his toe, as he told himself thathe hoped if the men fired they would miss; that before he would runaway, with Scar Markham to laugh at his flight, they might riddle himwith bullets through and through.
"Well, sir," said Sir Godfrey, half mockingly, "are you going toretire?"
"I am under a flag of truce, Sir Godfrey," said Fred, quietly. "Ithought the Royalist party were gentlemen, and knew the meaning of sucha sign."
"Ha, ha, ha!" laughed the tall Cavalier by the general's side. "That'sa good sharp retort for you, Markham. Well done, youngster! Don't beafraid."
"I am not," said Fred, stoutly; but at the same time he said to himself,"Oh, what a horrible lie, when I'm all of a cold shiver."
"I didn't quite mean afraid," said the tall officer, laughing, "I meantto say that no one here shall harm you, my young ambassador. But lookhere, how comes it that you, who are evidently a gentleman, are takingsides with that beggarly scum of tatterdemalions who have taken up armsagainst their sovereign?"
"Look here, sir," said Fred, "is this meant for flattery or insult?"
"Neither one nor the other, young ferocity," said the Cavalier,laughing. "But don't look like that; you alarm me. Here, youngMarkham, you had better come and deal with this pernicious enemy; he istoo much for me."
But Scarlett did not move, and Fred drew a deep breath, as he preparedfor the next verbal encounter, for the fair Cavalier was leaningcarelessly out of the window, and looking down at him till, as iffascinated by his look, and after a long struggle to keep his gaze fixedon the stonework upon a level with his nose, Fred raised his eyes, andfound that the Cavalier was regarding him with a pleasant, friendlysmile.
"I did not mean to affront you," he said; "I only thought it a pity thatsuch a stout lad as you should be on the opposite side."
"Thank you," said Fred, haughtily.
"I suppose we are enemies, are we not!"
Fred nodded.
"And next time we meet you will be trying to send the point of yoursword through me, or to ride me down, eh?"
"I suppose I shall try," said Fred, smiling in spite of himself, andshowing his white teeth.
"Ah, it's a pity. You're going wrong way, young man. Better come inhere, and fight for the king."
"Better stand up manfully for my own side, and not be a traitor,"retorted Fred, hotly. "How dare you, standing there in safety, keep onthis wretched temptation?"
"Wounds and wonder!" cried the Cavalier, "what a fire-eater it is.Here, I don't wonder that we are shut up helplessly here. I say,Roundhead, will you have a glass of wine?"
"Keep your wine," said Fred. "I've come on business, not to talk anddrink."
At that moment, Sir Godfrey spoke to those about him, drawing back fromthe window, and the conversational Cavalier followed, leaving Fredsitting stiff and fretful, with all his moral quills set up, the morefull of offence that he believed Scarlett was still watching him.
As he sat there, assuming the most utter indifference, and gazing with asolidity that was statuesque straight before him, he could hear a loudbuzzing of voices, following the firm deep tones of Sir Godfrey Markham,who had evidently been laying the contents of the message before hiscompanion.
"Will they surrender?" thought Fred. "I hope they will. They aredebating the question. It would be a relief; and Scarlett Markham andI--no, Scar and I," he said, mentally correcting himself--"might perhapsbe together again. If he would promise not to take up arms, I dare saymy father and General Hedley would let him off from being a prisoner ifI asked, and he could go with me to where poor Nat lies out in the wood,and look after him."
"Huzza! God save the king!"
The shout and words came so suddenly that the little horse Fred rodestarted and reared, and he was in the act of quieting it down, feelingthe while that his ambassage had been in vain, when the party defendingthe Hall reappeared at the window.
"Youngster!" began Sir Godfrey, in a stern deep voice which annoyedFred.
"When he knows me as well as he does his own son!"
"Ride back, and tell your leaders that I have laid the contents of theirletter before the gallant gentlemen who are my companions here."
There was a buzz, and an attempt at cheering, which ceased as SirGodfrey went on.
"They all join heart and soul with me in the determination to hold myhome here in the name of his majesty the king, so long as there is aroof above us and a piece of wall to act as shelter, to help us keepyour rascally rebellious cut-throats out of the place."
Fred felt all of a tingle, and his eyes flamed as he gazed up defiantlyat the speaker.
"Tell your leaders that if they will at once lay down their arms andreturn to their homes, they shall be allowed to do so in peace."
"Huzza!" came from within.
"But if they still keep in arms against his majesty, they must expect nomercy. Once more. Tell your leaders that we treat their proposal withthe contempt it deserves."
"As we shall treat your silly proposition, sir," said Fred, quite losinghis temper at being made the bearer of such an absurd defiance from alittle knot of men, completely surrounded as they were. "Am I to fullyunderstand that you are obstinate enough to say you will hold out?"
"Look here, insolent boy," said Sir Godfrey, sternly, "you are safe--your character of messenger makes you so--but if you stay where you arein front of this my doorstep another five minutes, one of the men shallbeat you away with a staff. Go!"
Fred turned white, then red, and he felt the bitterness of the general'swords the more keenly from having forgotten himself and departed fromhis neutral position of messenger to speak as he had. He wanted to saysomething angry that should show Sir Godfrey and his companions, andabove all, Scarlett, that he was obliged to go, but that it was onaccount of his duty, and not that he feared the man with the staff. Butsuitable words would not come, and, bubbling over with impotent wrathand annoyance, he touched his horse's flanks with the spurs, turned asslowly and deliberately as he could, and began to move away, but only toface round fiercely as the tall Cavalier at the window saidbanteringly--
"Good-bye, young game-cock."
There was a roar of laughter from the careless party looking on.
"You coward!"
"Not I, my lad," came back in cheery tones. "I was only joking.Good-bye, and good luck go with you, though you are a Roundhead. Thinkbetter of it; let your hair grow, and then come and ask for Harry Grey.I shall have a regiment again some day, and I shall be proud to have youat my side."
The words were so frankly and honestly said that Fred's eyes brightened,and passing the pike-shaft into his bridle hand, he raised his steel capto the Cavalier, replaced it, and rode off, while the Royalist officerturned to Scarlett.
"As frank and sturdy a boy as I have ever met, excepting you, ScarlettMarkham, of course," he added, as merrily as if there were no dangernear.
"Yes, he's as true as steel," said Scarlett, flushing. "He always was."
"You know him?"
"It's Fred Forrester, Colonel Forrester's son, from the Manor. We werecompanions till the war broke out."
"Three cheers for bonnie Coombeland and its boys," said the Cavalier."Why, Scarlett, my lad, we shall have to get him away from thesewretched rebels. Can't it be done?"
"No," said Scarlett, gravely. "Fred is too staunch and true."
And staunchly enough, Fred, with his trumpeter behind, was riding backto camp with his message, which he delivered to General Hedley and hisfather.
There was a pause after he had done, and the general sat gazing straightbefore him.
"Well, Forrester," he said at last, "I have done my duty so far, and Imust go on. We cannot leave this little nest of hornets in our rear toact as a point to which other insects will gather for the destruction ofthose who are fighting for their homes. It is of no use to give themtime."
"No," said Colonel Forrester, sternly. "I agree with you. They mustfall, or be taken to a man."
"And their blood be upon their own
heads."
"Amen," said Colonel Forrester, in a deep voice; and as Fred glanced athim he saw that he was very pale, while a cold chill of dread ranthrough the lad's veins as, in imagination, he seemed to see stout,handsome Sir Godfrey Markham borne down by numbers, with Scarlett makingfrantic efforts to save him; and then all seemed to be dark--a darknesswhich hung over his spirit, so that he led his horse mechanically to theimprovised stabling beneath the trees, seeing nothing, hearing nothing,till a voice said--
"No, no, Master Fred, I'll see to your horse;"