| Show a w THE TH LION A story of cromwell s time BY AMELIA E BARR BARP L author of the bow dow of orange ribbon I 1 thou and the other one the maid of maiden lane etc copyright mol 1901 by dodd mead company all r eh eb a reserved CHAPTER III continued I 1 know who he is I 1 never saw my father so dis and it is always give give give george took tool away our last silver and I 1 am sure nearly all our money father has sent away all the menservants men servants but such as are necea nece sary to work the land four of them went back with george to the army I 1 have had to send delia away only anice and audrey are left to care for us and father say sas a they are more than he can afford 41 4 dr verity has been here said jane trying to change the subject he thinks the war mar nearly over ma tilda it Is not even if king charles were killed there would then be king james to fight the war may last for a century and it this is the world I 1 would I 1 were out of it dear shall I 1 ever be happy thus in spite of all janes efforts they ever found themselves on danger ous or debatable ground all topics were roads leading thither and they finally abandoned every kind of tactic and spoke as their hearts prompted them then though some hard things were said many very kind things were also said and matilda rose to go home comforted and helped tor for after all the tongue is servant to the heart As she was tying her hat a maid called mrs swaffham ham from the room and matilda lingered waiting tor for her re turn heigh ho she said why should we worry everything comes round in time to its proper place and arid then it will be as old anice expects the hooks will find the eyes that fit them As she spoke mrs swaffham ham hastily entered the room and with her was lord cluny neville both girls turned from the window and caught his eyes ing and yet none the less she accod her purpose for when they parted for the night he held her hand with a gentle pressure and quick glancing sweetly smiling he flashed into her ees eyes admiration and interest not to be misunderstood and jane a heart m as a crystal rod roel only waiting wafting the touch of a w m and had she felt the mystic contact 9 her fine eyes were dropped but there was a faint bewitching smile around her lovely mouth and there was some thing bewildering and something be mildered wil dered in her very silence and sim the sun was high when neville awoke next pa morning orning and he was ashamed of his apparent indolence and would scarce delay long enough to eat a hasty breakfast then his horse was waiting and he stood at the threshold As he mounted mrs swaffham ham asked him if he went by I 1 tork ork and ha he answered yes I 1 know perfectly that road and I 1 must not miss my way for I 1 am a laggard already that Is right she said the way that Is best to go is the way that best you know he did not hear the advice for the moment his horse felt the foot in the stirrup he was off and hard to hold with bit and bridle when he was quite out of sight they turned into the house with a sigh and mrs swaffham ham said isow now I 1 must have the house put in order it if I 1 were you jane I 1 would go to de wick this afternoon matilda Is full of trouble I 1 cannot feel indifferent to her so jane went to her room and began to fold away the pretty things she had worn the previous night and as she did so her heart sat so lightly on its temporal perch that she was singing 3 she let the open door frame her beauty at the same moment he was as dr verity said a man destined to vate not only by his noble bearing and handsome face but also by such an indescribable charm of manner as opened the door ol 01 every heart to him bowing dowing to both girls he presented jane with a letter from her friend mary cromwell and also with a small parcel which contained some beautiful ribbons the pretty gift made a pleas ant introduction to a conversation full ot gay inquiries and interesting items of social information matilda watched the young soldier with eyes full of interest and did not refuse his escort to her carriage but as she departed she gave jane one look which left her with an unhappy question in her heart not only tor for that night but to be re called long after as premonitory and prophetic during the preparations tor for the even ing meal and while neville was in his chamber removing his armor and refreshing his clothing jane also found time to put en cn a pretty evening gown something had happened to jane she was ina delicious anticipation and she could not keep the handsome stranger out of her consideration eiten she heard neville a steady swift step coming towards her she trembled why she did not ask herself and her soul did not tell her it indeed warned her either of joy or of sorrow for surely its tremor intimated that the was as to be no mere tor of passage no neutral guest that perhaps indeed he might have en her home as a fate or at least as a messenger of destiny for who can tell when a stranger walks into any life what bis his message may bea it was a wonderful evening to both jane and mrs swaffham ham neville Nevil letold told over again the story of dunbar and told it in a picturesque way that would have been impossible to dr verity it was a magnificent drama though there was only one actor to present it jane did not speak she glanced at the young man wondering at his rapt face its solemn pallor and mystic ex al alt atlon tation and feeling his voice vibrate through all her senses though at the last he had spoken half audibly as people do in extremes of life or feel ing it Is in moments such as these that love grows even la ig a moment moments s gaze jane forgot her intention ot of captivate at and did not know it and she did not know that at the very same moment cluny neville was solacing the joneli ness of his ride by the hymn tor for victory given to its hebraic fervor a melodious vigor of interpretation ad emphasized by the gregorian simplicity of the tune CHAPTER IV so sweet a dream peace was now confidently pre dieted but hope outruns events and tha winter slowly settled down over the level dreariness of the land with out any apparent change in the na lional situation in de wick the situation was pit pitt ably forlorn and desolate matilda would gladly have escaped its depress ing atmosphere for a little while every day but she could not for the roads leading from it were almost quagmires unless steadied by frost and it was only rarely on such occasions that the horses could be spared to take her as far as swaffham ham even the atmos phere of swaffham ham though grateful and cheering was exasperating to the poor royalist lady there was such cheerfulness in its comfortable rooms such plenty of all the necessaries of life such busy service of men and maids such active kindly hospitality to herself and such pleasant corn com panion ship between jane and her mother that matilda could not help a little envious contrasting one day near christmas the roads above them and in spite ot of the cold were hard and clean and the sky blue matilda resolved to walk over to swaffham ham As she left her father she kissed him affectionately and then court seyed to the chaplain who did not notice her attention being hap efly and profitably lost in a volume by good dr thomas fuller matilda walked rapidly and the clear cold air blew hope and cheerful ness into her heart As she went through the garden she saw a monthly rose in bloom and she plucked it and with the fair sweet flower in her band hand entered the swaffham ham parlor jane was sitting at the table serving lord cluny neville bo ho was eating and drinking and leaning towards her with a face full ot of light and pleasure mrs swaffham ham hain sat on the hearth matilda saw the whole picture in a glance and she set her mood to match wyah t rf WL it it dropping her gown she let the open door frame ber beauty for a moment mont me nt she was conscious that she v as lovely and she saw the swift lift ing of neville s eyelids and the look of surprised delight which came into his eyes she was resolved to be charming and she succeeded she let jane help her to tor remove her hat and tippet she let mrs swaffham ham make much of her then she sat down by neville and he cut her a slice of the pasty and jane filled her wine wineglass glass and neville touched his own against it and wished her health and happiness then they aang sang some mair madrigals igals and as the si ades of evening gathered neville bean belan to tell them wild weird stories 6 the borderland border land ad and they sat in ohp twilight pleasantly afraid ot of the phantoms they had themselves con lured up drawing cloe together and speaking with a little awe and finding even the short silences that fell upon them very eloquent and satisfying there was then no question of ma tilda returning that night to de wick and very soon mrs swaffham ham joined them and the servants began to build up the fire and spread the table for the even ng meal where did charles stuart go after dunbar asked jane he went northward to perth for a little while he held with argyle and the kirk but the Covenant ers drove him too hard they told him he must purify his court from all ungodly fol lowers and so made him dismiss awen ty tytko two english cavaliers not godly that is not calvinistic Calvinl enough then charles not willing to endure their pious tyranny ran away to the high lands behind perth and though he was caught and persuaded to return he did so only on condition that his friends should be with him and fight tor for him why should the scots object to thata asked mrs swaffham ham because answered neville these men were mostly englishmen and episcopalians and the whigs and Covenant ers hated them as being too often reckless and wicked men full of cavalier sauciness mess in return charles stuart hated the whigs and covenant ers made a mockery of them and it is said did not disguise his amuse ment and satisfaction at the defeat ot of the godly army at dunbar and how did these godly men regard Cromwell 7 9 asked matilda with undisguised scorn they troubled us a little in the west said neville and cromwell marched the army to glasgow and on the next sabbath day the preachers railed at him from every pulpit in that city one of them met the lord gen eral oral on the street and attacked him with threats and ell prophesies I 1 would have shut his lips with a blow but cromwell said to me let him alone he Is one fool and you are another and the very next day he made friends with this preacher and I 1 met them coming down the high street together in very sober and pleas ant discourse after beating these whigs well at hamilton we went into winter quarters at edinburgh and cromwell is now staying at lord mo ray a s house in the Canon Cation gate he ought to have taken his rest in holyrood holyroyd Holy rood palace said jane I 1 am glad he did not replied ne NO ville enough to fight the living stuart why should be he run into mortal danger by invading the home of 0 that unlucky family 1 A man sleeps in his dwelling place and when he sleeps he Is at the mercy ef e the dead not so said jane the good man is at the mercy of god and if it he sleeps his angel wakes and watches I 1 will lay me down in peace and take my rest for it is thou lord only that madest me dwell in safety neville looked steadily ht bt her as she spoke with such a glad conil confidence dence and jane janes s face grew rosy under his gaze while nevilles smile widened slowly until his whole countenance shone with pleasure to be continued |
