renovatedcaptain to the colonel, when the latter did him the same kind officewith the ladies.
"Miss Plowden," said the veteran, for she offered first in the circle,"this is my friend, Captain Borroughcliffe: he has long been ambitiousof this honor, and I have no doubt his reception will be such as toleave him no cause to repent he has been at last successful."
Katherine smiled, and answered with ambiguous emphasis:
"I know not how to thank him sufficiently for the care he has bestowedon our poor persons."
The soldier looked steadily at her for a moment, with an eye that seemedto threaten a retaliation in kind, ere he replied:
"One of those smiles, madam, would be an ample compensation for servicesthat are more real than such as exist only in intention."
Katherine bowed with more complacency than she usually bestowed on thosewho wore the British uniform; and they proceeded to the next.
"This is Miss Alice Dunscombe, Captain Borroughcliffe, daughter of avery worthy clergyman who was formerly the curate of this parish, and alady who does us the pleasure of giving us a good deal of her society,though far less than we all wish for."
The captain returned the civil inclination of Alice, and the colonelproceeded:
"Miss Howard, allow me to present Captain Borroughcliffe, a gentlemanwho, having volunteered to defend St. Ruth in these critical times,merits all the favor of its mistress."
Cecilia gracefully rose, and received her guest with sweet complacency.The soldier made no reply to the customary compliments that she uttered,but stood an instant gazing at her speaking countenance, and then,laying his hand involuntarily on his breast, bowed nearly to hissword-hilt.
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bsp; These formalities duly observed, the colonel declared his readiness toreceive the prisoners. As the door was opened by Dillon, Katherine casta cool and steady look at the strangers, and beheld the light glancingalong the arms of the soldiers who guarded them. But the seamen enteredalone; while the rattling of arms, and the heavy dash of the muskets onthe stone pavement, announced that it was thought prudent to retain aforce at hand, to watch these secret intruders on the grounds of theabbey.