in what manner constance fled from hampton court
palace.
the unhappy girl was still alone in the chamber, having scarcely moved since the departure of the royal pair, when the fold of tapestry that masked the doorway was drawn quickly aside, and osbert clinton stood before her, pale and agitated.
“i have come to save you,” he cried, abruptly. “i know what has occurred. the queen designs to send you to a convent.”
“true,” she rejoined, sadly. “her majesty may deal with me as she thinks fit. but all efforts to compel me to return to the faith i have abjured will prove ineffectual.”
“but this is not the real danger by which you are threatened,” he continued. “the king will not permit her majesty’s intentions to be carried out, and has ordered me to convey you away privately to a secure retreat, where there will be no risk of discovery by his jealous consort. you will escape the convent, but only to encounter a worse fate.”
“i will die rather than submit,” she cried, despairingly. “pity me, kind heaven! pity me!”
“hear me, constance,” he cried. “the avowal i am about to make is wrung from me by the circumstances in which you are placed. i love you to desperation, and would plunge my sword in philip’s heart rather than you should fall a sacrifice to him. dismiss all doubts, and trust yourself with me. i will lay down my life for you.”
160“if i consent, whither would you take me?” she demanded. “but no! i cannot—dare not fly with you.”
“you wrong me by these suspicions, constance,” he cried, half reproachfully. “loving you as i do, could i do aught to injure you?”
“but the king himself professes to love me——”
“he loves you not—his vows are false,” interrupted osbert, bitterly. “shun him as you would shame and dishonour. if you have any love for him, tear it from your breast—no matter what the pang!—it can only lead to guilt and remorse.”
“i have no love for him now,” she rejoined; “and if for a moment i yielded credence to his vows and passionate declarations, i have expiated the offence by tears and contrition. my constant prayer has been never to behold him more.”
“all further peril may be averted if you will confide in me. give me a husband’s right to defend you, and not all the world shall tear you from me. you cannot return to your father. he would not dare to give you shelter. and to enable me to watch over and protect you without damage to your fair fame, we must be bound together by sacred ties.”
“speak of this hereafter,” she rejoined. “you have convinced me of your sincerity, and i will trust you. take me hence—whither i care not—so i am freed from the king.”
“come then,” rejoined osbert. “no one will stay us. i have an order from the king, which will prevent all hindrance.”
“but you will endanger yourself by the step you are about to take,” she said, hesitating.
“heed not that,” he rejoined. “i am prepared for the worst. come!”
they were about to quit the chamber, when they were stopped by old dorcas, to whom her mistress hastily explained the necessity of flight.
“i can help you in this extremity,” exclaimed the old woman. “i will show you a ready means of leaving the palace without traversing the corridor. while lifting the hangings against yon wall, i discovered a secret door opening upon a staircase, which i had the curiosity to examine, 161and found it led through a small postern to the garden. i meant to tell you of my discovery.”
“you could not have reserved it for a better moment,” said osbert “adopt this plan, it will be safest,” he added to constance.
“heaven be praised!” she exclaimed. “i can now escape without imperilling you!”
“think not of me,” he rejoined. “pass through the secret door at once, but do not enter the garden till night, when i will meet you in the yew-tree alley. meanwhile, i will make preparations for your conveyance to a place of safety. delay not, i beseech you. each moment is precious.”
thus urged, constance snatched up a mantle and a few other articles, and declared she was ready to depart; whereupon osbert drew back the hangings, while old dorcas touched the spring of the secret door, which was artfully contrived in the oak panels. casting a grateful look at her preserver, constance disappeared with her old attendant.
another minute and it would have been too late. scarcely had the tapestry fallen to its place, when sounds proclaimed that several persons had entered the ante-chamber, and the next moment sir john gage presented himself, accompanied by father alfonso. they both looked surprised on finding osbert alone.
“you are too late, sir john!” cried the young man, forcing a laugh. “the bird has flown.”
“flown! not out of the window, i presume; though i see not how she can otherwise have escaped,” rejoined gage. “she cannot have passed through the corridor, or we must have met her. where can she be?”
“nay, i can give you no information, sir john,” rejoined osbert. “on my arrival here a few moments ago, i found the room vacant, that is all i know.”
“she appears to have taken her old attendant with her,” said gage. “however, we shall easily discover her hiding-place. she cannot have quitted the palace.”
“stay! is there no closet in the room?” said father alfonso, peering round. “ha! here is one—but it is empty,” he added, on opening it.
“we must seek her elsewhere,” observed gage. “i shall 162not be sorry if she has got away altogether,” he added in a low tone to osbert, as they quitted the room, followed by father alfonso. “but what will her majesty say to it?”
“rather, what will the king say,” rejoined osbert. “he will be furious.”
“it may be his contrivance,” remarked gage. “i suspect you know more about the matter than you choose to tell, and could find the damsel if you thought proper.”
all search for the fugitives proved fruitless. the secret staircase was not detected.
when constance’s disappearance was reported to the queen, her majesty was greatly irritated, and her suspicions fell upon the king. philip was equally angry, and equally at fault, attributing constance’s evasion to the queen’s agency, and believing that her majesty had had recourse to this stratagem to baffle his designs.
not until after midnight, and when all was still within the palace, did osbert clinton venture into the garden. fortunately the night was dark and cloudy. on hearing his footsteps, constance and her attendant came from out the alley in which they were hidden, and followed him noiselessly along various grassy paths to a gate opening upon the park.
in a few moments more the party had reached the banks of the thames, when osbert gave a signal. immediately the plash of oars was heard on the other side of the river, and a wherry, rowed by two men, could be descried through the gloom, pulling towards them.
constance and her old attendant were quickly placed within the boat by osbert, and this was no sooner accomplished, than the boatman, without a moment’s delay, pushed off, and dashed swiftly down the stream.
osbert listened till the sound of the oars could no longer be heard, and then returned with a light heart to the palace, entering it as secretly as he had come forth.
as osbert had foreseen, messengers were dispatched by the queen to southampton, to ascertain whether constance had sought refuge with her father. if so, she was instantly to be brought back. after three days’ absence, the messengers returned, bringing with them master tyrrell. he could give no account of his daughter, but pledged himself 163to deliver her up at once to the queen in case she might reappear. on this understanding he was immediately released.
another circumstance which occurred at this juncture contributed to heighten the queen’s displeasure. she had instructed the messengers sent to southampton to arrest derrick carver; but on the very day before their arrival, the enthusiast, who by this time had recovered from his wounds, had quitted the hospital of the domus dei, and, it was thought, had passed over to france, as a vessel had just sailed thither from the port. in whatever way it was accomplished, carver’s escape was a source of vexation to the queen.
