The Young Castellan Part 30

"Not bad news, I hope," he said, looking pale.

"Yes; very bad news," said Lady Royland. "I have been waiting for days--it is right that you should know--hoping to get promises of help from the different friends we have round, but till now the answer to my appeal has been silence. This morning they gave me their reason for not replying."

"May I ask from whom you have heard?"

"I cannot tell you," said Lady Royland; "the letter is signed 'a friend,' and it advocates total surrender to the rebellious power of which we hear so much."

"But you will not surrender, Lady Royland?"

"Surrender? No!" cried Roy. "Never!"

"That is right," said the secretary, flus.h.i.+ng a little.

"No; I shall not surrender," said Lady Royland, firmly; "but as it means that we are becoming isolated, and are doomed to stand alone, I feel it my duty to speak plainly to you, Master Pawson."

He turned very pale again, and his eyes glanced restlessly from one to the other.

"I hope--I trust," he faltered, "that I have not done anything more to incur your displeasure, Lady Royland."

"No, Master Pawson, nothing; on the other hand, I have to thank you for the brave way in which for some days past you have mastered your dislike to the proceedings here, and helped my son to advance my objects."

"I--I have only tried to do my duty," he said, flus.h.i.+ng again.

"Still, I cannot disguise from myself, Master Pawson, that dangers are gathering around us fast, and that it is my duty to relieve you of a position which must be growing intolerable."

"I--I do not understand your ladys.h.i.+p," he said, looking at her wonderingly.

"Let me explain, then. I feel that I have no right, Master Pawson, to keep you here. I think, then, that while there is the opportunity, and before you are compromised in any way, you should sever your connection here and go."

"Ah! I see what your ladys.h.i.+p means now," he said, drawing a deep breath as if of relief, and looking firmly in Roy's searching eyes. "Go away before any one of importance comes and makes a demand for the surrender of the castle."

"That is what I do mean."

"Yes, exactly," said the secretary, thoughtfully; "and when the troubles are over, and the king has chastised all these insolent people who have risen against him, and, lastly, when I meet Sir Granby Royland, and he asks me why I deserted his wife and son in their emergency, what can I say?"

Lady Royland was silent for a few moments, and her eyes rested in a softened manner upon the secretary's face.

"Say," she said at last, and her voice sounded a little husky, "that it was my wish that you should go, for I did not desire that any one but I should be compromised."

"Thank you, Lady Royland," said the secretary, quietly; and as he spoke, Roy felt his dislike to the man increasing moment by moment up to a certain point. "And, of course," he said, "I must require money for travelling and to make my way back to London."

"That you shall be properly supplied with, of course, Master Pawson."

"Thank you again, Lady Royland," he said, as he went on calmly with his breakfast; "it is very good of you, and when I require it, I will ask."

"Better that it should be done at once, sir," Lady Royland said, firmly, "and that you should go."

"And leave you and Master Roy here to your fate!"

"We can protect ourselves, sir."

"You must forgive me for being so slow over my breakfast, Master Roy,"

said the secretary, smiling in the lad's disgust-filled face. "I see you are impatient to go, but I am talking so much."

"Oh, eat a good breakfast," said Roy, now he was thus appealed to, "for the last--"

"Oh, no! not by a great many," said Master Pawson, smiling. "I like the dear old castle far too well, and I hope to have many a long year of happy days in it. It is very good of you, Lady Royland; but I hope I can do my duty to Sir Granby like a man. You judge me by what I said at the beginning of these preparations. I thought then that I was right.

I did not believe we should be interfered with here; but I see now that I was wrong, and I am ready to help you heart and soul. Do you think I could go away at a time like this? Why, I should never forgive myself-- never. It is impossible, Lady Royland; now isn't it, Roy? I'm not a fighting man; nature never meant me for anything but music and books, but I'm not such a contemptible coward as all that. When the enemy comes and begins firing, I may be induced to go somewhere that I think _is_ safe; but go away? No, I could never hold up my head again."

"Master Pawson," cried Roy, excitedly, springing from his seat, "do you mean this?"

"Mean it, Roy?" said the secretary. "Why, of course. I promised Sir Granby to do my duty by his dame and his son, and according to the best of my powers. I'm going to do it, and--Well, that's a very nice raised pie."

"Here, I want to beg your pardon, Master Pawson, for all kinds of unpleasant thoughts about you," cried Roy, going round to the secretary and holding out his hand, which the other took and held.

"Do you?" he said, laughing. "Oh, no, there's no need. Boys generally quarrel mentally with their teachers just out of want of knowledge. I know. You've called me old Pawson many a time--now, haven't you?--and said I was fat and soft and stupid, eh?"

The lad did not answer, but looked scarlet.

"That's all right, Roy. I'm old enough to understand a little about human nature. Don't you think I mind what a boy says or does in a fit of spleen. We shall understand one another better as time goes on."

Then turning to Lady Royland, who stood there flushed and with her eyes humid, he said, with grave respect, "I thank you, madam. It is only what I should have expected from one of your good, considerate nature, and I shall never forget it.--There, Roy," he said, "I am going back to my room, and shall always be there when you want me. I stay there because I fear to be in the way, but I'll come and do anything you wish if I can be useful. But, please," he added, with a comical look of appeal, "don't ask me to buckle on a sword, to come and fight, nor yet to fire guns. I should be sure to shut my eyes when I pulled the trigger, and waste the charge. Good-morning; I'm sorry I was so late."

He made as if to go, but paused as Lady Royland took a step or two forward and held out her hand, which he took and kissed respectfully.

"Thank you, Master Pawson," she said, with her voice low from emotion; "you have made everything seem brighter to us than it has looked for days. I feel now that the world is not so cowardly and cruel as this letter makes out that it was. I thank you. Sir Granby shall know of your n.o.ble conduct, and--"

"No, no! please don't say any more now," cried the secretary, hurriedly; and he hastened to quit the room.

"I am glad," cried Roy, as the door was closed.

"Glad!" exclaimed Lady Royland; "and I am sorry, Roy, that we should have been so ready to misjudge."

CHAPTER FIFTEEN.

BEN MARTLET PROPOSES A SEARCH.

The coming in of Farmer Raynes and his ten men had a capital effect upon the people round. It was an example which soon bore fruit. After the first two or three attendances at the castle, they marched there together, with the farmer by them, in thorough military fas.h.i.+on, and were followed by the people from the village, who would have gladly come across the moat had not the gate been clanged-to by the sentry of the day on duty, and then they had to content themselves with standing gazing across at the drilling and martial exercises which went on. The firing of the big guns--for all were tried in turn so as to see that they were serviceable--was a grand portion of the entertainment, and, in spite of secret adverse influences at work, the tenants on the estate soon began to present themselves for enrolment in the little body, eager to a man to don the castle uniform and bear arms; while the fact that the officer in command was a mere boy sent the lads of the neighbourhood half-mad. In fact, day after day they came in pairs to offer themselves for enlistment, but only to go disappointed away; those who showed the most surprise at the refusal to accept their services being the very young.

"Why, bless my heart!" Farmer Raynes would say, with his broad, deep chuckle, "it would be like putting a 'stinguisher on a rush-light to stick a steel cap on some of those boys' heads. You'd be putting them out, Ben Martlet."

"Ay," said the old fellow, showing his teeth; "but a few would be useful to go down the guns with a brush to clean them out. But there, I'm not going to laugh at the boys. Shows a good sperrit, Master Raynes, that I wish more of the older folk would follow."

"Ay, so do I," said the farmer, frowning; "but they're some of 'em ashamed and some afraid. Parson Meldew has a lot to do with it; and do you know why?"

"Nay, not I; perhaps it's because her ladys.h.i.+p has been such a good friend to him."