prudence sat on a stone seat at the bottom of the high-walled garden behind her father's house. around her fell the soft moonlight, clothing the daisied grass and the shimmering trees in a veil of glory. the air was full of rich scents, remembrances of the dying sweetness of the roses, the noises of the street were hushed, and there rested over all a soft whispering silence, broken occasionally by the rapturous notes of the nightingale, as he poured forth his soul in an ecstasy of love. the scene was redolent of the sweet witchery of love, and prue with her soft eyes, her glittering hair, and the mischievous dimples deepening in her cheeks, seemed in the moonlight like some fair enchantress weaving the spell of her sweet beauty over all around.
there were no traces on her fair face of the horrible scenes of which but half an hour since she had been a witness, no indication on her smooth brow of the strain of the last two days. she had not forgotten cicely's misery and how she lay so still, so silent in the room above; but the weight of a sorrow which did not touch her personally lay but lightly upon her young heart, and she had been conscious of a feeling of relief when she left her friend to the tender care of mistress lane and crept out into the silent, peaceful garden.
a thorough child of nature, she sat calm and happy, her spirits in harmony with the scene immediately around her, though in the streets without the drying corpses of innocent men waved their limbs weirdly in the breeze, and women, their hearts breaking with despair, sat silent in a grief too deep for tears.
prudence sat deep in thought. she had an enterprise in view for the furtherance of which she foresaw the necessity of laying resolute siege to the will of master robert wilcox. she would require his co-operation, and as she traced out the lines of her campaign, her eyes glistened brightly, and her lips curved into a roguish smile. for prue was one to scorn an easy dominion, else had she never given her heart to so resolute a lover as robert.
so intent was she upon her thoughts that she did not notice the approach of master wilcox himself, walking with rapid step down the trim garden path; in fact he had been watching her for some minutes in a lover's rapture, before she raised her eyes and noted his presence. then he sprang eagerly to her side.
"ah! prue; sweetheart," he cried, with outstretched arms. "i hoped i might chance on you here, and yet indeed i scarce dared to hope it."
prue slipped quickly aside from the proffered embrace. "good-evening, master robert," she answered with a demure assumption of indifference. "and pray what may be your errand to me?"
robert's hands fell to his side; he stared at her in amazement.
"why, prue, my darling," he exclaimed.
prudence eyed him coldly.
"'tis a fine evening, master robert, and i was enjoying the silence and solitude of the garden. prithee then—your errand?"
robert hesitated a moment, then he seated himself upon the bench beside her, and laid his hand on hers.
"come sweetheart, what is wrong?" he demanded resolutely.
"nought that i know of," she answered calmly, withdrawing her hand, "saving only that methinks you are somewhat free with your 'sweetheart' and 'darling,' master wilcox."
"what! must i not call thee sweetheart then, my dearest?"
"in truth i had as lief you did not," she answered curtly.
robert eyed her a minute doubtfully: then he plunged boldly into the subject.
"see here, prue, what is the matter; for what art thou so angry with me? an it be concerning janie medlar, 'tis mere foolishness. i met her down by the river, 'tis true, yet 'twas but by chance, and then i could not, in courtesy, refuse to walk home with her. now could i? and the rose—she asked for it herself—i swear she did. but no more passed between us, save the merest—er—nothing whatever. 'tis utter foolishness, prue."
prudence smiled to herself; she was learning secrets. but she answered coldly enough:
"i' faith, master robert, and what is it to me what passes betwixt you and mistress medlar? 'tis much, indeed, if i am to call her rival—pale-faced chit."
"'tis not that? then in heaven's name, prue, what is it? what have i done?"
prue turned and faced him:
"ah, well said. what hast thou done, master robert? what hast thou done all thy life save sort wool and enter ledgers? and yet you would be one to call a maid 'sweetheart' and kiss her on the lips. i tell you, you must seek elsewhere then, master robert, i am not for such as you. i will have nought to do with any, save brave men, men proved by action, not swollen with boasts."
robert groaned aloud.
"lord, prue," he muttered; "not that all over again."
"and wherefore not, master robert? has a man nought to do save sit till the apples fall into his lap? thinkest thou a girl can be wooed by words alone? i tell thee thou art mightily mistaken. if a maid be worthy of love she is worthy of winning, and winning by deeds, not by empty vows and foolish boastings."
"perchance thou wouldst have me join kirke's band then, and win thee by such deeds as those in the market-place yonder," muttered robert angrily.
"indeed that were better than nothing," answered the girl with a mocking toss of her head. "better be one of kirke's lambs, brutes tho' they be, than a white-livered wadcomber, caring for neither king nor country so he have a full belly and a whole skin."
"now by heaven, prue, this is too bad. 'tis unfair to taunt me thus when thou knowest i had ridden gladly with the duke if i had but been given the chance, and that i do but bide here at the work to please thy father, and so clear my way to winning thee."
"is't verily so?" laughed the girl scornfully. "truly i marvel what men would do, if they had not women's petticoats to hide behind."
but this was too much for robert to endure with patience. though he more than half suspected she was playing with him, for he had watched her smile as she sat on the bench alone, yet he felt that no man should be called upon to endure such mockery; for the sake of future peace he resolved to teach her a lesson.
roughly dropping the hand which he had taken again to strengthen his plea, he moved to the far end of the bench, and turned an angry shoulder to his tormentor.
"so be it, mistress prue," he answered. "an those be your opinions, 'tis useless to talk further on the matter. i am sorry that my actions fail to please thee, but on my honour, i do not see that i am in any wise bound to alter them to suit every whim and fancy of thine. the evening is chill; would you not be wiser to go indoors?"
prue gasped, and gazed at the sulky shoulder with eyes wide open in astonishment. the affair had taken a sadly different turn from that which she had contemplated. it looked greatly as though this attack upon the fortress would prove a failure, nay more, as though it would turn to a defeat and rout of the attacking party itself, did she not with all speed change her tactics.
accordingly, with a celerity worthy of a great general, she changed, upon the instant, her whole plan of campaign, abandoned this frontal attack, and devised a more subtle method of overcoming such unexpected resistance.
she tried first the effect of silence; but experience had taught her that robert was better skilled in the use of that weapon than she herself, and indeed it was a struggle to her to keep silence for five minutes at any time. she abandoned this course after a very short trial.
then she sighed. twice, thrice, with the suspicion of a sob in the last sigh, which she felt must sound infinitely pathetic. she looked eagerly for signs of relenting in that stubborn shoulder; robert was resolute.
the affair was beginning to assume a most serious aspect. if it continued thus much longer, she would be forced to haul down her colours and abandon the siege entirely. and then what would become of her schemes?
no. she must bring all her forces to the attack, and—and—robert could not see her where she sat.
she rose and stepped quietly into the deep glow of the moonlight, standing full before the gaze of her offended lover.
she stood first with her back towards him, plucking nervously at the petals of a withered rose. robert looked at the trim, white figure outlined against the darker trees, at the soft curve of the averted cheek. he looked and wavered.
suddenly she turned and faced him, standing before him in all the charm of her saucy beauty. she shook out her curls till the gold glistened in the moonlight, she turned her eyes full upon him, and she smiled, a smile full of mischievous invitation that lurked in her eyes and curved round her rosy dimpling lips.
it was enough. robert stared at her for a moment in silence, then he sprang towards her and seized her in his arms.
"ah, prue, you witch! you witch!" he cried. "how could i resist thee? say what you want, sweetheart. i will do it, aye, that i will."
"wilt thou really promise that, rob?" she asked, nestling into his arms.
"aye, sweetheart."
"anything, rob?"
"anything you ask," he answered, gazing into her eyes.
"then, oh, rob; help mistress winslow to escape."
he stared in astonishment.
"what sayest thou? prue! prue! 'tis impossible, 'tis madness to dream on't," he cried.
"you promised to do anything i asked," she complained reproachfully, straining against his embrace.
"aye, sweetheart, so i will, so i will." he pledged himself rashly to keep her in his arms. "but this—— how is't possible? would you have me break into the castle and bear her out by force?"
"she is not in the castle; she is lodged in one of the temporary sheds," corrected prue reproachfully.
"well, 'tis the same thing, sweet. gaol or shed, 'tis prison enow, and i' faith, i see not how it be possible to fetch her out."
"pooh! what is the use of thy wits, rob, if thou canst not get the better of father's old wool-shed."
"master lane's shed, sayest thou?"
"aye, truly, she is there. dad told me so this morning. the door bolted and barred, sentries in the street without, and many more in the guardhouse opposite. i saw them there last sunday when i passed. but what of them. you can surely outwit such fudge-heads as they."
"master lane's shed," cried robert again, a strange note of excitement in his voice. "art certain she is there?"
"aye, certain, rob. what then?"
"prue, who guards the little door in blind man's alley?"
prue looked at him eagerly.
"what door, rob? i mind it not."
"yes, thou knowest it. the master's private door at the near end of the shed. they say 'twas put there years ago for old master lane, thy grandfather, to enter secretly and count his bales; maybe for the entrance of other sorts of goods,—folks say. for 'tis known he hid arms and ammunition for the king's troops in the last war. it has not been used for years, and on the inside 'tis still hid behind a pile of sacks, i doubt not. but 'tis there."
"oh, rob! i had forgot it entirely. and oh, i doubt not they have forgot it too, for i passed thro' blind man's alley last sunday even, and there was no sentry stationed there."
"no, sentry, prue? and the key hangs on thy father's chain."
his voice was hoarse with excitement, he stared before him in dawning thought.
prue clasped her hands eagerly.
"oh, rob," she whispered. "what shall we do? what shall we do?"
he turned his head slowly and looked down at her.
"ah! sweetheart, it's madness, madness!"
"yes, rob, dear, but—let us be mad. ah! do, do."
he hesitated, but his inborn love of adventure tempted him as much as her eyes. he yielded to her pleading, and sealed the bargain with a kiss.
then they sat down on the bench, hand in hand, and proceeded to mature their plan.
"now, sweetheart, we must think with all our wits."
"it must be to-night, rob," prue urged. "they might carry out the sentence to-morrow. it must be to-night."
"to-night be it."
"and what shall we do?"
"there is but the one way that i can think of. enter the shed by the hidden door, and fetch her out thence."
"oh, rob, that sounds so easy," cried prue, a note of disappointment in her voice.
"does it indeed, madame?" he laughed. "and what if the door be barred within, or i meet with a sentry, or the other prisoners should betray me, or i cannot find the lady, or she will not come?"
prue gasped in dismay at this terrible list of possibilities.
"oh! it is too dangerous, rob," she urged with a sudden shrinking terror.
"nay, but we'll e'en try it. for indeed i do not think any such misadventure likely to befall us."
"then let us set about it at once, robert."
"nay, there is much to think on yet. where shall i hide her when she is free of the prison?"
"bring her here, rob, by the garden door. i can hide her in the old attic for a night or so, and they will never dream of seeking in father's house for an escaped rebel, and in a few days lady cicely may win her pardon. but i am coming with you, rob."
"certes, no. why, i had as lief have my lord jeffreys. no, prue, i mean it. if i cannot go alone, i go not at all."
"oh, but rob. i must do something."
"ay, i' faith, thou must. 'tis for thee to get the key."
"the key!"
"aye, the key of the shed. it hangs, as i said, on master lane's chain, tho' he hath doubtless forgot the fact, it has been so seldom used. but i know it well. now, how wilt thou get it for me?"
"oh! rob, i know not, i' faith. how is't possible?"
"pooh! where are thy wits, prue?" he asked teasingly.
"you shall not mock me," she panted. "but in good earnest, rob, 'tis impossible."
"come, prue, no despair. why, i have seen him hand thee his keys a hundred times."
"aye, but that was for the cellar, when he fancied a certain wine at supper, or maybe for his bureau in the counting-house, to fetch papers or moneys. not—not—rob!"
"well!"
"thinkest thou not, perchance that a glass of hot port wine might help my lady cicely to sleep."
"prue! thou has hit on the very plan. and once the chain is in my hands, the key of the shed is ours. but go to thy father quickly, sweet, or 'twill be too late, and lady cicely will fall asleep before her drink be prepared."
"oh! rob, i shall laugh when i ask him; i know i shall."
"not you, prue. i've too good cause to know your powers of acting a part."
prue laughed and blushed at this reference to the evening's quarrel. then she sprang quickly to her feet.
"well, i must do my best. do you wait here, rob, and in ten minutes i'll be with you."
she darted across the grass and disappeared into the shadow of the trees.
robert awaited her return in a frenzy of impatience. so much depended upon the success of the girl's errand, so many obstacles presented themselves before his mind. for master lane might hand her the cellar key alone instead of the chain, though that were never his way. or mistress lane might be with her husband and disapprove of her daughter's request. or deb might accompany her sister to the cellar, or prue herself, in her excitement, might betray the plot. of the danger, the madness of the undertaking he thought not at all. once embarked upon the enterprise he was carried along by the excitement of the adventure it promised. like prue, he lost sight of other considerations in view of the daring of the attempt.
presently he saw her coming towards him, her white dress gleaming through the trees, and as he darted to meet her, he heard the jingle of the keys. she had succeeded in her quest.
"here they are," she whispered, her eyes dancing with triumph. "take it quickly, i must not keep dad waiting. he was alone. he gave them without a question. 'the whole cellar full if 'twill aid lady cicely,' he said. is that the one, art sure? then give me the chain, and go. here is the key of the garden gate. i will watch. keep out of danger and be careful. but oh! rob, is it not fine? you and i to outwit them all, my lord jeffreys and the governor, and—and the very law itself."
he laughed aloud, sharing to the full her excitement. then without further parley he set out on his errand, leaving prue to her eager watch for his return.
so these two laid their wild plans in the solitude of the peaceful garden, while in the castle near, the prisoners rested quietly, resigned to their fate, and in the brightly lighted room of the white heart inn judge jeffreys and his comrades feasted and drank till the night air rang with their boisterous revelry.
