Without another word the Prince turned on his heel and strode out of the
yard. I attended him at first, but missed the Colonel, and turned back to
him, for Lochiel was all a Highlander, seer one minute and savage the
next. Indeed, I found him, all his moodiness gone, as mad as a hatter.
"I'll hae the heart's blood o' ye for this, prince or no prince," he
bawled at the Colonel, who, precisely as I expected, was seizing the
welcome opportunity of having a pinch of snuff.
"Good lad!" said he, holding out the box, as indifferent to the crowding
Camerons as if they were sheep. "Make it pigeons next time, Mr. Lochiel.
Damme, Oliver, this rappee gets unendurable."
His coolness took Lochiel off the boil, and he and I passed out without
another word into Sadler-gate and hurried after the Prince. We found the
progress somewhat ragged, and, as we were only a few yards from the corner
of Rotten Row, which forms the side of the square opposite Exeter House,
it was, I suppose, hardly worth while to trim it into shape again. In
those few yards, however, an incident much more to my liking occurred, for
just as we turned round the leading file of the rear of guards, we found
that the Prince had again halted, in the light of a shop-window, and this
time it was to talk to Margaret, who was standing there with Master Freake.
It was a large shop with two well-stocked bow-windows. The doorway
between them, and half the inwards of the shop, were filled with the shop
master, his apprentices, and customers, crowding and craning to get a
sight of the Prince. Over the door was a shield-shaped sign, bearing the
Derby ram for cognizance, and the legend, "Martin Moyle, Grocer and
Italian Warehouseman." I noted it then, because the word 'Italian' carried
me back to Margaret's tirra-lirring, and I note it down now because,
having looked at it, my eyes ranged over the heads of the gapers in the
doorway to where Maclachlan, on the fringe of the group, was dodging about
to find a place where he could see Margaret without being seen by the
Prince.
Master Freake was talking with the Prince as composedly as if they had
been friends of old standing. We had missed the beginning of their talk,
but it was plain that Charles had expected a recruit and was disappointed.
"And why do you stand aside from us both?" he asked.
"Sir," said the sedate merchant, "I am not interested in making kings."
"What then?"
"Kingdoms, sir."
"Kingdoms!" cried the Prince.
"Kingdoms!" reiterated Master Freake, with pride and emphasis. "But for
me, and men like me, this country would be a waste not worth fighting for."
The Prince looked with astonishment at the calm, solid man who made this
strange announcement. After a minute's reflection, he said, "Mr. Freake, I
would talk with you in private, if you will."
"With pleasure, sir," replied Master Freake.
"And, naturally, Mistress Waynflete will not be cruel," continued the
Prince, offering his arm.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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