CHAPTER XXIV.
A LIONESS AT BAY.
It was in the middle of the summer of 1586 that Humfrey and his youngbrother Richard, in broad grass hats and long feathers, foundthemselves again in London, Diccon looking considerably taller andleaner than when he went away. For when, after many months' delay, thenaval expedition had taken place, he had been laid low with feverduring the attack on Florida by Sir Francis Drake's little fleet; andthe return to England had been only just in time to save his life.Though Humfrey had set forth merely as a lieutenant, he had returned incommand of a vessel, and stood in high repute for good discipline,readiness of resource, and personal exploits. His ship had, however,suffered so severely as to be scarcely seaworthy when the fleet arrivedin Plymouth harbour; and Sir Francis, finding it necessary to put herinto dock and dismiss her crew, had chosen the young Captain Talbot toride to London with his despatches to her Majesty.
The commission might well delight the brothers, who were burning tohear of home, and to know how it fared with Cicely, having beenabsolutely without intelligence ever since they had sailed fromPlymouth in January, since which they had plundered the Spaniard bothat home and in the West Indies, but had had no letters.
They rode post into London, taking their last change of horses atKensington, on a fine June evening, when the sun was mounting high uponthe steeple of St. Paul's, and speeding through the fields in hopes ofbeing able to reach the Strand in time for supper at Lord Shrewsbury'smansion, which, even in the absence of my Lord, was always a harbourfor all of the name of Talbot. Nor, indeed, was it safe to be outafter dark, for the neighbourhood of the city was full of roisterers ofall sorts, if not of highwaymen and cutpurses, who might come innumbers too large even for the two young gentlemen and the twoservants, who remained out of the four volunteers from Bridgefield.
They were just passing Westminster where the Abbey, Hall, and St.Stephen's Chapel, and their precincts, stood up in their venerable butunstained beauty among the fields and fine trees, and some of theWestminster boys, flat-capped, gowned, and yellow-stockinged, ran outwith the cry that always flattered Diccon, not to say Humfrey, thoughhe tried to be superior to it, "Mariners! mariners from the WesternMain! Hurrah for gallant Drake! Down with the Don!" For the tokensof the sea, in the form of clothes and weapons, were well known andhighly esteemed.
Two or three gentlemen who were walking along the road turned andlooked up, and the young sailors recognised in a moment a home face.There was an exclamation on either side of "Antony Babington!" and"Humfrey Talbot!" and a ready clasp of the hand in right of oldcompanionship.
"Welcome home!" exclaimed Antony. "Is all well with you?"
"Royally well," returned Humfrey. "Know'st thou aught of our fatherand mother?"
"All was well with them when last I heard," said Antony.
"And Cis--my sister I mean?" said Diccon, putting, in hisunconsciousness, the very question Humfrey was burning to ask.
"She is still with the Queen of Scots, at Chartley," replied Babington.
"Chartley, where is that? It is a new place for her captivity."
"'Tis a house of my Lord of Essex, not far from Lichfield," returnedAntony. "They sent her thither this spring, after they had well-nighslain her with the damp and wretched lodgings they provided at Tutbury."
"Who? Not our Cis?" asked Diccon.
"Nay," said Antony, "it hurt not her vigorous youth--but I meant thelong-suffering princess."
"Hath Sir Ralf Sadler still the charge of her?" inquired Humfrey.
"No, indeed. He was too gentle a jailer for the Council. They havegiven her Sir Amias Paulett, a mere Puritan and Leicestrian, who is ashard as the nether millstone, and well-nigh as dull," said Babington,with a little significant chuckle, which perhaps alarmed one of hiscompanions, a small slight man with a slight halt, clad in black like alawyer. "Mr. Babington," he said, "pardon me for interrupting you, butwe shall make Mr. Gage tarry supper for us."
"Nay, Mr. Langston," said Babington, who was in high spirits, "theseare kinsmen of your own, sons of Mr. Richard Talbot of Bridgefield, towhom you have often told me you were akin."
Mr. Langston was thus compelled to come forward, shake hands with theyoung travellers, welcome them home, and desire to be commended totheir worthy parents; and Babington, in the exuberance of his welcome,named his other two companions--Mr. Tichborne, a fine, handsome,graceful, and somewhat melancholy young man; Captain Fortescue, abearded moustached bravo, in the height of the fashion, a long plume inhis Spanish hat, and his short gray cloak glittering with silver lace.Humfrey returned their salute, but was as glad as they evidently werewhen they got Babington away with them, and left the brothers to pursuetheir way, after inviting them to come and see him at his lodgings asearly as possible.
"It is before supper," said Diccon, sagely, "or I should say MasterAntony had been acquainted with some good canary."
"More likely he is uplifted with some fancy of his own. It may be onlywith the meeting of me after our encounter," said Humfrey. "He is abrave fellow and kindly, but never did craft so want ballast as doesthat pate of his!"
"Humfrey," said his brother, riding nearer to him, "did he not callthat fellow in black, Langston?"
"Ay, Cuthbert Langston. I have heard of him. No good comrade for hisweak brain."
"Humfrey, it is so, though father would not credit me. I knew his haltand his eye--just like the venomous little snake that was the death, ofpoor Foster. He is the same with the witch woman Tibbott, ay, and withher with the beads and bracelets, who beset Cis and me at Buxton."
Young Diccon had proved himself on the voyage to have an unerring eyefor recognition, and his brother gave a low whistle. "I fear me thenMaster Antony may be running himself into trouble."
"See, they turn in mounting the steps to the upper fence of yonderhouse with the deep carved balcony. Another has joined them! I likenot his looks. He is like one of those hardened cavaliers from theNetherlands."
"Ay! who seem to have left pity and conscience behind them there," saidHumfrey, looking anxiously up at the fine old gabled house with itsprojecting timbered front, and doubting inwardly whether it would bewise to act on his old playfellow's invitation, yet with an almost sicklonging to know on what terms the youth stood with Cicely.
In another quarter of an hour they were at the gateway of ShrewsburyHouse, where the porter proved to be one of the Sheffield retainers,and admitted them joyfully. My Lord Earl was in Yorkshire, he said,but my Lord and Lady Talbot were at home, and would be fain to seethem, and there too was Master William Cavendish.
They were handed on into the courtyard, where servants ran to taketheir horses, and as the news ran that Master Richard's sons hadarrived from the Indies, Will Cavendish came running down the hallsteps to embrace them in his glee, while Lord Talbot came to the doorof the hall to welcome them. These great London houses, which had notquite lost their names of hostels or inns, did really serve as freelodgings to all members of the family who might visit town, and aboveall such travellers as these, bringing news of grand nationalachievements.
Very soon after Gilbert's accession to the heirship, quarrels had begunbetween his wife and her mother the Countess.
Lord Talbot had much of his father's stately grace, and his wife was afinished lady. They heartily welcomed the two lads who had grown fromboys to men. My lady smilingly excused the riding-gear, and as soon asthe dust of travel had been removed they were seated at the board, andcalled on to tell of the gallant deeds in which they had taken part,whilst they heard in exchange of Lord Leicester's doings in theNetherlands, and the splendid exploits of the Stanleys at Zutphen.
Lord Talbot promised to take Humfrey to Richmond the next day, to bepresented to her Majesty, so soon as he should be equipped, so as notto lose his character of mariner, but still not to affront hersensibilities by aught of uncourtly or unstudied in his apparel.
They confirmed what Babington had said of the Queen of Scots' changesof residen
ce and of keepers. As to Cicely, they had been lately solittle at Sheffield that they had almost forgotten her, but theythought that if she were still at Chartley, there could be no objectionto her brothers having an interview with her on their way home, if theychose to go out of their road for it.
Humfrey mentioned his meeting with Babington in Westminster, and LordTalbot made some inquiries as to his companions, adding that there werestrange stories and suspicions afloat, and that he feared that theyoung man was disaffected and was consorting with Popish recusants.Diccon's tongue was on the alert with his observation, but at a signfrom his brother, who did not wish to get Babington into trouble, hewas silent. Cavendish, however, laughed and said he was for ever inMr. Secretary's house, and even had a room there.
Very early the next morning the body servant of his Lordship was inattendance with a barber and the fashionable tailor of the Court, andin good time Humfrey and Diccon were arrayed in such garments as werejudged to suit the Queen's taste, and to become the character of youngmariners from the West. Humfrey had a dainty jewel of shell-work fromthe spoils of Carthagena, entrusted to him by Drake to present to theQueen as a foretaste of what was to come. Lady Talbot greatly admiredits novelty and beauty, and thought the Queen would be enchanted withit, giving him a pretty little perfumed box to present it in.
Lord Talbot, well pleased to introduce his spirited young cousins, tookthem in his boat to Richmond, which they reached just as the eveningcoolness came on. They were told that her Majesty was walking in thePark, and thither, so soon as the ruffs had been adjusted and the freshSpanish gloves drawn on, they resorted.
The Queen walked freely there without guards--without even swords beingworn by the gentlemen in attendance--loving as she did to display herconfidence in her people. No precautions were taken, but they wereallowed to gather together on the greensward to watch her, as among thebeautiful shady trees she paced along.
The eyes of the two youths were eagerly directed towards her, as theyfollowed Lord Talbot. Was she not indeed the cynosure of all therealm? Did she not hold the heart of every loyal Englishman by aninvisible rein? Was not her favour their dream and their reward? Shewas a little in advance of her suite. Her hair, of that light sandytint which is slow to whiten, was built up in curls under a rich stiffcoif, covered with silver lace, and lifted high at the temples. Fromthis a light gauze veil hung round her shoulders and over her splendidstanding ruff, which stood up like the erected neck ornaments of somebirds, opening in front, and showing the lesser ruff or frillencircling her throat, and terminating a lace tucker within her low-cutboddice. Rich necklaces, the jewel of the Garter, and a wholeconstellation of brilliants, decorated her bosom, and the boddice ofher blue satin dress and its sleeves were laced with seed pearls. Thewaist, a very slender one, was encircled with a gold cord and heavytassels, the farthingale spread out its magnificent proportions, and arichly embroidered white satin petticoat showed itself in front, butdid not conceal the active, well-shaped feet. There was somethingextraordinarily majestic in her whole bearing, especially the poise ofher head, which made the spectator never perceive how small her statureactually was. Her face and complexion, too, were of the cast on whichtime is slow to make an impression, being always pale and fair, withkeen and delicately-cut features; so that her admirers had quite asmuch reason to be dazzled as when she was half her present age; nay,perhaps more, for the habit of command had added to the regality whichreally was her principal beauty. Sir Christopher Hatton, with ahandsome but very small face at the top of a very tall and portlyframe, dressed in the extreme of foppery, came behind her, and then abevy of ladies and gentlemen.
As the Talbots approached, she was moving slowly on, unusually erecteven for her, and her face composed to severe majesty, like that of ajudge, the tawny eyes with a strange gleam in them fixed on some one inthe throng on the grass near at hand. Lord Talbot advanced with a bowso low that he swept the ground with his plume, and while the twoyouths followed his example, Diccon's quick eye noted that she glancedfor one rapid second at their weapons, then continued her steady gaze,never withdrawing it even to receive Lord Talbot's salutation as heknelt before her, though she said, "We greet you well, my good lord.Are not we well guarded, not having one man with a sword near me?"
"Here are three good swords, madam," returned he, "mine own, and thoseof my two young kinsmen, whom I venture to present to your Majesty, asthey bear greetings from your trusty servant, Sir Francis Drake."
While he spoke there had been a by-play unperceived by him, or by thesomewhat slow and tardy Hatton. A touch from Diccon had made Humfreyfollow the direction of the Queen's eye, and they saw it was fixed on afigure in a loose cloak strangely resembling that which they had seenon the stair of the house Babington had entered. They also saw acertain quailing and cowering of the form, and a scowl on the shaggyred eyebrows, and Irish features, and Humfrey at once edged himself soas to come between the fellow and the Queen, though he was ready toexpect a pistol shot in his back, but better thus, was his thought,than that it should strike her,--and both laid their hands on theirswords.
"How now!" said Hatton, "young men, you are over prompt. Her Majestyneeds no swords. You are out of rank. Fall in and do your obeisance."
Something in the Queen's relaxed gaze told Humfrey that the peril wasover, and that he might kneel as Talbot named him, explaining hislineage as Elizabeth always wished to have done. A sort of tremorpassed over her, but she instantly recalled her attention. "FromDrake!" she said, in her clear, somewhat shrill voice. "So, younggentleman, you have been with the pirate who outruns our orders, andfills our brother of Spain with malice such that he would have our lifeby fair or foul means."
"That shall he never do while your Grace has English watch-dogs toguard you," returned Talbot.
"The Talbot is a trusty hound by water or by land," said Elizabeth,surveying the goodly proportion of the elder brother. "Whelps of agood litter, though yonder lad be somewhat long and lean. Well, andhow fares Sir Francis? Let him make his will, for the Spaniards oneday will have his blood."
"I have letters and a token from him for your Grace," said Humfrey.
"Come then in," said the Queen. "We will see it in the bower, and hearwhat thou wouldst say."
A bower, or small summer-house, stood at the end of the path, and hereshe took her way, seating herself on a kind of rustic throne evidentlyintended for her, and there receiving from Humfrey the letter and thegift, and asking some questions about the voyage; but she seemedpreoccupied and anxious, and did not show the enthusiastic approbationof her sailors' exploits which the young men expected. After glancingover it, she bade them carry the letter to Mr. Secretary Walsingham thenext day; nor did she bid the party remain to supper; but as soon ashalf a dozen of her gentlemen pensioners, who had been summoned by herorders, came up, she rose to return to the palace.