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Show -" ll i I I j I r j I THE LIONS WHELP I . A Story of Cromwell's Tlmo i BY AMELIA E. BARR. Author of "The Dow of Orartfe Ribbon." "I, ThoU and the Other One." "The Maid of Maiden Lane." Cto. (Copjrliht, 1901, bjr Dodd, Mead & Compan. All rlibta reserved.) CHAPTER X (Continued.) "Now, Indeed, you pierce my heart. You at his mercy! It Is an Intolerable Intoler-able 6hame! it will make mo cry out, I oven when I slcepl I shall dlo of It. You! You to bo at his mercy at tho morcy of that Puritan braggart. Oh, I cannot endure It!" "You seo that I onduro It very complacently, com-placently, Mata. Tho man behaved as a gentleman and a soldier. I have I ovon taken a liking to him. I havo also paid back his kindness; wo are quits, and as soldiers, friends. And I can assure you no one's honor suf-forod, suf-forod, mine least of all." But Matilda was hard to comfort. Hor last' Interview with her lover was saddened and troublod by this disagreement. dis-agreement. This, then, was tho end of tho visit from which sho had expected so much; and ono sad gray morning In Jfovcmbor they reached London. Matilda said to herself In tho first hours of her roturn that sho would not seo Jano, but as tho day woro on sho changod hor mind. So sho wroto and asked her to come, and Jane answered tho request In person, at onco. Her admiration for hor friend's boautlful gowns and laces and Jewels, and her Interest In Matilda's dcscrlp-tlons dcscrlp-tlons of tho circumstances In which they wero worn, was so genuine, that Matilda hud forgotten her relation to Lord Novlllo, when tho irritating namo was mentioned. "Did you seo Lord Novlllo In Paris ?" Jano asked. "No," Matilda answered sharply. "I dld'not seo him. Ho called ono day, and had a long talk with Sir Thomas but aunt had a hcadacho, and I had moro delightful company. Ho prevented pre-vented my seeing tho Queen of Bo-homla Bo-homla on my roturn, becauso ho offered offer-ed to attend to my unclo's business at to. tho Royalists; tho nation, without regard to parly, was bitterly incensed incens-ed and alarmed. Cromwell was no oxceptlon; tho most conservative qf men, ho also grow angry and restless when ho saw the reign of Uio saints beginning In earnest. Soon tho anger outside tho Parliament Parlia-ment Houso rose to fury. Doubtless Cromwell had foreseen this crisis. Certainly a largo number of tho mom-bors mom-bors wero of nls way of thinking, and on tho twelfth of December, Col. Sydenham rose, and nccuslng tho members of wishing to put a Mosaic codo In place of the Common Law of England of depreciating a regular ministry (for what need of one, If all men could prophesy?) and of opposing op-posing learning and education, ho declared de-clared tho salvation of tho nation lay In resigning the trust committed to thorn Into the hands of tho Lord General Gen-eral Cromwell. Tho motion was seconded sec-onded by Sir ChnrleB Wolsolov. Tho Mrs. Swaffham and Jano were glad to return home. Tho Haguo for hlra, and for this interference inter-ference I do not thank Lord Neville." i "Nor I," answorod Jano. "Had ho not gono to Tho Haguo ho might havo boon in London by this tlmo." U Jano had risen as she said theso l words, and was tying on hor bonnot, and Matilda watched her with a curl- ' ous Interest. "I was wondering," sho X said slowly, "If you will bo glad to i marry Uuny Novlllo and go away to Sf , Scotland with him." if "Oh, yes," Jano answered, her eye3 ' shining, her mouth wreathed In jr ' smiles, hor wholo bolng expressing f hor delight in such an anticipation. !" Matilda mado no further remark, but '. whon Jano had closed tho door bo- i hind her, sho sat down thoughtfully I by tho flro, and stirring together tho L fc retl omuors' b'e1io1 rather than said: f '"" "Why do peoplo marry and bring . . up sons and daughtors? This girl - , haa boon loved to tho uttermost by . " hor father and tnothor and brothers, - , and sho will gladly leave them all to go off with this young Scot. Sho will . . . call it 'Sacrifice for Lovo's sake;' 1 call It puro solflshnoss. Yet I am not a whit whiter than sho. I would havo 1 - stayed In Paris with Rupert, though my good unclo was in dnngor. I think I will go to my ovonlng servlco," ' , ' and- ns sho rose for hor Common Prayer, sho was saying under hor ,.; broath, "Wo havo left undoiio "thoso i ; things which wo ought to havo dono, f. '" and wo have dono thoso things which ' . i- wo ought not to havo dono. And ' . tuero 1b no health In us." ,'$' ' ' ' . CHAPTER XI. V .'" Oliver Protector. fcit" The popular discontent with tho m.r- rapid and radical reforms of tho V ''' saints' Parliament was not confined .: 2 Speaker left tho chair, and followed by a majority of tho members, went to Whitehall, and thoro and then they wroto out tholr resignation. No serious opposition was made. Some thirty of tho members remained In tho House "to protest," but Col. Goff entering with a file of muskot-cers, muskot-cers, tho argument was quickly closed. Threo days after this event n now Council of State resolved that his Excellency Ex-cellency be chosen Lord Protector ot tho three nations, and on tho sixteenth six-teenth of December bo so installed In Westminster Hall. "And you would think thnt ho had boen publicly scorned Instead of publicly pub-licly chosen," said Israel to his wife. "Ho looks miserable; ho is silent and downcast, and talks much to himself. Yot ho Is In his right place, and tho only man In England who can savo us from anarchy. Martha, his Excellency and her Highness dcslro your company, com-pany, and that of Jano, to tho ceremony. cere-mony. You will go?" "I had better stay at homo, Israel. 1 cannot 'Your Highness' Elizabeth Cromwell. Jano will go." "And you, too, Martha. I wish It." "I never go against your wishes, Israel at least not often." . So It happened that on tho sixteenth of December, Mrs. Swaffham nnd Jnno .wero dressing for Whitehall. Mrs. Swnffham was nervous and irrltablo; norvous, becauso sho fonrod hor gown was not as handsomo as It ought to bo; Irritable, becauso sho felt that circumstances wero going to control hor behnviour, whether sho approved or not. Jnno was unable to oncourngo or cheer hor mother; sho was herself tho most unhappy maldon In London that day. For eighteen days sho had been forced to accept tho fact that Cluny was at least eighteen days behind be-hind nil probablo and lraprobablo do-lays. do-lays. Sho had not received a lino from him slnco ho left Paris; no ono had. Ho had apparently vanished as completely ns a stono dropped into mid-ocean. Sho had been often at Jov-cry Jov-cry Houso, and during two of her vis-Its vis-Its had managed to seo Sir Thomas and ask "if ho had any intolllgonco from Lord Neville?" On her first Inquiry In-quiry ho answered her anxiously; on Ills U'ooml his roply showed somo anger. "Ho offorcd voluntarily to take chargo of Lady Jovory's Jowels and to collect my monoy at Tho Haguo; and unless ho was cortaln of his ability abil-ity to do theso things safoly, ho 'ought not to havo sought tho chargo." And with (hose words thoro entered into Jnno'fl henrt a suspicion that hurt hor like a sword-thrust. Sho found horself saying continually, "It Is Ira- posslblo! Impossible! Oh, my God, whoro Is ho?" Tho rldo back to Whitehall after tho installation of tlio Lord Protector was nn Intoxicating one Londoners had at last a ruler who was a su-promoly su-promoly able man. They could go to their shops, and buy and sell In security. Oliver Protector would see to their rights and tholr welfare. Hla very appearance was satisfying; he was not a young man headstrong and reckless, but a Protector who had been tried on tho battlefield and In Uio Council Chambor and never found wanting. But bo tho day glad or sad, tlmo runs through It, and tl.o shadows ot ovonlng found tho whole city worn out with tholr own emotions. Mrs. Swaffham and Jano wore glad to return re-turn to tho quiet of tholr homo "Not but what we havo tad a great day, Jane," snld tho elder woman; "but, dear me, child, what a wasto of llfo It Is! I feel ten years oldor. It would not do to spend ono's self this way very often." "I am tired to death, mother. May I stay In my room this evening?" "You are fretting, Jano, nnd fretting fret-ting Is bad for you every way. Why will you do It?" "How can I help It, mother?" Then Mrs. Swaffham looked nt hor daughter's white face, and snld, "You know, dear, where and how to find tho comfort you need. God help you( child." And oh, how good It was to tho heart-sick girl, to bo at last alone, to bo ablo to weep unwatched and unchecked un-checked to shut tho door of her soul on tho world nnd open It to God, to tell Him all hor doubt and fenr and lonely grief. This wns her consolation, consola-tion, oven though no sensible comfort camo from It though tho heavens seomod far off, and thoro was no ray of light, no whlspor from boyond to encourago her. At nlno o'clock her mother brought her a possott and toast, nnd she took them gratefully. "Is father homo?" sho nsked. "Yes, Jane. Ho camo In an hour ago with Doctor Verity." "Havo they any word of " "I fear not. They wculd havo told mo at onco. I haven't scon much ot them. Thcro wero lotB of things undono, un-dono, nnd badly dono, to look after." "If Doctor Verity gives you any op portunity will you speak about Cluny, mother?" "You know I will. Ho and others will, maybo, havo tlmo for a word of kindness now. Now Cromwell has got his way, thoro will bo only Crom-woll Crom-woll to please, and surely a wholo city full can manago that." "I don't supposp ho has over thought of Cluny bolng so long over tlmo." "Not ho! Ho has had things far closor to him to look after." "But now?" "Now ho will lnqulro after tho lad. Doctor Verity must speak to him. Dear Jane, do you supposo I don't boo how you aro suffering? I do, my girl, nnd I suffer with you. But oven your father thinks wo aro worrying ourselves our-selves for nothing. Ho says Cluny will walk In somo day and toll his own story nothing worso than a fit of aguo or fovor, or ovon a wound from somo street pad; perhaps u heavy snowstorm, or tho swampy Netherlands under wntor. Men can't fight tho olements, or ovon outwit thorn, dear. Mother Is with you, Jane, don't you doubt that," and sho stepped forward nnd clasped tho girl to her breast, Jane's supposition that Doctor Ver ity would bo with her father and that tholr talk would bo only of Cromwell, was correct Mrs. Swaffham found tho two men smoking at tho flrcsldo, and their conversation wns of tho Man nnd tho Hour. "I am sorry for Oliver Cromwell. Such a load as ho has shouldered! Can ho hear It?" said Israel. "Through God's help, yea; and ton times over, yes! Ho is a great man," nnsworcd tho Doctor "I think moro ot measures than ot men," continued Israel. "Very good. But something do-pends do-pends on tho men, Just as In a flro something depends on tho grato," said tho Doctor. "Oliver will do his work, and ho will do It well, nnd then go to Him who sent him. Verily, I bollevo ho will hear tho 'Well dono' of his Mnstor." "And then?" "Tho Commonwealth will bo over. Tho soul of It will havo departed can It llvo afterwards?" "If I Burvlvo tho Puritan govorn-mont," govorn-mont," said larael, "I will Join tho pilgrims who havo gono ovor tho great seas." "I will go with you, iBraol, but wo will not call ourselves 'pilgrims.' No, indeed! No men aro less llko pilgrims pil-grims than thoy who go, not to wander wan-der about, but to build homos and cities and found republics In tho land thoy havo boon led to. Thoy aro citizens, citi-zens, not pilgrims." At theso words Mrs. Swaffham, who had llstonod betwoon slooplng nnd waking, rousod herself thoroughly. "Israol,". sho said, "I will not go across sens. It Is not likely. - Swaffham Is our very own, nnd wo will stay In Swafflinin." (To bo continued.) |