CHAPTER XXXV.
Now the reader must remember that a castle of those days, thoughfallen from the "high estate" of feudal garrison and constantpreparation, was a very different place from a modern house, whetherin town or country. Grosvenor Square will give no idea of it; and nocountry mansion, not even with park wall, and lodge, and iron gates,will assist comprehension in the least. Sir William Arden had totraverse a considerable number of round rubble stones, before he foundhimself standing under the arch by the porter's dwelling.
The man had just given admission or exit to some one; for he wasstanding at the wicket with the keys in his hand, gazing forth to thewestward, although all trace of the sun's setting had disappeared.
Arden cast his eyes towards the south, in which direction Chartley'stower was situated; but it was not visible from the gate; and,satisfied on that point, the good knight turned to the porter, saying,without any preliminary explanation, to point out the person of whomhe was about to speak,
"He has gone to the chaplain's house under the hill, has he not?"
"Yes, honourable sir," replied the porter. "But, by my faith, my lordperhaps reckons without his host; for the good priest calculates uponno marriages, baptisms, or burials, to-night; and he is just the manto forget that such a case may happen, and lay in a share of ale orBordeaux, too large to let any other thoughts enter."
"Oh, he will be sober enough to work matrimony, though he must notundertake it himself," answered Arden. "Ha, ha, ha!"
The porter laughed too, right joyously, saying, "Jack stopped a minuteto tell me his errand; and I could not help laughing, to think howsuddenly the matter had come on at last."
And, as he spoke, he hung the enormous bunch of heavy keys up by theside of the door, addressing to them the words, "Ay, you are rustyenough to be spared more labour. Nobody will try to get into thecastle now-a-days."
"It would be a hard morsel," answered Arden. "But who are those I sawriding up the hill at so much speed?"
"Heaven knows," replied the porter. "There were only two of them; andwe shall soon see what they want if they come here. It does thoseknaves good to make them wait a little. So, by your leave, worshipfulsir, I will go and finish my supper."
Sir William Arden still stood near the gate; and a minute or two aftera horn without sounded; and the porter, creeping out of his den oncemore, came forward to demand, through the little iron grate, who itwas that asked admission.
"We must see my Lord Chartley immediately," replied the man. "It is onbusiness of great importance."
"Who are you, and what are you?" demanded the porter; "and who is thatold woman in white on horseback? We don't admit any witches here."
These words were addressed to a man bearing the appearance of anordinary servant, with a badge upon his arm; but the janitor, as hespoke the last words, pointed with his hand to the figure of good IbnAyoub, who sat his horse like a statue, while all this was going on,wrapped up in his white shroud-like garments, so that little ornothing of face or person was to be seen.
"I am the lord's slave," said the voice of the Arab, from under thecoif-like folds which shrouded his head; "and this is my comrade--whatyou call a servant in this land of Giaours. Open, and let us through."
"The orders were to admit his servants," said the porter, musing, andturning at the same time partly towards Sir William Arden, as ifseeking his counsel.
"Oh, let them in, let them in," said the knight. "Of course, he musthave his servants about him. There can be no wrong in that."
The man immediately undid the bolts and bars, giving admission to thetwo servants, who bowed low when they saw their master's kinsman underthe archway; and Arden, turning with them, walked by their side,directing them to the stables.
"Keep your news safe, whatever it is," he said in a low voice to IbnAyoub, "or you may do mischief. But stay, I will wait for you, tillyou come out of the stables."
While the two men were taking in their horses, Sir William Ardenexamined accurately the low range of building used as the ecury, orcury, as it was sometimes called at Chidlow. It was very extensive,though low, and situated under the wall for protection; but each ofthe windows, small and high up as they were, were secured by strongiron bars; and there was no means of entrance or exit, but by thelarge door in the centre, and two smaller ones at the extreme ends,but on the same face.
"Come this way, Ibn Ayoub," said the knight, when the Arab came forth."I will show you the way to your lord's lodging. Go up to him at once,and beg him to come down to my chamber below, to speak with me on somebusiness of importance. Say, if he meets with obstruction by the way,not to resist, but to return quietly, and I will come to him. You willhave to pass three men with partizans on the stairs, who are keepingwatch upon the good lord; and they may perchance refuse to let him goforth."
"Then will I put my knife into them," said Ibn Ayoub.
"Softly, softly, wild son of Ismael. Do no such thing, but quietlymark all that happens; and then, when your lord is in his room again,come down to me; but tell him he will see me soon." Such were the goodknight's last injunctions to the Arab, who then mounted the stairs ofthe tower: and immediately after, some words in a sharp tone werespoken above. Sir William Arden listened, and then entered his ownapartments, which, as I have elsewhere mentioned, were on the lowerstory. Two of his servants were in waiting in his ante-room, engagedin the very ancient game of mutton bones. A word from their masterhowever soon sent one of them away, and when he returned, at the endof five minutes, he brought with him four of Chartley's men. Almost atthe same moment, Ibn Ayoub returned, saying, with rolling eyes,
"They will not let him pass."
"Never mind, my friend," replied Arden; "remain here with these goodmen till my return; and then, be all ready with what weapons youhave."
The Arab smiled, well pleased with the name of weapons, and bared hissinewy arm up to the elbow. At the end of about five minutes, theknight returned, and, in a calm and easy tone, ordered three ofChartley's servants to go up to their lord, after which he turned tothe rest, saying, "now, good fellows, I wish you to understand clearlywhat I desire to have done; and I command you in nothing to exceed theorders you receive. There are three men on the stairs, keeping guardupon my cousin and friend, Lord Chartley. This is contrary to theorders of the king, and contrary to an express agreement between LordChartley and Lord Calverly. I therefore intend to take those threemen, and lock them up in the room above, which looks upon the walls,and to keep them there as long as I think proper. There must be nobloodshed, no violence, but what is necessary to force them into thatroom. You mark me, Ibn Ayoub. The great object is to avoid all noise,which may attract others to the spot. I am not to be disobeyed inanything, remember. Now, some one jump upon that table, and strike theroof twice with his sword."
One of the men sprang up, and obeyed the order; and then, saying"Follow!" Arden went out to the foot of the stairs. He ascended a fewsteps leisurely, and till sound of voices was heard above.
"You cannot pass, my lord," said some one; "our orders are strict."
"My orders to you are, that you get out of the way," said Chartley;"if not take the consequences. In one word, will you move?"
"My lord, it is impossible; you cannot pass," replied the voice, in alouder and sterner tone; and at the same moment Arden ran rapidly upthe steps, followed by his companions, saying, "keep back, Ibn Ayoub.Remember, no violence."
On reaching the little square piece of level flooring, commonly calledthe landing-place, at Chartley's door, he found three of LordCalverly's servants with partizans in their hands, in the act ofresisting the progress of the young nobleman and his two servants, whoseemed determined to make their way out. Now, of all weapons on earth,the most unwieldy and the least fitted for use in a narrow space wasthe ancient partizan. It might have been employed to advantage,indeed, in preventing Arden from mounting a stairs. But the servantswere eagerly occupied with Lord Chartley, who was on the same levelwith themselves, where they had no room
to shorten their weapons, soas to bring the spear points to bear against his breast. One of themlooked over his shoulder, indeed, at the sound of feet rushing up, buthad they turned to oppose the ascent of Sir William Arden and hisparty, they exposed themselves at once to attack from Chartley and histwo servants. Thus, between Scylla and Charybdis, they wereoverpowered in a moment, and their weapons taken from them.
One of them then thought fit to say, that they had no intention ofoffending, and that Lord Chartley might pass. But in profound silencethey were hurried into a small room, the windows of which lookedtowards the walls, and not to the court, where the people of thecastle were likely to pass. There the door was locked and barred uponthem without any explanation; and Chartley and his friend looked ateach other and laughed.
"Now if you will take my advice," said Sir William, addressing hiscousin, "you will stay quietly here and not meddle any more. We havegot three of them safe; we must have five or six more; and then weshall be in force enough to deal with the rest in a body."
"Out on it!" exclaimed Chartley. "What, shall I stay here like asinging bird in a cage, while you are busily doing my work for me?"
"Hear me, hear me, Chartley," said Sir William, "and don't be a fool,"and, drawing him away from the men, he said in a low voice, "rememberthe king may have to deal with this at some time. Now, for me it isall very well; for I act in the king's name, to stop a marriage towhich he has not given his consent. But with you the case is verydifferent, being a prisoner in ward."
"Preach to whom you will, my dear Arden," exclaimed Chartley, "I wasnot made for sitting still when other men are acting. But I'll be veryprudent, on my life. For many reasons, I would not embroil myself withgood Lord Calverly, if there be any help for it; and when you dealwith him, I'll be your lackey, and wait without, unless I hear I amwanted. In the mean time, however, I must help you to put some ofthese rats into the rat-trap, and now let us lose no precious moments.Where do you begin? With the porter?"
"No, no," answered Arden. "We must let the priest and the man who isgone for him pass in first, or we shall have an alarm given. Besides,I want to speak with the priest. So you had better take these men, andsecure all the fellows in the stables. There must be several of themthere now, tending their lord's horses after the ride; for I willanswer for it they all supped first. Remember there are three doors;and you have nothing to do but lock each of them. Then you have ourmen, as you say, in a rat-trap. I, in the mean time, will gathertogether the rest of our own people, and come to you there, after Ihave seen and spoken to the priest, and locked up the porter, and anyof his men that I can get."
On this briefly sketched out plan they acted, Chartley and hisattendants securing, without the slightest difficulty, two of LordCalverly's grooms, and three of Lord Fulmer's, in the stables, withoutthe prisoners even knowing, at first, that they were locked in. In themean time, Arden, passing alone through those parts of the castle inwhich the servants generally congregated, gathered together two orthree of Chartley's men, who had not previously been summoned, sentone of them to call the rest quietly out into the court, and thenproceeded towards the porter's lodging, followed at a little distanceby two of the men. In crossing the court towards the gateway, he foundthat he was just in time; for the priest had hastened with reverentdiligence to obey Lord Calverly's summons; and he was already half waybetween the barbican gate and the great door of the hall. Ardenstopped him, however, saying, "Ay, good evening, father, I am glad tosee you; for I want to put to you a case of conscience."
"Holy Mary, I cannot stop now, my son," cried the priest; "for I havebeen summoned by my good lord in haste."
"What, is he ill? Is he dying? Are you going to shrive him?" exclaimedArden, with affected apprehension, still standing in the priest's way.
"No, no," cried the worthy man, impatiently; "'tis but to marry theLady Iola to the Lord Fulmer. The hour is ten; and 'tis coming fast."
"Not so, not so," said Arden; "'tis not yet half past nine; and I musthave my doubt resolved before you go."
"Then speak it quick," cried the priest, sharply. "You should choosefitter times."
"'Tis but this," said Arden, with a smile. "If a man see another aboutto do a wrong thing, and one which may produce great danger tohimself, is it a sin to stop him, even by force?"
"A sin!" exclaimed the priest, with a not very decent interjection,common in those days, but which cannot be admitted there; "no sin atall, but a good work. There, let me pass."
Arden made way and walked on, laughing, to the gate, where he foundthe porter just entering his own abode, and saying good night to oneof the servants, who had been sitting with him.
"Why, you have not closed the gates for the night, have you, porter?"said Arden, standing in the door-way of the lodge, so as to oppose theegress of either of the two.
"Yes, indeed, I have, worshipful sir," replied the man.
"Why, the priest will have to go forth," said Arden.
"Not he," cried the porter, with a laugh, which was echoed by theother servant. "After he has done his function, he'll get as drunk asa fiddler, and sleep on one of the truckle beds. I should not wonderif I had him here knocking for accommodation; but he shall not haveit."
As he spoke, he deliberately hung the keys upon a peg, just at theside of the door.
"These are large keys," said Sir William, taking them down, to theman's surprise, and fixing in his own mind upon the one which hesupposed to belong to the door of the lodge.
"Yes, they are, sir," answered the porter, somewhat gruffly. "Bepleased to give them to me. I never suffer them out of my hands."
"Back, knave! Would you snatch them from me," exclaimed Arden,thrusting him vehemently back; and the next moment he pulled the doorto, by the large bowed handle, and applied the key to the lock. It didnot prove the right one, however; and he had some difficulty inholding the door close, against the united efforts of the two men inthe inside, till he had found one to fit the keyhole.
Chartley's men, however, had been trained to activity and vigilance,in travelling with their lord; and the two who had followed SirWilliam Arden, seeing a little bustle, and the light from the lodgesuddenly shut out, sprang forward to the knight's assistance. The doorwas then soon locked; and, speaking through it, Sir William Ardensaid, "Now, saucy porter, I shall keep you there for a couple ofhours, for attempting to snatch the keys from me."
The man was heard remonstrating and bellowing in the inside; but,without paying any attention, Sir William hastened back towards thestables, leaving the keys hanging in the doorway of the porter'stower. In the stable court, as it was called, he found Chartleyhimself, with eight companions; and a brief consultation ensued as tothe next step.
"How many have you got under lock and key in the stable?" demandedArden.
"Five at least," replied Chartley.
"Then there are five in your lodging and at the gate," said Arden,"That makes ten in all. Allowing five for cooks and stragglers, we aretheir superior in numbers, and a good deal their superior, I shouldthink, in the use of arms. Now let us go on. Hold back. Let thatfellow pass towards the kitchen."
"Had we not better go by the great hall?" said Chartley, as soon asone of the servants of the house had crossed the other side of thecourt. "We can secure any men who may be there."
"No, no," said Arden. "Leave all the management to me. I have promisedthere shall be no bloodshed; and I do not want even to show any force,unless it be needful. Let us go in by the back way, and up to the westof the little hall. By that means we shall cut them off from thechapel; and then, while you wait in the ante-room, to be ready in caseof need, I will go in and reason with the good lords."
"But," said Chartley, "suppose they have gone to the chapel, already.I see light in the window."
"Then we must follow them," answered Arden. "But above all things, mygood lord, do not show yourself in the affair, if you can help it. Youmay put yourself in great peril with the king, remember; whereas allthat Dickon, as I shall manage it
, can say of me is, that I wassomewhat too zealous for his service. Do not come forward, at allevents, till you hear strife."
"Well, well," answered Chartley; "that I may promise at least, Now on;for there is no time to spare."
Approaching quietly one of the many small doors which gave exit fromthe great mass of the castle buildings into the courts around, thewhole party found before them a staircase, which, strange to say, wasbroader and more easy of ascent than those communicating with eitherof the two principal entrances. Treading as softly on the stone stepsas possible, they soon reached a wide landing-place, from one side ofwhich ran away a long corridor, passing over part of the staircase,and guarded from it by an open screen of stonework, while on the otherside was a door; leading down by ten steps, to the entrance of thechapel; and between the two appeared another door, opening into alittle ante-room, flanking the lesser or upper hall.
Sir William Arden lifted the latch of the ante-chamber door, andopened it gently, when immediately the voice of Lord Calverly washeard, raised to a loud and angry tone, exclaiming, "Get you gone,mistress, and tell her to come down this instant, or I will come andfetch her. Tell not me that you cannot get admission or an answer. IfI come, it shall be to make a way for myself."
"But it is not ten yet, my lord," said the sweet voice of Constance."You said you would give her till ten."
"What matters five minutes?" cried the old lord, in the same sharptone. "But we will be to the letter, and so shall she. Let her know,girl, if she is not here, in this hall, by the time the castle clockchimes the last stroke of ten, I will come to fetch her, and drag herto the altar by the wrists."
Sir William Arden had held up his hand to those who were followinghim, at the first sounds of the voices speaking; and the whole partypaused, some upon the stairs, and a few upon the landing. The nextmoment, the door of the ante-room opened; and, coming with a slowstep, Constance appeared. She gave a slight start at seeing Arden andthe rest, where she least expected to meet them; but he quietly laidhis finger on his lip, and pointed along the corridor to the stonescreen. Constance made a mute gesture, as if deprecating violence, andthen passed on with a quickened step.
Arden did not immediately enter the ante-room, but waited till thelight foot-fall of Constance had died away; and then, once more givinghis directions to his followers, and bestowing another word of cautionupon Chartley, he walked straight through the ante-room into the hall.When he entered, Lord Calverly was walking up and down one side of thelong chamber, and Lord Fulmer doing the same in the other. The face ofeach was grave and moody; and they seemed not very well pleased witheach other, or with anything that was taking place around them. Bothhowever started on seeing Sir William Arden; and, in a tone of bittercivility, Lord Calverly addressed him, approaching quite close as hedid so.
"I had thought, Sir William, you had retired to rest," he said, "andwas wishing you tranquil slumbers. Allow me to say that, at thepresent moment, I and Lord Fulmer are busy with matters of muchpersonal importance."
"Good faith, my lord," replied Sir William Arden, in a light tone, "Iheard below that there were jovial things to take place in the castle,and I wish to share in the festivities of my honoured host."
"I know not what you mean, sir," said Lord Calverly, with a coldstare; but Fulmer at once advanced to the knight, saying--
"There is a meaning in your tone, sir, which must be explained. Itseems to me, that you are determined to force your uninvited societyupon us, at a moment when we desire to be alone."
"Exactly, my good lord," replied Arden. "I am precisely in that veryunpleasant predicament. You will see how disagreeable it must be tome; and therefore I trust you will make it as smooth to me aspossible."
"Why, marry, what is all this?" exclaimed Lord Calverly.
"If so painful, what brings you here?" demanded Fulmer sternly.
"I will tell you, young man," answered Arden. "I have learned, that itis the intention of this good lord to bestow on you the hand--"
"From whom, from whom?" shouted Lord Calverly.
"From an exceedingly fat priest, amongst others," replied Arden,smiling; "but the news is all over the castle. If your lordship cannotkeep your own secrets, depend upon it, others will not."
"But what affair is this of yours, Sir William?" said Fulmer, with asneer. "Are you an aspirant to the lady's hand?"
"Not at present," answered Arden. "But the case is this, withoutfarther words, my lords. I find that this marriage is against thelady's will, and that threats are held out to her of using force--"
"Oh, she has made her complaint to you, has she?" said Lord Calverly.
"No, she has not," replied Arden; "but hearing it by accident, andhaving a great regard for your two lordships, I wished, as a knightand a gentleman of some experience and repute, to remonstrate withyou, and show you what danger and disgrace to your fair names youbring upon yourselves by such proceedings--proceedings unworthy ofEnglish noblemen and Christian men."
He spoke so calmly, and in such a quiet reasoning tone, that neitherFulmer nor Lord Calverly suspected for one moment that he intended toproceed to any other measure than mere remonstrance. That they thoughtbold enough; and Fulmer replied, "We understand from whence yourinspiration comes, Sir William; and I only wonder the prompter doesnot appear himself."
"That I took care of," said Lord Calverly. "I am not one, my youngfriend, to neglect any precautions. I think I have some experience indealing with men, and some foresight too as to all that is likely tooccur. It is not easy to catch me sleeping. Now, Sir William Arden,One word for all. I am not inclined to be wanting in hospitality orcourtesy towards a guest; but I must desire to be left to themanagement of my affairs, without either your presence or yourcounsel;" and he made a low bow.
Arden paused for a moment, as if in expectation that he would addsomething more; and the old nobleman, who had with difficulty bridledhis anger so far, went on in a tone far from cool, to say; "I wouldlack no courtesy; but, if you do not go, you must be removed."
"I have but little more to say," replied Arden, with imperturbablecoolness, which contrasted somewhat strangely with his vehemence uponminor occasions; "but that little is important. This marriage must notgo forward."
"But I say it must!" exclaimed Lord Calverly, calling down a bittercurse upon his own head if he did not carry it through; and then,striding to the door which led to the staircase from the great hall,he shouted aloud, "Ho! Two of you come up here; here is somethingunpleasant that must be removed."
Steps were immediately heard running up; and Arden retreated towardsthe door by which he had entered, slowly and calmly, but with a smileupon his countenance.
"My good lord," he said; "you do not know what you do;" and, openingthe door of the ante-room, he said aloud, "Here, I want some of you,my friends. Two stand on the landing, and keep that way against allcomers."
"Take hold of him and carry him away to his own rooms," exclaimed LordCalverly, at the same moment, addressing two of his attendants, whohad entered; but when he turned and saw the number of armed menpouring in, he stood as one aghast; and Arden whispered to one of hisfollowers, "secure that door," pointing to the one on the oppositeside of the hall.
The man to whom he spoke, and two others, darted across, and hadreached the middle of the hall, before the servants of the castleseemed to comprehend what was going on.
"Keep the door, keep the door!" cried Lord Fulmer; and they bothimmediately ran towards it. It was a race which of the parties shouldreach it first; and indeed neither won; but, just as the first of theold lord's servants was stretching forth his hand to seize the door,which was partly open, a stout arm applied a blow to the side of hishead, which made him stagger back, and then measure his length uponthe floor. The next instant the door was closed and locked; and SirWilliam Arden remained the master of both entrances.
"I beg your lordship's pardon," he said, "for taking somewhat decidedmeans to obtain a fair hearing, which it seems you were not inclinedto give me."
"Are we to consider ourselves prisoners, sir?" exclaimed the oldnobleman, confounded and dismayed. "If so, I must appeal to the throneagainst such violence."
"If you, or Lord Fulmer either, can venture to do so, pray do,"replied Arden, calmly. "But I too, my lord, am a prudent man, as wellas yourself; and it is difficult to catch me sleeping. I said thatthis marriage must not go forward; and I now ask you both, my lords,whether you have the king's consent to this proceeding? In a word,whether it was not your intention to act in this business in directdisobedience to his authority?"
Fulmer gazed down upon the ground, and bit his lip; but Lord Calverlydemanded fiercely--
"Who told you that, sir? I protest against such an interference in anyman."
"It matters not who told me," replied Arden. "Suffice it that I amwell prepared to justify what I do. Now, my lord, after what I havesaid, you dare not proceed to the act which you were about tocommit--an act which would have only led you and Lord Fulmer here tolong imprisonment, if not worse. If you give up all notion of suchrashness, if you pledge me your word, that you will make no attempt tocarry through this marriage, till the king's full consent has beenobtained, and if this noble lord agrees to ride forward immediatelyupon the errand with which he is charged by the king, I will restoreto you the command of your own house, which I have been obliged totake possession of in his grace's service. Moreover, I will refrainfrom reporting to the king the intended disobedience which I have beenin time to frustrate. If not, I shall feel it my painful duty to putyou both under arrest, and convey you myself to York."
It is hardly possible to describe the sensations produced by thesewords, and the calm and quiet tone in which they were uttered, uponthe minds of his two hearers. Lord Calverly was astounded andterrified; for, like almost all very vain and pompous men, he was veryeasily depressed by difficulties and dangers. It only required tohumble his vanity sufficiently, to make it a very submissive andpatient quality, however vehement and pugnacious it might be under aslight mortification. To find himself suddenly deprived of all powerin his own house, and treated with an air of authority and reproof, bya guest who ventured to back his pretensions by the redoubted name ofRichard, was quite sufficient to silence him, although his wrath stillswelled and fretted within.
Lord Fulmer, for his part, heard the words which had just been spoken,not only in sullen silence, but with much surprise. He well knew that,hurried on by passion, he had placed himself in a position of verygreat danger, and that the act of disobedience he had committed, if itreached Richard's ears, was likely to be followed by the ruin of allhis hopes, and long imprisonment. But how Sir William Arden had sorapidly received tidings of the commands the king had laid upon him,he could not divine, forgetting entirely that the necessity of hisdeparture on the following morning had been mentioned to Iola in thepresence of Constance. At the same time, he felt that to remain wouldbe ruin, and that resistance was vain. His only hope, therefore, wasto escape the present danger, trusting that some of the many changingevents of the day would afford him better opportunities, or at allevents give him at some future time the means of revenge.
All Lord Calverly thought of, after he had in some degree mastered hisanger and surprise, was how to retract, in as dignified a manner aspossible; and he had just begun to reply, "Well, sir, if I am aprisoner in my own house, I have nothing to do but to submit;" but thevoice of Constance was heard, speaking eagerly to some one without.
A moment or two after, she entered with a face still somewhat pale,and a look of much anxiety, saying:--
"I am sorry to tell you, my lord, that my cousin is not to be found.After knocking for some time at her door, I and her girl Susan chancedto see the key lying on the table of the ante-room; but we used itonly to find her chamber vacant."
"Heaven and earth!" exclaimed Lord Calverly; "this is too much. Wherecan the foolish child have concealed herself? From the castle shecould not go, for the gates were all locked at sunset. Let us searchfor her immediately."
"Ay, let us search," exclaimed Lord Fulmer, with a look of greatanxiety. "If any evil have happened, I shall never forgive myself."
Sir William Arden was somewhat alarmed; but, although Constance's faceexpressed anxiety, it struck him there was less terror in it thanmight have been expected.
"Ay, noble lord," he said, "we always regret wrong actions when it istoo late; but, before I permit either of you to quit this hall, wemust have a clear understanding. Do you accept the conditions Imentioned?"
"Assuredly," replied Lord Calverly; "I must search for this poor childat once."
"And you, Lord Fulmer?" said Arden.
"I do," replied Fulmer, bowing his head.
"Then I commend you to your horse's back at once," said Arden; "and Iwill have the honour of waiting upon you to the stables. Otherwise,perchance, you might find neither men nor horses free to serve you."
"This is hard," said Fulmer.
"It may be no better, I fear," replied Arden. "Excuse me, for amoment, my lords, while I speak with the guard without;" and, turningto the men at the door, he added, "Suffer no one to quit the hall, butthe lady, till I return."
He was not long absent; but, many had been the questions poured forthin the mean time, upon Constance, who was replying to one of them,when Sir William re-entered the room.
"I cannot even divine, my dear uncle," she said; "she communicated nother intention to me in any shape; and I certainly expected to find herin her own chamber, when I returned at the end of the hour, duringwhich she wished to be left in solitude."
Arden seemed not to notice the words, though he heard them, butinforming Lord Fulmer that he was ready to accompany him, prepared tolead the way.
At that moment, however, one of the servants whom Lord Calverly hadcalled into the hall, and who had of necessity remained there with therest, remarked, in a dull and sullen voice:--
"There is somebody ringing the great bell at the gate. 'Tis the thirdtime it has rung. The old porter must be sleeping, not to open."
"He has no power," said Sir William Arden. "I have the keys. Go you,"he continued, speaking to one of his own followers--"open the wicket;but give no admission to any large party. Two or three you may sufferto enter."
Lord Calverly was apparently about to say something; but the veteransoldier waved his hand to the man, as a signal to depart; and heretired at once, knowing no authority but that of his own master.
During his absence, which lasted some two or three minutes, the wholeparty stood in unpleasant silence. Lord Calverly, indeed, ventured aword in a low tone to Fulmer, but obtained no reply; and some one cameand tried the door on the side of the principal staircase, leading tothe great hall; but it was locked and guarded. The eyes of Constancesought the face of Arden; but neither spoke.
At length the servant returned; but he was not alone. Close upon hissteps came a man dressed as an ordinary post or courier of the court,who gazed round the scene presented to him in some surprise.
"Which is Sir William Arden?" he said, somewhat to the dismay both ofFulmer and the old lord.
"I am he," replied Arden, advancing with a mind relieved; for, thoughresolved, at all hazards, to carry through what he had undertaken; yethe had some fear that his first plans might be in a degreedisconcerted by the appearance of the royal messenger.
The post immediately handed him a letter, sealed with the broad seal,and Arden received it as an ordinary occurrence, with admirablecommand of his countenance.
"By your leave, my lords," he said, and, approaching one of thesconces, he opened the paper and read. The cover seemed to contain twoother letters, and after having perused his own, he turned towardsLord Calverly, presenting one of them to him, and saying:
"I presume, my lord, this is an order to deliver up the ward of mycousin, Lord Chartley, to myself."
But there was more in the epistle to the old nobleman, and when heread it his face turned very pale.
"Now, sir," said Arden, addressing Lord Fulmer, "
I will conduct you toyour horse, and then immediately perform, the commands of his gracethe king."
"In the name of all the saints, my dear child," said Lord Calverly, assoon as Arden and Fulmer had quitted the room; "what is to be done, ifwe cannot find your cousin?"
"Nay, I know not," answered Constance, "but I trust we shall find herwell and safe, or at all events hear from her, if she should havetaken refuge elsewhere. In the midst of all this confusion, it is verypossible she may have slipped out of the castle unperceived."
Constance, it would appear, did not choose her means of consolationwell; for her words had anything but a soothing effect upon her uncle,who walked up and down for two or three minutes, in a state of greatagitation, making sundry addresses to saints and the virgin, whichsavoured much more of impatience than piety. At length, returning tohis niece's side, as she remained standing in the midst, of the room,he whispered:--
"We must find her, we must find her, Constance. This is the mostunfortunate out of all. You don't know what is in this letter;" and hestruck it with his fingers. "The king here tells me to send her backto the abbey immediately, and that he makes the abbess, my goodsister, responsible for her safeguard, till he can decide in thematter of her marriage himself. He must have had some inkling of thisrash mad-headed boy's purpose."
"That is unfortunate, indeed," answered Constance, thoughtfully.
"Unfortunate!" exclaimed her uncle. "It is ruin, child. Why, I risknot only imprisonment but confiscation. I cannot comply with theking's commands; nor can I explain to him why I do not comply, withouttelling him all that has occurred to-night. It is ruin, I tell you.Here, come aside, that knave of a courier seems listening to us."
"You had better tell Sir William Arden your difficulty," repliedConstance, when they had got to the farther end of the hall. "Thoughhis manner is rough and blunt, yet sure I am he has a kind heart."
"Let us search well for her first," said her uncle. "Perhaps we mayfind her in the castle after all. I wish the knight would return. Whata long time he stays. Hark!" he continued, after a pause of a minuteor two. "There is the sound of horses' feet in the court-yard. Now,thank God, Fulmer is gone; a good riddance, on my life, for he hadwell nigh persuaded me to that which might have been my destruction."
Only a short interval took place before Arden returned; and, aftergiving some orders in a low tone to his own men, he advanced towardsLord Calverly, holding out his hand and saying--
"I beseech you, my good lord, to let all angry feeling pass awaybetween us. Believe me, I have saved you from a great danger, intowhich you were persuaded to run, by your regard for the young noblemanwho is just gone, contrary to the dictates of your own wisdom andexperience."
Lord Calverly took his hand, and shook it heartily, saying--
"That is very true, Sir William, that is very true. I never liked thebusiness, and was hard to persuade; but, having once decided, ofcourse I could not suffer myself to be thwarted by a mere child. Pray,now, let us seek for her. I am ready, God knows, to obey the king ineverything," he added in a loud tone, for the messenger's ears.
"Well, we will seek for her at once," said Arden. "But first let usrestore the house to its propriety."
The followers of Chartley and of Arden himself were dismissed to theirseveral occupations; the servants of Lord Calverly permitted to departfrom the hall; the refreshment of the king's post was provided for;and the search was commenced, Chartley having been called to aid, atthe suggestion of his cousin. Every nook and corner of the extensivebuilding was examined, but Iola was not to be found.