CHAPTER XXVII.
THE CASTLE WELL.
"What vantage or what thing Gett'st thou thus for to sting, Thou false and flatt'ring liar? Thy tongue doth hurt, it's seen No less than arrows keen Or hot consuming fire."
So sang the congregation in the chapel at Chartley, in the strains ofSternhold and Hopkins, while Humfrey Talbot could not forbear from amisgiving whether these falsehoods were entirely on the side to whichthey were thus liberally attributed. Opposite to him stood Cicely, inher dainty Sunday farthingale of white, embroidered with violet buds,and a green and violet boddice to match, holding herself with thatunconscious royal bearing which had always distinguished her, but withan expression of care and anxiety drawing her dark brows nearertogether as she bent over her book.
She knew that her mother had left her bed with the earliest peep ofsummer dawn, and had met the two secretaries in her cabinet. Therethey were busy for hours, and she had only returned to her bed just asthe household began to bestir itself.
"My child," she said to Cicely, "I am about to put my life into thykeeping and that of this Talbot lad. If what he saith of this Langstonbe sooth, I am again betrayed, fool that I was to expect aught else.My life is spent in being betrayed. The fellow hath been a go-betweenin all that hath passed between Babington and me. If he hath uttered itto Walsingham, all is over with our hopes, and the window in whosesunlight I have been basking is closed for ever! But something may yetbe saved. Something? What do I say?--The letters I hold here wouldgive colour for taking my life, ay, and Babington's and Curll's, andmany more. I trusted to have burnt them, but in this summer time thereis no coming by fire or candle without suspicion, and if I tore themthey might be pieced together, nay, and with addition. They must becarried forth and made away with beyond the ken of Paulett and hisspies. Now, this lad hath some bowels of compassion and generousindignation. Thou wilt see him again, alone and unsuspected, ere hedeparts. Thou must deal with him to bear this packet away, and when heis far out of reach to drop it into the most glowing fire, or thedeepest pool he can find. Tell him it may concern thy life and liberty,and he will do it, but be not simple enough to say ought of Babington."
"He would be as like to do it for Babington as for any other," said Cis.
The Queen smiled and said, "Nineteen years old, and know thus little ofmen."
"I know Humfrey at least," said Cis.
"Then deal with him after thy best knowledge, to make him convey awaythis perilous matter ere a search come upon us. Do it we must, maiden,not for thy poor mother's sake alone, but for that of many a faithfulspirit outside, and above all of poor Curll. Think of our Barbara!Would that I could have sent her out of reach of our alarms and shocks,but Paulett is bent on penning us together like silly birds in the net.Still proofs will be wanting if thou canst get this youth to destroythis packet unseen. Tell him that I know his parents' son too well tooffer him any meed save the prayers and blessings of a poor captive, orto fear that he would yield it for the largest reward Elizabeth'scoffers could yield."
"It shall be done, madam," said Cicely. But there was a strong purposein her mind that Humfrey should not be implicated in the matter.
When after dinner Sir Amias Paulett made his daily visit of inspectionto the Queen, she begged that the young Talbots might be permittedanother walk in the garden; and when he replied that he did not approveof worldly pastime on the Sabbath, she pleaded the celebrated exampleof John Knox finding Calvin playing at bowls on a Sunday afternoon atGeneva, and thus absolutely prevailed on him to let them take a shortwalk together in brotherly love, while the rest of the household wascollected in the hall to be catechised by the chaplain.
So out they went together, but to Humfrey's surprise, Cicely walked onhardly speaking to him, so that he fancied at first that she must havehad a lecture on her demeanour to him. She took him along the broadterrace beside the bowling-green, through some yew-tree walks to astone wall, and a gate which proved to be locked. She looked muchdisappointed, but scanning the wall with her eye, said, "We have scaledwalls together before now, and higher than this. Humfrey, I cannottell you why, but I must go over here."
The wall was overgrown with stout branches of ivy, and though theSunday farthingale was not very appropriate for climbing, Cicely'sactive feet and Humfrey's strong arm carried her safely to where shecould jump down on the other side, into a sort of wilderness wherethorn and apple trees grew among green mounds, heaps of stones andbroken walls, the ruins of some old outbuilding of the former castle.There was only a certain trembling eagerness about her, none of themirthful exultation that the recurrence of such an escapade with herold companion would naturally have excited, and all she said was,"Stand here, Humfrey; an you love me, follow me not. I will returnanon."
With stealthy stop she disappeared behind a mound covered by a thicketof brambles, but Humfrey was much too anxious for her safety not tomove quietly onwards. He saw her kneeling by one of those blackyawning holes, often to be found in ruins, intent upon fastening asmall packet to a stone; he understood all in a moment, and drew backfar enough to secure that no one molested her. There was something inthis reticence of hers that touched him greatly; it showed so entirelythat she had learnt the lesson of loyalty which his father's influencehad impressed, and likewise one of self-dependence. What was right forher to do for her mother and Queen might not be right for him, as anEnglishman, to aid and abet; and small as the deed seemed in itself,her thus silently taking it on herself rather than perplex him with it,added a certain esteem and respect to the affection he had always hadfor her.
She came back to him with bounding steps, as if with a lightened heart,and as he asked her what this strange place was, she explained thathere were said to be the ruins of the former castle, and that beyondlay the ground where sometimes the party shot at the butts. A littledog of Mary Seaton's had been lost the last time of their archery, andit was feared that he had fallen down the old well to which Cis nowconducted Humfrey. There was a sound--long, hollow, reverberating,when Humfrey threw a stone down, and when Cecily asked him, in anawestruck voice, whether he thought anything thrown there would ever beheard of more, he could well say that he believed not.
She breathed freely, but they were out of bounds, and had to scrambleback, which they did undetected, and with much more mirth than thefirst time. Cicely was young enough to be glad to throw off heranxieties and forget them. She did not want to talk over the plots sheonly guessed at; which were not to her exciting mysteries, but gloomyterrors into which she feared to look. Nor was she free to say much toHumfrey of what she knew. Indeed the rebound, and the satisfaction ofhaving fulfilled her commission, had raised Cicely's spirits, so thatshe was altogether the bright childish companion Humfrey had known herbefore he went to sea, or royalty had revealed itself to her; and SirAmias Paulett would hardly have thought them solemn and serious enoughfor an edifying Sunday talk could he have heard them laughing overHumfrey's adventures on board ship, or her troubles in learning todance in a high and disposed manner. She came in so glowing and happythat the Queen smiled and sighed, and called her her little milkmaid,commending her highly, however, for having disposed of the dangerousparcel unknown (as she believed) to her companion. "The fewer who haveto keep counsel, the sickerer it is," she said.
Humfrey meantime joined the rest of the household, and comportedhimself at the evening sermon with such exemplary discretion asentirely to win the heart of Sir Amias Paulett, who thought himlistening to Mr. Blunden's oft-divided headings, while he was in factrevolving on what pretext he could remain to protect Cicely. TheKnight gave him that pretext, when he spoke of departing early onMonday morning, offering him, or rather praying him to accept, thecommand of the guards, whose former captain had been dismissed asuntrustworthy. Sir Amias undertook that a special messenger should besent to take a letter to Bridgefield, explaining Humfrey's delay, andasking permission from his parents to undertake the charge, since itwas at this very crisis that he w
as especially in need of God-fearingmen of full integrity. Then moved to confidence, the old gentlemandisclosed that not only was he in fear of an attack on the house fromthe Roman Catholic gentry in the neighbourhood, which was to take placeas soon as Parma's ships were seen on the coast, but that he dreadedhis own servants being tampered with by some whom he would not mentionto take the life of the prisoner secretly.
"It hath been mooted to me," he said, lowering his voice to a whisper,"that to take such a deed on me would be good service to the Queen andto religion, but I cast the thought from me. It can be nought but adeadly sin--accursed of God--and were I to consent, I should be thefirst to be accused."
"It would be no better than the King of Spain himself," exclaimedHumfrey.
"Even so, young man, and right glad am I to find one who thinks withme. For the other practices, they are none of mine, and is it notwritten 'In the same pit which they laid privily is their foot taken'?"
"Then there are other practices?"
"Ask me no questions, Mr. Talbot. All will be known soon enough. Becontent that I will lay nothing on you inconsistent with the honour ofa Christian man, knowing that you will serve the Queen faithfully."
Humfrey gave his word, resolving that he would warn Cicely to reckonhenceforth on nothing on his part that did not befit a man in charge.