St. George and St. Michael, Volume 2MacDonald, George
History
St. George and St. Michael, Volume 2
MacDonald, George
Great Britain -- History -- Civil War, 1642-1649 -- Fiction
Dorothy darted forward, but could not come near him for the crowd.
'My lord Charles,' cried the marquis, 'see the poor fellow taken
care of. Let him sleep, and perchance on the morrow he will listen
to reason. Mistress Watson will see to his hurts. I would to God he
were on our side! I like him well.'
The men took him up and followed lord Charles to the housekeeper's
apartment, where they laid him on a bed in a little turret, and left
him, still insensible, to her care, with injunctions to turn the key
in the lock if she went from the chamber but for a moment. 'For who
can tell,' thought lord Charles, greatly perplexed, 'but as he came
he may go?'
Some of the household had followed them, and several of the women
would gladly have stayed, but Mrs. Watson sent all away. Gradually
the crowd dispersed. The tumult ceased; the household retired. The
castle grew still, and most of its inhabitants fell asleep again.
'A damned hot-livered roundhead coxcomb!' said lord Worcester to
himself, pacing his room. 'These pelting cockerel squires and yeomen
nowadays go strutting and crowing as if all the yard were theirs! We
shall see how far this heat will carry the rogue! I doubt not the
boy would tell everything than see his mare whipped. He's a fine
fellow, and it were a thousand pities he turned coward and gave in.
But the affair is not mine; it is the king's majesty's. Would to God
the rascal were of our side! He's the right old English breed. A few
such were very welcome, if only to show some of our dainty young
lordlings of yesterday what breed can do. But an ass-foal it is! To
run his neck into a halter, and set honest people in mortal doubt
whether to pull the end or no!
How on earth did he ever dream of carrying off a horse out of the
very courts of Raglan castle! And yet, by saint George! he would
have done it too, but for that brave wench of a Vaughan! What a
couple the two would make! They'd give us a race of Arthurs and
Orlandos between them. God be praised there are such left in
England! And yet the rogue is but a pestilent roundhead--the more's
the pity! Those coward rascals need never have mauled him like that.
Yet had the blow gone a little deeper it had been a mighty gain to
our side. Out he shall not go till the war be over! It would be
downright treason.'
So ran the thoughts of the marquis as he paced his chamber. But at
length he lay down once more, and sought refuge in sleep.
CHAPTER XXXI.
THE SLEEPLESS.
There were more than the marquis left awake and thinking; amongst
the rest one who ought to have been asleep, for the thoughts that
kept her awake were evil thoughts.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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