The Lion's Whelp. Amelia E. Barr

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СКАЧАТЬ them, vanished into the gray obscurity, which made all things as if they were not.

      "The storm will grow worse, I fear," said Jane as they turned into the house.

      "More like than not," answered Mrs. Swaffham; "but he is a dauntless youth, and nothing but good will come to him. Where goes he to-day?"

      "As far as he can go. He is in haste to reach Edinburgh, for there is fresh news of rebels from Ireland landing on the Scotch coast. He showed me this report in a copy of the news-letter called The Scottish Dove."

      "A badly named news-letter, Jane; the Scotch are never for peace."

      "It is intended for a peace paper, mother."

      "They are confused in their minds concerning peace. What did it say?"

      "That ten ships were leaving Bristol to bring men from Ireland to help Charles Stuart against Cromwell. The Dove asserts, 'the Scotch are ready for speedy action, if God permit, and if advance money be forthcoming;'" and Jane laughed scornfully at the saving clause.

      "He did not say much of the Cromwells. I'll warrant, they will forget you in their rising state."

      "Far away from it. Mary and Frances sent me many good words, and they are very persuasive with me to come to London and share their state."

      "You cannot go just yet, Jane. Your father is opposed to it, until General Cromwell returns there. Then, if it so please God, we shall all go—at least for a season."

      "But when will Cromwell return there?"

      "God has set a time for all events, Jane. We must wait for it. What think you of Matilda?"

      "That she is in trouble greater than we know. She shuts in her words, but I think that something is about to happen."

      "Anything may happen with Cromwell in Scotland, and the Parliament carrying things with such a high hand. But see, Jane, we must be after our own concerns. Servants, men and women, are getting beyond all belief; they do such barefaced things as never was. The week's butter is gone already, and when I spoke to Debby, she wiped her saucy mouth and, like the fox in the fable, 'thanked God she wasn't a thief.'"

      Then the mother and daughter separated, and Jane went to her friend's room. She was languidly brushing out her long black hair, and Jane tried to kiss a smile into her melancholy face. And as she lifted her head, she had a momentary glance at a beautiful miniature lying upon the dressing-table. The face was that of a youth with flowing locks and a falling collar of lace; but Jane was too honourable to let her eyes rest consciously upon what was evidently hid from her. For in that same moment, Matilda moved her ribbons and kerchief in a hurried way, contriving in so doing, to cover the picture. Then she assumed her usual manner and asked,

      "Is Lord Neville still angry at me? I suppose if I had remained with him, he would have eaten me by this time."

      "He was very sorry for his show of temper, and would fain have made some apologies to you."

      "Then he has gone? Well, it is not worth my while saying I am sorry for it."

      "He set off early this morning."

      "And so gave me the slip."

      "Oh, no! He had important news for General Cromwell, and would push on at his utmost."

      "Yet staying awhile at every decent Puritan dwelling, and making love to their sweet daughters."

      "Do not be ill-natured, Matilda. He had letters from my father and brothers, and also from Mary and Frances Cromwell to deliver, or he had not stopped at Swaffham."

      "Oh, Jane, Jane! I pray your pardon! It must be easy now to forgive me, I keep you so well in practice. In truth, I am a wretched girl, this morning. I have been dreaming of calamities, and my speech is too small for my heart. And this young lord with his adoration of Cromwell and his familiar talk of 'the ladies Mary and Frances' angered me, for I thought of the days when the Lord General was plain 'Mr. Cromwell,' and we were, both of us, in love with young Harry Cromwell."

      "Was I in love with Harry Cromwell? If so, I have forgotten it."

      "You were in love with Harry Cromwell—or you thought so—and so was I. Do you remember his teaching us how to skate? What spirits we all had then! How handsome he was! How strong! How good-natured! I hear now that he is all for Dorothy Osborne, and has had some Irish hounds sent her, and seal rings, and I know not what other tokens. And Mistress Dorothy is a royalist—that is one good thing about her. Very soon this lucky Cromwell family will coax you to London to see all their glory, and I shall be left in de Wick with no better company than a clock; for my father speaks to me about once an hour, and the Chaplain not at all, unless to reprove me."

      "But you shall come to London also."

      "Do you think so ill of me as to believe I would leave my father in the loneliness of de Wick? And you know if he went to London he would be watched day and night, and though he were white as innocence about the King, some one would make him as black as Satan."

      "Look now, Matilda, I will myself see Cromwell as soon as he is in London. I will say to him, 'My dear Lord and General, I have a favour to ask;' and he will kiss me and answer, 'What is it, little Jane?' and I will tell him that I want my friend, Matilda de Wick, and that she will not leave her father alone; and that will go right down into his tender heart, to the very soul of him, and he will say—perhaps with tears in his eyes—'She is a good girl, and I loved her father, and he stood by me once against the elder Charles Stuart and the Star Chamber. Yes he did, and I will leave de Wick in charge of his own honour, and I will give his daughter my name to shield them both. I will, surely.' Such words as this, good Cromwell will say. I know it."

      "Oh, Jane, dear Jane, if I had to give a reason for loving you, what could I say for myself? If you can indeed do this thing for me, how glad I shall be!" And she stood up and kissed her friend, and in a little while they went downstairs together, and Matilda had some boiled milk and bread and a slice of venison. Then she asked Mrs. Swaffham to let her have a coach to go home in.

      "For it is so near Christmas," she said, "that snow, or no snow, I must go to de Wick. Audrey was making the Nativity Pie when I left home, and it is that we may remember my brave dead brothers and my sweet mother as we eat it. Then we shall talk of them and of the happy Christmas days gone by, and afterwards go away and pray for their remembrance and blessedness."

      "My dear," said Mrs. Swaffham solemnly, "the dead are with God. There is no need to pray for them."

      "It comforts my heart to ask God that they may remember me. I think surely He will do so. He must know how we feel at Christmas. He must hear our sad talk of them, and see our tears, and He has not forbid us anywhere in the Bible to come to Him about our dead, any more than about our living. Father Sacy says I may confidently go to Him; that He will be pleased that I still remember. And as I do not forget them, they will not forget me. In God's very presence they may pray for me."

      Mrs. Swaffham kissed her for answer, and they sent her away with such confidence of good-will and coming happiness that the girl almost believed days might be hers in the future as full of joy as days in the past had been.

      "She has a true heart," said Mrs. Swaffham as they watched the coach disappear; and Jane answered,

      "Yes, she has a true heart; and when we go to London the de Wicks must go also. Mother, I think she has yet a tender fancy for СКАЧАТЬ