\"Canyou,then,explainhowitcomesthatthatwrapperhasbeensuppressed？Canyoutellushow—thematterbeingasyoustateit—inveryself—defenceagainstthedangersofkeepingsuchaletter,yourbrotherdidnotalsokeepthatwrapper？\"
Hereyesfellawayfromhisface,theyturnedtoAlbemarle,whosatscowlingagain,andfromhimtheyflickeredunsteadilytoPhelipsandLuttrell,andlastly,toRichard,who,verywhiteandwithsetteeth,stoodlisteningtotheworkingofhisruin。
\"I……Idonotknow,\"shefalteredatlast。
\"Ah！\"saidTrenchard,drawingadeepbreath。HeturnedtotheBench。
\"NeedIsuggestwhatwastheneed—theurgentneed—forsuppressingthatwrapper？\"quothhe。\"NeedIsaywhatnamewasinscribeduponit？
Ithinknot。YourGrace\'skeeninsight,andyours,gentlemen,willdeterminewhatwasprobable。\"
SirRowlandnowstoodforward,addressingAlbemarle。\"WillYourGracepermitmetooffermyexplanationofthis？\"
Albemarlebangedthetable。Hispatiencewasatanend,sincehecamenowtobelieve—asTrenchardhadearliersuggested—thathehadbeenplayeduponbyRuth。
\"ToomanyexplanationshaveIheardalready,sir,\"heanswered。Heturnedtooneofhissecretaries。Inhissuddenaccessofcholerheforgothiscolleaguesaltogether。\"Theprisonersarecommittedfortrial,\"saidheharshly,andTrenchardbreathedfreelyatlast。Butthenextinstanthecaughthisbreathagain,foraringingvoicewasheardwithoutdemandingtoseeHisGraceofAlbemarleatonce,andthevoicewasthevoiceofAnthonyWilding。
CHAPTERXI
THEMARPLOT
Mr。Wilding\'sappearanceproducedasmanydifferentemotionsastherewereindividualspresent。HemadethecompanyasweepingbowonhisadmissionbyAlbemarle\'sorders,abowwhichwasreturnedbyastarefromoneandall。Dianaeyedhiminamazement,Ruthinhope;Richardavertedhisglancefromthatofhisbrother—in—law,whilstSirRowlandmetitwithascowlofenmity—theyhadnotcomefacetofacesincetheoccasionofthatencounterinwhichSirRowland\'sself—lovehadbeensorudelyhandled。Albemarle\'sfaceexpressedasortofsatisfaction,whichwasreflectedonthecountenancesofPhelipsandLuttrell;whilstTrenchardneverthoughtofattemptingtodissemblehisprofounddismay。Andthisdismaywasshared,thoughnotinsodeepameasure,byWildinghimself。Trenchard\'spresencegavehimpause;
forhehadbeenfar,indeed,fromdreamingthathisfriendhadahandinthisaffair。AtsightofhimallwasmadecleartoMr。Wilding。
AtoncehesawtherolewhichTrenchardhadassumedonthisoccasion,sawtothebottomofthemotivesthathadinspiredhimtotakethebullbythehornsandlevelagainstRichardandBlakethisaccusationbeforetheyhadleisuretolevelitagainsthimself。
HisquickwitshavingfathomedTrenchard\'smotive,Mr。Wildingwasdeeplytouchedbythisproofoffriendship,andforasecond,asdeeplynonplussed,atlossnowhowtodischargethetaskonwhichhecame。
\"Youareverychoicelycome,Mr。Wilding,\"saidAlbemarle。\"Youwillbeabletoresolvemecertaindoubtswhichhavebeensetonfootbythesetraitors。\"
\"That,\"saidMr。Wilding,\"isthepurposeforwhichIamhere。Newsreachedmeofthearrestthathadbeenmade。MayIbegthatYourGracewillplacemeinpossessionofthefactsthathavesofartranspired。\"
Itwasoneofhissecretarieswho,atAlbemarle\'sbidding,gaveWildingtheinformationthathecraved。Helistenedgravely;then,beforeAlbemarlehadtimetoquestionhimonthescoreofthenamethatmighthavebeenupontheenfoldingwrapperoftheletter,hebeggedthathemightconferapartamomentwithMr。Trenchard。
\"ButMr。Wilding,\"saidColonelLuttrell,surprisednottoheartheimmediatedenialoftheimputationtheyhadexpected,\"weshouldfirstliketohear……\"
\"Byyourleave,sirs,\"Wildinginterrupted,\"IshouldpreferthatyouaskmenothinguntilIhaveconsultedwithMr。Trenchard。\"HesawLuttrell\'sfrown,observedSirEdwardshifthiswigtoscratchhisheadinsheerperplexity,andcaughtthefore—shadowingofdenialontheDuke\'sface。So,withoutgivinganyofthemtimetosayhimnay,headdedquicklyandveryseriously,\"Iambeggingthisintheinterestsofjustice。YourGracehastoldmethatsomelingeringdoubtstillhauntsyourminduponthesubjectofthisletter—theotherchargescanmatterlittle,apartfromthattreasonabledocument。Itlieswithinmypowertoresolvesuchdoubtsmostclearlyandfinally。ButIwarnyou,sirs,thatnotonewordwillIutterinthisconnectionuntilIhavehadspeechwithMr。Trenchard。\"
TherewasabouthismienandvoiceafirmnessthatforewarnedAlbemarlethattoinsistwouldbeworsethanidle。Aslightpausefollowedhiswords,andLuttrellleanedacrosstowhisperinHisGrace\'sear;fromtheDuke\'sothersideSirEdwardbenthisheadforwardtillitalmosttouchedthoseofhiscompanions。Blakewatched,andwasmostfoolishlyimpatient。
\"YourGracewillneverallowthis！\"hecried。
\"Eh？\"saidAlbemarle,scowlingathim。
\"Ifyouallowthosetwovillainstoconsorttogetherweareallundone,\"
thebaronetprotested,andruinedwhatchancetherewasofAlbemarle\'snotconsenting。
ItwastheonethingneededtodetermineAlbemarIe。Likethestubbornmanhewas,therewasnaughthedetestedsomuchastohavehiscoursedictatedtohim。Morethanthat,inSirRowland\'sanxietythatWildingandTrenchardshouldnotbeallowedtoconferapart,hesmokedafearonSirRowland\'spart,baseduponthebaronet\'sconsciousnessofhisownguilt。Heturnedfromhimwithasneeringsmile,andwithoutsomuchasconsultinghisassociatesheglancedatWildingandwavedhishandtowardsthedoor。
\"Praydoasyousuggest,Mr。Wilding,\"saidhe。\"ButIdependuponyounottotaxourpatience。\"
\"IshallnotkeepMr。Trenchardamomentlongerthanisnecessary,\"
saidWilding,givingnohintofthesecondmeaninginhiswords。
Hesteppedtothedoor,openedithimself,andsignedtoTrenchardtopassout。Theoldplayerobeyedhimreadily,ifinsilence。Anusherclosedthedoorafterthem,andinsilencetheywalkedtogethertotheendofthepassage。
\"Whereisyourhorse,Nick？\"quothWildingabruptly。
\"Whataplaguedoyoumean,whereismyhorse？\"flashedTrenchard。
\"Whatmidsummerfrenzyisthis？Damnyouforamarplot,Anthony！
Whatapoxareyouthinkingoftothrustyourselfinhereatsuchatime？\"
\"Ihadnoknowledgeyouwereintheaffair,\"saidWilding。\"Youshouldhavetoldme。\"Hismannerwasbrisktothepointofdryness。
\"However,thereisstilltimetogetyououtofit。Whereisyourhorse？\"
\"Damnmyhorse！\"answeredTrenchardinapassion。\"Youhavespoiledeverything！\"
\"Onthecontrary,\"saidMr。Wildingtartly,\"itseemsyouhaddonethatverythoroughlybeforeIarrived。WhilstIamtouchedbytheregardformewhichhasmisledyouintoturningthetablesonBlakeandWestmacott,yetIdoblameyouforthisbetrayaloftheCause。\"
\"Therewasnohelpforit。\"
\"Why,no;andthatiswhyyoushouldhaveleftmatterswheretheystood。\"
Trenchardstampedhisfoot;indeed,healmostdancedintheexcessofhisvexation。\"Leftthemwheretheystood！\"heechoed。\"Bodyo\'me！
Whereareyourwits？Leftthemwheretheystood！AndatanymomentyoumighthavebeentakenunawaresasaconsequenceofthisaccusationbeinglodgedagainstyoubyRichardorbyBlake。ThentheCausewouldhavebeenbetrayed,indeed。\"
\"Notmoresothanitisnow。
\"Notless,atleast,\"snappedtheplayer。\"Yougivemecreditfornomorewitthanyourself。DoyouthinkthatIamthemantodothingsbyhalves？IhavebetrayedtheplottoAlbemarle;butdoyouimagineIhavemadenoprovisionforwhatmustfollow？\"
\"Provision？\"echoedWilding,staring。
\"Aye,provision。Godlack！WhatdoyousupposeAlbemarlewilldo？\"
\"DispatchamessengertoWhitehallwiththeletterwithinanhour。\"
\"Youperceiveit,doyou？AndwheretheplaguedoyouthinkNickTrenchard\'l1bewhattimethatmessengerrides？\"
Mr。Wildingunderstood。\"Aye,youmaystare,\"sneeredTrenchard。
\"Aletterthathasoncebeenstolenmaybestolenagain。ThecouriermustgobywayofWalford。Ihadinmymindarrangedthespot,closebytheford,whereIshouldfalluponhim,robhimofhisdispatches,andtakehim—boundhandandfootifnecessary—toVallancey\'s,wholivescloseby;andthereI\'dleavehimuntilwordcamethattheDukehadlanded。\"
\"ThattheDukehadlanded？\"criedWilding。\"Youtalkasthoughthethingwereimminent。\"
\"Andimminentitis。ForaughtweknowhemaybeinEnglandalready。\"
Mr。Wildinglaughedimpatiently。\"Youmustforeverbebuildingonthesecrack—brainedrumours,Nick,\"saidhe。
\"Rumours！\"roaredtheother。\"Rumours？Ha！\"Hecheckedhiswildscorn,andproceededinadifferentkey。\"Iwasforgetting。YoudonotknowtheContentsofthatstolenletter。\"
Wildingstarted。Underlyinghisdisbeliefinthetalkofthecountryside,andeveninthemilitarymeasureswhichbytheKing\'sorderswerebeingtakenintheWest,wasanuneasydreadlesttheyshouldprovetobewellfounded,lestArgyle\'soperationsinScotlandshouldbebuttheforerunnerofarashandprematureinvasionbyMonmouth。HeknewtheDukewassurroundedbysuchreckless,foolhardycounsellorsasGreyandFerguson—andyethecouldnotthinktheDukewouldruinallbycomingbeforehehaddefinitewordthathisfriendswereready。HelookedatTrenchardnowwithanxiouseyes。
\"Haveyouseentheletter,Nick？\"heasked,andalmostdreadedthereply。
\"Albemarleshoweditmeanhourago,\"saidTrenchard。
\"Anditcontains？\"
\"Thenewswefear。ItisintheDuke\'sownhand,andintimatesthathewillfollowitinafewdays—inafewdays,maninperson。\"
Mr。Wildingclenchedteethandhands。\"Godhelpusall,then！\"hemutteredgrimly。
\"Meanwhile,\"quothTrenchard,bringinghimbacktothepoint,\"thereisthispreciousbusinesshere。Ihadaschoiceaplanascouldhavebeendevised,anditmusthavesucceeded,hadyounotcomeblunderingintoittomaritallatthelastmoment。ThatfatfoolAlbemarlehadswallowedmyimpeachmentlikeadraughtofmuscadine。Doyouhearme？\"
heendedsharply,forMr。Wildingstoodbemused,histhoughtsplainlywandering。
HelethishandfalluponTrenchard\'sshoulder。\"No,\"saidhe,\"I
wasn\'tlistening。Nomatter;forevenhadIknownthefullextentofyourschemeIstillmusthaveinterfered。\"
\"ForthesakeofMistressWestmacott\'sblueeyes,nodoubt,\"sneeredTrenchard。\"Pah！Whereverthere\'sawomanthere\'sthelossofaman。\"
\"ForthesakeofMistressWilding\'sblueeyes,\"hisfriendcorrectedhim。\"I\'llallownobrotherofherstohanginmyplace。\"
\"Itwillbeinterestingtoseehowyouwillrescuehim。\"
\"BytellingthetruthtoAlbemarle。\"
\"He\'llnotbelieveit。\"
\"Ishallproveit,\"saidWildingquietly。Trenchardswungrounduponhiminmingledangerandalarmforhim。\"Youshallnotdoit！\"hesnarled。\"ItisnothingshortoftreasontotheDuketogetyourselflaidbytheheelsatsuchatimeasthis。\"
\"Ihopetoavoidit,\"answeredWildingconfidently。
\"Avoidit？How？\"
\"Notbystayinglongerhereintalk。Thatwillruinall。Awaywithyou,Trenchard！\"
\"Bymysoul,no！\"answeredTrenchard。\"I\'llnotleaveyou。IfIhavegotyouintothis,I\'llhelptogetyououtagain,orstayinitwithyou。\"
\"BethinkyouofMonmouth？\"Wildingadmonishedhim。
\"DamnMonmouth！\"wastheviciousanswer。\"Iamhere,andhereIstay。\"
\"Gettohorse,youfool,andridetoWalfordasyouproposed,theretoambushthemessenger。TheletterwillgotoWhitehallnonethelessinspiteofwhatIshalltellAlbemarle。Ifthingsgowellwithme,IshalljoinyouatVallancey\'sbeforelong。\"
\"Why,ifthatisyourintention,\"saidTrenchard,\"Ihadbetterstay,andwecanridetogether。Itwillmakeitlessuncertainforyou。\"
\"Butlesscertainforyou。\"
\"ThemorereasonwhyIshouldremain。\"
Thedoorofthehallwassuddenlyflungopenatthefarendofthecorridor,andAlbemarle\'sboomingvoice,impatientlyraised,reachedthemwheretheystood。
\"Inanycase,\"addedTrenchard,\"itseemsthereisnohelpforitnow。\"
Mr。Wildingshruggedhisshoulders,butotherwisedissembledhisvexation。Upthepassagefloatedtheconstable\'svoicecallingthem。
Sidebysidetheymoveddown,andsidebysidetheysteppedoncemoreintothepresenceofChristopherMonkandhisassociates。
\"Sirs,youhavenotbeeninhaste,\"wastheDuke\'sill—humouredgreeting。
\"Wehavetarriedalittlethatwemightmakeanendthesooner,\"
answeredTrencharddryly,andthiswasthefirstindicationhegaveMr。Wildingofhownaturally—liketheinimitableactorthathewas—
hehadslippedintohisnewrole。
Albemarlewavedthefrivolousrejoinderaside。\"Come,Mr。Wilding,\"saidhe,\"letushearwhatyoumayhavetosay。Youarenot,Itakeit,abouttourgeanyreasonswhytheseroguesshouldnotbecommitted？\"
\"Indeed,YourGrace,\"saidWilding,\"thatiswhatIamabouttourge。\"
BlakeandRichardlookedathimsuddenly,andfromhimtoTrenchard;
butitwasonlyRuthwhoseeyeswereshrewdenoughtoobservethealtereddemeanourofthelatter。Herhopesrose,foundeduponthisoddlyassortedpair。AlreadyinanticipationshewasstirredbygratitudetowardsWilding,anditwasinimpatientandalmostwonderingawethatshewaitedforhimtoproceed。
\"Itakeit,sir,\"hesaid,withoutwaitingforAlbemarIetoexpressanyofthefreshastonishmenthiscountenancemanifested,\"thattheaccusationagainstthesegentlemenrestsentirelyupontheletterwhichyouhavebeenledtobelievewasaddressedtoMr。Westmacott。\"
TheDukescowledamomentbeforereplying。\"Why,\"saidhe,\"ifitcouldbeshown—irrefutablyshown—thattheletterwasnotaddressedtoeitherofthem,thatwouldnodoubtestablishthetruthofwhattheysay—thattheypossessedthemselvesoftheletterintheinterestsofHisMajesty。\"HeturnedtoLuttrellandPhelips,andtheynoddedtheirconcurrencewithhisviewofthematter。\"But,\"hecontinued,\"ifyouareproposingtoproveanysuchthing,Ithinkyouwillfinditdifficult。\"
Mr。Wildingdrewacrumpledpaperfromhispocket。\"Whenthecourierwhomtheyrobbed,astheyhavecorrectlyinformedyou,\"saidhequietly,\"suspectedtheirdesignuponthecontentsofhiswallet,hebethoughthimofremovingthewrapperfromtheletter,sothatincasetheletterwereseizedbythemitshouldprovenothingagainstanymaninparticular。Hestuffedthewrapperintotheliningofhishat,preservingitasaproofofhisgoodfaithagainstthetimewhenheshouldbringthelettertoitsdestination,orcometoconfessthatithadbeentakenfromhim。Thatwrapperthecourierbroughttome,andIhaveithere。Theevidenceitwillgiveshouldbemorethansufficienttowarrantyourrestoringtheseunjustlyaccusedgentlementheirliberty。\"
\"Thecouriertookittoyou？\"echoedAlbemarle,stupefactioninhisglance。\"Butwhytoyou？\"
\"Because,\"saidWilding,andwithhislefthandheplacedthewrapperbeforeAlbemarle,whilsthisrightdroppedagaintohispocket,\"theletter,asyoumaysee,wasaddressedtome。
Thequietmannerinwhichhemadetheannouncementconveyedalmostasgreatashockastheannouncementitself。
Albemarletookupthewrapper;LuttrellandPhelipscranedforwardtojoinhiminhisscrutinyofit。Theycomparedthetwo,paperwithpaper,writingwithwriting。ThenMonkflungoneandtheotherdowninfrontofhim。
\"WhatlieshaveIbeenhearing,then？\"hedemandedfuriouslyofTrenchard。
\"`SlifeI\'llmakeanexampleofyou。Arrestmethatrogue—arrestthemboth,\"andhehalfrosefromhisseat,histremblinghandpointingtoWildingandTrenchard。
Twoofthetything—menstirredtodohisbidding,butinthesameinstantAlbemarlefoundhimselflookingintotheroundnozzleofapistol。
\"If,\"saidMr。Wilding,\"afingerislaiduponMr。TrenchardormeI
shallhavetheextrememortificationofbeingcompelledtoshootYourGrace。\"
HispleasantlymodulatedvoicewasasdeliberateandcalmasifhewereofferingtheBenchapinchofsnuff。Albemarle\'sdarkvisagecrimsoned;
hiseyesbecameatoncewickedandafraid。SirEdward\'scheeksturnedpale,hisglancegrewstartled。Luttrellalone,vigilantanddangerous,preservedhiscalm。Butthesituationbaffledevenhim。
Behindthetwofriendsthetything—menhadcometoaterror—strickenhalt。DianahadrisenfromherchairintheexcitementofthemomentandhaddrawnclosetoRuth,wholookedonwithpartedlipsandbosomthatroseandfell。EvenBlakecouldnotstiflehisadmirationofMr。Wilding\'scoolnessandaddress。Richard,ontheotherhand,wasconcernedonlywiththoughtsforhimself,wonderinghowitwouldfarewithhimifWildingandTrenchardsucceededingettingaway。
\"Nick,\"saidMr。Wilding,\"willyoudesirethosecatchpollsbehindustostandaside？IfYourGraceraisesyourvoicetocallforhelp,if,indeed,anymeasuresaretakencalculatedtoleadtoourcapture,IcanpromiseYourGrace—notwithstandingmyprofoundreluctancetouseviolence—thattheywillbethelastmeasuresyouwilltakeinlife。Begoodenoughtoopenthedoor,Nick,andtoseethatthekeyisontheoutside。\"
Trenchard,whowasbywayofenjoyinghimselfnow,steppedbrisklydownthehalltodoashisfriendbadehim,withawaryeyeonthetything—men。Butneversomuchasafingerdidtheydaretolift。Mr。
Wilding\'scalmwastoodeadly;theyhadseenamaninearnestbeforethis,andtheyknewhisappearancenow。FromthedoorwayTrenchardcalledMr。Wilding。
\"Imustbegoing,YourGrace,\"saidthelatterverycourteously,\"butIshallnotbesowantingindeferencetoHisMajesty\'saugustrepresentativesastoturnmybackuponyou。\"Sayingwhich,hewalkedbackwards,holdinghispistollevel,untilhehadreachedTrenchardandthedoor。Therehepausedandmadethemadeepbow,hismannerthemoremockinginthattherewasnotingeofmockeryperceptible。\"Yourveryobedientservant,\"saidhe,andsteppedoutside。Trenchardturnedthekey,withdrewitfromthelock,and,standingontiptoe,thrustitupontheledgeofthelintel。
Instantlyaclamourarosewithinthechamber。Butthetwofriendsneverstayedtolisten。Downthepassagetheyspedatthedouble,andoutintothecourtyard。HereRuth\'sgroom,mountedhimself,waswalkinghismistress\'sandDiana\'shorsesupanddownwhilsthewaited;yonderoneofSirEdward\'sstable—boyswasholdingMr。Wilding\'sroan。TwoorthreemenoftheSomersetmilitia,intheirredandyellowliveries,loungedbythegates,andturneduninterestedeyesuponthesenewcomers。
Wildingapproachedhiswife\'sgroom。\"Getdown,\"hesaid,\"Ineedyourhorse—ontheKing\'sbusiness。Getdown,Isay,\"headdedimpatiently,uponnotingthefellow\'sstare,and,seizinghisleg,hehelpedhimtodismountbyalmostdragginghimfromthesaddle。\"Upwithyou,Nick,\"
saidhe,andNickverypromptlymounted。\"Yourmistresswillbeherepresently,\"Wildingtoldthegroom,and,turningonhisheel,strodetohisownmare。AmomentlaterTrenchardandhevanishedthroughthegatewaywithatremendousclatter,justastheLord—Lieutenant,ColonelLuttrell,SirEdwardPhelips,theconstable,thetything—men,SirRowland,Richard,andtheladiesmadetheirappearance。
Ruthpushedherwayquicklytothefront。Shefearedlestherhorseandhercousin\'sbeingathandmightbeusedforthepursuit;sourgingDianatodothesame,shesnatchedherreinsfromthehandsofthedumbfoundedgroomandleaptnimblytothesaddle。
\"Afterthem！\"roaredAlbemarle,andtheconstablewithtwoofhismenmadeadashforthegatewaytoraisethehueandcry,whilstthemilitiamenwatchedtheminstupid,inactivewonder。\"Damnation,mistress！\"thunderedtheDukeinever—increasingpassion,\"holdyournag！Holdyournag,woman！\"ForRuth\'shorsehadbecomeunmanageable,andwascaracolingabouttheyardbetweenthemenandthegatewayinsuchamannerthattheydarednotattempttowinpasther。
\"Youhavescaredhimwithyourbellowing,\"shepanted,tuggingatthebridle,andallbutbackedintotheconstablewhohadbeenendeavouringtogetroundbehindher。Thebeastcontinueditswildprancing,andtheDukeabatednothinginhisfuriousprofanity,untilsuddenlythegroom,havingrelinquishedtoDianathereinsoftheotherhorse,sprangtoRuth\'sassistanceandcaughtherbridleinafirmgraspwhichbroughttheanimaltoastandstill。
\"Youfool！\"shehissedathim,andhalfraisedherwhiptostrike,butcheckedontheimpulse,bethinkingherintimethat,afterall,whatthepoorladhaddonehehaddonethinkingherdistressed。
Theconstableandacoupleofhisfellowswonthrough;otherswererousingthestableandgettingtohorse,andinthecourtyardallwasbustleandcommotion。Meanwhile,however,Mr。WildingandTrenchardhadmadethemostoftheirstart,andwerethunderingthroughthetown。
CHAPTERXII
ATTHEFORD
AsMr。WildingandNickTrenchardrodehell—to—leatherthroughTauntonstreetstheynevernoticedahorsemanatthedooroftheRedLionInn。
Butthehorsemannoticedthem。Helookedupatthesoundoftheirwildapproach,starteduponrecognizingthem,andturnedinhissaddleastheysweptpasthimtocalluponthemexcitedlytostop。
\"Hi！\"heshouted。\"NickTrenchard！Hi！Wilding！\"Then,seeingthattheyeitherdidnothearordidnotheedhim,heloosedavolleyofoaths,wheeledhishorseabout,drovehomethespurs,andstartedinpursuit。OutofthetownhefollowedthemandalongtheroadtowardsWalford,shoutingandclamouringatfirst,afterwardsinagrimandangrysilence。
Now,despitetheirnaturalanxietyfortheirownsafety,WildingandTrenchardhadbynomeansabandonedtheirprojectoftakingcoverbythefordtoawaitthemessengerwhomAlbemarleandtheotherswouldnodoubtbesendingtoWhitehall;andthismadfellowthunderingafterthemseemedinafairwaytomartheirplan。Astheyreluctantlypassedthespottheyhadmarkedoutfortheirambush,splashedthroughthefordandbreastedtherisinggroundbeyond,theytookcounsel。Theydeterminedtostandandmeetthisrashpursuer。
Trenchardcalmlyopinedthatifnecessarytheymustshoothim;hewas,Ifear,abloody—mindedfellowatbottom,although,itistruehejustifiedhimselfnowbypointingoutthatthiswasnotimetohesitateattrifles。Partlybecausetheytalkedandpartlybecausethegradientwassteepandtheirhorsesneededbreathing,theyslackenedrein,andthehorsemanbehindthemcametearingthroughthewaterofthefordandlessenedthedistanceconsiderablyinthenextfewminutes。
Hebethoughthimofusinghislungsoncemore。\"Hi,Wilding！Hold,damnyou！\"
\"Hecursesyouinamostintimatemanner,\"quothTrenchard。
Wildingreinedinandturnedinthesaddle。\"Hisvoicehasafamiliarsound,\"saidhe。Heshadedhiseyeswithhishand,andlookeddowntheslopeatthepursuer,whocameoncrouchinglowuponthewithersofhisgoadedbeast。
\"Wait！\"thefellowshouted。\"Ihavenews—newsforyou！\"
\"It\'sVallancey！\"criedWildingsuddenly。
Trenchardtoohaddrawnreinandwaslookingbehindhim。Insteadofexpresingreliefatthediscoverythatthiswasnotanenemy,hesworeatthetroubletowhichtheyhadsoneedlesslyputthemselves,andhewasstillathisvituperationswhenVallanceycameupwiththem,redinthefaceandveryangry,cursingthemroundlyforthefollyoftheirmadcareer,andfornothavingstoppedwhenhebadethem。
\"Itwasnodoubtdiscourteous,\"saidMr。Wilding\"butwetookyouforsomefriendoftheLord—Lieutenant\'s。\"
\"Aretheyafteryou？\"quothVallancey,hisfaceofasuddenverystartled。
\"Likeenough,\"saidTrenchard,\"iftheyhavefoundtheirhorsesyet。\"
\"Forward,then,\"Vallanceyurgedtheminexcitement,andhepickeduphisreinsagain。\"Youshallhearmynewsasweride。\"
\"Notso,\"saidTrenchard。\"Wehavebusinessheredownyonderattheford。\"