three months have passed since the earl of marlborough's visit to the chace. changes have taken place in england, for on the eighth of march king william died from the effects of a fall from his horse, and the princess anne ascended the throne. after her accession, one of her first steps had been to shower honour upon the earl of marlborough. a whig cabinet was formed, of which he and lord godolphin were the leading spirits, two tories however--harley and saint john--having seats in the ministry.
the earl of marlborough was her most trusted adviser. he had during the reign of the late monarch been always a firm friend of the princess anne, and was at one time regarded almost as a tory. he had indeed plotted for the restoration of the stuarts, and had entered into negotiation with the french king for that purpose. the plot having been discovered, he had with other noblemen been sent to the tower, and had continued in disgrace until a year after the death of william.
anne appointed him one of her ministers, and made the duchess her most intimate friend. in fact, in politics the duke of marlborough took no very strong part. he was attached to the stuarts, for under them he had at first risen to rank and honour; but he was a strong protestant, and therefore in favour of the maintenance of the act of succession, fixing the reversion of the throne on the elector of hanover, who, although not the nearest in the line of succession, had been selected because the nearest heirs to the throne were catholics.
at the chace things have gone on as before. rupert has worked hard at his lessons and his fencing, and monsieur dessin allows that, save for his extra length of reach, he should have no advantage now over his pupil. in the afternoon the lad spent his time with his hawks, or practised firing with pistol or carbine, or roamed over the country with hugh.
nevertheless, things had somehow changed. colonel holliday had become gloomy and silent; and although he and his daughter-in-law were studiously ceremonious and polite to each other, it was clear that a cloud had risen between them. rupert saw but little of this, however, and was surprised one day when, as he was going out for a ride, his grandfather said to him gravely:
"take a turn in the garden with me, rupert. i want to have a talk with you.
"i think it well, rupert," he said, after walking for some time in silence, "to prepare you for what, if you have not guessed already, you will be told ere long. madam will no doubt herself inform you of it; and it is as well, my lad, that you should be prepared, for you might in your surprise say something hasty, and so cause a breach which it would take long to heal."
rupert looked in astonishment at his grandfather. he had not the most remote idea of what was coming.
"you have doubtless noticed," colonel holliday went on, "the frequency of sir william brownlow's visits here?"
"yes, sir, i have noticed that, but i do not often see him. i keep out of his way, for in truth i like him not, nor that son of his, who, on the strength of his three years' seniority, looks down upon me, and gives himself as many airs as madam my mother's peacock."
"and you have never even thought why he comes here so frequently?"
"no, sir," rupert said, surprised; "it was no business of mine, and i gave no single thought to it."
"he is a suitor for your lady mother's hand," colonel holliday said, gravely.
"what!" almost shouted rupert; "what, sir! he, with his sneering face, dares to think--"
"my dear boy, he not only dares to think, but madam approves of the thought, and has promised him her hand."
rupert stood motionless.
"it shall not be," he burst out. "we must stop it, sir. why do not you?"
"i have no shadow of authority over mistress holliday," the old colonel said. "as far as i could go, for your sake i have gone--farther, perhaps, than was wise. it has been a great blow for me, rupert. i had hoped that in the time to come you would be master of the chace, and of all the broad acres i owned when young; now it will never be. this house and the home farm are mine, and will be yours, lad; but the outlying land will never come back to the chace again, but will go to swell the haugh estate on the other side. my lady can leave it as she likes. i have begged her to have it settled upon you, but she has declined. she may have another family, and, infatuated as she is with her suitor, she is more likely to leave it to them than to you, especially as i fear that you will not take kindly to the new arrangement."
"i will not submit to it, sir; i will not have it. i will insult him, and force him to fight me," the lad gasped, his face white with passion.
"no, rupert, it won't do, lad. were you four or five years older you might interfere; now he would laugh at you for a headstrong boy. you would gain his hate, and forfeit your mother's favour utterly. it was because i feared an outbreak like this that i told you today what you will in a few hours learn from her."
"what is to be done?" rupert said, despairingly.
"nothing, my boy. at her marriage, your mother will of course live at the haugh with sir william. this house is mine, and if you cannot get on at the haugh, it will be always open to you."
"i will never set my foot inside the haugh," rupert said, firmly. "my lady mother may leave her lands where she will; but if i am to have them only at the price of being the humble servant of this new father-in-law, i care not for them. he has an evil face, grandfather, and i hated him before i knew what he came for."
"my boy," colonel holliday said, "we have all many things to go through in life that we like not. this is your trial, and i trust that you will come out of it worthily. your respect and duty are due to your mother. if you will not feign gladness that you do not feel, i do not blame you; but when she tells you the news, answer her with that respect which you owe her. she has a clear right to choose for herself. she is still a comely dame, and no one will blame her for taking another husband. to me and to you the thing may seem hard, even unnatural, but it is not so. i like sir william no more than you do. report says that he has deeply dipped into his estates over the dice box; and your lady mother's estates, and the sum that many years of quiet living has enabled her to save, are doubtless items which he has not overlooked."
rupert remained for some time silent.
"i will be perfectly respectful to my mother," he said, "but i will not disguise my feelings. if i did so at first, it would in the end be useless, for sir william i could never treat with respect. sooner or later a quarrel would come, and i may therefore as well have it understood first as last. the estates i care for only because they were part of the chace, and i know that they will never be mine if this match is made. you feel that yourself, do you not, sir?"
"yes," the colonel said, reluctantly, "i have felt that all along."
"very well, sir," rupert said; "in that case i have nothing to gain by affecting a satisfaction at this match. i shall respectfully but firmly warn my mother against it, and tell her that if she persists in it i will never put my foot under the roof of sir william brownlow."
the next morning the servant brought word to rupert, that mistress holliday wished to speak to him in her room. knowing what was coming, rupert went with slow steps and a heavy heart to the little drawing room which was known as madam's room.
"rupert," she said, as he stood respectfully before her, "i have sent for you to tell you that i have accepted the offer of marriage of sir william brownlow. sir william has much court influence, and will be able to do you much service, and he has promised me to look upon you as a son of his own."
"madam." rupert said, calmly and respectfully, "that you should marry sir william brownlow is a matter as to which, alas! i have no right to say aught. i trust that the marriage will bring you happiness, although my mind sorely misgives me as to whether it will be so. as to myself, i decline sir william's offer of protection. it is enough for me that my fathers have for generations owned windthorpe chace. come what may, madam, i neither acknowledge sir william as my father, nor do i put a foot under his roof."
"malapert boy!" mistress holliday said angrily, "this is the teaching of colonel holliday."
"pardon me," rupert said quietly. "colonel holliday begged me to submit to what could not be helped; but i declined. this man is not worthy of you, madam. were you about to marry a good man, i would gladly receive him as my father. i should be glad to know when out in the world that you were cared for and happy; but this is not a good man."
"hush, sir," mistress holliday said. "i will not suffer you to speak thus. and know, rupert, if you do not know it already, that i have absolute power over the estates of the chace, and that if you defy me i can leave them where i will."
"i know it, madam," rupert said, sadly; "but this will in no way alter my determination. if when you marry you give me your permission to remain here with my grandfather, i will do so. if not, i will go forth into the world to seek my fortune."
"insolent boy!" mistress holliday said, furiously, "i have a mind to call the lackeys in and bid them beat you."
"madam," rupert said, drawing himself up and touching his sword lightly, "if you value your lackeys you will give no such order; for the first man, lackey or lord, who lays his hand on me, i would kill like a dog. with your permission, madam, i will retire, since this morning i take my dancing lesson."
so saying, with a ceremonious bow rupert left his mother's presence. monsieur dessin and his daughter were already with colonel holliday when rupert joined them, and he went through his dancing lesson as usual. then adele went as usual out into the garden, and the fencing lesson began. when it was half over, rupert's brow clouded angrily, for he heard horsemen ride up to the door, and felt sure who they were.
"steady, my dear pupil, steady," monsieur dessin cried, as with knitted brow rupert pressed him hotly, fancying at the moment that sir william brownlow stood in front of him.
"peste!" he exclaimed, as the lad lunged and touched him in the chest, "you are terrible, monsieur!
"colonel," he went on, dropping his sword, "i resign my post. i have seen it coming for some time, and now it has arrived. your grandson is more than a match for me. he has all my skill, some of yours, and has besides an activity and suppleness greater, i think, than i ever had. you young islanders are trained to use hand and eye; and although french lads may have as much activity, they have far less strength, far less aptitude for such exercises. besides, there are other reasons.
"go, monsieur rupert, and take care of my daughter; i would talk with monsieur your grandfather."
slowly, and brooding over the change which the late twenty-four hours had made in his fortune, rupert sought the garden. as he sauntered along the walks he heard a cry, and looking up saw adele struggling in the arms of james brownlow, who was trying to kiss her, while a young fellow his own age stood by laughing. rupert's pent-up fury found a vent at last, and rushing forward, he struck the aggressor so violent a blow between the eyes that, loosing his hold of adele, he fell to the ground.
"thunder and lightning," the other young man exclaimed, drawing his sword, "what means this, young cockerel?"
rupert's sword flew from its sheath, but before he could cross it, james brownlow sprang to his feet and crying to his friend, "stand back! i will spit the saucy knave!" rushed upon rupert.
the swords clashed, and almost simultaneously brownlow's weapon flew far through the air.
with a cry of fury he ran to fetch it, while his companion burst into a coarse laugh.
rupert did not move from his position, but stood passive, until his antagonist again rushed at him.
"mind this time," rupert said, between his teeth, "for i will kill you like a dog."
warned by the lesson, james brownlow fought more carefully; but he was too enraged to continue these tactics long, and after a short bout he lunged furiously. rupert turned aside the point and straightened his arm, and his antagonist fell to the ground, run completely through the body.
"you are a witness that i killed him in fair fight," rupert said, turning to the young man, who gazed stupefied at the body of his comrade, and then sheathing his sword bounded away to the stables.
hugh was there.
"quick, hugh; saddle ronald. i have just killed young brownlow, and must ride for it."
hugh stood for a moment astonished, and then calling a helper ran into the stables. in a minute he came out with two horses saddled. without a word rupert leapt on one, while he vaulted on the other, and the two dashed off at full speed.
"where are you going, master rupert?"
"to london," rupert said. "this is no place for me now. i killed him in fair fight, and after warning; still, what with sir william and my lady mother, there will be no stopping here. you had better ride back, hugh, and tell my grandfather, privately, that i am going to the earl of marlborough, to ask him to give me the cornetcy he promised me."
"with your leave, master rupert, i shall do nothing of the sort. where you go, i go. my grandfather rode out with yours to naseby, and died there. my people have been the tenants of the chace as long as the hollidays have been its lords, and have always followed their master to the field. my old father would beat me out of the house with a broom handle, if i went back and said i had let you go to the wars alone. no, master rupert, wherever you go, hugh parsons goes too."
rupert held out his hand, which his companion grasped, and the two galloped rapidly along the road towards london.
in the meantime all was consternation at the chace.
colonel holliday and monsieur dessin were deeply engaged in conversation when adele burst in upon them.
"quick, quick!" she exclaimed, "monsieur rupert is fighting with a wicked young man!"
"then," said monsieur dessin grimly, "it will be very bad for the wicked young man, whoever he is."
"where are they?" exclaimed colonel holliday.
"in the garden," the girl said, bursting into tears. "the wicked young man was rude to me, and wanted to kiss me, and monsieur rupert knocked him down, and then they began to fight, and i ran away."
monsieur dessin swore a very deep oath in french, and was about to hurry out with colonel holliday. then he stopped, and putting his hand on the colonel's shoulder, said coldly:
"do not let us hurry, sir. monsieur rupert has taken the matter in his hands. it is as well that he should kill this fellow as that i should have to do so."
just at this moment they reached the door, and a young man came running up to the house shouting:
"young mr. brownlow is killed. help! help!"
"i think, monsieur dessin," colonel holliday said, stopping, "it would be as well if you and mademoiselle were for the present to leave us. there will be trouble enough, and the fewer in it the better. sir william is a hot man, and you are not a cool one. enough mischief has been done."
"you are right," monsieur dessin said. "will you tell monsieur rupert that so long as my arm can lift a sword it is at his service, and that i am his debtor for life.
"come, adele, let us leave by the front of the house."
colonel holliday now hurried out into the garden, just as sir william brownlow, accompanied by his son's friend, rushed out of the house, followed by some lackeys with scared faces.
not a word was spoken as they ran to the spot where young brownlow was lying.
sir william and colonel holliday both knelt beside him, and the latter put his finger to his pulse.
"he is not dead," he said, after a moment. "ralph, saddle a horse, and ride with all speed to derby for a doctor."
"ay," sir william said, "and tell the chief magistrate that he is wanted here, with one of his constables, for that murder has been done."
"you will do nothing of the sort," colonel holliday said.
"sir william brownlow, i make every excuse for you in your grief, but even from you i will permit no such word to be used. your son has been wounded in fair fight, and whether he dies or not, alters the circumstances no whit. my grandson found him engaged in offering a gross insult to a young lady in the garden of my house. he did what i should have done had i so found him--he knocked him down. they fought, and your son was worsted. i think, sir, that for the credit of your house you had best be quiet over the matter.
"hush, sir," he went on sternly, seeing that the baronet was about to answer furiously. "i am an old man, but i will put up with bluster from no man."
colonel holliday's repute as a swordsman was well known, and sir william brownlow swallowed his passion in silence. a door was taken off its hinges, and the insensible young man was carried into the house. there he was received by mistress holliday, who was vehement in her reproaches against rupert, and even against colonel holliday, who had, as she said, encouraged him in brawling.
the colonel bent quietly before the storm; and leaving the wounded man in the care of his daughter-in-law and the attendants, made his way to the stables, to inquire what had become of rupert. there he found that a few minutes before, rupert, accompanied by hugh parsons, had ridden off at full speed, having placed valises and a brace of pistols in the holsters on their saddles. the colonel was glad to hear that rupert had his humble friend with him, and doubted not that he had made for london. with a somewhat lightened heart he went back to the house.
after galloping fast for the first two miles, rupert drew rein, for he had now time to think, and was assured that even should sir william at once send into derby for a warrant for his apprehension, he would be across the borders of the county long before he could be overtaken.
"have you any money with you, hugh?" he asked, suddenly; "for i have not a penny with me."
"i have only two shillings, master rupert. i got that yesterday in derby for a nest of young owlets i found in the copse."
rupert reined up his horse in dismay.
"two shillings between us, hugh! and it is 126 miles to london. what are we to do?"
hugh thought a moment. "we can't go on with that, sir. do you take these two shillings and ride on to the red dragon. you will be outside the county there. i will ride back to father's. it's under two miles, and i shall be back here in half-an-hour again. he will give me any money he may have in the house. i may as well fill my valise too, while i am about it; and he's got a pair of pistols, too, that he will give me."
it was clearly the best course to take, and rupert trotted forward on his way, while hugh galloped back at full speed. in a quarter of an hour the latter drew rein at his father's door.
"hullo, hugh, lad," the farmer, a hearty man of some fifty years of age, said, as he came to the door, "be'est thou? what art doing on the squire's horse? he looks as if thou had ridden him unmercifully, surely?"
in a few words hugh related what had taken place, and told him of his own offer to go to the wars with rupert.
"that's right, lad; that's right and proper. it's according to the nature of things that when a holliday rides to the war a parsons should ride behind him. it's always been so, and will always be so, i hope. mother will grieve, no doubt; but she won't want to fly in the face of nature.
"here, mother, come out. master rupert's killed sir william brownlow's son, and is off to the wars, and so our hugh's, natural-like, going with him."
mrs. parsons after her first ejaculation of surprise burst into tears, but, as her husband had predicted, offered no objection whatever to what seemed to her, as to him, a matter of plain duty on the part of her son. hugh now explained the reason of his return.
"ay, ay, lad; thou shalt have the money. i've got fifty pounds for next quarter's rent. colonel holliday will be glad enough for some of it to go to his grandson. i'll gin ye half o't, hugh, and take my chance of the colonel agreeing to it. i'll give'e as much more out of my old stocking upstairs. put it carefully by, lad. money is as useful in war as at other times, and pay ain't always regular; maybe the time may come when the young master may be short of money, and it may come in useful. now put on thy riding coat; and mother will put thy best clothes in a valise.
"bustle up, mother, there bain't no time to lose."
thus addressed, mrs. parsons dried her tears and hurried away. hugh, hitching the bridle over a hook, made his way to his room to change his clothes. when he came down, all was ready.
"thy clothes are in the valise, hugh. i have put on the holsters, and the pistols are in them. they are loaded, boy. in the bottom of one are the master's twenty-five pounds. thy own money is in the valise. here, boy, is my father's sword; it hasn't been used since naseby, but it's a good blade. thou art a deft hand at quarterstaff and singlestick, though, and i doubt not that thy hands can guard thy head. i need not say, hugh parsons, you will, if need be, die for thy master, for i know thou will do it, lad. now kiss thy mother, boy; and god speed you."
a long embrace with his father and mother, and then hugh, blinded by his tears, mounted his horse, and rode off in the track of rupert.
after an hour's sharp riding he overtook him, at a wayside inn, just across the boundary between derby and leicestershire.
"is it all right, hugh?" he asked, as hugh drew up at the door.
"all right, master rupert. father has sent thee twenty-five pounds out of the rent that will be due at lady day; and he doubts not that the colonel will approve of what he has done. h ow long have you been here?"
"only some five minutes, hugh. we had best let the horses feed, and then ride quietly into leicester, it's only fifteen miles away. i see you've got a sword."
"a sword and pistols, master rupert; and as you have the same, methinks any highwayman chaps we might meet would think twice ere they venture to cry 'stand and deliver.'"
"you heard no word of whether james brownlow was alive or dead, hugh? i should be very glad to hear that he is not killed."
"no word of the matter had come to the farm when i came away," hugh said; "but i should not worry about it one way or the other, master rupert. you'll kill lots more when you get to the wars; and the country won't grieve over james brownlow. young as he was, he was a bad one; i've heard more than one dark story whispered of him. folks say he took after his father, who was as wild and as bad as any man in derbyshire when he was young."
