"so! now am i in prison. well, i had as lief be elsewhere," muttered barbara when she awoke after her first night in gaol, and proceeded philosophically to take stock of her surroundings, which she had been too weary to notice on the previous night.
she was not confined in the regular gaol of the town; for nigh two months past that had been filled to overflowing. those arrested within the last few weeks, together with the unfortunates sent on from exeter in the van of the dread-inspiring jeffreys, were lodged in convenient sheds and storehouses, situated in various parts of the town; bare, dreary places with little or no suitable accommodation for the wretches herded within their walls, but affording enough shelter in the opinion of the authorities for rebels during the short interval which must elapse before their trial.
the building wherein barbara awoke was a large wooden shed, originally a storehouse for wool, some few bales of which still remained piled in the corners. a large door closely guarded and windows high in the roof were the only means of egress, and no provision for the accommodation of the inmates had been made beyond a few straw pallet-beds for the women prisoners, roughly screened from the rest of the shed by a dilapidated piece of sacking. even in the most hopeless moments since her arrest barbara had calculated on nothing so dismal as this.
she had slept late after the fatigues of the previous day, and when at length she awoke, the other occupants of her corner had already risen, and passed beyond the partition into the shed.
barbara seated herself on the edge of her bed and stared forlornly at the bare wall opposite.
"well! many better women have been in worse plights, there is not a doubt. i must e'en comfort myself with that," was her verdict after musing some minutes upon her situation. "now let me see. rupert would say that the duty of every woman under every circumstance is to look her fairest, but there seemeth little scope for that maxim here, and i see not wherein lies the vantage of tending one's looks when here is no mirror to show the result. however, for lack of other advice i'll e'en follow rupert's."
having come to this laudable conclusion, barbara opened her bundle and proceeded to arrange her curls, and make such improvements in her toilet as the scanty means at her disposal allowed. this done she drew aside the partition and stepped into the room beyond.
it was a curious sight that met her eyes. the shed was totally destitute of furniture, unless as such might be designated the few bales of wool and some bundles of straw, used by the prisoners indiscriminately as couch, chair, or table.
the place served as lodging for about fifty prisoners, many of whom had been from two to three weeks in captivity. the majority of them were rough, ignorant peasants, who, having faithfully followed their leaders into a quarrel which they themselves but half comprehended, now awaited their doom with that same half-puzzled, stolid patience and dogged courage which had helped them already to face death on the fatal field of sedgemoor.
there were some, too, of the yeoman class, some of the richer townsfolk, and here and there a noncomformist divine, but save perhaps in a certain intelligence and eagerness of expression, there was nothing to distinguish the man of learning or station from the poorest peasant. all alike were dirty, ragged, and dishevelled; unshaven, unwashed, with ill-kempt beards and hair. existence in such a prison, following in many cases upon days of homeless wanderings, had wrought this levelling effect upon them all. their money, what little they once possessed, was long ago exhausted. they could pay their gaolers for neither books, amusements, nor drink. they talked little; what was there to talk of? for the most part they were plunged in the deepest apathy. they had fought, they had failed; now they awaited what was to come in silence. they showed no fear, no despair, no hope, only a great patience.
barbara gazed on the scene with the utmost astonishment and indignation. were these men, indeed, the same wild enthusiasts who a while ago had so eagerly cheered monmouth through the streets of taunton? aye, and not only cheered him, but aided him loyally, leaving work, home, wife, children, and all, that they might follow him and strike a blow for the cause. were these indeed those who, armed but with stake or scythe, had made such a gallant stand against the best disciplined troops of the country; those who (men were forced to confess) would but for an accident, undoubtedly have won an unprecedented victory? could these indeed be the same? she stared with anger and scorn at their silence, their apathy, their unkempt looks. her ardent young nature had no understanding of this submission to the inevitable; she had not yet learned that an inevitable might exist.
her birth and breeding afforded her no comprehension of the stolid bravery of the peasantry. the farther man is removed from the natural state, the greater the advance he has made in civilisation, so much the more does he deem it necessary to hide his emotions beneath an artificial mask, to seem to be that which he is not. a century later in the massacres in paris the victims were for the most part nobles and gentlemen; they went to their doom bravely, with a smile in their eyes, a jest upon their lips. in this great rebellion of the west the victims were the poorest of the peasantry; they faced their doom no less bravely, but they faced it gravely, in silence.
barbara's family traditions had taught her nothing of this. she had expected her fellow prisoners to be a company of merry dare-devils such as her brother rupert, or sir peter dare, men who laughed at danger, mocked their gaolers, and turned misfortune, nay, death itself, into a subject for jest. men, too, who could fight fiercely and endure bravely on occasion, yet would scorn to appear serious in any circumstances (save perchance when discussing the set of a doublet or the colour of a bow), and who looked upon gravity as a sign of cowardice. such were the rebels she knew, the rebels she had dreamed of, gay, careless, defiant to the end; not such as these, silent, sunk in a helpless submission to their fate. she could not understand. she looked round upon them in indignation, her lips curled in scorn.
but while she stood there surveying the scene she had herself been the subject of observation; presently one of the prisoners approached her and interrupted her meditations.
"what are you doing in this place, my child?" he asked gently.
the speaker was a small, spare man, with bushy white hair and beard, a face seamed and lined with age, yet full of kindliness and humour, with a pair of bright, piercing eyes; a face calculated to win friends or to daunt foes.
barbara turned to him at once as to an old friend; his voice invited confidence.
"i was arrested but yesterday, sir, on a charge of sheltering rebels, and i am here, as the rest of the company, to await my trial."
"you are very young, but you have a stout heart," he said, smiling kindly.
"why, sir, i hope so," answered barbara cheerfully. "i am barbara winslow of durford manor, and no winslow yet was ever written coward," she added proudly, with a scornful glance round the shed.
"noblesse oblige," he quoted, smiling at her sadly. "ah, child, your strength may seem great, but trust not in it too wholly, lest in the hour of darkness it prove but a broken reed."
barbara was puzzled. "what mean you, sir? sure, 'tis not sinful to be brave for a name's sake."
"nay, i say not that," he answered gently. "there be three qualities that have power to beget a courage unto death—faith, love, and pride. but of these three only the courage born of faith has never been known to fail. yet whencesoever it springs, courage is the gift of god and a blessing to man, and as such must be honoured."
barbara looked at him curiously.
"you are a divine, sir, are you not?"
"yes, i am indeed a servant of the lord, though for many years i have been withheld from openly preaching his word. for fifty years i have lived and worked secretly among the miners of the mendip hills, and when they marched to support the defender of our religion, i followed to give them the comfort of my words. i thank god that i shall follow them to the end. ah, child," he continued earnestly, "you cannot understand what it is to be silenced, to be dumb, as 'twere, for twenty-three years; to be torn to pieces 'twixt the burning in my heart to speak the word, the fear in my breast of meeting the punishment. it is worth a thousand deaths to have had at last this chance of testifying once again to the truth."
barbara looked at him gravely.
"no," she said, "i do not understand."
his earnestness vanished. he gave a soft resigned sigh and smiled at her, as at a child.
"no, you do not understand; you are young and fearless."
"it should be easy to me to be courageous," she answered lightly. "i have nought to fear. 'tis for me but some few days in prison, and then perchance a fine. in justice they can do no more."
he smiled at her a trifle sadly.
"aye, child, as you say, in justice they could do no more."
she looked up at him doubtfully, but forbore to question further the meaning of his words.
"but these folk," she continued, looking round, "have doubtless more to fear."
"there is indeed little hope for them this side the grave," he answered calmly, "save for a speedy and merciful death."
barbara was startled.
"surely not so—and yet—i had not thought on't," she muttered. "verily, sir, if this be true, my scorn was ill-timed, they have courage. they are but rude peasants, with neither pride of birth nor name to strengthen their hearts, yet they await death as calmly as any noble. how comes this?"
"so thou deemest courage a monopoly of gentle folk, eh?" he asked, laughing softly. "ah, child, thou art young. but indeed," he continued more seriously, "these men have fought in the lord's cause, there is no fear but he will send them strength to fight their battle bravely to the end."
"how can it be god's cause when it hath failed?" asked barbara bluntly.
"failed, child? what mean you?"
"why, call you not this failure?" she asked, glancing round.
"this! in good sooth, no; this is but the beginning of success, only the times were unripe for rebellion, the leaders were unworthy of the cause. think you these men will die in vain? in god's name i tell you, no. a cause strengthened by such devotion cannot but succeed; for every drop of blood shed to-day there will spring up seeds of justice and resolution in the hearts of the survivors which shall blossom forth into a mighty power. i shall not see it, but thou mayest, for the day is not far off when justice, toleration and true religion shall once more flourish in this kingdom. failure! never! we are but the necessary martyrs, the runners of success. the cause of justice was never yet won save by a path of blood and tears."
his enthusiasm communicated itself to barbara. her face glowed with eagerness; at that moment she had resolution to face block or scaffold that she also might die for the cause.
"ah!" she cried, "this is the courage of which you spoke, the courage born of faith."
he bowed his head in assent, and there was silence between them while barbara pondered on his words. presently she continued:
"and the third, the courage of love? what mean you by that?" she asked.
instantly his face was transfigured by a smile of great tenderness.
"i will show you," he answered gently. "look."
barbara followed the direction of his eyes. in a far corner of the shed, apart from the rest of the prisoners, sat a man and a woman. she lay in the circle of his arm, her head dropped back upon his shoulder, and oblivious to all around them they sat gazing in one another's eyes. pale, ragged and unkempt, as were all the prisoners, yet beautiful in each other's eyes, and transfigured by the light of perfect happiness, by the glory of their love.
"it is their wedding-day," he continued softly. "i married them at seven o'clock this morning."
"but who are they?" asked barbara in bewilderment.
"he is the son of the squire of hardon, and an officer in monmouth's army; she, the daughter of a rich cloth-maker of taunton, who joined the army and met his death at sedgemoor. he lodged in her father's house when the army was first quartered here. later, she was attainted a rebel, and they met again, in prison. see now how mighty is love, that it will even force its way into such a desert as this. they have lived here together for three weeks as in a paradise, and yesterday, feeling the time of separation draw near, they besought me to join them forever in god's sight, as man and wife. i know not whether i rightly consented, yet who could refuse?"
"and the future?" whispered barbara eagerly.
he shook his head.
"she has money, the charge against her is but slight, her friends will buy her freedom. but for him, an officer in the rebel army, there can be little doubt—— is it not wonderful?" he continued softly, as though to himself. "thus they sit hour by hour. hopes and fears alike have faded in the great light of their love, and for to-day at least they live as in the garden of eden, where there is neither past nor future; nought but the present and themselves."
barbara gazed silently at the couple, until suddenly a great sense of loneliness overcame her, and her eyes darkened with a mist of tears. she turned to her companion with a pathetic gesture of helplessness.
"alas! ere i came here i had believed myself so strong, so fearless. and here i find all others are brave, and i but a helpless fool."
there was something bewitching in this sudden confession of weakness, and her companion's face softened for an instant as he looked at her. then he laughed, and his laughter was wise, for it stung her pride, and recalled her former resolution.
"in truth, this discovery is to be deeply regretted, mistress winslow," he answered lightly, "seeing i had hoped to enlist the services of one so stout-hearted in the work of cheering the weary hours of some of our unfortunate comrades."
"my services! why, what think you i can do?" asked barbara eagerly. "wouldest have me clamber on a bale of wool and harangue these men upon the duty and virtue of courage?" she added merrily.
"nay, that were hardly woman's work. and 'tis not for men your help is needed."
"for whom, then?"
"there is a poor girl, she is scarce more than a child, who was brought hither yesterday with her younger sister. they were among those maids of taunton who presented to the duke his banners, and for this innocent action they have been arrested. i think, indeed, there is little fear for them; they have rich friends, people of influence, who can save them at a price. but the poor child is fragile. terror hath gripped her by the heart, and if she be not roused and cheered 'tis to be feared her brain may give way."
"take me to her, i will try."
"come, then. her sister is beside her, but the poor child is very young and can do but little. it may be that you will be able to cheer her."
barbara gathered up her dainty skirts and followed her companion. as she passed along she was greeted by many a look of surprise and admiration, but so intent was she upon her errand she scarce noted the interest she aroused.
they found the two ill-fated children—they were both little more—crouched against the wall in the darkest corner of the shed. near them sat a poor peasant woman weeping bitterly, while a second woman offered rough attempts at comfort. close beside the latter was a thin, elderly woman, with the severe mouth and narrow forehead of a fanatic, who stared straight before her, muttering rapidly to herself, oblivious to her surroundings. these few, with barbara and the young bride, were the only female prisoners in the shed.
barbara paused a moment, surveying the group curiously, then she advanced slowly towards the two sisters. the elder of the two was scarce sixteen, fragile and pale. she crouched beside the wall, her chin sunk on her breast, silent, immovable, but when barbara, touched her on the shoulder she raised her head suddenly, and displayed a face so frozen with despair and eyes so wild with terror that the girl was horrified. in an instant all other considerations vanished before the great pity and tenderness that filled her heart.
"my poor, poor child," she exclaimed gently, "what have they done to thee? nay, look not thus, none shall hurt thee, i promise it. see, i will sit thus beside thee. come, now thou art safe and hast nought to fear."
she sank down beside her, drew the child close and encircled her tenderly with her strong young arms.
the bright face, cheery smile, and gentle voice, all tended to excite confidence, as did also the firm pressure of human touch. the child gazed at her for a few moments in doubt and bewilderment, then suddenly clung to her fiercely and burst into wild tears.
"oh! they will kill me," she sobbed. "do not let them. do not let them take me away."
"no, no, they shall not, i swear they shall not harm thee," answered barbara soothingly, though with more rashness than conviction. "only look cheerily, sweetheart, and be brave and all will be well."
"will you take me home? prithee, take me home," she begged, sobbing.
"nay, we must bide here for a day or two, but what of that? it will not harm you, and 'tis for a great cause. bethink you of the saints, of the martyrs; they suffered even death without fear. bethink you, childie, how many women have striven and suffered manfully for their cause, and be you courageous and proud to suffer thus little for yours."
"tell me of those women," whispered the younger child, creeping near to their new-found protector. she was stronger; she did not suffer as did her sister, but her poor puzzled brain could not understand why this imprisonment had befallen them; she grasped eagerly at the reference to martyrs. 'tis easier to be brave in paths which others have trod before us.
so barbara settled herself between the two children and bent all her efforts to recollecting and relating to the best effect every tale of heroism she had ever read, heard, or imagined, incidents culled from the histories of many nations, from romances, ballads, and legends. from her earliest childhood she had loved to listen to all such tales of prowess and brave endurance; her store seemed unlimited, she had a clear memory, and above all, she possessed that rarest of all gifts, the art of story-telling.
the two children were soon listening with deep interest. she raised her voice, that beautiful voice, not the least of her many charms, and presently the woman sitting near them ceased her sobbing to listen; some of the men even raised themselves from their lethargic musings and drew near, so that she became in time the centre of a large group of prisoners. cheered with this success, barbara braced herself to an increased effort. she related story after story of the heroes of many countries and times, stories of love and tenderness, of fierce passions, of high devotion to a worthy cause, till her audience were infected with the enthusiasm and followed her words with startling eagerness. for a time prison walls faded away, trial, punishment, death were forgotten, they lived again in the past.
it is a wonderful power, the art of story-telling, and is given to few, especially among western peoples, but it is a power which, when combined with the magnetism of a beautiful presence, is irresistible.
thus intermittently for several hours barbara continued, and to her hearers the long day passed quickly, until late in the afternoon the pealing of bells and a roll of drums were heard from without. these sounds betokened, as some guessed, the expected arrival of the king's judges. on the morrow, therefore, would commence the assize trial, which was to decide for each whether he, too, was destined to follow in the footsteps of the long line of martyrs and heroes who had suffered and died in the cause of freedom.
the charm cast around them by barbara was broken, and she finished her narrative lamely, as her audience grew inattentive and relapsed into moody restlessness. as the darkening shadows gathered in the wool-shed a silence fell, the silence of an overhanging doom.
suddenly and with startling effect the silence was broken by a clear voice which rang through the room. "be strong and he shall 'stablish your hearts, all ye that put your trust in the lord."
the words seemed to echo like a battle-clarion, an incentive to lead all men to victory.
it was barbara's friend of the morning, mr. hardcastle, the noncomformist divine.
when other comfort had failed he was at hand to show these untutored peasants the true source of strength in danger, of consolation in affliction, the promise of their god. few and simple were his words, yet charged with the fervour of belief, they served their purpose well. again the courage of faith strengthened them, the peace of god filled their hearts, and when at the close of his address he besought all to sing with him the eighty-sixth psalm, they joined him with a cheerful heartiness which made the rafters of the barn ring again.
so night drew down upon them, but there was light in their hearts, and they settled to rest in peace.
barbara carried off her children to their pallet bed in the corner. with the darkness the poor child katherine's terror had revived somewhat, and for a time she could not be induced to lie down. but gradually barbara soothed her, talking hopefully of her probable return home on the morrow, and crooning tender child ballads such as her mother sang. nature was merciful; clinging to the hand of her protectress she sank at last to sleep.
barbara herself lay long awake listening to the heavy breathing of the sleepers around her and to the dull tramp of the sentries in the street without.
sleep! the very thought of it seemed ill-timed with the lives of all these men at stake, and some way, surely some way was to be found, could she but think of it, to save them. to her active spirit it seemed past belief that escape should be impossible; intolerable to think that these forty or more around her, strong and healthy men, should go quietly to their deaths without one bid for freedom.
she tossed from side to side upon her mattress, racking her brains to devise a plan. had she not wit and cleverness more than common? sure she could find some way! but in vain; her thoughts wandered round and round in a circle, a circle she could not break. at length she sprang to her feet in desperation.
"'tis no use," she exclaimed, "i can think of nothing. but he hath brains and he cares for their safety, i will go to him. together surely we may devise some means of escape."
softly she stepped out into the shed, and picked her way carefully among the sleepers, looking right and left for the face she sought. the moonlight poured in through the windows high in the room so that her passage was not difficult. she came at length upon the man she sought, the reverend mr. hardcastle. half the night he had spent at the side of one or another of his weaker comrades, cheering and strengthening each by his sympathy. now at last he had found time for repose, and lay sleeping quietly, his bible still open at his side. his slumbers were light, for he awoke at her slightest touch, and raised himself to his feet, instantly alert.
"what is the matter, child, do you need me?" he cried.
barbara's face was pale in the moonlight, her eyes gleamed strangely and she clutched his arm with desperate eagerness.
"surely something can be done to save them all," she cried confusedly. "it cannot be impossible."
"what mean you, child?"
"why, here are fifty brave men, at most but half a dozen guards. can we not break prison, rush the door, devise some mode of escape? 'tis intolerable to sit here in idleness while the lives of all these are at stake. 'tis monstrous. sure, something can be done!"
"peace, child," he answered sternly; "you know nought of the matter. we be fifty to six, 'tis true, but those six are armed and behind them are many more. if the door were passed we could not escape the town, or if perchance we won from the town where could we hide? the royal troops are everywhere. 'twere but a hopeless venture which must cost the lives of all."
"yet, sure, 'twere better to venture some effort than to sit thus helplessly awaiting their fate," she pleaded impatiently.
"ah! mistress barbara, you have yet to learn that the highest courage may lie in such waiting. and i charge you, child, say nought of this to the men. they are nerved now to meet their fate, i will not have them distressed by false hopes. you have played your part well to-day, your place is with yon poor children. go to them now, and leave these men to me."
unaccustomed though she was to contradiction, barbara was yet too strongly awed by his air of command to disobey. reluctantly she turned away and with a glance of hopeless pity at the sleepers around her, passed beyond the partition and again took her place beside the weary children.
so the long night hours passed slowly away and the first morning of the bloody assize of taunton grew rosy in the east.
