Lawrence Clavering

of green trees, and beyond the trees a flashing corner of the lake. Through a gap in the houses on my left, I caught a glimpse of the woods of Brandelaw, and the brown slope of Catbells

oubled by any presage that I tied

stairs the noise of an altercation came to me from behind the close

," I thought, recalling L

up?" she aske

deferred the visit till to-morrow, to-

nd got no answer. I heard a man

e man ever made," and a

. Deary me, I wi

turned the handle and opened the door. A man sprang forwards. He was

oom. The next moment I regretted nothing so much as that I had not taken the landlady

Herbert, abruptly, getting

looked out of the window, making

ly. In the midst of my speech I heard the rustle of a dress and a door cautiously open and shut. A second or two later I turned b

he bowed me from the room, "that yo

u are not dressed," for he was wearing a dressing-

closed

nk y

; the staircase was ill-lighted and panelled with a dark mahogany, so that I saw nothing but t

I replied to

hind me was

asked Herbert, and he glanc

ntrary, star

"that your staircas

"One cannot see an inch further than is

e so far," says I,

if one were careless," he

ugh for that," I replied, thinkin

at me with a pu

ed, "that if it would please you better I

ly, and I got me into the street with as little difficulty

adies that afternoon, and bade Luke Blacket carry

much surprised now at this voluntary exposure of himself as I had been previously at his sedulous concealments. But I bethought me in time that it would be dark long before Ashlock reached the village of Keswick, and as to his doings--well, I deemed it

s on, and I remember that in Patterdale, one Mr. John Burtham, a man very advanced in years, led me with tottering steps down to his cellar and showed me with the greatest glee a pile of antique musketoons and a couple of barrels of gunpowder, which his grandfather had hidden there for the service of King Charles I., but had discovered no use for after Marstoon Moor. For the most part, however, such as took the field I saw would take it with no more effectual armament than scythes and sickles and beaten-out ploughshares; and, indeed, I am not sure but what I would rather have so armed myself than with the musketoons and gunpowder of Mr. Burtham. One necessary condition, however, or rather I should say, one necessary preliminary of a rising, all with whom I had speech required and in a un

Habeas Corpus until next January, in the case of all persons suspected of conspiracy; Papists and Non-jurors are banished from the cities of Westminster and London and for ten miles round; the laws against them are to be put into the strictest execution. I do not know bu

e real object of my journeyings. I had garnered my information--and the picture was still a-painting and little more than halfway to completion. I cannot even after this long interval of years think of that period without a lurk

ert face to face. She entered the room by chance, as it seemed, in the search for some embroid

e from my chair and bowed to her. But with a quick impulsive movement she came forward and held out her hand

very ill with the woman who dwelled in it. The poor remains of breakfast--a dish of clammy fish, a crumbled oatmeal cake, and a plate of butter

at is it? What is it?" And then following the direction o

little bell upon a side-table. He shrugged his shoulders and returned to his picture. Sh

a flush of anger upon her face, "I must needs unde

t, throwing the brush which he

cted or desired, "madam, there is no manner of need that such consideration sh

ected nothing less. But," and she drew herself up again and faced her husba

h you. It would cause me the greatest distress to think tha

or it brought them both to a stop, and in a little Mrs. Herbert left us alone. T

t here, which I would fain have you add t

"If you will leave it here, I

be wise to let it lie open to

r in his hands a

r the other. I will keep it locked. See!" And he placed it in

g that he wanted--even his brushes and colours had been tidied out of sight; so that he was forced to call in his wife to help him in the search for them, and seeing her thus engaged somehow

eding;" and so she departed with the pleasantest smile, leaving Herbert in a speechless exa

h opened and shut; he spread out his hands in despair, as though the whole

e cried. "Damme b

ged my mind, however, bethinking me that the couple were poor, and that if I acted o

han that by accident I should chance upon Mrs. Herbert on the st

g of a sigh for the loss which would befall them, since the defection of a

wish it," I returned with

the doorway above me. He must have heard the words, I knew, but he stood quite still, his face passionless as st

not easily part from Mr. Herbert until the

little thinking in how strange and hazardou

book of plays into the room and read them aloud whilst her husband worked, and I--I, alas! watched the changes of her face. Once I remember she read in this way Mr. Congreve's "Love for Love," with a decent sl

ally I could not but notice that a certain constraint and awkwardness crept into her voice. At last she stumbled over a passage and stopped. I rose from my chair, and, sensible that a like awkwardness was stealing over me, went and gazed a

o myself, "he has caught your features, Mr. Clave

connoisseur to foretell how m

king at me curiously, and I cont

rbert--nay, must fall to him, I think--and it is no barren honour. He has an estate at Witton, Lord Derwentwater tel

from the corner of my eye, I saw her lips part in a queer smile.

n at my side stood motionless as a statue. I did not dare to glance at her; I stared at the portrait and saw nothing of it. It was as though my face had faded from the canvas in a mist I was conscious only of the tall figure at my side. I tried to speak, but no thoughts came to me--nothing but a tumult of unconsidered words--words which I had never spoken before, and of

fe of so great an artist," and as I sp

le quiet laugh,

ct of being wife to a Just

word I almost felt

ried in a veritable despair,

rt returned to put an end to our talk. For a week after that I mounted the stairs with uncertain steps, each footfall accusing me for that I came. However, during that week I saw her no more, and was

ather, with gold lettering upon the back, so that I was able to read the title. It was Sir Thomas Malory's Book of the Morte d'Arthur, and in a very deliberate voice she read out of the story of Lancelot and Guinevere, and much emphasis she laid on the temperate gentleness of King Arthur and his unreadines

spirit, and was very glad to be quit of it, and of Mr. Herbert too,

d sharply two flights below the doorway and made an angle in the wall. Now as I passed this angle,

nce

hands. They touched--they held another pa

an empty mug, "the name does not fit me, for at all events Lance

he corner all a-tremble, like a chided dog, and the movement touched me with a pity that made my heart sicken. The an

t?" asked

nd I grumbled my way to the street-door. But I hea

r some while with the sheen of water beneath my eyes, and the lapping of water in my ears, and that hereafter I had climbed for long hours up a wearisome green slope; and indeed my insteps and knees ached for days to come, so it may be that I went down to Derwentwater and thence toiled up some part of Skiddaw. But of all this I knew nothing at the time; I only knew that I came again to the possession of my wits in Keswick Street about ten o'clock of the night, very hungry and very tired.

very close to the houses and stepped lightly upon his toes; and when for all his care his spurs clinked or his foot rolled on a loose stone, he paused and looked behi

an into my mind; I remembered that dark angle on the staircase. The footfalls grew louder, a dalesman passed along the centre of the roadway, his steps died away up the hill. My man crept from his hiding-place, and whistled softly under Mr. Herbert's windows. The blind was pushed aside from the window an inch or so, and I saw a head against the light pressed upon the window-pane. Then th

urther point which concerned me more particularly just then. Was the street-

nd him. I waited until I saw his shadow on the blind. He had taken off h

reason to know so well. There I hid myself and waited in the dark. And how dark it was and how intolerably still! Very rarely a burst of laughter, or a voice louder than the us

n mistaken after all?" I clung to the possibility, though I had little faith in it.

as a lamp will throw. The visitor would pass by that disk; he would intercept the rays of the lamp; those rays would burn upon his face. I leaned forward, holding my breath; the steps above me cracked as a man descended them. I heard a short "good night," but i

d outside, in that alley, say, where he himself had crept, I should have seen him--I should have known him! Now I must needs wait where I stood until he was clean out of reach, I counted a hundred, a hundred and fifty, two hundred and then in my turn I slipped down the stairs and out of the house. The night was not o

ead of the street. In front of me there was a blur of light; the blur defined itself into four moving points of flame as I approached, an

said he, "what m

urry," says I, "and so good night to y

t and caught me by the arm. "The

ow, my lord-

the deep gravity of his tone was the very counterpart of his words. I stopped, undecided

something new

men go forward. "A minute ago a man passed me on this road, his cloak was drawn about his face, his ha

ward," I blurted out. "H

eward? No, I should not pester you with news ab

m, my lord? I have nothing

think

, there is solid reason why I should have no grounds for fea

ter stood for

e in your private concerns, Mr. Clavering, but I know Jervas Rookley, and it will b

ed so aptly with my suspicions that I could not disbelieve them--why, that

for on that day I lose B

come from Jervas

will be m

tmen, so that the flare of their torches light

ars--children--all the more lovable for that, maybe," for an instant his grip tightened about m

t me doubtfully, as th

ess for you and it will be no common motive that can bring

ng from one foot to the other, balanced, uneasily, be

Lawrence," and so with a g

ken then, and so, much would have been saved me. But I had given my word to hold this estate in trust, and ignorance or the assumption of ignorance was the condition of my keeping it. The torches vanished in the darkness. I walked back to the inn and mounted my horse. As I r