CHAPTER TWENTY THREE.
A GRAND SERGEANT OF GUARD.
Getting within sight of the city's gate, the cadgers could see it wasshut, drawbridge up, and portcullis down. Bristol was then a walledtown, with an _enceinte_ of ancient fortifications that had lately beenrepaired and strengthened. Night had now come on, and it was pitchdark. But a lamp set high on one of the gate towers threw its lightacross the moat, revealing to the eyes of the sentry who held postoverhead the party seeking admittance. At sight of their humble mien,he thought of the bitterly cold night, and hearing of their reasonablerequest, called to the guard-sergeant below; then, to the inquiry of thelatter, gave description of them in brief soldierly phrase--"Woman, man,and donkey."
Whether his reversing the usual rule, by putting the woman before theman, was due to her superior stature, or because of her being betterunder the lamplight, his words seemed to produce a singular effect onthe sergeant. Starting suddenly up from his seat by the guard-housefire, he rushed out and on to the wicket. There, placing his eye to thepeep-hole, he saw what influenced him to give instant orders for thelowering of the bridge.
By this he was taking a great responsibility on his shoulders, thoughthey seemed strong and broad enough to bear it; for the guard-sergeantwas no other than Rob Wilde. As it chanced, the captain of the guardwas just then out of the way; and Rob had reason to think he would bepardoned for the little stretch of vicarial authority.
"Ha' patience, Win!" he shouted across. "We won't be more than aminnit."
Then with a will he set on to assist the others in letting the bridgedown.
Win was patient; could well be, after hearing that voice, at oncerecognised by her. She thought nothing of the cold now; no more fearedthe raiding "Cavalieres."
Never was drawbridge more promptly made passable. The creaking of awindlass; with a rattling of chains, and it was down in its place. Thewicket was at the same time drawn open, and the cadger party passed overand in.
"Lor, Win!" said Rob, drawing the great woman aside under the shadow ofthe guard-house wall, and saluting her with a kiss, "where be yeesfrom?"
"Glo'ster east," she responded, soon as her lips were released from theosculation.
"An' what ha' brought ye to Bristol?"
"Business o' diff'rent kinds."
"But ye don't appear to ha' any ladin' on the donkey?"
"Us may goin' back--hope to."
The cadgeress was prevaricating. No commercial speculation was thecause of their being there; and if in passing through Gloucester theyhad picked up a commission, it was quite a windfall, having nought to dowith the original object of their extended excursion. Neither onleaving Ruardean, nor up to that moment, was Jerky himself aware of itspurpose, Winny having been its projector. But he could trust her, andshe, in her usual way, insisting upon the tramp, he had no alternativebut to undertake it. He knew now, why his sister had brought him toBristol, and that Rob Wilde was the lure which had attracted herthither.
Rob had some thought of this himself, or at least hoped it so; theunburdened donkey helping him in his hope.
"But ye bean't goin' back, surely?" he said.
"Why not?"
"The danger o' the roads now. If I'd a known you war on them, Win,dear, I should ha' been feelin' a bit uneasy."
Her game of false pretence was now nearly up. It had all been due to afear which had suddenly come over her on seeing him again. Months hadelapsed since they last met, and the rough Forester, erst in coarsecommon attire, his locks shaggy and unkempt, was now a man of militarybearing, hair and whiskers neatly trimmed, in a well-fitting uniformresplendent with the glitter of gold. He was only a sergeant; but inher eyes no commanding officer of troop or regiment, not even thegeneralissimo of the army, could have looked either so grand or sohandsome. But it was just that, with the thought of the long intervalsince they had last stood side by side, that now held her reticent. Howknew she but that with such change outwardly, there might also have comechange within his heart, and towards herself? A soldier too, now; oneof a calling proverbial for gallantry as fickleness, living in a greatcity where, as she supposed, the eyes of many a syren would be turnedluringly upon her grand Rob.
Had he yielded to their lures or resisted them? So she mentally andapprehensively interrogated. But only for a short while; the "Win,dear," in his old voice, with its old affectionate tone, and hissolicitude for her safety, told he was still true.
Doubting it no longer, she threw aside the reserve that was beginning toperplex him, at the same time flinging her arms round his neck, and inturn kissing _him_.
That was her grateful rejoinder, sufficiently gratifying to him whoreceived it, and leading him to further expressions of endearment. Gladwas he they had arrived safe; and as to their errand at Bristol, whichshe cared no longer to keep from him, he forbore further questioning.
"Ye can tell me about it when we ha' more time to talk," he said. "Butwhere do you an' Jack 'tend passin' the night?"
"The old place us always stop at,--Bird-in-the-Bush Inn."
"That be over Avon's bridge?"
"Yes; just a street or two the other side." Bristol was no strangeplace to her. She, Jerky and Jinkum had made many a cadge thitherbefore.
"I'd go 'long wi' ye to the Bird-in-the-Bush," said the guard-sergeant,"but, as ye see, I'm on duty at this gate, and musn't leave it for aminnit. If the captain was here--unlucky he isn't just now--he'd let meoff, I know--seein' who it be."
"Why for seein' that, Rob?"
"Because o' his knowin' ye. He ha' seen you and Jack at HollymeadHouse."
"It be Sir Richard?"
"No, no," hastily responded the ex-deer-stealer, in turn, perhaps,experiencing a twinge of jealousy as when by the quarry on Cat's Hill."Sir Richard be in Bristol, too; but he's a colonel, not captain."
"Who be the captain, then?"
"That young Cavalier gentleman as comed to Hollymead 'long wi' SirRichard, after fightin' him. He changed sides there, an's now on ours.Ye heerd that, han't you?"
"Deed, yes. An' more; heerd why. 'Twas all through a sweet face himseed there--so be the word 'bout Ruardean."
"Well; I hope her won't disappoint he, after his doin' that for her.Better nor braver than he an't in this big town o' Bristol. But, Win,dear," he added, changing tone, and slinging an arm round her neck,"'tan't any consarn o' ours. Oh! I be so glad to see ye again."
She knew he was now.
"Hang it!" he went on, "I only weesh my turn o' guard was over, so's Icould go 'long wi' ye. Maybe when the captain come back he'll let meoff for a hour or so. Sit up late, if ye ain't too tired. Ye will,won't ye?"
"I will; for you all night, Rob. Ay, till the sun o' morning shinesclear in the sky."
Her passionate and poetic words were succeeded, if not cut short, by athumping on the pavement. Jerky's wooden leg it was; its ownerapproaching in the darkness, the rapid repetition of the thumps tellinghim to be in great haste.
"Winny!" he called to her in urgent tone, "us maunt linger here anylonger. Ye know somethin' as needs our bein' quick about it."
"Yes, yes," she answered, excitedly, as if recalled to a duty she feltguilty of having trifled with or neglected. "I be ready to go on,Jack."
The guard-sergeant looked a little puzzled. There was a secret, afterall, which had not been confided to him. What could it be?
Rough Forester though he had been, bold soldier as he now was, he lackedthe courage, or rather the rudeness, to ask. It might be a questionunwelcome.
Divining his thoughts, the woman said in a whisper,--
"Something Rob, us have sweared not to tell o' to anybody, 'till't beall over an' done. When's I see you at the inn 'twill be over, an' yeshall hear all about it."
"That be enough, Win?" said in rejoinder the trusting Rob; and the twogreat figures went apart in the shadowy night, the separation precededby their lips once more meeting in a resonant smack.
On along the streets pas
sed the cadger party; Jack urging Jinkum tohaste by a succession of vociferous "yee-ups," and now and then a sharptouch of the stick. He seemed angry with himself, or perhaps more atWinny, for having tarried so long by the gate.
"Good gracious!" he exclaimed in a troubled tone, "what if us get theertoo late? Ye know, the Glo'ster governor told we not to waste onesecond o' time. Maybe better keep on straight to the castle. What d'yesay, Winny?"
"It be but a step to Bird-in-the-Bush, now. Won't take we mor'n tenminnits; that can't a make much difference. An' us can go faster when'swe've left Jinkum in the inn yard."
Thus counselled and controlled, Jack, as was customary with him, gaveway; and the trio continued on for the Bird-in-the-Bush.