CHAPTER XLV.
I know no labour of the body which fatigues so much as agitation ofthe mind; but the fatigue which it produces is very often of that kindwhich refuses repose. The mind, in its immortality, does not so easilyyield to slumber as its death-doomed companion. More than an hourpassed ere Iola slept; but, when she did sleep, it was with the calmand tranquil repose of youth and innocence. Fears she might feel;strong emotions might affect her; dangers, anxieties, and cares shemight undergo; but there was no evil act to be regretted, no evilthought to be combatted. The worm that dieth not was not in the heart.The fire that cannot be quenched had not passed upon the brain. Sheslept sweetly, tranquilly then; and daylight found her sleeping still.
The light-hearted country girl, who lay on the small bed at her feet,slept quietly too; but she had her accustomed hour of waking, and, atthat hour, she rose. Her moving in the room roused Iola; and on beinginformed of the hour, though it was an early one, she said she wouldrise too, that she might be ready for whatever course Chartley choseto follow. Her toilet was nearly complete, and the girl had left theroom some minutes, when she suddenly returned with a look of alarm,saying:
"Oh, lady, there is that terrible-looking black man at the door,insisting to speak with you."
Iola waited not to hear more, though the girl was going on to tell herthat the whole house was in confusion, but sprang to the door andthrew it open, demanding,
"What is it, Ibn Ayoub?"
"There is danger, lady," said the Arab. "My lord gave me charge toguard you to Lichfield in case of strife; and strife is coming."
"But where is your lord?" demanded Iola, with eager alarm in her toneand look.
"It is not known," replied the Arab. "He rode out this morning alone,it is supposed to visit some posts, or see for the men not yet comeup. But he commanded me yesterday to guard you safely to Lichfield inany hour of peril. That hour is now. The Lord Stanley with a largeforce is marching on us; and our people are parlying with his, at theend of the village. They say they will give admission to none, tillour lord's return; and Lord Stanley says he will force them. Throw onyour hood, lady, and come down. Your horse is ready; and there is away through the farm into the fields."
Iola hesitated for a moment; and then, looking earnestly in the Arab'sface, she demanded:
"Did he say that I was to go?"
"By the beard of the prophet, he did," replied Ibn Ayoub.
At the same moment came the blast of a trumpet from no great distance;and the voice of the master of Chartley's household was heard callingup the stairs, and exclaiming:
"Call the Lady Iola, call the Lady Iola!--Tell her she had betterhasten away, out by the other end of the village. Bid her makehaste--bid her lose no time."
Iola snatched up her hood from the table; and leaving all the littlearticles of dress which had been brought with her, scattered about,she hurried down the stairs. All was confusion below; and in vain shetried to obtain some further information concerning Chartley. Most ofthe men had gone forth at the first news of danger; and there werenone but the farmer and his sons, and the master of the household, anelderly and somewhat infirm man, on the lower story. The latter urgedher eagerly to fly; and, hurrying into the court at the back of thehouse, she was soon mounted on the fleet horse which had borne herthither. Ibn Ayoub seized the bridle. One of the young men opened thegreat gates behind and in a minute or two after, Iola found herselfamongst the fields and hedgerows, to the east of Fazely. Thosehedgerows were then numerous, and in full leaf, hiding the fugitivesfrom all eyes; and for nearly half an hour, the Arab urged the horseson at a quick pace. At first, just as they issued from the village, anumber of loud sounds were borne upon the air; and once again a blastof a trumpet was heard. But gradually the sounds became faint, as Iolarode on; and very soon the calm sweet silence of an early summermorning fell over the scene around. Nought was heard but the beatingof the horse's feet upon the road, the lowing of some distant cattle,and the singing of a bird. All was peaceful, except poor Iola's heart;and it beat with manifold agitating sensations.
"Let us go slower, Ibn Ayoub," she said. "We must be out of dangernow--at least, out of that danger. Let me think, let me think. At thispace, I seem to leave thought behind me."
"Ay, there is no peril now," said the Arab, in his peculiar Orientaltone; "but yet it were well to reach Lichfield as soon as may be; forthere my lord said he would join us."
"But are you sure you are in the way to Lichfield?" asked Iola. "Andare you sure, also, that your lord will be able to join us?--Heaven,what will become of me, if he should not?"
"God is good," said the Arab, reverently laying his hand upon hisbreast, "and fate is unchangeable. This is the road to Lichfield; so Iunderstood them; but every road has an end; and we shall soon see. Yetlet us go slowly. I forgot you are not an Arab."
The way was longer however than the good slave thought, and seemed toIola interminable. Villages were in those days few in the land; andmany of the towns now existing were then villages. The road theytravelled was evidently a small country road, good enough from thedryness of the season, but little frequented, and furnished with noneof that convenient information, which tells the traveller of moderntimes, by an inscription on a tall post, that he must turn to theright to reach one place, or to the left to reach another. The heatwas very great too, oppressing both the horses and the riders whichthey bore; and gradually the bright clear light of the summer morningbegan to be obscured. A thin filmy veil was drawn over the sky; and,as if forming themselves out of it, the yellowish outlines of giganticclouds were seen writhing and twisting themselves into a thousandstrange fantastic shapes. There was no wind, and yet they moved, and,gradually piling themselves up, they seemed to climb one over theother, like the Titans in the strife with Heaven.
"We shall have a storm ere night," said the Arab; "and you seem wearyand alarmed, lady."
"Alarmed I am, but not for the storm, Ibn Ayoub," replied Iola. "It isfor your dear lord, I am alarmed. It is this apprehension makes mefeel weary, I believe, and the agitation of our sudden departure. Yetthe air is terribly oppressive. I feel as if I could hardly breathe;"and she unclasped the sort of collar, called a gorget, which, at thattime, formed a part of every lady's dress.
The Arab smiled. "It has but the feeling of spring to me," he said,"though in your cold clime, doubtless, it seems hot; but we will findsome house where you can get refreshment and a few minutes repose."
"We may obtain information," said Iola; "and that is of moreimportance. I can very well ride on to Lichfield. It was but sixmiles, I think they said, from Fazely. By this time, we ought to haveseen it, I think."
"True, we have travelled more than six miles," said the man; "but yetall seems clear. Nay, there is a house there. I see the roof peepingover the hill; and this must be, the gate leading up to it."
They turned along the little farm road, which they saw winding throughtwo neighbouring fields, sloping upwards towards the west; and, asthey rose upon the little hill, they attained a more distinct view ofa good sized farmer's or franklin's house, with the low sheds andbarns, which were then common in England.
"You go first and speak to them, lady," said Ibn Ayoub. "My skinfrightens them--as if it needed to be washed in milk, to have a trueheart."
He spoke from experience; and, judging that he was probably right,Iola rode on to the door, and called to a girl, who was carrying amilk-pail through the passage. She instantly set down the pail, andcame running out to speak with the beautiful lady who called to her;but the moment she cast her eyes beyond Iola, to the face and figureof Ibn Ayoub, she ran back into the house with a scream. An elderwoman, however, appeared in her place, with a frank good-humouredcountenance, to whom Iola explained that she had come from Fazely,intending to go to Lichfield, but that, from the distance they hadtravelled without finding the city, she judged they must have madesome mistake.
"Mistake, sweet lady! ay, marry, have you," answered the good woman."Why, you are within four
miles of Castle Bromwich, and I don't knowhow far from Lichfield--fourteen miles, we reckon; and they are goodlong ones, as I know. But you look tired and pale. Won't you come inand rest? That foolish child was frightened at your tawny Moor; butI'll warrant she'll soon be playing with his golden bracelets."
Iola had turned pale, to find that she was so far distant from theplace of her destination. She feared, too, that in so long a ride aswas now before her, she might fall in with some parties of the troopsthat were crossing the country; and, judging that she might obtainsome information for her guidance at the farm, she accepted the goodwoman's offer, and dismounted. Ibn Ayoub led the horses round to astall at the back of the house; and Iola was soon seated in thekitchen of the cottage, with milk and eggs before her, and the gooddame pressing her to her food. There is something in gracefulsweetness of manner, which wins upon the rudest and most uncultivated.But the good farmer's wife was not so. By character kind and cheerful,nature had taught her the best sort of courtesy, and to it had beenadded an education superior to that of many in her own rank. She couldread, and she could write, which was more than one half of the classabove her own could do; and she had lived in towns before she marrieda farmer, which had rendered her polished in comparison with others.It was with the kindness of her heart, however, that Iola had most todo; for there was so much frank sincerity in her hospitality, thatIola was encouraged to place some sort of confidence in her, and toask her advice as to her farther course. The opportunity of so doingwas easily found; for the good woman herself was not without thatshare of curiosity which is almost uniformly found amongst personsleading a very solitary life; and she asked full as many questions asit was discreet to put. Amongst the rest, how it happened that a lady,like Iola, was going to Lichfield, with only one man to guard her, andhe a tawny Moor?
"There were plenty of men to guard me this morning," replied Iola;"but Fazely was menaced by a large body of troops, which the peopleabout me judged to be enemies; and I was advised to fly as fast aspossible, with the good Arab, who is a faithful and devoted attendantof----"
There Iola paused and hesitated, not knowing how to conclude hersentence, without calling forth inquiries or perhaps excitingsuspicions, which might be difficult to answer, and unpleasant toendure. But the good woman saved her all pain on the subject.
"There, never mind names," she said. "These are not times for peopletravelling to give their names. It may be your husband, it may be yourbrother, you are talking of; but it is all the same to me. So then,there are two sets of them at Fazely, are there I heard of some peoplehaving mustered there from the west, three or four days ago; but Idid not know there were any others marching up. Are you aware, dearlady--nay, do take another egg; you want refreshment, I can see--areyou aware that the earl of Richmond and all his people are at thistime in Lichfield?"
"No, I was not," answered Iola; "but, nevertheless, I must get forwardthither as fast as I can; for there I am to be met by those to whom Imust look for assistance and protection; and what I now fear isencountering any of the bands of lawless soldiers, who are now roamingabout the land."
"Ay, marry, 'tis to be feared you do, riding so lonely. Why, CastleBromwich was full of Sir William Stanley's people; but the greaterpart moved on yesterday to Atherston; two thousand goodly men as youwould wish to see, they tell me; one half of them in armour of plate.I know not whether any were left behind, but 'tis very likely; forthere is generally what they call a rear guard. Then there are theking's troops moving from Tamworth towards Leicester. They were to goyesterday. I don't know whether they did. As for that matter, SirWilliam's are the king's troops too, I suppose."
This intelligence did not serve to cheer Iola very much, for it onlyshowed her, more forcibly than ever, the difficulty she might meetwith, in trying to escape from that circle of military operationswhich were taking place all around her; and, for a moment or two, shelooked so disconsolate, that the good woman's pity was moved.
"Ah, poor thing," she said, "I wish I knew what I could do for you.You are too young, and too gentle, to be exposed to such sort ofthings. Now, I warrant you, you have seldom stretched your limbs on ahard bed, or eaten homely fare like ours."
"Oh yes, I have, often," replied Iola, with a gayer smile than she hadever assumed since she entered the house; "and very happy was I when Idid so."
"But you are a lady by birth?" said the good woman, with a doubtfullook.
"Oh yes," replied the fair girl, "I am the heiress of a high house, mygood dame; more's the pity."
"Ay, why more's the pity?" asked the farmer's wife.
"Because flies will come where there is honey," answered Iola; "andmany a one seeks riches who cares little for love."
"True, very true," replied the other, with a sigh. "I wish I couldhelp you, dear lady; but I know not how. They took all our horses andcarts yesterday, and the men with them, and my husband too, to carryover the baggage of Sir William's troops to Atherston. If my man hadbeen at home, he would have told you what to do soon enough; for hehas got a head, I'll warrant."
"Let us call in the slave, and consult with him," said Iola. "He isfaithful and honest; and we trust him much."
Ibn Ayoub was accordingly sought for, and found in the farm-yard,where he had already made such progress in overcoming the prejudicesof the farmer's daughter, that she had brought him a bowl of milk withher own hands. Although he spoke English but imperfectly, andunderstood less what others said than they understood him, hisquestions soon elicited from the good farmer's wife and her daughter,who followed him into the room, much more intelligence than Iola hadobtained. The girl told them, that people from Bromwich had beenseeking more carts that morning, that a band of Sir William Stanley'smen had arrived at the town by daybreak, and were to depart at noon,or before, if they could get carriage. The farmer's wife remembered,too, that one body of them was likely to pass along the very road uponwhich she had been about to direct Iola towards Lichfield.
"Can we learn when they have gone by?" asked Ibn Ayoub, in his laconicway.
"Then we could go on at once, when the way is clear," said Iola.
"That were easily done," said the farmer's wife. "The road is not veryfar. We have a field that overlooks it."
"Send the little cow-boy to feed the cattle by Conyer's copse,"suggested the daughter. "There he will see them all pass; and, my lifefor it, he will go down and talk with some of the archers, and learnwhat they are doing, and all about it."
"'Tis a good way," said Ibn Ayoub. "Let him not know why he is sent,lest he tell as well as ask."
Such was the course followed. With his dinner put into his wallet, theboy was sent to drive the cattle from the pasture where they werefeeding, to that which overlooked the road; and he was strictlyenjoined, if any soldiers went by, and asked whether there were cartsor waggons at the farm, to say, no, they had gone to Atherston and notreturned, and to come back and tell when they had passed. Iola, it wasarranged, should remain where she was, till it was ascertained thatthis body at least had gone by; and when she made some faint excusefor intruding so long upon the good dame's hospitality, her hostesslaughed, saying--
"Bless thee, my child, if 'twere for a month, thou art welcome. So thouart safe, I do not care. Come, Jenny, you've got the churning to do;and I have to make the cakes."
All that frank and simple kindness could do, during the next three orfour hours, was done by the good woman of the house, to make her fairguest comfortable and at ease. Amongst the most painful periods oflife, however, are those when thought and feeling are compelled tostrive against each other for the mastery, when the heart is filledwith deep emotions, and yet the external things of life are pressingupon the brain for attention and consideration. Such was now Iola'ssituation, as she sat meditating upon how she should make her way toLichfield, through all the difficulties and dangers which surroundedher, while her heart was filled with anxiety for Chartley, and for theresult of the struggle which she believed might be going on at Fazely.
Twelve
o'clock, one, two, three o'clock came; and the cow-boy did notreturn. At last, somewhat anxious in regard to his absence, thefarmer's daughter set forth herself to see for him. She found him inthe very act of watching a small body of troops, passing from castleBromwich towards Atherston; and, having looked along the road as faras she could see, she returned to the farm to make her report. It wasnow agreed that Iola, and her attendant, should still remain for halfan hour, as the girl had seen a number of stragglers on the road; andwhile Ibn Ayoub went to prepare the horses, the good dame endeavoured,to the best of her power, to give Iola an accurate notion of thevarious paths she was to follow, to reach Lichfield by the leastdangerous roads. Iola bent all her attention to her lesson; but, atlength, she suddenly interrupted the good woman in her detail,saying--
"Oh, I know that spot well, where there are the three stone mountingsteps, and the great cross above them. One road leads to St. Clare, ofAtherston, and the other to Tamworth."
"And the little one on the left straight to Lichfield," replied thegood woman. "It is the same distance from each, just seven miles and afurlong. If you were to go on the Tamworth road, you would have Fazelyclose upon your left. As you go to Lichfield, you will leave it fourmiles upon your right."
The horses were soon after brought round. The adieus were spoken. Thegood farmer's wife would receive no recompense for the entertainmentwhich she had afforded to Iola. But a small brooch, which the ladytook from her hood, and bestowed upon the daughter, was more thancompensation for everything but the kindness and tenderness whichnothing could repay; and, with a motherly blessing upon her head, asshe departed, Iola waved her hand, and once more rode upon herjourney.