Hayslope Grange

  CHAPTER III.

  TRAITOR OR HERO?

  The confusion and dismay into which the orderly household of HayslopeGrange was thrown by Harry's untimely and hasty confession baffles alldescription. Fainting among young ladies was not so common in thosedays, and the only orthodox remedy known to Mistress Mabel being burntfeathers, these had to be fetched from the poultry-yard, and singed atthe kitchen fire, before anything else could be done for Maud, who stilllay unconscious on the floor; while Bessie and Bertram, thinking oftheir aunt's words of the morning, cried and screamed, "Prithee, tellthem to let the archbishop go; poor Maud will die if you don't!"

  Clayton had some difficulty in keeping Harry outside the house, whitherthey had retreated when he heard that Maud was ill; but thinking thathis presence would only add to the confusion in the keeping-room if hewent in again, he prevailed upon him to remain where he was until MasterDrury came out and fetched them both into the study.

  His face was white and rigid, with such a look of helpless woe about thelines of his mouth that it touched Gilbert more deeply than the fiercestexpression of anger could have done. Harry's misery seemed complete whenhe looked at his father's face in the dim light of the study lamp, andfalling on his knees, he exclaimed--

  "Oh, my father, forgive me!"

  But his father drew back hastily from the outstretched hands.

  "Rise from your knees, Harry Drury!" he said, sternly, "and tell me whatyou mean by the froward words you have this night spoken."

  "My father, I spoke hastily and unadvisedly," said Harry, humbly. "Ishould have come to you alone, and confessed that my opinions of theKing's doings had greatly changed of late, and begged your permission tojoin the army now fighting for the Parliament."

  "And do you think I would have given it, traitor-caitiff?" said MasterDrury, sternly.

  "I have angered you," said Harry; "but, my father, you will suffer me tospeak to you of this to-morrow, and hear me when I say that GilbertClayton here hath not sought to draw me to this way of thinking. I hadsome converse upon it with Mistress Maud before his arrival."

  Master Drury glanced at Clayton suspiciously; he had not noticed hispresence before.

  "If you are clear of this thing, young man," he said, "you can abidehere until the morning; but Harry Drury departs from Hayslope Grangethis night."

  HARRY DRIVEN FROM THE GRANGE.]

  Harry started in blank astonishment.

  "Marry then, where am I to tarry?" he said.

  "That I know not; but traitors cannot abide under this honest roof, thathas never sheltered any but true and loyal men since it was raised byRoger Drury ninety years ago."

  "But, my father----"

  "Call me not by that name," interrupted the old man, "unless you areready to return, and willing to do true and loyal service to your Kingand country."

  "My country I am willing to serve; but, my father, this King is tryingto enslave it," said Harry, earnestly.

  "Prithee! what will you say next? But hold, I am not here to banterwords with you. Will you enter the King's service, and fight his battlesunder Prince Rupert?" demanded Master Drury.

  "Serve under that Prince of Plunderers?--never!" said Harry, in adetermined tone.

  "It is enough," said his father. "I give you this purse, which containsenough to keep you from starving for a few days, and for the rest youmust look to yourself. You have no further part or lot in HayslopeGrange. I cast you off for ever."

  But Harry did not attempt to touch the purse, which his father hadplaced on the table beside him. Throwing himself again on his knees, hebegged his father to revoke the dreadful words he had just uttered.

  "I will remain at home, and never again seek to serve the Parliament, ifyou forbid it," he said.

  Master Drury looked down at him, and his lips quivered with emotion.

  "Say you will renounce these new opinions and serve the King, and youare my son still," he said.

  But Harry started back.

  "Give up my principles! all that I have learned to see is just and trueand honest! My father, you cannot ask me to do this?" said Harry.

  "I ask you to give up all traitorous friendships, and return to yourallegiance and duty to your King," said his father.

  "But I should be a traitor to my conscience. I should sell myconvictions of right and duty for your favour. My father, you would nothave your son a slave?"

  "I would that I had no son at all!" groaned the old man, covering hiseyes with his hands.

  "Forgive me, oh, forgive me the pain I have caused you, my father; andlet me remain at home with you still; only don't ask me to be a traitorto my conscience!" implored Harry.

  "I _ask_ you nothing," said Master Drury. "I _command_ you to swear thismoment that you will enter the King's service without delay; and if youdo not obey me, you leave this house at once, and I have no son fromthis night."

  Harry slowly rose from his knees with bowed head.

  "I cannot swear," he said. "I will serve my country, not sell her intothe power of tyrants," and he turned to leave the room. But at the doorhe paused for a moment, and then turned back. "You will give me yourblessing once more, my father, before I depart?" he said; and he wouldhave knelt to receive it, but the old man waved him off.

  "Leave me, leave me at once, lest I curse you!" he said, in a hoarsevoice; and Harry, without glancing at the purse, which still lay on thetable, retreated from that look of stern wrath which had settled on hisface.

  The two young men walked straight out into the fields, and for some timeneither spoke; but at length Harry said,--

  "What are we to do, Clayton?"

  "We had better get round to the barn for to-night, and sleep there,"replied Gilbert, "and then to-morrow you had better see your fatheragain."

  But Harry shook his head sadly.

  "Marry, it will be of no use," he said.

  "By my troth, I would try, though you cannot marvel that he is angry,speaking as you did," said Gilbert, warmly.

  "Yes, I know I was wrong; but you do not know my father, Gilbert, or youwould not advise me to thrust myself into his presence again for awhile. No, no; I must go to London now, and seek my fortune there."

  "But you will stay here to-night?" said his friend.

  "Yes, to-night," sighed Harry; "for I must see Maud to-morrow."

  Clayton hoped that Master Drury's anger might be somewhat appeased bythe next day, and he resolved to see him, if possible, when he went tothe house for his things, which in the hurry and confusion had been leftbehind.

  Anxiety kept Harry awake as much as his strange quarters that night; butClayton, who had many times slept out in the open field when upon themarch, did not feel much inconvenience from sleeping on the barn floor.He awoke about the usual time, but would not stir, for fear ofdisturbing Harry. At length, however, one of the men pushed open thedoor, and not recognising the intruders, at once ordered them off in aloud, rough voice.

  Harry started to his feet, crying, "Maud, Maud, I will save you!" andthen rubbed his eyes to see if it was true that the man was staring andGilbert laughing at him.

  "Marry, but you have been dreaming," said Clayton, rising and stretchinghimself.

  "Is it my young master?" uttered the man, slowly, as if scarcely able tobelieve the evidence of his eyes.

  "Yes, it is me; Harry Drury," said Harry. "Have you heard how MistressMaud is this morning?" he asked, anxiously.

  "But sadly, I hear," said the man, shaking his head. "Marry, but 'tis abad business, this, Master Harry," he added.

  "Will you go and tell one of the maids to ask Mistress Maud to come tome?" said Harry, in a tone of impatience.

  "Mistress Maud has not yet left her room," said the man. "I heard----"

  "Then go and ask if I can see her in the painted gallery," interruptedHarry. "Stop!" he cried, as the man was moving off; "you are not to goto Mistress Mabel, but ask Jane, or one of the other maids."

  The man gave a knowing nod, and departed on his errand, det
ermined toaccomplish it too, for he had no doubt but that the visit to Maud was toask her to intercede with Master Drury; and Harry being a generalfavourite with the servants, they had all felt sorry for his dilemma,although they did not understand it.

  He slowly followed the man round to a small entrance at the side of thehouse, and presently the door opened and Jane beckoned him to enter. Astaircase close to the door led direct to one end of the paintedgallery, which was close to Maud's room, and here Harry sat down in thebroad window-seat to wait her coming. He did not have to wait long. In aminute or two her chamber-door opened, and the young lady stepped intothe gallery, looking very pale and sad, but almost as stern as MasterDrury himself.

  "Oh, Maud, forgive me!" burst forth Harry, starting forward when he sawher.

  But she coldly waved him off.

  "I have nothing to forgive," she said.

  Harry paused in amazement.

  "Prithee, tell me what is the matter," he said; "are you ill, Maud?"

  "Prithee, no," said Maud, lightly (which was not quite the truth).

  Harry advanced a step nearer, and Maud drew further back.

  "Do not seek to touch me," she said, proudly. "I give not my hand totraitors."

  "But I am not a traitor," said Harry. "I have followed your advice, andtold my father I must go on in----"

  "Followed my advice!" repeated Maud. "By my faith, I never advised you!"

  "Nay, nay, did you not understand me when I conversed with you?"

  "I understand you now, Master Drury," interrupted Maud, "but I choosenot to hold converse with a traitor;" and with a haughty gesture sheturned and went into her own room, leaving Harry overwhelmed withsurprise and distress.

  He went down-stairs, and out of the little unused door into the sunnyfields, without knowing where he was, and he wandered up and down,trying to collect his bewildered thoughts, and think over what hadhappened, until Gilbert Clayton overtook him.

  He had collected the few belongings he brought with him to HayslopeGrange, and now carried them in his hand, but he had utterly failed inhis mission to Master Drury. The old man was more bitter this morningthan he had been the previous evening, and vowed he would never own hisson again, unless he took service under King Charles.

  "Let us get away from here as fast as we can," said Harry, as his friendjoined him.

  "Have you seen Mistress Maud?" asked Gilbert, hoping that she at leasthad spoken a word of comfort to him.

  "Prithee, do not ask me," said Harry, in a hoarse voice. "I am anoutcast from my father's house; every one spurns me."

  "Say not so, Harry," said Gilbert, in a gentle tone. "Remember the wordof the Lord, 'When my father and mother forsake me, then the Lord willtake me up.'"

  "But I know not that I have the right to that promise," said Harry,moodily.

  "But you confess that you need it," said Gilbert.

  "Yes, I need it," said Harry.

  "Then Christ came to satisfy the needy, whatever their wants might be.He came to show us the love of the Father that it was inexhaustible, notlike the love of earthly friends, which is often cold and changeful, butever full, free, and unchangeable."

  Harry sighed.

  "I feel utterly desolate and deserted," he said.

  "Then will you not go to Him who is waiting to take you up and adopt youinto His family, and make you His son in Christ Jesus? He wishes to doso. He is waiting to be gracious."

  "Go on," said Harry, when Gilbert paused. "I am listening; your wordsare like water to a thirsty soul;" and Gilbert went on until theyreached the village, where Gilbert bought a loaf of rye bread, and aftereating this, and drinking some water from the spring, they started ontheir journey to London; for although Gilbert was not a poor man, theyhad not much money with them, not enough to buy a horse, andstage-coaches were unheard of in those days.