Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall

ht keep Dorothy and Madge at home, but long before the appointed hour John and I were at the Royal Arms watching eagerly for the Haddon coach.

enjoyed all of life's ambitious possibilities, calmly reached the conclusion that it is sometimes a blessed privilege to be a fool. While I dwelt on thoughts of Madge, all the latent good within me came uppermost. There is latent good in every man, though it may remain latent all his life. Good resolves, pure thoughts, and noble aspirations-new sensations to me, I blush to confess-bubbled in my heart, and I made a mental prayer, "If this is folly, may God banish wisdom." W

. I tried to make myself believe that I did not wish Lady Crawford were ill. But there is little profit in too close scrutiny o

joyous end when I saw Will Dawson close the co

s for Madge, had I beheld a corona hovering over her head I should have thought it in all respects a natural and appropriate phenomenon-so fair and saintlike did she appear to me. Her warm white furs and her

he spirit of life and youth. I wish I could cease rhapsodizing over those two

rfect as she tread the earth?" aske

I, meaning, o

to the tap-room for the purpose of consulting Will D

ace with a mug of hot punch in his hand. When I touched him, h

im by a gesture. He instantly recovered his

ance than to any other country. "I am Sir Fran?ois de Lorraine,"

ernon and Lady Madge Stanley are at the inn. If you wish to inquire more particularly concerni

the king

please-and his friend desire to make inquiry concerning Lady Crawford's healt

he had been drinking. "I shall inform the ladies of your honor's request." He

errand to the girls, D

he name of the Grand Duc de Guise, b

istress Dorothy, and is ver

placed me under obligation to him to

that Will's description of "very handsome" could apply to only one man in the world. "He has taken Malcolm's

ntleman," replied Will, "and I

entleman upon that interesting topic. Will may have had suspicions of his own, but if so, he kept them to himself, and at least did not know that the gentleman whom his mistress expected to see was Sir John Manners. Neither did he suspect that fact. Dawson had never seen Manner

one?" thought Dorothy. "This frien

e fingers here, and tucking in a stray curl there, which for beauty's sake should have been allowed to hang loose

said D

nding with great dignity in the centre of the floor, not of course intending to make an exhibition of delight over

ss Vernon," said I, i

kly rising from her chair. "You are cruel

e welcome to John. Then I stepped to Madge's side and took her hands, but all I could say was "

s, but they also doubtless understood each other. After a mome

n? Where did you meet Sir John? What a delightful surprise you have

always swings as far back as it goes forward. But we are happy now, aren't we, Madge? I intend to remain so while I can. The pendulum may swi

an sufficient some d

e, don't be

t met the other gen

got to present you. Lady Madge Stanl

er surprise was so great that she forgot to acknowledge th

"that Sir John is my very dear friend. I

for a few moment

heart, Lady Madge. I wish to gr

fear the pendulum of which Dorothy spok

buy and to pay for happiness. That seems to be the only means whereby we may have it. I am ready t

is not prudent for Malcolm and me to be here to-day;

urned Madge. "Upon women

ught of my visit in that light. For Mistress Vernon

all remain," cried that impetuous

n. John and I had visited the place but once; that was upon the occasion of our first meeting. No one in the town knew us, and we felt safe in venturing forth into the streets. So we helpe

y-town in '67. I also ordered another new dish for our famous dinner. It was a brown beverage called coffee. The berries from which the beverage is made mine host showed to me, and said they had been brought to him by a sea-faring man from Arabia. I ordered a pot of the drink at a cost of three crowns. I have heard it said that coffee was not known in Europe or in England till it was introduced by Rawolf in '73, but I saw it at the Royal Arms in '67. In addition to this list, I ordered for our drinking sweet wine from Madeira and red wine from Burgundy. The latter-named wine had begun to grow in favor at the French court when I left France five years before. It was little liked in England. All these dainties were

or dinner we started out on

reason that we did not wish to attract too much attention-Dorothy and J

upon my arm, and-but this time I wi

f the town which were little used,

oice was like the murmurings of the

he Royal Arms in one hour, and that time had almost p

standing on a box. He was speaking in a mournful, lugubrious voice and accompanied his words with violen

an standing nea

he fellow

own. He is exhorting in the

ied, "exhorting in the name of-o

d my friend, while listening

" I asked of my interesting

onded the man, evidently annoyed a

desiring to know more con

Brown, s

ul if you but listen to him in a prayerful mood. He is a y

irit?"

urned my

r word from him, so I had

provised pulpit and passed among the crowd for the purpose of collecting money. His haran

ed into his hat a small silver piece which shone brightly among a few black copper coins. My liberal contribution did not induce him to kindness, but, on the contrary, it attracted his attention to the giver. He looked at the silver coin, and then turning his solemn gaze upon me, eyed me ins

Here," said he, "we find the leading strings to all that is iniquitous-vanity. It is betokened in his velvets, satins, and lac

g about my apparel," I replied, more amused th

also is arrayed in silks, taffetas, and fine cloth. Look ye, friends, upon this abominable collar of Satan; this ruff

pon whom I could use my blade. He was hardly more than a boy-a wild, half-crazed fanatic, whose reason, if he had ever possessed any, had been lost in the Charybdis of his zeal. He honestly thought it was his duty to insult persons who apparently disagreed with him. Such a method

ing as lightly as possible, I laid our zealous friend sprawling on his

e noxious weeds, grow without cultivation, and thrive best on barren soil. Or shall I say that, like the goodly vine, they bear better fruit when pruned? I cannot fully decide this question for myself;

rabble at a respectful distance for a while, but they crowded closely upon me, and I should have been compelled to kill some of them had I not been re?nforced by two men who came to my help and laid about them most joyfully with their quarterstaffs. A few

by my side I, of course, would not have rema

ed. Our friends were young men. One wore a rich, half-rustic habit, and the other was dressed as a ho

dressed ally. "What in the devil's name

is it you?" replied

ded his quarrel upon us? Hell's fires! but they wer

. "Let me present you, Sir Malcolm,

nd to his Lords

not felt that my first duty was to extricate Lady Madge from the disagreeable

g me on the shoulder. "Of course you had to get the w

the possibilities of trouble ahead of us were already too great, a

ht you into the broil," asked his Lo

were walking out to

Madge. How much of it did you see? You are as

's terrible jest. I could not think of anything sufficiently holy and sacred upon which t

gentleman?" asked his Lordsh

Madge, "Dorot

shops," I volunt

you, is she, cousin? I haven't seen her for years. They say she is a handsome filly now. By gad, she had room to improve, for she was plain enough, to frighten rats away fr

o had assisted his Lordship and m

and to endure patiently his insolence. But John and Dorothy would soon return, and there

warningly. John caught my meaning, and instantly leaving Dorothy's side, entered an adjacent shop. My movement had attracted

Dorothy

" I r

t the old man was hoaxing me when he told me that she was beautiful. Holy Virgin, Tod, did you ever see an

ew yards of us, and my Lord Stan

w me, do ye?"

ened and quickly s

not," respo

red Madge, who knew of the

cousin that I cannot be more than cousin, heh?" He laughed boisterously, and winking at Tod, thrust his

well knew the peril of the situation, and when I frowned at her warningly, she caught the hint

o the inn,"

s two hours past dinner time now, and I'm almost famished. We'll have a famous din

must return home at once. Sir Malcolm, wi

es with Stanley and his horse-boy friend while I sought Dawson

dined," said

aste you can make." The bystanders in the tap-room were listenin

, a storm w

im we were preparing to leave the inn, and that we wo

to kiss Dorothy, and she had slapped his face. Fortunately he had taken the blow good-humoredly, a

The coach

r. "I am going to ride with you

do," retorted Doroth

e roads are free to all, and you c

could find no way out of it. I was troubled a moment; but

hy, without a trace of anger in her manner, "but we cannot l

m, will we, Tod? We are

y, "you may come. But I have changed my mind about di

ly," said Lord James, joyfully.

ilent under al

ps, and we shall return in one hour. Meantime, Cousin Stanley, we wish you to ha

k," said silent Tod, w

od says you'll never come back; he means

er for dinner not to come back. If you fail to have a wel

nd as the ladies entered it

to Conn

say to his w

a slipp

she wants me more than she wants

retorted his

h alas! we had not tasted, I ordered a great bowl of sack and proceeded to drink with my allies in the hope that I might make them too drunk to follow us. Within half an hour I discovered that I was laboring at a hopeless task. There was great danger that I w

k wind was blowing from the north, and by reason of the weather and because of the ill condition of the roads, the progress of the coach was so slow that darkness overtook us before we h

eels the trampling of horses. I rode forward to Dawson, who was in the coach box, and told him to drive with all the

rged their weapons, and they could not reload while John and I were engaging them. I heard the bullets tell upon the coach, and I heard the girls screaming lustily. I feared they had been wounded, but you may be sure I had no leisure to learn the truth. Three against two was terrible odds in the dark, where brute force and luck go for more than skill. We fought desperately for a while, but in the end we succeeded in beating off the highwaymen. When we had finished with the knaves who had attacked us, we quickly overtook our party. We were calling Dawson to stop when we saw the coach, careening with the slant of the hill, topple over

of truth, the humor of the situation appealed to me even then. But imagine yourself i

held a council of war against the storm. Dawson said we were three good miles from Rowsley, and that he knew of no house nearer than the village at which we could find shelter. We could not stand in the road and freeze, so I got the blankets and robes from the coach and made riding pads for Dorothy and Madge. These we strapped up

ng to stop for the night at a cottage two miles distant, upon his father's esta

uld be said concerning the presence of an

r and briefly related the adventures of the night, dwelling with undeserved emphasis upon the help I had rendered. She told her father-the statement was literally true-that s

e trouble with him; but after he had spoken with Doroth

p you have rendered my girls, and

stress Vernon and Lady Madge at the Royal Arms, and escorted them to Rowsley for

you will come with

way again, Sir G

y in the devil's name did you run away so quickly? Could you not ha

, you certa

Damme! I say, not another word. If I ever ordered you to leave Hadd

again not k

should ever come over you again-that is, if you should ever again imagine that I am ordering you to leave Haddon Hall-well, just tell me to go to the devil. I have been punished enough already, man. Come home with us. Here is Dorothy, w

when Madge held out her fair hand appealingly to me, and when Dorothy said, "Please come home with us, Cousin Malcolm," I offered

othy, Madge, and you are all in this world whom I love. Nothing sha

was in his kinde

mber the wor

d my word upon it,

present,-it is sometimes hard to pay the priceless present for the squandered past. Next morning we all rode home to Haddon,

t disturb her, and as I stole away again I said to myself, "God is good." A realization of that great tr