Show LIONS WHELP A story of cromwell s time BY AMELIA E BARR author of the bow dow of ribbon I 1 thoai and he the other one the maid of maiden lane etc coper fht 1901 by dodd mead company all r th s reserved CHAPTER XV continued the basille Bas Ba she had heard cough ough in paris of that stone bell hell to aake her tremble at the word all she endured it but in the morn ng she was resolved to throw the nto lerable burden on some one moie ible ble to bear it U but on whom sir homas would not have the subject lamed amed in his presence it would be ruel to tell jane but there was cromwell there was the protector t was bis his business to look after en Sl ishmen else what was the use of 0 protector besides which crom veil ell loved neville matilda matlida could not tell how much or low ow little cromwell knew of her med ling in a varlet of plots against his ife and government but she expected ler er father s name would secure her in n audience her first request how iver ver v was met with a prompt refusal she he v as not to be daunted if her wn name was not sufficient she had athers hers more potent so she wrote on i card these words lady matilda la 0 wick has important information re erding lord cluny neville and for bistress klis fi tresa stress jane swaffham ham a sake she aks an interview I 1 this message TV was as instantly effect ye ve while matilda was telling her self elf that she would not do the least omage to the usurper the door bened hastily and he entered her ire sence in the twinkling of an eye ill 11 her resolves vanished she fell at is feet and taking his hand kissed it bother in homage or in entreaty she new not of my sly lord she said and then she egan to sob my lord I 1 crave of ou so many pardons so much for barance I 1 will never offend again he ile raised her with an imperious movement and leading her to a chair bained standing at her side we rill forget the past is to be f forgot or g ott dr your dear fathers father s sake a quickly u lck ay ill ell me what you know I 1 am in a reat hurry without one unnecessary word she j r ile his comrades bore him through the streets of paris all and then put into his ands prince rupert s letter with her iger directing his attention to the postscript and she saw th tear fear the rising passion in his nance and for a moment ambled when he looked into her es with such piercing inquiry that ie e could not resist nor mi sunder i a and nd their question sir she cried with a childlike andon in this matter I 1 am single acted as I 1 can be I 1 wish only to it t a great wrong right you tell me the truth I 1 believe in he answered and I 1 will take on n me to see that it Is done say rt t a word to jane hata until jere ere be a surety in the matter then she rose and looking with es full ot of tears into his face said clr I 1 remember the day you pulled awn the hazelnuts tor for me in de ick park my father walked with arm in arm and I 1 had your hand eu til you lifted me at the gates and ased me sir I 1 entreat you tor for t all that has come and gone since at hour and dismiss me now as ien en and she lifted her lovely face it et with the tears of 0 contrition and amwell took it between his broad kong ong hands and kissed it even as bad had kissed hissed it in her childhood go home my dear he said softly I 1 I 1 that can be done I 1 will do and phout delay matilda latilda curtsied and went out here lere was in her heart a strong be if that this time Crom cromwell s in irles es would mould be as effective as they ae re a e sure surd to be prompt indeed the st thing the protector did was to tate the following letter to ma ala rin in U his eminence cardinal mazarin sir in a manner most providen i 1 it has been made known to me at t lord neville Is at this present I 1 ment ent in the bastile prison I 1 know t why my friends should be treated enemies seeing that I 1 have been withful ahful to you in all difficulties truly business is now to speak things ni it I 1 faill have understood the tiger ger is great it if you will be sensible it unless lord neville be put at e in charge of those by whom end this message for it if any harm ne me to him I 1 will make inquisition his life tor for every hair of his head it falls wrongfully to the ground it d in regard to sending more troops boulogne against the spaniards 1 k not foy for them unless by the ice ce of god and 5 our orders lord ville la Is presently and without derance in england then I 1 will nd with you and I 1 do hope that ther the cruelty nor malice of any n will III be able to mal mali i void our cement concerning the spaniard as to the young man s return it the e first count in it and I 1 shall must see that he Is restored to it freedom of which be has been unjustly deprai ed it cannot be be llevad anat your eminency has had anything to do with this deed of sheer wickedness ick edness yet I 1 must mal e mention of 0 the jewels which disappeared with ith lord neville and the mone and the papers I 1 hae have ha ve some reluctance to write further about them believing that ou on will look more particularly than I 1 can direct into this matter by the band hand of my personal friend general swaffham ham I 1 send this and in all requisites he will stand for sir I 1 our eminency s most humble servant OLIVER P when this letter was sealed he sent tor for israel and telling him all that he had heard bade him take twelve of their own troop go to pans paris and bring bad cluny with them cromwell s summons affected ma like thunder out of a clear sl y he ile had forgotten lord neville I 1 will make inquiries he said to israel in two or three days or a m neek eek I 1 must be on my way back to lon don sir in two or three days I 1 cannot be hurried I 1 have much other business you must wait waiting Is not in my commission sir I 1 am to work or to return to lon don without an hours hour s delay lord neville is particularly dear to his highness and it my inquiries meet not with attention on the moment I 1 am instructed to waste no time we must then conclude the envoy of the commonwealth of england has been robbed and slain and it will be the duty ot of england to tale tal e redress at once you talk beyond your commis commits sion within it sir retire to the anteroom they will serve you with bread and wine while I 1 make some inquiries it Is beyond my commission to eat cat or drink until I 1 have had speech with lord neville I 1 will wait in this presence the authority of your em indence and israel let his sword drop and leaned upon it gazing steadfastly the while into the face of the ca dinal the twelve troopers with him followed as one man his attitude and even Ma malarins s carefully tutored composure could not long endure this silent battery of determined hearts and fixed eyes he gave the necos sary order for the release of lord cluny neville it if such a prisoner was really in the bastile and send ing a body of his own musketeers with it directed israel to accompany them the governor of the bastile had so forgotten cluny that his name called up no recollection he ile did not know whether he was in the prison or not he did not know whether he was alive or dead the very books of the prison had forgotten cluny their keeper grew cross and positive of nevilles neville s non entering as volume after volume refused to give up his name but asrael israel and his men stand ing there so determined and so silent forced him to go back and back un til he came to that fateful day when before the dawning the young man had been driven within those terrible gates on whose ordera asked israel spoil speaking king with sharp authority on the order of his eminence car dinal alazarian lazarin was the answer I 1 tho the ight so then turning to the head he added you have the order tor for release we are tn in haste time Is not counted bere here we know not I 1 aste was the answer then said israel flaming into passion you must learn how to hasten I 1 give you ten minutes to produce lord neville after that time I 1 shall return to his eminence and report your refusal to obey him the had never before been accosted in such language As word by word wora was translated to his intel he manifested an unspeakable terror he left the chamber at once and within the time named there were sounds heard which made all hearts stand still the slow movement ol 01 feet hardly able to walk the dismal clangor of iron and anon the mourn t f il 11 sound of a human voice but nothing co lid ild have prepared cluny s comrades for the sigl t ol 01 their old companion his tall form was attena abed to tl e 0 last point his eyes un accustomed to much light would not at once respond they 1001 ed as if they had lost vision his hair straggled unkempt over his shoulders and the awful pallor of the prison on his face and neck and hands was more ghastly than the pallor of death his clothing had decayed it hung in shreds about his I 1 abs but there was a glimmer of his old self in the pitiful effort he made as soon as conscio is of human presence to lift up his head and carry himself without fear cluny cluny cluny I 1 cried israel and then cluny distinguished the buff and steel uniforms and knew who it was that called him A long sharp cry of agony wonder joy an the call and he fell senseless into israel israels s arms they brought him wine they lifted him to the open window they laid bare the skeleton form of his chest they called him by name in voices so full of 0 love and pity that his soul perforce answered their entreaties then the governor offered him some clothing but israel put it passionately away they were worse than baby longsh garments in his sight he would not touch them he asked only for a public litter and when it was procured they laid cluny in it and his comrades bore him through the streets of paris to their lodging on the outskirts of the city when they left the ga es of the prison there was a large gathering of men and it increased as they proceeded a pitiful crowd whose very silence was ws the highest eloquence for they understood cluny lay prone and oblivious to their vision they had seen him come from the bastile he was wa 8 d dead e ad or dy dying ing and these angry weeping soldiers were his comrades they began to mutter to exclaim to vo ce their sympathy more and more intelligibly women pray ing and weeping audibly joined the procession and israel foresaw the possibility of trouble he ile felt that in some way order must be restored and inspired by the wisdom within he raised his hands and in a loud ringing voice began the favorite hymn of his troopers and to the words they had been used to sing in moments of triumphal help or deliverance they carried cluny with the solemn order of a religious ice safely into their camp CHAPTER XVI oliver the conqueror cheer up jane you and lord neville will yet arrive at the height of your wishes this Is my judgment and if it be not true you may burn me in the ear for a rogue and you will marry faith I 1 know not how I 1 am to help the catastrophe but in all sobriety I 1 think camlin loves me and you do too dear jane janet oh I 1 could weep my eyes dry when I 1 think of your dear lover and all he has so innocently suffered it Is intel in her way matilda was doing her best to console and encourage jane as they talked over the sad fate of 0 her rescued lover both had been weeping and there was a more at confidence between them than had existed tor for many years to be continued |