CHAPTER XXXVI.
THE DISCOVERY.
All was done as had been arranged. Lord Herbert saddled Dick, notunaided of Dorothy, lifted her to his back, and led her to the gate, infull vision of Marquis, who went wild at the sight, and threatened topull down kennel and all in his endeavours to follow them. Lord Herberthimself opened the yard gate, for the horses had already been suppered,and the men were in bed. He then walked by her side down to the brickgate. A moment there, and she was free and alone, with the wide greenfields and the yellow moonlight all about her.
She had some difficulty in making Dick go slowly--quietly she couldnot--for the first minute or two, as lord Herbert had directed. He hadhad but little exercise of late, and moved as if his four legs felt likewings. Dorothy had ridden him very little since she came to the castle,but being very handy, lord Charles had used him, and one of the groomshad always taken him to ride messages. He had notwithstanding had butlittle of the pleasure of speed for a long time, and when Dorothy atlength gave him the rein, he flew as if every member of his body fromtail to ears and eyelids had been an engine of propulsion. But Dorothyhad more wings than Dick. Her whole being was full of wings. It was asmall thing that she had not had a right gallop since she left Wyfern;the strength she had been putting forth to bear the Atlas burden thatnight lifted from her soul, was now left free to upbear her, and sheseemed in spirit to soar aloft into the regions of aether. With herhorse under her, the moon over her, "the wind of their own speed" aroundthem, and her heart beating with a joy such as she had never known, shecould hardly help doubting sometimes for a moment whether she was notout in one of those delightful dreams of liberty and motion which had sofrequently visited her sleep since she came to Raglan. Three shrillwhistles she had blown, about a hundred yards from the gate, had heardthe eager crowded bark of her dog in answer, and then Dick went flyingover the fields like a water-bird over the lake, that scratches itssmooth surface with its feet as it flies. Around the rampart they went.The still night was jubilant around them as they flew. The stars shoneas if they knew all about her joy, that the shadow of guilt had beenlifted from her, and that to her the world again was fair. She felt asthe freed Psyche must feel when she drops the clay, and lo! the wholechrysalid world, which had hitherto hung as a clog at her foot, fast bythe inexorable chain our blindness calls gravitation, has dropped fromher with the clay, and the universe is her own.
At intervals she blew her whistle, and ever kept her keen eyes and earsawake, looking and listening before and behind, in the hope of hearingher dog, or seeing him come bounding through the moonlight.
Meantime lord Herbert and his wife had taken their stand on the top ofthe great tower, and were looking down--the lady into the stone court,and her husband into the grass one. Dorothy's shrill whistle came once,twice--and just as it began to sound a third time,
'Here he comes!' cried lady Margaret.
A black shadow went from the foot of the library tower, tearing acrossthe moonlight to the hall door, where it vanished. But in vain lordHerbert kept his eyes on the fountain court, in the hope of itsreappearance there. Presently they heard a heavy plunge in the water onthe other side of the keep, and running round, saw plainly, the moatthere lying broad in the moonlight, a little black object making its wayacross it. Through the obstructing floats of water-lily-leaves, it heldsteadily over to the other side. There for a moment they saw the wholebody of the animal, as he scrambled out of the water up against thesteep side of the moat--when suddenly, and most unaccountably to ladyMargaret, he disappeared.
'I have it!' cried lord Herbert. 'What an ass I was not to think of itbefore! Come down with me, my dove, and I will show thee. Dorothy'sMarquis hath got into the drain of the moat! He is a large dog, andbeyond a doubt that is where the young roundhead entered. Who could havedreamed of such a thing! I had no thought it was such a size.'
Dorothy, having made the circuit, and arrived again at the brick gate,found lord Herbert waiting there, and pulled up.
'I have seen nothing of him, my lord,' she said, as he came to her side.'Shall I ride round once more?'
'Do, prithee, for I see thou dost enjoy it. But we have already learnedall we want to know, so far as goeth to the security of the castle.There is but one marquis in Raglan, and he is, I believe, in the oakparlour.'
'You saw my Marquis make his exit then, my lord?'
'My lady and I both saw him.'
'What then can have become of him?--We went very fast, and I suppose hegave up the chase in despair.'
'Thou wilt find him the second round. But stay--I will get a horse andgo with thee.'
Dorothy went within the gate, and lord Herbert ran back to the stables.In a few minutes he was by her side again, and together they rode aroundthe huge nest. The moon was glorious, with a few large white cloudsaround her, like great mirrors hung up to catch and reflect her light.The stars were few, and doubtful near the moon, but shone like diamondsin the dark spaces between the clouds. The rugged fortress lay swathedin the softness of the creamy light. No noise broke the stillness, savethe dull drum-beat of their horses' hoofs on the turf, or theircymbal-clatter where they crossed a road, and the occasional shrill callfrom Dorothy's whistle.
On all sides the green fields, cow-cropped, divided by hedge-rows, andspotted with trees, single and in clumps, came close to the castlewalls, except in one or two places where the corner of a red ploughedfield came wedging in. All was so quiet and so soft that the gaunt oldwalls looked as if, having at first with harsh intrusion forced theirway up into the sweet realm of air from the stony regions of the earthbeneath, by slow degrees, yet long since, they had suffered an airchange, and been charmed and gentled into harmony with soft winds andodours and moonlight. To Dorothy it seemed as if peace itself had takenform in the feathery weight that filled the flaky air; and as her horsegalloped along, flying like a bird over ditch and mound, her own heartso light that her body seemed to float above the saddle rather than restupon it, she felt like a soul which, having been dragged to hell by alurking fiend, a good and strong angel was bearing aloft into bliss. Fewdelights can equal the mere presence of one whom we trust utterly.
No mastiff came to Dorothy's whistle, and having finished their round,they rode back to the stables, put up their horses, and rejoined ladyMargaret, where she was still pacing the sunk walk around the moat.There lord Herbert showed Dorothy where her dog vanished, comforting herwith the assurance that nothing should be altered before the faithfulanimal returned, as doubtless he would the moment he despaired offinding her in the open country.
Lord Herbert said nothing to his father that night lest he should spoilhis rest, for he was yet far from well, but finding him a good dealbetter the next morning, he laid open the whole matter to him accordingto his convictions concerning Dorothy and her behaviour, ending with thewords: 'That maiden, my lord, hath truth enough in her heart to servethe whole castle, an' if it might be but shared. To doubt her is towrong the very light. I fear there are not many maidens in England whowould have the courage and honesty, necessary both, to act as she hathdone.'
The marquis listened attentively, and when lord Herbert had ended, sat afew moments in silence; then, for all answer, said,
'Go and fetch her, my lad.'
When Dorothy entered,--
'Come hither, maiden,' he said from his chair. 'Wilt thou kiss an oldman who hath wronged thee--for so my son hath taught me?'
Dorothy stooped, and he kissed her on both cheeks, with the tears in hiseyes.
'Thou shalt dine at my table,' he said, 'an' thy mistress will permitthee, as I doubt not she will when I ask her, until--thou art weary ofour dull company. Hear me, cousin Dorothy: an' thou wilt go with us tomass next Sunday, thou shalt sit on one side of me and thy mistress onthe other, and all the castle shall see thee there, and shall know thatthou art our dear cousin, mistress Dorothy Vaughan, and shall do theehonour.'
'I thank you, my lord, with all my heart,' said Dorothy, with troubledlook, 'but--may I th
en speak without offence to your lordship, where myheart knoweth nought but honour, love, and obedience?'
'Speak what thou wilt, so it be what thou would'st,' answered themarquis.
'Then pardon me, my lord, that which would have made my mother sad, andwould make my good master Herbert sorry that he brought me hither. Hewould fear I had forsaken the church of my fathers.'
'And returned to the church of thy grandfathers--eh, mistress Dorothy?And wherefore, then, should that weigh so much with thee, so long asthou wert no traitor to our blessed Lord?'
'But should I be no traitor, sir, an' I served him not with my best?'
'Thou hast nothing better than thy heart to give him, and nothing worsewill serve his turn; and that we two have offered where I would havethee offer thine--and I trust, Herbert, the offering hath not lainunaccepted.'
'I trust not, my lord,' responded Herbert.
'But, my lord,' said Dorothy, with hot cheek and trembling voice, 'if Ibrought it him upon a dish which I believed to be of brass, when I hadone of silver in the house, would it avail with him that your lordshipknew the dish to be no brass, but the finest of gold? I should beunworthy of your lordship's favour, if, to be replaced in the honour ofmen, I did that which needed the pardon of God.'
'I told thee so, sir!' cried lord Herbert, who had been listening withradiant countenance.
'Thou art a good girl, Dorothy,' said the marquis. 'Verily I spoke butto try thee, and I thank God thou hast stood the trial, and answeredaright. Now am I sure of thee; and I will no more doubt thee--not if Iwake in the night and find thee standing over me with a drawn daggerlike Judith. An' my worthy Bayly had been at home, perchance this hadnot happened; but forgive me, Dorothy, for the gout is the sting of thedevil's own tail, and driveth men mad. Verily, it seemeth now as if Icould never have behaved to thee as I have done. Why, one might say thefoolish fat old man was jealous of the handsome young puritan! The wheelwill come round, Dorothy. One day thou wilt marry him.'
'Never, my lord,' exclaimed Dorothy with vehemence.
'And when thou dost,' the marquis went on, 'all I beg of thee is, thaton thy wedding day thou whisper thy bridegroom: "My lord of Worcestertold me so;" and therewith thou shalt have my blessing, whether I bedown here in Raglan, or up the great stair with little Molly.'
Dorothy was silent. The marquis held out his hand. She kissed it, leftthe room, and flew to the top of the keep.