CHAPTER XXVIII.
HUNTING DOWN THE DEER
Humfrey had been sworn in of the service of the Queen, and had been putin charge of the guard mustered at Chartley for about ten days, duringwhich he seldom saw Cicely, and wondered much not to have heard fromhome: when a stag-hunt was arranged to take place at the neighbouringpark of Tickhill or Tixall, belonging to Sir Walter Ashton.
The chase always invigorated Queen Mary, and she came down in cheerfulspirits, with Cicely and Mary Seaton as her attendants, and with thetwo secretaries, Nau and Curll, heading the other attendants.
"Now," she said to Cicely, "shall I see this swain, or this brother ofthine, who hath done us such good service, and I promise you there willbe more in my greeting than will meet Sir Amias's ear."
But to Cicely's disappointment Humfrey was not among the horsemenmustered at the door to attend and guard the Queen.
"My little maid's eye is seeking for her brother," said Mary, as SirAmias advanced to assist her to her horse.
"He hath another charge which will keep him at home," replied Paulett,somewhat gruffly, and they rode on.
It was a beautiful day in early August, the trees in full foliage, thefields seen here and there through them assuming their amber harvesttints, the twin spires of Lichfield rising in the distance, the parkand forest ground through which the little hunting-party rode rich withpurple heather, illuminated here and there with a bright yellow spikeor star, and the rapid motion of her brisk palfrey animated the Queen.She began to hope that Humfrey had after all brought a false alarm, andthat either he had been mistaken or that Langston was deceiving theCouncil itself, and though Sir Amias Paulett's close proximity held hersilent, those who knew her best saw that her indomitably buoyantspirits were rising, and she hummed to herself the refrain of a gayFrench hunting-song, with the more zest perhaps that her warder heldhimself trebly upright, stiff and solemn under it, as one who thoughtsuch lively times equally unbefitting a lady, a queen, and a captive.So at least Cis imagined as she watched them, little guessing thatthere might be deeper reasons of compassion and something likecompunction to add to the gravity of the old knight's face.
As they came in sight of the gate of Tickhill Park, they became awareof a company whose steel caps and shouldered arquebuses did not looklike those of huntsmen. Mary bounded in her saddle, she looked roundat her little suite with a glance of exultation in her eye, which saidas plainly as words, "My brave friends, the hour has come!" and shequickened her steed, expecting, no doubt, that she might have tooutride Sir Amias in order to join them.
One gentleman came forward from the rest. He held a parchment in hishand, and as soon as he was alongside of the Queen thus read:--
"Mary, late Queen of Scots and Queen Dowager of France, I, ThomasGorges, attaint thee of high treason and of compassing the life of ourmost Gracious Majesty Queen Elizabeth, in company with AntonyBabington, John Ballard, Chidiock Tichborne, Robert Barnwell, andothers."
Mary held up her hands, and raised her eyes to Heaven, and a protestwas on her lips, but Gorges cut it short with, "It skills not denyingit, madam. The proofs are in our hands. I have orders to conduct youto Tickhill, while seals are put on your effects."
"That there may be proofs of your own making," said the Queen, withdignity. "I have experience of that mode of judgment. So, Sir AmiasPaulett, the chase you lured me to was truly of a poor hunted doe whomyou think you have run down at last. A worthy chase indeed, and oflong continuance!"
"I do but obey my orders, madam," said Paulett, gloomily.
"Oh ay, and so does the sleuth-hound," said Mary.
"Your Grace must be pleased to ride on with me," said Mr. Gorges,laying his hand on her bridle.
"What are you doing with those gentlemen?" cried Mary, sharply reiningin her horse, as she saw Nau and Curll surrounded by the armed men.
"They will be dealt with after her Majesty's pleasure," returnedPaulett.
Mary dropped her rein and threw up her hands with a gesture of despair,but as Gorges was leading her away, she turned on her saddle, andraised her voice to call out, "Farewell, my true and faithful servants!Betide what may, your mistress will remember you in her prayers.Curll, we will take care of your wife."
And she waved her hand to them as they were made, with a strong guard,to ride off in the direction of Lichfield. All the way to Tickhill,whither she was conducted with Gorges and Paulett on either side of herhorse, Cis could hear her pleading for consideration for poor BarbaraCurll, for whose sake she forgot her own dignity and became a suppliant.
Sir Walter Ashton, a dull heavy-looking country gentleman of burly formand ruddy countenance, stood at his door, and somewhat clownishlyoffered his services to hand her from her horse.
She submitted passively till she had reached the upper chamber whichhad been prepared for her, and there, turning on the three gentlemen,demanded the meaning of this treatment.
"You will soon know, madam," said Paulett. "I am sorry that thus itshould be."
"Thus!" repeated Mary, scornfully. "What means this?"
"It means, madam," said Gorges, a ruder man of less feeling even thanPaulett, "that your practices with recusants and seminary priests havebeen detected. The traitors are in the Counter, and will shortly bebrought to judgment for the evil purposes which have been frustrated bythe mercy of Heaven."
"It is well if treason against my good sister's person have beendetected and frustrated," said Mary; "but how doth that concern me?"
"That, madam, the papers at Chartley will show," returned Gorges."Meantime you will remain here, till her Majesty's pleasure be known."
"Where, then, are my women and my servants?" inquired the Queen.
"Your Grace will be attended by the servants of Sir Walter Ashton."
"Gentlemen, this is not seemly," said Mary, the colour coming hotlyinto her face. "I know it is not the will of my cousin, the Queen ofEngland, that I should remain here without any woman to attend me, norany change of garments. You are exceeding your commission, and sheshall hear of it."
Sir Amias Paulett here laid his hand on Gorges' arm, and afterexchanging a few words with him, said--
"Madam, this young lady, Mistress Talbot, being simple, and of a loyalhouse, may remain with you for the present. For the rest, seals areput on all your effects at Chartley, and nothing can be removed fromthence, but what is needful will be supplied by my Lady Ashton. I bidyour Grace farewell, craving your pardon for what may have been hastyin this."
Mary stood in the centre of the floor, full of her own peculiar injureddignity, not answering, but making a low ironical reverence. MarySeaton fell on her knees, clung to the Queen's dress, and declared thatwhile she lived, she would not leave her mistress.
"Endure this also, ma mie," said the Queen, in French. "Give them noexcuse for using violence. They would not scruple--" and as ademonstration to hinder French-speaking was made by the gentlemen,"Fear not for me, I shall not be alone."
"I understand your Grace and obey," said Mary Seaton, rising, with acertain bitterness in her tone, which made Mary say-- "Ah! why mustjealousy mar the fondest affection? Remember, it is their choice, notmine, my Seaton, friend of my youth. Bear my loving greetings to all.And take care of poor Barbara!"
"Madam, there must be no private messages," said Paulett.
"I send no messages save what you yourself may hear, sir," replied theQueen. "My greetings to my faithful servants, and my entreaty that allcare and tenderness may be shown to Mrs. Curll."
"I will bear them, madam," said the knight, "and so I commend you toGod's keeping, praying that He may send you repentance. Believe me,madam, I am sorry that this has been put upon me."
To this Mary only replied by a gesture of dismissal. The threegentlemen drew back, a key grated in the lock, and the mother anddaughter were left alone.
To Cicely it was a terrible hopeless sound, and even to her mother itwas a lower depth of wretchedness. She had been practically a captivefor ne
arly twenty years. She had been insulted, watched, guarded,coerced, but never in this manner locked up before.
She clasped her hands together, dropped on her knees at the table thatstood by her, and hid her face. So she continued till she was rousedby the sound of Cicely's sobs. Frightened and oppressed, and new toall terror and sorrow, the girl had followed her example in kneeling,but the very attempt to pray brought on a fit of weeping, and theendeavour to restrain what might disturb the Queen only rendered thesobs more choking and strangling, till at last Mary heard, and comingtowards her, sat down on the floor, gathered her into her arms, andkissing her forehead, said, "Poor bairnie, and did she weep for hermother? Have the sorrows of her house come on her?"
"O mother, I could not help it! I meant to have comforted you," saidCicely, between her sobs.
"And so thou dost, my child. Unwittingly they have left me that whichwas most precious to me."
There was consolation in the fondness of the loving embrace, at leastto such sorrows as those of the maiden; and Queen Mary had aninalienable power of charming the will and affections of those incontact with her, so that insensibly there came into Cicely's heart asense that, so far from weeping, she should rejoice at being the onecreature left to console her mother.
"And," she said by and by, looking up with a smile, "they must go tothe bottom of the old well to find anything."
"Hush, lassie. Never speak above thy breath in a prison till thouknow'st whether walls have ears. And, apropos, let us examine whatsort of a prison they have given us this time."
So saying Mary rose, and leaning on her daughter's arm, proceeded toexplore her new abode. Like her apartment at the Lodge, it was at thetop of the house, a fashion not uncommon when it was desirable to makethe lower regions defensible; but, whereas she had always hitherto beenplaced in the castles of the highest nobility, she was now in that of acountry knight of no great wealth or refinement, and, moreover, takenby surprise.
So the plenishing was of the simplest. The walls were covered withtapestry so faded that the pattern could hardly be detected. Thehearth yawned dark and dull, and by it stood one chair with amoth-eaten cushion. A heavy oaken table and two forms were in themiddle of the room, and there was the dreary, fusty smell of want ofhabitation. The Queen, whose instincts for fresh air were always adistress to her ladies, sprang to the mullioned window, but the heavylattice defied all her efforts.
"Let us see the rest of our dominions," she said, turning to a door,which led to a still more gloomy bedroom, where the only articles offurniture were a great carved bed, with curtains of some undefined darkcolour, and an oaken chest. The window was a mere slit, and even moreimpracticable than that of the outer room. However, this did not seemto horrify Mary so much as it did her daughter. "They cannot mean tokeep us here long," she said; "perhaps only for the day, while theymake their search--their unsuccessful search--thanks to--we know whom,little one."
"I hope so! How could we sleep there?" said Cicely, looking with ashudder at the bed.
"Tush! I have seen worse in Scotland, mignonne, ay and when I waswelcomed as liege lady, not as a captive. I have slept in a box like acoffin with one side open, and I have likewise slept on a plaidie onthe braw purple blossoms of freshly pulled heather! Nay, the verythought makes this chamber doubly mouldy and stifling! Let the oldknight beware. If he open not his window I shall break it! Soft. Herehe comes."
Sir Walter Ashton appeared, louting low, looking half-dogged,half-sheepish, and escorting two heavy-footed, blue-coated serving-men,who proceeded to lay the cloth, which at least had the merit of beingperfectly clean and white. Two more brought in covered silver dishes,one of which contained a Yorkshire pudding, the other a piece ofroast-beef, apparently calculated to satisfy five hungry men. A flagonof sack, a tankard of ale, a dish of apples, and a large loaf of bread,completed the meal; at which the Queen and Cicely, accustomed daily toa first table of sixteen dishes and a second of nine, compounded by herGrace's own French cooks and pantlers, looked with a certain amuseddismay, as Sir Walter, standing by the table, produced a dagger from asheath at his belt, and took up with it first a mouthful of thepudding, then cut off a corner of the beef, finished off some of thebread, and having swallowed these, as well as a draught of each of theliquors, said, "Good and sound meats, not tampered with, as I herebytestify. You take us suddenly, madam; but I thank Heaven, none everfound us unprovided. Will it please you to fall to? Your woman caneat after you."
Mary's courtesy was unfailing, and though she felt all a Frenchwoman'sdisgust at the roast-beef of old England, she said, "We are too closecompanions not to eat together, and I fear she will be the besttrencher comrade, for, sir, I am a woman sick and sorrowful, and havelittle stomach for meat."
As Sir Walter carved a huge red piece from the ribs, she could not helpshrinking back from it, so that he said with some affront, "You neednot be queasy, madam, it was cut from a home-fed bullock, only killedthree days since, and as prime a beast as any in Stafford."
"Ah! yea, sir. It is not the fault of the beef, but of my feebleness.Mistress Talbot will do it reason. But I, methinks I could eat betterwere the windows opened."
But Sir Walter replied that these windows were not of the new-fangledsort, made to open, that honest men might get rheums, and foolish maidsprate therefrom. So there was no hope in that direction. He reallyseemed to be less ungracious than utterly clownish, dull, and untaught,and extremely shy and embarrassed with his prisoner.
Cicely poured out some wine, and persuaded her to dip some bread in,which, with an apple, was all she could taste. However, the fare,though less nicely served than by good Mrs. Susan, was not so alien toCicely, and she was of an age and constitution to be made hungry byanxiety and trouble, so that--encouraged by the Queen whenever shewould have desisted--she ended by demolishing a reasonable amount.
Sir Walter stood all the time, looking on moodily and stolidly, withhis cap in his hand. The Queen tried to talk to him, and makeinquiries of him, but he had probably steeled himself to herblandishments, for nothing but gruff monosyllables could be extractedfrom him, except when he finally asked what she would be pleased tohave for supper.
"Mine own cook and pantler have hitherto provided for me. They wouldsave your household the charge, sir," said Mary, "and I would be atcharges for them."
"Madam, I can bear the charge in the Queen's service. Your black guardare under ward. And if not, no French jackanapes shall ever brew hismesses in my kitchen! Command honest English fare, madam, and if itbe within my compass, you shall have it. No one shall be stinted inWalter Ashton's house; but I'll not away with any of your outlandishkickshaws. Come, what say you to eggs and bacon, madam?"
"As you will, sir," replied Mary, listlessly. And Sir Walter, openingthe door, shouted to his serving-man, who speedily removed the meal, hegoing last and making his clumsy reverence at the door, which he lockedbehind him.
"So," said Mary, "I descend! I have had the statesman, the earl, thecourtly knight, the pedantic Huguenot, for my warders. Now am I cometo the clown. Soon will it be the dungeon and the headsman."
"O dear madam mother, speak not thus," cried Cicely. "Remember theycan find nothing against you."
"They can make what they cannot find, my poor child. If they thirstfor my blood, it will cost them little to forge a plea. Ah, lassie!there have been times when nothing but my cousin Elizabeth'sconscience, or her pity, stood between me and doom. If she be broughtto think that I have compassed her death, why then there is naught forit but to lay my head on the same pillow as Norfolk and More and holyFisher, and many another beside. Well, be it so! I shall die a martyrfor the Holy Church, and thus may I atone by God's mercy for my manysins! Yea, I offer myself a sacrifice," she said, folding her handsand looking upward with a light on her face. "O do Thou accept it, andlet my sufferings purge away my many misdeeds, and render it a pure andacceptable offering unto Thee. Child, child," she added, turning toCicely, "would that tho
u wert of my faith, then couldst thou pray forme."
"O mother, mother, I can do that. I do pray for thee."
And hand in hand with tears often rising, they knelt while Maryrepeated in broken voice the Miserere.