a a THE H E LION L I 1 WHELP A story of cromwell s time BY AMELIA E BARR author of the bow dow of orange ribbon I 1 thou and the other one the maid of maiden lane etc coper 1901 by dodd mead company all r eh gh s reserved CHAPTER VIII continued cont aued there was no use prolonging conversation so hopeless she was both angry and scornful and she sought out her mother and found her resting in her own room I 1 get tired soon in the day jane she said I 1 think it Is the london air and the strange life and the constant fear of some change no one seems to know what a day will bring forth did ou see stephen 7 yes it cant be I 1 suppose 9 you know biow it cant can t be mother she was hurt at the question it was a wrong to cluny and she said with some temper it could not be under any circumstances the man is mean he has just threatened me it if I 1 had bad not been a woman I 1 would have given him his threat back in his teeth I 1 would rather be cluny s wife if cluny had not a crown the next day camlin went to jev cry ery house and reported on his return its forlorn emptiness there were only two or three servants er there and they had no idea when the family would return about a week meek after matildaa Mat ildas departure cluny called early one even ing and asked jane to go with him to mr milton s house in petty france they sauntered through st james park and soon lost sight of all hu manity and were conscious only of each other others s presence so much so that they never noticed a figure which emerged from behind a clump of shrubs and stood looking at them it was the lord general his face was grave but not unhappy and when he saw cluny and jane he lie stood still a moment and then quietly withdrew into the shadow he had left A smile was round his mouth and his lips moved in words of bless ing as he took tool another path to the gate he wished and there was a feeling of pleasure yet in his heart when he entered the sombre apart take rake that bauble awall ment where israel swaffham ham with a guard of soldiers was in attendance he then entered a lofty royally furnished room where the council were waiting his arrival officers of the army and members of parlia ment cromwell opened the discussion by reminding the members that he had already held more than a dozen meet ings in order to induce parliament to issue an act for the election of a new parliament and then discharge itself this Is what the people want in every corner of the nation he said and they are laying at our doors the non performance nonperformance of this duty and of their wishes hazelrig reminded him that parlia ment had determined to dissolve on the ad of the ensuing november after calling for a new election it is now only the of april answered answer ell Cr cromwell orwell sharply give me leave to tell you that the ad of november will not do such a far off promise Is but words for children I 1 will better it I 1 will say tomorrow to morrow this speech had a marked effect the Parliament parliamentary Airy members agreed to let the bill for perpetuating them selves live over until after another conference to be held the following day and with this understanding the members of the council separated CHAPTER IX DL cromwell interferes daylight came with that soft radi radt ance anco of sunshine over fresh green things which makes spring so delight ful fill early in the morning jane janes s friends called for her and they went away together full of youth youths enthusiasm and anticipation they took the road to the river and to the th bound mound of music and the falling and dipping of the oars they reached richmond and soon spread the con tents of their hampers upon the grass under some great oaks in the seclude ed park after a happy leisurely meal they spent the rest of ther their holiday in wan dering through the palace until ite its melancholy monastic grandeur subdued them almost to silence it was like passing from death unto afe life to come out of these caverns into the light and glory of the west ering sin s in to feel its warmth and see its brave colors and hear the cuckoo like a wandering voice among the trees soon they were at the river stairs and as they passed through the city tl t ey were instantly aware ot of great excitement it was mas impossible not to feel that something of great moment had happened or was going to happen and when jane entered the hall at sandys and saw doctor verity s hat and cloak there she e ex pecked that he had come math in formation the next moment mrs swaffham ham hain came hurriedly forward mother cried jane what is the matter what has happened 7 and mrs swaffham ham answered the strangest thing that ever hap bened in england even while she spoke they heard gen swaffham ham coming up the steps the clatter of his arms emphasizing his perturbed feelings he had scarcely entered the door ere doctor verity came into the hall crying Is it true israel Is it true quite true and well done well done I 1 am sure of it men and women went into the par lor together and a servant began to remove the general generals s cavalry boots and spurs I 1 told you doctor this morning that a settlement ot of some kind must come to day when I 1 reached whitehall I 1 found the lord general waiting for sir harry vane and the members who had promised to come and conti mje nile the conference relating to the bill early in the day the general was occupying himself with a book but as the hours went by he grew restless and laid it down thea then he turned to me and said truly these men are long in coming are you ready General 7 and before I 1 could answer he asked again ready and willing 7 I 1 told him a word I 1 would move my troop as one man if that word came from himself and he waited silently a little longer then lord cluny neville came in very hastily and said a few words I 1 know not what they were and he had scarce gone when col ingoldsby en and there was no secrecy then my lord he cried parliament Is sitting at this moment and sir harry vane sidney and henry mar ten are ae urging the immediate pass age of the bill so hateful to the whole nation ration then cromwell roused himself like an angry lion his passion at this perfidious conduct leaped into flame he shouted to lambert and his own troop of ironsides he gave me the signal I 1 understood and we went quickly to the parliament house but what then asked doctor verity his face burning with the eager soul behind it I 1 stood at the door watching him my men being in the lobby he went to his usual seat but in a very great and majestic manner and for a little while he listened to the deb debate a te then h he e be beckoned C boned major general harrison and told him he judged it was high time to dissolve this parliament and harrison told me this afternoon that he advised cromwell to consider what be he w would do for it was a work great and dan berous and who he asked Is dent for ita and cromwell answer ed the servant of the lord he is sufficient yet he sat down again looking at me as he did so I 1 and alook I 1 look ed back straight into his eyes that I 1 and mine could be depended on in a few minutes the question tor for jp passing assing the bill was put and the man could be re restrained J no longer he stood up took off his hat and looked around the house and it quailed under his eyes every man in it shift ed on his seat and was uneasy he began to speak and it was with a tongue of flame he reproached them for kneir self seeking and their hypocrisy and oppression and as he went on there was the roar of a lion tn in his voice and the members being 4 conden rel ol 01 0 their own conscience consciences cowered before him did no one open their mouth against him no one but sir peter wentworth he said my lord general this par diament lids hc s done great things tor for england and cromwell cromell answered the spoke in the wheel that creaks most does not bear the burden in the cart then alt pe er told cromwell his big abuse of the parliament was the more horrid because it came from the servant of the parliament the man they had trusted and obliged at these words dr verity laughed loudly cromwell the servant of such a parliament he cried not he what then israel he told Went wentworth morth to be quiet he ile said he had heard enough of such talk and putting on his hat he took the floor of the house houm I 1 watched him as he did so he breathed in ward like one who has a business of life and death in hand I 1 could see on his face that he was going to do the deed that had been the secret of his areat brea at for many days and his walk was that quick stride with which he ever went to meet an enemy he ile stood in the middle ot of the house and began to accuse the members personally his words were swords he flung them at the men as if they were javelins shot them in their faces as it if from a ps plus tol tot he told them that the lord had done with them he ile said they were no parliament and th that at be he had been sent to put SV an end to their sitting and their prating and at these words cluny neville noville spoke to the sergeant and he opened the doors and some musket aers entered the house then sir harrr harry vane cried out this Is not honest and cromwell reminded him of his own broken promise and they began to go out at first slowly and then in a hurry treading on the heels of each other what of lenthall he ire has a stub born will mill he ile sat still in the speaker speakers s chair until Crom cromwell meIl ordered him to coma come down for a moment he hesitated but gen harrison said I 1 will lend you my hand sir and so he also went out but was there no attempt to stay such dismissals 7 I 1 am amazed dumbfounded said doctor verity alderman alien allen the treasurer ol 01 the army as he went out said some thing to crommell ell which angered him very much and he then and ahert c charged arged alien allen with a shortage of one hundred thousand pounds and corn com matted him to the care of a musketeer for examination I 1 tell you there was no gainsaying the cromwell ol 01 this hour he ile was more than mor tal man and vane and the others knew it if they had not known before why he was never defeated in bat tie tle after the speaker had left what then his eye fell upon the mace and he sa d scornfully to some of the iron sides take that bauble awall away then he ordered the musketeers to clear the house he himself walking up to its clerk and taking from under his arm the bill which had caused the trouble and which was ready to pass he ordered the man to go home and he slipped away without a question cromwell cromell was the last soul to leave the chamber and as he went out of it he locked the door and put the key in his pocket he then walled wall ed quietly back to his rooms in the cockpit he will need god on his right hand and on his left said doctor verity more than we can tell will come of this implacable hostility rancorous jealousy everlasting envy and spite the members the members interrupted gen swaffham ham have tied themselves hands and feet with cords of their own spinning and oliver crommell Crom welt holds the ends of them they will not dare to open their mouths months to be continued