The Northern Iron
CHAPTER XVII
The next morning broke cloudless. As the day advanced the sun grew hot.The land at noon seemed to gasp for breath. The sea lay glowing in thelight; the waves broke in slow rhythm on the sand and rocks, as if thewarmth had imposed even on the Atlantic a mood of luxurious laziness.
Una St. Clair and the Comtesse de Tourneville, attended by HannahMacaulay, walked shorewards from Dunseveric House. It appeared thatthey were going to bathe, for they carried bundles of white sheets andcoloured garments, large bundles well wrapped together and strapped.Hannah Macaulay had, besides, a little raft made of the flat corks whichfishermen use to mark the places where their lobster pots are sunk andto float the tops of salmon nets. It seemed as if one of the party wereno great swimmer, and did not mean to venture into deep water withoutsomething to which to cling.
A hundred yards from the gate were two yeomen on horseback. The Comtessegreeted them cheerfully as she passed. The men followed the ladies alongthe road.
"What are we to do?" said Una, "they mean to watch us."
"Perhaps not," said the Comtesse, "let us make sure."
She motioned Una to stop, and sat down on the bank on the roadside. Themen halted and waited also. It became obvious that they intended to keepthe ladies in view.
"This is abominable," said Una. "How dare they follow us when we aregoing to bathe?"
"My dear," said the Comtesse, laughing, "they very likely think that weare not going to bathe. So far as I am concerned, their suspicions arequite just. I am certainly not going to undress on a nasty rock whichwould cut my feet, and then go into cold salt water to have my toesnipped by crabs and lobsters. The worthy Hannah is not going to batheeither. She has too much good sense. Even these stupid yeomen must guessthat we are carrying something else besides towels."
"But I am going to bathe," said Una, "and it is intolerable that Ishould be spied upon and watched."
The Comtesse rose and approached the men.
"Where is Captain Twinely this morning?" she asked, smiling.
"Here he is, coming along the road forninst you, Miss."
The man spoke civilly enough. It was natural to be civil to the Comtessewhen she smiled. She had fine eyes, and was not too proud to use them ina very delightful manner even when the man before her was no more than atrooper in a company of yeomen.
"So he is!" she said. "And my good gentleman trooper, how nice yourmanners are. I am, alas! no longer 'Miss,' though it pleases you toflatter me. I am 'Madam,' a widow, quite an old woman."
She left him and hurried forward to greet Captain Twinely.
"I am charmed to meet you, Captain Twinely. But why have you neverbeen up to call on us? We hear that you have been two whole days in ourneighbourhood and not even once have you come to see us. How rude andunkind you are. I would not have believed it of you. But perhaps youhave been very busy chasing the odious rebels and had no time to visitus poor ladies."
"I didn't think I was wanted at Dunseveric House, my lady," said thecaptain.
Like his trooper, he was aware that the Comtesse smiled at him, and thatshe had beautiful eyes.
"I will not take that as an excuse," she said. "Surely you must know,Captain Twinely, that we are two lonely women, that my lord and mynephew are away. You must have guessed that we should suffer, ah, soterribly, from 'ennui'. Is it not the first duty of an officer topay his respects to the ladies and to amuse them, especially in thisterrible country where it is only the military men who have any mannersat all?"
Captain Twinely was delighted and embarrassed. He wished that he hadbrushed his uniform more carefully in the morning, and that he had notbeen too lazy to shave. He would gladly have been looking his best nowthat the eyes of this elegant lady of title and fashion were on him.
"I am at your ladyship's service," he murmured.
"Now that is really kind of you. Please get down from your horse. Howcan I talk to you when you are so high above me?"
The captain dismounted and gave his horse to one of the troopers. TheComtesse laid her hand on his arm and smiled at him.
"We have a little _fete_ planned for to-day," she said. "We are going tohave a pic-nic by the sea. Will you not join us. It will be so kind ofyou. My niece wishes also to bathe. But I--I am not very anxious to gointo the sea. Perhaps you and I might wait for her in some pleasant spotand prepare the pic-nic while she and her maid go to the bathing-place.What do you say, captain?"
"I shall be delighted," he said, "quite delighted."
Captain Twinely had never before been so smiled on by a prettywoman. Never before had such fine eyes looked into his with such anunmistakable challenge to flirtation. He was almost certain that he feltthe Comtesse's hand press his arm slightly. He grew pink in the facewith pleasure.
"We must tell my niece."
She leaned towards Captain Twinely and whispered in his ear. Her breathtouched his cheek. The delicate, faint scent of her clothes reached him.
A confidence, entailing the close proximity of this desirable lady, wasan unlooked-for delight.
"My dear niece is very young--a mere child, you understand me, unformed,gauche, what you call shy. You will make excuse for her want of manner."
The apology was necessary. In Una's face, if he had eyes for it at all,Captain Twinely might have seen something more than shyness. There wasan expression of loathing on the girl's lips and in her eyes when hestepped up to her, hat in hand.
"Una," said the Comtesse, "the dear captain will take pity on us. Hewill send one of his men back to the house to fetch a cold chicken andsome wine--and all the delightful things we are to eat and drink. Givehim a note to the butler, Una, we will go on with Captain Twinely."
Una, puzzled, but obedient to a quick glance from her aunt, wrotethe note. The troopers, leading Captain Twinely's horse, rode back toDunseveric House. The Comtesse, still leaning on the captain's arm,picked up her bundle of bathing clothes.
"Allow me to carry that for you," said the captain, "allow me to carryall the bundles."
"Oh, but no. Have we got a cavalier with such trouble and shall we turnhim into a beast of burden, a--how do you say it?--a baggage ass? Thegood Hannah will carry my bundle.'"
The good Hannah became a baggage animal, but she was not an ass. Shewas, indeed, struggling with suppressed mirth. She was confirmed in heropinion that the Comtesse possessed a subtlety not unlike that of theserpent in Eden.
The Comtesse led the way, chatting to Captain Twinely, saying thingsmore charmingly provocative than any which poor Twinely had ever heardfrom a woman's lips. Her eyes flashed on him, drooped before his gaze,sought his again with shy suggestiveness. She even succeeded, when hisglance grew very bold, in blushing. They reached the little cove whereMaurice's boat lay.
The Comtesse sat down, and then lolled back on the short grass. Hermotions and her attitudes were the most easy and natural possible, yether pose was charming. There was not a fold of her skirt but fell roundher gracefully. From the challenging smile on her lips to the point ofthe little shoe which peeped out beneath her petticoat, there came aninvitation to Captain Twinely--a suggestion that he, too, should sitgracefully on the grass.
"Now, Una," she said, "go and have your bathe, if you must do anythingso foolish. We will wait for you here, the captain will amuse me tillyou return. Kiss me, child, before you go."
Una bent over her.
"I'll keep him," whispered the Comtesse, "I'll keep him, even if I haveto allow the animal to embrace me. But, dear Una, do not be very long."
Una sped away. Hannah, heavily laden, and laughing now outright,followed her.
"I never seen the like," she said. "Didn't I say to Master Neal lastnight that she was an early one? Eh, Miss Una, did you no take notice ofthe eyes of her? She'd wile the fishes out of the sea, or a bird off abush, so she would, just by looking sweet at them. It's queer mannersthey have where she comes from. I'm thinking that silly gowk of acaptain's no the first man she's beguiled. I was counted a braw lassmyself in me
day, and one that could twine a lad round my thumb as fineas any, but I couldna have done thon, Miss Una."
Una gave a little shudder of disgust.
"How could she bear to? How could she touch such a man?"
"Ay, I was wondering that myself, her that's so high falutin' in herways, and no like a common lassie. Not but what thon captain's a cleverenough cut of a man for them as thinks of nothing but a clean figure anda good leg. He's no that ill-looking; but, eh, there's a glint in hiseye I wouldna trust. I pity the lassie that loves him. But there's nofear of thon lady falling into sic a snare. She can mine herself well,I'm thinkin'."
They reached the cliff above the Pigeon Cave, and Una began her downwardclimb. Hannah stared at her in horror.
"Mind yourself, Miss Una. You're never going down there, are ye? Andyou expect me to break my old bones going after you, do ye? Faith andI willna avaw, I'd rather be back rolling my eyes at the captain andletting on to him that I wanted a kiss than go down yon cliff."
"Come," said Una, "it looks worse than it is. Come, Hannah, you mustcome. Would you have the poor boy starve in the cave?"
The appeal was too strong to be resisted. Hannah, with much grumbling,climbed down. Una carried the bundles one by one to the shelf of rockfrom which Neal had slipped into the dark water the night before. Shetook the straps from them, and unwound the sheets and bathing clothes.Within was store of food--parcels of oatcake, baps, cold meat, butter,cheese, a bottle of wine, a flask of whisky and water, a package ofcandles. She had determined that Neal should feast royally in hishiding-place, and that he should not sit in the dark, though he had tosit alone. She floated the raft of corks, and very carefully loaded itwith her good things. Then, with a piece of cord, she moored it to therock.
"Are ye no afeard, Miss Una?" said Hannah. "Eh, but it's well to beyoung and strong, I wouldna go in there, not for all the gold and silverand the spices that King Solomon gave to the Queen of Sheba. I wouldnago in a boat, let alone swimming. Miss Una, could you no shout, and lethim come for the food himself?"
Una looked at her with a wondering reproach in her eyes.
"Am I the only one that's to do nothing for him? Didn't Maurice get himfree in the town of Antrim? Didn't you chase the yeomen from him lastnight? Isn't Aunt Estelle sitting with that Captain Twinely now? And mayI not do something, too? I think mine's the easiest thing of the four."
"You're a venturesome lassie, so you are. I dinna like the looks of thonwater. It's over green for me, so it is. I can see right down to thebottom of it, and that's no natural in the sea, and it so deep, too. Andthon cave, Miss Una, with the smooth, red, clampy sides to it. What callhas the rocks to be red? I'm thinking when God made the rocks black,and maybe white, it's black and white he meant them to be and no red. Iwouldna say but what there's something no just canny about a cave withred sides to it higher than a man can stretch. Eh, but you've the chineywhite feet, Miss Una. Mind now you dinna scrab them on the wee shells.Bide now, bide like a good lassie, till I spread the sheet for you totread on. You will no be for going right intil the cave? Would it nodo you to shout when you got to the mouth of it? I dinna like that cavewith the red sides till it. I'm thinking maybe there was red sides tothe cave where the witch of Endor dweft. Are you no sure that there isnasomething of that kind, something no right in the gloom beyond there?"
"Neal's in it," said Una, "what's to frighten me?"
"Ay, sure enough, he's there, the poor bairn. Lord save us, and keepus! The lassie's intil the water, and it up ower her head, and she'sdrownded. No, but she's up again, and she's swimmin' along like as ifshe was a sea maiden with hair all wet. Eh, but she swims fine, andshe's gotten hold of the wee boatie wi' the laddie's dinner on it. Lookat the white arms of her moving through the water, they're like thesalmon fish slithering along when the net is pulled in. She's bonny, soshe is. See till her now! See till her if she hasna lighted on some kindof a rock. She's standing up on it, and the sea no more than up to theknees of her. The water is running off her, and she's shaking herselflike a wee dog. She doesna mind it. She's waving her hand to me and herin the very mouth of thon awful cave. Mine yourself, Miss Una, take heednow, like a good lass. Dinna go further, you're far enough. Bide whereyou are, and shout till him. Lord save us, she's off again, and the weeboatie in front of her. I've known a wheen o' lassies in my time thatwould do queer things for the lads they had their hearts set on, butne'er a one as venturesome as her. I'm thinking Master Neal himselfwould look twice e'er he swam into thon dark hole. Eh, poor laddie, butthere'll be light in his eyes when he sees the white glint of her comingtill him where he's no expecting her or the like of her."
Indeed, Una was not so brave as she seemed. Her heart beat quicker asshe struck out into the gloom of the cave. The water was colder, orseemed colder, than it had been outside. The splashing of drops fromthe roof, and the echoing noise of the sea's wash awed her. She felt atightening in her throat. She swam with faster and faster strokes. Thesides of the cave loomed huge about her. The roof seemed immensely,remotely, high. The water was dark now. It was a solemn thing to swimthrough it. She began to wonder how far it was to the end of the cave.A sudden terror seized her. Suppose, after all, that Neal was not inthe cave, suppose that she was swimming in this awful place alone. Sheshouted aloud--
"Neal, Neal, Neal Ward, are you there?"
The cave echoed her cries. A thousand repetitions of the name she hadshouted came to her from above, from behind, from right, from left. Therocks flung her words to each other, bandied them to and fro, turnedthem into ridicule, turned them into thundering sounds of terror, turnedthem into shrill shrieks. The frightened pigeons flew from their rockyperches; their wings set new echoes going. Una swam forward, and,reckless with fright now, shouted again. She heard some one rushing downto meet her from the remote depths of the cave. The great stones rolledand crashed under his feet with a noise like the firing of guns. Then,amid a babel of echoes, came a shout answering her's.
"I'm coming to you, Una."
She felt the bottom with her feet. She stood upright. At the soundof Neal's voice all her fears vanished. She could see him now. He wasstumbling down over the slippery stones which the ebb tide left bare. Hereached the water and splashed in.
"Stay where you are, you must not come any further."
"Una," he said, "dear Una, you have come to me."
She laughed merrily.
"Don't think I've come to live with you here, Neal, like a seal or amermaid. No, no. I've brought you something to eat. Here, now, don'tupset my little boat." She pushed the raft towards him. "Isn't it justlike the boats we used to make long ago when we were little? Oh! do youremember how angry the salmon men were when you and Maurice stole allthe corks off their net? But I can't stay talking here, I'm gettingcold, and you, Neal, go back to dry land. What's the use of standingthere up to your knees in water? There's no sun in here to dry yourclothes afterwards. No, you must not come to me, I won't have it. You'dget wet up to your neck. Keep quiet, now. I've something to say to you.Maurice has gone to Glasgow to see that funny Captain Getty, who madeyou both so angry the day we took your uncle from the brig. He isarranging for the brig to lie off here and pick you up. Maurice and Iwill take you out in the boat. We will come in to the mouth of the caveand shout to you unless it's rough. If it's rough, Neal, you must swimout and hide somewhere among the rocks. But I hope it will stay calm.Maurice may be back to-morrow or next day. I've given you enough to eatfor two days. I may not be able to come to-morrow."
"Do come again, Una, it's very lonely here."
"I will if I can, Neal. Good-bye. Keep a good heart. Good-bye. Oh, butit's hard to be leaving you in this dark place, but I think it's safe,and the country is full of yeomen. Good-bye, Neal. God bless you."
When Una and Hannah reached the little cove again, they found luncheonspread out on the grass ready for them. The troopers who had broughtthe baskets from Dunseveric House sat on their horses at the end of therough track which led to the strand. The Comte
sse reclined on a cloakspread for her on the grass. Captain Twinely, a worshipper with boldeyes and stupid tongue, sat at her feet and gazed at her. He had ceasedeven to wonder at his own good fortune in captivating so fair a lady. Hehad forgotten all about the angular daughter of a neighbouring squire,who was waiting for him to marry her. He was hopelessly, helplessly,fascinated by the woman in front of him. Estelle de Tourneville hadnever made an easier conquest. And she was already exceedingly weary ofthe flirtation. The man bored her because he was dull. He disgusted herbecause he was amorous.
"Oh, Una," she cried, "how quick you've been! It hardly seems a momentsince you left. Captain Twinely and I have had such a delightful talk. Iwas telling him about the Jacobins in Paris, and how they wanted to cutmy head off in the Terror. My dear, your hair is all wet. You look justlike a seal with your sleek head and your brown eyes. Just fancy, Una,Captain Twinely thought that we were in sympathy with the rebels here.He had actually told his men to watch us in case we should try to helpsome horrid _sans-culotte_ who is hiding somewhere. Just think of hissuspecting me--me, of all people."
She cast a glance at Captain Twinely. Her eyes were full of half seriousreproach, of laughter and enticement.
"I'm very hungry after my swim," said Una, "let us have our lunch."
Captain Twinely, awkward but anxious to please, was on his feet inan instant. He waited on the ladies, waited even on Hannah, whom hesupposed to be Una's maid. He did not notice that Una shrank from him.He probably would not have cared even if he had seen that she avoidedtouching his hand as she might have avoided some loathsome reptile. Histhoughts and his eyes were all for the Comtesse. She did not shrink fromhim. Her wonderful eyes thrilled him again and again. He touched herhand, her hair, her clothes, as he handed her this or that to eator drink. He grew hot and cold in turns with the excitement of hernearness. He was ecstatically, ridiculously happy.
He walked back to Dunseveric House with her. He promised to call on herthe next day. He promised to leave troopers on guard round the house allnight in case a fugitive rebel, wandering in the demesne, might frightenthe Comtesse. He suggested another pic-nic. At last, reluctantly,lingeringly, he bade her farewell.
"Adieu, Monsieur le Capitaine," said the Comtesse, "we shall expect youto-morrow then."
She stretched out her hand to him. He stooped and kissed it. Then sheturned from him and ran up the avenue after Una and Hannah. The captainwatched her. He pulled himself together, reassumed his habitual swagger,tried to persuade himself that he looked on the Comtesse as he had longbeen accustomed to look on other women.
"A damned fine woman," he said, "and a bit smitten with me. Begad, theseFrench women have a great deal to recommend them. Thy catch fire atonce. A man does not have to spend a month dilly-dallying with them,dancing attendance and looking like a fool while they are as cold as iceall the time. Give me a good full-blooded filly like this one."
"Una," said the Comtesse, when she overtook her niece. "Una, Ipositively can't stand another day of that man. He's odious. You'llhave to do him yourself to-morrow, and let me go to the young man in thecave."
"But, Aunt Estelle, I thought you--you liked it. You looked as if youliked it."
"_Mon dieu!_" said the Comtesse, laughing, "of course I looked as if Iliked it. If I had looked as if I disliked it I could not have kepthim for ten minutes, and then what would have happened to you,mademoiselle?"
"It was very, very good of you," said Una, penitently. "I can neverthank you enough."
"Oh, it wasn't so very good of me, and I don't want to be thanked atall. I'll tell you a secret, Una, and Hannah shall hear it too. I didlike it. Now, what do you think?"
"You would, my lady," said Hannah. "I know that finely, I'd have likedit myself when I was young and frisky like you."
"What would you have liked, Hannah?" asked the Comtesse.
"Eh! just what you liked yourself, my lady; just seeing a man makinghimself a bigger fool nor the Lord meant him to be for the sake of mybonny face. I'm thinking you're the same as another for a' you're acountess and have a braw foreign name. You just like what I'd haveliked, and what all women ever I heard tell on liked in their hearts,though maybe they wouldna own up till it, from thon wench, that mighthave been a gran' lady, too, for a' I ken, who made the great silly gabyof a Samson lie still while she clipped the seven locks off of his head.She liked fine to see him sleeping there like the tap he was for all thestrongness of him."
"You are right, Hannah, you are right. Oh, Una dear, if you could haveseen him--but you wouldn't understand. What's the good of telling you?Hannah, if you'd seen him sitting there like a great woolly sheep, withthe silliest expression in his eyes; if you'd seen him putting out hishand to touch me, pretending he did it by accident, and then pulling itaway again like one of those snails that crawl about in the sandhillswhen you touch his horns with the end of a blade of grass. If you'd seenhim. Oh, I wish you'd seen him!"
"Faith, I seen plenty."
"You did not, Hannah; you didn't see half. He was far, far better beforeyou came back."
She burst into a peal of half hysterical laughter. She may have enjoyedthe captain's company, but he had evidently tried her nerves.
"But, Una dear," she said, when she grew calm again, "I hope Mauricewill come soon, or that American ship, or something. I won't be able togo on very long."
"There's been an easterly breeze since noon," said Una, "and there's ahaze out at sea."
"Do talk sense, Una. Here I've been sacrificing myself for you all day,and when I ask you for a little sympathy you talk to me about an eastwind."
"But the east wind will bring the brig, aunt. How could she get herefrom Glasgow without the wind?"