CHAPTER XI
PRINCE RUPERT
The next day Cyril went down to breakfast in what he had oftencalled, laughingly, his Court suit. This suit he had had made for hima short time before his father's death, to replace the one he hadwhen he came over, that being altogether outgrown. He had done so toplease Sir Aubrey, who had repeatedly expressed his anxiety thatCyril should always be prepared to take advantage of any good fortunethat might befall him. This was the first time he had put it on.
"Well, truly you look a pretty fellow, Cyril," the Captain said, ashe entered. "Don't you think so, Nellie?"
The girl nodded.
"I don't know that I like him better than in his black suit, father.But he looks very well."
"Hullo, lass! This is a change of opinion, truly! For myself I carenot one jot for the fashion of a man's clothes, but I had thoughtthat you always inclined to gay attire, and Cyril now would seemrather to belong to the Court than to the City."
"If it had been any other morning, father, I might have thought moreof Cyril's appearance; but what you were telling us but now of thecontinuance of the Plague is so sad, that mourning, rather than Courtattire, would seem to be the proper wear."
"Is the Plague spreading fast, then, Captain Dave?"
"No; but it is not decreasing, as we had hoped it would do. From thebeginning of December the deaths rose steadily until the end ofJanuary. While our usual death-rate is under three hundred it went tofour hundred and seventy-four. Then the weather setting in verysevere checked it till the end of February, and we all hoped that thedanger was over, and that we should be rid of the distemper beforethe warm weather set in; but for the last fortnight there has been arise rather than a fall--not a large one, but sufficient to causegreat alarm that it will continue until warm weather sets in, and maythen grow into terrible proportions. So far, there has been no casein the City, and it is only in the West that it has any hold, thedeaths being altogether in the parishes of St. Giles's, St. Andrew's,St. Bride's, and St. James's, Clerkenwell. Of course, there have beencases now and then for many years past, and nine years ago it spreadto a greater extent than now, and were we at the beginning of winterinstead of nearing summer there would be no occasion to think much ofthe matter; but, with the hot weather approaching, and the tales wehear of the badness of the Plague in foreign parts one cannot butfeel anxious."
"And they say, too, that there have been prophecies of grievous evilsin London," Nellie put in.
"We need not trouble about that," her father replied. "TheAnabaptists prophesied all sorts of evils in Elizabeth's time, butnaught came of it. There are always men and women with disorderedminds, who think that they are prophets, and have power to seefurther into the future than other people, but no one minds them orthinks aught of their wild words save at a time like the present,when there is a danger of war or pestilence. You remember Bill Vokes,John?"
"I mind him, yer honour. A poor, half-crazed fellow he was, and yet agood seaman, who would do his duty blow high or blow low. He sailedsix voyages with us, Captain."
"And never one of them without telling the crew that the ship wouldnever return to port. He had had dreams about it, and the black cathad mewed when he left home, and he saw the three magpies in a treehard by when he stepped from the door, and many other portents ofthat kind. The first time he well-nigh scared some of the crew, butafter the first voyage--from which we came back safely, ofcourse--they did but laugh at him; and as in all other respects hewas a good sailor, and a willing fellow, I did not like to dischargehim, for, once the men found out that his prophecies came to naught,they did no harm, and, indeed, they afforded them much amusement.Just as it is on board a ship, so it is elsewhere. If our vessel hadgone down that first voyage, any man who escaped drowning would havesaid that Bill Vokes had not been without reason in his warnings, andthat it was nothing less than flying in the face of Providence, toput to sea when the loss of the ship had been so surely foretold. So,on shore, the fools or madmen who have dreams and visions are notheeded when times are good, and men's senses sound, whereas, introubled times, men take their ravings to heart. If all thescatterbrains had a good whipping at the pillory it would be well,both for them and for the silly people who pay attention to theirravings."
A few minutes later, Cyril took a boat to the Whitehall steps, andafter some delay was shown up to Prince Rupert's room.
"None the worse for your exertions yester-even, young gentleman, Ihope?" the Prince said, shaking hands with him warmly.
"None, sir. The exertion was not great, and it was but theinconvenience of the smoke that troubled me in any way."
"Have you been to inquire after the young ladies who owe their livesto you?"
"No, sir; I know neither their names nor their condition, nor, had Iwished it, could I have made inquiries, for I know not whither theywere taken."
"I sent round early this morning," the Prince said, "and heard thatthey were as well as might be expected after the adventure they wentthrough. And now tell me about yourself, and what you have beendoing. 'Tis one of the saddest things to me, since I returned toEngland, that so many good men who fought by my side have been madebeggars in the King's service, and that I could do naught for them.'Tis a grievous business, and yet I see not how it is to be mended.The hardest thing is, that those who did most for the King's serviceare those who have suffered most deeply. None of those who weredriven to sell their estates at a fraction of their value, in orderto raise money for the King's treasury or to put men into the field,have received any redress. It would need a vast sum to buy back alltheir lands, and Parliament would not vote money for that purpose;nor would it be fair to turn men out of the estates that they boughtand paid for. Do you not think so?" he asked suddenly, seeing, by thelad's face, that he was not in agreement with him.
"No, sir; it does not seem to me that it would be unfair. These menbought the lands for, as you say, but a fraction of their value; theydid so in the belief that Parliament would triumph, and theirpurchase was but a speculation grounded on that belief. They have hadthe enjoyment of the estates for years, and have drawn from them anincome which has, by this time, brought them in a sum much exceedingthat which they have adventured, and it does not seem to me thatthere would be any hardship whatever were they now called upon torestore them to their owners. 'Tis as when a man risks his money in aventure at sea. If all goes as he hopes he will make a great profiton his money. If the ship is cast away or taken by pirates, it isunfortunate, but he has no reason to curse his ill-luck if the shiphad already made several voyages which have more than recouped themoney he ventured."
"Well and stoutly argued!" the Prince said approvingly. "But you mustremember, young sir, that the King, on his return, was by no meansstrongly seated on the throne. There was the Army most evillyaffected towards him; there were the Puritans, who lamented the upsetof the work they or their fathers had done. All those men who hadpurchased the estates of the Royalists had families and friends, and,had these estates been restored to their rightful owners, there mighthave been an outbreak that would have shaken the throne again. Manywould have refused to give up possession, save to force; and wherewas the force to come from? Even had the King had troops willing tocarry out such a measure, they might have been met by force, and hadblood once been shed, none can say how the trouble might have spread,or what might have been the end of it. And now, lad, come to your ownfortunes."
Cyril briefly related the story of his life since his return toLondon, stating his father's plan that he should some day takeforeign service.
"You have shown that you have a stout heart, young sir, as well as abrave one, and have done well, indeed, in turning your mind to earnyour living by such talents as you have, rather than in wasting yourtime in vain hopes and in ceaseless importunities for justice. It maybe that you have acted wisely in thinking of taking service on theContinent, seeing that we have no Army; and when the time comes, Iwill further your wishes to the utmost of my power. But in themeantime there
is opportunity for service at home, and I will gladlyappoint you as a Volunteer in my own ship. There are many gentlemengoing with me in that capacity, and it would be of advantage to you,if, when I write to some foreign prince on your behalf, I can saythat you have fought under my eye."
"Thank you greatly, Prince. I have been wishing, above all things,that I could join the Fleet, and it would be, indeed, an honour tobegin my career under the Prince of whom I heard so often from myfather."
Prince Rupert looked at his watch.
"The King will be in the Mall now," he said. "I will take you acrossand present you to him. It is useful to have the _entree_ at Court,though perhaps the less you avail yourself of it the better."
So saying, he rose, put on his hat, and, throwing his cloak over hisshoulder, went across to the Mall, asking questions of Cyril as hewent, and extracting from him a sketch of the adventure of his beingkidnapped and taken to Holland.
Presently they arrived at the spot where the King, with three or fournobles and gentlemen, had been playing. Charles was in a good humour,for he had just won a match with the Earl of Rochester.
"Well, my grave cousin," he said merrily, "what brings you out ofyour office so early? No fresh demands for money, I hope?"
"Not at present. And indeed, it is not to you that I should come onsuch a quest, but to the Duke of York."
"And he would come to me," said the King; "so it is the same thing."
"I have come across to present to your Majesty a very gallant younggentleman, who yesterday evening, at the risk of his life, saved thethree daughters of the Earl of Wisbech from being burned at the firein the Savoy, where his Lordship's mansion was among those that weredestroyed. I beg to present to your Majesty Sir Cyril Shenstone, theson of the late Sir Aubrey Shenstone, a most gallant gentleman, whorode under my banner in many a stern fight in the service of yourroyal father."
"I knew him well," the King said graciously, "but had not heard ofhis death. I am glad to hear that his son inherits his bravery. Ihave often regretted deeply that it was out of my power to requite,in any way, the services Sir Aubrey rendered, and the sacrifices hemade for our House."
His brow clouded a little, and he looked appealingly at PrinceRupert.
"Sir Cyril Shenstone has no more intention of asking for favours thanI have, Charles," the latter said. "He is going to accompany me as aVolunteer against the Dutch, and if the war lasts I shall ask for abetter appointment for him."
"That he shall have," the King said warmly. "None have a better claimto commissions in the Navy and Army than sons of gentlemen who foughtand suffered in the cause of our royal father. My Lords," he said tothe little group of gentlemen, who had been standing a few paces awaywhile this conversation had been going on, "I would have you know SirCyril Shenstone, the son of a faithful adherent of my father, andwho, yesterday evening, saved the lives of the three daughters of MyLord of Wisbech in the fire at the Savoy. He is going as a Volunteerwith my cousin Rupert when he sails against the Dutch."
The gentlemen all returned Cyril's salute courteously.
"He will be fortunate in beginning his career under the eyes of sobrave a Prince," the Earl of Rochester said, bowing to Prince Rupert.
"It would be well if you all," the latter replied bluntly, "were toship in the Fleet for a few months instead of wasting your time inempty pleasures."
The Earl smiled. Prince Rupert's extreme disapproval of the life atCourt was well known.
"We cannot all be Bayards, Prince, and most of us would, methinks, betoo sick at sea to be of much assistance, were we to go. But if theDutchmen come here, which is not likely--for I doubt not, Prince,that you will soon send them flying back to their own ports--we shallall be glad to do our best to meet them when they land."
The Prince made no reply, but, turning to the King, said,--
"We will not detain you longer from your game, Cousin Charles. I haveplenty to do, with all the complaints as to the state of the ships,and the lack of stores and necessaries."
"Remember, I shall be glad to see you at my _levees_, Sir Cyril,"the King said, holding out his hand. "Do not wait for the Prince tobring you, for if you do you will wait long."
Cyril doffed his hat, raised the King's hand to his lips, then, witha deep bow and an expression of thanks, followed Prince Rupert, whowas already striding away.
"You might have been better introduced," the Prince said when heovertook him. "Still it is better to be badly introduced than to haveno introduction at all. I am too old for the flippancies of theCourt. You had better show yourself there sometimes; you will makefriends that may be useful. By the way, I have not your address, andit may be a fortnight or more before the _Henrietta_ is ready totake her crew on board." He took out his tablet and wrote down theaddress. "Come and see me if there is anything you want to ask me. Donot let the clerks keep you out with the pretence that I am busy, butsend up your name to me, and tell them that I have ordered it shallbe taken up, however I may be engaged."
Having no occasion for haste, Cyril walked back to the City afterleaving Prince Rupert. A great change had taken place in his fortunesin the last twenty-four hours. Then he had no prospects savecontinuing his work in the City for another two years, and even afterthat time he foresaw grave difficulties in the way of his obtaining acommission in a foreign army; for Sir John Parton, even if ready tocarry out the promise he had formerly made him, might not havesufficient influence to do so. Now he was to embark in PrinceRupert's own ship. He would be the companion of many other gentlemengoing out as Volunteers, and, at a bound, spring from the position ofa writer in the City to that occupied by his father before he becameinvolved in the trouble between King and Parliament. He was alreadyadmitted to Court, and Prince Rupert himself had promised to push hisfortunes abroad.
And yet he felt less elated than he would have expected from hissudden change. The question of money was the cloud that dulled thebrightness of his prospects. As a Volunteer he would receive no pay,and yet he must make a fair show among the young noblemen andgentlemen who would be his companions. Doubtless they would bevictualled on board, but he would have to dress well and probably paya share in the expenses that would be incurred for wine and otherthings on board. Had it not been for the future he would have beeninclined to regret that he had not refused the tempting offer; butthe advantages to be gained by Prince Rupert's patronage were solarge that he felt no sacrifice would be too great to that end--eventhat of accepting the assistance that Captain Dave had more than oncehinted he should give him. It was just the dinner-hour when hearrived home.
"Well, Cyril, I see by your face that the Prince has said nothing inthe direction of your wishes," Captain Dave said, as he entered.
"Then my face is a false witness, Captain Dave, for Prince Rupert hasappointed me a Volunteer on board his own ship."
"I am glad, indeed, lad, heartily glad, though your going will be aheavy loss to us all. But why were you looking so grave over it?"
"I have been wondering whether I have acted wisely in accepting it,"Cyril said. "I am very happy here, I am earning my living, I have nocares of any sort, and I feel that it is a very serious matter tomake a change. The Prince has a number of noblemen and gentlemengoing with him as Volunteers, and I feel that I shall be out of myelement in such company. At the same time I have every reason to bethankful, for Prince Rupert has promised that he will, after the waris over, give me introductions which will procure me a commissionabroad."
"Well, then, it seems to me that things could not look better,"Captain Dave said heartily. "When do you go on board?"
"The Prince says it may be another fortnight; so that I shall havetime to make my preparations, and warn the citizens I work for, thatI am going to leave them."
"I should say the sooner the better, lad. You will have to get youroutfit and other matters seen to. Moreover, now that you have beentaken under Prince Rupert's protection, and have become, as it were,an officer on his ship--for gentlemen Volunteers, although they haveno du
ties in regard to working the ship, are yet officers--it ishardly seemly that you should be making up the accounts of bakers andbutchers, ironmongers, and ship's storekeepers."
"The work is honest, and I am in no way ashamed of it," Cyril said;"but as I have many things to see about, I suppose I had better givethem notice at once. Prince Rupert presented me to the King to-day,and His Majesty requested me to attend at Court, which I should beloath to do, were it not that the Prince urged upon me that it was ofadvantage that I should make myself known."
"One would think, Master Cyril, that this honour which has suddenlybefallen you is regarded by you as a misfortune," Mrs. Dowsett said,laughing. "Most youths would be overjoyed at such a change in theirfortune."
"It would be all very pleasant," Cyril said, "had I the income of myfather's estate at my back; but I feel that I shall be in a falseposition, thus thrusting myself among men who have more guineas intheir pockets than I have pennies. However, it seems that the matterhas been taken out of my own hands, and that, as things have turnedout, so I must travel. Who would have thought, when John Wilkesfetched me out last night to go to the fire, it would make analteration in my whole life, and that such a little thing as climbingup a ladder and helping to get three girls out of a room full ofsmoke--and John Wilkes did the most difficult part of the work--wasto change all my prospects?"
"There was a Providence in it, Cyril," Mrs. Dowsett said gently."Why, else, should you have gone up that ladder, when, to allseeming, there was no one there. The maids were so frightened, Johnsays, that they would never have said a word about there being anyonein that room, and the girls would have perished had you not gone up.Now as, owing to that, everything has turned out according to yourwishes, it would be a sin not to take advantage of it, for you may besure that, as the way has thus been suddenly opened to you, so willall other things follow in due course."
"Thank you, madam," Cyril said simply. "I had not thought of it inthat light, but assuredly you are right, and I will not suffer myselfto be daunted by the difficulties there may be in my way."
John Wilkes now came in and sat down to the meal. He was vastlypleased when he heard of the good fortune that had befallen Cyril.
"It seems to me," Cyril said, "that I am but an impostor, and that atleast some share in the good luck ought to have fallen to you, John,seeing that you carried them all down the ladder."
"I have carried heavier bales, many a time, much longer distancesthan that--though I do not say that the woman was not a tidy weight,for, indeed, she was; but I would have carried down ten of them forthe honour I had in being shaken by the hand by Prince Rupert, asgallant a sailor as ever sailed a ship. No, no; what I did was all ina day's work, and no more than lifting anchors and chains about inthe storehouse. As for honours, I want none of them. I am moored in asnug port here, and would not leave Captain Dave if they would make aDuke of me."
Nellie had said no word of congratulation to Cyril, but as they rosefrom dinner, she said, in low tones,--
"You know I am pleased, and hope that you will have all the goodfortune you deserve."
Cyril set out at once to make a round of the shops where he worked.The announcement that he must at once terminate his connection withthem, as he was going on board the Fleet, was everywhere receivedwith great regret.
"I would gladly pay double," one said, "rather than that you shouldgo, for, indeed, it has taken a heavy load off my shoulders, and Iknow not how I shall get on in the future."
"I should think there would be no difficulty in getting some otheryoung clerk to do the work," Cyril said.
"Not so easy," the man replied. "I had tried one or two before, andfound they were more trouble than they were worth. There are not manywho write as neatly as you do, and you do as much in an hour as somewould take a day over. However, I wish you good luck, and if youshould come back, and take up the work again, or start as a scrivenerin the City, I can promise you that you shall have my books again,and that among my friends I can find you as much work as you can getthrough."
Something similar was said to him at each of the houses where hecalled, and he felt much gratified at finding that his work had givensuch satisfaction.
When he came in to supper, Cyril was conscious that something hadoccurred of an unusual nature. Nellie's eyes were swollen withcrying; Mrs. Dowsett had also evidently been in tears; while CaptainDave was walking up and down the room restlessly.
The servant was placing the things upon the table, and, just as theywere about to take their seats, the bell of the front door rangloudly.
"See who it is, John," Captain Dave said. "Whoever it is seems to bein a mighty hurry."
In a minute or two John returned, followed by a gentleman. The latterpaused at the door, and then said, bowing courteously, as headvanced, to Mrs. Dowsett,--
"I must ask pardon for intruding on your meal, madam, but my businessis urgent. I am the Earl of Wisbech, and I have called to see SirCyril Shenstone, to offer him my heartfelt thanks for the service hehas rendered me by saving the lives of my daughters."
All had risen to their feet as he entered, and there was a slightexclamation of surprise from the Captain, his wife, and daughter, asthe Earl said "Sir Cyril Shenstone."
Cyril stepped forward.
"I am Cyril Shenstone, my Lord," he said, "and had the good fortuneto be able, with the assistance of my friend here, John Wilkes, torescue your daughters, though, at the time, indeed, I was altogetherignorant of their rank. It was a fortunate occurrence, but I mustdisclaim any merit in the action, for it was by mere accident that,mounting to the window by a ladder, I saw them lying insensible onthe ground."
"Your modesty does you credit, sir," the Earl said, shaking himwarmly by the hand. "But such is not the opinion of Prince Rupert,who described it to me as a very gallant action; and, moreover, hesaid that it was you who first brought him the news that there werefemales in the house, which he and others had supposed to be empty,and that it was solely owing to you that the ladders were takenround."
"Will you allow me, my Lord, to introduce to you Captain Dowsett, hiswife, and daughter, who have been to me the kindest of friends?"
"A kindness, my Lord," Captain Dave said earnestly, "that has beenrepaid a thousandfold by this good youth, of whose rank we wereindeed ignorant until you named it. May I ask you to honour us byjoining in our meal?"
"That will I right gladly, sir," the Earl said, "for, in truth, Ihave scarce broke my fast to-day. I was down at my place in Kent whenI was awoke this morning by one of my grooms, who had ridden downwith the news that my mansion in the Savoy had been burned, and thatmy daughters had had a most narrow escape of their lives. Of course,I mounted at once and rode to town, where I was happy in finding thatthey had well-nigh recovered from the effects of their fright and thesmoke. Neither they nor the nurse who was with them could give me anyaccount of what had happened, save that they had, as they supposed,become insensible from the smoke. When they recovered, they foundthemselves in the Earl of Surrey's house, to which it seems they hadbeen carried. After inquiry, I learned that the Duke of Albemarle andPrince Rupert had both been on the scene directing operations. I wentto the latter, with whom I have the honour of being well acquainted,and he told me the whole story, saying that had it not been for SirCyril Shenstone, my daughters would certainly have perished. He gavecredit, too, to Sir Cyril's companion, who, he said, carried themdown the ladder, and himself entered the burning room the last time,to aid in bringing out the nurse, who was too heavy for the rescuerof my daughters to lift. Save a cup of wine and a piece of bread,that I took on my first arrival, I have not broken my fast to-day."
Then he seated himself on a chair that Cyril had placed for himbetween Mrs. Dowsett and Nellie.
Captain Dave whispered to John Wilkes, who went out, and returned intwo or three minutes with three or four flasks of rare Spanish winewhich the Captain had brought back on his last voyage, and kept fordrinking on special occasions. The dame always kept an excellenttable, and
although she made many apologies to the Earl, he assuredher that none were needed, for that he could have supped no better inhis own house.
"I hear," he said presently to Cyril, "that you are going out as aVolunteer in Prince Rupert's ship. My son is also going with him, andI hope, in a day or two, to introduce him to you. He is at present atCambridge, but, having set his mind on sailing with the Prince, Ihave been fain to allow him to give up his studies. I heard fromPrince Rupert that you had recently been kidnapped and taken toHolland. He gave me no particulars, nor did I ask them, beingdesirous of hurrying off at once to express my gratitude to you. Howwas it that such an adventure befell you--for it would hardly seemlikely that you could have provoked the enmity of persons capable ofsuch an outrage?"
"It was the result of his services to me, my Lord," Captain Davesaid. "Having been a sea-captain, I am but a poor hand at accounts;but, having fallen into this business at the death of my father, itseemed simple enough for me to get on without much book-learning. Imade but a bad shape at it; and when Master Shenstone, as he thencalled himself, offered to keep my books for me, it seemed to me anexcellent mode of saving myself worry and trouble. However, when heset himself to making up the accounts of my stock, he found that Iwas nigh eight hundred pounds short; and, setting himself to watch,discovered that my apprentices were in alliance with a band ofthieves, and were nightly robbing me. We caught them and two of thethieves in the act. One of the latter was the receiver, and on hispremises the proceeds of a great number of robberies were found, andthere was no doubt that he was the chief of a notorious gang, calledthe 'Black Gang,' which had for a long time infested the City and thesurrounding country. It was to prevent Sir Cyril from giving evidenceat the trial that he was kidnapped and sent away. He was placed inthe house of a diamond merchant, to whom the thieves were in thehabit of consigning jewels; and this might well have turned out fatalto him, for to the same house came my elder apprentice and one of themen captured with him--a notorious ruffian--who had been rescued fromthe constables by a gang of their fellows, in open daylight, in theCity. These, doubtless, would have compassed his death had he nothappily seen them enter the house, and made his escape, takingpassage in a coaster bound for Dunkirk, from which place he tookanother ship to England. Thus you see, my Lord, that I am indebted tohim for saving me from a further loss that might well have ruinedme."
He paused, and glanced at Nellie, who rose at once, saying to theEarl,--
"I trust that your Lordship will excuse my mother and myself. Myfather has more to tell you; at least, I should wish him to do so."
Then, taking her mother's hand, she curtsied deeply, and they leftthe room together.
"Such, my Lord, as I have told you, is the service, so far as I knewtill this afternoon, Sir Cyril Shenstone has rendered me. That was nosmall thing, but it is very little to what I know now that I amindebted to him. After he went out I was speaking with my wife onmoney matters, desiring much to be of assistance to him in the matterof the expedition on which he is going. Suddenly my daughter burstinto tears and left the room. I naturally bade my wife follow her andlearn what ailed her. Then, with many sobs and tears, she told hermother that we little knew how much we were indebted to him. She saidshe had been a wicked girl, having permitted herself to be accostedseveral times by a well-dressed gallant, who told her that he was theEarl of Harwich, who had professed great love for her, and urged herto marry him privately.
"He was about to speak to her one day when she was out under MasterCyril's escort. The latter interfered, and there was well-nigh a_fracas_ between them. Being afraid that some of the lookers-onmight know her, and bring the matter to our ears, she mentioned somuch to us, and, in consequence, we did not allow her to go outafterwards, save in the company of her mother. Nevertheless, the mancontinued to meet her, and, as he was unknown to her mother, passednotes into her hand. To these she similarly replied, and at lastconsented to fly with him. She did so at night, and was about toenter a sedan chair in the lane near this house when they wereinterrupted by the arrival of Master Shenstone and my friend JohnWilkes. The former, it seems, had his suspicions, and setting himselfto watch, had discovered that she was corresponding with thisman--whom he had found was not the personage he pretended to be, buta disreputable hanger-on of the Court, one John Harvey--and had thenkept up an incessant watch, with the aid of John Wilkes, outside thehouse at night, until he saw her come out and join the fellow withtwo associates, when he followed her to the chair they had inreadiness for her.
"There was, she says, a terrible scene. Swords were drawn. JohnWilkes knocked down one of the men, and Master Shenstone ran JohnHarvey through the shoulder. Appalled now at seeing how she had beendeceived, and how narrowly she had escaped destruction, she returnedwith her rescuers to the house, and no word was ever said on thesubject until she spoke this afternoon. We had noticed that a greatchange had come over her, and that she seemed to have lost all hertastes for shows and finery, but little did we dream of the cause.She said that she could not have kept the secret much longer in anycase, being utterly miserable at the thought of how she had degradedherself and deceived us.
"It was a sad story to have to hear, my Lord, but we have fullyforgiven her, having, indeed, cause to thank God both for herpreservation and for the good that this seems to have wrought in her.She had been a spoilt child, and, being well-favoured, her head hadbeen turned by flattery, and she indulged in all sorts of foolishdreams. Now she is truly penitent for her folly. Had you not arrived,my Lord, I should, when we had finished our supper, have told MasterShenstone that I knew of this vast service he has rendered us--aservice to which the other was as nothing. That touched my pocketonly; this my only child's happiness. I have told you the story, myLord, by her consent, in order that you might know what sort of ayoung fellow this gentleman who has rescued your daughter is. John, Ithank you for your share in this matter," and, with tears in hiseyes, he held out his hand to his faithful companion.
"I thank you deeply, Captain Dowsett, for having told me this story,"the Earl said gravely. "It was a painful one to tell, and I feel surethat the circumstance will, as you say, be of lasting benefit to yourdaughter. It shows that her heart is a true and loyal one, or shewould not have had so painful a story told to a stranger, simply thatthe true character of her preserver should be known. I need not saythat it has had the effect she desired of raising Sir Cyril Shenstonehighly in my esteem. Prince Rupert spoke of him very highly and toldme how he had been honourably supporting himself and his father,until the death of the latter. Now I see that he possesses unusualdiscretion and acuteness, as well as bravery. Now I will take myleave, thanking you for the good entertainment that you have givenme. I am staying at the house of the Earl of Surrey, Sir Cyril, and Ihope that you will call to-morrow morning, in order that my daughtersmay thank you in person."
Captain Dave and Cyril escorted the Earl to the door and thenreturned to the chamber above.