Crown and Sceptre: A West Country Story

top,treating it as if it were the lid of a box, and grinned at Fred as heshowed him within four slices of boiled salt pork.

  "There, sir," he said, as he shut the top down again, "there's a baitfor a trap as would catch any hungry man."

  "Yes; but what are you going to do?"

  "I'll show you, sir. I'm just going to hang that inside yonder hole;and if my brother Nat's there he'll smell it half a mile away, and comeand take it. I know him like a lesson. We'll leave it there, go away,and come back again; and if the cake's gone we know they are there."

  "We shall know some one is there," Fred said thoughtfully. "Yes, weshall know that Scar is there," he added with more show of animation,"for no one but us two know of the existence of that hole. He must havecome out and found your brother."

  "Shall I bait the trap, then, sir?" said Samson.

  "Yes, of course."

  "Ah," said Samson, placing the cake in a fork of one of the deadbranches right in the hole, "you often laugh at me, sir, for bringing abit o' food with me, but now you see the good of it. There!"

  He drew back to look admiringly at his work.

  "That'll catch him, sir," he said.

  "Yes, they'll see that," cried Fred, eagerly. "Now let's get back tothe lake, and fish for an hour."

  "But we aren't got no lines, sir."

  "Never mind; we must pretend, in case we are watched. Come alongquickly."

  Fred spoke in a low excited whisper, just as if he had helped in thesetting of a gin for some wild creature; and as he hurried Samson backtoward the lake he turned once, full of exultation, and shook hisfollower warmly by the hand.

  "What's that there for?" said Samson, feigning ignorance, but with hiseyes sparkling and his face bright with satisfaction.

  "Because I feel so happy," cried Fred. "It's a long time since I havefelt so satisfied as I do now."

  "Ah, I gets puzzleder and puzzleder," said Samson, grimly, "more thanever I was. I never knowd why we all began fighting, and you don't makeit a bit clearer, Master Fred. I believe you're a reg'lar sham, sir,pretendin' that Master Scar's your enemy, and all the time you seem asif you'd go through fire and water to help him. Why, we shall be havingyour father and Sir Godfrey shaking hands and dining together just asthey did in the old times."

  "And you and Nat quarrelling good-temperedly again as to which is thebest cider, that at the Manor or theirs at the Hall."

  "No, Master Fred; that's going a little too far, sir. Eh? What say?"

  "Look here; I'll show you where the proper entrance to the passage is.That hole, as I told you, was only broken through."

  Fred turned off a little, and made his way down to the edge of the lakeby the rocky bank where the birches drooped down till their delicateleaves nearly dipped in the water; and as they hung over, after acareful look round, Fred pointed out the opening.

  "What! that little bit of a hole, sir?"

  "That's where Scarlett kicked out a stone or two. The whole of the restof the arch is built up."

  "Well, sir, I s'pose it's true, as you tell me it is," said Samson,thoughtfully; "but if anybody had told me all this without showing methe place, I should have said, `Thank ye; now see if you can tell abigger story.'"

  "You know now it's true," said Fred, thoughtfully. "And look here," hecontinued, after he had related in full how he and Scarlett discoveredthe place, "let's go up to the Hall, and see if there is any sign of theopening there. Think the ruins will be cool?"

  "No, sir, nor yet for another week. Why, some of the men was roastingmeat in the hot embers, and cooking bread there this morning."

  "Never mind. I had not the heart to go there when I woke. I am eagerto see everything now, and I tremble for fear that the way may have beenlaid open. Come along."

  Samson followed, nothing loth, the rods and basket being forgotten, andthey made their way round by the edge of the lake on the side nearest tothe Hall, Fred having hard work to keep from gazing back at the patch ofthe old forest which concealed the passage where he felt certain now hisfriends--he mentally corrected himself--his enemies, must lie.

  A sad feeling came over the lad, though, once more, as he led the waythrough the hazel wood, where Sir Godfrey had had endless paths cut,every one of which was carpeted with moss; for there were the marks ofhoofs, hazel stubs had been wantonly cut down, and the nearer they drewto the ruined Hall, the more frequent were the traces of destruction,while, when at last they came from the shrubbery and stood in full viewof the place, the picture of desolation was so painful that Fred stoodstill, and his eyes felt dim.

  "Poor Lady Markham! poor little Lil!" he said in a low voice. "Whatwill they say?"

  "Yes, and your mother, Master Fred, sir; she'll be terribly cut up too."

  "Well, Fred, my lad," said a grave voice, "have you, too, come to see?"

  Fred started round, to find that his father was leaning against one ofthe fine old beeches with his arms folded, gazing at the still smokingruins.

  He did not wait to be answered, but sighed deeply, and walked slowlyaway.

  "Don't he know?" whispered Samson.

  Fred shook his head, and stood gazing after his father till his followertouched his sleeve.

  "Aren't you going to tell him, Master Fred?"

  "I was wondering whether I ought."

  "So was I, sir; and you oughtn't."

  "You think that?"

  "Yes, sir. If you tell him, he'll feel it's his duty to send in searchof them, and make 'em prisoners."

  "Yes," said Fred, thoughtfully.

  "And that's just what we want done, of course, Master Fred; only theyought to be our prisoners, and we want to do just what we like about'em, not be enterfered with--eh?"

  "Don't talk to me, please," said Fred, as he watched his father go wherehis horse was being held, and saw him mount and ride thoughtfully away.

  "Now, Samson, quick! and don't point or seem to be taking any particularnotice."

  "I understand, sir."

  "Let us look as if we were walking round just out of curiosity, and donothing to excite the attention of any sentinel who may have us underhis eye."

  Fred led the way, and Samson followed, as he walked completely round theruins of the old building, apparently indifferent, but taking ineverything with the most intense eagerness. But, look as he would, hecould see no trace of any opening in the skeleton of the fine old Hall.Every vestige of roof had gone, and in its fall parti-walls had beentoppled over, and where they still stood it was in such a chaos of ruinsthat the eye soon grew confused.

  As to finding the entrance to the passage, that was impossible. It waseasy enough to trace the entrance hall, but the carven beams of the roofhad entirely gone, and there was not the slightest trace visible of thegrand staircase or the corridor which ran to right and left.Smouldering ashes, calcined stone, and here and there the projectingcharred stump of some beam; but no sign of a passage running betweenwalls, and at last Samson, who had edged up closely, whispered--

  "Are you sure you are right, sir? I can't see aught."

  "I am certain," was the reply. "But let us go now. No one is likely tofind the entrance here."

  "And no one is likely to get out of it here," said Samson to himself, asthey walked slowly away, to be hailed directly after by one of theofficers.

  "I thought you two had gone fishing?"

  "Yes, sir," said Samson; "and we've left our rods by the lake. We'regoing down again by-and-by to see if there is a bite."

  The officer nodded, laughed at them, and went on.

  "You let your tongue run too freely," said Fred, angrily.

  "Well, sir, you wouldn't speak; and it's quite true. When shall we godown and see if we've got a bite?"

  "This evening," said Fred, shortly; and they went back to the camp tostay a few hours, and then get leave to go down again, making their wayround the east end of the lake, up through the scattered woodland to theold patch of forest, and then in and out till they gained the broken-inentranc
e hidden by the dead blanches of the oak.

  "It's all right, sir," said Samson, drily, as he caught sight of theopening at the same time as his master.

  Yes: it was all right; for the bait Samson had placed there to test thepresence of his brother was gone.

  "Samson," whispered Fred, "this is our secret. I want to be loyal to myparty; but I feel as if I must help these poor fellows."

  "That's very sad, sir," replied