Part 25 (2/2)
His son lived, and in London he should have news of hiet himself with all dispatch, and he swore to take no rest until he reached it And with that firhed his horse's flanks, and sped on through the night The rain beat in his face, yet he scarce reain more by instinct than by reason--he buried his face to the eyes in the folds of his cloak
Later the rain ceased, and clearer grew the line of light betwixt the hedgerows, by which his horse had steered its desperate career Fitfully a crescentthe wind-driven clouds The poor ruffler was fallen intodid no more than aentle slope so the sluggishness of the pace, he again gave the horse a taste of the spurs The action was fatal The incline was becoivings his horse pursued the treacherous footing The sting of the spur made the animal bound forward, and the next instant a raucous oath broke fro floundered and dropped on its knees Like a stone from a catapult Galliard flew over its head and rolled down the few re yards of the slope into a very lake of slimy water at the bottom
Down this same hill, some twenty minutes later, came Kenneth Steith infinite precaution He was in haste--a haste more desperate far than even Crispin's But his character held none of Galliard's recklessness, nor were his wits fogged by such news as Crispin had heard that night He realized that to be swift heAnd so, carefully he ca it to his horse to find safe footing
He had reached the level ground in safety, and was about to put his nag to a se he was hailed by a harsh, h him
”Sir, you are choicely met, whoever you may be I have suffered a one la that the uise his accents as he made answer
”I am in haste, my master What is your will?”
”Why, marry, so am I in haste My will is your horse, sir Oh, I'm no robber I'll pay you for it, and handsoreat discomfort for you to walk to Norwich You may do it in an hour”
”My horse, sir, is not for sale,” was Kenneth's brief answer ”Give you good night”
”Hold, man! Blood and hell, stop! If you'll not sell the worthless beast to serve a gentleman, I'll shoot it under you Make your choice”
Kenneth caught the gleae, and he shi+vered What was he to do? Every instant was precious to him As in a flash it came to him that perchance Sir Crispin also rode to London, and that it was expected of him to arrive there first if he were to be in tihed the odds in his mind, and took the deter his ai to the dark to befriend him
But even as he deterht of it fell upon his face, which was turned towards Galliard
An exclamation of surprise escaped Sir Crispin
”'Slife, Master Stewart, I knew not your voice Whither do you ride?”
”What is it to you? Have you not wrought enough of evil for h,” he added, ell-feigned anger, ”has closed its doors upon nify to you whither I ride? Suffer me leastways to pass unmolested, and to leave you”
Kenneth's passionate reproaches cut Galliard keenly He held hied this boy into his work of vengeance, and thereby cast a blight upon his life He sought for words wherein to give expression to so how futile and effete all words must prove, he waved his hand in the direction of the road
”Go, Master Stewart,” hefor no second invitation, rode on and left hiratitude in his heart to the Providence that had caused him so easily to overcome an obstacle that at first he had held irew in his mind the conviction that to fulfil the mission Joseph required of hie that he was ahead of him, and that he must derive an ample start from Galliard's mishap, warht of anxiety, he little recked fatigue, and such excellent use did he make of his horse that he reached Newmarket on it an hour before the morrow's moon
An hour he rested there, and broke his fast Then on a fresh horse--a powerful and willing animal he set out once more
By half-past two he was at Newport But so hard had he ridden that man and beast alike were in a lather of sweat, and whilst he himself felt sick and tired, the horse was utterly unfit to bear him farther For half an hour he rested there, and made a meal whose chief constituent was brandy Then on a third horse he started upon the last stage of his journey
The as da; the roads veritable rey clouds iving the landscape a bleak and dreary aspect In his jaded condition Kenneth soon becahtness of heart of soe that his h accomplished sufficed to cheer him To add to his discomfort a fine rain set in towards four o'clock, and when a couple of hours later he clattered along the road cut through a wooded slope in the direction of Waltham, he was become a very limp and lifeless individual
He noticed not the horse the closely-set trees on either side of the road It was growing prematurely dark, and objects were none too distinct And thus it befell that when from the reverie of dejection into which he had fallen he was suddenly aroused by the thud of hoofs, he looked up to find twothe road some ten yards in front of him Their attitude was unmistakable, and it crossed poor Kenneth's lance showed him their red cloaks and military steel caps, and he knew the the beat of hoofs behind him, he looked over his shoulder to see four other troopers closing rapidly down upon him Clearly he was the object of their attention He had been a fool not to have perceived this earlier, and his heart ave him, for all that had he paused to think he ht to fear, and that in this some mistake eant, ith a trooper, held the road in front