So it had occurred in this instance. Mr. Betterton did not wait to seethe bonfire, which was just beginning to blaze merrily in theold-fashioned hearth. He told me all about it when he joined me oncemore upon the doorstep, and for the first time that day I heard himlaugh quite naturally and spontaneously while he recounted to me Mr.Baggs' Terrors and Mistress Euphrosine's dignified Fussiness.
"She would have liked to find some Pretext," he said quite gaily, "forblaming me in the Matter. But on the whole, I think that they were boththankful for my timely Warning."
4
But, as far as I was concerned, this ended once and for all myConnection with the house of Mr. Theophilus Baggs, and since thatmemorable night I have never once slept under his roof.
I went back with Mr. Betterton to his House in Tothill Street. By thetime we reached it, it was close on ten o'clock. Already he hadintimated to me that henceforth I was to make my home with him; and assoon as we entered the House he ordered his Servant to make my room andbed ready for me. My Heart was filled with inexpressible gratitude athis Kindness. Though I had, in an altogether inexplicable manner, runcounter to his Plans, he was ready to forgive me and did not withdrawhis Friendship from me.
As time went on, I was able to tell him something of the Emotions whichcoursed through my Heart in recognition of his measureless Kindness tome; but on that first evening I could not speak of it. When I firstbeheld the cosy room which he had assigned to me, with its clean andcomfortable bed and substantial furniture, I could only bow my Head,take his Hand and kiss it reverently. He withdrew it as if he had beenstung.
"Keep such expressions of Respect," he said almost roughly, "for one whois worthy."
"You," I riposted simply, "are infinitely worthy, because You are good."
Then once again his harsh, mirthless Laugh--so unlike his usuallight-hearted Merriment--grated upon mine ear.
"Good!" he exclaimed. "Nay, friend Honeywood, You are not, meseems, amaster of intuition. Few Hearts in London this night," he addedearnestly, "harbour such evil Desires as mine."
But in spite of what he said, in spite of that strange look in his eyes,that Laugh which proclaimed a perturbed Soul, I could not bring myselfto believe that his noble Heart was a Prey to aught but noble Desires,and that those awful and subtle Schemes of deadly Revenge which havesubsequently threatened to ruin his own Life were even now seething inhis Brain.
For the moment, I only remembered that when first he had requested me toaccompany him on his evening Peregrinations, it had been with a view tovisiting the Countess of Castlemaine, and I now reminded him of hisPurpose, thinking that his desire had been to beg for my Lord Stour'spardon. I did so, still insisting upon her Ladyship's avowedPredilection for himself, and I noticed that while I spoke thus hesmiled grimly to himself and presently said with slow Deliberation:
"Aye! Her Ladyship hath vowed that out of Gratitude for his publicEulogy of her Virtue and her Beauty, she would grant Mr. ThomasBetterton any Favour he might ask of her."
"Aye! and her Ladyship is not like to go back on her word," I assentedeagerly.
"Therefore," he continued, not heeding me, "the Countess of Castlemaine,who in her turn can obtain any Favour she desires from His Majesty theKing, will at my request obtain a full and gracious Pardon for the Earlof Stour."
"She will indeed!" I exclaimed, puzzled once more at this strange traitof Magnanimity--Weakness, I called it--on the part of a Man who had ontwo occasions been so monstrously outraged. "You are a hero, Sir," Iadded in an awed whisper, "to think of a pardon for your most deadlyEnemy."
He turned and looked me full in the eyes. I could scarce bear hisGlance, for there seemed to dwell within its glowing depths such a Worldof Misery, of Hatred and of thwarted Passion, that my Soul was filledwith dread at the sight. And he said very slowly:
"You are wrong there, my Friend. I was not thinking of a pardon formine Enemy, but of Revenge for a deadly Insult, which it seems cannot bewiped out in Blood."
5
I would have said something more after that, for in truth my Heart wasfull of Sympathy and of Love for my Friend and I longed to soothe andconsole him, as I felt I could do, humble and unsophisticated though Iwas. Thoughts of You, dear Mistress, were running riot in my Brain. Ilonged at this momentous hour, when the Fate of many Men whom I knew wastrembling in the balance, to throw myself at Mr. Betterton's feet and toconjure him in the name of all his most noble Instincts to give up allthoughts of the proud Lady who had disdained him and spurned hisAffections, and to turn once more to the early and pure Love of hisLife--to You, dear Mistress, whose Devotion had been so severely triedand yet had not been found wanting, and whose influence had always beenone of Gentleness and of Purity.
But, seeing him sitting there brooding, obviously a Prey to Thoughtsboth deep and dark, I did not dare speak, and remained silent in thehope that, now that I was settled under his roof, an Opportunity wouldoccur for me to tell him what weighed so heavily on my Heart.
Presently the Servant came in and brought Supper, and Mr. Betterton satdown to it, bidding me with perfect Grace and Hospitality to sitopposite to him. But we neither of us felt greatly inclined to eat. Iwas hungry, it is true; yet every Morsel which I conveyed to my mouthcost me an effort to swallow. This was all the more remarkable as atthe moment my whole Being was revelling in the Succulence of the farespread out before me, the Excellence of the Wine, the snowy Whiteness ofthe Cloths, the Beauty of Crystal and of Silver, all of which boretestimony to the fastidious Taste and the Refinement of the greatArtist.
Of the great Events which were even then shaping themselves in WhiteHall, we did not speak. We each knew that the Other's mind was full ofwhat might be going on even at this hour. But Mr. Betterton made not asingle Reference to it, and I too, therefore, held my tongue. In fact,we spoke but little during Supper, and as I watched my dearly lovedFriend toying with his food, and I myself felt as if the next mouthfulwould choke me, I knew his Mind was far away.
It was fixed upon White Hall and its stately Purlieus and upon the houseof the Countess of Castlemaine, which overlooked the Privy Gardens, andof His Majesty the King. His senses, I knew, were strained to catch thesound of distant Murmurs, of running Footsteps, of the grinding of Armsor of pistol shots.
But not a Sound came to disturb the peaceful Silence of this comfortableAbode. The Servant came and went, bringing food, then clearing it away,pouring Wine into our glasses, setting and removing the silver Utensils.
Anon Mr. Betterton and I both started and furtively caught one another'sGlance. The tower clock of Westminster was striking eleven.
"For Good or for Evil, all is over by now," Mr. Betterton said quietly."Come, friend Honeywood; let's to bed."
I went to bed, but not to sleep. For hours I lay awake, wondering whathad happened. Had the Conspirators succeeded and was His Majesty aPrisoner in their hands? or were they themselves Captives in thatfrowning Edifice by the Water, which had witnessed so many Deaths andsuch grim Tragedies, and from which the only Egress led straight to theScaffold?
CHAPTER XI
RUMOURS AND CONJECTURES
1
Very little of what had actually occurred came to the ear of the Public.In fact, not one Man in ten in the whole of the Cities of London andWestminster knew that a couple of hours before midnight, when mostsimple and honest Citizens were retiring to their beds, a batch ofdangerous Conspirators had been arrested even within the Precincts ofWhite Hall.
I heard all that there was to know from Mr. Betterton, who went outearly the following Morning and returned fully informed of the events ofthe preceding Night. Subsequently too, I gleaned a good deal ofinformation through the instrumentality of Mistress Floid. As far as Icould gather, the Conspirators did carry out their Project just as theyhad decided on it in my Presence. They did assemb
le in King Street andin the by-lanes leading out of it, keeping my Lady Castlemaine's Housein sight, whilst others succeeded in Concealing themselves about theGardens of White Hall, no doubt with the Aid of treacherous and subornedWatchmen.
The striking of the hour of ten was to be the signal for immediate andconcerted Action. Those in the Gardens stood by on the watch, untilafter His Majesty the King had walked across from his Palace to HerLadyship's House. His Majesty, as was his wont when supping with LadyCastlemaine, entered her house by the back door, and his Servantsfollowed him into the house.
Then the Conspirators waited for the Hour to strike. Directly the lastclang of church bells had ceased to reverberate through the humidevening air, they advanced both from the Back and the Front of the Housesimultaneously, when they were set upon on the one side by a Company ofHis Majesty's Body Guard under the Command of Major Sachvrell, who hadremained concealed inside the Palace, and on the other by a Company ofHalberdiers under the Command of Colonel Powick.
When the Traitors were thus confronted by loyal Troops, they tried toput up a Fight, not realizing that such measures had been taken by MajorSachvrell and Colonel Powick that they could not possibly hope toescape.
A scuffle ensued, but the Conspirators were very soon overpowered, asindeed they were greatly outnumbered. The Neighbourhood--even thenslumbering peacefully--did no more than turn over in bed, marvellingperhaps if a party of Mohocks on mischief bent had come in conflict witha Posse of Night-watchmen. The Prisoners were at once marched to theTower, despite the Rain which had once more begun to fall heavily; andduring the long, wearisome Tramp through the City, their Ardour forConspiracies and Intrigues must have cooled down considerably.
The Lieutenant of the Tower had everything ready for the Reception ofsuch exalted Guests; for in truth my Lady Castlemaine had not allowedthings to be done by halves. Incensed against her Enemies in a mannerin which only an adulated and spoilt Woman can be, she was going to seeto it that those who had plotted against her should be as severely dealtwith as the Law permitted.
2
Later on, I had it from my friend, Mistress Floid, that the Lady BarbaraWychwoode visited the Countess of Castlemaine during the course of themorning. She arrived at her Ladyship's House dressed in black and witha Veil, as if of mourning, over her fair Hair.
Mistress Floid hath oft told me that the Interview between the twoLadies was truly pitiable, and that the Lady Barbara presented aheart-rending Spectacle. She begged and implored her Ladyship toexercise Mercy over a few young Hotheads, who had been misled intoWrong-doing by inflammatory Speeches from Agitators, these being naughtbut paid Agents of the Dutch Government, she averred, set to createDiscontent and if possible Civil War once again in England, so thatHolland might embark upon a War of Revenge with some Certainty ofSuccess.
But the Countess of Castlemaine would not listen to the Petition at all,and proud Lady Barbara Wychwoode then flung herself at the other Woman'sfeet and begged and implored for Pardon for her Brother, her Lover andher Friends. Mistress Floid avers that my Lady Castlemaine did nothingbut laugh at the poor Girl's pleadings, saying in a haughty,supercilious Manner:
"Beauty in tears? 'Tis a pretty sight, forsooth! But had your Friendssucceeded in their damnable Plot, would You have shed tears of sympathyfor Me, I wonder?"
And I could not find it in me to be astonished at my Lady Castlemaine'sSpitefulness, for in truth the Lady Barbara's Friends had plotted herDisgrace and Ruin. Not only that, they had taken every opportunity ofvilifying her Character and making her appear as odious in the Eyes ofthe People as they very well could.
You must not infer from this, dear Mistress, that I am upholding my LadyCastlemaine in any way. Her mode of life is abhorrent to me and I deeplyregret her Influence over His Majesty and over the public Morals of theCourt Circle, not to say of the entire Aristocracy and Gentry. I ammerely noting the fact that human Nature being what it is, it is not tobe wondered at that when the Lady had a Chance of hitting back, she didso with all her Might, determined to lose nothing of this stupendousRevenge.
However secret the actual Arrest of the Conspirators was kept frompublic Knowledge, it soon transpired that such great and noble Gentlemenas Lord Teammouth, Lord Douglas Wychwoode, the Earl of Stour, not tomention others, were in the Tower, and that a sensational Trial forConspiracy and High Treason was pending.
Gradually the History of the Plot had leaked out, and how it had becomeabortive owing to an anonymous Denunciation (for so it was called). TheConspiracy became the talk of the Town. Several Ladies and Gentlemen,though not directly implicated in the Affair, but of knownultra-Protestant views, thought it best to retire to their CountryEstates, ostensibly for the benefit of their Health.
Sinister Rumours were afloat that the Conspirators would be executedwithout Trial--had already suffered the extreme Penalty of the Law; thatthe Marquis of Sidbury, Father of Lord Douglas Wychwoode, had suddenlydied of Grief; that Torture would be applied to the proletarianAccomplices of the noble Lords--of whom there were many--so as toextract further Information and Denunciations from them. In fact, theTown seethed with Conjectures; People talked in Whispers and dispersedat sight of any one who was known to belong to the Court Circle. TheTheatres played to empty Benches, the Exchanges and Shops were deserted,for no one liked to be abroad when Arrests and Prosecutions were in theAir.
Through it all, very great Sympathy was evinced for the Lady BarbaraWychwoode, whose pretty Face was so well-known in Town and whose Charmof Manner and kindly Disposition had endeared her to many who had hadthe privilege of her Acquaintance. Public Opinion is a strange andunaccountable Factor in the Affairs of Men, and Public Opinion found itterribly hard that so young and adulated a Girl as was the Lady Barbarashould at one fell swoop lose Brother, Lover and Friends. And I maytruly say that Satisfaction was absolutely genuine and universal when itbecame known presently that the young Earl of Stour had received a fulland gracious Pardon for his supposed Share in the abominable Plot.
Whether, on closer Investigation, he had been proved innocent or whetherthe Pardon was due to exalted or other powerful Influences, no one knewas yet: all that was a Certainty was that my Lord Stour presently leftthe Tower a free Man even whilst his Friends were one and all brought toTrial, and subsequently most of them executed for High Treason, orotherwise severely punished.
Lord Teammouth suffered Death upon the Scaffold, so did Sir JamesCampsfield and Mr. Andrew Kinver; and there were others, whose Namesescape me for the moment. Lord Douglas Wychwoode succeeded in fleeingto Scotland and thence to Holland; most people averred owing to themarvellous Pluck and Ingenuity of his Sister. A number of Persons ofmeaner degree were hanged; in fact, a Reign of Terror swept over thecountry, and many thought that the Judges had been unduly harsh and overfree with their Pronouncements of Death Sentences.
But it was obvious that His Majesty himself meant to make an Example ofsuch abominable Traitors, before political Intrigues and Rebellionspread over the Country once again.
It was all the more strange, therefore, that one of theConspirators--the Earl of Stour, in fact, whose name had been mostconspicuous in connection with the Affair--should thus have been theonly one to enjoy Immunity. But, as I said before, nothing butSatisfaction was expressed at first for this one small Ray of Sunshinewhich came to brighten poor Lady Barbara Wychwoode's Misery.
As for me, I did not know what to think. Surely my heart should havebeen filled with Admiration for the noble Revenge which a great Artisthad taken upon a hot-headed young Coxcomb. Such Magnanimity was indeedunbelievable; nay, I felt that it showed a Weakness of Character ofwhich in my innermost Heart I did not believe Mr. Betterton capable.
To say that I was much rejoiced over the Clemency shown to my Lord Stourwould be to deviate from the Truth. Looking back upon the Motives whichhad actuated me when I denounced the infamous Plot to the Countess ofCastlemaine, I could not help but admit to myself that Hatred of a young
Jackanapes and a Desire for Vengeance upon his impudent Head had greatlyinfluenced my Course of Action. Now that I imagined him once morekneeling at the Lady Barbara's feet, an accepted Lover, triumphant overDestiny, all the Sympathy which I may have felt for him momentarily inthe hour of his Adversity, died out completely from my Heart, and I feltthat I hated him even more virulently than before.
His Image, as he had last stood before me in the dimly-lighted room ofhis noble Mansion, surrounded by Books, costly Furniture, and all theAppurtenances of a rich and independent Gentleman, was constantly beforemy Mind. I could, just by closing mine eyes, see him sitting beside thehearth, with the lovely Lady Barbara beaming at him from the placeopposite, and his Friend standing by, backing him up with Word and Deedin all his Arrogance and Overbearing.
"The Earl of Stour cannot cross swords with a Mountebank."
I seemed to hear those Words reverberating across the street like theclank of some ghostly Bell; and whenever mine ears rang to their sound Ifelt the hot Blood of a just Wrath surge up to my cheeks and my feebleHands would close in a Clutch, that was fierce as it was impotent.
3
The reported Death from grief of the Marquis of Sidbury proved to be afalse Rumour. But the aged Peer did suffer severely from the Shame putupon him by his Son's Treachery. The Wychwoodes had always been loyalSubjects of their King. At the time of the late lamented Monarch's mostcrying Adversity, he knew that he could always count on the Devotion ofthat noble Family, the Members of which had jeopardized their entireFortune, their very Existence, in the royal Cause.