Part 70 (1/2)

”I had good earnest of your affections,” answered the sheriff with a sneer; ”five years' imprisonment.” Then waving his hand with a gesture indicative of impatience, he continued, ”Let that be as it may. I come to talk of other matters.”

Resting on a bench, he added,--

”When the trial closed on Thursday, Justice Hide, who showed you more favor than seemed to some persons of credit to be meet and seemly, beckoned me to the antechamber. There he explained that the evidence against you being mainly circ.u.mstantial, the sentence might perchance, by the leniency of the King, be commuted to one of imprisonment for life.”

A cold smile pa.s.sed over Ralph's face.

”But this great mercy--whereof I would counsel you to cherish no certain hope--would depend upon your being able and willing to render an account of how you came by the doc.u.ment--the warrant for your own arrest--which was found upon your person. Furnish a credible story of how you came to be possessed, of that instrument, and it may occur--I say it _may_ occur--that by our Sovereign's grace and favor this sentence of death can yet be put aside.”

Sim had risen to his feet in obvious excitement.

Ralph calmly shook his head.

”I neither will nor can,” he said emphatically.

Sim sank back into his seat.

A look of surprise in the sheriff's face quickly gave way to a look of content and satisfaction.

”We know each other of old, and I say there is no love between us,” he observed, ”but it is by no doing of mine that you are here.

Nevertheless, your response to this merciful tender shows but too plainly how well you merit your position.”

”It took you five days to bring it--this merciful tender, as you term it,” said Ralph.

”The King is now at Newcastle, and there at this moment is also Justice Hide, in whom, had you been an innocent man, you must have found an earnest sponsor. I bid you good day.”

The sheriff rose, and, bowing to the prisoner with a ridiculous affectation of mingled deference and superiority, he stepped to the door.

”Stop,” said Ralph: ”you say we know each other of old. That is false!

To this hour you have never known, nor do you know now, why I stand here condemned to die, and doomed by a harder fate to take the life of this innocent old man. You have never known me: no, nor yourself neither--never! But you shall know both before you leave this room.

Sit down.”

”I have no time to waste in idle disputation,” said the sheriff testily; but he sat down, nevertheless, at his prisoner's bidding, as meekly as if the positions had been reversed.

”That scar across your brow.” said Ralph, ”you have carried since the day I have now to speak of.”

”You know it well,” said the sheriff bitterly. ”You have cause to know it.”

”I have,” Ralph answered.

After a pause, in which he was catching the thread of a story half forgotten, he continued: ”You said I supplanted you in your captaincy.

Pehaps so; perhaps not. G.o.d will judge between us. You went over to the Royalist camp, and you were among the garrison that had reduced this very castle. The troops of the Parliament came up one day and summoned you to surrender. The only answer your general gave us was to order the tunnel guns to fire on the white flag. It went down. We lay entrenched about you for six days. Then you sent out a dispatch a.s.suring us that your garrison was well prepared for a siege, and that nothing would prevail with you to open your gates. That was a lie!”

”Well?”

”Your general lied; the man who carried your general's dispatch was a liar too, but he told the truth for a bribe.”

”Ah! then the saints were not above warming the palm?”