Part 1 (2/2)
The boys hurried through the open doorway, the savoury odours proceeding fro their appetites The family were already seated at table, and Master Holden, the parson of the parish, was in the act of saying grace As soon as he had concluded, they took the places left vacant for the to place hier, who cared not where he sat, went to one on the opposite side of the table between his father and the parson, who had at first humbly taken a lower position At the head of the table sat Colonel Tregellen, the owner of Eversden Manor, with his sprightly French wife, Madaht, and his brother-in-law, Master Ralph Willoughby, Roger's father, on his left
”You are late, lads,” said the Colonel, looking first at one, then at the other, in a somewhat stern manner ”You know the rules of the house--how coer, and only lately discovered hiht it incumbent on hione by”
”And ere you not aware how ti to his nephew ”The sun is shi+ning in the heavens, and you should have knohen noon arrived”
”I was sitting in the shade and reading, good uncle,” answered Roger in a brisk tone, which showed that he had little fear of the Colonel's displeasure; ”besides, to say the truth, I atching a fine shi+p standing in for the coast, which shi+p I have a notion has come to anchor not far from this, and as soon as Stephen and I have stoay soood pleasure we propose going on board her to learn what cargo she carries, whither she is bound, and all about her”
”You are of an inquisitive disposition regarding all things nautical, Roger,” observed the Colonel ”I have no objection, if your father has not, but take care you are not carried off to sea We must make Stephen Battisob answerable for that; and if the vessel has a suspicious look, remember that you are not to venture on board”
”Ah, yes; do take care that the strange shi+p you speak of is not a pirate It would be dreadful to have you spirited away, as I have heard has sometimes happened,” observed Madam Pauline
”There is not hby ”Since the noble Blake coentry have not dared to venture into the English Channel”
”And are you also going, Master Battisob?” asked Alice, turning to Stephen
”I have no great fancy for the expedition, and would rather spend s for o to look after hirieved if he were to be carried off, as his heart is set on visiting foreign lands, and he knows not how to accoo I know you will advise him wisely,” said Alice, in a tone which showed that she placed confidence in the person she was addressing
Stephen looked gratified ”I will not betray my trust,” he said, ”and I hope, Mistress Alice, that I shall act in a way to merit your approval”
The lads did not allow their plates to reer sent his for an additional supply of the goodly sirloin which the Colonel was carving, and then, as soon as he had finished eating, without waiting for the pasties or Master Holden's grace, he started up and said: ”We have your leave, uncle, er, and I doubt not we shall bring you before evening a good account of her”
Mr Willoughby nodded his assent ”You er, and Stephen is his own master, but remember the caution you have received Should you find, which is oodly person, and his shi+p is going to reh at anchor, you ladly receive hi at sea, and some fresh provisions will be welco his chair--”Co, Stephen; we shall find Ben Rullock and Toby at their hut before they leave for their evening fishi+ng, if we erness than that exhibited by his friend, rose fro to Madaer out of the hall
”They are spirited lads,” observed the Colonel, ”and as they have little enough to fill up their time, I like not to deny them such amusement as they discover for theht that it should be encouraged,” re except it was to agree with the Colonel, his patron, by whose means he had been reinstated in the parish at the Restoration
Colonel Tregellen, a staunch Cavalier, the owner of Eversden, had during the Civil War been a Charles the First, in whose service he had expended large sums of money On the triued it prudent to escape beyond seas The er Willoughby, who hadthe period of the Coid Puritan, and had been as active in supporting Cromwell as his brother-in-law had been in the cause of the opposite party At the Restoration the tables were again turned, and Colonel Tregellen, who had soland, had, by an aain becohby and his son should reside with hiellen hadand lively person, whono children of their own, they had adopted the grand-daughter of a Cavalier friend killed at Naseby, who had cohter to the Colonel's care On his return to England she came to live at Eversden Manor, where she entleman of property in the county He, however, soon afterwards died, leaving hisand infant daughter slenderly provided for Two years elapsed fro at the rave Madam Pauline had promised to be a mother to her child, and such she had ever since truly proved Alice, as too young to feel her loss, had always looked upon the Colonel and his wife as her parents, and loved theh the Colonel had considered it expedient that she should retain her father's name, and keep up such intercourse with her family as circumstances would permit She amply rewarded the Colonel and Madam Pauline for the care they bestowed on her by the a manners, and the affection she exhibited towards theer, but froence and appearance, and a certain enerally supposed to be older She and Roger were fast friends, and regarded each other as brother and sister Of late she not only looked but felt herself the elder of the two, and treated hi ladies are sohtly dictatorial way, ordering hihtest behest; as he was invariably obedient they never quarrelled, and she always appeared to receive his service as her right
Mr Willoughby, who lost his wife some years after the Restoration, and was in infirm health, had sunk almost heart-broken into the position of a dependant on his brother-in-law He had paid a heavy price to obtain Eversden, and had also expended large sums in support of the cause he advocated, besides which, certain mercantile speculations into which he had entered had been unsuccessful, so that when deprived of Eversden he had nofor his support The hope, which he probably entertained, that his son Roger would be Colonel Tregellen's heir, was sohter--not that he felt any jealousy of her in consequence,--indeed, he ht possibly have entertained the idea that she would er, and that, should she become the Colonel's heiress, the property would thus be restored to the family Had the subject, however, been spoken of to him, he would very likely have replied that he did not wish his thoughts to dwell on such sublunaryordered for the best, he would leave the to interfere Still, as Alice grew up into a sweet and engaging girl, he could not help wishi+ng, as he looked at her, that she would some day becoht had never for alady either She would have laughed heartily if the subject had been mentioned to her, and declared that she should as soon have thought of hby himself, whom she always called her uncle
Fortunately no one had ever been silly enough to talk to her about the ht prove a barrier to their friendshi+p placed between therand idea to go abroad to the Indies, or to America, or to the plantations, to make a fortune, and to restore the family to its former position He did not consider that his father was dependent on the Colonel, but he saw that the latter hih of considerable extent, yielded but a poor inco else to depend on, so that he was unable to repair the house or toon his Restoration had proive him a lucrative post as soon as he could find one suited to his talents, but year after year passed by, and he received no appointth he went up to London--a journey not easily perfor for a considerable tih the interest of an old friend he obtained an intervieith the Merry Monarch
”Gadzooks, , when he saw him, ”I remember you well,--a loyal, sturdy supporter of our cause We have had sofor posts that we fear all have been filled up, but depend on it ill not forget you Go back to Eversden, and ith such patience as may be vouchsafed you In due course of time you will receive notice of the appoint you”
Colonel Tregellen took his leave and returned to Eversden, but he was too old a soldier to have his hopes raised high, and from that time to the present he had received no further communication on the subject-- indeed, he had reason to believe that the King had forgotten all about hih he did not in consequence of this waver in his loyalty, it did not increase his affection for the King, andwith ht otherwise have been the case He had ever been a firm Protestant, and he had become still htened, from the example set him by his wife, and also from the instruction he received from her He was sufficiently acquainted with political affairs to know that the King wasto Romanism, while the Duke of York--the heir to the throne--was a professed Romanist His love, therefore, for the fareatly waned of late years, and he therefore agreed more nearly with the opinions of his brother-in-law than forly to receive young Battisob, as of a Puritan fah at one time he would not have admitted him within his doors He also lived on friendly ter the saton Hall Still, the Colonel did not altogether abandon his Cavalier habits and notions, which, without intending it perhaps, he instilled into the h his father had been a supporter of Crohtful king of England He and Stephen often had discussions on the subject, but as neither held his opinions with enerally ended with a laugh, each asserting that he had the beat of the argu Protestant, and never failed to express his dread of the consequences should James come to the throne