Great Britain -- History -- Restoration, 1660-1688 -- Fiction
"A good watch: a mighty careful and anxious watch, Captain!" the
Prince continued. "I do not always sleep, Captain Royston, when my
eyes seem closed, and I truly believe your care lacked little of
prolonging my rest to the awful Day of Judgment."
"I do not understand Your Highness's words," said Royston.
The Prince crossed the room to the outer door, and, with his hand
upon it: "I shall presently explain them," he said, and so went out
into the gallery.
"Ned," I cried, so soon as he was gone, "I will tell him all!"
"That you shall not," he replied.
"How much does he know?" I asked, trembling as I spoke.
"I cannot tell," answered Ned. "But to tell him all in this mood
will but harm you and yours; perhaps lead to Philip's capture, and
yet do me no service. He will never pass over this one thing,--that
I did let your brother go. And he will know that soon enough,
telling or none."
And here the door opening again, we were perforce silent. I could
hear His Highness's last few words to the sentry, spoken in a tongue
I took to be Dutch, because I did not understand it, but, among them
occurring the names Schomberg, Bentinck, De Rondiniacque, I guessed
he had summoned those gentlemen to attend him. Then His Highness
returned into the chamber, and for a while we stood silent, regarding
one another as the footsteps of the sentry died away down the gallery.
At last Royston would have spoken. "Your Highness--" he began.
But the Prince interrupted him. "Be silent," he said, "and wait."
So in silence we waited, but how long I do not know. At length came
M. de Rondiniacque, to be soon followed by Count Schomberg and Mr.
Bentinck. These two had, it appeared, resumed their clothes in
haste, and concealed the disorder of their attire each in long
horse-cloaks, even as His Highness had done. And in these three
stern figures of Prince, soldier, and statesman, close wrapped to the
chin in dark and twisted folds of cloth, there was, I thought, an
awful likeness to the bench of judges that sat in Hades.
When the last had entered, the Prince thus addressed the three: "It
seems, gentlemen, that in the master of this house I have an enemy."
At which point Mr. Bentinck, without at all staying the flow of the
Prince's words, ejaculated a deep and guttural "Ah!" as one finding
but what he had looked for.
"I therefore purpose, gentlemen, to question Captain Royston in your
presence, and thereafter to take your censures in the matter of
bringing him to fitting military trial for treason."
"I am no traitor to Your Highness, nor to any man," cried Royston,
with blunt indignation.
"That we shall soon see, I believe," said His Highness. "Did you not
appoint yourself this night, with my consent, the innermost guard of
my person?"
"I did," answered Royston.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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