Part 23 (1/2)
”You will do,” said Tobias, nodding as he passed In a short tiure in a dark cloak, and turning a key, and noiselessly drawing back solided into the roo She was loth to awake them, yet it must be done She turned the lantern on Stephen's face and uttered his naive el of light to console me in my sore trouble”
”I come not to blame you, Stephen, but to comfort you if I can I would inform you the means for your and your brother's escape have been provided; you have si Your father is aware that you have been ed for your concealment, or will endeavour to have you conveyed northhere search is not likely to be made for you”
”Thanks, dearest, thanks a thousandfold,” said Stephen ”For your sake I would use every exertion to escape, but I cannot desert ht too et clear of my foes I have induced several to join our unhappy cause who have lost their lives I cannot run the risk of bringing the Colonel and his family into trouble, which I should do were I to escape from his house”
”Indeed, he is anxious to save you, I am sure of it, else he would not have had you placed in this rooh he wisely would not co, and he would willingly run any risk for the sake of saving you froe Jeffreys, who is expected every day at Dorchester to commence the assize, and all who know him say that it will be a fearful one”
”I must endure whatever I am called on to suffer,” answered Stephen
”The Colonel and our father will be made responsible were Andrew and I to escape Were you to be suspected of assisting us, they would not even spare you, Alice”
”But were I betrothed to you I would urge that asvoice ”I knoere your intentions, and if you will even now ask ht to plead that I acted according to the dictates of duty, or should you not after all escape, I should be able to exert myself as I best can to obtain your pardon”
A fearful struggle took place in Stephen's heart He had long loved the girl who pleaded with him, and that love proers to which she ht be exposed; but hope triued his troth to her; still he could not bring himself to desert his companions and to compromise the Colonel and his family, which he knew he should do were he and his brother tosoundly all this tieet free from the clutches of their foes Two spare horses, Alice told theht, with a guide to conduct theht would be discovered By reht, by riding all night, get beyond the counties where the rebellion had existed Andrew, according to his custoree with you, Stephen,” he said; ”we uments which his brother had already done ”Let us rerateful to Mrs Tufnell”
Both spoke so lightly that Alice, though she bitterly ree that the course to be pursued was the right one That they would have succeeded was doubtful, and before she left the rooeant's voice as he roused up his uard reached their ears, and she had barely time to escape from the roo along the passage The guard at the door started up, not so coeant looked into the roo apparently in their beds; he then went to the other room, where he found all secure, but his suspicions must have been aroused frouard at the door, and retired highly satisfied with his own vigilance Poor Alice went back to her rooh disappointed that Stephen had not escaped at once, she felt that, now she was betrothed to hiht to exert herself in his favour She deterer had been at hoht undertake; but there was not the slightest chance, she feared, of his returning for so the faeant was evidently so well satisfied with the way he and his companions had been treated, that he had no wish toBattisobs, the Colonel was not in a great hurry to get rid of them, as he otherould have been In order to have an excuse for reeant sent off one of his men to Lyme to learn whether he was to take his prisoners to that place, or to convey them to Dorchester, where, as the assize was soon to commence, they would have a speedy trial Alice was in hopes that they would be detained another night, and Stephen and Andrewdressed herself as - the dinner-hour, under the pretence of carrying in their food Stephen, to her disappointhed with hirieved hihtly She had not long left the rooued and out of spirits as he passed along the passage to the Colonel's private room, for it could not be justly called a study
Soer to hear what had happened, went in, accohby, who in theconversation with the Colonel, now told Madam Pauline his first visit was to the abode of Farmer Stubbs, which to his disone no one could tell whither, possibly carried off by the soldiers in revenge for the escape of Stephen and Andrew, although he was not aware of that at the tied, except of portable provisions This was probably owing to its distance from the camp, or it would have fared but ill Unable to hear what had becoewater, and had run a great risk of being seized as a suspected adherent of the Duke of Mon that he was brother-in-law to Colonel Tregellen, a well-known Royalist, that he had escaped He had done hisfriends, of course in vain It would have been folly to try and get access to any of the leaders for the purpose of purchasing their pardon till he could learn where they were He said that he was sick at heart at the sight of the heads of the hapless rebels which were seen at the entrance of every village, while gibbets in great nuewater
Mr Willoughby had several narrow escapes, when he encountered an old acquaintance, as no other than Cornet Bryce He had to look at hiuise The Cornet looked hby learned from him the cause of his depression, the escape, namely, of two prisoners He fully expected to be placed under arrest and severely punished, should it be discovered by the General that they had got off Mr Willoughby was not long in ascertaining that the twoprisoners were the sons of his friend
He kept his counsel as to his object in coewater, and returned holad to see hiht possibly try to induce Stephen and Andrew to escape He saw clearly the danger to which the Colonel would be exposed, and declined in any way coh he promised, should they be delivered over to the officers of the law, to use every exertion to obtain their pardon or liberation
As the sergeant had not ordered the man he sent to Lyme to make any haste, it was late in the day before he returned with orders to carry his prisoners to Dorchester ”I suppose, Colonel, that you do not insist on our setting out this afternoon?” said the sergeant ”It is a long day'sfresh in the eant that he elcome to remain He knew that in the h certain friends, with those in authority to obtain the pardon of his sons Every day he gained was of consequence He also hoped leave ht be obtained to enable the he ca one Though he had been exerting himself to obtain their pardon, he knew too well that his efforts ht at theas possible When he asked leave of the sergeant to allow his sons to ride on horseback, the request was refused, on the ground that he could not grant them a favour which was denied to the other prisoners, and that as he and his men would have to march on foot, they must be content to proceed in the same manner
A sad procession set forth fro Each prisoner was conducted by two guards with loaded muskets Farewells had been spoken, and the order to h no mention has been made of the other prisoners, they had been treated at the manor-house with every kindness and consideration, and had been supplied withprovisions on the way, as well as on their arrival Mr Battisob rode a short distance beyond the Hall with his sons Upon his return home, Mr Battisob said that he had left the party , from the numbers already executed, that many more victims would be required to satisfy the demands of the law Alas! they were to find that they were terribly mistaken
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The assize at Dorchester was opened on the 3rd of Septeh Ha sentence on the Lady Lisle for harbouring two fugitives froemoor He condemned her to be burnt alive that very afternoon, but, happily, the excessive barbarity y of the cathedral, who induced hih every effort was ained was that her sentence should be co beheaded
She was put to death on a scaffold in the market-place of Winchester, and underwent her fate with serene courage At Dorchester more than three hundred prisoners were to be tried The court was hung with scarlet, an indication of the bloody purpose of the Chief Justice It would seeh
Jeffreys, to ht, let it be understood that the only chance to obtain a pardon or respite was to plead guilty On the followinghe attended Divine service at Saint Mary's Church When the clergyman, in his serh,--an oe, attended by entry of Dorset, Somerset, and Devon, entered the Great Hall Without loss of tie to the Grand Jury in a tone of voice and language which astonished and alarmed all who heard it He warned them that their business was to make most strict inquiries not only after principals but after aiders and abettors, the fact being thattheh treason after the fact As not only weeks but ht have been consumed had the ordinary process been proceeded with, to avoid this the Judge adopted a plan to shorten the business, and to procure a confession, without which not a tenth part would have been legally proved guilty Two officers, such was his plan, were sent into the jail to call over and take the names of the prisoners; they were to promise pardon or execution If the prisoners confessed, they were told that they ht expect mercy, otherwise not; and as many were induced to accept the proffered mercy, these officers were in a condition to appear as witnesses of their confession The first thirty, however, e, preferred the chances of an ordinary trial This was on Saturday The sa thirteen on the following Monday, which was punctually performed Nearly the whole of the remainder were executed Witnesses were brow-beaten in athe e; but the scenes which took place are too horrible, too disgraceful, to be dwelt on No less than two hundred and ninety-two persons received sentence of death at Dorchester alone A to plead, except that they had taken up ar for the defence of the Protestant faith against Popery Very many others were in the same case Mr Battisob did not venture to plead for his sons, for he ht hie, while he was utterly powerless to assist them openly The health of the Colonel did not allow him to leave ho friends, he would have gone to try and help theood cause, offered to attend the assize to be ready to take advantage of any opening which e of the Judge, who looked more like a drunken madman than a minister of justice, he was in despair; he exerted himself to ascertain the places and time of execution of the different prisoners He found that Andrew, together with Colonel Holmes, Dr Temple--the Duke's physician--Mr Tyler, who had read the Declaration, were to be executed at Lyme, near the spot where the Duke of Monave hiht escape; but he in vain endeavoured to see hi froht fe-dress; it was Alice
”Oh, uncle Willoughby!” she exclai his hand; ”do not blame me; while there is life there is hope I cannot let Stephen perish without endeavouring to save hiive hby ”How are you going to proceed? What means have you at your disposal?”
”I know that I can promise any sum that Mr Battisob has it in his power to pay, and I propose seeing the Judge himself,” said Alice ”I will tell him that the death of one brother is sufficient to appease the demands of justice”
”But I fear, Alice, that he will say both are equally guilty,” observed Mr Willoughby ”And you must be prepared for a refusal Still, I would not hinder you froe, terrible as he is in his ,” answered Alice, ”and resolved to brave the lion in his den He condemned the elder brother to death, and he er was led to join the Duke by his influence”