smaller dimensionswere placed in the belt he wore round his waist. In his hand he carrieda thick stick, which might have proved no bad substitute for abroadsword.
"It was indeed thoughtful of you, Paul," said the young lady, lookinground at her companion, without in any way checking the rapid speed atwhich she was proceeding. "I little expected to mount Beauty again, andcould not have accomplished our journey so well, I am sure, on any otherhorse."
"Why, Miss Mabel, do you see, when we had to surrender Stanmore to OldSleech, I thought to myself, neither he nor any of his young cubs shallever mount the horse my dear young mistress has ridden; so as soon as itwas dark one night, I trotted him off to my good friend Farmer Gilpin,and says I to the farmer, `You take care of this horse, and let no onehave him till I come and fetch him away; he's not stolen, and you neednot be afraid of the halter. I will pay you for his keep when I fetchhim away.' Mr. Sleech, cunning as he is, had not made a list of thehorses, so did not miss Beauty; besides, she was yours, and not his,though he would have claimed her; and that's the long and short of mystory, Miss Mabel."
"Thank you, thank you, indeed," answered Mabel. "Do you think Beautywill get through the journey in a couple of days?"
"I am afraid not, Miss Mabel," answered Paul. "I would advise you tosleep twice on the road, and then you will get in fresh the third day,and be able at once to go to Mr. Thornborough's. He was a friend of thecolonel, I know, and from what you tell me, I am sure he will give youas much assistance as anybody."
Madame Everard, when she heard the dangerous situation in which HarryTryon was placed, could not bring herself to refuse Mabel's wish to setoff immediately to try what could be done to assist him. She, however,had advised her going at once to her godfather, Mr. Thornborough, who,being a man of influence, and possessing great knowledge of the world,was able to render her more help than Mr. Kyffin could. She had,however, wisely written to Harry's guardian, telling him what she knew,and also her purpose of going to the house of Mr. Thornborough. She wastoo anxious to speak much during her ride.
From the rapid rate at which she proceeded it was evident that she knewthe road thoroughly, as she had never even to ask her companion whichway to take. The two travellers had nearly reached the confines of theforest, when suddenly she came upon a large party of men, surroundingseveral light waggons. They were sitting on the ground with bottles andprovisions near them, while their horses stood tethered at green spotsclose at hand.
On being suddenly surprised by Mabel and old Paul, several of themstarted up and seized their bridles. Paul's stick was instantly raisedin the air, as if about to come down on the heads of his assailants.
"Avast there, mate!" sung out one of the men, "we're not going toill-treat you if you behave peaceably, but we want to know where you andthe young lady are going."
"Oh, pray let us go!" exclaimed Mabel; "we are simply going to London ona matter of great importance, and whoever you are we cannot do you anyharm."
"Well, young lady, that may be true enough," answered one of the men;"but you must just come and have a word with our captain. If he has noobjection, we don't want to keep you."
"Pray let him come and see us immediately," said Mabel; "we are anxiousto be liberated without delay."
The men, without heeding her request, led her horse and that of Paul alittle distance on one side, where, seated on the grass, enjoying a longpipe, with a book at his elbow, and a cup of coffee before him, was aperson whose appearance betokened nothing of the smuggler or brigand.As soon as he saw Mabel he started up, and inquired if he could be ofany service to her. She told him of the interruption she and herattendant had received, and begged that she might be no longer detained."Yes, sir, I say it's a great shame, and times are very bad when ayoung lady like Miss Everard, with her attendant, cannot ride throughthe forest without being stopped by a gang of smugglers."
"Miss Everard, I beg you many pardons," exclaimed the smuggler captain."My scoundrels are unable to distinguish one person from another. Ifyou will allow me I will accompany you some way on your road, so that Imay protect you from any similar annoyances."
Saying this the captain sent for his horse, which he immediatelymounted, and rode alongside Mabel through the remainder of the forest.
"I must ask your confidence, Miss Everard," he said; "I am an especialfriend of your father's. Indeed, I owe my life to his courage andgallantry, and I shall be thankful of an opportunity to render you anyservice in my power."
"I know, sir, what you say is true," observed Paul, glancing at thestranger. "I remember your coming to Stanmore that sad night, when MissLucy was taken ill, and I was close by when Captain Everard and you werespeaking together. Are you not Captain Rochard?"
"You are right, my friend," said the stranger. "By that name CaptainEverard knew me. Necessity, and not my will, compels me to associatewith these people," he continued; "not for the sake of making money, butfor another motive, believe me. You do not suppose that your fatherwould allow me his friendship did he believe that I was the leader of aband of outlaws. I may some day tell you my motives of associating withthese men. To your father I owe my life, and that alone would make metake an interest in you, young lady; but I may also tell you that I haveanother reason. We are related, although not very nearly. Yourfather's mother was a relation of my father. I never saw her, for shedied when I was very young; indeed, I am but a few years older than yourfather."
"You related to us? You know then the facts of the marriage of mygrandfather to my grandmother. How little did I expect to hear this.You may be of the very greatest assistance to us."
Captain Rochard assured Mabel that it would be a great satisfaction tohim to be so. She then told him of the loss of the certificate, and thesuccessful scheme which their relative Mr. Sleech had set up forobtaining possession of the property.
"For my own sake," she observed, "I care little for what has occurred;but it will be a bitter thing for my father when he returns to find thathe has been deprived of the property he thought his own."
Captain Rochard was silent for some minutes; then turning to Paul, heasked suddenly--
"Do you know in what year the colonel's brother married?"
"Yes, sir, I mind it well; it was the beginning of the war with France,and much about the time that Frederick of Prussia opened his sevenyears' war, and Admiral Byng did not beat the French in the firstaction, and was shot in consequence. A difficult job Lieutenant Everardhad, too, to bring home his young baby, and escape the French cruisers.I mind his coming home as well as if it had been yesterday, and MadamEverard taking care of the little motherless boy, that's the captainnow--this young lady's father--as if he had been her own child, and thepoor lieutenant going to sea, and getting shot the next year. He diedas a brave officer might wish to die, on the deck of his ship, lashingthe enemy's bowsprit to his own mainmast, that she might not get away--"
"But I forget dates; in what year was that?" asked Captain Rochard,interrupting the old man, who might otherwise have run on to a muchfurther length in his recollections.
"That was in the year '56 or '57 to the best of my mind," answered Paul."The captain's a little above forty, and it's about that time ago."
"Thank you, my friend," said Captain Rochard; "I shall remember thedates, and will put them down by-and-by. Your grandfather, I believe,"he continued, addressing Mabel, "married in the south of France, wheremy relatives were residing at the time. Alas! this fearful revolutionhas swept off many of them; but still some few, especially among theolder ones, survive. The young, and strong, and healthy were the chiefvictims. I'll say no more. I'll do my best to aid your father, andenable him to recover his rights. I wish that he was in England atpresent, that I might consult with him first. I am quite willing, atall risks, to go over to France, and to endeavour to bring over thewitnesses to the marriage, or the documents which may prove it."
Mabel expressed her thanks to Captain Rochard, who now inquired whatbusiness took her to London. S
he hesitated for some time. At last shethought, "He's true and kind, and though he may not be able to assistme, I shall have his sympathy and good wishes." She then told himfrankly of the dangerous position in which Harry Tryon was placed, ofcourse asserting her belief in his innocence.
"That fine young fellow? I know him well," said the captain. "I amsure he would not commit an unworthy action. I have more power to helphim than you may suppose. Give me all the particulars with which youare acquainted, and I will try what can be done. Do you, however,proceed in your undertaking; I have great hopes that your efforts willnot be