The Child of the Moat

ack, their tongues moved

But I’m quite sure it’s all the wrong way round;—the knight should rescue his lady. Besides, what’s the good of a

; one can tell tha

Scots peasant better th

denying it,”

u always choose things different from other p

le time,” said Aline; “how sad those deep

n? It’s a strong chin and I like

nk the eyes are

ll, certainly56 not a peasant-knight,” said

g frivolous. Now be serious,

nto the lock itself. This enabled any one to leave the room unlocked when away, so as to excite no suspicion. Yet on returning, after seeing that the room was empty, by peering through a small slit, one could, by locking the door, make sure that one would not be caught by any one entering the room at the same moment. The children again made their way down the stairs to the secret room where they paused a few moments to look at things for which there was not time on the previous occasion. There were several cupboards, one of which had stone s

aid Aline; “we must be getting on. But I am glad there is a nice place t

tom of the steps and then went absolutely straight for what seemed to them an interminable length. It was only the thought of the wounded man that prevented them from tu

lves, if chamber it could be called, was like a natural cave. In the middle of the rocky floor was a great stone. Even this looked natural although they found that, as the book had said, it was so cunningly shaped and balanced that it would swing into a vertical position without much effort and allow of a man58 dropping through on one side of it. But the clever part of it was,—that what looked like accidental breaks in the stone were so arranged that certain other blocks could be fitted

however shall we get him through that passage

uld be a good idea to count our steps on the way back. It will be interesting to know how long

le. Before they entered their bedroom again they experimented with the secret bolt that fastened the door, w

with them and also a few pieces of firewood, and put a little more in the secret room as they made their way out. They had already begun to get somewhat used to the stair and found even the long secret passage less alarm

t that something had prevented you and was wonde

ied on the work that he felt to be his duty in spite of the most terrible risks and, when he had finally been captured and concluded that it was equally his duty to esca

heart smote him that they should be wandering about at night instead of get

that you will take no harm. How are you feel

0 her, and indeed the excitement was in a way keeping her up. “It is you who are to be asked after; we

ceptional strength of his will or he would have succumbed altogether. But he felt that what he had been through in the last two weeks had weakened his mental power and was glad that there was a chance for at least a respite before he would be called upon to face his to

ped Audry up through the trap door first, and then the children just succeeded in getting the injured

,” he answered. So they waited a moment or two and then asked him if he was ready. “Oh, I am coming in a minute,” he said once more. They61 waited again for a time but when they

im in the cave to-ni

im comfortable,” said Aline. “I think we are really doing w

er life. “I must be brave,” she said to herself; “what would father have done if he had been here?” The cold sweat stood on her brow but she never uttered a murmur and was anxious that Aud

hey gave him some water which seemed to revive him a g

ng fire and they were able to give Aline something hot to drink. Ian in spite of his own injuries did all that he could. They managed to shift the oak bed a little nearer to the fire and warmed blankets and wrapped Aline in them and laid her on the bed. Gradually the shivering passed away, but she lay there looking very white and shaken, with great black rings round her eyes, as if they had been bruised. Her wounds caused her cons

table?” he asked whe

el ever so much better and I t

ns also saw that the broken bone was all right. He then lay down on

ry line of her face as he had already noticed in her figure, yet never even suggesting the least touch of weakness. He had never seen such hair, which seemed to cover the bed. Its rich deep colour glowed with an extraordinary lustre and he noticed that her skin, unlike that of most people with red hair, was absolutely clear and marked by a strange

another world about her of which every one who met her sooner or later became aware. It could not be put into words and could not be analysed.

ases it was not that they did not feel it, but that they consciously

of his dreams, that still followed him wherever he went, although he had not seen it for thirteen years? He had, however, reluctantly to admit that this mere child’s face was even more beautiful. After all she too had really been only a child, although rather more than a couple of years older than himself, when he had worshipped her with all the ferv

egistered a vow that he would do all that he could to serve her, not only in return for what she had done for him, but

te battle of Pinkey Cleugh and he had looked forward to some recognition65 or advancement, but the jealousy of his brothers had made that impossible. Then he had fallen under the influence of George Wishart[10] and incurred the undying anger of his father, and so great was the enmity of the family that finally he fled the country, first to England and afterwards, at Mary’s accession, to France and then to Italy, where he spent some years and followed first the calling

cottish reform

ke of friendship he would willingly have obliterated his achievements and have given up everything to them; but of course that could not be, yet they would not forget. He had been for the last m

ularly suited the66 costume of the day. He had on more than one occasion sat for artists i

he had himself seen strangled and burnt at the stake. It was true that for the moment he was safe, but for how long? He looked at the beautiful child and shuddered again. Suppose he should in any way implicate her. The priests would

e stumbled across the floor and made his way down to the passage, but he had not realised how weak he was. Hitherto he had been bu

He did not as yet know who the child was; it was clear that she was Scots and did not belong to the family of Holwick Hall; perhaps in the workings of Providence he had been sent the

took off his shoes to se

soles of many thicknesses of parchment, cove

he false soles were secured by stout canvas and thin leather covers which formed p

eemed to have sustained no da

ended as lookout places and were covered with small sliding shutters which he opened. The night seemed alm

w is Aline?” She rose as she spoke and went towards the sleeping

previous night, but still obviously very ill. However, there was nothing to be done but

each other. “Whatever s

what is not true,

annot tell th

very di

y that you fell o

what I mean i

ot unde

peak the truth. Even if we do not say wh

annot help

that it comes to the same thing

y ask no questions they

,” she said, and then she noticed that Aline was still in bed, “and one of you not up. Marry now, but it is a good thing for you that Mistress Mowbray has other things to think of this morning. She has jus

ter with Aunt An

in the house you never saw. Mistress Mowbray is carrying69 he were to be staying there the rest of her lif

s not very well; she hurt herself a little yesterday.

eard Mistress Mowbray’s voice calling angrily from the bottom of

d not see how ill she looked. The children were mu

food without suspicion, and it was thus possible, owing to the general con

the marvellous recuperative power of childhood, but i

eck. “Your eyelids and all round the eyes up to the eyebrow are still blac

a holiday and take our dinner with us on to the hills.70 We can stay away till it is dark and then no one will see. I am ever so much better to-day and shall be all right to-morrow. We need only go a little way and

ibilities that had fallen upon her. It was clear that it would be a difficult matter to feed their guest, particularly as she was determined not to take food from the house. Perhaps it was true as Audry said, that people had no right to demand answers to any question that they might choose to ask; but certainly that did not justify one in ta

some of these things; at least, as Audry had said, there could

d to the Hall as the afternoon sun was getting low. Before going in, she sat down by the moat and looked across at the grey p

llow in the afternoon sun. The stone shingles of the roof were covered with golden lichen, while, behind the parapet of the little old tower, a piece of ivy had taken root and hung down through one o

saw a small figure ap

sting improvement,” she said, taking a little wasted hand in one of her own and putting the fingers of her other hand round the small wrist. “Why, there’s nothing there at

aid shook he

er,” and Aline kissed her in the corn

you must forget yourself an

sparkle in her merry brown eyes; “you could not raise a spot of colour between you; but, Joan, it’s g

he said that I ought to go away and see if other

o, Joan, when Master Mowbr

of you to be out in the evening air,

with her, Mistress

e all right to-morrow, but I must obe

had no scruples about the food like Aline, maintaining in her blunt way that it was the duty of the house to be kind to the stranger and that, if the other people did not do their

ack to the secret room by the underground passage. As Aline grew strong Ian’s illness laid a greater and greater hold upon him. Aline insisted in sitting up with him the greater part of the night. There was

as exceptionally bad he would complain of the burning and she would place wet cloths

ying to change the bedclothes and make him more comfortable when he spoke to her quite clearly and in a voice

t do less,”

do anything at all; how long hav

tending you a grea

been ill for

are better now; I have been so frightene

ould not ma

n I should have had all

en simpler to have ta

now this is the most exciting th

id; “why, you are looking very ill

ay, ‘You are a l

o s

, she has come ho

ay, but is that all that she says; d

great deal of work for you to do. To-morrow you have to work hard after all this time of idleness.’ Now you must not talk

e had noticed before and knew that it would be useless to try and move her. “Well, litt

, it is time that

did, for it would have been impossible for them to give him much time after Mistress Mowbray’

rovement, he was miserably weak and ill. Aline tried to prevent him from talking, but he was a

ing great holland

not very exci

said Audry. “Mother was very cross, an

,” said Alin

hat whenever Aline made the stitches just the least little bit too big or turned down the hem the least bi

what you have done,” said Aline, as Ian went as white as the sheet. It was so

” he went on,

us talk of something nicer. Master Mowbray is going t

ay that you did not care abou

r the sake of Audry. I do not think he cared about me one way or the o

do not quite se

other things for the falcon instead. I do not like taking things from the house, and that is why I have tried as far as possible to

or the horse is going to get

aid, shaking her little hand

ever mind, but I do not see how either the

, and then we can make it an excuse to buy food. If I were to go and buy f

oney, and if you had it would n

e me long ago that I have been keeping in a77 safe place, and

so rich,” said Audry. “Why, think

t a leathern purse?—That’s right, now in that you will find ten gold rose angels. Take out two of

ies. He already began to feel that Aline was in some way his special care. He had a peculiar power of seeing both sides of things and realised that there was always something to b

and he generally compelled others to take his higher point of view. But this could not always be the case and then he would take the side that on the whole was the better. He had thrown in his lot with the protestant party, not by any means because he entirely agreed with them,—he often told them they were no better th

ms of his country, the claims of his faith and the claims of this child. He

as that Aline was in England, while his other duties lay in Scotland. Clearly he must get her

o, it is not.” He looked behind, but saw no one. The vo

he fire and Aline was along with him. “I am overwrought,” he muttered; “that is impossible anyway, as poor Wishart died long a

remembered nothing when he woke, but found the sheet torn to sh