XXVII. DANGER TO ANNE
He stopped and reflected how to turn this rebuff to advantage. Baulkedin his project of entering the watering-place and enjoyingcongratulations upon his patriotic bearing during the advance, he sulkilyconsidered that he might be able to make some use of his enforcedretirement by riding to Overcombe and glorifying himself in the eyes ofMiss Garland before the truth should have reached that hamlet. Havingthus decided he spurred on in a better mood.
By this time the volunteers were on the march, and as Derriman ascendedthe road he met the Overcombe company, in which trudged Miller Lovedayshoulder to shoulder with the other substantial householders of the placeand its neighbourhood, duly equipped with pouches, cross-belts,firelocks, flint-boxes, pickers, worms, magazines, priming-horns, heel-ball, and pomatum. There was nothing to be gained by further suppressionof the truth, and briefly informing them that the danger was not soimmediate as had been supposed, Festus galloped on. At the end ofanother mile he met a large number of pikemen, including Bob Loveday,whom the yeoman resolved to sound upon the whereabouts of Anne. Thecircumstances were such as to lead Bob to speak more frankly than hemight have done on reflection, and he told Festus the direction in whichthe women had been sent. Then Festus informed the group that the reportof invasion was false, upon which they all turned to go homeward withgreatly relieved spirits.
Bob walked beside Derriman's horse for some distance. Loveday hadinstantly made up his mind to go and look for the women, and ease theiranxiety by letting them know the good news as soon as possible. But hesaid nothing of this to Festus during their return together; nor didFestus tell Bob that he also had resolved to seek them out, and byanticipating every one else in that enterprise, make of it a gloriousopportunity for bringing Miss Garland to her senses about him. He stillresented the ducking that he had received at her hands, and was notdisposed to let that insult pass without obtaining some sort of sweetrevenge.
As soon as they had parted Festus cantered on over the hill, meeting onhis way the Longpuddle volunteers, sixty rank and file, under CaptainCunningham; the Casterbridge company, ninety strong (known as the'Consideration Company' in those days), under Captain Strickland; andothers--all with anxious faces and covered with dust. Just passing theword to them and leaving them at halt, he proceeded rapidly onward in thedirection of King's-Bere. Nobody appeared on the road for some time,till after a ride of several miles he met a stray corporal of volunteers,who told Festus in answer to his inquiry that he had certainly passed nogig full of women of the kind described. Believing that he had missedthem by following the highway, Derriman turned back into a lane alongwhich they might have chosen to journey for privacy's sake,notwithstanding the badness and uncertainty of its track. Arriving againwithin five miles of Overcombe, he at length heard tidings of thewandering vehicle and its precious burden, which, like the Ark when sentaway from the country of the Philistines, had apparently been left to theinstincts of the beast that drew it. A labouring man, just at daybreak,had seen the helpless party going slowly up a distant drive, which hepointed out.
No sooner had Festus parted from this informant than he beheld Bobapproaching, mounted on the miller's second and heavier horse. Boblooked rather surprised, and Festus felt his coming glory in danger.
'They went down that lane,' he said, signifying precisely the oppositedirection to the true one. 'I, too, have been on the look-out formissing friends.'
As Festus was riding back there was no reason to doubt his information,and Loveday rode on as misdirected. Immediately that he was out of sightFestus reversed his course, and followed the track which Anne and hercompanions were last seen to pursue.
This road had been ascended by the gig in question nearly two hoursbefore the present moment. Molly, the servant, held the reins, Mrs.Loveday sat beside her, and Anne behind. Their progress was but slow,owing partly to Molly's want of skill, and partly to the steepness of theroad, which here passed over downs of some extent, and was rarely ornever mended. It was an anxious morning for them all, and the beautiesof the early summer day fell upon unheeding eyes. They were too anxiouseven for conjecture, and each sat thinking her own thoughts, occasionallyglancing westward, or stopping the horse to listen to sounds from morefrequented roads along which other parties were retreating. Once, whilethey listened and gazed thus, they saw a glittering in the distance, andheard the tramp of many horses. It was a large body of cavalry going inthe direction of the King's watering-place, the same regiment ofdragoons, in fact, which Festus had seen further on in its course. Thewomen in the gig had no doubt that these men were marching at once toengage the enemy. By way of varying the monotony of the journey Mollyoccasionally burst into tears of horror, believing Buonaparte to be incountenance and habits precisely what the caricatures represented him.Mrs. Loveday endeavoured to establish cheerfulness by assuring hercompanions of the natural civility of the French nation, with whomunprotected women were safe from injury, unless through the casualexcesses of soldiery beyond control. This was poor consolation to Anne,whose mind was more occupied with Bob than with herself, and a miserablefear that she would never again see him alive so paled her face andsaddened her gaze forward, that at last her mother said, 'Who was youthinking of, my dear?' Anne's only reply was a look at her mother, withwhich a tear mingled.
Molly whipped the horse, by which she quickened his pace for five yards,when he again fell into the perverse slowness that showed how fullyconscious he was of being the master-mind and chief personage of thefour. Whenever there was a pool of water by the road he turned aside todrink a mouthful, and remained there his own time in spite of Molly's tugat the reins and futile fly-flapping on his rump. They were now in thechalk district, where there were no hedges, and a rough attempt atmending the way had been made by throwing down huge lumps of that glaringmaterial in heaps, without troubling to spread it or break them abroad.The jolting here was most distressing, and seemed about to snap thesprings.
'How that wheel do wamble,' said Molly at last. She had scarcely spokenwhen the wheel came off, and all three were precipitated over it into theroad.
Fortunately the horse stood still, and they began to gather themselvesup. The only one of the three who had suffered in the least from thefall was Anne, and she was only conscious of a severe shaking which hadhalf stupefied her for the time. The wheel lay flat in the road, so thatthere was no possibility of driving further in their present plight. Theylooked around for help. The only friendly object near was a lonelycottage, from its situation evidently the home of a shepherd.
The horse was unharnessed and tied to the back of the gig, and the threewomen went across to the house. On getting close they found that theshutters of all the lower windows were closed, but on trying the door itopened to the hand. Nobody was within; the house appeared to have beenabandoned in some confusion, and the probability was that the shepherdhad fled on hearing the alarm. Anne now said that she felt the effectsof her fall too severely to be able to go any further just then, and itwas agreed that she should be left there while Mrs. Loveday and Mollywent on for assistance, the elder lady deeming Molly too young and vacant-minded to be trusted to go alone. Molly suggested taking the horse, asthe distance might be great, each of them sitting alternately on his backwhile the other led him by the head. This they did, Anne watching themvanish down the white and lumpy road.
She then looked round the room, as well as she could do so by the lightfrom the open door. It was plain, from the shutters being closed, thatthe shepherd had left his house before daylight, the candle andextinguisher on the table pointing to the same conclusion. Here sheremained, her eyes occasionally sweeping the bare, sunny expanse of down,that was only relieved from absolute emptiness by the overturned gig hardby. The sheep seemed to have gone away, and scarcely a bird flew acrossto disturb the solitude. Anne had risen early that morning, and leaningback in the withy chair, which she had placed by the door, she soon fellinto an uneasy doze, from which she was awakened by
the distant tramp ofa horse. Feeling much recovered from the effects of the overturn, sheeagerly rose and looked out. The horse was not Miller Loveday's, but apowerful bay, bearing a man in full yeomanry uniform.
Anne did not wait to recognize further; instantly re-entering the house,she shut the door and bolted it. In the dark she sat and listened: not asound. At the end of ten minutes, thinking that the rider if he were notFestus had carelessly passed by, or that if he were Festus he had notseen her, she crept softly upstairs and peeped out of the window.Excepting the spot of shade, formed by the gig as before, the down wasquite bare. She then opened the casement and stretched out her neck.
'Ha, young madam! There you are! I knew 'ee! Now you are caught!' camelike a clap of thunder from a point three or four feet beneath her, andturning down her frightened eyes she beheld Festus Derriman lurking closeto the wall. His attention had first been attracted by her shutting thedoor of the cottage; then by the overturned gig; and after making sure,by examining the vehicle, that he was not mistaken in her identity, hehad dismounted, led his horse round to the side, and crept up to entrapher.
Anne started back into the room, and remained still as a stone. Festuswent on--'Come, you must trust to me. The French have landed. I havebeen trying to meet with you every hour since that confounded trick youplayed me. You threw me into the water. Faith, it was well for you Ididn't catch ye then! I should have taken a revenge in a better way thanI shall now. I mean to have that kiss of ye. Come, Miss Nancy; do youhear?--'Tis no use for you to lurk inside there. You'll have to turn outas soon as Boney comes over the hill--Are you going to open the door, Isay, and speak to me in a civil way? What do you think I am, then, thatyou should barricade yourself against me as if I was a wild beast orFrenchman? Open the door, or put out your head, or do something; or 'ponmy soul I'll break in the door!'
It occurred to Anne at this point of the tirade that the best policywould be to temporize till somebody should return, and she put out herhead and face, now grown somewhat pale.
'That's better,' said Festus. 'Now I can talk to you. Come, my dear,will you open the door? Why should you be afraid of me?'
'I am not altogether afraid of you; I am safe from the French here,' saidAnne, not very truthfully, and anxiously casting her eyes over the vacantdown.
'Then let me tell you that the alarm is false, and that no landing hasbeen attempted. Now will you open the door and let me in? I am tired. Ihave been on horseback ever since daylight, and have come to bring youthe good tidings.'
Anne looked as if she doubted the news.
'Come,' said Festus.
'No, I cannot let you in,' she murmured, after a pause.
'Dash my wig, then,' he cried, his face flaming up, 'I'll find a way toget in! Now, don't you provoke me! You don't know what I am capable of.I ask you again, will you open the door?'
'Why do you wish it?' she said faintly.
'I have told you I want to sit down; and I want to ask you a question.'
'You can ask me from where you are.'
'I cannot ask you properly. It is about a serious matter: whether youwill accept my heart and hand. I am not going to throw myself at yourfeet; but I ask you to do your duty as a woman, namely, give your solemnword to take my name as soon as the war is over and I have time to attendto you. I scorn to ask it of a haughty hussy who will only speak to methrough a window; however, I put it to you for the last time, madam.'
There was no sign on the down of anybody's return, and she said, 'I'llthink of it, sir.'
'You have thought of it long enough; I want to know. Will you or won'tyou?'
'Very well; I think I will.' And then she felt that she might be buyingpersonal safety too dearly by shuffling thus, since he would spread thereport that she had accepted him, and cause endless complication. 'No,'she said, 'I have changed my mind. I cannot accept you, Mr. Derriman.'
'That's how you play with me!' he exclaimed, stamping. '"Yes," onemoment; "No," the next. Come, you don't know what you refuse. That oldhall is my uncle's own, and he has nobody else to leave it to. As soonas he's dead I shall throw up farming and start as a squire. And now,'he added with a bitter sneer, 'what a fool you are to hang back from sucha chance!'
'Thank you, I don't value it,' said Anne.
'Because you hate him who would make it yours?'
'It may not lie in your power to do that.'
'What--has the old fellow been telling you his affairs?'
'No.'
'Then why do you mistrust me? Now, after this will you open the door,and show that you treat me as a friend if you won't accept me as a lover?I only want to sit and talk to you.'
Anne thought she would trust him; it seemed almost impossible that hecould harm her. She retired from the window and went downstairs. Whenher hand was upon the bolt of the door, her mind misgave her. Instead ofwithdrawing it she remained in silence where she was, and he began again--
'Are you going to unfasten it?'
Anne did not speak.
'Now, dash my wig, I will get at you! You've tried me beyond endurance.One kiss would have been enough that day in the mead; now I'll haveforty, whether you will or no!'
He flung himself against the door; but as it was bolted, and had inaddition a great wooden bar across it, this produced no effect. He wassilent for a moment, and then the terrified girl heard him attempt theshuttered window. She ran upstairs and again scanned the down. Theyellow gig still lay in the blazing sunshine, and the horse of Festusstood by the corner of the garden--nothing else was to be seen. At thismoment there came to her ear the noise of a sword drawn from itsscabbard; and, peeping over the window-sill, she saw her tormentor drivehis sword between the joints of the shutters, in an attempt to rip themopen. The sword snapped off in his hand. With an imprecation he pulledout the piece, and returned the two halves to the scabbard.
'Ha! ha!' he cried, catching sight of the top of her head. ''Tis only ajoke, you know; but I'll get in all the same. All for a kiss! But nevermind, we'll do it yet!' He spoke in an affectedly light tone, as ifashamed of his previous resentful temper; but she could see by the lividback of his neck that he was brimful of suppressed passion. 'Only ajest, you know,' he went on. 'How are we going to do it now? Why, inthis way. I go and get a ladder, and enter at the upper window where mylove is. And there's the ladder lying under that corn-rick in the firstenclosed field. Back in two minutes, dear!'
He ran off, and was lost to her view.