| Show taw cpr W y 1 j 1 r ap I 1 THE IF H E LIONS L 10 N 9 a A ak W WHELP H 17 LF 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 w the maid of maiden lane etc coper 1901 by dodd mead company all r gats reserved CHAPTER IV continued neville had asked to be called early and before daybreak he came into the parlor ready for his journey some broiled beef a manchet of white bread and a black jar of spiced ale stirred with a rosemary branch was waiting for him and mrs swaffham ham and jane sat at his side hile he eat and drank soon neville nevilles s horse came clotter ing to the door he clasped jane janes s hand as it hung by her side and they walked thus to the threshold snow was falling the steps were white with it and the east wind blew it gently in the r faces mrs swaffham ham laughed and drew her shawl over her head and neville laughed also and with a cheerful word leaped to his saddle his dark figure growing more and more phantom like through the dim dawn and the white veil of the snow at the gate he wheeled his hore and saluting them vanished into the gray obscurity which made all things as it if they were not he did not say much of the crom wells III warrant they will forget you in their rising state far away from it mary and fran ces sent me many good words and they are very persuasive with me to come to london and share their state you cannot go just yet jane your father is opposed to it until gen cromwell returns there then it if it so please god we shall all go at least for a season then the mother and daughter sep crated and jane went to her friend s room she was languidly brushing out her long black hair and jane tried to kiss a smile into her melan choly face and as she lifted her head she had a momentary glance at a beautiful miniature lying upon the dressing table the face was that ut 4 a youth with flowing locks and a fall ing collar of lace in that same mo ment matilda moved her ribbons and kerchief in a hurried way contriving in so doing to cover the picture oh jane jane in truth I 1 am a it jane trembling and pale at his side ha h saw unshed tears in her eyes and felt the unspoken love on her lips and as he clasped her hand his heart sprang to his tongue and he said with a passionate tenderness farewell jane darling jane janet then afraid of his own temerity he was away ere he could see the wonder and joy called into her face by the meet familiar words when he came again it was harvest time the reapers were in the wheat felas and as he neared swaffham Swat tham ham he aw saw jane standing among the bound sheaves serving the men and women with meat and drink he tied his horse at th the gate and went to her side and oh all how fair and sweet he found her never had she looked never had any woman looked in his eyes so enthrall ng the charm of the quiet moon was over all there was wag no noise indeed rather a pastoral melan choly with a gentle ripple of tall threading it about plowing and sowing and rural affairs in a short time the men and women scattered to their work and cluny turning his bright face to jane s took both her hands in his and said with eager delight dear jane darling janet oh ch how I 1 love you th words came without intent but the heart is a ready scholar when love teaches and as they scowl passed through the fields of 3 ellow fullness finding their happy way among the standing sheaves jane heard and understood that heavenly tale which cluny knew so ro well how to tell her not until they reached swaffham ham did they remember that they two were not the whole round world but words of care and wonder and eager inquiry about war and rumor of war soon broke the heavenly trance of feeling in which they had found an hour of paradise so the blissful truce was over and jane and cluny were part of the weary warring working world again cluny knew nothing which could allay fear he had just come from london and what of the general generals s family ed mrs swaffham ham are they not afraid 9 they are concerned and anxious but not fearful indeed the old laly cromwell astonished me beyond words she smiled at the panic inthe city and said it is the beginning of tri I 1 have seen I 1 have heard rest on my assurance and until tri comes retire to him who is a sure hiding place and the light of her aged face was wonderful it is the substance of the tb g we hope cromwell sat at the table wretched girl this morning I 1 have been dreaming of calamities and my speech Is too small tor for my heart very soon this lucky cromwell fam lly ily will coax you to london to see all their glory and I 1 shall be left in de wick with no better company than a clock for my father speaks to me about once an hour and the chaplain not at all unless to reprove me but you shall come to london also do you think so III 1 of me as to be cleve I 1 would leave my father in the loneliness of de wick and she stood up and kissed her friend and in a little while they went downstairs together and matilda had some boiled milk and bread and a slice of venison then she asked mrs swaffham ham to let her have a coach to go home in mrs swaffham ham kissed her for an awer and they sent bent her away with such confidence of good will and corn com ing happiness that the girl almost believed days might be hers in the fu ture as full of joy as days in the past had been after this visit it was cold winter weather and cluny neville came no more until the pale windy spring was over the land and this visit was so short that mrs swaffham ham who had gone to ely did not see him at all for he merely rested while a fresh horse was prepared for him eating a little bread and meat almost from jane s hand as he waited yet in that halt hour s stress and hurry love over leaped a space that had not been taken without it for as he stood with one hand on his saddle ready to leap into for the evidence of what we shall all yet see he cried in a tone of ex al alt atlon and now give me a strong fresh horse I 1 will ride all night then he turned to jane darling jane my jane and kissing her he said boldly to mrs swaffham ham I 1 ask your favor madame jane has this hour promised to be my wife jane has haq then been very forward answered mrs swaffham ham with annoy ance I 1 am grieved and jane s r father has not been spoken to and he Is first of all I 1 can say neither yea nor nay in the matter but you will surely speak tor for us give me a kind word madame ere I 1 go and she could not resist the youth s beauty and sweet nature nor yet the thought in her heart that it might perhaps be his last request she drew down his face to hers and kissed and blessed him saying as saul said to david go and the lord be with thee then he leaped into the saddle and the horse caught his impatience and shared his martial passion and with a loud neigh went flying over the land silently the two women watched the dark figure grow more and more in distinct in the soft mysterious moon shine until at length it was a mere shadow that blended with the ind s ness of the horizon thank you dear mother said jane softly and the mother answered when neville has done his duty he will come for you he can no more bear to live without you than with out his eyes I 1 see that CHAPTER V sheathed swords this long winter had been one of great suffering to gen cromwell after making himself master of the whole country south of forth ani an clyde he had a severe alln ss and lay often at the point of death lie ile took the field in june throwing the main part of his army into fife in order to cut off all the enemy s victual this move forced the hand of charles his army was in mutiny for want of provisions the north country was already drained he durst not risk a battle but the road into was clear cromwell himself had gone north ward to perth and on the second ol 01 august he tool possession of that city but while entered it was told that charles stuart with fourteen thousand men had suddenly left stirling and was marching towards england charles had taken the west ern road by carlisle and it was thought t ong t he would make for london he went at a flying speed past york nottingham coventry until he reached the borders of at shrews bury he found the gates shut against him and his men were so disheartened that the king turned westward to a city reported to be loyal where he was received with every show of honor and affection meanwhile cromwell was following charier charles with a steady swiftness that had something fateful in it this was to be the last battle of the civil war and cromwell knew it there was in his soul even at perth the assurance of victory and as he passed through the towns and villages of england men would not be restrained they threw down the sickle and the spade in the field the hammer in the forge the plane at the bench and catching hold of the stirrups of the riders ran with them to the halting place so with his ten thousand troops aug dented to thirty thousand he reached warwick and making his head at the pretty village of keynton near by he gave his men time to draw breath and called a council of war ar cromwell sat at the upper end of at a long table A rough map of the coun try around worcester lay before him and harrlson harrison lambert israel ham and lord evesham everham were his corn com pau lons there were vere two tallow can dies on the table and their light shone on the face of cromwell at that moment it was full of melan choly but he saw in an instant the entrance of neville and with an a al most imperceptible movement corn com banded his approach neville laid the letters of which be he was the bearer before cromwell and his large hand immediately bovere covered them Is all wella be he asked and reading the answer in the youth youths s face added I 1 thank god godl what then of the its panic is beyond describing answered neville parliament Is beside itself but london is manifestly with the commonwealth and every man in it is 1001 ing to you and to the army tor for protection some indeed I 1 met who I 1 ad lost heart and who thought it better that charles stuart should come back than that england should become a graveyard fighting him such men are si st ckles slaves said lambert I 1 would hang them with out word or warrant for it yea sa d cromwell for freedom is dead in them from here there are t vo courses dpn to us a right one and a wrong one what say you lambert 7 I 1 say it were well to turn our noses to T on ondon don and to let the rogues know we are coming what is your thought harrlson harrison worcester is well defended he an musingly it has wales be bd hind it we cannot fight charles stuart till we compass the city and t to 1 do that we must be on both sides 01 ol 01 the liver fight him said lord Ev eshan better now than later fight him that I 1 tell you Is my mind also said cromwell the table with his clinched hand some may judge otherwise but I 1 think while we bold hold charles stuart sate safe london is safe al 0 god has chosen thi this battlefield for us as he chose dunbar but there must be no slackness the work Is to be thorough and not to do over again the nation wishes it so I 1 know it the plain truth Is we will march straight on worcester we will cut off charles stuart frog from all hope of london we will fight him from both sides of the river and bring this matter of the stuarts to an end to be continued |
