The MS. in a Red Box

  CHAPTER II

  On the morrow I appeared at breakfast in silken stockings, new doubletand hose, new shoes, with roses and strings of the latest fashion,Flemish ruff and cuffs, and cloak of tawny velvet. My man, LukeBarnby, stared at my gaudy apparel; and, when I bade him have Trueboyand the old, white mare at the door within half an hour, and to bringme my Milanese rapier, he answered surlily--

  "Which 'tis the first time I've heard of otter-hunting with swords, orin Sunday clothes."

  I had clean forgotten the big otter hunt! This spring the otters weremore numerous than any man remembered them, and they were making havocamong the salmon in Trent. This was the day appointed for the meet atTemple Belwood, when all Belton and Beltoft were to assemble and make agreat riddance of the vermin. And I, the host and master of the hunt,had clean forgotten the business! To fail to be at my post would raisean outcry among our neighbours, and might bring me severe censure frommy father, but to postpone the visit to Doctor and Mistress Goel wasnot to be thought of. I had my doubts whether the young lady could beremoved so soon as Sheffield had threatened; but there was a chancethat it might happen, and then farewell to the hope of seeing her forHeaven only knew how long. That was unendurable, so I wrote a fewlines to a neighbour, begging him to assume my place, and not to sparethe Temple ale or wine-cellar.

  "Hark ye, Luke," said I; "put this into the hands of Squire Mell, ofBeltoft, with haste. Mr. Butharwick and I have pressing business atCrowle."

  When Mr. Butharwick and I sat down to breakfast, he to his usual messof hot barley-water, sweetened with sugar and thickened with bread--hehaving no stomach of a morning for steak and ale, and marrow-pudding heabhorred--I saw that he had something on his mind, and was in no suchjovial humour as last evening, when he had been joyous in prospect ofmeeting a scholar and a friend of his idolized Grotius. At last hebroke silence with--

  "Frank, it will be wise to defer this visit to Crowle. The town isruled by Scorpio, and in thy horoscope Scorpio was occupied by Mars inaffliction. To-day a malefic is transiting the place of Mars."

  "Terms of art are thrown away on me," I answered. "Who should knowthat so well as you?"

  "Crowle is always unlucky for you," said Mr. Butharwick.

  "Truly, my horse once fell there, and once I came to disgrace forsnoring under a sermon by Uncle Graves; but other mischance I cannotremember. Yet I have gone thither--how many? say, a thousand times."

  "Do not jest with the Heavens, boy," said Mr. Butharwick, sternly.

  And, indeed, at any other time I should have been far from jesting, formy tutor was marvellously skilled in astrology, but this day thelonging to see Mistress Goel's bright face made me defiant of thestars. Mindful, however, that my good tutor had been rereading myhoroscope, and anew consulting the heavens on my behalf, I replied--

  "Pardon me, but the worst luck that could befall me at Crowle to-daywould be to find that Doctor Goel and his daughter had left the placebefore we arrived. And we are to keep our word, are we not, though thestars be never so unfavourable?"

  In the end Mr. Butharwick was persuaded much against his will tocountenance our going, but not until I had put on my topaz ring, andengaged to use the prayer appointed for Times of War and Tumult.Assuredly, no prince of the blood had ever more fonder faithfulcounsellor than I in my tutor, but I chafed much at his delay and overgreat precaution.

  The old mare was covered with foam when we drew rein at the inn door,and her rider fain to be out of saddle, for Mr. Butharwick was no keenhorseman. The hostess led us into her best room, where the doctorreceived us with distant stateliness, and his daughter with sweetcourtesy. After introduction of Mr. Butharwick I left the clerkly mento entertain themselves, which they were well able to do, having Latinfor their common tongue, and, as it seemed by the noise they made, aninfinite deal to say to each other.

  I had thought Mistress Goel lovely when she was in pain and disarray,and her form partly hidden by the long cloak she wore on our firstmeeting; but now, wearing a gown which fitted her slim body closely tothe waist, with her shining brown hair neatly coiled and folded, and inease and gaiety of heart, as her pleasant smiling showed, Ithought--no, I did not think, I was overcome with love and felt thatall the high fantastic words and deeds of lovers, at which I hadlaughed hitherto, were too tame for the height of my passion andworship. When I found my tongue, I asked particularly of her health.

  "My hurts are healed, or will soon be healed," she assured me. "Leydenis famous for its leechcraft, and my father is--or was--the bestphysician there. We go to-day to Castle Mulgrave."

  "But you cannot ride so far," I objected.

  "We are to be carried in a litter, which the earl sends for us."

  The old nobleman had, I then remembered, a litter in which he wasconveyed about the Isle when gout forbade horsemanship.

  "You know the earl?" I asked.

  "He did us the honour to pay us some attention, when we were in London."

  I wondered what might underlie this, for the earl was one of theproudest men in England, and not likely to care for the sorrows of anexiled doctor.

  "Did you make the acquaintance of Lord Sheffield in town?" I asked.

  "Yes; he had the condescension to be our cicerone there."

  The tone in which Mistress Goel pronounced the word "condescension" hadsoothing for my jealousy.

  "How long do you remain at Castle Mulgrave?" I asked.

  "I do not know; perhaps until Mynherr Vermuijden appears. We gobecause Lord Sheffield has alarmed my father, warning him of danger inour continuing here. And our hostess is relieved of some strangeuneasiness by our going."

  My mind was filled with apprehension, which I could not express. ThatSheffield should do an act of pure kindness was incredible. His foulpursuit of beauty was a byword in the Isle, and there were fathers,brothers, and lovers, who were held back from murderous revenge only byterror of the old earl, who had long been President of the Council ofthe North, and consequently held unlimited authority over the commonpeople of Axholme. Even that fear might not have restrained some, butSheffield, as I have said, always went armed and attended, and had ahost of spies in his pay. But how could I speak of Sheffield'svileness to this maiden shining in her purity?

  The door flew open, and Dame Hind announced: "His lordship, my lordSheffield." From the plumes in his beaver, fastened with glisteringstones, to his riding boots, richly lined with lace, he was dressedwith splendour. The courtly grace with which he doffed his hat andbowed filled me with envy. When he had saluted Mistress Goel and herfather, he told them that the litter awaited their pleasure, and thengreeted me with affected surprise.

  "I' faith, Master Frank, I took you for some London gallant. One isused to meet you ready for the chase. Vavasour is a mighty hunter, youmust know," said he to Mistress Goel. "He hath no fellow in the art ofcutting a stag's throat, or spearing an otter."

  Noting the slight shudder of disgust, which he had caused by soartfully discommending me, he went on--

  "In the Netherlands you have pastimes more refined than our Englishsports. I say 'our,' though I take no pleasure in them."

  "It is true you are no hunter, but you are a skilful trapper, my lord:cunning in bait and lure and bird-call," I answered.

  One glance at Sheffield's face, white with rage, showed Mistress Goelthat more was meant than met the ear. She stepped back nearer to thetwo old men, who were so deep in some question of learning that theywere loth to part, and oblivious of every thing but their disputation.

  "You cowardly cur," said Sheffield. "You know that you are safe fromhorse-whip in this presence."

  "Safe from horse-whip anywhere in your hand, unless you had four orfive to help you."

  Threat and defiance passed in whisper almost, but our looks were fierceenough, as we stood close together, eyes pretty nearly level, forSheffield had not more than an inch advantage over my five feet ten.He was the first to recover himself, saying--

  "Your ill-t
imed jests would provoke a Stoic."

  Then he turned to Doctor Goel, who had suddenly become aware that hedetained his lordship and his train unseemlily, and a movement wasmade. Not until the lady and her father were in the litter, borne onthe shoulders of four stout fellows in the Mulgrave livery, and theescort mounted and ready to set off, had I speech with Mistress Goel,and that no more than formal leave-taking, save that when her littlehand lay for a moment in my big paw, I touched it lightly with my lips.She withdrew it quickly, but I saw no displeasure in her eyes.Sheffield put his blackamoor in charge of the litter and itsattendants, and promising to overtake the party speedily, rode with twoof his men in the opposite direction.

  Mr. Butharwick and I re-entered the inn, a dull hole now, that had beenlately so bright, and called for a cup of wine, which Dame Hind broughtus, and, setting hands on hips, gave vent to her feelings.

  "The ease it is to my mind that they are gone, nobody knows. No moreforeign mounseers and madams for the White Hart. Good English meatthey wouldn't have; but she makes a mess with eggs and scraps--puddingyou couldn't call it. And he gathers dandelion and dock-cress andgoosefoot, and the like o' that, which she cooks 'em, or he mixes 'emwi' oil, and eats 'em raw. It turned my stomach to see it. And theirmanners wasn't English. Too civil by half. 'If you please,' and 'MayI trouble you?' and 'Would you be so good?' whenever she wantedanything. Didn't grumble or make a fuss about the reckoning--that Iwill say for her. Then their jabber-jabber between themselves! Itgive me the creeps to hear 'em. Such a clat as he made wi' dirt, andstones, and weeds, and rubbish, which schoolmaster says wizards andwitches always do; and he had a big book full of gipsy-marks, whichyoung madam called his brewing Bible; and, believe me or believe menot, he read it back'ards way, as 'tis well beknown witches do read theLord's Prayer so, when they want to raise the devil. Schoolmaster hesays they are both deep in witchcraft, and young madam worse than theold mounseer, for all her prettiness and her smooth-spoken ways. Andcertain sure it is that she gave Mat something to drink that cured himof the ague quicker than ever he was cured afore."

  As soon as Dame Hind paused for breath, Mr. Butharwick reproved her.Doctor Goel, he assured her, was a man of great learning, of perfectintegrity, and the intimate friend of the best and greatest man in theworld.

  I broke in, hotly indignant that Mistress Goel should be accused of sofoul a crime. We might have spared our breath, for the hostess repliedby shaking her head sorrowfully, and declaring her assurance that wewere both bewitched. So saying, she swung out of the room, and left usto our wine. I had tried to remove the suspicion of the woman, grossand ignorant though she was, fearing that her tongue might workmischief, and now began to pluck some comfort out of the removal of mylady to Castle Mulgrave, where she would be in safety from the fury offolk always ruthless against one believed to be guilty of witchcraft.

  It is no wonder that the people should be fierce against those who allythemselves with the enemy of mankind, but their terror often blindsthem to evident tokens of innocence, and I cannot but be afraid thatmany persons have suffered torture and death who were falsely accusedof the monstrous wickedness. Perhaps I have been led to think so onlybecause the crime was laid to the charge of one so pure and kind asMistress Goel.

  Before the day of my coming of age the Isle was in great commotion, fora large fleet had sailed up the Don, bringing an army of Walloons andDutchmen with stores of timber, and tools, and weapons, and machinesunknown to us Islonians. The invaders had their headquarters atSandtoft, where Vermuijden set about the building of houses and theerection of fortifications, keeping relays of workmen busy day andnight. How to reconcile these doings with the letter received from myfather I could not in the least understand, but I took credit to myselffor keeping silence concerning the decision of the court in my father'sfavour. That was far from being my father's opinion, when he arrivedon the Friday evening, and learned that Vermuijden had already begunhis operations.

  "Thou foolish lad!" he broke out. "Should'st have ridden through thewhole Isle, and set every hamlet aglow with bonfires and shouting forjoy. And would'st have done it but for scraping acquaintance with thatold rascal and his daughter at the White Hart. Hast lost thy fivewits? What devil possessed thee to miss the otter-hunt, and to annoyour neighbours and shame thy father? Befriending the refugee,conspirator, assassin, when should'st have been heartening our people!And that dotard Butharwick with thee! He shall pack out of my house."

  This explosion astounded me, for my father, though of warm temper inprivate (in public no man had more self-control), did not often usesuch fiery language to me; but I answered sulkily--

  "I am sorry to have angered you, sir, by what I supposed wasdiscretion."

  "Discretion!" he almost shouted. "Would that you had the smallesttincture of the quality! Is it discreet, think you, to parley with theenemy of your father and your country, betraying God only knows what tothe sly old Dutchman?"

  "A most inoffensive old gentleman," I answered. "A simple scholar, whohas been duped by Vermuijden."

  My father laughed bitterly. "You simpleton! Does Mulgrave make muchof 'simple scholars' and entertain them?"

  As I believed, Earl Mulgrave cared little or nothing about Doctor Goel,while Sheffield, I felt sure, cared much about the doctor's daughter,but this was not the time to offer my father an explanation, whichwould bring in the name of Mistress Goel, so I left him to digest hiswrath, and sought Mr. Butharwick. I found him in much affliction, forto hurt or offend his friend and patron was very grievous to him. Heblamed himself alone for all the mischief, and he reminded me that myfather had had a weary sojourn in London, and after infinite troubleand pains had won his cause, only to find on his return home that allhis labour and expenditure had been rendered null and void.

  "What wonder, Frank," said the good old soul, "that thy father shouldbe angry, even if not quite justly angry, that nothing has been madeknown of his triumph in the courts? What wonder that he should beincensed at our making friends with those who, he believes, are in thecounsel of his enemies, and whom he has seen caressed by the craftyearl? We are in fault, or rather, I am in fault, for I ought to haveguided thee more wisely. I, at least, ought to have been sure that thestars of heaven cannot lie."

  This womanish babble did not soothe my ruffled temper, as I told Mr.Butharwick, rudely enough. My father had treated me with indignity andinjustice, and I did well to be angry. So I went for a stroll in thepark, seeking consolation in solitary communion with Nature, where ithas seldom failed me. Nor did it fail me now. Sauntering under thedense shadows of the old trees, or out in the dim stillness of the opensward, startling browsing or drowsing beasts, which showed as duskyshapes for a moment, and then vanished in the dark, I grew quiet; andwhen I gained the highest ground and saw the low moon and her longreflection on the broad expanse of water, I was filled with confidencethat my own prospect was as bright and boundless as the scene on whichI looked.

  I turned at the sound of footsteps, and recognised my father.

  "The cool night air is good for hot heads, young or old," he said. Andwe walked homeward together.