Months had passed away since Richard Shelton made his escape from the hands of his guardian1. These months had been eventful for England. The party of Lancaster, which was then in the very article of death, had once more raised its head. The Yorkists defeated and dispersed2, their leader butchered on the field, it seemed,—for a very brief season in the winter following upon the events already recorded, as if the House of Lancaster had finally triumphed over its foes3.
The small town of Shoreby-on-the-Till was full of the Lancastrian nobles of the neighbourhood. Earl Risingham was there, with three hundred men-at-arms; Lord Shoreby, with two hundred; Sir Daniel himself, high in favour and once more growing rich on confiscations, lay in a house of his own, on the main street, with three-score men. The world had changed indeed.
It was a black, bitter cold evening in the first week of January, with a hard frost, a high wind, and every likelihood of snow before the morning.
In an obscure alehouse in a by-street near the harbour, three or four men sat drinking ale and eating a hasty mess of eggs. They were all likely, lusty, weather-beaten fellows, hard of hand, bold of eye; and though they wore plain tabards, like country ploughmen, even a drunken soldier might have looked twice before he sought a quarrel in such company.
A little apart before the huge fire sat a younger man, almost a boy, dressed in much the same fashion, though it was easy to see by his looks that he was better born, and might have worn a sword, had the time suited.
“Nay,” said one of the men at the table, “I like it not. Ill will come of it. This is no place for jolly fellows. A jolly fellow loveth open country, good cover, and scarce foes; but here we are shut in a town, girt about with enemies; and, for the bull’s-eye of misfortune, see if it snow not ere the morning.”
“’Tis for Master Shelton there,” said another, nodding his head towards the lad before the fire.
“I will do much for Master Shelton,” returned the first; “but to come to the gallows4 for any man—nay, brothers, not that!”
The door of the inn opened, and another man entered hastily and approached the youth before the fire.
Dick (for this was our young friend) rose instantly to his feet.
“Lawless,” he said, “ye will take John Capper’s watch. Greensheve, follow with me. Capper, lead forward. We will follow him this time, an he go to York.”
The next moment they were outside in the dark street, and Capper, the man who had just come, pointed7 to where two torches flared8 in the wind at a little distance.
The town was already sound asleep; no one moved upon the streets, and there was nothing easier than to follow the party without observation. The two link-bearers went first; next followed a single man, whose long cloak blew about him in the wind; and the rear was brought up by the four archers, each with his bow upon his arm. They moved at a brisk walk, threading the intricate lanes and drawing nearer to the shore.
“He hath gone each night in this direction?” asked Dick, in a whisper.
“This is the third night running, Master Shelton,” returned Capper, “and still at the same hour and with the same small following, as though his end were secret.”
Sir Daniel and his six men were now come to the outskirts10 of the country. Shoreby was an open town, and though the Lancastrian lords who lay there kept a strong guard on the main roads, it was still possible to enter or depart unseen by any of the lesser11 streets or across the open country.
The lane which Sir Daniel had been following came to an abrupt12 end. Before him there was a stretch of rough down, and the noise of the sea-surf was audible upon one hand. There were no guards in the neighbourhood, nor any light in that quarter of the town.
Dick and his two outlaws13 drew a little closer to the object of their chase, and presently, as they came forth from between the houses and could see a little farther upon either hand, they were aware of another torch drawing near from another direction.
“Hey,” said Dick, “I smell treason.”
Meanwhile, Sir Daniel had come to a full halt. The torches were stuck into the sand, and the men lay down, as if to await the arrival of the other party.
This drew near at a good rate. It consisted of four men only—a pair of archers, a varlet with a link, and a cloaked gentleman walking in their midst.
“Is it you, my lord?” cried Sir Daniel.
“It is I, indeed; and if ever true knight15 gave proof I am that man,” replied the leader of the second troop; “for who would not rather face giants, sorcerers, or pagans, than this pinching cold?”
“My lord,” returned Sir Daniel, “beauty will be the more beholden, misdoubt it not. But shall we forth? for the sooner ye have seen my merchandise, the sooner shall we both get home.”
“But why keep ye her here, good knight?” inquired the other. “An she be so young, and so fair, and so wealthy, why do ye not bring her forth among her mates? Ye would soon make her a good marriage, and no need to freeze your fingers and risk arrow-shots by going abroad at such untimely seasons in the dark.”
“I have told you, my lord,” replied Sir Daniel, “the reason thereof concerneth me only. Neither do I purpose to explain it farther. Suffice it, that if ye be weary of your old gossip, Daniel Brackley, publish it abroad that y’ are to wed9 Joanna Sedley, and I give you my word ye will be quit of him right soon. Ye will find him with an arrow in his back.”
Meantime the two gentlemen were walking briskly forward over the down; the three torches going before them, stooping against the wind and scattering16 clouds of smoke and tufts of flame, and the rear brought up by the six archers.
Close upon the heels of these, Dick followed. He had, of course, heard no word of this conversation; but he had recognised in the second of the speakers old Lord Shoreby himself, a man of an infamous17 reputation, whom even Sir Daniel affected18, in public, to condemn19.
Presently they came close down upon the beach. The air smelt20 salt; the noise of the surf increased; and here, in a large walled garden, there stood a small house of two storeys, with stables and other offices.
The foremost torch-bearer unlocked a door in the wall, and after the whole party had passed into the garden, again closed and locked it on the other side.
Dick and his men were thus excluded from any farther following, unless they should scale the wall and thus put their necks in a trap.
They sat down in a tuft of furze and waited. The red glow of the torches moved up and down and to and fro within the enclosure, as if the link bearers steadily21 patrolled the garden.
Twenty minutes passed, and then the whole party issued forth again upon the down; and Sir Daniel and the baron22, after an elaborate salutation, separated and turned severally homeward, each with his own following of men and lights.
As soon as the sound of their steps had been swallowed by the wind, Dick got to his feet as briskly as he was able, for he was stiff and aching with the cold.
“Capper, ye will give me a back up,” he said.
They advanced, all three, to the wall; Capper stooped, and Dick, getting upon his shoulders, clambered on to the cope-stone.
“Now, Greensheve,” whispered Dick, “follow me up here; lie flat upon your face, that ye may be the less seen; and be ever ready to give me a hand if I fall foully23 on the other side.”
And so saying he dropped into the garden.
It was all pitch dark; there was no light in the house. The wind whistled shrill24 among the poor shrubs25, and the surf beat upon the beach; there was no other sound. Cautiously Dick footed it forth, stumbling among bushes, and groping with his hands; and presently the crisp noise of gravel26 underfoot told him that he had struck upon an alley27.
Here he paused, and taking his crossbow from where he kept it concealed28 under his long tabard, he prepared it for instant action, and went forward once more with greater resolution and assurance. The path led him straight to the group of buildings.
All seemed to be sorely dilapidated: the windows of the house were secured by crazy shutters29; the stables were open and empty; there was no hay in the hay-loft, no corn in the corn-box. Any one would have supposed the place to be deserted30. But Dick had good reason to think otherwise. He continued his inspection31, visiting the offices, trying all the windows. At length he came round to the sea-side of the house, and there, sure enough, there burned a pale light in one of the upper windows.
He stepped back a little way, till he thought he could see the movement of a shadow on the wall of the apartment. Then he remembered that, in the stable, his groping hand had rested for a moment on a ladder, and he returned with all despatch32 to bring it. The ladder was very short, but yet, by standing33 on the topmost round, he could bring his hands as high as the iron bars of the window; and seizing these, he raised his body by main force until his eyes commanded the interior of the room.
Two persons were within; the first he readily knew to be Dame34 Hatch; the second, a tall and beautiful and grave young lady, in a long, embroidered35 dress—could that be Joanna Sedley? his old wood-companion, Jack36, whom he had thought to punish with a belt?
He dropped back again to the top round of the ladder in a kind of amazement37. He had never thought of his sweetheart as of so superior a being, and he was instantly taken with a feeling of diffidence. But he had little opportunity for thought. A low “Hist!” sounded from close by, and he hastened to descend38 the ladder.
“Who goes?” he whispered.
“Greensheve,” came the reply, in tones similarly guarded.
“What want ye?” asked Dick.
“The house is watched, Master Shelton,” returned the outlaw14. “We are not alone to watch it; for even as I lay on my belly39 on the wall I saw men prowling in the dark, and heard them whistle softly one to the other.”
“By my sooth,” said Dick, “but this is passing strange! Were they not men of Sir Daniel’s?”
“Nay, sir, that they were not,” returned Greensheve; “for if I have eyes in my head, every man-Jack of them weareth me a white badge in his bonnet40, something chequered with dark.”
“White, chequered with dark,” repeated Dick. “Faith, ’tis a badge I know not. It is none of this country’s badges. Well, an that be so, let us slip as quietly forth from this garden as we may; for here we are in an evil posture41 for defence. Beyond all question there are men of Sir Daniel’s in that house, and to be taken between two shots is a beggarman’s position. Take me this ladder; I must leave it where I found it.”
They returned the ladder to the stable, and groped their way to the place where they had entered.
Capper had taken Greensheve’s position on the cope, and now he leaned down his hand, and, first one and then the other, pulled them up.
Cautiously and silently, they dropped again upon the other side; nor did they dare to speak until they had returned to their old ambush42 in the gorse.
“Now, John Capper,” said Dick, “back with you to Shoreby, even as for your life. Bring me instantly what men ye can collect. Here shall be the rendezvous43; or if the men be scattered44 and the day be near at hand before they muster45, let the place be something farther back, and by the entering in of the town. Greensheve and I lie here to watch. Speed ye, John Capper, and the saints aid you to despatch. And now, Greensheve,” he continued, as soon as Capper had departed, “let thou and I go round about the garden in a wide circuit. I would fain see whether thine eyes betrayed thee.”
Keeping well outwards46 from the wall, and profiting by every height and hollow, they passed about two sides, beholding47 nothing. On the third side the garden wall was built close upon the beach, and to preserve the distance necessary to their purpose, they had to go some way down upon the sands. Although the tide was still pretty far out, the surf was so high, and the sands so flat, that at each breaker a great sheet of froth and water came careering over the expanse, and Dick and Greensheve made this part of their inspection wading48, now to the ankles, and now as deep as to the knees, in the salt and icy waters of the German Ocean.
Suddenly, against the comparative whiteness of the garden wall, the figure of a man was seen, like a faint Chinese shadow, violently signalling with both arms. As he dropped again to the earth, another arose a little farther on and repeated the same performance. And so, like a silent watch word, these gesticulations made the round of the beleaguered49 garden.
“They keep good watch,” Dick whispered.
“Let us back to land, good master,” answered Greensheve. “We stand here too open; for, look ye, when the seas break heavy and white out there behind us, they shall see us plainly against the foam50.”
“Ye speak sooth,” returned Dick. “Ashore with us, right speedily.”
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1
guardian
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| n.监护人；守卫者，保护者 | |
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dispersed
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| adj. 被驱散的, 被分散的, 散布的 | |
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foes
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| 敌人，仇敌( foe的名词复数 ) | |
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gallows
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| n.绞刑架，绞台 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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archers
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| n.弓箭手，射箭运动员( archer的名词复数 ) | |
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7
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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8
Flared
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| adj. 端部张开的, 爆发的, 加宽的, 漏斗式的 动词flare的过去式和过去分词 | |
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9
wed
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| v.娶，嫁，与…结婚 | |
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10
outskirts
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| n.郊外，郊区 | |
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lesser
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| adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地 | |
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abrupt
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| adj.突然的，意外的；唐突的，鲁莽的 | |
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13
outlaws
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| 歹徒，亡命之徒( outlaw的名词复数 )； 逃犯 | |
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outlaw
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| n.歹徒，亡命之徒；vt.宣布…为不合法 | |
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15
knight
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| n.骑士，武士；爵士 | |
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16
scattering
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| n.[物]散射；散乱，分散；在媒介质中的散播adj.散乱的；分散在不同范围的；广泛扩散的；（选票）数量分散的v.散射(scatter的ing形式)；散布；驱散 | |
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17
infamous
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| adj.声名狼藉的，臭名昭著的，邪恶的 | |
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affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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condemn
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| vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑 | |
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smelt
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| v.熔解，熔炼；n.银白鱼，胡瓜鱼 | |
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21
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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baron
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| n.男爵；(商业界等)巨头，大王 | |
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foully
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| ad.卑鄙地 | |
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shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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shrubs
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| 灌木( shrub的名词复数 ) | |
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26
gravel
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| n.砂跞；砂砾层；结石 | |
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27
alley
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| n.小巷，胡同；小径，小路 | |
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28
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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shutters
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| 百叶窗( shutter的名词复数 )； （照相机的）快门 | |
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deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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inspection
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| n.检查，审查，检阅 | |
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despatch
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| n./v.(dispatch)派遣；发送；n.急件；新闻报道 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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dame
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| n.女士 | |
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embroidered
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| adj．绣花的 | |
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jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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38
descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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belly
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| n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛 | |
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40
bonnet
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| n.无边女帽；童帽 | |
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41
posture
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| n.姿势，姿态，心态，态度；v.作出某种姿势 | |
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42
ambush
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| n.埋伏(地点)；伏兵；v.埋伏；伏击 | |
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43
rendezvous
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| n.约会，约会地点，汇合点；vi.汇合，集合；vt.使汇合，使在汇合地点相遇 | |
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44
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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45
muster
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| v.集合，收集，鼓起，激起；n.集合，检阅，集合人员，点名册 | |
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46
outwards
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| adj.外面的，公开的，向外的；adv.向外；n.外形 | |
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47
beholding
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| v.看，注视( behold的现在分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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48
wading
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| （从水、泥等）蹚，走过，跋( wade的现在分词 ) | |
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49
beleaguered
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| adj.受到围困[围攻]的；包围的v.围攻( beleaguer的过去式和过去分词)；困扰；骚扰 | |
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50
foam
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| v./n.泡沫，起泡沫 | |
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