Lady Hester; Or, Ursula's Narrative

ary, and he had extracted a promise from Fulk, to ta

ung with trees, the long-legged herons standing in the firs, looking like toys in a

aring to make a sound, till you could get a shot at the ducks disporting themselves in the moonlight

over to spend the day, much mortified that he had a bad broken chilblain, which made his boots unwearable, and it was the

He had not come equipped, so Alured put him into an old grey coat and cap of his own, and merrily they started in the frosty moonlight, with dashes of snow lying under the hedges, and everything intensely light. Fulk grumbling in fun at being dragged away from his warm fire, and pretending to be g

I say alas, or

he porch. Something in the very sound thrilled Jaquetta and me at once wi

e. It is poor Master Lea who is hurt; and Mr. Torwood sent me up

stions, and sending off Sisson to ride for the poor mother, and to go on to Shinglebay for the doctor, though, to o

pense before the steps came back-my poor Alured first, as we held the door open. How pale his face looked! and his brows were drawn with horror, and his steps dragging, saying not a word, but trembl

and mattress soaked through and through with blood. They put him down

w "He is dying-internal bleeding;" and when Jaquetta asked "Can

!" and then again, as Alured assured him he would be better- "No, I shan't; I'm so glad it was

tand those words

; but oh, it hurts so-I can't-I will whe

very soon,"

rsham, don't let them know

, whatever it is! Only t

thing in Alured's ear, and then a broken word or two-"forgive-glad-pray;" and when we all knelt and Fulk did say the Lord's Prayer, and a verse or two more, there was a peaceful loving look at Fulk and Jaquetta

nelt with his head close to Trevor's. Fulk and I l

ave saved him. He had said nothing after the first cry, except when he saw Alured's grief. "Never mind; I'm glad it was not you." And once or twice, as

h! poor boy, it is better than if it lasted longer! I saw that half-witted fellow, Billy Blake abo

she called on her boy to look at her, and speak to her-gathering him into her bosom with a passionate, desperate clasp, that seemed almost an outrage on the calm awful stillness of the innocent child; and Alured involuntarily cried, "Oh, don't," while Fulk spoke to her kindl

ou it has been his one thought to make accidents for Trevorsham! And he hated my child

away, she darted from us, rushed past Mr. Cradock who was entering the porch, and in another moment, he hu

em out of the river; and Fulk was as completely drenched as he was when they brought poor Hester, quite unconscious, up to the house, and brought her to the room that had been prepared for her son; and there Dr. Brown and Arthur gave us plenty to do in filling hot-water baths and warming flan

little window and the escritoire open!

d's voice, faintly, but reassur

on my lap, and I found strange voices asking him what Perrault had done

he bottom of the stairs, quite himself again, and assuring us that he wa

hadn't spirit to be indignan

displeasure, and I saw that Mr. Halsted, t

Trevor did"-

e murderer to escape!"

need for him to speak at present, is there? The constable and the rest are gone a

ing, the two gentlemen and Brand the keeper standing, and I seated on the step with my boy

wans had attracted; and though the bank of the river was not Trevorsham ground, he had ke

had observed one figure in particular, moving stealthily along, in a parallel line with tha

gun from behind, and fire. Then came the cry, and Brand running down in horror himself, was amazed to see this person doing the same, and when they came up with the group, he recognised Perrault; and found, at the same time, that Trevor was th

se, and that Perrault meant to disarm suspicion by treating it as an accident, so he thought it best to go off to a magistrate with his story, before giving any alarm; feeling cert

d had not imputed accident to malice. But Perrault's flight had settled that question. During the confus

n plotting to get you-yes, you, out of the way of her darling. No, you needn't fear, there's nothing to get by it now. Lucky for you you brought the poor boy out, when I thought him safe by the fire nursing his chilbl

wall; he was past being frightened, but he felt numb and sick with

you can get together. What! no more than that? I'd n

y purse of household money, undid the shutters, and helped Perrault to squeeze himself through the little pa

ad carried him upstairs, and we had taken him to his room, he asked anxiously whether anyone had heard

you helped h

, for it brought back the shuddering and sobbing, and the horror seemed to come upon him, so that there was no soothing him or getting him calm till