Part 7 (2/2)
Thither I now implored her to repair with me I would find a priest to wed us, and there we should live a while in happiness, in solitude, and in love An alluring picture did I draith all a lover's cunning, and to the charms of it she fell a victie that pays allegiance to the castle, and thereafter we travelled swiftly and undisturbed to that little homestead There in solitude, with but two servants--a man and a maid whom I could trust--we lived and loved, and for a season, brief as all happiness is dooe of that farh they searched the country for many a mile around, they searched in vain My father knew--as I learned afterwards--but deeht not be undone, he held his peace In the following spring a babe was born to us, and our bliss e
”Twas a month or so after the birth of our child that the blow descended I ay, enjoying alone the pleasures of the chase; one a journey to the nearest tohence he would not return until the un and go forth into the woods, leaving no protector for my wife but one oht to do, led ht to have ate I found two freshly ridden horses tethered, and it ith a dull foreboding in h the open door Within--O God, the anguish of it!--stretched on the floor I beheld round all bloody about her
For a moment I stood duainst the wall, arousedthere, one with a naked sword in his hand
”In that fell hour, Kenneth, entle was transformed into the violent, passionate man that you have known As my eye encountered then her cousins, my blood seemed on the instant curdled in my veins; my teeth were set hard; my nerves and sinews knotted; -piece and clutched it with the fierceness that was inupon those that have brought it to bay
”For atheir craven glances fascinated Then with a roar I leapt forward, the stock of h above ht to hell ere they could have raised a hand ormy foot slipped in the blood of my beloved, and in -piece had escaped ainst the wall
”I scarce knehat I did, but as I lay beside her it caain--that already I had lived overlong It ca me fallen, haply those cowards would seize the chance to make an end of me as I lay I wished it so in that moment's frenzy, for I made no attempt to rise or to defend myself; instead I set ainst her cold cheek I set h as cold
”And thus I lay, nor did they keep h me from back to breast, whilst he who did it cursed ht it swayed and that the walls were tottering; there was a buzz of sound incry in a baby voice At the sound of it I vaguely wished for the strength to rise As in the distance, I heard one of those butchers cry, ”Haste,bastard's throat!” And then I must have swooned”
Kenneth shuddered
”My God, how horrible!” he cried ”But you were avenged, Sir Crispin,”
he added eagerly; ”you were avenged?”
”When I regained consciousness,” Crispin continued, as if he had not heard Kenneth's exclaht by them to burn the evidence of their foul deed What I did I know not I have tried to urge , but in vain By whatI was found by arden, half a dozen paces froe, as near death as o and live
”God willed that I should not die, but it was close upon a year before I was restored to any seed that I was hardly to be recognized as that sa-piece on shoulder, one fine rey in h I was but twenty-one; my face was seared and marked as that of a man who had lived twice my years It was to h I ask ratitude towards hiained sufficient strength, I went secretly hoht continue to believe rief, but he was kind and tender with me beyond all words
Froone to France; it would seeht it better to remain absent for a while He had learnt that they were in Paris, and hither I determined forthwith to follow theeat Whitehall and seek for justice
I had been well advised had I obeyed this counsel, but I burned to take eance with my own hands, and with this purpose I repaired to France
”Two nights after my arrival in Paris it was h-and-tumble in the streets, and by an ill-chance I killed a man--the first was he of several that I have sent whither I a to-morrow The affair was like to have cost me ed it, I was sent instead to the galleys on the Mediterranean It was only wanting that, after all that already I had endured, I should beco years I toiled at an oar, and waited If I lived I would return to England; and if I returned, woe unto those that had wrecked my life--my body and my soul I did live, and I did return The Civil War had broken out, and I ca's side: I caed, but that would wait
”Meanwhile, the score had grown heavier I went ho hands--in the hands of my eneone to France; and those e with their cousin, since dead, and throughno next of kin, they were the heirs-at-law The Parliament allowed their claim, and they were installed But when I ca the fortunes of the Parliament that had served theeance wait until the ere ended and the Parliauish uished myself by my debaucheries
”Ah, Kenneth, you have been hard upon me for my vices, for my abuses of the cup, and all the rest But can you be hard upon ht of misery I bore with me? I, whose life recked beyond salvation; who only lived that I ed , so unpardonable an offence to seek the blessed nepenthe of the wine-cup, the heavenly forgetfulness that its abuses brought e that I beca? What else had I?”
”In all truth your trials were sore,” said the lad in a voice that contained a note of syht the Tavern Knight's ear He turned his head and bent his eyes in the lad's direction, but it was quite dark by now, and he failed to make out his companion's face
”My tale is told, Kenneth The rest you can guess The King did not prevail and I was forced to fly froland with those others who escaped from the butchers that had reat Conde, and I saw soth came the council of Breda and the invitation to Charles the Second to receive the crown of Scotland I set out again to follow his fortunes as I had followed his father's, realizing that by so doing I followed my own, and that did he prevail I should have the redress and vengeance so long awaited To-day has dashed nify And yet ers on the throats of those two hounds before the hangman's close around my own”
There was a spell of silence as the two looth: