VJT SJLBW& 3? A

 
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 THE 
 
 SWOKD OF DAMOCLES 
 
 BY 
 
 THEODORE A. THARP. 
 
 " — O'er thine and o'er my head 
 Hangrs the keen sabre by a single thread." 
 
 The Corsaik. 
 
 IN THREE VOLUMES. 
 VOL. I. 
 
 IContton : 
 CHAPMAN & HALL, Limited, 193, PICCADILLY. 
 
 1880. 
 [All rights reserved.']
 
 LONDON : 
 GILBERT AND R1VINGT0N, PURITKRS, 
 
 st. John's square.
 
 AT, | 
 
 MY WIFE AND BROTHER, 
 ® bis Sfnrg 
 
 IS AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED. 
 
 Denston Park, Suffolk, 
 Christmas, 1879.
 
 Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
 in 2010 with funding from 
 
 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/swordofdamocles01thar
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 Prdimmatg. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Geumpt " Geatle 1 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 Smouldebing Fiees 7 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 A Flaee-up 13 
 
 ^hc Stor^. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 " The finest Estate in England " 24 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 Ceutch Hut 34
 
 vi Contents. 
 
 CHAPTEK VI. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Five Hundred Head before Luncheon . . . .46 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 A Charge of "Number Six " 06 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 "Ill News travels apace" 72 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 The Keeper's Lodge 82 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 The Shadow of the Sword 92 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Bringing in the New Year 101 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 " The Monarch of the Glen " 114 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 Cupid's Slaves 1*25 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 " Extraordinary Run with Lord Bucknam's Staghounds " 144 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 " The Yellow Fiend " 160
 
 Contents. vii 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 The Haunted Room at Baeringteee 172 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 What was seen in the Haunted Room 193 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 The Village Scandal 213 
 
 CHAPTER XIX, 
 A Plot to checkmate Cupid 231 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 Undee the Peepul-Teee 247 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 Reduced to the Ranks 264 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 A Woman with a Stoey 275
 
 THE SWORD OF DAMOCLES 
 
 Prelimttmrg. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 " I am misant/irojjos, and hate mankind." 
 
 Skakspeare. 
 
 u Hulloa ! little carroty wigs ! where are you off to ? " 
 
 The above queer salutation, delivered in a some what 
 sharp manner, was familiar enough to those to whom it 
 was addressed. The little Grayles, when out for their 
 morning airing in Barringtree Park, invariably encountered 
 their great uncle, Mr. Andrew Grayle, and that gentleman 
 as invariably gave them the same greeting — if it can be 
 so called — half hearty, half sarcastic in its tone. 
 
 The small party, thus arrested in its constitutional 
 ramble, would have appeared rather picturesque and 
 interesting to any one but Mr. .Grayle, who viewed it 
 apparently with but sinister looks of disapproval. A 
 comely, dark-eyed nursemaid was leading by the head a 
 venerable donkey, on whose back was slung a pair of 
 basket-panniers ; seated in these, on either side, were a 
 vol. i. b
 
 2 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 little girl and boy, aged respectively five and six — two 
 pretty children, with laughing blue eyes and rich auburn 
 hair of a decided tint, which earned from their cynical 
 relative the epithet "carroty." These formed a very 
 interesting trio, I had almost said quartette, but of 
 course old " Ned," the donkey, though an ancient 
 retainer in the family, could hardly be bracketed with his 
 biped companions. Yet, in Mr. Grayle's eyes, the trio 
 appeared to find the least favour ; Ned, it would seem, 
 obtaining his first consideration. 
 
 "Well, nurse, and how's the dickey this morning?" 
 he inquired abruptly, giving a by no means gentle tug at 
 one of the animal's ears. 
 
 " Very well, sir, thank you," answered Eliza, with a 
 smirk, as if taking the inquiry to herself, and ready for a 
 flirtation even with such an unpromising individual as 
 " Grumpy " Grayle ; for such, owing to his morose dis- 
 position, was the universal nickname of this eccentric 
 man. 
 
 " Urnph ! and you, you red-headed little brats ? " he 
 added, with a grunt, and poking at the children with a 
 spudded stick he carried in his hand. 
 
 " Twite well, thank you, Uncle Andy," replied they in 
 chorus. 
 
 " Then off you go again ! " exclaimed the playful Mr. 
 Grumpy, administering to poor Ned a vicious whack 
 over the quarters with his stick, which that respectable 
 donkey indignantly resented by a kick that nearly sent 
 little Hector and Agnes flying out of the panniers, elicit- 
 ing hearty laughter frQm the children and a frightened 
 scream from the nurse. Turning with a saucy rebuke on 
 her tongue, Eliza saw Mr. Grayle hobbling away out of 
 earshot, as fast as his gouty feet would carry him. Mean- 
 while the donkey, roused out of its accustomed lethargy,
 
 " Grumpy " Grayle. 3 
 
 trotted off in an opposite direction, and threatened to jog 
 its two precious burdens into one unrecognizable jelly 
 before the nurse could stop him. 
 
 "Wretched little devils!" growled Grumpy, as he 
 looked after them disappearing across the park ; " how 
 could they ever grow up or come to any good with such a 
 grandfather to look after 'em. Bah ! " and viciously 
 digging up a thistle or two with his spud, he went on his 
 way mumbling and ruminating to himself in his usual 
 misanthropic fashion. 
 
 Andrew Grayle had well earned his sobriquet of 
 Grumpy ; he was, as he himself was wont to express it, 
 a man who had been " soured from his birth up," or, as 
 he might have explained further, a man who had been 
 soured at his birth; but thereon hangs the key to his 
 idiosyncrasy, to obtain which we must go back some fifty 
 odd years. 
 
 The night of the 10th of May, 179—, was one of 
 considerable excitement and bustle in the old Hall at 
 Barringtree; but Squire Grayle, Grumpy's father, appeared 
 to be the least disturbed member of his household, and 
 awaited in his sanctum with comparative composure the 
 issue of a certain great event which was pending. 
 Kegarding that issue he was not kept long in suspense ; 
 and having been married eight years without an heir to 
 the family estates — three daughters having come into the 
 world one after another with ' provoking monotony — it 
 may be imagined he was well satisfied with the sequel. 
 
 " I congratulate you, my dear sir ; I congratulate you 
 with all my heart," exclaimed the doctor, as he entered 
 the study, complacently washing his hands with invisible 
 materials ; " two fine little babies as ever you saw." 
 
 " Babies ? " quoth the Squire, in astonishment. 
 
 " Ay, babies, my dear sir — twins ! " returned the 
 
 b 2
 
 4 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 physician, with a merry twinkle in his eye, adding 
 emphatically, " and both boys ! " 
 
 " Bless my soul ! you don't say so. And which is the 
 elder ? M 
 
 " Ha, ha, ha ! " laughed the doctor, in reply ; <c we've 
 sorted them, my dear sir, with due regard to primo- 
 geniture.''' 
 
 Thus it was that Andrew Grayle just missed inheriting 
 the splendid Barringtree estates by one hour and five 
 minutes ! As a child he was always of an odd disposition, 
 but not till he reached a discriminating age did he realize 
 the narrow escape he had had of being heir to one of the 
 finest properties in the south-east of England ; and until 
 later, when the elder twin actually inherited, at the death 
 of their father, he merely cherished a latent feeling of 
 jealousy towards his more fortunate brother. 
 
 Percy Grayle had ever looked upon Andrew as "a queer 
 sort of fellow with a tile off," and on that account had 
 tolerated his disagreeable character with good-humoured 
 leniency. But he little knew how the ""queer sort of 
 fellow's " unhealthy broodings were gradually ripening 
 into downright hatred, nor how bitterly Andrew cursed 
 his bad luck in having come into the world just an hour 
 and five minutes too late. 
 
 The position was undoubtedly a tantalizing one ; but 
 had Grumpy been anything of a philosopher, he might 
 have consoled himself with the reflection that the silver 
 spoon does not always briug syrup to the lips, and often, 
 indeed, only stirs up the bitter cup to overflowing. His 
 ill-regulated mind, however, would only allow him to 
 regard the situation with feelings of morbid discontent, 
 and his brother with suppressed rancour, as though the 
 latter were responsible for his seniority. 
 
 But soon after the Squire's death, which occurred when
 
 " Grumpy " Grayle. 5 
 
 the twins were about eight-and-twenty, a certain circum- 
 stance tendedto mollify Andre w's implacability , and caused 
 him to repress, for the time, all outward show of enmity. 
 
 Percy Grayle, being in the Guards, and devoted to his 
 profession, was not disposed to relinquish it at present, 
 even in favour of a squirehood ; so, instead of taking up 
 his proper position iu the county, and living on his estate, 
 he preferred to give up, as a temporary measure, the 
 management of the latter to Andrew. This was, no 
 doubt, an injudicious step, which he had some cause 
 afterwards to regret ; but the arrangement was highly 
 approved of by Grumpy, who took every advantage of it, 
 and soon set about managing the property with a ven- 
 geance. His reign, however, did not last very long ; for 
 what with cutting down some of the finest trees in the 
 park, which he called ' ' thinning the timber;" slaughtering 
 most of the bucks, and not a few does, which he called 
 " thinning the deer/' killing down nearly every head of 
 game on the place, which hecalled "thinning the preserves;" 
 turning out tenants, pulling down cottages, and indulging 
 in such a general process of thinning altogether, it became 
 evident that the property would soon be in a somewhat 
 attenuated condition if this was not put a stop to, so that 
 the elder brother felt bound to take possession with as 
 little delay as possible — and having promised Andrew 
 that he would not do so while an officer and a bachelor, 
 sold out and married in self-defence. 
 
 It is needless to say that Grumpy Grayle's nose was 
 very much put out of joint by this; nevertheless, he yielded 
 up the reins of government with tolerable grace — though 
 he certainly could not render a good account of his stew- 
 ardship — and retired to live in a little cottage he had 
 built for himself, with his brother's permission, just 
 without the precincts of the park.
 
 6 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 In due course of time Mrs. Grayle presented her hus- 
 band with a son and heir, which little event effectually 
 demolished the last- faint hope Grumpy entertained of 
 ever succeeding to the estates ; and though it was fated 
 that George, the heir, should be the only child, he speedily 
 put further obstacles in the way of his uncle's wildest 
 aspirations by following in the footsteps of his father, 
 and marrying at an early age. The issue of that marriage 
 was a son and daughter — Hector and Agnes — the little 
 children who were introduced in the donkey panniers at 
 the opening page.
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 SMOULDERING FIRES. 
 
 " Sour discontent, that quarrels with our fate, 
 May give fresh smart, but not the old abate ; 
 The uneasy passion's disingenuous wit, 
 The ill reveals, but hides the benefit." 
 
 Sir It. BlaoJcmore. 
 
 Grumpy Grayle's unnatural antipathy to his brother, 
 though temporarily quelled during his brief career of 
 manager, revived with twofold bitterness shortly after the 
 Squire took up his proper position at Barringtree ; and he 
 became so outrageously objectionable altogether, that an 
 open breach soon took place between them. He domi- 
 neered over the bailiff, gamekeepers, and other retainers 
 on the estate, to a degree that caused frequent com- 
 plaints to be made to their master. He pragmatically 
 contradicted his brother's orders, often substituting 
 directions of his own, and disapproved of every step taken 
 by the Squire in the interests of the property, abusing 
 him besides surreptitiously to all the tenants and farmers 
 around who would listen to him. In short, having once 
 held authority, he had no notion of relinquishing it in a 
 hurry, and he made himself such a monstrous nuisance 
 that Percy Grayle, who for a time was very forbearing, 
 lost all patience at last, and forbade him not only, to 
 intrude himself at the Hall, but even to enter the park-
 
 8 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 gates. Sorry lie was that lie could not forbid him the 
 estate as well ; but having, in a weak moment, given him 
 two or three acres to build upon, which Grumpy had 
 availed himself of in the erection of " Crutch Hut/' as he 
 called his cottage, the Squire felt that he could not very 
 well eject him, even with legal measures ; nor, for the 
 matter of that, could he keep him out of the park, without 
 directing violence to be used, for Grumpy persisted in 
 trespassing in spite of orders, and his brother was fain to 
 submit to it to avoid disgraceful esclandre. 
 
 War to the knife being thus declared, the worst traits 
 in Andrew's character were aroused; and, brooding grimly 
 over his fancied grievances, he longed to wreak a summary 
 vengeance on his brother. 
 
 When George was born the rejoicings at Barringtree 
 were universal (except in the case of our amiable friend) ; 
 for not only were Percy aud his wife delighted at having 
 a son and heir, but the tenants themselves augured well 
 from the event, since — the Squire not being of a very 
 strong constitution — it removed any remote chance that 
 might arise of Grumpy Grayle ever becoming their land- 
 lord. 
 
 The news spread from cottage to cottage like wildfire ; 
 the church bells rang out, and many a pewter pot was 
 emptied to the health of the infant heir. Years rolled on, 
 and George Grayle grew from long clothes to jackets, 
 passing in due course from the school-room to Eton, and 
 from Eton to Cambridge. No brothers nor sisters 
 having followed his birth, the lad found his childhood dull 
 and gloomy in the ancestral hall, and scarcely looked for- 
 ward with pleasure to the holidays, when he would lose 
 the companionship of his school-mates. He only rendered 
 his home tolerable by associating with the grooms, stable- 
 boys, and such like about the place, much to his father's
 
 Smouldering Fires. 9 
 
 disgust, who was shocked to see him display such low 
 tastes. 
 
 Foolish man ! he failed to observe that the fault lay at 
 his own door, in making no effort to provide his son with 
 companions of the same age and station. 
 
 There are many cases like George Grayle's, where a 
 lad, without brothers or sisters, is left to his own resources 
 for amusement — to seek where he may those youthful 
 associates so essential to childhood, and which, if thought- 
 lessly denied him, leave the boy but a poor and stupid 
 creature at best. Les premiers jours du printemps out 
 moins de grace que la vertu naissante d'un jeune homme, 
 and it is during the spring-time of a boy's life that the 
 budding character, as yet unformed, should be carefully 
 watched and cultivated, or it will yield no good fruit. 
 
 Notwithstanding his father's disapproval, no stringent 
 measures were taken to prevent George Grayle from 
 choosing the companions alluded to, and sure enough 
 perpetual intimacy with them operated on the boy's dis- 
 position hereafter. He laboured, moreover, under an- 
 other disadvantage in inheriting his mother's qualities 
 rather than his father's ; for the Squire had married in 
 haste, and was now repenting at leisure ; Mrs. Grayle, 
 as will be subsequently seen, being a woman of no very 
 elevated tastes nor amiable character. She was, iDdeed, 
 a lady with an antagonistic turn of mind ; and besides 
 quarrelling perpetually with her husband and others, 
 helped to sow dissension between father and son, and did 
 more than her share, besides, in perpetuating the feud 
 between the Squire and his brother. 
 
 In addition to the above drawbacks, there was a more 
 serious one still to the healthy development of George's 
 mind, caused by the close friendship which he had formed 
 with his eccentric uncle. That old reprobate had won
 
 io The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 his nephew's heart by various little acts of kindness, and 
 George used to look forward with pleasure to their 
 clandestine meetings in the park — clandestine, since 
 Percy had forbidden his son to hold any intercourse what- 
 ever with Grumpy. Strict obedience, however, was never 
 sufficiently enforced; and the Squire, though fond of 
 the boy, was of too phlegmatic a character to take much 
 trouble in looking after him— so the mandate was dis- 
 regarded. As George grew older, he took a great delight 
 in his visits to Crutch Hut and its wonderful museum 
 (his uncle had a mania for collecting curiosities), and the 
 intimacy increased day by day, artfully encouraged by 
 Grumpy, who at length succeeded in alienating the lad 
 from his father so far as to make him look upon his 
 parent in the light of a cruel tyrant, and his uncle as an 
 oppressed martyr. This little soupron of revenge was 
 very sweet to the martyr himself, but by no means 
 sufficient to satisfy him, and he contemplated further 
 and deeper mischief in his wicked old brain. 
 
 George was about eighteen when he went to Cam- 
 bridge, where he remained for two or three terms without 
 distinguishing himself, except by riotous living — and in 
 that he certainly excelled — running up big bills in all 
 directions, and leading such a dissolute life altogether as 
 ended at length in his being sent down for good. This 
 was a great sorrow to his father, who began to despair of 
 him already as an incorrigible ne'er-do-weel ; while the 
 venomous-minded Andrew rejoiced in secret at the son 
 and heir's disgrace. 
 
 A year or two after this, it happened that Sir Francis 
 and Lady Mount joy, of Merry dale Hall, in the neighbour- 
 hood, proposed to get up some private theatricals at their 
 house, and George, being accounted a capital amateur, 
 was asked to take a part. He had, in fact, devoted more
 
 Smouldering Fires. 1 1 
 
 time to Lacy's acting editions than classic lore or modern 
 sciences when at Cambridge, and had fairly earned there 
 a histrionic reputation, if he took no higher honours. 
 
 Now it chanced that in these theatricals at Merrydale 
 Hall, George was cast to play the lover to a Miss Gertrude 
 Tewkesley — a fair and beautiful girl of good birth though 
 no fortune; and, as often happens in private theatricals, 
 this led to a little romance between them on their own 
 account, when Gertrude fell in love with George in real 
 earnest, in return for the stage devotion he had bestowed 
 upon her. An engagement followed, which was approved 
 by their respective parents ; for though Mr. Tewkesley, 
 albeit of good family, was only a clergyman with a 
 small living in a neighbouring county, and could give no 
 dowry to his daughter, Percy Grayle hoped that his son's 
 alliance with a young lady of gentle birth would serve 
 both to refine and reform his character. Villus argentum 
 est aurOj virtutibus aiirum, was an argument he would not 
 dispute with Horace; and knowing Gertrude to be a girl 
 of high principles and good moral training, he did not 
 doubt she would make an excellent wife, so was content 
 to accept virtue in lieu of a marriage settlement. 
 
 The wedding was fixed, and after their honeymoon, 
 George and his wife took up their abode permanently at 
 the Hall. Most fatal of all fatal mistakes ; but since it 
 was his father's wish, and George was utterly dependent 
 on him for an income, they had no alternative. In such 
 a house of discord, with such a husband and such a 
 mother-in-law, poor Gertrude's chance of happiness 
 seemed remote indeed. And so it proved ; but the 
 Squire was too obstinate or too selfish at first to see the 
 error he had committed in obliging them to live under the 
 paternal roof — selfish, since he had conceived a strong 
 affection for his daughter-in-law, and desired some con-
 
 i 2 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 genial spirit in the house as a set-off to his uncongenial 
 wife and unfilial son. 
 
 Nearly fourteen months passed,, though not too smoothly 
 for the younger Mrs. Grayle, and on New Year's Day 
 Hector was born. On this occasion, as was customary at 
 Barringtree, the gloomy old Hall consented to shake off 
 its dismal blues for the nonce, and bell-ringing and beer- 
 drinking in the village, and high jinks and festivities in 
 the servants' hall, became the order of the day. But only 
 for the day — the grey old mansion seemed quite ashamed 
 of its jollity next morning, and appeared to shroud itself 
 in a darker cloak of gloom than ever.
 
 13 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 A FLARE UP. 
 
 " How irksome is this music to my heart ! 
 When such strings jar, what hope of harmony?" 
 
 Shakspeare. 
 
 The birth of a son was indeed a solace to Gertrude in her 
 young married life, which, it is needless to say, was far 
 from a happy one. George, still under the secret influence 
 of his uncle, seemed in no way improved by his marriage, 
 and did his utmost, by many acts of unkindness and 
 neglect, to throw to the four winds that inestimable 
 treasure, the love of a good wife. And Gertrude, with 
 little Hector at her bosom, for a time actually allowed the 
 strong current of her great love to take a new channel, 
 though she remained as loyal as ever at heart to her 
 unworthy spouse. Of course the Squire noticed this 
 unhappy state of things, and was pained beyond measure 
 to see such an affection as Gertrude's trodden underfoot 
 by an unappreciative husband — crushed out of her, as it 
 were, by cold neglect and indifference. 
 
 For a long time he abstained from remonstrating with 
 his son, thinking it unadvisable to interfere between man 
 and wife ; but as matters became worse, he was resolved 
 at length to speak out. 
 
 One morning George found himself tete-a-tete with his 
 father at breakfast, the ladies having failed, at present,
 
 1 4 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 to put in an appearance. The meal passed off in omi- 
 nous silence, for father and son had long since ceased to 
 find pleasure iu each other's company ; and George, feel- 
 ing a presentiment that the Squire was preparing for an 
 attack, thought to shirk it by beating a retreat ; so, hastily 
 gulping down his tea, he rose abruptly from the table. 
 
 " George," cried his father, calling him back as he 
 reached the door, " I desire to speak with you for a few 
 minutes on — on an important subject." 
 
 " Certainly, sir," replied George, with a forced air of 
 insolence ; though this failed to cover the sheepishness 
 with which he complied. 
 
 " If you can spare me so much of your valuable time," 
 added his parent, a little sarcastically. 
 
 " I'm not aware that I value my time very highly. It 
 hangs heavy enough on my hands, goodness knows." 
 
 " Sit down again, then." 
 
 George did so. 
 
 " I think," resumed the Squire, after a short pause, " I 
 had better divide what I have to say under three heads." 
 
 " Why not give it us all in a lump, sir ? — save a lot of 
 trouble." 
 
 " George ! " pompously exclaimed Mr. Grayle, " this 
 is no matter to be treated lightly. I don't often interfere 
 with you, you'll allow ; but on this occasion I not only 
 demand your attention, sir, but your respect." This was 
 said in a tone that put a stop to further flippancy for the 
 moment. " As I observed, I will divide my subject into 
 three parts — matters have gone quite long enough with- 
 out my interference. Firstly, with regard to your wife 
 — the sweetest and most amiable woman that ever 
 breathed — " 
 
 " I don't want to be told all that," interrupted George, 
 sulkily.
 
 A Flare-up. 15 
 
 u But you shall be told of it/' cried his father, waxing- 
 angry, as he thought of the neglected Gertrude ; u you 
 don't appear to realize the fact yourself, so you must be 
 reminded of it." 
 
 " Very well, father ; grant her all the virtues." 
 
 u Which she has, sir ; and how do you value such a 
 treasure ? I say what return do you make her for all 
 the love and devotion she squanders on you ? None but 
 cruel coldness and contempt, simply because she has no 
 money to give you — though you knew that well enough 
 when you married her. But worse than this ; I could 
 forgive you the mere coldness, were your treatment 
 sometimes not both harsh and brutal." 
 
 " How, father ? " 
 
 " I've heard you use language to her that I wouldn't 
 use to a dog — " 
 
 "Well, and I've heard you come it pretty strong, too, 
 when you've been riled with the mater/' retorted the 
 dutiful son ; " and, after all, I only let out a bit when 
 Gertrude riles me. Come, come, sir, what's the use of 
 these mutual recriminations ? I let you and your wife 
 alone — you let me and mine." 
 
 " Preposterous ! 'pon my soul ! " exclaimed Mr. 
 Grayle, rising and pacing the room angrily. " Now I'll 
 tell you what it is, George ; unless you change your 
 tactics altogether, and at once, we can't live under the 
 same roof any longer, that's all about it." 
 
 "Very well, sir, as you please. But to drop the wife 
 subject, as the first head, what's the second ? Let's have 
 the second head." 
 
 u I have not yet done with the first, but we'll dismiss 
 it for the present," said the Squire, reseating himself, 
 and taking up from the breakfast-table two or three ugly- 
 looking letters, which had arrived that morning. u The
 
 1 6 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 next subject I wish to speak about is with regard to all 
 these bills — these unpardonably extravagant items that I 
 find here, and which you direct to be sent to me. 
 
 " Really, my dear father, I can't argue these matters/' 
 remarked George coolly, at the same time pounding 
 and smashing away at an eggshell to ease his irritation ; 
 l( they're all necessaries." 
 
 " Necessaries be d d, sir ! " 
 
 " Exactly so — then suppose we get on to the third 
 head of your discourse. Fin anxious to hear the third 
 head." 
 
 " No doubt you are. In my opinion the third head is 
 responsible for the other two." 
 
 "Now you're getting beyond me, sir; I don't quite 
 understand." 
 
 " I will soon explain myself. I refer to your uncle. 
 Of course I'm aware that for a long time past you have 
 kept up constant and intimate communication with him, 
 although you knew it was strictly against my wishes — in 
 fact, my commands ; yet you have wilfully disobeyed 
 me, and carried on a deception unworthy of a gentleman 
 and my son." 
 
 " Not at all ; I left you to find out by degrees — " 
 
 " That you preferred your uncle to your father— excel- 
 lent ! but I tell you once again I forbid you to have 
 anything to do with my brother ; his influence over you 
 is obvious enough as it is." 
 
 u Really I don't see why I should be at loggerheads 
 with poor uncle Andrew, merely because you are. He's 
 a jolly old fellow, and very kind to me ; besides, my dear 
 father, you must excuse me, I never make other people's 
 quarrels my own." 
 
 Here a dangerous pause ensued, during which he eyed 
 his father, half anxiously, half defiantly.
 
 A Flare-up. i 7 
 
 " George ! " exclaimed the Squire at last, turning very 
 pale, and starting up again from his chair," do you mean 
 this ? " 
 
 "1 do," observed George, carelessly. 
 
 " Then, by heaven ! I wash my hands of you. Do you 
 hear me ? I wash my hands of you entirely." 
 
 " I hear you, sir." 
 
 " Go to your uncle, you ungrateful dog ! Let him take 
 care of you for the future; I won't." 
 
 " Very well, sir," said George, also rising. 
 
 " You'll reap your reward for this, I can tell you," 
 continued Mr. Grayle, in excited tones. " Your undutiful 
 ingratitude, your disobedience and base conduct to me as 
 your father, and your brutality to your wife, will bring 
 you to utter and irretrievable ruin, and serve you right — 
 to the gallows, I shouldn't wonder." 
 
 " Very likely," remarked the son, imperturbabiy, 
 " though you may hear I've cheated them." 
 
 " How do you mean, sir ? " 
 
 " By blowing out my brains, perhaps." 
 
 " Indeed ! " returned his parent, with cutting sarcasm, 
 "then I hope you'll make a good shot, for they're a 
 precious small target." 
 
 " That I can't help," retorted George, adding, sotto voce, 
 " I suppose I inherit them ; " here he moved towards the 
 door, turning back as he reached it, and saying, " You'll be 
 sorry for this, I believe, by-and-by, father ; but I shall 
 take you at your word. I'm quite unhappy enough 
 to go to the devil my own way, and I will. Good- 
 bye, sir," he continued, holding out his hand. " Oh, very 
 well, if you won't, then — " for the Squire had turned to 
 the window, and was whistling a popular polka, very 
 much out of tune. 
 
 In Mr. Grayle's inmost heart he was half regretting 
 vol. 1. c
 
 1 8 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 his impulsiveness, but was far too proud to recall the 
 scapegrace; on the other hand, the son was equally 
 proud, and would sooner have died than have given 
 in. He hesitated for an instant; and then the door 
 closed, separating the two, and fixing a wider gulf 
 between them than at the time they anticipated, or even 
 dreamt of. 
 
 Half angry with himself, and indignant at the unnatural 
 conduct of his father, as he considered it, George snatched 
 up his hat and hurried from the Hall, determined to do 
 something desperate, he scarce knew what ; meantime he 
 found himself instinctively making his way to Crutch Hut, 
 to consult that very doubtful oracle, his uncle. 
 
 " Hulloa, boy ! " cried the oracle, as George made his 
 appeal ance, in an excited state, " what's the matter now ? 
 Another shindy at the Hall, eh ? jolly house to live in, 
 that." 
 
 " It is, and no mistake," replied George, throwing him- 
 self into an armchair opposite. " It is a jolly house to 
 live in, uncle ; so jolly that I mean to cut the whole con- 
 cern." 
 
 " Ah ! " exclaimed Grumpy, becoming interested ; " and 
 how are you going to do that r " 
 
 " Oh, anyhow — hire a crossing — hook it to sea — enlist, 
 or something; I don't care what." 
 
 " But, bless my soul ! " quoth the uncle, throwing up 
 his hands in feigned astonishment ; " I thought you were 
 such a happy married man, with a brand-new baby and 
 all the rest of it." 
 
 "None of your chaff, Uncle Andrew; you know I hate 
 the whole business. Gertrude's a good girl enough, I 
 daresay — too good for a fellow like me, p'r'aps ; but what 
 with my mother's meddling, and now the guv'nor's, and 
 being without money and all that, we're always having
 
 A Flare-up. 19 
 
 rows. And then they take her part, and— oh, well, never 
 mind, I won't bother you about it all. Fm a miserable 
 dog, and I mean to have done with it." 
 
 "I don't wonder, I'm sure," observed his worthy 
 relative, egging him on ; " young blood won't stand being 
 sat upon, will it ? I admire your spirit. And so," he 
 added, after a short pause, watching him with a wicked 
 twinkle in his little black eyes, " you're really going to 
 make a bolt of it ? " 
 
 "I am. I must now — the guv'nor as good as told me 
 this morning to go to the devil, and so I came to you — I 
 mean — " 
 
 "Never mind, pray don't mention it," exclaimed 
 Grumpy, laughing good-humouredly at the faux pas; 
 " the devil's never so black as he's painted, and I've no 
 doubt your father has painted me black enough." 
 
 " That he has," cried George, " and it's chiefly through 
 my being so chummy with you that we had the row." 
 
 " Ah, indeed ! exactly ; charming fellow my brother ! 
 And so you look to me for protection, eh ? " 
 
 " That's what the guv'nor told me to do — but 1 don't 
 wish to bother anybody; all I want is a start." 
 
 " And you shall have it, my boy," said Andrew Grayle, 
 with good-natured emphasis, adding to himself, "the 
 sooner we get him out of the way the better ;" then aloud, 
 , " and what would you call a start ? a fiver ? a tenner ? two 
 tenners ? come — " and the generous uncle immediately 
 hobbled across to his escritoire. 
 
 " Um, I can't do much with twenty pounds, uncle," 
 remarked George, dubiously. 
 
 " Not much ! " cried Grumpy, in a falsetto key (a voice 
 he always adopted when surprised or excited), and turn- 
 ing up his eyebrows with an astonished look ; . tC not much ! 
 why, think of the heaps of young men who have gone up 
 
 c 2
 
 20 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 to town with half-a- crown, and turned out Lord Mayors 
 afterwards. Think of the young chap who left his home 
 in a pair of patched breeches, and came back a millionaire 
 rolling in riches — there ! there's a bit of my own poetry 
 for you, and a couple of beautiful new tenners to boot/'' 
 handing them to him. 
 
 "Put another to these, Uncle Andrew," pleaded his 
 nephew, examining the clean crisp notes, "and I'm off." 
 
 "Another fiver, then, for it's all I've got," rejoined his 
 uncle, snatching it out and locking up the secretaire with 
 a bang, as if afraid of George giving him the lie by exa- 
 mining the interior. "And now, boy," continued he, 
 dropping his keys into his pocket, and hobbling back, 
 "what are you going to do, eh?" 
 
 " Oh, I shall just run up to town and try my luck there, 
 or go abroad — " 
 
 "Better go abroad at once. London has been done to 
 death with fortune-hunters." 
 
 " Well, I shall see ; at any-rate I'll write and tell you 
 my plans — only keep them to yourself." 
 
 " Of course, of course." 
 
 "And I say, uncle, I wish you'd just break it to 
 Gertrude — say good-bye for me, and all that sort of 
 thing." 
 
 "Not if I know it, my boy, thank you," replied 
 Grumpy, promptly ; " she'd blame me as sure as eggs, and 
 I don't fancy a scene with an injured female." 
 
 " Yery well, then ; I shall have to write it, for I haven't 
 the face to meet her myself. Bat, after all, she's much 
 better without me, and she's got the guv'nor, and the 
 mother, and the baby, and another coming" — (Uncle 
 Andrew pricked up his ears anxiously), " so she won't 
 take any harm. I don't mean to see any of them before 
 I go. I shall just square old Stephens, and get him to
 
 A Flare-up. 21 
 
 put me some tilings together, and then ' away/ as they 
 say in the play." 
 
 " Well, good luck to you, my boy ! " exclaimed Grumpy, 
 slapping him on the back in a hearty manner ; and after 
 a little further discussion, and some advice gratis. George 
 took leave of his worthy uncle, and before the day was 
 out had put many miles between himself and Bar- 
 ringtree. 
 
 Naturally there was a scene at the Hall when Gertrude 
 and Mrs. Grayle learnt from the Squire under what cir- 
 cumstances George had disappeared. But Mr. Grayle 
 consoled Gertrude with the assurance that her worthless 
 husband would return soon enough when he had had a 
 dose of shifting for himself, and hoped that, when he 
 did come back, he might do so a wiser and a better 
 man. 
 
 It is unnecessary to follow up at present the career of 
 the prodigal heir-apparent, beyond remarking that the 
 twenty-five pounds given him by his uncle, and a few 
 sovereigns of his own, were very soon spent in London, 
 and twice he wrote to Grumpy Grayle for money. The 
 first time his uncle sent him another five-pound note, 
 accompanied by a letter abusing all the Hall people in the 
 most outrageous terms, and poisoning George's mind 
 against them still further, ultimately urging him at once 
 to work his passage across to New York or Melbourne, 
 where he was certain to find a fortune awaiting him. 
 The second time he forwarded him a post-office order for 
 a guinea, and, rather tired of these importunities, wound 
 up another vituperative letter in the following charac- 
 teristic way : — 
 
 " I can't do more than the enclosed, my dear boy ; 
 recollect that Fm only a younger son, with a wretchedly
 
 22 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 small portion " (here Uncle Andrew's brow contracted 
 at the thought as he wrote) ; " so you must really shift 
 for yourself, or get my amiable brother to help you, as is 
 his duty. You know you can't bleed a post, and I'm 
 very like a post at present ; and the servant tells me 
 there's another waiting outside ; so no more, in haste, 
 from 
 
 " Yours impecuniously, 
 
 " Uncle Andrew." 
 
 To this letter he received no reply, nor did he ever 
 hear from his grateful nephew again. 
 
 u Ah ! " often soliloquized Grumpy, " bad lot, very ; 
 just like his father. A good riddance anyhow, and I 
 don't expect we shall see much more of Mm. He's 
 pretty sure to commit suicide if he stays in London ; he's 
 very likely to get drowned if he goes to sea, shot if he 
 goes as a soldier, or scalped if he goes as a trapper ; and 
 he'll probably drink himself to death whatever he goes 
 as ; so we're certain to get rid of him somehow." And, 
 summing up in this convenient fashion, Andrew Grayle 
 once more took a peep into the future of the Barring-tree 
 property. 
 
 " Umph ! my sweet brother has about as much consti- 
 tution as a cockchafer ; lungs weak, heart weak, blood at 
 a standstill ; while I'm as robust as a bull, with a circu- 
 lation as brisk as a whirlpool, and brisker. Then there's 
 that puling, hectic-looking baby — he can't live ; and 
 damme ! " he almost shouted, slapping his short, thick 
 thigh, " old Grumpy, as they call me, will be master here 
 yet ! By the way, though, George said something about 
 another coming. Well, well, if there is, let's hope it will 
 be a daughter ; we shall see." 
 
 And they did see ; and this time the church bells did
 
 A Flare -tip. 23 
 
 not ring, though Grumpy Grayle very nearly ordered 
 them to do so on his own account, and out of the joyous- 
 ness of his heart, for it was a daughter. So the mono- 
 maniac breathed again.
 
 24 
 
 M\\t Stern. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 " Property communicates a charm to whatever is the object of it. 
 .... It endears to the child its plaything, to the peasant his cottage, 
 to the landholder his estate." — JPaley. 
 
 To depart from these snatchy periods, and come to 
 my story proper, I must ask the reader to take a long 
 jump with me — a skip of fifteen years ; that is, fifteen 
 years from the first incident introduced in Chapter L, 
 where Grumpy Grayle met the donkey party in the 
 park. 
 
 It was a glorious morning towards the end of October — 
 such a morning as makes the heart of man joyous, and 
 raises one's spirits to an undignified degree of hilarity — 
 when Hector Grayle, now developing into a fine young 
 man, in spite of his uncle's prophecy, emerged from 
 the stableyard of Barriugtree Hall, with a gun on his 
 shoulder and a couple of retrievers bounding round 
 him with delight, one of the under -keepers following in 
 the rear.
 
 " The finest Estate in England" 25 
 
 " Steady, boys ! heel, Pilot ! ° called their master, as 
 the exuberance of the dogs' spirits ran away with them 
 towards some tempting-looking coverts while crossing 
 the park. 
 
 " I wonder where that fellow Clem can have got to/' 
 Hector muttered to himself; " most unpunctual beggar ; 
 and I hate waiting on a day like this. Perhaps I shall 
 find him at the Lodge/' 
 
 And away he hurried in the direction of the entrance 
 gates on the further side of the park, whistling merrily 
 as he went. 
 
 On reaching the High Lodge — so called from its situa- 
 tion on a slight eminence, and in contradistinction 
 from the Low Lodge on the opposite side — Hector 
 knocked at the door, which was opened by the keeper's 
 wife. 
 
 " Good morning, Mrs. Rolfe," said he ; u I just called 
 to ask if Mr. Mountjoy had passed through here ? " 
 
 " No, sir," replied the woman ; " we haven't opened the 
 gates yet to any one to-day." 
 
 " -Well, he is sure to come this way from Merrydale ; 
 so I'd better wait for him," observed Hector, adding to 
 the underkeeper, " Phillips, tell the beaters to meet us 
 here." 
 
 " Won't you please to step in, sir," said Mrs. Eolfe, 
 opening the door wider, " and sit down for a bit ? " 
 
 Complying with the invitation, the young man dis- 
 appeared into the cottage, and while he waits for his 
 friend, let us take a brief glimpse of the park and distant 
 Hall ; especially as the best view is to be obtained here 
 from the upper gates, and the day is simply perfection for 
 showing it off to advantage , 
 
 In point of size Barringtree Park could scarcely com- 
 pare with many nobler country-seats in England, having
 
 2 6 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 an area of something less than a thousand acres ; but with 
 its splendid timber, well-kept woods, undulating surface, 
 and ornamental water, it made up in quality what it 
 lacked in quantity. Such was the arrangement of the 
 trees and plantations, aided by art as well as nature, that, 
 taken almost from any point of view, the park itself looked 
 larger than it actually was, and the numberless vistas, so 
 skilfully planned, gave evidence of the artistic care 
 bestowed on their planting. Certainly Grumpy Grayle's 
 depredations during his short but mischievous reign had 
 left an ugly gap here and there ; but as this was several 
 years ago, the hand of time had, in a measure, counter- 
 acted the hand of the spoiler. 
 
 One of the most prominent features in the park, and 
 which had stood for generations, was the splendid avenue 
 of limes leading from the upper entrance-gates to the 
 Hall, some three-quarters of a mile in length, enclosing 
 a carriage -drive, on each side of which was a broad grass 
 ride, designated by Hector and Agnes as the " straight 
 run in," and which was the scene of many a race home 
 between their rival ponies. At this time of year the 
 avenue was especially an ornament, and the rich autumnal 
 tints added immensely to the dignity and beauty of the 
 old lime-trees ; in every part of the park, as far as the 
 eye could reach, a heterogeneous mass of colour presented 
 itself in exquisite confusion, lent by the fading glory of 
 the moribund foliage on wood and " spinney."" On the 
 left-hand side of the avenue, as you looked towards the 
 Hall from the High Lodge, was a handsome piece of 
 water stretching up to the grounds of the mansion, the 
 lawn sloping down to meet it. Near this point stood a 
 picturesque boat-house, canopied by a fine old weeping 
 willow, which seemed to lean over it with maternal 
 affection.
 
 " The finest Estate in England" 27 
 
 Various water-birds of all climes and colours frater- 
 nized on the lake, and, keeping aloof from this mixed 
 society, sailed a few majestic swans, which appeared to 
 resent the presence of these interlopers on their watery- 
 domain, for until lately they had enjoyed the monopoly 
 of it. 
 
 On the further side of the lake from the Hall, two or 
 three little creeks, fringed by overhanging shrubbery, 
 intercepted the regularity of its bank; the dark ever- 
 greens, reflected in the limpid water, bending over this 
 perpetual looking-glass, and nodding to themselves, as if 
 with gratified vanity, when stirred by the breeze. A walk 
 of some length wound its way along this bank, shaded by 
 a thick wood which skirted the lake for a considerable 
 distance ; other paths branched out into the depths of the 
 covert ; the main walk being connected with the grounds 
 of the Hall by an ornamental bridge that stretched across 
 the water at a conveniently narrow point. 
 
 Amongst other beauties, the lake could boast one or 
 two little wooded islands, lying at some distance from 
 each other ; and though these were artificial, they were 
 none the less picturesque, and afforded an excellent 
 place of refuge for the wild fowl during the breeding 
 season. 
 
 The Hall itself hardly did justice to the beauties 
 with which it was surrounded, being a gloomy-looking, 
 square-shaped edifice, rather of the barrack type of archi- 
 tecture peculiar to the Georgian era. The old Elizabethan 
 mansion, which was reported to have been very handsome 
 and worthy of any estate, had been nearly all burnt down 
 a century and a half ago, and little was left of its beauty . 
 save tradition. The exterior of the old part that remained 
 had quite lost its original character, having been pulled 
 about from time to time to make it uniform with the new,
 
 2 8 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 and the present honse had few characteristics worthy of 
 mention beyond innumerable windows and chimney-stacks. 
 One redeeming point, however, existed in a handsome, 
 Doric-pillared portico, which had been erected within the 
 last eighty years by Hector's great-grandfather, but it 
 must be owned that this portico appeared a little out of 
 place ; howbeit, since it relieved the monotony of the rest 
 of the structure, even the most hypercritical might have 
 accepted it en masse as an improvement. 
 
 But if the Manor-house gives little scope for description, 
 the grounds in which it stands amply compensate for any 
 deficiency ; and it would have gladdened the heart of a 
 landscape gardener to have viewed the taste and judgment 
 evinced in the laying out of the flower-beds, ferneries, 
 lawns, shrubberies, and conservatories; which, however, 
 must be left to the imagination, since it would occupy too 
 much space to describe the whole in detail. A cordon, 
 in the shape of a lofty iron fence, surmounted with fes- 
 tooned chains, ran round these grounds, separating them 
 from the park, and preventing the intrusion of the too 
 active fallow-deer, since the marvellous agility of these 
 gracef ul creatures needed a formidable barrier to keep 
 them at bay. A large herd of them had for generations 
 been kept at Barringtree, and becoming tame in their 
 nature, made that part of the park, close under this fence, 
 their favourite browsing-ground. The old bucks, as 
 watched from the Hall windows, might often be seen 
 tossing their stately heads with wistful looks thrown 
 towards the choice shrubs and plants within the enclosure, 
 as though they longed to make a raid upon the sacred 
 precincts of the garden. 
 
 For the rest, the property of Barringtree, always quoted 
 by Grumpy Grayle, though hyperbolically of course, as 
 " the finest estate in England/' may be briefly described
 
 " The finest Estate in England" 29 
 
 as extending over an area of fifteen thousand acres of 
 good productive soil — yielding from nine to ten coomb 
 an acre — splendidly farmed, with plenty of woods for pre- 
 serving game, and large open fields — forming a healthy 
 contrast to these wretchedly cramped plots of land in 
 some parts of the country, which look like Lilliputian 
 attempts at agriculture. 
 
 u Here he is at last ! " exclaimed Hector, who, after 
 waiting nearly half an hour in the keeper's lodge, heard 
 at length the sound of wheels approaching. Not that he 
 was much to be pitied for the delay, seeing how pleasantly 
 he had passed the time, cosily seated by a log-fire, and 
 enjoying the tete-a-tete society of one of the prettiest 
 girls to be found in any part of the county. 
 
 Mrs. Eolfe, an ever-busy housewife, had betaken her- 
 self to the back premises soon after Hector's arrival, 
 and thus left him to be entertained by her daughter 
 alone. 
 
 Now Lizzie Eolfe was without doubt a beauty of no 
 ordinary type ; and Hector thought, as he scanned her 
 lovely face with respectful admiration, that old Gideon 
 Rolfe and his wife might well be proud of their only 
 child. 
 
 Perfectly unaffected in her manner, and withal never 
 forgetting the difference in their stations, Lizzie chatted 
 away to him with a natural- ease that well became her. 
 She was just on the verge of womanhood — not yet having 
 attained her nineteenth year — and her figure, of medium 
 height, clad in a close-fitting, home- spun dress, was the 
 perfection of grace and symmetry. It is impossible to 
 give a correct impression of such a face as Lizzie Bolfe's 
 by a mere pen-and-ink description ; she must be seen to 
 be appreciated, as the showman would say of his show ;
 
 30 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 but since that is out of the question, it falls to my pro- 
 vince to endeavour to paint her portrait, however feebly. 
 Imagine, then, a delicately-formed oval face, with very 
 dark brown hair rippling in natural waves over a rather 
 low forehead, and neatly gathered in thick braided folds 
 at the back of a well-shaped head. Imagine a pair of 
 eyebrows which, in their pencilling, might have been 
 painted by some too precise an artist, and beneath these 
 a pair of dancing, merry eyes of a greyish blue colour, 
 which were now and again hidden by the long drooping 
 eyelashes. Imagine a straight, thoroughbred little nose 
 (that would have defied the chisel of the finest sculptor 
 to excel), and a prettily curved mouth, which, though the 
 least thing large, lent expression rather than detracted 
 from the tout-ensemble, and disclosed, when smiling, a 
 good set of small white teeth ; add to this a piquant chin, 
 and lastly, imagiue the entire picture delicately tinted by 
 nature, revealing a fresh transparent complexion, and 
 you have as truthful a likeness of Lizzie Eolfe as it is in 
 my power to give you. 
 
 It should be explained that Gideon Rolfe and his wife 
 were not old retainers at Barringtree, Eolfe, until the 
 last three years, having held the office of head game- 
 keeper to an old county family in Sussex. But the 
 sudden break up of that establishment had thrown him 
 out of place; and Squire Grayle, hearing of his good 
 character and excellent qualifications from the family 
 itself, with whom he happened to be acquainted, had 
 offered him the same post at Barringtree. Hence it 
 happened that the lovely Lizzie was an innovation in the 
 neighbourhood, and her great beauty and superior appear- 
 ance speedily attracted considerable notice; for, as she 
 grew older, she improved in looks, so that her comeliness
 
 " The finest Estate in England!' 3 1 
 
 soon became quite a byword amongst the good folks 
 thereabouts. 
 
 The contrast between Hector Grayle and the game- 
 keeper's daughter, thus seated together by the fire, was 
 rather striking j Hector's colouring being fair by compari- 
 son, and more after the Saxon type, with auburn hair, 
 deep blue eyes, and a complexion which was almost too 
 pink and white for a man. Being only in his twenty-first 
 year, however, the pink-and-whiteness was more the 
 colour of a youthful skin than that arising from a 
 delicate constitution. A tall, handsome young fellow, 
 something over six feet in height, with regular features 
 and a good figure, Hector Grayle was a splendid speci- 
 men of the flower of England's youth. Such a fair 
 exterior, moreover, was by no means belied by his 
 inward character, which, upright, noble, and gene- 
 rous as it was, caused him to be idolized by his own 
 family, and loved and respected by every one who knew 
 him. 
 
 " Well, old man ! " cried he, as Clement Mountjoy 
 drove up in his dogcart ; " you're a nice sort of fellow to 
 keep one waiting like this." 
 
 " Very sorry, Hec, upon my word," replied Clement 
 throwing the reins to his groom, and diving into the back 
 of the cart for his gun-case ; a I couldn't get off before — 
 everything seemed to conspire against it at the last 
 moment." 
 
 " Well, better late than never," rejoined the other, as 
 Clement dismounted; " come along. Here, Phillips will 
 take this for you," he added, handing a cartridge-bag to 
 the keeper. " What a glorious day ! We're only just 
 going to walk up one or two fields of mustard, you know/ 
 and some outlying mangolds on the other side, but we 
 shall get some sport."
 
 3 2 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 " Bather," observed Clement,, smiling ; " I know those 
 same mangolds and mustard-fields. There's shooting 
 enough for a dozen guns." 
 
 " I believe there is, and we shall pick up something on 
 the way," replied his companion, as they walked along 
 briskly towards the quarter indicated, followed by Phillips, 
 two or three beaters, and the dogs. " Other fellows 
 couldn't come to day, so I thought you and I would have 
 a bit of fun by ourselves. Look out ! " Bang ! bang ! 
 and on to the game-stick Phillips placed the first brace of 
 partridges, the result of a right and left from his young 
 master's gun. " I say, Clem, we're going to begin the 
 coverts in a few days," added Hector, lC when I hope Sir 
 Francis will be able to get over." 
 
 " I hope he will ; but, poor old boy ! he's such an awful 
 martyr to gout, you know. However, you may depend 
 upon it he will if he can." 
 
 As the two young men walked side by side the 
 difference between them was very marked, even to the 
 most casual observer. While Hector Grayle's aristocratic 
 bearing, and distingue appearance were so conspicuous, 
 his friend was exactly the reverse, and one would scarcely 
 have taken him for a sprig of the nobility at a first glance. 
 Ungainly in his figure, uncouth in his dress (invariably 
 several seasons behind the fashion) Clement Mountjoy was 
 somewhat an oddity to look at ; but notwithstanding that 
 his face was rather plain, it wore a good-natured, kindly 
 expression, and this gave an index to his general cha- 
 racter, which abounded in good qualities. In short, 
 taking him altogether, Clement was, as Hector always 
 pronounced him, " one of the best fellows that ever 
 breathed." 
 
 The two friends and their small retinue now disappear 
 over the brow of a neighbouring hill, so we will wish
 
 " The finest Estate in England? 33 
 
 them good day and good sport, which, by the way, they 
 decidedly had, if one may judge from the entry in the 
 gamebook afterwards; inasmuch as Barringtree might, 
 for its splendid shooting at any rate, almost endorse 
 Grumpy Grayle's quotation, and claim to be one of the 
 finest estates in England. 
 
 vol. 1.
 
 34 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 CRUTCH HUT. 
 
 " I have no wife nor children, good or bad, to provide for ; a mere 
 spectator of other men's fortunes and adventures, and how they play 
 their parts." — Burton. 
 
 " Something like 
 That voice, methinks, I should have somewhere heard." 
 
 Dry den. 
 
 Crutch Hut — so called by its factitious owner on account 
 of his having superintended its building while obliged to 
 hobble about on one leg and a crutch, from the effects of 
 premature gout — was a queer little crib, which looked 
 something like a cross between a mammoth bee-hive 
 and a miniature villa, if such can be imagined, and con- 
 tained a very limited number of apartments, few of them 
 big enough to swing a cat in. 
 
 The furniture of the sitting-rooms — there were two — 
 was incongruous in the extreme; and Mr. Andrew 
 Grayle's sanctum was as different from the other as a 
 lady's boudoir is from a room in a little lodging-house ; in- 
 deed, the latter more resembled "a furnished apartment to 
 let" than anything else. The proprietor had considerable 
 taste for the antique, and distributed round this sanctum 
 were carved bookshelves and cabinets of the most fantastic 
 patterns, which he had collected by degrees from different 
 curiosity-shops in his wanderings. These cabinets, &c,
 
 Crutch Hiit. 35 
 
 were filled with old books, old china, old bronzes, and 
 various articles of vertu, for Grumpy possessed a hoard of 
 valuable rarities, and was very proud of his collection, 
 though he enjoyed it much as a miser does his wealth, 
 since Crutch Hut was nearly destitute of visitors. 
 
 This limited apartment — which did duty for museum, 
 picture-gallery, library, dining-room, and smoking-room — 
 its owner had overcrowded with furniture, and made it 
 appear rather like a second-hand warehouse in Tottenham 
 Court Eoad ; but throughout there prevailed the same 
 taste for quaint antique carvings, though their beauty 
 was rather lost in the general chaos. 
 
 Andrew Grayle never went into society now by any 
 chance, and, as I have said, scarcely ever had a visitor to 
 his house ; but of late years he had become rather tired of 
 his own company, and on a few occasions he did attempt 
 a little entertainment at the Hut ; but then it was only 
 with the tenants and such-like, and as a rule, in the old- 
 fashioned tea and crumpet style, which he much preferred. 
 But what was done at Crutch Hut was always well done, for 
 Grumpy was somewhat of a sybarite — or, as he remarked 
 jocularly, very much given to home comforts, though 
 until he set up shop for himself home comforts had not 
 been very much given to him — and occasionally the so- 
 called modest tea resolved itself into an elaborate kind of 
 supper, as in the present instance. 
 
 Except for the crowded state of the room, everything 
 was very cheery and comfortable ; not only the edibles, 
 but the appurtenances (more than half the battle) — bright 
 lamp, bright silver, bright table-cloth, bright fire, bright 
 everything ; and it was wonderful how well the Hut did 
 do things, considering the limited staff of domestics, 
 which consisted of an old housekeeper and a maid of all 
 work. The former was a faithful servant who had lived 
 
 D 2
 
 36 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 at the Hall, and been in the family almost as long as her 
 master, to whom she was devoted, having followed him 
 when he transferred his abode to Crutch Hut. Leaving the 
 rough work to her subordinate, Mrs. Cole cooked his meals, 
 superintended his wardrobe — what there was of it — kept 
 his accounts, and established herself generally as his sole 
 confidential adviser — a good sort of creature altogether, 
 but becoming a little querulous and arbitrary from long 
 service and old age. Mary, the under-servant, had rather 
 a rough time of it both with Mrs. Cole and her master, 
 who were regular slave-drivers ; but being a girl out of 
 the village, and an unsophisticated creature with no ideas 
 beyond the local grocer's shop and post-office, her 
 ambition did not soar very high, and never suggested 
 that she might possibly better herself if she tried. 
 Grumpy bullied this girl fearfully when in a bad temper, 
 though he would chuck her familiarly under the chin and 
 call her " Polly " when in a good humour, declaring that 
 if she hadn't green eyes, a flat nose, and red hair (his 
 particular aversion), she wouldn't be bad-looking; all 
 which doubtful compliments Polly accepted gratefully 
 enough, glad even of such left-handed ones, so long as 
 " master wasn't in one of his sulks." An ancient black 
 cat — in the chronic condition of being curled up by the 
 fireplace — a couple of noisy canaries, and a savage 
 mongrel, chained up outside, completed the establishment. 
 Nor was there any chance of its being increased, since its 
 owner had settled down into a confirmed old bachelor, 
 wedded to celibacy, his curiosity-shop, and that one other 
 idea — succession to the property. Fifteen years had not 
 made much difference in Grumpy, beyond a little 
 increased rotundity and a few extra grey hairs, and he 
 still believed he would outlive every one, for he never had 
 an ache or pain, except an occasional twinge of gout, which
 
 Crutch Hut. ?>7 
 
 being hereditary, he was rather proud of than otherwise. 
 All the same his monomania had cooled down a little since 
 Hector had persisted in growing up contrary to prophecy. 
 
 " Wretched weed, though ! regular lamp-post ! " 
 muttered the old fool; "never can come to anything. 
 Umph ! George gone — vanished — dead by now, for a 
 thousand — the Squire, pooh ! case of creaky gates, but 
 must come off the hinges soon," and so on. Neverthe- 
 less, these cogitations were not quite so perpetual, nor 
 carried on with such confident emphasis as heretofore. 
 
 "Now then, Polly, look alive/'' cried Grumpy, "put 
 that lobster mayonnaise on the sideboard, and go and 
 draw some of the old ale. I say, what are you doing 
 there, Mrs. Cole?" 
 
 "Only trying to make a bit of room, sir," replied the 
 housekeeper. " Here, Mary, lend a hand here first," and 
 they proceeded to wheel a superfluous cabinet, elaborately 
 carved, through the door towards the drawing-room. 
 
 "Look here, I won't have that moved — " began 
 Grumpy. 
 
 " Nonsense, sir," quietly returned Mrs. Cole ; " when 
 you do have a bit of company you must give 'em room 
 to stir, and you're so crammed full of these gim-cracks 
 a body can't turn." So she carried her point, as she 
 generally did. 
 
 fl Not much to be found fault with at the Hut, I take 
 it," muttered Grumpy, proudly surveying the apartment 
 — " everything in its way perfect." 
 
 " Well, I think every think in one's way's a noosance," 
 said Mrs. v Cole, half catching his remark, as she and Mary 
 wheeled out the cabinet. " There ! that's better, I'm 
 sure," she exclaimed, returning ; " and now, sir, don't the 
 table look beautiful ? " 
 
 " Splendiferous ! " acquiesced her master.
 
 38 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 "Do you get into the drawin'-room, then, to receive 
 your guests, sir — " 
 
 " Oh, bosh ! bosh ! old Sam Sickles and his wife aren't 
 particular." 
 
 "But you ought to be, sir. Never do things higger 
 pigger " (whatever she meant) ; " go and receive 5 em like 
 a gentleman." 
 
 " But they've not come yet," expostulated Grumpy, 
 " and I hate sticking in that beastly room." 
 
 " They'll be here directly, sir ; you'd better go," urged 
 Mrs. Cole, with calm authority ; and the obedient master 
 stumped off, leaving his housekeeper to complete her 
 arrangements in the parlour. 
 
 " The state apartment," as Grumpy humorously 
 termed the uncomfortable little drawing-room on the 
 opposite side of the passage, was as scantily furnished as 
 his sanctum was overcrowded. Since it was seldom used, 
 he had contented himself with ordering for its equipment, 
 from a wholesale firm, the inevitable bright green suite, 
 commonly seen in lodging-houses and small cockney 
 villas, consisting of six articles of torture, yclept chairs, 
 another article falsely aspiring to the name of sofa, and 
 two monstrosities with arms which you could see grossly 
 belied their appellation of easy before you tried them. 
 But our friend thought them quite good enough for his 
 visitors, when he had any. The first-mentioned articles 
 were the most untempting looking things imaginable, with 
 great overstuffed seats, that appeared as if they had been 
 starved, and then suddenly given a heavy meal of wool 
 and horsehair, which had distended them out "of all pro- 
 portion, reminding one of a greedy pnppy after a gigantic 
 gorge ; and when you sat down on them, their skeleton 
 backs stuck spitefully into your spine, as though resenting 
 the liberty.
 
 Crutch Hut. 39 
 
 The brown holland coverings, which always draped this 
 unique furniture, had been taken off for once in a way, 
 and each article had budded forth into its normal state of 
 verdancy, since guests were expected at Crutch Hut that 
 evening. 
 
 Shortly afterwards, the aristocratic company, as 
 Grumpy ironically called it, arrived. Curious articles all. 
 Item first — Mr. Samuel Sickles, a jolly old-fashioned 
 Suffolk farmer, round as a tub, with a rubicund counte- 
 nance, like a setting full moon ; blue swallow-tailed coat, 
 brass buttons, gaiters, knee-breeches, and all complete, 
 and glorying in a brogue that you might have cut with 
 a knife. Item second — Mrs. Samuel Sickles, a prototype 
 of her husband as to face and expression — grown so 
 by marriage perhaps — dressed in pea-green silk, with 
 black mittens, a false front bound with velvet, and a 
 huge glass brooch at her throat, like a little horse-pond ; 
 the same dialect, too, also contracted by marriage, no 
 doubt, for she was not Suffolk born. Item third — Mrs. 
 Corcoran, Sam Sickles' sister, a widow, and a very 
 severe-looking female indeed, with black points, dressed 
 to match ; not the least like her brother — in fact, a sort of 
 modern Medea in appearance — age, the shady side of 
 sixty or thereabouts, but not looking so much, though 
 the raven hair was streaked here and there with silver 
 threads. Item fourth and last — Mr. Simon Sickles, only 
 son of his father and mother ; a mild yahoo, with straight 
 hair, well plastered down each side of a face, which, shining 
 inanely with soap and simplicity, four kicks in a mud wall 
 would have grossly flattered; — and dressed in humble 
 imitation of the prevailing fashion, by way of contrast to 
 his father's antediluvian get up — an imitation which his 
 manners and colloquial vernacular rendered the more 
 ridiculous. In short, taking them altogether, it was evi-
 
 40 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 dent that Grumpy Grayle delighted in curiosities, animate 
 as well as inanimate ; but he had not bargained for the 
 two last-mentioned guests ; these, it appeared, had been 
 brought by Mr. Sickles as substitutes for somebody 
 else. 
 
 "Good evenun', Mister Grayle" (he pronounced it Grile), 
 said the old farmer, as he entered, " I hope we ain't arter 
 our toime. You'll exkewse me a bringun' my sister and 
 my booy, 'cos ould Master Tunnup, he couldn't come, he 
 have got the rewmattucks so wonnerful bad, and my gal 
 she worn't able 'cos — " 
 
 "Don't mention it, don't mention it," cried his host, 
 cutting him short, and welcoming the substitutes with a 
 good grace, "very glad to see you all, I'm sure." 
 
 Presently, taking the word of command from Mrs. Cole, 
 Gruoipy proceeded to transfer his guests from the com- 
 fortless drawing-room to the sanctum sanctorum, where they 
 quickly ensconced themselves round the hospitable supper- 
 table, which groaned with good things. 
 
 Mr. Samuel Sickles' face beamed again as he took in 
 the tempting viands with eyes and nose on entering the 
 room — Mrs. Samuel Sickles' face following suit with a 
 modified beam — while Mr. Simon Sickles' face literally 
 shone with unctuous delight as they took their seats; 
 and on commencing operations, the yahoo, bewildered 
 and uncertain for a moment what to begin upon, 
 suddenly went at it with a vengeance, as if his body 
 were a sack, and he had to fill it against time. 
 
 " They're a goin to shoot some o' the woods to-morrow, 
 I hear, Mr. Grile," observed Sickles senior, as soon as a 
 square foot of brawn would allow him to speak. 
 
 " Are they ? " grunted Grumpy churlishly, filling Mrs. 
 Corcoran' s glass as she sat on his left. " Umph ! hope 
 they mayn't shoot each other then, that's all."
 
 Crutch Hut. 41 
 
 " They da saye there' a wonnerful sight 0' people arsked 
 to stye at the Hall for the shootun'," resumed the farmer; 
 u leastways gintlenien." 
 
 M I dessay," growled the host, in an undertone. " I 
 know I'm not." 
 
 " Don't you shoot yourself, Mr. Grayle ? " inquired 
 Mrs. Corcoran. 
 
 u If I didn't somebody else might for me," smiled 
 Grumpy, intending to make a joke. " No, ma'am, I don't 
 care for these days of battues and breechloaders. Who's 
 staying at the house ? do you know, Sickles ? " 
 
 " Nit rightly, Mr. Grile ; though ould Rolfe did tell 
 me. Some from Lun'nun, I believe, a Cap'en some'at or 
 other, and two or three more — a comin', that is, if they 
 baint come." 
 
 At this moment the loud barking of the mongrel out- 
 side interrupted the conversation, and then a carriage 
 was heard to stop at the door. 
 
 " Hulloa ! who can that be ? " exclaimed the host, 
 looking round the table. "I don't expect any one 
 else." 
 
 " Somebody lost their wye, I reckon," ventured Simon, 
 as he finished his third plateful. " That's as dark out to- 
 night as the insoide of my westcut pockut." 
 
 " Go and see who it is, Mrs. Cole," said her master, 
 still wondering. 
 
 On the front door being opened by the housekeeper, a 
 rude November gust nearly blew out the lamp in the 
 little entrance passage. 
 
 " Can you put us on the road for Barringtree Hall, 
 please ? " called a voice from the Cimmerian darkness. 
 " This driver's a new man; his lamps have gone out, and 
 the night's as black as pitch." 
 
 As the voice reached the little dining-room Mrs. Cor-
 
 42 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 coran pricked up her ears for a moment, for it seemed as 
 if the tones were familiar to her, though she dismissed 
 the idea as improbable immediately afterwards, or only 
 looked upon it as a coincidence. 
 
 " I'll put him roight, Mr. Gril'e, don't you trouble," 
 said the yahoo, lurching out to the front door. " Look 
 here, mister ! " he cried, addressing himself indefinitely 
 to the driver or his fare, " yow can't du wrong if ye foller 
 this here ro'd strite as iver yow can goo, till yow git to 
 the park wall ; keep up to the left along that till ye foind 
 some grit iron gates, go threw them up the avernoo, and 
 there ye are." 
 
 Meanwhile the cabman had availed himself of Mrs. 
 Cole's offer, and had relit his lamps ; so the benighted 
 fly started once more on its way. 
 
 Now even a cormorant can't go on for ever ; the most 
 voracious appetite in the world must be appeased at last 
 by a surfeit of good things ; and Mr. Sickles and his son 
 began at last to . feel every button of their waistcoats on 
 double duty, and could do no more than toy with some 
 of the substantial delicacies yet untried, seeming as if 
 they would say, (< Oh, I only wish you had come a little 
 earlier." Grumpy Grayle, noticing this, began to rally 
 them, for he was no niggard host, and liked to see justice 
 done to his table ; but since he could only elicit a chorus 
 of " No more for me, thank yer, Mr. Grile, I ha' done 
 be-ewtiffle, thank yer," he gave it up as a bad job. 
 
 " Corcoran ! " exclaimed he presently, and pursing up 
 his mouth reflectively ; " Corcoran ! that's not a common 
 name, ma'am," he added, turning to its owner ; " I've 
 heard it before — can't think where." 
 
 " My husband was an Irishman, Mr. Grayle," remarked 
 Mrs. Corcoran. " Its a hard story for a body to tell, but 
 he was suspected and tried for an Agrarian outrage
 
 Crutch Hiit. 43 
 
 some years ago, which broke his heart, poor man, for he 
 died soon afterwards. Perhaps that's what you were 
 thinking of." 
 
 " Xo — no, that isn't it. It's a Mrs. Corcoran I'm 
 thinking of, not a Mr. Corcoran." 
 
 " Oh, indeed, sir. Well, I'm the only Mrs. Corcoran I 
 know of in our county." 
 
 u What county ? this county, do you mean ? " 
 
 "No, Mr. Grayle ; I was born here, it's true, but Kent 
 is my county now, and has been for years." 
 
 " Ah, that's it ! " cried Grumpy, suddenly inspired. 
 " That must be it; Kent, of course. Do you remember 
 the name of Pullerton ? " 
 
 " To be sure I do." 
 
 " And you remember the Pullerton Trust ? " 
 
 " To be sure I do," she repeated, thinking how curious 
 it was that that very subject had been running in her 
 head a minute before. 
 
 "The Pullerton Trust ! that's what I was thinking of. 
 I was one of the trustees, you know." 
 
 " So I understood at the time, sir." 
 
 "But how were you connected with that, Mrs. Corcoran ? 
 I forget." 
 
 " Well," replied the woman, hesitating a little, and 
 dropping her dark eyes as Grumpy peered inquisitively 
 into her face; " if you remember I gave evidence at the 
 coroner's inquest." 
 
 "Exactly — exactly, of course you did," cut in her 
 host, as the recollection flashed across him. " Um — ah ! 
 sad case, very. Eailway accident or something, wasn't 
 it ? It all comes back to me now. Absolute reversion 
 of 40,000/. to the brother. Well, well, a fat sorrow's 
 better than a lean one, and no doubt the brother found 
 it so."
 
 44 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 " Half-brother/' observed Mrs. Corcoran, correcting 
 him." 
 
 " Half-brother, was it ? Oh, well, as I was saying, no 
 doubt the half-brother found it so ; 40,000L isn't to be 
 sneezed at." 
 
 " No, indeed ; and he'd know how to spend it well, 
 bless his heart ! " 
 
 u Oh, you think so ? Well, of course I can't say any- 
 thing about that. I was very glad to be released from 
 the Trust, that's all I know. Hate responsibility, and I. 
 never would have undertaken it only old Mrs. Pullerton's 
 husband was a great friend of mine. But what has 
 become of this Mr. — Mr. What's-his-name ? It's a good 
 many years ago now, and ' I've never seen nor heard of 
 him since." 
 
 "You mean Mr. Denby," said Mrs. Corcoran. "I've 
 not seen him very lately either. He seems almost to 
 have forgotton his old nurse now," she added, as if to 
 herself; " but he's going on prosperous enough, I believe 
 — any way I hope so." 
 
 ' ' A favourite of yours, it appears ? " remarked the host ; 
 then aside, "got a largess out of that affair, I'll be 
 bound." 
 
 " He ought to be, Mr. Grayle ; I dandled him when he 
 was a mite of a baby. Ah, he's an officer now — a capting. 
 Perhaps you didn't hear, though, he came into another 
 bit o' money afterwards from some distant relation — " 
 
 " How should I ? I know nothing about the man," 
 interrupted Grumpy. 
 
 " Whose name he tacks on to his own," continued she. 
 " But there, he wants all he can get, I'll be bound ; for 
 they say he does go the pace. Bless him ! a real gentle- 
 man, every inch of him ! Let him spend the money, if he 
 likes : it's his own, and why shouldn't he enjoy it ? "
 
 Crutch Hut. 
 
 45 
 
 "Very true, very true; why shouldn't he? Life's 
 short enough, in all conscience. My motto is, live while 
 you may, you can take naught away. Though, deuce 
 knows, I've little enough to live on, and shall leave little 
 enough behind me when I go." 
 
 During this abstract conversation Simon Sickles and 
 his parents had listened in open-mouthed vacancy, tho- 
 roughly mystified, and feeling very much "out of it;" 
 but they were soon set going again when their host pro- 
 posed a little smoke— with the permission of the ladies — 
 and some hot punch to wind up the evening with. 
 
 Then such a brew did he and Mrs. Cole mix for them 
 as warmed, with a generous glow, the cockles of their 
 hearts, and effectually kept out the cold night air when 
 they returned home in the pony-chaise an hour or two 
 afterwards.
 
 46 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 FIVE HUNDRED HEAD BEFORE LUNCHEON. 
 
 " 'Twas of old by God decreed 
 That birds for man's support may bleed." 
 
 Mant. 
 
 The following morning a large party assembled for break- 
 fast at Barringtree Hall, consisting chiefly of gentlemen 
 invited to shoot. Three or four had run down from town 
 overnight, including Colonels G-askill and Flashman of 
 the Guards, and Captain Heffernan of the Line, all keen 
 sportsmen and crack shots. Sir Francis Mountjoy was 
 there too — the gout having given him leave of absence for 
 the day — and although he was an infirm old "fogey," 
 something over seventy, the respite seemed to have tem- 
 porarily rejuvenated him, for he had already discussed a 
 cutlet and a devilled kidney with the healthy appetite of 
 an undergraduate. 
 
 " Dear Sir Francis," exclaimed Lady Mountjoy from 
 the other side of the table — a vivacious woman, thirty 
 years younger than her husband — " it delights me to see 
 you really enjoy your breakfast ; I wish you could shoot 
 every day." 
 
 " So do I, my lady," mumbled Sir Francis, as he 
 munched his toast ; " but we old birds are horribly 
 handicapped with gout and anno domini."
 
 Five Hundred Head before Luncheon. 47 
 
 Lady Mountjoy smiled at him lovingly, all eyes and 
 teeth — very fine ones they were, too — and she had a 
 habit of flashing them all at once at any one when she 
 spoke, by way of showing them off at the slightest pro- 
 vocation. Decidedly a handsome woman, a juvenile forty, 
 painfully energetic in every movement, and, as she made 
 the most commonplace observation, bright flashes of 
 lightning jumped out of her great black eyes, while her 
 remarks and ideas seemed all zigzag like the flight of a 
 snipe, if I may so describe them, first in one direction, 
 then in another ; her conversation being as harum scarum 
 as her character. Lady Mountjoy was an enterprising 
 person who had done a little bit of everything in her 
 time, especially in the way of sport, from salmon-fishing 
 in the Shannon down to ferreting rabbits on the Suffolk 
 warrens. 
 
 a Are you going to have a shot to-day, Lady Mount- 
 joy ? " inquired the Eev. Arthur Tewkesley, Gertrude 
 Grayle's brother, who was sitting next to her. 
 
 " I think I shall/' flashed her ladyship, " if the gentle- 
 men won't mind my going with the guns." 
 
 Mr. Tewkesley thought they probably might, but did 
 not choose to say so. He was one of those who con- 
 sidered, and very rightly too, that a lady is decidedly out 
 of place in the shooting-field — except, of course, at lun- 
 cheon by the covert-side — and he invariably discouraged 
 his sister and Agnes Grayle from setting the example. 
 
 " You see, I am got up for the occasion/' continued 
 Lady Mountjoy, with a perfect battery of electric sparks, 
 and displaying a sporting-looking jacket she wore; "but 
 I believe Hector does not like ladies shooting, so I dare 
 say I shall only look on after all. Tell me/' she exclaimed, 
 flying off at a tangent, "who is that very good-looking 
 man opposite ? "
 
 8 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 c< Do you mean next to the Squire ? " 
 
 " No ; he's not good-looking. That's Gussy Gaskill, 
 the ugliest man in the guards. I mean on the other side 
 of your sister." 
 
 ' ' Oh ! I see ; that's a Captain Heffernan, of the — ar — 
 something foot. I forget his regiment at this moment." 
 
 " Particularly handsome ; don't you consider him ? " 
 
 " Well, yes, I suppose he is ; the ladies all think so, I 
 believe." 
 
 " And they're the best judges, Mr. Tewkesley. You 
 men never admire each other, I notice." 
 
 "No, I suppose we don't — not enthusiastically, at 
 least. However, he seems an uncommonly nice fellow, 
 and appears to have made great friends with the Squire 
 and Gertrude when they were in town." 
 
 " Oh, indeed ! perhaps he admires Agnes ? " 
 
 " That I can't say." 
 
 Ci Eligible ? " and the eyes and teeth flashed interroga- 
 tively. 
 
 " Yery, T understand." 
 
 The object of their attention was at this moment 
 engaged in conversation with Mrs. Grayle senior, at the 
 lower end of the table. 
 
 (t I hope I am forgiven, Mrs. Grayle," he remarked, 
 with a pleasant smile, iC for coming in with the entrees 
 last night." 
 
 " Certainly, Captain Heffernan," returned the lady of the 
 house, very graciously — for her ; " how could you help it ?" 
 
 " Not very well ; my train was forty minutes late, and 
 then the fellow who drove me from the station didn't 
 know the way, and mismanaged his lamps, so we came to 
 a standstill in the dark. If it hadn't been for a little 
 friendly farmhouse, where they put us right, I shouldn't 
 have arrived here till this morning."
 
 Five Hundred Head before Luncheon. 49 
 
 Yes, I think my reader, of whichever sex, would 
 have agreed with Lady Mountjoy that Captain Heffer- 
 nan was an exceedingly good-looking man. You could 
 read Alder shot in his face at a glance, by the trim 
 mutton-chop whisker and well-cultivated heavy mou- 
 stache ; these, and his closely-cut hair, being as nearly 
 black as possible, in keeping with his eyes, which gave 
 rather a stern look to the face while in repose ; but 
 when animated his features relaxed into an agreeable, 
 good-humoured expression. He was a man of about 
 three-and-thirty, with plenty of savoir-vivre, plenty of 
 money (or supposed to have plenty), plenty of anecdote 
 and small talk, and invariably well-dressed; altogether, 
 one may say, a popular man in the world in which he 
 moved, both civil and military. 
 
 " And what's the programme to day, Hector? " inquired 
 Sir Francis, as he and two or three others now got up 
 from the breakfast-table. 
 
 " We propose to have a couple of partridge drives first 
 of all, Sir Francis, just to get the eye in, you know," 
 replied Hector; " and after that we're going to beat the 
 High Woods, which I fancy will be as much as we can get 
 through to-day." 
 
 " Well, my boy, we oughtn't to lose time, ought we ? M 
 remarked the old baronet, eager for the fray, and pre- 
 paring to trot off to the gun-room. 
 
 "No, we'll make a start directly; as soon as these 
 hungry soldiers have done crunching their bones," 
 observed Hector, indicating Gaskill and Flashman, who 
 were still busy taking in stores in the shape of some 
 broiled pheasant. 
 
 " I'm ready," exclaimed Lady Mountjoy, jumping up 
 like a jack-in-the-box in front of Hector, who was cross- 
 ing behind her chair, and electrifying him on the spot. 
 
 vol. 1. E
 
 50 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 "But/' she added, with a most fascinating flash, more 
 like summer lightning this time, " you won't have any 
 ladies to day perhaps ? " 
 
 "Certainly, Lady Mountjoy — only — only the difficulty is 
 — ar — " hesitated Hector. 
 
 " That you don't want us ; precisely," she continued, 
 putting out the electric lights suddenly, and lowering her 
 eyelids ; " you're a good creature not to say so, though 
 you think it. Never mind, I forgive you — but I must 
 walk with my dear Sir Francis, and take care of him till 
 we get to the ground, mustn't I, Sir Francis ? " 
 
 " No, no, not at all, my lady," cried Sir Francis, as he 
 was leaving* the room; " don't you put yourself out, I shall 
 do very well." And he disappeared quickly, determined 
 not to be taken in tow. 
 
 The rest of the breakfast party followed suit, and the 
 votaries of Nimrod betook themselves straightway to look 
 out their respective weapons, afterwards assembling in 
 front of the Hall, preparatory to the start. Presently two 
 more sportsmen (a couple of hunting parsons from the 
 neighbourhood) drove up the avenue and completed the 
 complement, which numbered nine guns ; none too many 
 for the extensive coverts they were going to shoot through. 
 The Squire himself had retired into the rear rank with 
 the ladies during the last few years, since failing health of 
 late had caused him to give up shooting altogether. 
 
 Although our November comes in for nearly as much 
 abuse as March, and deservedly so perhaps, yet it some- 
 times redeems its character, and gives us a few bright 
 genial days by way of contrast to the traditional fogs and 
 dreary drizzle. When it does condescend thus to throw 
 off its sombre grey mantle, what can be more glorious 
 than one of those still autumn mornings, the atmosphere 
 bright and clear, without a breath of wind, and the ground
 
 Five Hundred Head before Luncheon. 5 1 
 
 just crisp from a slight coating of frost ? Then as the foot 
 disturbs the crackling masses of dead leaves, which cover 
 the dank sward in profusion here and there, the fresh odour 
 that rises, and the rustling sound itself, recall pleasant 
 memories to the sportsman of shooting days gone by, 
 and give a welcome reminder of another season's "arrival. 
 
 Just such an auspicious morning greeted our party 
 as they left the Hall and wended their way across 
 the park. The beaters had been sent on ahead, ready 
 to take up their positions in skirmishing order for the 
 first drive, where they waited patiently for the signal 
 from the head keeper, old Gideon Rolfe, that the guns 
 had duly arrived at their posts. 
 
 What a day it was for partridge driving, thought 
 Hector Grayle; if anything, almost too quiet, and the man 
 who could not account for every three out of five car- 
 tridges that morning, ought to drop his breech-loader and 
 take to a pop-gun. 
 
 No time was lost, as there was much to be done, and in 
 less than a quarter of an hour after they quitted the Hall 
 every one was in position. Then almost immediately 
 was heard the crack of the first gun, resounding sharply 
 through the still, frosty air, followed by another and 
 another. " Over ! o-over," shouted the beaters ; ''o-o-var! 
 mark o-o-o-var ! " in all the different Suffolk intonations. 
 Bang ! bang-ban g.-bang ! bang-bang ! bang ! like Sbfeu- 
 de-joie went the guns ; and as the birds literally swarmed 
 overhead, nearly a dozen falling to the first volley, the 
 ground was quickly strewed with their little plump brown 
 bodies, which fluttered here and there along the line 
 until life had become extinct. 
 
 The first drive finished, nineteen and a half brace and 
 four hares were counted out as the result. Not very bad, 
 one would think, even in these days of high preserving 
 
 e 2 
 
 UBMRl 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF M»*
 
 5 2 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 and breech-loaders. Yet Hector and old Rolfe were 
 scarcely satisfied ; for with nine guns, and the very best 
 drive on the estate, they certainly expected more. Know- 
 ing he had only missed two or three birds himself, on 
 occasions when he couldn't get his cartridges in quick 
 enough/Hector Grayle began mentally to consign one or 
 two of his friends on the spot to the said pop-gun, and 
 it must be owned there were some very indifferent shots 
 among the party. Sir Francis could not hit a barn-door ; 
 Clement, though he always shot at Barringtree, was not 
 much better; while Tewkesley and one of the parsons 
 were both terribly slow, thus leaving the balance of the 
 sportsmen to do the greater part of the slaughter between 
 them. 
 
 Now it is all very well for you, Master Hector, with 
 your unerring aim, to think that a man ought to account 
 for every three out of his five cartridges fired ; but par- 
 tridge driving, even on the stillest day, is by no means easy 
 work, and it takes long practice, and a cool nerve, 
 combined with a quick hand and eye, to make sure of 
 three-fifths, or even one-half of the birds you shoot at. 
 Either they fly too high — though this is generally on a 
 windy day — or else they come right at your head, whir-r- 
 ring round your ears like a swarm of bees, quite putting 
 you off, and making you go for the " brown " haphazard, 
 when you probably miss the whole lot, and serve you 
 right! or perhaps send away two or three wounded, which 
 don't count to your gun (mind, reader, I am only address- 
 ing myself to the " duffer ,} ) ; or else they come just 
 between you and the next man, and not being quite sure 
 whether it is his shot or yours, you wait for him, and very 
 likely lose your chance altogether; or else on a windy day, 
 when the birds come overhead like flashes of "greased 
 lightning/' you endeavour to adopt certain rules laid down
 
 Five Hundred Head befoi-e Luncheon. 53 
 
 by some celebrated sportsman, who would inculcate in your 
 mind bis own theories — universal ones, no doubt, but not 
 easily acted upon. First, as the feathered bullets come 
 straight to you, you fire at them, according to instructions, 
 point blank, or the least trifle above them, depending on 
 the pace you fancy they are flying — well and good, you 
 may or may not bring down one — then, as they dart past 
 you to right or left, you remember to fire a couple of feet 
 or so in front, sometimes a good deal more ; or, as they 
 are going straight away, you aim a little underneath to 
 catch them at the apex of your line of fire and their line 
 of flight. Excellent principles, no doubt, if you can only 
 recollect them at the time, but as a rule, not attended with 
 very satisfactory results, except to the skilful sportsman. 
 No, the rank bad shot may improve a little by practice, 
 but he cannot be taught; for the skill of the crack shot is 
 entirely instinctive, and his hand and eye work together 
 with a rapidity and precision which can scarcely be 
 acquired. 
 
 Anxious to get to the coverts as soon as possible, since 
 time is precious in the short November days, Hector gave 
 the word to Rolfe for one more drive only, and this to be 
 arranged so as to bring them in close proximity to the 
 High Woods, where they could commence operations 
 without delay. 
 
 This second drive, though unexpectedly attended by 
 better results than the first, was soon concluded ; and all 
 the guns, except two who were appointed to walk with 
 the beaters, quickly took up the positions allotted to them, 
 outside one of the woods which was to be beaten before 
 luncheon, when Hector displayed the skill and cautiou of 
 "Cunctator" Fabius in posting his men, though not 
 quite so slow about it. And now began the real business 
 of the day, and so felt each sportsman as he stood at his
 
 54 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 corner, anxiously awaiting the forward march of the 
 " brushers," l and the first break of game. 
 
 Suspense in general may well be termed the toothache 
 of the mind, but the suspense experienced outside a 
 covert, waiting for the first shot,, is a pleasurable one 
 indeed. What a delicious feeling of quiet, suppressed 
 excitement it is, that standing on the tiptoe of expectation 
 by the outskirts of a wood which you know to be literally 
 teeming with game ! More especially on a bright, frosty 
 day, when the rime on the trees is melting and dripping 
 under the influence of a genial sun, and the rarified atmos- 
 phere redolent with the freshness of autumnal nature. 
 
 All at once a Babel of mysterious sounds arises from 
 the beaters ; a rattling of sticks, and cries of " Hi — hi — 
 hi— hi ! ho — ho — ho — -ho ! hare — hare — hare ! rabbut — 
 rabbut ! " and so on, answered by the " cluck-cluck ! " 
 of the terrified pheasants as they are driven through the 
 wood ; which, in turn, is responded to here and there by 
 the battery of breech-loaders outside, and rocketer after 
 rocketer, sailing overhead, is brought down "all of a 
 heap," rebounding from mother earth with the force of its 
 fall. Every man this day is expected to do his duty; but 
 every man need be an Argus to do it thoroughly ! for 
 what with keeping one eye overhead at the rocketers, and 
 the other peering into the thick undergrowth, watching 
 for ground game which breaks in every direction, you 
 have a warm time of it indeed ; and to an old soldier who 
 has seen fighting, a big battue reminds him forcibly of 
 the hottest action he ever was in, except for its one- 
 sidedness. 
 
 " Look out, Sir Francis ! well tried ! " cried Clement, 
 as he " wiped his father's eye" at a large hare which was 
 lolloping past. 
 
 1 A local term for " beaters."
 
 Five Hundred Head before Luncheon. 55 
 
 " Mark cock!" called some one else, and out flew a 
 woodcock straight in front of Clement, who missed both 
 barrels like a man, leaving it for Colonel Gaskill, that 
 gentleman performing the same office for him, as he, 
 Clement, had just done for his father. 
 
 " There you go, Sir Francis ! " cried Clement again, 
 "right over you." 
 
 Bang ! bang ! went both barrels from the old baronet, 
 and away sailed a lucky pheasant, minus his tail, but none 
 the worse otherwise. In truth Sir Francis had had about 
 enough of it, and was longing for luncheon, for which the 
 inner man, too, was calling out loudly ; and his guns — 
 he had taken the precaution to have two — were both so 
 confoundedly hot he could scarcely hold them ; more from 
 repeatedly blazing away into the air than into the game, 
 I'm afraid ; but that is a matter of detail. 
 
 At length the firing ceased, the beat was finished, and 
 the beaters emerged from the covert. Away trotted 
 Sir Francis forthwith to look for the ladies and the 
 luncheon, not caring to wait to see the game counted out, 
 for he felt conscious that he had hardly contributed his 
 share to the list of killed. 
 
 A capital bag it was; and Hector took a pride in 
 having the carcases stretched out in two or three long 
 rows, which gave the following results : forty-two and a 
 half brace of partridges, two hundred and thirty-seven 
 pheasants, a hundred and forty-nine hares, five wood- 
 cocks, and twenty-four rabbits ; all told, making a grand 
 total of exactly five hundred head. 
 
 " And now, gentlemen, to luncheon ! " exclaimed Hector, 
 after they had gloated over the slaughter — whereupon the 
 remaining sportsmen quickly followed in the wake of Sir 
 Francis, each with as keen an appetite as his neighbour.
 
 5 6 The Sword of Damocles, 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 " Wherein I spoke of most disastrous chances ; 
 Of moving accidents by flood and field." 
 
 Shafcspeare. 
 
 Although Hector Grayle himself was no advocate for the 
 luxurious picnic which so often in these times forms an 
 important item in the programme of a day's shooting, 
 yet for the sake of the ladies and the Squire, who could 
 not participate in the sport, he did not exercise his 
 prerogative, as master of the ceremonies, by opposing 
 it. 
 
 As may be seen, Mr. Grayle entirely yielded up the 
 reins of government to his grandson on all shooting 
 occasions, and Hector proved himself worthy of the post. 
 
 Sir Francis Mountjoy, guided by instinct or appetite, 
 was not long in finding out the luncheon party ; and a 
 snug little bivouac the ladies had formed in a picturesque 
 nook close at hand. As the old baronet drew near the 
 group, the grateful fragrance of some delicious Irish stew 
 greeted his nose, and caused him to cast a wistful glance 
 at the huge bright copper saucepan in which it was 
 simmering. 
 
 " Come along, Sir Francis," cried her ladyship, 
 skipping towards him ; " here is a special place reserved
 
 A Charge of" Number Six? 57 
 
 for you? and she playfully pressed him down on a con- 
 venient mound beside her, which she had thoughtfully 
 covered with a cushion and a plaid. " Now tell me, dear 
 Sir Francis, what have you shot ? " 
 
 "Do you mean me individually, or the whole party V 3 
 asked Sir Francis, as he settled down. 
 
 " Firstly, as to yourself, then ? " said her ladyship, 
 flashing a loving glance at the old gentleman. 
 
 " Well, 'pon my word, I hardly know ; all I can tell 
 you is, my guns got so hot they scorched my hands, so I 
 suppose I must have shot a good deal, ahem ! As to the 
 bag, I didn't stop to see it counted. But here they all 
 come." 
 
 The rest of the party opportunely arrived just as 
 the servants completed the laying out of the al fresco 
 repast ; and if they were hungry as hunters before, how 
 much more so did the sight of that insinuating stew and 
 other good things make them feel when they joined the 
 bivouac. 
 
 Hector triumphantly announced the result of the 
 morning's work, and as the gentlemen quickly took their 
 seats, each felt he had done his share more or less — some 
 a little less perhaps— and had fairly earned his luncheon. 
 
 Lady Mountjoy telegraphed a significant glance at 
 Mr. Tewkesley as she saw Captain Heffernan making 
 straight for a vacancy beside Agnes — the very spot poor 
 Clement was going to dive for when he was antici- 
 pated. 
 
 Now, it may not be amiss to mention here, that the 
 single-hearted Clement had for a long while cherished 
 a strong affection for Agnes Grayle, although he had 
 never formally declared to her the state of his feelings ; 
 nor did he indeed realize those feelings himself until now, 
 when she had gone through her first season in London,
 
 5 8 The Sivord of Damocles. 
 
 and brought many admirers to her feet, among them being 
 the handsome Captain Heffernan. 
 
 Clement Mountjoy had been thrown a good deal with 
 Hector and Agnes during their childhood, and the latter 
 had learned to look upon him in the light of a brother, 
 and cared for him as such ; though he found out, poor 
 boy ! as time went on, that his love did not stop short at 
 the Platonic point. Then began that secret gnawing at 
 the heart, as he watched the fair object of his affections 
 eagerly sought after by others, and likely to be soon 
 snatched up as a prize in the matrimonial lottery. And 
 yet he had made no sign, whether from a diffident feeling 
 as to his own worth, or from a misgiving as to the result 
 of an open declaration, can only be surmised. 
 
 Giorgione would have gloried in painting the picture 
 of Agnes Grayle, with that rich auburn hair and deep 
 violet eyes he so loved to portray as the type of 
 Venetian beauty. Lithe and sylph-like in figure — not 
 tall, exactly, but above the average height— she was 
 Hector's sister, every inch of her — almost identical in 
 colouring and feature, and as like him as it is possible for 
 a woman to be like a man. 
 
 Ah ! proud mother indeed are you, gentle Gertrude, as 
 you sit there, with your soft eyes lovingly watching those 
 comely figures. Fair portraits of yourself in the best 
 days — not so long gone by — and now filling up in your 
 heart that cruel void which George so wantonly had 
 caused. Foolish, forgiving woman that you are ! still 
 trusting, still hoping, and for what ? Has not every 
 trace been long since lost ? Has not his very name sunk 
 into the cold silence of the grave ? And yet you cherish 
 his worthless memory. Engraven deep on that faithful 
 heart is the image of the husband, the father of those 
 glorious children. Foolish, but noble woman! surely
 
 A Charge of" Number Six? 59 
 
 such simple devotion as yours deserves a better fate than 
 to be thus wasted on so unworthy an object. 
 
 The luncheon was perforce a hurried scramble with the 
 ravenous sportsmen, for Hector was not one to loiter on 
 such a day ; and being all impatience to continue busi- 
 ness, he gave his myrmidons but little breathing time. 
 
 " Now, grandfather/' said he, rising from the ground, 
 and lighting a cigarette, " we are going to beat that small 
 wood over there to the right, for the benefit of the ladies ; 
 so, if you will take care of them, and " (lowering his voice, 
 and glancing at Lady Mountjoy) " keep them at a respect- 
 ful distance, they'll be able to see a little sport/'' 
 
 "Very well, my boy/' replied the Squire; "gather 
 your forces, and go ahead. " 
 
 Now this same wood was only a bit of bye- covert, 
 so to speak, and judiciously selected by Hector, since it 
 could be quickly beaten, and thus afford the ladies an oppor- 
 tunity of witnessing some shooting before they returned 
 to the house ; the next big beat, moreover, being a con- 
 siderable distance out of their way. 
 
 It was scarcely large enough to admit of all the guns 
 being properly posted ; but Hector, by skilful generalship, 
 managed it somehow, though he left himself out in the cold. 
 Lady Mountjoy became quite excited as the shooting 
 recommenced, and jumped and clapped her hands like a 
 young school-girl. At luncheon she had longed to ask to 
 have a shot, or take Sir Francis' place, since he had con- 
 fessed himself knocked up, but had refrained when she 
 remembered Hector's hesitation at breakfast ; albeit to do 
 her ladyship justice, her skill with the gun would have 
 compared very favourably with that of her husband, or, 
 indeed, any of the other duffers. 
 
 " Look, look, mamma ! " cried Agnes, " that's another 
 bird to Clem. Oh, how well they are shooting ! "
 
 60 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 " Too well/' thought her mother, whose gentle nature 
 would not allow her to appreciate the slaughter of the 
 innocents. Indeed, she actually turned away her head 
 when once the firing had begun. 
 
 " And just watch Captain Heffernan," exclaimed 
 Agnes again, " how he knocks them over ! He never 
 seems to miss ;" a faint blush suffusing her fair cheek 
 as she spoke. " But whereas Hector, grandpapa ? I 
 wanted so to see him shoot," she added, in a disappointed 
 tone. 
 
 " On the other side, my dear, I suppose ; or perhaps 
 with the beaters/'' 
 
 " There ! " cried her ladyship, suddenly, in great glee, 
 " why, my dear Sir Francis has actually killed a hare all 
 by himself ! " and she flashed a look of triumph on her 
 companions as the old baronet, by some lucky fluke, 
 bowled puss over. "What do you think of that, 
 Squire ? " 
 
 "Very good, very good indeed, Lady Mountjoy," 
 returned he, with a smile ; adding, sotto voce, " The only 
 wonder to me is how any one can ever miss the poor 
 thing." 
 
 And yet, strange to say, puss often gets off scatheless. 
 
 " But what's the matter ? " asked Agnes presently ; 
 " why don't they go on ? They can't have finished yet ; 
 they've only just begun. And look ! why are they all 
 running round to that side ? " 
 
 " I can't make it out," muttered Mr. Grayle, looking 
 through a pair of binoculars he had brought with him. 
 
 " Ah ! here comes Mr. Tewkesley," said Lady Mount- 
 joy ; " I suppose they have finished, then." 
 
 The gentleman mentioned, who was seen hurrying 
 towards them, suddenly checked his pace as he drew 
 near. Then an instinctive feeling came over more than
 
 A Charge of" Number Six. 9 ' 61 
 
 one of the party, as he approached, that something 
 unusual must have happened; but they were quickly 
 reassured when they heard his voice. 
 
 " We have done the little wood, ladies/' exclaimed he 
 cheerfully, and forcing a careless tone, though he could 
 not conceal the pallor on his face. w I — I thought I 
 would just — just let you know, and report the result. 
 Come, Squire, we can talk about it as we go along. You 
 mustn't allow the ladies to stay out too late in the cold — 
 that is, I mean — the carriage will be ready by now, 
 and— " 
 
 As he ceased speaking there certainly appeared some- 
 thing strange and mysterious in his manner, which did 
 not entirely escape the others ; but the off-hand tones, so 
 cleverly managed, deceived them. Poor fellow ! he had 
 indeed a difficult part to play, and it would be no fault of 
 his if he failed. It was with a feeling of intense relief, 
 then, that he successfully persuaded the Squire and the 
 ladies to move off and retrace their steps towards home. 
 
 " What is it ? " asked a whispered voice by his side as 
 they walked along. Turning, he saw Lady Mountjoy at 
 his elbow, with an anxious look of inquiry in her dark 
 eyes ; " something has happened, I know — tell me." 
 
 " Hush ! for Heaven's sake ! " he returned in a hoarse 
 undertone, and seizing her hand with a convulsive grasp 
 as he gave a warning look towards the others; "you are 
 right ; but pray calm yourself — something has happened, 
 but not to Sir Francis, or your son ; they were on this 
 side of the wood, as you no doubt observed. Now I must 
 speak to the Squire alone — please join my sister and 
 ' Agnes, and engage their attention ; and, oh ! Lady 
 Mountjoy, be discreet, I implore you ! " 
 
 Poor Lady Mountjoy ! there was scarcely need for the 
 admonition. She quite shuddered as he spoke, feeling.
 
 62 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 sure that some dreadful calamity had taken place, and 
 longed to know what it was, though she feared to ask ; 
 but in obedience to the behest she resolved to be dis- 
 cretion itself, if for the first time in her life, and so at 
 once joined the others in front. 
 
 " Squire, a word with you," said Tewkesley, in a 
 whisper, touching his arm, and with an effort forcing a 
 calmness he was far from feeling. 
 
 " What is the matter ? " asked Mr. Grayle, in the 
 same tone, dropping behind, and expecting something — 
 he knew not what. 
 
 " Don't be alarmed, sir, at what I am going to tell 
 you," continued Tewkesley; "bear up for the sake of the 
 ladies, and pray get them away to the house as quickly as 
 possible." 
 
 "Eh? what ?" cried the Squire, startled at the other's 
 words ; " what's the matter ? what has happened ? quick, 
 man, tell me!" 
 
 " Hush ! don't let them hear you. It's nothing serious, 
 I assure you " — his looks belied his words — " only a slight 
 accident. I've sent for Dr. Whittle. See, there's the 
 carriage waiting for you at the gates — drive the ladies 
 home without any fuss, and return directly. I'm going 
 on myself to the doctor's, to make sure." 
 
 How thankful Tewkesley felt as he caught sight 
 of the barouche, which had been ordered to come 
 for the ladies after luncheon to take them for a 
 drive. 
 
 The Squire looked frightened and bewildered, but 
 did not speak for a moment, expecting to hear 
 further. 
 
 " Accident ! but what — how — who ? " inquired he 
 anxiously, as Tewkesley hesitated ; " don't keep me in 
 suspense ! "
 
 A Charge of" Number Six." 6 
 
 " No, no, of course not ! " returned poor Tewkesley ; 
 " but, as I said, it's nothing serious, you know ; not the 
 least cause for alarm — only I was afraid to let the ladies 
 hear—" 
 
 " Confound it, sir ! " exclaimed the old gentleman, losing 
 patience ; " will you tell me who ? " 
 
 " Well, it appears Colonel Gaskill — no fault of his, poor 
 fellow — shot into the covert, you see, and — and — by some 
 unlucky chance, part of the charge has struck Hector — ** 
 
 " Hector ! " cried the Squire, staggering and nearly 
 falling, when Tewkesley caught him by the arm ; " my 
 boy ! my boy ! " 
 
 "Mr. Grayle, don't give way, pray don't give way; 
 they'll hear you/' implored Tewkesley. 
 
 (t Oh ! it's worse than you say — I know it's worse than 
 you say," moaned the Squire in anguish ; ' ' don't tell me ; 
 your face shows it." 
 
 "No, indeed you — you are mistaken," stammered the 
 other ; " you are are needlessly alarming yourself, I assure 
 you ; but. such a shock — the very sight of blood, you know 
 — would kill those gentle women." 
 
 " Yes, yes, you are right," murmured the poor old 
 fellow, with sudden firmness ; " they mustn't know it, 
 not for the world — not yet, at least." 
 
 " That is right, Squire, be a man ! " said Tewkesley 
 encouragingly ; and as they reached the carriage, Mr. 
 Grayle recovered his composure with a powerful effort, 
 though inwardly he fretted at the least delay. 
 
 "There, my dear," he said hurriedly, handing in 
 Gertrude with the stoicism of Epictetus, " put that rug 
 round you quickly, and get home out of this cold air as 
 soon as possible." 
 
 " Are we not going for a drive, then, grandpapa ? " 
 asked Agnes, wondering at this sudden change of plans.
 
 64 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 u No, my child, no/' replied her grandfather, closing 
 the door abruptly ; " it's too late now, and much too 
 cold." 
 
 "But are you not coming with us, dear ? " 
 
 " I can't just now ; I have to — I must get back to the 
 woods, and give some orders about the game — home, 
 Henry ! " and at the " clck " of the coachman, the two 
 powerful horses whisked off the barouche through the 
 iron gates and down the avenue. 
 
 " God be praised! " murmured the clergyman as they dis- 
 appeared — he having also excused himself from driving as 
 preferring to walk. " That was bravely done, Mr. Grayle ; 
 and now, nerve yourself before you go down there/' he 
 continued, pointing to the wood. " Remember your boy 
 is in God's hands;" then, as the old man bowed his grey 
 head in silence, Tewkesley added, " I'll just run into 
 the lodge, and tell them to take down some blankets and 
 things, and, rely on me, the doctor shall be with you im- 
 mediately. Two men have already been despatched, and 
 I hope to meet him on the road." 
 
 So saying, he hurried into the keeper's cottage, hastily 
 explained matters to Mrs. Rolfe, indicating where the 
 things were to be taken, and afterwards rushed off in 
 the direction of Dr. Whittle's house, which was some 
 two miles off. He knew he could reach it quicker on foot 
 than if he went all the way up to the Hall and waited 
 for a horse to be saddled ; besides, his Oxford training as 
 a pedestrian stood him now in good stead. 
 
 Bloodshed in any shape is ever repugnant to a true 
 woman's nature, be the cause what it may ; and whether 
 this accident proved a serious one or not, it was a 
 merciful interposition of Providence that aided Tewkesley 
 in his anxiety to prevent a harrowing scene, and his 
 laudable endeavour to spare the ladies a painful spectacle.
 
 A Charge of "" Number Six? 65 
 
 How little in this active world of business and pleasure 
 do we realize the fact that death and danger perpetually 
 stalk abroad, besetting at every turn our path in life ; 
 and, comparatively speaking, what little reckoning do we 
 take of the numberless risks daily incurred while ardently 
 pursuing our different amusements and employments; 
 how the swerve or fall of a horse, the blunder of a 
 pointsman, a piece of false seamanship, carelessness in 
 the shooting-field, and fifty other causes, may at any 
 moment launch us into eternity. It is often said that if 
 we could only realize how marvellously the human frame 
 is constructed, we should be afraid to move for fear of 
 injuring the fragile mechanism ; and, certainly, if we 
 took into too careful consideration the innumerable quag- 
 mires and pitfalls, the many unseen but possible perils to 
 which we might fall victims as we go about in these 
 modern times, we should be afraid to stir beyond the very 
 thresholds of our houses. 
 
 To \isv Te\evTrj(ra.L, 7rdvToov 77 neTTpcd/ievr] aureKpive, to 8t <a\cos 
 ciTToOavelv 18iov rots - cnrovdatois. 1 
 
 Of course, we are all fated to die some time or 
 other, but when Isocrates said so, he little foresaw how 
 many new infernal machines would be invented to 
 increase the chances; and as to an honourable death 
 being reserved for the good man, matters may be some- 
 what anticipated by his being ignominiously crushed, 
 drowned, or blown to atoms, any moment when he least 
 expects it. 
 
 On the other side of that fatal wood a sad scene 
 presented itself. 
 
 Close by a clump of evergreens stood a throng of 
 
 1 Literally, Fate has ordained that every one must die, but an 
 honourable death awaits the good. 
 
 VOL. 1. F
 
 66 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 anxious, terrified men, looking from each other in painful 
 silence to the helpless form which lay stretched out at 
 their feet. With bated breath directions were given and 
 contradicted in the same moment, and all seemed trans- 
 fixed by the sudden horror of the situation. 
 
 " More water — quick, quick ! oh, my God ! he is 
 sinking ! " cried Clement, choking with suppressed 
 agony, as he tenderly supported the head of his dearly- 
 loved friend, and pressed the silver flask again to those 
 ashen lips. " Oh, how long will the doctor be ? " 
 
 " Tewkesley and two of the men have gone for him ; 
 he must be here directly," said Sir Francis ; ' ' stand a 
 little back there — give him more air." 
 
 This was no trifling accident it appeared, albeit 
 Tewkesley, though he thought differently, had so repre- 
 sented it, but only with the best intentions. 
 
 There lay the form of poor Hector Grayle, lately so 
 full of health and strength, now perfectly unconscious, 
 and weltering in his blood, from a nasty wound in the 
 left side, just above the hip. Every effort had been made 
 to stanch the bleeding, and it was thought hazardous to 
 move him until the doctor arrived ; for directly they 
 attempted to do so, the action seemed to aggravate the 
 hemorrhage, so all that could be done was to wait 
 patiently for medical assistance. 
 
 And who is that poor frantic creature stamping and 
 wringing his hands like one demented, as he paces back- 
 wards and forwards aloof from the rest ? Poor Colonel 
 Gaskill ! Even the knowledge that it was no fault of his 
 does not serve to assuage one whit that awful agony of 
 mind — the dreadful feeling of having shot a fellow-crea- 
 ture. But, as I have said, the blame did not rest with 
 him, the accident having* happened in this wise. 
 
 After Hector had posted his guns round the wood,
 
 A Charge of" Number Six" 67 
 
 without assigning himself a place, he had gone to join the 
 beaters with the intention of walking with them, but 
 before he could reach them Rolfe had given the signal to 
 begin ; so, on second thoughts, Hector hurried back, and 
 quickly picked out a place where he thought he could stand 
 without interfering with others. Unfortunately he selected 
 a spot where the wood bulged out a little, just behind a 
 clump of evergreens which was immediately on the right of 
 Gaskill, and rather to his rear. Before he had warned the 
 colonel of his presence, an unlucky rabbit darted between 
 them past the clump, and Gaskill, who never dreamt any 
 one was there, took a snap shot, too high to be effective, 
 when poor Hector received the greater part of the charge 
 in his side — for, to add to the misfortune, he was stooping 
 at the time, or he would probably have been only peppered 
 about the gaiters. Hearing the sharp cry of pain, the as- 
 tonished colonel instantly ran to the spot, and then, to his 
 intense dismay, saw what had happened. His cries for 
 help soon brought two or three more to the place ; and 
 so quickly was the catastrophe made known, that in less 
 than three minutes after its occurrence the beat had been 
 stopped, and the firing ceased. 
 
 u Make way there l w cried Heffernan, when he saw the 
 Squire approaching. Whereupon the others drew back 
 in respectful silence, as Mr. Grayle, with a faltering step, 
 reached the scene of the disaster. 
 
 The pitiful sight that greeted the poor old man com- 
 pletely overpowered him for a few minutes, and clinging 
 for support to the nearest arm, with blinding tears in his 
 eyes, he gazed in speechless auguish on the prostrate 
 figure. Then recovering from a momentary state of 
 stupor, he moved forward, and sinking on his knees 
 beside the unconscious form, took one hand in his, and 
 looked long and earnestly into the deathlike face. At 
 
 f 2
 
 68 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 length the power of speech came to the relief of the 
 stricken heart — the pent up feelings, and in a broken 
 voice that thrilled through every bystander, he cried 
 out, — 
 
 " Hector, my darling boy, look at me. Oh, God ! 
 have mercy — have mercy on him, my boy, my beautiful 
 boy." 
 
 These touching words were followed by a long, deep 
 silence, and the old man's lips moved in prayer as his 
 head sank down on his breast. 
 
 But suddenly, and to the astonishment of all, a marvellous 
 change came over the apparently helpless figure thus bowed 
 in abject grief; and all in a moment the Squire seemed to 
 gather strength and fortitude. After carefully examining 
 Hector's heart and pulse he rose from his knees, and taking 
 out a pocket-book, dashed off some rapidly written words 
 on one of the leaves, which he tore out and folded. Then 
 turning, he motioned to Heffernan, who stepped forward 
 and eagerly asked, — 
 
 " Is there anything in the world I can do, Mr. 
 Grayle ? » 
 
 " Yes, yes ; you can. Will you oblige me by taking 
 this telegram to the village yourself, and see that it is 
 sent off correctly and at once. I have summoned Doctor 
 Seagull's immediate attendance from town, but add any 
 words you think proper to make it more urgent. There 
 is not a moment to be lost. You'd better take the game- 
 cart, if you don't mind." 
 
 ' ' That's gone for the doctor already, sir," remarked 
 Rolfe, touching his hat. 
 
 " Never mind, Mr. Grayle ; I can get there nearly as 
 quickly on foot," replied Heffernan. " You may rely 
 on me for using all despatch ;" and he hurried from the 
 spot.
 
 A Charge of" Number Six." 69 
 
 "Now, Clement/* said the Squire, presently, u let me 
 take jour place there, and pray go and look if you can 
 see anything of Dr. Whittle, or his assistant." 
 
 Tenderly transferring the support of Hector's head to 
 the grandfather's loving care, Clement rose from the 
 ground to do as requested. 
 
 Shortly afterwards the welcome words "Here he 
 comes ! here comes the doctor ! " passed from lip to lip; 
 and as Clement caught sight of him and Tewkesley 
 driving up in a dog-cart in mad haste, utterly regardless 
 of the rough ground they had to pass over, he inwardly 
 thanked God from the bottom of his heart. 
 
 Quick as thought Dr. Whittle, who was a young prac- 
 titioner, but clever as he was active, jumped from the 
 dog-cart, gave it in charge to one of the men, and ran 
 towards the spot where Hector lay, carrying a box of 
 surgical instruments, which made the Squire shudder when 
 he saw it. At the same time Lizzie Rolfe appeared upon 
 the scene, with her arms full of blankets and cushions, 
 and these were quickly utilized for the comfort of the 
 wounded man. At the sight of Hector's livid face, 
 whom she believed at first to be dead, Lizzie recoiled in 
 terror ; and as she gave up the things she carried, a sen- 
 sation of faintness seized her ; but hearing that he still 
 lived, she shook off the momentary feeling, and rendered 
 what assistance lay in her power. 
 
 With rapid, skilful hands, Dr. Whittle proceeded to 
 make an examination of the wound, speaking all the time 
 in short, jerky sentences, though his touch was gentle as 
 a woman's. 
 
 " Tut, tut ! sad, very sad ! how did it happen ? " Then, 
 without waiting for a reply, he continued, partly to him- 
 self and partly aloud, " Ah ! I see ; external hemor- 
 rhage ; glad it's not the other. So long as we only bleed
 
 70 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 a little outside, I don't mind; not nearly so bad as I 
 thought. But this must be stopped. Can't do much 
 here — cold air — damp ground — isn't there some house 
 close by ? Mustn't move him far, you understand." 
 
 " We might take him to your cottage, Eolfe? " suggested 
 Tewkesley. 
 
 " To be sure, sir/' said the gamekeeper ; " my missus 
 and Lizzie here would do all they could, I know." 
 
 " Yes, that will be best," observed Mr. Grayle, who 
 had watched the doctor in anxious silence, and dreaded 
 to ask if he thought there was any real danger. 
 
 " By the park gates there ? Nothing could be better," 
 said Dr. Whittle. "I think we can manage to move him 
 so far, if we've got anything to carry him on." 
 
 " We've a hurdle here ready," exclaimed Clement. 
 
 " The very thing ; and with these blankets and cushions 
 we shall get on well ; there's a rug in my cart, too ; get 
 that." 
 
 Thus they rapidly improvised a comfortable stretcher 
 on which to carry the inanimate body. 
 
 " Poor lad ! " muttered the doctor to himself while this 
 was being done, and as he gently probed the wound ; " no 
 wonder he has fainted; lost a lot of blood. Several 
 pellets to be extracted, I see, but nothing very serious. 
 This will act as a styptic " — and he lost no time in apply- 
 ing a temporary gag of lint, &c, to the injured part, in 
 order to check the flow of blood while he was being 
 moved. 
 
 11 There, he'll do now, I think, till we get indoors," he 
 observed, replacing the coverings. " Now then, look 
 sharp, some of you men. Gently how you lift him ; 
 that's the way. Mind ! no jerking ; just glide along as 
 smoothly as possible." 
 
 Carefully following the doctor's instructions, the car-
 
 A Charge of u Nzim&er Six." 7 i 
 
 rying party slowly and cautiously moved towards the 
 keeper's lodge, while Gideon Rolfe and Lizzie hastened 
 on in front to prepare for their coming. 
 
 " Now, you needn't be alarmed, Mr. Grayle," said the 
 surgeon encouragingly, as they moved away together 
 from the unlucky spot and followed the others. " It's not 
 nearly so bad as I thought, I assure you. The bleeding 
 once stopped, he will soon recover consciousness, and 
 then we shall get on swimmingly. " 
 
 "Oh! but do you really think so, Dr. Whittle?" 
 asked Hector's grandfather anxiously, though immensely 
 relieved at the other's words. " If there is real danger, 
 pray don't conceal the truth from me. It would only 
 be mistaken kindness to deceive me as to the worst, so 
 please don't do it." 
 
 " Not I, sir," returned the doctor abruptly, rather 
 nettled at being doubted. " I'm a plain-spoken man, 
 and if I thought him in a bad way, I'd say so. Better 
 call in another medical man as well, if you can't believe 
 me." 
 
 M Nay, I do not doubt you for a moment, my dear sir," 
 replied Mr. Grayle; "but I must tell you I had tele- 
 graphed to London for Dr. Seagull before you came up." 
 
 " That's all right, then — very glad to hear it ; I shan't 
 feel so much responsibility." 
 
 By this time the party had arrived at their destination ; 
 so the doctor hurried forward to superintend the shifting 
 of his patient from the stretcher to a couch.
 
 72 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 " ILL NEWS TRAVELS APACE." 
 
 " Evil news rides post, while good news bates." — Milton. 
 
 Hepfernan never stopped running till he reached the 
 telegraph office in the village, on the other side of the 
 park, which he did in an incredibly short space of time, 
 and forthwith sent off the following message : — 
 
 " From To 
 
 " Percy Grayle, Esq., Dr. W. Seagull, 
 
 " Barringtree Park. 347, Park Street, 
 
 " London, W. 
 11 Serious accident to my grandson — gunshot wound — 
 left side — great loss of blood — imminent danger — come 
 next train without fail." 
 
 " There, I should hope that will bring him/' said Hef- 
 fernan to himself, as he handed it in and urged its imme- 
 diate despatch. " I don't think I can well put it stronger. 
 By Jove ! " he exclaimed, wiping his forehead as he left 
 the office, r< how awfully blown I am ! London hours 
 don't improve a man's wind;" and he leisurely retraced 
 his steps through the village in order to recover him- 
 self. 
 
 " One doesn't like to think of it/' he reflected, " but 
 I'm afraid it's a case with poor young Grayle. I pity
 
 " /// News travels apace" J$ 
 
 those women and the old Squire ; such an idol as they 
 have made of the boy ! And who is to break the news 
 to his mother and sister ? Heaven forbid I should ! 
 Good gracious ! here comes Agnes, as I live ! " 
 
 On re-entering the park he had of course to pass 
 again by the Hall, and as he did so he saw Agnes hur- 
 rying towards him. It was at once apparent from her 
 manner that she was much alarmed, and Heffernan felt 
 he was in for the scune he so dreaded. 
 
 " Tell me, oh, pray tell me/' she cried, on meeting 
 him, " what is the matter ? I saw you running across 
 the park just now, and I knoiv something has hap- 
 pened." 
 
 " Oh, you — you need not be alarmed, really, Miss 
 Grayle. It is nothing I assure you — that is — " he stam- 
 mered, wishing himself fifty miles away, " I had to — 
 to rush off with a telegram on business — an important 
 telegram, that's all." 
 
 " No, no," exclaimed Agnes, excitedly ; " don't deceive 
 me, Captain Heffernan. You cannot deceive me. There 
 has been some accident, I know. "Why did they stop the 
 shooting like that ? Why did they send us home 
 directly ? Oh, pray tell me the truth." 
 
 " Upon my word, Miss Grayle, I don't know how to 
 answer you. You seem so positive that there is some- 
 thing wrong, and I — I cannot tell you a lie." 
 
 " I knew it ; I was sure of it," she continued, turning 
 paler. " And Lady Mountjoy knew it too. She could 
 not conceal it from me." 
 
 11 Lady Mountjoy 's an idiot," muttered Heffernan. 
 
 "I dread to hear it — I know what is coming; but, 
 oh, tell me the worst, Captain Heffernan. Is it my 
 brother ? Is it Hector ? " She forced the question from 
 her, and became more and more agitated.
 
 74 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 " Now look here, Miss Grayle," lie returned, firmly, 
 but in a kind tone; " before I say another word you must 
 make me a promise." 
 
 " Yes, yes ; pray go on. Anything, only don't 
 torture me." 
 
 " Well, I want you to return to the house immediately, 
 but before you do so, pray calm yourself. Don't let the 
 others know what has happened by your own agitation, 
 if I tell you, or you will make matters ten times worse. 
 Come, will you be brave ? " 
 
 " Yes, indeed I will try," she gasped, her alarm in- 
 creasing every moment. 
 
 { ' Then it is true that ' there has been a bit of an 
 accident, and your brother has been struck by some 
 — some stray shot — " 
 
 cc Oh, Hector ! my poor darling brother ! " cried 
 Agnes, shuddering when she heard it. 
 
 " Now pray don't be frightened. You promised to be 
 brave, and we hope it is not at all serious ; indeed we are 
 sure it is not. You will hear all about how it happened 
 presently. Meantime everything that is possible is being 
 done. I have just telegraphed to London for the first 
 surgeon, who will be down this evening, and if your 
 brother can be moved, of course you will see him directly ; 
 but if not, I promise faithfully to return and tell you at 
 once. Come now, Agnes," he added, taking her hand 
 gently — this was the first time he had called her by her 
 Christian name — " do bear up, and show how strong- 
 minded you are. You know the old proverb, and believe 
 me, ladies at the present juncture would be rather a 
 hindrance than otherwise ; excuse me for saying so." 
 
 " I will do as you wish, then," murmured Agnes, after 
 a moment. "You say you do not think it is anything 
 serious, really and truly ? "
 
 " III News travels apace." 75 
 
 u I don't, indeed/' he answered, adding to himself, 
 w God forgive me if I deceive her." 
 
 11 And you will promise to come for me as you say ? " 
 
 " I promise ;" and pressing his hand to show that 
 she placed full confidence in him, Agnes, with a mind 
 full of misgivings regarding the accident, turned slowly 
 back towards the Hall." 
 
 " Poor girl ! " thought Heffernan, looking after her, 
 " it will be a hard struggle for her to keep her pro- 
 mise, I'm afraid, with all the love and anxiety at her 
 heart. Thank goodness I got out of the matter so 
 well. What a fool I was to run right in front of the 
 windows ! " 
 
 As he quickened his pace across the park he could 
 hardly disguise from himself an inward conviction that 
 when he again reached the wood he should hear that all 
 was over, and his conscience seemed to reproach him for 
 having behaved, perhaps, with too great caution in con- 
 cealing the real truth from Agnes. Although he intended 
 to act for the best, he knew she would never forgive him 
 if a suspicion crossed her mind that he had wilfully 
 deceived her, thereby very likely depriving her of the 
 chance of being with her brother in his last moments. 
 But dismissing such gloomy forebodings as these from 
 his mind, he tried after a while to take a brighter view of 
 things, and bethought him how such accidents had often 
 happened without being attended by fatal results, espe- 
 cially where youth and health, as in this case, were in 
 favour of the victim. 
 
 Hurrying along with his eyes on the ground, he did 
 not observe two other figures walking for a time almost 
 parallel with him, their path and his converging towards 
 the same point ; nor until he was close upon them did he 
 look up, when a voice greeted him, —
 
 J 6 TJie Sword of Damocles. 
 
 " Why, bless me, it is Mr. Albert after all, Simon. I 
 thought I couldn't be mistaken." 
 
 " Mrs. Corcoran ! " exclaimed Heffernan, starting back 
 in surprise, as he found himself confronted by that austere- 
 looking female. " Why, what on earth brings you to this 
 part of the world ? " 
 
 " That's easy explained, sir," replied Mrs. Corcoran ; 
 " I'm staying with my brother, Mr. Sickles, you know, 
 one of the tenants ; and this is my nephew, Simon," she 
 continued, introducing the shiny-faced youth, who made 
 a grab at his hat by way of salute. " But, dear me, who 
 ever would have thought of meeting you here, Mr. Albert? 
 I am glad to see you again though, that's the truth," and 
 the stern features relaxed into quite a softened expression 
 as she said it. 
 
 " So am I glad to see you — very," replied Heffernan, 
 hastily, shaking her by the hand. " I wonder you knew 
 me ; it's such an age since — " 
 
 " Lor, bless you ! " exclaimed Mrs. Corcoran, u why, I 
 even knew your voice again. Tell me, didn't you lose 
 your way last night in a fly, and stop at a little house to 
 ask the road ? " 
 
 " To be sure I did, and was half an hour late for dinner 
 in consequence." 
 
 " There ! I could have sworn it was you ; and I was 
 having supper at that very house. You know them, 
 then ? " she added, nodding towards the Hall. " Are 
 you going to stay here long ? " 
 
 " Not very, I fancy. At least I've only just come for 
 the shooting. But I tell you what, we must have a talk 
 over old times by-and-by. I really can't stop now," and 
 he prepared to move off again. " By the way, have you 
 heard of the accident ? " 
 
 "To poor Mr. Hector, sir? Yes, that we have,"
 
 " /// News travels apace." 7 7 
 
 chimed in Simon. "They've taken him to the Kipper's 
 Lodge, I b'lieve ; so we was just a goin' to arsk arter 
 him." 
 
 u Then our ways lie together/' observed Heffernan, as 
 they walked on. " They've moved him already, have 
 they ? " 
 
 " Yes, Mr. Albert. Listwayes so I heerd 'em save/' 
 replied Simon. 
 
 " You mustn't call this gentleman by his Christian 
 name, Simon/' remarked Mrs. Corcoran, reprovingly; 
 ''that's only my privilege as his old nurse, is it, sir? 
 Captain Denby, that's his proper title, mind." 
 
 "No, there you are wrong, Mrs. Corcoran. You 
 forget — I've been rechristened," said Heffernan. 
 
 " Ah, to be sure. I did forget for the minute." 
 
 " Eechristened from a golden font, as one may say/' 
 he continued, with a smile. 
 
 "Why, dear me," cried Simon, in open-mouthed asto- 
 nishment, " du they have gould things for Christnuns in 
 yar chu'ches, sir ? " 
 
 u Ha, ha, La ! " laughed Heffernan. " What delicious 
 simplicity ! I spoke figuratively, my good fellow — came 
 in for some money, you know ; so changed my name." 
 
 This sort of thing being beyond the yahoo's compre- 
 hension, he merely drawled out " Ooh, ar ! " as if he 
 knew all about it, and fell to thinking of that font, and 
 how he would like to have it melted down. 
 
 " But what is it now, Mr. Albert ? " inquired Mrs. 
 Corcoran. " Of course I've heard, but I forget." 
 
 " Heffernan," he replied, spelling it ; " H-E-F-F-E-R- 
 N-A-N — Albert Denby Heffernan. But I've dropped 
 the Denby altogether, you understand ; so please don't 
 forget that." Here he gave Mrs. Corcoran a significant 
 look, of which she appeared to take no notice.
 
 7 8 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 Discussing the unfortunate accident as they walked 
 along, the High Lodge was soon reached, when the 
 doctor's dog-cart standing outside at once corroborated 
 Simon's statement that Hector had been taken there. 
 
 It was market-day at the little town close by, and some 
 of the farmers on their return home, having to pass by 
 the park gates, had heard the sooner of the sad catas- 
 trophe, and so helped to spread the news. 
 
 " Here, Mrs. Cole ! here's old Sickles," called Grumpy 
 Grayle from his sanctum, as he saw the farmer drive up 
 to Crutch Hut ; " get a glass of hot grog ready, he'll be 
 cold — I'll go to the door," and as he spoke he hobbled 
 out to receive his visitor. 
 
 " Come in, Sickles, come in and have a warm," cried 
 he, as he opened the front door ; " here, Mary ! Polly ! 
 look sharp and hold this horse." 
 
 " No, thank ye, Mr. Grile," said the farmer, " I 'on't 
 come in nayow; I only just stopped to tell ye the news. 
 You hain't heerd it yit, I'll lie a guinea." 
 
 " News ! what news ? " 
 
 " Shockun news — shockun, shockun," ancl the farmer 
 shook his old head sadly, the full moon seeming to be 
 quite eclipsed by a heavy cloud ; ' ' what du you think ? 
 they ha' bin an' shot poor Mr. Hector." 
 
 " Shot — who ?" cried Andrew, in astonishment. 
 
 " Ah, there you want to 'now more'n I can tell ye — 
 never heerd who shot 'um, poor young man." 
 
 "But do you mean to tell me that Mr. Hector is 
 actually—?" 
 
 " c Shot— yis, that I du." 
 
 " Dead ! " screamed Grumpy, in an excited falsetto. 
 
 " Dead as a nit- — they tould me." 
 
 " God bless my soul ! " ejaculated Grumpy, really 
 shocked ; " but how ? when ? "
 
 " III News travels apace" 79 
 
 "This very arternoon in them coveys by the High 
 Woods, they was a takin' hiin to ould KohVs lodge as I 
 druv past." 
 
 " Tut, tut, this is dreadful, 'pon my soul ! I must go 
 and ask about it directly. Are you sure they weren't 
 going on to the Hall ? v 
 
 " No, no, they dussn't move the body there till arter 
 dark, I don't s'pose, 'cos o' the laidies, poor things — 
 't'aint loikely. I'll just drink this/' said the farmer, 
 taking a stiff beaker of hot brandy and water from the 
 housekeeper, "and drive you up to the Lodge myself, 
 i' ye loike. Thank you, Mrs. Cole, here's to you, Mr. 
 Grile," and he sucked down the grog at a draught, fol- 
 lowed by a deep sigh of satisfaction. 
 
 " Very well, you may do that, Sickles, and I'll go with 
 you at once. Just get my great coat, hat, and stick, 
 Mrs. Cole," added the old bachelor, and in another three 
 minutes they were on their way. 
 
 Grumpy Grayle never spoke a word as they drove 
 along-, and although the farmer of course knew of the 
 deadly feud between Andrew and the family at the Hall, 
 he made a few feeble attempts at condoling with him on 
 the sudden calamity ; but Grumpy's mind was too fully 
 occupied with conflicting emotions to pay much atten- 
 tion to Mr. Sickles' remarks, though what those emotions 
 were it would not be easy to describe. 
 
 Hceredis fletus sub persona risus est, as the Latin writer 
 facetiously puts it; but a man must indeed be utterly lost 
 to every sense of humanity, a morbid and degraded 
 wretch, who could gloat over thoughts of his own aggran- 
 dizement at the very moment when the awfully sudden 
 death of one of his own flesh and blood brings him nearer 
 to the goal; and to do Andrew Grayle justice, selfish 
 cynic though he was, he was not so bad as this. The
 
 80 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 first impulse of his mind was one of real grief and horror 
 at the fearful accident and its consequence. This for 
 some time held possession of his thoughts, giving way in 
 turn to a tumult of wild calculations and castles in the 
 air, which tumbled over one another through his mind as 
 though they were playing at leap-frog, and literally seemed 
 to set his brain on fire. Then again came the revulsion 
 of feeling as they neared the Lodge, where he supposed 
 lay the dead body of poor Hector ; when he inwardly 
 cursed himself and his fiendish meditations, and turned his 
 thoughts once more into the healthier and more natural 
 channel of remorse and heart-felt sorrow. 
 
 But Hector Grayle was not dead, very far from it — 
 or what would become of my story ? — and when Grumpy 
 ascertained this point on their arrival at the park gates, 
 yet another revulsion of feeling set in ; and before he had 
 time to stop them, he found his unruly thoughts playing 
 at that infernal game of leap-frog once more, jumping to 
 conclusions, and quick as lightning turning over calcula- 
 tions as to the chances for and against the boy's recovery — 
 in short, behaving altogether in such an unseemly fashion, 
 as to make him shake his head impatiently by way of 
 warning them to stop their little game, and let him think 
 quietly. Then when he learnt on further inquiry that 
 the accident, as Dr. Whittle had assured the Squire, was 
 not so serious as at first supposed, and that they hoped 
 to move Hector to the Hall in the morning, he turned on 
 his heel, and hurrying back to Farmer Sickles, blurted 
 out angrily in his highest falsetto, — 
 
 "What the devil did you go and tell me he was dead 
 foi*, you infernal old fool ? " but remembering himself 
 suddenly, he continued in a milder tone, " frightening a 
 fellow like that — but thank you for your lift, Sickles, all 
 the same, I'll walk back — I'll walk back ; good night."
 
 " /// News travels apace." 8 i 
 
 Then, without waiting for an answer, he disappeared 
 into the darkening twilight, and took a short cut across 
 the park towards Crutch Hut. 
 
 Setting aside all interested feelings on the subject, 
 Grumpy Grayle, when he heard that Hector's accident 
 had been so exaggerated, no doubt experienced that ex- 
 traordinary sensation of disappointment which may not 
 be entirely foreign to a good many people — although 
 very few would care to own it, I expect — a sort of fiendish 
 regret which intrudes itself on the mind when some 
 fearful catastrophe is either contradicted or minimized. 
 
 What is it ? who can explain such a diabolical im- 
 pulse ? It must be the innate viciousness in human 
 nature which forces itself to the surface, and usurps, for 
 the moment, the place of man's better instincts — that same 
 irresistible power that governs some people when they 
 announce a sudden death or dire calamity, and prompts 
 them to do so with a twitching smile which they are 
 utterly unable to repress, and which makes them almost 
 feel, perhaps, as if possessed of an evil spirit. 
 
 VOL. I.
 
 8 2 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 " woman ! in our hours of ease, 
 Uncertain, coy, and hard to please, 
 And variable as the shade 
 By the light quivering aspen made ; 
 When pain and anguish wring the brow, 
 A ministering angel thou ! " 
 
 Sir Walter Scott 
 
 Having left Hector Grayle in such a " parlous state/' it 
 is incumbent on me to explain at once how matters went 
 with him ; albeit for the purposes of this narrative there 
 is no necessity to enter into minute details with regard 
 to his illness and subsequent recovery. 
 
 The London surgeon arrived that evening about nine 
 o'clock, and, after a careful examination of the wound, 
 endorsed Dr. "Whittle's opinion that it was not of a dan- 
 gerous nature ; though it appeared worse than it really 
 was, to the uninitiated, from the great efflux of blood. 
 This was soon stanched, however, and the shot extracted. 
 Luckily the force of the charge had been somewhat 
 broken in passing through the clump of evergreens, or it 
 might have been a great deal worse. 
 
 Hector recovered consciousness soon after reaching the 
 Lodge j and the next day Dr. Whittle wanted to have 
 him removed to the Hall at once, as he had promised the 
 Squire. But this Dr. Seagull opposed, saying he thought
 
 The Keeper's Lodge. &$ 
 
 it advisable for liim to remain quiet for a few days where 
 he was, which he accordingly did. Since* it was ascer- 
 tained that there was no cause to be apprehensive of any 
 real danger, his mother was at once informed of the acci- 
 dent ; and she and Agnes (the latter having been in a 
 state of feverish anxiety since her interview with Heffer- 
 nan) repaired to the Lodge to take care of him. Their 
 office, however, was rendered almost a sinecure from the 
 tender care and attention which Mrs. Rolfe and her 
 daughter bestowed upon the patient; and, with the help 
 of certain articles from the Hall, they contrived to make him 
 quite as comfortable as if he had been in his own home. 
 Finding this to be the case, and that Hector progressed 
 as favourably as possible, his mother and sister felt less 
 necessity for their being in constant attendance on him 
 at the cottage. They stayed with him for the first night, 
 however, and the greater part of each day following until 
 he was removed, but left him in the evenings with perfect 
 confidence to the care of Mrs. Rolfe and Lizzie ; for the 
 gamekeeper's wife proved herself quite an adept in the 
 art of nursing — such, in fact, having been her vocation 
 before she married. 
 
 There was one thing, however, regarding her patient 
 about which Mrs. Rolfe did not exercise sufficient dis- 
 crimination — one luxury which she permitted him to 
 indulge in far too much — namely, the companionship of 
 her handsome daughter, no doubt having perfect faith in 
 the girl's discretion. Hence it came about that Hector 
 and Lizzie were constantly alone together in the evenings, 
 after his mother and Agnes returned to the Hall ; and then, 
 as a matter of course, followed the old, old story. But, 
 though both owned to themselves afterwards — 
 
 " The still throb — the secret start — 
 The hidden impulse of the heart" — 
 G 2
 
 84 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 neither at first appeared to realize the condition into 
 which they were rapidly drifting, nor the insinuating 
 influence of that naughty little cherub with the quiver 
 and bow. 
 
 Now such a situation for hero and heroine cannot, I am 
 afraid, boast of much novelty ; but similar circumstances 
 often lead to widely different results, and in this case the 
 promising romance led to a delightful complication of 
 affairs. Indeed, could Gertrude only have foreseen the 
 sequel, she would never have left her darling boy day or 
 night till he was safely at home again. 
 
 The little apartment which had been dedicated to 
 Hector's use was an inner sitting-room of the Lodge, and 
 anything more delightfully cosey than this had been made 
 by women's loving hands could scarcely be imagined; 
 chiefly owing, of course, to the importations from the 
 Hall ; for, though his detention in the keeper's cottage 
 would be but for a short while, his mother was deter- 
 mined to make it as little irksome to him as possible. 
 Poor Gertrude ! she might have spared herself a great 
 deal of trouble. There was not much fear of Hector 
 suffering from ennui so long as he remained where he 
 was. But when the time came for him to be removed to 
 his own home, he didn't seem to relish the idea at all, 
 notwithstanding that for the first day or so he had been 
 anxious for that very removal. On the other hand, Lizzie 
 almost regretted that he had improved so rapidly under 
 their care, and felt quite a blank in her existence when 
 they took him away. But all such foolish weaknesses as 
 these they discreetly kept to themselves for the present, 
 carefully locked away in the innermost recesses of their 
 hearts. 
 
 Taking a peep one evening at Hector Grayle in this 
 little elysium, you would find him propped up by pillows
 
 The Keeper s Lodge. 8 5 
 
 on a snug couch, which had been drawn nearer to the 
 cheerful fire than usual that night, for the thermometer 
 registered several degrees of frost. By his side was a 
 table, on which stood a reading-lamp, with a shade over 
 it, to keep the strong light from his eyes; and seated 
 near the table was Lizzie, apparently busily engaged with 
 some worsted work. 
 
 A very pretty picture, reader ; quite as romantic 
 intrinsically as it appeared at a first glance. 
 
 They were alone, as usual; and it would be difficult to 
 say which was the more strikiug figure of the two — 
 Hector, as he lay there with his handsome face slightly 
 flushed from the warmth of the room, looking very deli- 
 cate and interesting in his invalid garb ; or Lizzie, the 
 sweet " ministering angel " seated by him, in the bloom 
 of health and the first dawn of womanly beauty, a soft 
 blush now and again stealing over her cheek as she 
 thought of the novelty of the situation. 
 
 " Come, little nurse," observed Hector, after a longer 
 silence than usual, " don't wrap yourself up altogether in 
 that worsted. Talk to me a bit now, will you ? I like 
 to hear your voice." 
 
 " But you know the doctor's orders, Mr. Hector — " 
 began Lizzie. 
 
 " Oh, never mind the doctor. I feel much better to- 
 night, and I'm sure a chat with you can't do me any 
 harm." 
 
 " Perhaps you would like me to read you something V 
 she said, preparing to put away her work. 
 
 " Presently you shall, if you will ; but I prefer talking 
 just now. Do you know, Lizzie," he continued, after a 
 short pause, " I'm improving so, I'm — I'm afraid they'll 
 move me directly," and he suppressed a sigh as he said 
 this.
 
 86 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 "Afraid!" she exclaimed, looking up in surprise ; "but 
 don't you want to be moved, Mr. Hector ? " 
 
 " Really, I don't know. I don't quite think I do. I've 
 grown so fond of this dear little room during the last few 
 days that I — I shall be quite sorry to leave it." He 
 spoke in a dreamy manner, as if something more than the 
 room occupied his thoughts. 
 
 " But think how comfortable you will feel at home 
 again, sir. Of course we have done our best to make you 
 so here ; but, after all, there's no place like home." 
 
 " Perhaps not. Ah, Lizzie," cried Hector, earnestly, 
 "I'm indeed most grateful for all the care you have 
 taken of me — you and your good mother." 
 
 " We haven't done much, I'm afraid, Mr. Hector; it 
 wasn't in our power. You have to thank Mrs. Grayle and 
 Miss Agnes for providing every comfort." 
 
 " That may be ; still it does not detract from all your 
 gentle kindness, your devoted attention ; and I shall 
 never forget it, Lizzie, never." 
 
 Then followed another pause, during which Lizzie 
 Rolfe worked away very diligently, and never looked up 
 at all ; while Hector watched her with a strange light in 
 his blue eyes, which might have made her heart beat 
 faster had she met his gaze at that moment. 
 
 " And were you frightened about me ? " he inquired, 
 presently. " Did you think I was really going to 
 die?" 
 
 ' ' I was frightened at first, very," she replied, " until 
 both the doctors said there was no danger ; and then I — 
 I — " she hesitated. 
 
 "What, Lizzie?" 
 
 " I knelt down and thanked God." 
 
 "Yes? And so you would have cared a little ? You 
 would have been very sorry if I had died, would you
 
 The Keeper s Lodge. 87 
 
 not ? h He asked this still gazing at her with the 
 same look, and seemed to delight in prolonging the 
 subject. 
 
 "Oh, yes; indeed — indeed I should/' she answered, 
 simply; afterwards blushing at having spoken so earnestly, 
 and adding quickly, " What a strange question, sir. Of 
 course I should — of auy one." 
 
 As she thus suddenly checked herself, a slight smile, 
 partly of amusement, partly of gratification, played about 
 his lips for a minute, and when next he spoke it was in an 
 altered tone. 
 
 " Do you know, little nurse," said he, " there is some- 
 thing about you that interests me immensely. It seems 
 to me as if you were more fitted to be a queen amongst 
 people than — than living quietly here in a humble cottage. 
 I don't want to turn your pretty head by saying such 
 things, but — " 
 
 "Perhaps you will turn my head if you do, sir," she 
 interrupted, with just a shade of annoyauce in her tone. 
 " I am sure you don't mean to vex me by talking non- 
 sense; but I like you much better when you speak 
 sensibly to me." 
 
 "Very well; very well, then," he rejoined, demurely. 
 " I beg your pardon." 
 
 " I didn't mean to be rude, Mr. Hector, when I said 
 talking nonsense, you understand ; I only meant — " 
 
 " I understand you, Lizzie ; that you don't want me to 
 think you an empty-headed little fool, like most of the 
 pretty girls about, all conceit and flippancy. Nor do I, I 
 can tell you. And now you shall read to me, if you don't 
 mind." 
 
 u Yery well, sir, I will directly ; for I really must not 
 let you talk any more. But it's your time for taking 
 something now," she added, looking at the clock on the
 
 88 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 inantlepfece, and rising. " I must go and get that first ;" 
 and Lizzie left the room. 
 
 " I do hope she didn't think I meant to play the fool and 
 chaff her/' thought Hector, in his solitude. " Far from it, 
 if she only knew. I never felt less inclined to chaff in my 
 life." And I don't believe he did. Still, allowances must 
 be made for the situation. We all know that the suscepti- 
 bilities of the mind are far keener when the human frame 
 has been weakened by a sudden and dangerous illness ; 
 and what a violent vapour-bath is to the body, the ordeal 
 of a sick-bed is to the mental faculty, in that each becomes 
 more sensitive to extraneous influences. 
 
 Now if any one had told Hector Grayle that he was 
 falling in love with the gamekeeper's daughter, he 
 would, no doubt, have ridiculed the idea \ but when he 
 came to ask himself the question seriously, he felt the 
 possibility of such a thing was not to be treated quite so 
 lightly. Nor could he otherwise account for the sudden 
 and powerful interest he took in this girl, apart from his 
 gratitude for her gentle nursing ; so, being only one-and- 
 twenty, you see, and an interesting invalid into the 
 bargain, he gave way to the soft influence, and allowing 
 his thoughts to have full sway, indulged in such a chaos 
 of romantic meditations as might have induced him then 
 and there to declare himself, had Lizzie come into the 
 room at that moment instead of her father. 
 
 " Good evening, Mr. Hector," said the keeper, as he 
 entered, having tapped twice without attracting notice, so 
 deep in thought was his young master ; " I'm glad to 
 hear you're better, sir." 
 
 " Getting on splendidly, Rolfe, thank you," said Hec- 
 tor, wishing the old man at Jericho for having disturbed 
 his pleasant reverie. " I shall soon be well enough for 
 another turn at the coverts."
 
 The Keeper's Lodge. 89 
 
 " That's right, sir_, I hope you will. There's plenty 
 more wants shooting I can tell you/' 
 
 " You mean game, I suppose, not people," remarked 
 Hector, smiling. " By George ! they very nearly added 
 me to the bag that day, didn't they ? " 
 
 " Don't talk of it, sir. It was nearly being no laugh- 
 ing matter," observed Rolfe ; " however, thank God it 
 was no worse. But do you know, Mr. Hector, I was 
 almost as sorry for that gentleman as I was for you." 
 
 " You mean Colonel Gaskill ; yes, poor fellow ; I hear 
 he has taken it awfully to heart, and declares he'll never 
 handle a gun again as long as he lives. But that's all 
 nonsense, isn't it, Rolfe ? I shall ask him to join us again 
 the first opportunity." 
 
 "I would, sir, for it was no fault of his, nor any one 
 else's for that matter. Lor ! what a shock it gave us all, 
 to be sure, Mr. Hector; I thought my missus was like 
 to have highstrikes when she seed you, and she's a strong 
 'un in a general way. Then somehow the report got 
 about at first that you was a- dying, and then that you 
 was dead, and I don't b'lieve there was a soul, tenant or 
 servant, on the place, but what sat down to supper that 
 night with more heartache than appetite." 
 
 " Ah, well, it's pleasant to feel that people take so 
 kind an interest in one." 
 
 "That's true, sir, but it's no more than you might 
 expecV 
 
 Now Montaigne says, " Pen d'hommes ont este admirez 
 par leurs domestiques ;" from which, no doubt, Madame 
 Cornuel borrowed the idea that no man is a hero to his 
 valet ; but Hector Grayle was certainly an exception, 
 and just one of those few who was both admired and 
 beloved by everybody, from the butler to the lowest 
 menial ; and he had so endeared himself to all around him,
 
 90 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 that no wonder universal grief and consternation pre- 
 vailed at Barringtree when the accident occurred. 
 
 " I said no one was to blame/' continued the keeper ; 
 " but if any one was, it was me, sir, for startin' the 
 beaters afore you was ready." 
 
 " Not a bit of it, Rolf e ; pray don't think of such a 
 thing." 
 
 " I know I was wonderful cut up afterwards, sir, when 
 I did come to think of it." 
 
 Here their conversation was interrupted by Mrs. Rolfe, 
 who entered the room, saying, — 
 
 " Look here, Gideon, I told you you might come and 
 see Mr. Hector, if you wouldn't let him talk, and I've 
 heard you both. The young gentleman must be kept 
 quiet, so just you say good night, and be off." 
 
 At which reproof old Gideon meekly obeyed his 
 better half, and left the room again. 
 
 "Now, sir," continued Mrs. Rolfe, handing Hector a 
 cup of beef tea, "it's time you took this, and went to 
 sleep." 
 
 " But Lizzie's going to read to me a little first," he 
 remonstrated. 
 
 "No, sir, not this evening," replied the keeper's 
 wife, firmly; "you're quite flushed and excited as it is; 
 we shall be throwing you back if we don't mind the 
 doctor ; besides, Lizzie looked tired herself, and I've made 
 her go to bed. Time all good folks was there now ; 
 come, sir," and with dexterous hands she rearranged his 
 pillows ; then taking a seat by the fire, waited till he had 
 finished his refreshment. 
 
 Hector knew it was useless to dispute the authority of 
 the experienced nurse ; so, with a slight feeling of dis- 
 appointment at being done out of the reading, he sipped 
 at his beef tea without speaking.
 
 The Keeper s Lodge. 91 
 
 This light repast seemed to be soporific in its effect, 
 and with the dead silence surging in his ears and soothing 
 the mind somewhat overtaxed by recent musings, Hector 
 soon fell into a deep sleep with the cup in his hand. 
 
 Mrs. Rolfe, perceiving this, stole gently to the bedside, 
 and taking it from his unconscious grasp, arranged the 
 coverings and made the room up for the night. 
 
 So, calm repose and pleasant dreams to you, Hector 
 Grayle; and may the vision of that sweet face, which 
 haunts your feverish pillow, create only in your mind 
 pure and noble thoughts, and make you worthy of the 
 name you bear, and the pride of your ancestral home. 
 
 " 'Tis not high power that makes a place divine, 
 Nor that the men from gods derive their Hne ; 
 But sacred though fe in holy bosoms stored 
 Make people noble, and the place adored."
 
 92 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE SHADOW OF THE SWORD. 
 
 "Non bene conducti vendunt perjuria testes." — Ovid. 
 
 Some five or six weeks after tlie events related, Mrs. 
 Corcoran was returning one morning from a visit to 
 High Lodge, having lately struck up an acquaintance 
 with the Rolfes which appeared to be interesting to her, 
 and agreeable to all parties. 
 
 The woman was apparently wrapped in deep thought 
 as she walked along, and seemed not to hear the foot- 
 steps which had been overtaking her for the last hundred 
 yards, until suddenly aroused from her reverie by her 
 nephew exclaiming, — 
 
 " Hold hard, aunt ; you ha' no need to walk, I've 
 brought the pony chaise for you." 
 
 " What made you do that ? did you think I was afraid 
 of the deer running at me ? " 
 
 " No, I don't suppose you are," replied Simon ; 
 11 though they du saye that ain't oover saife since the 
 Squire put them Scotch beggars into the park; but, the 
 fact is, the Cap'en is waiting at our house to see you." 
 
 " Captain Heffernan ! Has he returned, then ? " 
 
 " Yes, jist come down from Lunnon, and he said he 
 wanted to speak to you rather partic'ler afore he went on
 
 The Shadow of the Sword. 93 
 
 up to the Hall, so arsked me if I'd mind a-coniin' to fetch 
 ye eft-rec'ly." 
 
 ff Aha!" muttered Mrs. Corcoran to herself, "I thought 
 I should jog his memory. He'll not forget his old nurse 
 again in a hurry, I'll warrant." 
 
 Thereupon she turned back with her nephew, and they 
 drove home together in the rickety old rattle-trap, yclept 
 a pony-chaise. 
 
 Captain Heffernan, who was on leave from Aldershot, 
 where his regiment was then stationed, returned to town 
 a few days after the accident. But in that short space 
 of time he had made considerable progress in his suit 
 with Agnes — had proposed and been accepted, and had 
 so far ingratiated himself with all, that the engagement 
 was sanctioned and approved both by Gertrude and the 
 Squire ; old Mrs. Grayle not being consulted, from the 
 well understood fact that it was an impossibility for her 
 to entertain an unprejudiced opinion of any one. 
 
 Gertrude deprecated the idea of marriage for at least a 
 year, on the plea of her daughter's extreme youth ; for, 
 acting like a sensible and anxious mother, she wished to 
 give them a certain time in which to study each other's 
 characters before the irrevocable step was taken. 
 
 Heffernan chafed considerably at such delay, for he 
 was deeply in love with Agnes; but since Gertrude 
 made the postponement a sine qua non, and in this was 
 supported by the Squire, he had no alternative but to 
 submit with a good grace. The recognized fiance of 
 Agnes Grayle, however, was now a privileged visitor at 
 Barringtree Park whenever he chose to avail himself of 
 the prerogative, and, as Simon intimated to Mrs. Cor- 
 coran, the u Cap'en " had just come down from town on 
 one of his flying visits, though I am bound to confess it 
 was not this time solely on the wings of love.
 
 94 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 Mrs. Corcoran spoke truly when she said Captain 
 Heffernan had "gone the pace;" but he had nearly 
 run himself out at last,, and had pulled up into a 
 walk, literally and figuratively ; having, within the last 
 few years, found it expedient to exchange from a crack 
 cavalry regiment into the 126th Foot. No man had had 
 better chances than Heffernan, and no man had availed 
 himself of them less advisably. In addition to living at 
 a rapid rate in other ways, he had succeeded in making 
 a large hole in a small fortune by means of two special 
 weaknesses — the Turf and the Stock Exchange ; but, 
 although a shrewd man regarding horseflesh, his specula- 
 tions in the City were often of the wildest nature ; and as 
 the fickle goddess seldom turned up trumps for him in 
 either branch of gambling, he began to think about put- 
 ting on the brake. Taking things in time, therefore, since 
 he saw there could be only one issue when everything 
 was going out and nothing coming in, he advertised for 
 an exchange, put his chargers up at Tattersall's (he kept 
 no racers himself), and came down in the world, so to 
 say, from horse to foot. This judicious step completed, 
 he took stock of the resources left him, and found that, 
 out of the general wreck, and after paying all debts, he 
 started afresh, as a linesman, with something under five 
 hundred a year, besides his pay. His brother officers in 
 the Lancers were sorry to lose him, for he was popular in 
 his regiment, being a genial companion, a promoter of 
 sport, and generous to a fault. Popularity, however, is 
 often rather an expensive article, and having found it so, 
 Heffernan, when he joined the 126th, turned over a new 
 leaf and drew in his horns, resolved to be taken more on 
 his personal merits than the merits of his purse — at all 
 events, by the men in his new regiment. 
 
 But an officer in the service, with considerable inde-
 
 The Shadow of the Sivord. 95 
 
 pendent means, generally gets the reputation of being a 
 much richer man than he really is ; consequently, Heffer- 
 nan was looked upon in the matrimonial market, where 
 he put himself up for sale, as un bon parti. 
 
 Starting under these auspices, he naturally hoped to 
 secure a wife who could meet him halfway with a respect- 
 able dowry, and thus recoup himself for past extrava- 
 gances. On making the acquaintance of the Grayles in 
 London, he saw at once in Agnes the very girl to suit 
 him — a handsome, accomplished young lady, with the 
 certainty of a liberal marriage portion ; and a girl, more- 
 over, who soon exacted the utmost homage of his heart. 
 When the subject of settlements was brought under dis- 
 cussion, the Squire of course was a little disappointed to 
 find that Heffernan was not quite the millionaire he had 
 been led to suppose ; but since he had secured Agnes' 
 affections, and quite taken her mother and himself by 
 storm with his bonhomie and fascinating manners, the 
 engagement, as I have said, was duly ratified. 
 
 " Protinus ad censum, de mo rib us ultima fiet 
 Qucestio "■ — 
 
 In this case, however, the question as to the morals 
 was the first consideration. At all events, it was so with 
 Gertrude, who was no mercenary mother, and was far 
 more solicitous for her daughter's happiness than for 
 mere empty riches. With regard to Albert Heffernan's 
 family there was little to be learnt, except that he was 
 the son of a deceased clergyman, and had no near 
 relatives alive ; but though not exactly a scion of an 
 ancient house, there was nothing against either him or 
 his antecedents ; indeed, his good qualities were loudly 
 extolled by all who knew him. Having heard, therefore, 
 nothing but what was favourable of him from all sides,
 
 96 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 and fancying herself, moreover, an excellent judge of 
 character, Gertrude felt every confidence in entrusting 
 Agnes' future to his care ; nevertheless, she could not be 
 induced to forego that year's probation for which she so 
 expressly stipulated ; her own bitter experience, doubt- 
 less, dictating the precaution. 
 
 On reaching home, Mrs. Corcoran found Heffernan 
 waiting for her in the little parlour of her brother's house, 
 where he had been kicking his heels impatiently for the 
 last half-hour. 
 
 "Why, Mr. Albert," she exclaimed, on entering the 
 room, "I didn't expect to see you down again so 
 soon." 
 
 " Didn't you ? Well, your letter would have brought 
 me if nothing else did, Hannah," he replied — he had 
 taken to calling her by her Christian name again, as in 
 the days of his youth — " but I preferred having a talk 
 with you to scribbling letters — on a matter of this kind." 
 
 " Quite right ; showing your good sense as you always 
 do," observed the woman, leisurely removing her bonnet 
 and shawl, and placing them on the sofa beside her. 
 "You refer, I suppose, to the subject I hinted at in that 
 letter?" 
 
 " Of course ; what else should I refer to ? We're not 
 likely to be interrupted, are we ? " he said, approaching 
 the door, opening it cautiously, and looking out; "no 
 eavesdroppers, eh ? " and he closed it again. 
 
 " Don't be alarmed ; you won't find any sneaks here, 
 Mr. Albert," she remarked, smiling at his apprehension; 
 " besides, they know you and me have got some little 
 private business together." 
 
 " That's all right then. Now tell me," he continued, 
 returning to the fireplace and standing with his back to 
 it; "you say you have made a discovery ?"
 
 The Shadow of the Sword. 97 
 
 " I have. An important one, too — for you as well as 
 me." 
 
 "Urn — what you said in your letter was certainly 
 emphatic ; but how can you be so positive, my dear Hannah ? 
 One might easily be mistaken, you know — " 
 
 "Not I" returned Mrs. Corcoran, rather abruptly; 
 M I'm not a fool, and Fve got proof clear enough for any- 
 one." 
 
 " Well, I grant you the coincidence is extraordinary, 
 very extraordinary/'' remarked Hefiernan, in a reflective 
 manner; "but it may only be a coincidence after all, 
 thereby misleading you and — " 
 
 " Very well, just as you please," she interrupted, testily ; 
 " believe it or not as you like ; it don't much matter 
 now." 
 
 " No, I suppose not, after all these years," said he, still 
 musing. 
 
 And then followed a longer pause, during which both 
 seemed to be occupied with their own thoughts. 
 
 Presently Heffernan stirred the fire, lighting up the 
 dark room with a merry blaze, and then, as if catching 
 its infection, resumed, in a more easy tone, — 
 
 "Well, Hannah, it's of no use our bothering our heads 
 with suspicions, coincidences, and that sort of thing, is it ? 
 which, after all, may only turn out to be pure imagination, 
 you know — " 
 
 " My dear man, what ever is the use of your talking like 
 that ? I tell you I've heard enough, and seen enough 
 lately to convince fifty unbelieving Jews ; enough to 
 make one take one's Bible oath to it, if it was the last 
 breath one ever drew. Do you think I can't remember 
 about the clothes, and the linen, and the marking, 
 and—" 
 
 "All right, all right," he interposed, hurriedly; 
 vol. 1. h
 
 9S The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 " that'll do, Hannah ; it's of no use raking up all the affair 
 again. Grant your suspicion to be correct, then, what 
 do you advise me to do ? " 
 
 "Do! do nothing at all, of course, except hold your 
 tongue. You're safe enough ; what more do you want ? 
 forget about it." 
 
 "I will; but Til tell you what I can't forget, Hannah, 
 and that *is your true friendship — your stanch loyalty to 
 me all these years." 
 
 "Lor, Mr. Albert, never mention it," exclaimed the 
 woman, adding under her breath, " besides, it's a duty I 
 owe to myself as well as you." 
 
 ' ' But what made you write to me about it, Hannah ? 
 Letters are such devilish dangerous things, you know." 
 
 "To tell the truth, I never gave that a thought. I 
 was anxious to warn you directly for one particular reason ; 
 else perhaps I should never have bothered you about the 
 matter at all." 
 
 " What particular reason ? " 
 
 "Well, if you'll take my advice, you won't let those 
 old Frosts slip out of you\r mind. They're old folks, it's 
 true, but they've got memories and tongues as well 
 as other people ; and it was only a couple of months ago, 
 when I was down there, that they were grumbling because 
 they hadn't heard from you lately." Mrs. Corcoran 
 nodded her head significantly as she threw out these oblique 
 hints. 
 
 " Confound it ! " he cried, " what an infernal fool I am ! 
 I'm always forgetting to forward their remittance." 
 
 " Well, I wouldn't if I were you," observed she, dryly, 
 " especially now." 
 
 "Thank you for the hint; I won't. But, Hannah," he 
 continued, after a moment, " don't be offended at what 
 I'm going to say, and think I want to put you on the
 
 The Shadow of the Sword.. 99 
 
 same footing with those old people, but I do wish you 
 wouldn't be so independent, you know; you never by any 
 chance ask me now for — " 
 
 " Bless your heart! " exclaimed Mrs. Corcoran, cutting 
 him short, " I'm all right, ne^er you fear; I'm taken care 
 of; but still, if you like, you might now and then include 
 me in your generosity without the asking, there ! " and 
 she gave him a peculiar look out of those dark eyes of 
 hers which he did not quite know how to interpret, 
 whether as a gentle reproach for past forgetfulness, 
 or only as an off-haud acceptance of future favours. 
 
 " Of course I will — certainly I will — only too glad," said 
 he, quickly. 
 
 At this juncture the door opened, and the entrance of 
 Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Sickles, who thought they had 
 given them long enough, cut short this mysterious 
 colloquy. 
 
 The old couple had introduced themselves to Captain 
 HefFernan already, and the farmer now attacked him in 
 a jovial twang with — 
 
 " Sit dayown, pry sit dayown, Cap'en; don't let us 
 disturb yer. Very glad to see yer, I'm sure." 
 
 Sickles was quite proud of the apparent intimacy 
 between his sister and this "swell orfficer," as Simon 
 called him; and Mrs. Sickles felt "all of a fluster" at 
 having to play hostess to so distinguished a visitor. 
 
 u 'On't ye have a glass o' sherry white woine, and a 
 mite o ; currant caike, Cap'en, afore yer goo ? " inquired 
 the good soul in an anxious tone, and moving towards 
 the sideboard. 
 
 Heffernan declined the tempting offer, however, with 
 many thanks, though he was hard pressed by old Sickles, 
 who didn't want' to let him off so soon, and substituted 
 hot grog and a pickwick, by way of greater temptation. 
 
 h 2
 
 ioo The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 But at last he was permitted to take his departure ; and, 
 jumping into the fly, which stood waiting patiently for 
 him, he drove off to the Hall in a very moody frame of 
 mind, and scarcely like a love-sick Leander hying to his 
 Hero.
 
 IOI 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 BRINGING IN THE NEW YEAR. 
 
 " The music, and the banquet, and the wine — 
 The garlands, the rose-odours, and the flowers — 
 The sparkling eyes, and flashing ornaments — 
 
 # # * * * 
 
 The many twinkling feet so small and sylph-like, 
 Suggesting the more secret symmetry 
 Of the fair forms which terminate so well — 
 All the delusion of the dizzy scene, 
 Its false and true enchantments — Art and Nature." 
 
 Byron. 
 
 It was just after Christmas when Heffernan paid this 
 visit to Barringtree Park j and, on entering the house, it 
 struck him that all the garden shrubs and plants had 
 been brought inside to protect them from the cold. 
 
 The entrance hall had evidently been converted into a 
 conservatory in honour of the season; flowers, ferns, 
 exotics, and evergreens met the eye in all directions; 
 evergreens in festoons, circles, triangles, and various 
 designs, literally smothered the place ; in fact, scarcely 
 anything else was to be seen. From the stags' heads 
 upon the walls, it appeared as if Birnam Wood had been 
 brought to Barringtree instead of Dunsinane, their stately 
 horns being all concealed by leafy branches. The an- 
 cestors, too, in their frames were transformed into so
 
 i o 2 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 many owls in ivy-bushes, and some imaginary gentlemen, 
 in suits of armour, were brought into requisition as con- 
 venient pegs whereon to hang ideas of the same decora- 
 tive nature ; in short, with it all, the place seemed to be 
 suffering from a severe green epidemic, breaking out into 
 red and white spots here and there, where the holly and 
 mistletoe predominated. 
 
 The old Hall at Barringtree was a very different resi- 
 dence now from the dull, ghostly mansion of former years 
 — for the genial presence of young people in a house will 
 always make itself felt — and though the gloomy aspect 
 of its exterior could not well be changed, without 
 painting, decorating, and otherwise moderniziug it, which 
 the Squire would not hear of, the dismal outside was 
 amply compensated for by the cheery welcome within its 
 hospitable doors, especially at Yule-tide and other festive 
 occasions. 
 
 The drive being short from Farmer Sickles' house, 
 Heffernan had scarcely recovered his wonted good-humour 
 when the cab pulled up, and a heavy frown appeared to 
 have fixed itself indelibly on his brow. He arrived just 
 at that important kettledrum hour, five o'clock ; and, as 
 the butler opened the front door, the footman was seen 
 crossing the hall to the drawing-room with the indis- 
 pensable tea-tray. Now this meant the ladies being 
 collected together in full force, and Heffernan, in his 
 present frame of mind, hardly felt equal to face such a bevy, 
 iisking to be shown to his room, therefore, he explained 
 that he wished to unpack some fancy costumes he had 
 brought down from London, and went upstairs. 
 
 The new year was to be inaugurated at Barringtree by 
 a fancy ball (also in celebration of Hector's coming of 
 age) ; and, from the first costumier in town, Heffernan 
 had procured some beautiful dresses, on commission, for
 
 Bringing in the New Year. 103 
 
 Agnes and others in the house, and a very handsome 
 investment in which he meant to appear himself. 
 
 After leisurely unpacking and loitering about for some 
 time, he at length descended the stairs, and took the 
 opportunity of slipping off to the billiard-room, where he 
 heard the click of the billiard bails. There he found 
 Hector and Tewkesley in the middle of "a hundred 
 up." 
 
 Hector had been off the sick-list for several days, but 
 he still looked a good deal pulled down by his recent 
 accident ; and the slight over-exertion at Christmas time, 
 in helping the Squire to do the honours at Barringtree, 
 had, perhaps, somewhat retarded his recovery. Heffernan 
 had not seen him out of bed since his illness, and the 
 change in his appearance at once struck him. He might 
 have exclaimed with ^Eneas, when the ghost of the 
 Trojan Hector appeared, "Quantum mutafns ah illo." 
 But, not wishing to alarm the Barringtree Hector, 
 Heffernan, instead, merely congratulated him heartily on 
 his recovery, and the attainment of his twenty-first 
 birthday. 
 
 " We shall finish this in a minute/' said Hector, making 
 a losing hazard off the red, " and then weTl go into the 
 drawing-room. YouVe not seen the ladies yet, you 
 say?" 
 
 "No; IVe only just arrived/'' 
 
 " Brought all the dresses, I hope ? " 
 
 " Oh, yes, everything complete." 
 
 " What are you coming out as yourself, Heffernan ? ' 
 inquired Tewkesley. 
 
 "The evil genius in 'Faust/" 
 
 " Mephistopheles ; capital!" cried Hector. "Lady 
 Mountjoy will be getting you to rejuvenate her e dear Sir 
 Francis ' on the spot, I shouldn't wonder."
 
 1 04 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 " Not she. Her ladyship prefers the old gentleman as 
 he is. He makes such an excellent foil, you see." 
 
 " There's something 1 in that, certainly. What's the 
 game, Tewkesley ? Did you put me on that loser ? " 
 
 "Yes. Eighty-eight, seventy-nine/' Here Hector, 
 making a break, ran out a winner by twenty-one 
 points. 
 
 He and Heffernan then adjourned to the drawing-room, 
 while Tewkesley returned to the Rectory. To account 
 for that gentleman's frequent presence at the Hall, it 
 should be mentioned that, on the living at Barringtree 
 falling vacant two years since, the Squire, in whose gift 
 the benefice was, had presented Gertrude's only brother, 
 the Rev. Arthur Tewkesley, who was then a curate in 
 some out-of-the-way place in Cornwall, and as he was a 
 capital fellow, and proved a great acquisition to the parish, 
 the Squire had no reason to regret the nomination. 
 
 Later on in the evening Heffernan had shaken off his 
 blue devils for a time, and dismissed the mysterious bur- 
 den from his mind which had grown out of his interview 
 with Mrs. Corcoran. He took Agnes in to dinner, and 
 she did not fail to notice that he was rather distrait in 
 his manner 'and conversation at first; but this wore off 
 by degrees, and when they all reassembled in the drawing- 
 room he had recovered his usual cheerful demeanour, so 
 she thought no more of it. 
 
 Now came the all-important discussion regarding the 
 fancy costumes from London, which were brought down 
 from Heffernan's room into the library, submitted for 
 inspection, and pronounced perfect. Of course each lady 
 and gentleman desired to keep her or his dress a profound 
 secret ; but, as is usual in such cases, this was soon dis- 
 covered to be impossible, chiefly because everybody 
 confided in everybody else, which ended at last in the
 
 Bringing in the A T ew Year. 105 
 
 whole community consulting together openly on certain 
 vexed points, as to the correctness of this coiffure, the cut 
 of that bodice, or the colour of such an one's wig, and so 
 forth. 
 
 There were four or five cousins, male and female, staying 
 in the house, who affected to represent different foreign 
 countries, consequently the little congress assumed quite an 
 international character. Hector and Agnes, however, were 
 classical in their tastes, and represented respectively 
 Pygmalion and Galatea, while Gertrude essayed a simple 
 Puritan costume, which well became her, the Squire in- 
 tending to appear in his uniform as Lord Lieutenant of 
 the county ; in short, everybody was coming out in 
 fancy dress except old Mrs. Grayle, who, with her usual 
 unamiability and obstinate spirit, refused to make " a 
 guy of herself to please any one." But there was nothing 
 uncommon in this, for she never did please any one about 
 anything, so nobody cared. 
 
 At length New Year's eve arrived, and the carriages 
 rolled up to the Hall door one after another, and dis- 
 charged their variegated burdens in a seemingly endless 
 stream. 
 
 In due course the Merrydale private 'bus disgorged the 
 following incongruous contents : — Old Father Christmas 
 (Sir Francis), a vivandiere (Lady Mountjoy), Lady Teazle 
 (Miss Mountjoy), Robinson Crusoe (Clement), Marie 
 Antoinette (Miss Goldsnip), and a hooded Friar (Mr. 
 Goldsnip, her father). 
 
 After this cargo was deposited appeared Eily O'Connor, 
 leaning on the arm of Cardinal Wolsey (Arthur Tewkesley 
 and Norah, his wife, a funny little woman from the 
 Emerald Isle), and a whole host of others, until the 
 Hall was crowded with the motley groups, which con- 
 tradicted history in the broadest way, for here Oliver
 
 io6 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 Cromwell and Charles the First walked arm-in-arm in 
 friendly fashion, whilst Mary, Queen of Scots, and old 
 John Knox appeared on the most affectionate terms, 
 flirting together in a corner, as did many other traditional 
 foes. 
 
 One of Strauss' delicious melodies opened the proceed- 
 ings, and away whirled the gorgeous dancers, in glorious 
 confusion — an undulating mass of colour, with prismatic 
 effects from the brilliant lights. But having once fairly 
 started them, what more need be said, since ball-room 
 upon ball-room has been described ad nauseam in a 
 hundred fictions. 
 
 " Norah, my dear," called Mrs. Grayle senior, seated in 
 regal grandeur, as she thought, at one side of the room — 
 the situation rather lending dignity to Mrs. Grayle than 
 Mrs Grayle to the situation — and looking in her non- 
 fancy dress like a withered old cabbage amid that gay- 
 coloured throng. " Norah," cried she, beckoning to the 
 little Hibernian lady, "tell me now, what on earth do you 
 call yourself?" 
 
 "Faith, I'm Miss Eily O'Connor, ma'am, the Colleen 
 Bawn," replied Mrs. Tewkesley, exaggerating her brogue 
 — which was in some degree natural — to suit the character. 
 " Bad luck to your blind ould eyes, not to know," she 
 added, aside. 
 
 "Ah, very pretty, very pretty indeed," said Mrs. 
 Grayle, condescendingly, and criticizing the dress through 
 her eye-glasses. 
 
 " I'm thinking it is, ma'am," returned the lively little 
 lady, with a pert curtsey. "And so the Squire tould 
 me, too." 
 
 Now the very mention of the Squire by Mrs. Tewkesley 
 was touching dangerous ground. Old Mrs. Grayle was ex- 
 tremely jealous of the influence exercised over the lord of the
 
 Bringing in the New Year. 107 
 
 manor by the parson's wife, for the latter was perpetually 
 buttonholeing him on parochial and other matters, and 
 could twist him round her finger easily enough, a feat 
 Mrs. Grayle generally failed to accomplish. That old 
 lady, as a rule, managed to trump up a casus belli about 
 once a week against Mrs. Tewkesley, though as far as 
 pugnacity went the fiery little Irish woman was her 
 match, being always ready for a row, like a true Paddy ; 
 so there were some pretty free fights between them. 
 
 u He did, did he ? " exclaimed Mrs. Grayle, with rising 
 ire ; " and Til engage to say you took good care to draw 
 his attention to it." This with an ill-disguised sneer. 
 
 " Not I, bedad," retorted Mrs. Tewkesley, carelessly, 
 but with an air as if she were tucking up her sleeves in 
 imagination, preparatory to an encounter. " I've some- 
 thing else to do to-night than set me cap at the ould 
 folks/' 
 
 "Really!" snorted Mrs. Grayle, fairly bridling up. 
 u I think you forget yourself, madam. A married woman, 
 and a clergyman's wife, too, talking about setting your 
 cap, indeed ! " 
 
 ■* Luckily for me," replied the Colleen Bawn, clutching 
 the ghost of a shillela in her hand, " me husband's not 
 such a fool as — as some people I know." And she glared 
 defiantly at her enemy, as though requesting her to tread 
 on the tail of her coat. 
 
 "Meaning to insinuate, I suppose — " began Mrs. Grayle, 
 with an ominous hiss, when fortunately they were inter- 
 rupted by Cardinal "Wolsey, who, seeing that a ring was 
 about to be formed, came up and took the fierce old 
 " Hecate H off to supper. 
 
 " Good gracious ! how I loathe that old woman," mut- 
 tered Mrs. Tewkesley, as she glanced contemptuously 
 after her foe, looking rather disappointed at not being
 
 io8 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 able to have it out on the spot. " Poor Arthur ! always 
 making himself a marthyr. Faith, that's a rhyme, but 
 with a very poor reason in it. Anyway I don't envy him." 
 And three minutes afterwards the little Colleen Bawn 
 had waltzed off her spleen under the immediate superin- 
 tendence of Woapalanne, the Bald Eagle, a tall North 
 American Indian chief who claimed her hand. 
 
 " Where's the vivandiere ? Where's Lady Mountjoy ? " 
 inquired Hector, looking about him, as the musiciaus 
 struck up "II Baccio." "This is oar dance. Ah, there 
 she is ! " and he hurriedly crossed the room to a quiet 
 nook, where he espied her talking away very earnestly 
 to his mother. 
 
 Yes, there she was, electric battery and all, apparently 
 so absorbed in her occupation of bringing the gentle 
 Gertrude under the full influence of those basilisks, that 
 she had quite forgotten about dancing. 
 
 Lady Mountjoy was sparkling with a brilliant idea that 
 evening, and was trying to impress upon Gertrude the 
 desirability of making a match between her son, Hector, 
 and Miss Goldsnip, a reputed heiress, and her ladyship's 
 special protegee pro tern. Gertrude, however, didn't seem 
 to view the matter in the same light at all ; nevertheless, 
 the would-be match-maker was determined to try what 
 she could do with the young people themselves. 
 
 " Our dance ! " cried she, springing up and taking 
 Hector's arm, who now appeared opportunely in the 
 midst of her eulogiums; then as he led her away, 
 " now would you be offended if I asked you to transfer 
 it to another lady ? I've already introduced you, but I 
 see you've only danced with her once;" and before 
 Hector had time to remonstrate, she had pulled up op- 
 posite to where Miss Goldsnip was just then seated, part- 
 nerless this time, and forthwith handed him over to her.
 
 Bringing in the New Year. 109 
 
 Thus Pygmalion was once more " saddled " (to use his 
 own expression) with the unflattering impersonator of 
 Marie Antoinette, for, to tell the truth, in his former dance 
 with her, he had not been at all prepossessed in favour 
 either of her appearance, conversation, or manner, and 
 would rather have been excused a repetition of the dose. 
 Added to this, he was in no frame of mind just then for 
 making up to the most desirable female Croesus in the 
 world ; certainly not to have her crammed down his throat 
 in this way. In passing through the entrance hall, with one 
 of his partners, a little while before, he had caught sight 
 of that lovely face, which perpetually haunted him now — 
 Lizzie Rolfe had accompanied her father to have a look at 
 the dancers, in common with several of the retainers — 
 and that brief glance of her was a sufficient reminder, if 
 one was needed, to make him less appreciative than ever 
 of other womenkind. 
 
 On the other hand, Miss Goldsnip was one of those 
 haughty parvenus who thought every one was bound to 
 worship mammon, and therefore ought to kneel to her, 
 so was proportionately piqued at Hector's cool in- 
 difference. Hence, they were not a very happily adapted 
 couple. 
 
 After a few monosyllabic remarks, and having struggled 
 round the crowded ball-room once or twice, with a mutual 
 air of being thoroughly bored, — 
 
 Pygmalion ("stifling a yawn, and with difficulty speaking 
 through it), "Do you feel inclined for another turn?" 
 (Aside) " Hope not — she doesn't look as if she did." 
 
 Marie Antoinette (catching the yawn), "Thank you, no, 
 Fni rather tired." (Aside) u I could dance for ever with 
 a decent partner, though.'" 
 
 Pygmalion (with a happy thought). "Perhaps you'd 
 like to sit down, then ? "
 
 i- 1 o The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 Marie Antoinette (jumping at it). "I think I should, 
 please." 
 
 According^, spying Lady Mountjoy close by, watching 
 them, and giving the battery a little holiday, Pygmalion 
 forthwith returns the heiress carefully on her chaperon's 
 hands. 
 
 Pygmalion (as the unfortunate queen reseats herself, 
 with a relieved sigh). " Thank you so very much for 
 the dance, I've enjoyed it immensely.'" With which 
 dreadful falsehood he bows and leaves her, much to 
 Lady Mountjoy's surprise, as the valse is not yet half 
 over. 
 
 But a rather more interesting scene than the above is 
 taking place about the same time in a dimly-lighted little 
 grotto by the conservatory. 
 
 Seated in this are Galatea and Eobinson Crusoe, 
 whose conversation, as well as can be judged by their 
 faces in the imperfect light, appears to be of a very 
 serious nature. , . 
 
 te I assure you, Clement, you cannot tell how utterly 
 surprised I am to hear you say this." 
 
 " Are you, Agnes — are you really? Then you never 
 knew — you never felt, I suppose — " he hesitated, and his 
 voice trembled while he added, to himself, " And now, 
 alas ! it is all too late ! " 
 
 "As a brother, dear Clement, I have always loved, 
 and always shall love you — and as a sister I hoped—" 
 
 "Yes — yes. I know, Agnes, I know. It ought only 
 to have been that ; but I have let it grow upon me day 
 by day — you never guessed the truth, and I have not 
 dared to tell you." 
 
 A long pause. 
 
 " I thought you asked if I were really engaged merely 
 out of curiosity, Clement. I little knew how my reply
 
 Bringing in the New Year. 1 1 1 
 
 would pain you ; forgive me if I spoke thoughtlessly — 
 too abruptly." 
 
 " Forgive you, darling ! " he cried, taking her hand ; 
 " I must call you so, though it be for the last time — " 
 
 " No, no, dear \ why should it be ? — at least — let me 
 remain your sister as I have ever been/' 
 
 "Ah, it will be so different when you are married, 
 Agnes, and — and belong to another." He said this with 
 such a heavy sigh, and gulped down the words with a 
 painful choking in his throat. 
 
 Neither spoke for a few minutes; but presently he 
 murmured passionately, as if to himself, " Oh, Agnes, 
 Agnes, how I have loved you — how I love you still ! and 
 you never knew ; but now — lost to me for ever ! n and 
 the poor boy's frame seemed to be convulsed with 
 emotion as he said this. Though the agonized words 
 were uttered in a low tone, Agnes partly overheard them, 
 and was deeply distressed at his agitation; but without 
 knowing what solace to offer, she still remained silent, 
 sootbingly stroking his hand as it lay in hers. This 
 silence becoming painful and oppressive, she roused 
 herself at last, with an effort, and said in a quiet, gentle 
 tone, — 
 
 " Clement, listen to me, dear. A love like yours is 
 indeed worthy of a better object ; and most surely I do 
 not deserve such devotion, or the deep feeling in your 
 heart had awakened a response in mine, without the 
 telling. But now, what can J do ? what can I say to 
 comfort you ? " 
 
 " Nothing, Agnes, nothing ; do not pity me," he 
 exclaimed, impetuously ; " I do not deserve it. I can but 
 blame myself — selfish fellow that I am — I might have 
 spared you this painful scene, thus embittering the dawn 
 of your new life with my sad tale of woe. It is my turn
 
 1 1 2 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 now to ask you to forgive, dear Agnes, and I do : be 
 assured your future happiness in this choice is the most 
 cherished thought I have in the world — my never-ceasing 
 prayer." 
 
 " God bless you, Clem/' she whispered, drawing nearer 
 to him, and pressing a sisterly kiss upon his forehead ; 
 " may that joy and happiness which awaits yon too be 
 not so far distant as you think." 
 
 Another deep sigh was his only answer; and as they 
 rose together from the seat, she did not observe that 
 settled look of despair on his earnest face — that dead 
 look in those eyes, as if the very life and soul had gone 
 out of him. She did not see this, or her young heart 
 would have ached still more for poor Clement Mountjoy. 
 However, the poet says — 
 
 " Love, unreturn'd, 
 Hath gracious uses ; the keen pang departs, 
 The sweetness never — " 
 
 and although a heavy burden such as this (to apply an 
 old metaphor) may break the maturer stem, it only serves 
 to bend the yielding sapling, which, with the elasticity 
 of youth, springs back to its normal state, when once 
 relieved of the temporary load. 
 
 So we must have some hope for poor young Mountjoy 
 yet, although his case is, I own, a very hard one. 
 
 "Why, Agnes, I have been looking for you every- 
 where," cried a voice as they emerged from the con- 
 servatory; and, turning, she saw her future husband 
 approaching. " Do you know you've missed our last 
 dance ? " 
 
 " Oh, I am so sorry, Albert ! " cried Agnes, as she dis- 
 engaged her hand from Clement's arm. "I felt a little 
 tired, and I — 1 was resting in the conservatory."
 
 Bring mg in the A r eza Year. 1 1 3 
 
 "You were? I looked in there, and couldn't see 
 you." 
 
 " In the little grotto beyond, I mean. I'm not en- 
 gaged for this next one, Albert. If you are not, will you 
 dance it instead ? " 
 
 " Agreed." 
 
 Heffernan then led her back into the ball-room ; and 
 Agnes noticed that that gloomy frown seemed to have 
 resettled itself on his brow. 
 
 " Could it be that he was angry at such a trifle ? " she 
 thought, with a slight feeling of misgiving. 
 
 No ; it was not that, I fancy. Something else had pro- 
 duced that appropriate Mephistophelean look — something, 
 perhaps, which had reminded him of his recent interview 
 with Mrs. Corcoran, and revealed more plainly the 
 impending sword which now seemed to threaten him, 
 and effectually destroyed his enjoyment of the festive 
 scene. 
 
 vol. 1.
 
 1 1 4 The Sword of Damocles, 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 " THE MONAECH OP THE GLEN." 
 
 " The antler'd monarch 
 
 # * # # # 
 
 Like crested leader, proud and high, 
 Toss'd his beam'd frontlet to the sky." 
 
 Sir Walter Scott. 
 " A true knight, 
 Not yet mature, yet matchless ; 
 
 t tF tP ^ J$F * 
 
 Hector, in his blaze of wrath, subscribes 
 To tender objects. 
 
 Shakspeare. 
 
 Squiee Geayle had always cherished a pet hobby for 
 collecting foreign birds and animals, and acclimatizing 
 them at Barringtree ; and the last importation consisted 
 of some red deer from Scotland, which he wished to add 
 to his menagerie ; howbeit, in the somewhat limited 
 space such an experiment was scarcely likely to be a 
 great success. There were only three or four of these 
 animals at present ; but if they did well, and agreed with 
 the rest of the stock, Mr. Grayle intended by-and-by to 
 have a small herd of them. 
 
 This scheme, however, was nipped in the bud by a 
 certain circumstance which must be explained. It turned 
 out that one of the stags, a royal, captured in its wild 
 state, proved to be an incorrigible nuisance (especially 
 during a certain season of the year), and people were
 
 " The Monarch of the Glen" i 15 
 
 positively afraid to walk in the park, lest this ferocious 
 monarch of the glen should take it into his head, as he 
 seemed inclined, to impale them on his sharp points, like 
 so many beetles and butterflies, as if he had been a 
 collector of insects, bent on the process of pinning his 
 victims. Complaints being frequent, this pugnacious 
 gentleman, fortunately before he could commence his 
 collection, was degraded from his position as king of the 
 Barringtree beasts, and driven into a paddock until he 
 learned to behave himself. 
 
 It so happened tbat Master Macbeth, as he was called, 
 had just been liberated again from durance vile, for it was 
 supposed his bump of combativeness had subsided mean- 
 while, and that with the new year he would turn over a 
 new leaf. But he disappointed this expectation, and 
 soon showed that all seasons were alike to him, and that 
 he was still bent upon making that collection. 
 
 A fine, noble-looking beast he was, with his twelve- 
 tined antlers and thick, hairy throat ; strong as a bullock 
 and active as a cat ; a grand type, indeed, of Landseer's 
 favourites, but one whom it were safer for an artist to 
 study from a respectful distance. 
 
 Now, one afternoon, a few days subsequent to the fancy 
 ball, Lizzie Rolfe was making her way across the park in 
 blissful ignorance as to the liberation of this dreaded beast. 
 Had she known that he was again at large she might 
 have thought twice before venturing out alone, for she 
 had often heard her father say that he was "sure the 
 varmint could never be trusted, and ought to be destroyed 
 for a perrulous pest/' 
 
 Before she had proceeded a quarter of a mile on her 
 way, Lizzie fancied she caught sight of a solitary stag 
 graziug on the further side of a clump of beech-trees, 
 about two hundred yards to her right. From its appear - 
 
 1 2
 
 1 1 6 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 ance it made her heart give a sudden jump ; but she 
 recollected, with a feeling of reassurance, that Master 
 Macbeth was secure in his paddock — or, at least, she 
 believed so — and continued her walk fearlessly, although 
 an instinctive feeling of dread prompted her to throw a 
 nervous glance now and again towards that clump of 
 beeches. 
 
 " It's only one of the other red deer," she argued to 
 herself, on getting a clearer view of the creature through 
 the trees, " and they're harmless enough, father says." 
 
 But at this moment the stag shifted its position a little 
 — having been browsing with its head turned from her, 
 so that she only had a foreshortened view of its body — 
 and Lizzie, who still watched it, now distinctly saw the 
 size and points of its branching horns, and thus, to her 
 utter dismay, ascertained that it was the redoubtable 
 Master Macbeth himself, and none other, who was feeding 
 there in solitary grandeur, otium cum dignitate. 
 
 Her first impulse was to run for her life, but she re- 
 membered that this would at once attract the creature's 
 attention, and then, heaven help her ! her little feet were 
 scarcely calculated to outstrip those nimble hoofs. No, 
 her second thought was best — to steal quietly along 
 under cover of the big trees, which intervened between 
 her path and the object of alarm, and so hope to escape 
 detection by her light footstep. Poor Lizzie ! her every 
 nerve was strained in painful tension as she crept along 
 like a mouse in the vain hope of eluding that antlered 
 monster. 
 
 An unlucky twig, which snapped under her foot just at 
 that critical moment, sounded like a pistol fired in her 
 ear, and with anxious terrified eyes she glanced towards 
 the red deer, and gave a thankful sigh of relief as she 
 observedfhirn still browsing peacefully.
 
 " The Monarch of the Glen" 1 1 7 
 
 Make haste, Lizzie ! get on as quickly as you can. 
 Never mind the dried sticks underfoot. If you can only 
 gain the corner of that wood and turn out of sight, you 
 are safe ! 
 
 Oh, how her heart thumped against her breast as she 
 hurried forward ! The first despair of escape had now 
 given place to a natural hope which rose strong within 
 her. 
 
 But, alas ! at this moment a gentle breeze sprang up, 
 crossing her path, and blowing straight from her to the 
 enemy, when instantly he threw up his magnificent head 
 and sniffed the air suspiciously. 
 
 Vain hope, indeed, to think of eluding the acute senses 
 of that Highland monarch. Many a time and oft had he 
 stood sentry to the herd on the distant hills of Scotland, 
 and many a time disappointed the excited gillie who had 
 longed for that noble head after an arduous stalk. 
 
 The lightest wind to those keen nostrils, tainted by the 
 far-off presence of man, was as good as a warning bugle- 
 note to a sleeping camp. 
 
 But here the situation was reversed, and when the 
 animal detected the human presence, he struck his fore- 
 hoof angrily on the ground, and looked about him ; then, 
 catching sight of Lizzie, he turned towards her, and slowly 
 and majestically advanced three or four paces. 
 
 Lizzie, still on the anxious watch, saw all this with a 
 sinking at her heart once more, and felt in doubt as to 
 whether she should continue her hurried walk, or stand 
 and face the dangerous stag boldly. She had heard of, 
 and read often, how the human eye may quell the fiercest 
 beast ; and certainly such a pretty pair of eyes as hers 
 ought to have softened the heart of that terrible High- 
 lander if he had been anything of a gentleman, which 
 unfortunately he was not.
 
 1 1 8 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 Desperation actually gave the poor girl courage enougli 
 to think of making the experiment, though only for want 
 of a better chance of escape. 
 
 The deer had now broken into a springy trot as he 
 came towards her, and, seeing this, Lizzie, acting on the 
 desperate alternative at once, stopped short and fronted 
 him. Immediately she was rewarded for her pluck and 
 presence of mind by seeing the savage beast halt as 
 suddenly. He was now a little over a hundred yards 
 away, and gazed at the girl as if in utter astonishment at 
 her audacity. At the same time Lizzie felt little hope of 
 keeping him long at bay in this manner, but suddenly 
 her attention was drawn to a hu^e old oak which stood 
 within a few yards of her. Her only chance, then, if the 
 stag showed the slightest signs of hostility, was to make 
 a frantic rush for the friendly trunk, and get behind it 
 before she was attacked. This protection, however, she 
 was also well aware could only be very temporary, since 
 her strength would soon fail her, and unless timely help 
 came, she knew she must fall beneath those cruel hoofs 
 and be gored to death by 'the deadly horns. 
 
 Keeping her eyes steadily fixed on her unwelcome 
 vis-a-vis, Lizzie, offering up a prayer for her safety, now 
 glided by almost imperceptible degrees towards the tree ; 
 but before she had lessened the distance between it and 
 herself by more than two or three yards, the stag made 
 an angry movement, struck the turf again sharply with 
 his hoof, and uttered a deep guttural sound, which caused 
 her heart to leap again with terror. Forgetting all 
 caution at this critical juncture, she hastened her stealthy 
 approach towards the oak of refuge — and it was well she 
 did so, or she never could have reached it ! 
 
 The vicious beast, having conquered his curiosity, which 
 alone had kept him at bay for a minute, now lowered his
 
 " The Monarch of the Glen" 1 19 
 
 head, and without further warning rushed towards her. 
 This was a signal for Lizzie to fly for the tree, which she 
 just managed to get to in time, and as she darted behind 
 its gigantic trunk, Master Macbeth dashed past like 
 lightning. In a moment he returned to repeat the charge, 
 more furious than ever, with eyes glowering fiercely, and 
 distended nostrils, and once more the terrified girl 
 evaded him with the energy of despair. But this could 
 not last long j she was already nearly fainting, while her 
 knees trembled as if she would fall every minute. 
 
 Shrieking again and again for help, Lizzie scarcely 
 remembered anything further — her brain began to swim, 
 and more by instinct than anything else she kept the tree 
 between, herself and her merciless assailant for a few 
 moments longer. 
 
 Then at last, oh welcome sound ! she heard the fierce 
 barking of dogs, then a loud shout and some one calling 
 her by name, and then a rushing of confused noises in 
 her ears — the sky grew dark, and she sank down at the 
 foot of the oak in a dead swoon. - 
 
 " Have at him, Captain ! worry him, Pilot ! By heaven, 
 you brute ! you shall have both barrels if you come here." 
 
 Thu3 Hector Grayle, in angry excitement, as with one 
 arm he supported the unconscious Lizzie, grasping his 
 gun with the disengaged hand. 
 
 He was panting for breath, having run at top speed 
 from a distant corner of the park, where he had been 
 amusing himself in a small spinney with some " stub " 
 rabbits. 
 
 His quick ear had detected the cries for help, when he 
 at once hurried off in the direction of the sound, and 
 caught sight of Master Macbeth at his old games; but
 
 1 20 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 Hector little knew then who the victim was. As he 
 neared the spot, however, he recognized poor Lizzie in 
 the last stage of terror, and rushing madly forward, 
 utterly regardless whether the stag attacked him or not, 
 he raised her in his arms just as she had collapsed and 
 fallen to the ground. 
 
 Meanwhile Hector's two retrievers, Captain and Pilot, 
 had gone straight at the savage hart with a ferocity which 
 looked like eating him up on the spot, horns, hoofs, and 
 all. 
 
 Thus foiled in his murderous assault — for this attack 
 on the part of the dogs of course diverted his attention 
 from the fainting girl — Master Macbeth responded to their 
 fierce clamour by a disdainful sweep of his antlers, which 
 kept the indignant Captain and his mate at a respectful 
 distance. Still the effect was the same as if they had 
 fastened themselves to his throat and sucked his very 
 life-blood, for the common enemy seemed by this inter- 
 ference to have forgotten his late intended victim, which 
 was lucky for him, or he would most assuredly have re- 
 ceived a couple of barrels of " number six " from Hector's 
 gun. After striking at the dogs once or twice with his 
 hoofs, as if he meant to teach them a lesson in boxing, 
 and making another sudden swoop with his horns, which 
 very nearly settled the Captain, the haughty monarch 
 suddenly raised his head, as though a thought struck him 
 that their impotent clamour was beneath his notice. So, 
 after a moment's pause, he stalked slowly off, with a 
 majestic air, scorning such small fry as unworthy of his 
 steel. The retrievers made a feint at " harassing his re- 
 treat," but this was a very feeble performance, and met 
 with the contempt it deserved. 
 
 "Lizzie, look up — do look up, there is no danger 
 now/' said Hector, trying by fanning her face to restore
 
 " The Monarch of the G/en" 121 
 
 consciousness, for there was not a drop of water nearer 
 than the lake to revive her, and he began to get fright- 
 ened at the prolonged swoon. The stag having moved 
 off, he had placed his gun on the ground, and was de- 
 voting all his attention to the insensible form. 
 
 How lovely she looked as she reclined there, her face 
 thrown back, the rippling hair fallen loose across her 
 bosom, and the lips slightly parted, while a soft sigh 
 escaped them as of grateful relief. 
 
 u Lizzie, pray look at me, you are quite safe now — 
 here in my arms, my darling, oh, my darling ;" and no 
 longer able to restrain himself, he clasped her to him and 
 pressed a burning kiss on those sweet lips. 
 
 Presently she unclosed her eyes, and seeing the hand- 
 some face so close to hers, a slight blush tinged her 
 cheek. Then, making an effort to raise her head, she 
 exclaimed, ,f 0h, Mr. Hector, is it you? what has 
 happened ? where am I V 3 
 
 " Don't be frightened, Lizzie, the danger is over — " 
 
 " Oh, I remember/' she murmured, " that dreadful 
 stag! oh, and you — you saved me!" — whereupon she 
 closed her eyes again and seemed almost to relapse into 
 a state of unconsciousness. 
 
 " Do you feel better now, Lizzie ? n he asked presently, 
 gazing in ardent admiration at the beautiful face he 
 supported so tenderly, and longing to say something 
 more loving and endearing, albeit he refrained now that 
 she had once opened her eyes and recognized him. 
 
 Fie ! Hector, was it right of you to steal that kiss 
 when she lay helpless in your arms ? You fear even to 
 call her " darling " now that you think she can hear 
 you. But this was not merely owing to the coyness of a 
 first love — for Hector Grayle had never known the 
 " power " before — it was from a feeling of intense respect
 
 1 2 2 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 in which he held her very name ; a conviction that she 
 would be virtuously indignant at the least undue fami- 
 liarity. This respect for the girl was a sure and healthy 
 sign of the purest feeling, and it must be confessed he 
 felt even now ashamed of having stolen that kiss. But 
 he had resolved to tell her the whole truth, and surely 
 an open declaration of his love should absolve him from 
 the petty theft. 
 
 Lizzie, having quite come to herself after a little 
 while, rose at length to her feet, and thanked her pre- 
 server earnestly again and again for having saved her 
 life. 
 
 Now the actual fact of succouring lovely woman in 
 distress is very romantic at all times, no matter if the 
 rescue is attended by little or no risk to the rescuer. 
 But when it happens to be the chosen knight who saves 
 his ladye-love from the jaws of death, it enhances the 
 romance tenfold. 
 
 Although Hector depreciated the service he had ren- 
 dered, saying it was his dogs and not he who had driven 
 off the stag, Lizzie experienced none the less a delicious 
 thrill of pleasure when she felt she owed her life to him, 
 the hero of her dreams — for it is needless to conceal the 
 fact, she was as much in love with Hector as he with her. 
 But the disparity of their positions was calculated to 
 make her the more prudent and reticent, for Lizzie was 
 no thoughtless flirt, and an affair of this kind was likely 
 to go hard with her, especially as she felt nothing could 
 come of it but disappointment and unhappiness. 
 
 " Which way were you going, Lizzie ? " asked Hector, 
 as he picked up his gun and called the dogs to heel. 
 " You must let me escort you." 
 
 u Thank you, sir," replied Lizzie, " I was only just 
 walking as far as the village to do some shopping."
 
 " The Monarch of the Glen." 123 
 
 " Come along, then, little nurse," lie rejoined, in a 
 cheery voice. " You needn't be the least afraid now j 
 it's my turn to take care of you, isn't it ? And you shall 
 see what a good protector I'll be." 
 
 " I'm sure you are. I should never feel a bit frightened 
 with you, Mr. Hector/' said she, with charming naivete, 
 as they walked along together. 
 
 " That's right. And as for that villainous old bully, 
 Master Macbeth, if he comes within fifty yards of us again, 
 he shall have the contents of my gun as sure as he's a 
 royal. Not worthy of royalty exactly to behave so to a 
 poor unprotected little girl, was it ? However, thank 
 God, it was no worse, Lizzie," and he gave her such an 
 earnest look as made the warm blood course through her 
 veins like quicksilver. 
 
 " But the Squire would be very angry if you shot the 
 animal, wouldn't he, Mr. Hector ? " 
 
 " I can't help that. I certainly shall if the brute gives 
 me cause again; though it would take a bullet to polish 
 him off properly. However, I shall tell my grandfather 
 of this adventure, and no doubt the dangerous beast will 
 be venison before many days. Now, Lizzie, if you will 
 go on into the village and finish your commissions, I'll 
 meet you at the lower gates in an hour's time. I have 
 some things to attend to in the stables, so it won't be 
 ' out of my way ; and of course I must take care of you on 
 your return home." 
 
 " Oh, no, thank you, Mr. Hector," replied Lizzie, diffi- 
 dently. " I couldn't trouble you to go all the way back 
 with me. I could get one of the men — " 
 
 " Would you prefer that ? " he asked, with a peculiar 
 smile. 
 
 " Oh, no, of course not," she answered, quickly ; adding, 
 " I only meant I didn't like to be such a trouble."
 
 124 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 " But I wish to escort you, Lizzie. Do you understand 
 me ? " As he said this he gave her that earnest look 
 again, and there was just a shade of authority in his 
 tone, as if he thought he had a right to appropriate her 
 now. 
 
 This was very sweet to Lizzie, although she hardly 
 liked to own it to herself ; nevertheless it did not escape 
 her. 
 
 "Very well, sir," she murmured, dropping her eyes as 
 the blush returned to her cheek ; " if you really don't 
 mind ." 
 
 " I certainly shouldn't like you to walk through the 
 park with any one else at night ; that is, while that crea- 
 ture is about/' he added, quickly, as if to qualify his words. 
 " So, remember, Lizzie, in an hour's time, by the gates ; 
 don't be later." 
 
 She promised not to keep him waiting, and tripped off 
 towards the village, Hector following her with his eyes 
 till she passed out of sight.
 
 125 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 CUPID S SLAVES. 
 
 " I know that thou dost love me. I in vain 
 Strive to love aught of earth or heaven but thee. 
 Thou art my first, last, only love ; nor shall 
 Another even tempt my heart." 
 
 Bailey. 
 
 " Yet when I approach 
 Her loveliness, so absolute she seems, 
 And in herself complete ; so well to know 
 Her own, that what she wills to do or say, 
 Seems wisest, virtuousest, discreetest, best.'' 
 
 Milton. 
 
 It was not at all likely that such an attractive girl as 
 Lizzie Rolfe should be without admirers and would-be 
 lovers in her own class of life. In the little world at 
 Barringtree alone their name was legion, and there were 
 other aspirants beyond its immediate radius. Bat to 
 each and all the gamekeeper's daughter preserved the 
 same discreet deportment, keeping them at a judicious 
 distance by consummate tact, and yet without wounding 
 their feelings. 
 
 Amongst these admirers was a certain individual, more 
 desperately enamoured, and more importunate than the 
 rest. This was Allan Woodruff, one of her father's 
 subordinates, commonly called " Woolly " Woodruff,
 
 26 The Sword of Damocles, 
 
 from his having a shock head of black curly hair, re- 
 sembling a negro's. 
 
 He was a burly Suffolk yokel, boasting a pair of shoul- 
 ders like Goliath, and with not altogether a bad cast of 
 countenance ; though these advantages were somewhat 
 counteracted by a violent temper — sulky as well as 
 violent, when he looked a very devil — and a coarse voca- 
 bulary. Lizzie had almost learned to consider this fellow 
 in the light of a necessary nuisance to her existence, since 
 he was perpetually pressing his suit, notwithstanding 
 sharp rebuffs from old Gideon and Mrs. Rolfe, and scant 
 encouragement from herself. 
 
 As Lizzie made her way through the village, all the 
 shopping commissions seemed to have gone out of her 
 head. There was no room for anything but the recollec- 
 tion of her late adventure and escape ; and this, of course, 
 conjured up a whirlwind of sweet but conflicting thoughts, 
 in which, equally of course, the form of Hector Grayle 
 took the lead. She looked forward to, and yet half 
 dreaded her walk back with him, for there was a peculiar 
 earnestness in his manner when he pressed the point, 
 and she felt sure something unusual would come of that 
 walk. But an undefined feeling of pleasure brought a 
 fluttering to her heart when she recalled his passionate 
 look ; yet in no form of words had he committed himself 
 that she had heard. 
 
 Whilst in the midst of such cogitations as these Lizzie 
 was hardly in the humour to welcome any interruption, 
 more especially from that everlasting tormenter, Allan 
 Woodruff, whom she now encountered in the street, and 
 who brought her abruptly down to earth from fairy 
 land, by arresting her steps and accosting her as 
 follows : — 
 
 " Hulloa, Lizzie, where are ye off to in such a hurry
 
 Cupid? s Slaves. 127 
 
 with your eyes on your toes? Can't yer look at a 
 feller?" 
 
 U I beg your pardon, Fm sure. I never saw you," she 
 said, preparing to walk on. 
 
 "I dare say yow didn't/' was his reply, in an offended 
 tone. " There's none so blind as them as won't see. But 
 where are yer going ? " 
 
 u Only to the shop." 
 
 " Well, yow 'ont mind if I walk with yer, will yer ? " 
 he asked, suiting the action to the word, as she moved 
 forward. 
 
 " Not if you wish to do so, Allan j but Fm rather in a 
 hurry. 
 
 " Yes, yow're alius in a hurry I think when yer see me. 
 Why can't yer be a little more social like, Lizzie ? I'm 
 sure I haint never done yer no harm; nayow, have 
 I ? " This was the whining way he had of urging his 
 suit. 
 
 "Really I don't see why you ask such a questiou, 
 Allan," returned Lizzie, a little impatient at his silly 
 speech. " Of course you haven't, why should you ? " 
 
 " Well, I don't 'now. I don't see why I should," he 
 continued, at the same time viciously kicking a stone out 
 of his way, as though it had been in league with her 
 against him. " But yow alius fare to treat me as if I was 
 dut under yer foot." 
 
 " That's entirely your fancy, Allan. I never wish to 
 be rude to any one, and you know that ; but I really can't 
 go over all this subject again; I am quite tired of it. Come, 
 good night," she added, holding out her hand as she 
 reached the shop, and was about to enter. " I must 
 leave you now. I'm going in here." 
 
 " No, I 'ont say good night yet," he observed, for the 
 thought occurred to him of a chauce not to be lost, " 'cos
 
 128 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 yow ha' got to go back across the park, and I'll wait and 
 go with yer." 
 
 " Not to night, Allan — " began Lizzie, more than ever 
 vexed and worried by his importunity. 
 
 " Why not ? Look yow here/' he argued, as another 
 happy idea struck him, " that's dayown-roight daing'rus 
 for yow to goo back aloun, so I tell yer. Yow was 
 lucky to get here. Du yow 'now that there red stag's 
 abayout ? " 
 
 " Yes, I know, thank you, Allan ; but I have some one 
 coming to meet me, so I shall be all safe. Good night ;" 
 and without giving her bete noir time to say anything 
 further, she disappeared into the shop. 
 
 " Oh ! yow ha' got some one comin' to meet yer, have 
 yer ? " muttered Woolly Woodruff to himself, with ironi- 
 cal emphasis. " Nayow, if that some one had ha' bin your 
 farther, yow'd ha' said sow ; sow I'll jist see who that 
 some one is, my laidy;" and ruminating thus, in high 
 dudgeon at his services being rejected, he betook himself 
 to " The Three Cranes " (the crest of the Grayle family), 
 to soothe his ruffled spirit with a pot of " 'arf an' 'arf ." 
 
 The little god, Cupid, is ever punctilious in the matter 
 of appointments ; and the man in love, unless he be a 
 phlegmatic, lukewarm creature, unworthy of the noble 
 passion, is invariably punctual at the place of rendezvous — 
 more generally a good deal beforehand. 
 
 As Kosalind remarks to Orlando — " Break an hour's 
 promise in love ? He that will divide a minute into a 
 thousand parts, and break but a part of the thousandth 
 part of a minute in the affairs of love, it may be said of 
 him, that Cupid hath clapped him o' the shoulder, but I 
 warrant him heart-whole." 
 
 Hector Grayle was, of course, no exception to the rule 
 of " proper lovers," and had been waiting at the park
 
 Cupid's Slaves. 129 
 
 gates at least twenty minutes before Lizzie reached 
 them. 
 
 u I began to think I had missed you," he exclaimed, 
 as she appeared at last. " However, better late than 
 never/' 
 
 " But am I late, Mr. Hector ? I didn't fancy Fd been 
 gone an hour." 
 
 " Perhaps not ; it seemed to me like three, though," 
 he observed, smiling. 
 
 It was exactly forty-five minutes by the Hall clock 
 over the stables since they had separated. Such is — 
 love. 
 
 As they started on their return journey across the park 
 it was rapidly growing dark, so they did not observe a 
 third party dogging their footsteps; and, as that third 
 party kept at a respectful distance, his footsteps were not 
 likely to attract attention. 
 
 For some little time neither spoke. At length, by way 
 of breaking the ice, Hector inquired, — 
 
 u You don't feel nervous now, do you, Lizzie ? " 
 
 " Oh, not the least, thank you, sir ! " 
 
 "Master Macbeth will have to transfix me and the 
 dogs before he shall touch you, I can tell him." 
 
 The tall figure of her brave knight towered in the 
 gloaming beside her, and made Lizzie feel so snug and 
 secure. She looked upon him as quite a hero since he 
 had saved her life, and it was pleasant to dwell on that 
 thought. 
 
 " All bullies are cowards, though/' he added, " and he 
 won't face this," tapping his gun. " He can smell 
 powder as quick as a crow, Fll be bound." 
 
 A pause. 
 
 "You're not cold, I hope ? " he asked presently. a If 
 so, we'll walk a little quicker." 
 
 vol. 1. k
 
 1 30 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 But Lizzie was not at all cold, and her heart was beat- 
 ing fast enough to keep up a good circulation, even had 
 it been freezing ten times as hard as it was. Another 
 pause, rather longer this time. 
 
 " To tell the truth, Lizzie/' he began again, " I'm in 
 no hurry to reach the end of this walk ; I — I have so 
 much to say to you— something I must tell you. You 
 won't mind ? " 
 
 To this there was no answer. What could she reply ? 
 He had all the conversation to himself. 
 
 (< I don't think you need be ashamed to hear it, and," he 
 added, emphatically, e I'm sure I'm not ashamed to own it. 
 It is that I — I love you, Lizzie." Full stop. Was this all, 
 then ? He said he had so much to say, and this was 
 stale news, since her own instinct had told her as much 
 long ago. But this was not all by any means. Having 
 cleared the big jump, nothing could stop him now, when 
 once he had recovered himself on landing. 
 
 " Do you understand me, darling ? " he continued 
 earnestly, and taking her small trembling hand in his ; U I 
 love you with my whole soul. I know your gentle nature, 
 Lizzie ; your pure heart and proud spirit. I know more 
 of your character than you think ; and, perhaps, not 
 knowing mine, you might accept such a declaration at 
 first as a slight rather than a compliment. But, by 
 heaven ! what I say I mean. Such words have never 
 passed my lips before, and no power on earth could ever 
 make me retract or regret them/' 
 
 He paused for a reply, but receiving none, went on 
 again, not a whit abashed by her silence. Something 
 had taken place, perhaps, in that short silence. What 
 was it ? A slight pressure of the hand ? Who can tell ? 
 At any rate it seemed to encourage him. 
 
 " Whatever happens, Lizzie, remember what I have
 
 Cupid's Slaves. ■ 131 
 
 told you. I love you. Is not that enough ? You have 
 won all my heart, and my whole life shall be dedicated to 
 yours. So long as you can accept that love and return it, 
 so long am I your future husband, and no other woman 
 in this world shall be my wife." 
 
 Precocious youth ! A boy, just out of his teens, talking 
 about being husband and wife — to the daughter of his 
 own gamekeeper, too ! But the incongruity of the 
 proposed arrangement did not seem to strike him. 
 
 As he finished speaking he placed his arm around her — 
 though she made every effort to resist him — and, bending 
 down, pressed a long and passionate kiss to her lips, for 
 the second time that afternoon, if she had only known it ! 
 Now this was not be done comfortably while walking, so 
 for the moment they stopped, as if by mutual consent, 
 although she did so against her will, since his arm arrested 
 her progress. 
 
 Here the third party stopped likewise, and seemed, 
 in the twilight, to be apostrophizing, with a stick, the first 
 • pale stars of evening, as if annoyed with them for slyly 
 winking at the goings-on of those two in front. 
 
 Lizzie's heart was too full to speak at first. She also 
 had much to say, but could not frame the words just 
 yet. Their purport, too, was somewhat different from 
 Hector's, and perhaps would hardly please him when he 
 heard them. But a strong feeling of duty was within 
 the girl, which had only given way for the moment to his 
 passionate avowal. She felt then that she could not help 
 herself, but meant to be so good afterwards. 
 
 Hector Grayle had said he knew her character, but he 
 did not half know it if he thought that his mere words 
 had conquered all her scruples and resolutions. Those 
 words she felt sure had been spoken from the heart. 
 Such words, too, might she have spoken, for she loved 
 
 k 2
 
 1 3 2 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 him as well — far too well, she feared, for her own 
 happiness. 
 
 Lizzie Rolfe was a girl, indeed, of no ordinary character. 
 Carefully brought up by Gideon and his wife, who natu- 
 rally doted on her, she was an honour to their tuition, 
 and had well repaid the old people by never having given 
 them a moment's anxiety in her life. From a fondness 
 for reading, her mind had become, to a certain degree, 
 self-cultivated, and reached a far higher level than that 
 of most people in her class. Her singularly beautiful 
 face had, of course, brought her many admirers, as I have 
 said, and some of these were rather above her in station j 
 but none could turn her head, for she was the last girl in 
 the world to fall a victim to her own vanity. Like 
 Hector, however, she had never been in love before, so 
 that made a difference. The struggle, therefore, was all 
 the harder, and it was the more difficult to determine on 
 the proper course — the only safe one, as she considered, 
 open to them both — for the little ship would not answer 
 readily to its helm, and kept tossing and tumbling over 
 the turbulent waves, as Cupid beckoned from one shore 
 and duty from the other. But Lizzie had the strictest 
 sense of what was right, and knew that a clandestine 
 love affair with Hector Grayle would be decidedly wrong ; 
 so her resolution was soon formed. 
 
 They resumed their walk without speaking. He was 
 waiting for her reply, and she was still silent. 
 
 The third party seemed to have got over his sudden 
 antipathy to the stars, and, with the stick lowered to its 
 ordinary use, continued to follow at the same respectful 
 distance. 
 
 They had now reached the borders of a plantation of 
 firs and larches in the neighbourhood of High Lodge, 
 and Hector, with a regretful feeling that their walk was
 
 Cupid's Slaves. 133 
 
 so nearly over, halted against the palings which surrounded 
 this plantation, and said anxiously, — 
 
 " Lizzie, darling, we have only a few more minutes 
 together. Your silence fills me with misgivings. Won't 
 you speak, dear ? Why won't you speak ? " 
 
 " Oh, Mr. Hector, I — I really don't know what to say," 
 she murmured, in a low tone. "If I were only a lady I 
 could answer you frankly and truthfully, but — " 
 
 " But you will be a lady when you are my wife, my 
 darling/' argued Hector, tenderly, and drawing her to him 
 as he leant against the fence. " A lady ! psha ! What 
 is there in the word ? Away with such empty nonsense ! 
 You are my first and only love — my pure little angel. 
 Isn't that good enough to be my wife ? A lady, indeed ! " 
 — he grew quite impatient as he spoke — " to me you are 
 all that is good, gentle, and noble by nature ; that is my 
 idea of a lady." 
 
 " Please don't think me ungracious," rejoined Lizzie, 
 looking up into his face with soft pleading eyes. " I 
 know you mean what you say. I have every faith in you, 
 but you really must not talk to me of such things. It 
 cannot be, and I have no right to listen to you." 
 
 " But why not? why cannot it be, Lizzie ? We may 
 have some time to wait, perhaps — " 
 
 "A long, long time," she answered, sadly; " never is a 
 very long time, and I know it must be — never. " There 
 was no mistaking the firmness with which this was said. 
 
 " Oh, darling, pray don't be so hopeless, so dreadfully 
 hopeless. Only trust in me — why should you doubt ? " 
 
 " I do not doubt you indeed, but it is wrong. I am 
 wicked to let you even think of love and — and marriage, 
 much less talk of it, to one in my position. What would 
 your good, kind mother say ? what would all your friends 
 say of you, and me, too, if such a thing were known ?
 
 1 34 • The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 No, no, you have the whole world before you, to choose 
 where you may ; should I be blessed with happiness if I 
 took you at your word and blighted your young life? 
 Never. You will thank me for this by-and-by ; perhaps 
 respect me the more for it." 
 
 " There can be no real love without respect, Lizzie, 
 and as I can never love you less, I can hardly respect you 
 more. Oh, darling, what can I say to move you ? You 
 are cold and cruel in your words — " 
 
 " No, no, indeed — not cold and cruel ; do not think that 
 of me ; I could not speak as I have, perhaps, if — if — I did 
 not feel as I do." She had hesitated, and the last words 
 were sighed softly, as if substituted for others'. 
 
 " Even now lam my own master, Lizzie. I am of age, 
 as you know ; but let some little time elapse ; I will be 
 content to wait patiently if you wish it ; and then if I 
 claim you by- and by, would you still demur ? Trust me, I 
 shall never change." 
 
 " Nor I" she murmured. 
 
 " Then you would still refuse me ? " cried he, impetu- 
 ously, and misunderstanding her. " Even if I proved 
 faithful for a whole year, two whole years, and then claimed 
 you as my wife — no matter what the world might say — it 
 would make no difference ? Oh, Lizzie," he continued 
 hastily, in a voice of mingled reproach and disappoint- 
 ment, and never waiting for an answer, " I understand 
 you now; the love is all on my side. You do not 
 love!" 
 
 " Indeed, indeed I do ! " she exclaimed, completely off 
 her guard. The passionate words had burst from her lips 
 before she could stop them. 
 
 This was enough for Hector, who caught her in his 
 arms, and kissing her sweet face rapturously, cried, in 
 triumph, —
 
 Cupid's Slaves. 135 
 
 " Silly, foolish little girl ! then you shall be mine, in 
 spite of yourself." 
 
 She did not struggle now — indeed it would have been 
 useless — she did not attempt to avert his impassioned 
 caresses ; but when he desisted, merely disengaged her- 
 self from his embrace, and said quietly, — 
 
 " You do not know me yet ; but as I have confessed, I 
 may as well say on. The very love I own would make 
 me more determined, more resolved to save you from 
 yourself. As you feel now, so you speak, I fully believe, 
 and on my account you shall never have cause to regret 
 your words. You say you will not change, neither shall 
 I ; let time prove that ; but though we both avow the 
 same, remember there is no compact — nothing to bind 
 either — we are free as though no word of love had passed 
 between us." 
 
 " But what am I to understand ? " — asked Hector, 
 puzzled by the girl's simple eloquence. 
 
 " I cannot, will not say more," she answered firmly ; 
 " indeed I have said too much." 
 
 " No, no ; let it be so then," he exclaimed, seizing 
 her hand again, "let there be a tacit understanding 
 between us, and no more than that at present. Well, 
 well, I must be content to accept the compromise. Your 
 decision is best and wisest, I daresay, though it is very, 
 very hard to abide by — for me, at least. Meanwhile I 
 think I shall go abroad for a year or two — perhaps to 
 India, as was suggested to me only the other day. But 
 wherever I may go, or wherever I may be, you may trust 
 me, Lizzie. You shall see how Jean love — how real love, 
 tried by waiting, goes hand in hand with faith, and 
 never dies." 
 
 Speaking thus fervidly, his eyes beaming with honest 
 emotion, Lizzie felt that such a love as this was worth
 
 136 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 having indeed, and sighed to think that, coming from 
 him, it should be as forbidden fruit to one in her position. 
 
 " It were all one, 
 That I should love a bright partic'lar star, 
 And think to wed it, he is so above me : 
 In his bright radiance and collateral light 
 Must I be comforted, not in his sphere." 
 
 Such thought, clothed in simple phrase, ma}'- have passed 
 through Lizzie's mind as she reflected on the difference 
 of their positions. Rank, that inexorable barrier, stood 
 between her and her love, and, come what may, she would 
 never let him stoop to claim her hand. What right, then, 
 had she to hope herself, or give him hope ? She even 
 regretted that she had said so much, little though it was. 
 
 The moon had now joined the inquisitive stars as 
 spectators of this romance, and her silvery sheen glim- 
 mered through the firs and larches overhead, seeming 
 to smile softly on these sad lovers. They stood side by 
 side for a few moments without speaking, Hector, the 
 while, retaining her hand in his, when suddenly she with- 
 drew it with a start, and glancing timidly into the dark 
 plantation, whispered anxiously, " What was that ? Pm 
 sure I heard a footstep." 
 
 " Down, Pilot ! " cried Hector, as the retriever uttered 
 a low growl. They both listened attentively, but no 
 further sound reached them. And now Lizzie suddenly 
 recollected that it was getting late, and that the old 
 people might be alarmed at her absence, so begged 
 Hector not to detain her longer, and they moved on 
 once more towards the cottage, Hector saying as they 
 did so, — 
 
 " We must meet again, and soon, my darling." 
 
 u Oh no, Mr. Hector ; indeed we must not — we can- 
 not—"
 
 Cupid's Slaves. 137 
 
 u Only once, I implore you, Lizzie/' he pleaded. " We 
 do not quite understand each other yet, I think. You 
 will not refuse rue this little request. I will do all you 
 wish in the future; you may depend on me." 
 
 Well, it were better for him to understand her 
 thoroughly, she thought ; so, perhaps, there would be 
 no great harm in one more meeting — only one ! Especially 
 if he really meant to go away for a time. 
 
 Poor Lizzie ! She did so want to do what was right ; 
 but Hector Grayle tried her sorely, and she was but a 
 woman — nay, a mere child, loving him, oh so dearly. 
 
 As they neared the cottage it was agreed that she 
 should go in alone ; not that they were ashamed to be 
 seen thus together, but each entertained the same feeling, 
 by tacit consent, that their interview was to be a sacred 
 secret between them. 
 
 " Well, good night, my little darling," sighed Hector, 
 at last. "We must part now, I suppose." And when 
 he kissed her this time it was not a case of stealing, for 
 she returned the kiss. After all, it could not be so very 
 wrong just this once, she protested to her own conscience, 
 so that she kept her good resolutions for the future ! 
 But Lizzie ought to have been very careful. Just that 
 once is very frequently once too often, and spite of all the 
 best resolutions in the world, is liable, like a dangerous 
 current, to draw the wavering bark into a sea of troubles, 
 with fierce breakers ahead, and perilous rocks hidden 
 beneath the surface. 
 
 As Hector made his way back towards the Hall his mind 
 was filled with strange wild thoughts, doubts, and fears, in- 
 termixed with desperate resolves, and above them all rose 
 the picture of that beautiful face which so infatuated him. 
 Yet it were a misnomer to call his love a mere infatuation. 
 It was more than that; for, to do him justice, not the face
 
 1 38 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 alone,, but the whole character of the girl, had thus 
 enslaved him. 
 
 On going past the plantation again his dogs stopped 
 suddenly and uttered once more a low growl, as if some 
 evil spirit were abroad which troubled them. But 
 Hector was too preoccupied to pay heed to their warning, 
 and whistling them to follow, walked on through the 
 park. 
 
 It was a bright frosty evening, and the cold light of the 
 moon, which had risen in subdued resplendency, cast deep 
 shadows on the ground, like phantoms of the passing 
 figures. 
 
 Before he had proceeded many yards Hector became 
 conscious of another shadow in his wake, and looking 
 round, observed a man following close behind him. But 
 as there was nothing unusual in this, since any one else 
 might be crossing the park at the same time, he took no 
 notice of it until the figure drew up level with him, when 
 the dogs showed some signs of recognition, by sniifing 
 round the individual, and wagging their tails. 
 
 " Who is that ? " asked Hector, adding, as he recog- 
 nized him, " oh, it's you, is it, Woodruff ? A fine evening 
 — good night to you." 
 
 The man, however, merely touched his hat, and con- 
 tinued walking by Hector'3 side for a few strides without 
 saying anything. 
 
 Suddenly he stopped and blurting out, — 
 
 " I want to speak to yow, sir, if yow please," folded his 
 arms, and looked anything but amiable in the weird 
 moonlight. Hector stopped also. 
 
 " Certainly, Woodruff, what is it ? " inquired he, rather 
 surprised at the fellow's manner. 
 
 " PVaps it aint for the likes o* me to dictate to the 
 likes o' yow, sir, a gintleman ; but what I want to 'now
 
 Cupid's Slaves. 139 
 
 is, du yow think it's right to carry on with a poor young 
 gal like that there ? " tossing his head towards the 
 lodge. 
 
 " What do you mean, Woodruff ? " asked Hector, in a 
 sharp tone, though he knew what he meant perfectly 
 well. 
 
 w I mean that there gal, Lizzie Eolfe. That's who I 
 mean, sir/'' 
 
 " And pray who made you her guardian, I should like 
 to know ? What have you to do with her affairs or 
 mine ? ,J 
 
 " Nothin' with yourn, I dessay, sir. But I have with 
 hers. I love that gal, and no wonder she 'ont look at me 
 if yow fine gintleman go a turnin' of her head." 
 
 "■ I don't think you know what you are talking about, 
 man/' said Hector, haughtily, and preparing to move on. 
 " You had better hold your tongue and mind your own 
 business/' 
 
 " Yes, but that is my business, sir," answered the 
 other, sulkily. "And I do know what I'm talking 
 about." 
 
 " Now, no impertinence, Woodruff, if you please. Keep 
 a civil tongue in your head, and listen to me. Taking it 
 for granted — which I don't, mind— that you have any 
 right whatever to couple Lizzie Rolfe's name with yours, 
 what is all this about ? What makes you speak in this 
 manner ? " 
 
 " Well, sir, what I've heard's enough to make a man 
 speak, I think." 
 
 « Heard ? When ? " 
 
 " This very evenun', o'coorse. Not ten minutes 
 agoo." 
 
 "Oh, oh — I understand, then," said Hector, as the 
 recollection flashed across him of the footstep in the
 
 1 40 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 wood,, and the growling of the dogs. "Do you mean to 
 tell me, Woodruff, that you were in that plantation just 
 
 now 
 
 ?» 
 
 " What if I was, sir ? It's my business in them woods 
 as one of the kippers." 
 
 "Your business this time, though, was playing the 
 part of eavesdropper ; a sneak, in fact," and Hector's 
 blood boiled at the man's effrontery. 
 
 " I overheerd what yow and she was a savin', if that's 
 what yow want to 'now," mumbled Woodruff, coolly. 
 
 " Then what the devil do you mean by it, you impudent 
 fellow ? How dare you go sneaking about in that fashion ? 
 You'll repent this sort of conduct with me, I can tell you," 
 exclaimed Hector, with repressed choler, although he so far 
 nearly lost control over himself as to strike the man down 
 where he stood. Only one thing restrained him, which 
 was that an open rupture might make matters worse — 
 would probably lead to Lizzie's name being compromised, 
 and he was very anxious to suppress the least breath of 
 scandal with regard to her. For her sake, then, and hers 
 only, he would be cautious. He did not care a pin about 
 himself. 
 
 So it came to this — that the cherished interview which 
 they would fain have kept from being revealed to all the 
 world — the story of their pure love, which they treasured 
 as a sacred secret in their hearts — was at the mercy of 
 this fellow — in all likelihood a vindictive fellow, too, owing 
 to his acute jealousy. It was cruelly vexatious ! too 
 maddening for words ! 
 
 Hector was sadly put to it, and did not, for the time, 
 know exactly what course to adopt. He was, perhaps, 
 inclined to magnify Woodruff's offence in having thus 
 spied on his interview with Lizzie Rolfe, and was the 
 quicker to take umbrage at his dogged manner — which
 
 Ctipid's Slaves. 141 
 
 was habitual to the man — from the humiliation he felt at 
 having been thus watched by one of their own servants. 
 
 But the lower orders are not so nice as to little points 
 of honour and candid dealings ; and, after all, Woodruff 
 had acted merely from a jealous impulse, and with a 
 desire to protect the girl from harm, even if she did reject 
 his addresses, since he argued that an affair of this kind 
 could bode her no good. In the meeting he witnessed he 
 had seen more than he had heard, and therefore judged 
 from outward appearances rather than words exchanged. 
 
 " Threats, or no threats, Mr. Hector," continued he, as 
 his young master paused for a minute, " J ain't a mite 
 afeerd ; /hain't done nothin' to be 'shamed of." 
 
 ' ' You call playing the sneak nothing to be ashamed of, 
 indeed ! " cried Hector, only condescending to parley 
 further with the fellow in order to gain time and think of 
 some plan whereby he could silence him. 
 
 " No ; I say agin," repeated Woodruff, emboldened by 
 Hector's evident embarrassment, " I ha' got no call to be 
 'shamed of anything I ha' done, though mayhap yow have, 
 sir." 
 
 " That'll do," rejoined Hector, fiercely ; " hold your 
 tongue ; you've said quite enough. It is not for me to 
 discuss such a subject with you, my grandfather's ser- 
 vant," he added, in a proud tone; " so let that suffice. I 
 will only add this — You say you love that girl ;" — the 
 words almost choked Hector; the very idea of such a 
 thing! — "and no one can respect her more than I do; 
 then for her sake you ought also to wish that this matter 
 goes no farther ; that her good name should not be sullied 
 by the lips of every scandal-monger, in fact — " 
 
 " Oh, I don't care what folks say now, sir," interrupted 
 Woodruff, moodily. " I heerd and saw quite enough to- 
 night to choke me off, I can tell yer."
 
 142 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 " Then you wish to defy me ? " There was a suppressed 
 anger in the words which might have warned the man. 
 
 " Oh ah ! I don't care what I do, nor what I says, so 
 there ! " 
 
 " You will regret this to-morrow, probably/' observed 
 Hector, still keeping his temper with wonderful self-com- 
 mand. iC Listen to me, Woodruff. I'll give you one 
 other chance, and you had better sleep on it. Mind you, 
 I am not the least ashamed of what has transpired ; but I 
 do not choose that Lizzie Rolfe's name should be bandied 
 about at the public-house and elsewhere; therefore, if 
 you keep your own counsel in this matter, and to-morrow 
 come to me with an apology for your mean conduct and 
 insolence to-night, it will be better for you. But if you 
 don't, I'll take care you are punished as you deserve for 
 that conduct; no matter what you may divulge as the 
 result of your sneaking propensity ; and you need not 
 expect to find a home any longer on this estate." 
 
 Hector was driven into a corner, or he would hardly 
 have been so severe ; he was at his wits' end to preserve 
 her pure name from the loose and groundless scandal to 
 which this affair, if bruited abroad, might too easily give 
 rise ; and he was determined to " scotch the snake " at all 
 events, either by threats or conciliation. 
 
 " The world with calumny abounds, 
 The whitest virtue slander wounds : 
 These are whose joy is, night and day, 
 To talk a character away : — 
 
 and Barringtree was quite as bad as Belgravia or May- 
 fair in that respect. 
 
 Observing the apparent indifference with which Wood- 
 ruff received his speech, Hector waxed very wrath indeed, 
 and continued, in fierce and excited tones, —
 
 Cupid' s Slaves. 143 
 
 " One word more, iny man ! As a parting remem- 
 brance, when you get your dismissal from here, by 
 heaven ! I'll give you such a horse-whipping as you'll 
 never forget to the last day of your life." 
 
 Young Hector Grayle looked really dangerous now ; so 
 much so that Woodruff cowered before him, and only 
 muttered something sulkily as he took a step back from 
 the towering figure which threatened him. 
 
 Noticing that the effect of his angry menace was not 
 lost on the man, Hector added, in a somewhat calmer 
 tone, — 
 
 " Now you know what to expect. Do as I have told 
 you, and all will be well ; but if not, take the conse- 
 quences/' 
 
 So saying, he turned on his heel, and left Woodruff 
 standing in the pathway, growling to himself like distant 
 thunder.
 
 144 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 " EXTRAORDINARY RUN WITH LORD BUCKNAM's STAGHOUNDS." 
 
 " Bright chanticleer proclaims the dawn, 
 And spangles deck the thorn ; 
 The loving herds now quit the lawn, 
 The lark springs from the corn. 
 Dogs, huntsmen, round the window throng, 
 Fleet Towler leads the cry; 
 Arise the burthen of their song, 
 This day a stag must die. 
 
 With a hey, ho, chevy, 
 
 Hark forward, hark forward, tantivy ! &c." 
 
 Old Hunting Song. 
 
 Days passed, and Hector, hearing no more of the matter, 
 concluded that Woodruff had thought it wiser to hold his 
 tongue ; and although the man had not yet tendered the 
 prescribed apology, his young master was content to 
 waive that ceremony; for on reflection, he could not, in 
 his calmer moments, make the underkeeper out quite so 
 culpable as, in his anger, he had deemed him. For 
 obvious reasons, too, he was glad to let the affair blow 
 over, and was resolved that this should be a lesson to 
 him, and a caution as to bow he risked the good name of 
 her he loved for the future. 
 
 Meanwhile, though Hector had overlooked Woodruff's 
 conduct, he had not done so with regard to Master Mac-
 
 A Rtcn with Lord Bucknam s Staghoimds. 145 
 
 beth, whose villainous behaviour he duly brought to the 
 Squire's notice, and having satisfied his grandfather as 
 to the dangerous nature of the animal, its death-warrant 
 had been reluctantly signed. 
 
 But it was not intended that the noble stag should 
 be put out of the world in an ignominious fashion, by 
 " potting " him with a rifle or cutting his throat, but 
 that he should have a run for his life ; and accordingly 
 Lord Bucknam was invited to bring his staghounds over 
 for the purpose. The meet was fixed for Barringtree 
 Park, and it was arranged that the chase should be " run 
 out on its merits," as it were, a outrance — it being under- 
 stood that the deer was to be killed at the finish, and not 
 merely taken. 
 
 The day chosen for this stag-hunt dawned propitiously, 
 with "a southerly wind and a cloudy sky" (though the first 
 finds less favour nowadays in the eyes of the modern 
 Nimrod), and all that was desirable for a hunting morn- 
 ing. The frost was well out of the ground, yet the thaw 
 had not made it very heavy going, and there was every 
 promise of a burning scent, so what more could the most 
 exigeant huntsman wish for ? 
 
 One hunt breakfast is much like another, and may be 
 briefly summed up by tea and top-boots, pink coats and 
 prodigious appetites, and cherry brandy, curacao, or other 
 liqueurs to wind up with ; and I might almost say that 
 most runs are alike, though some are exceptional, and 
 this was one of them. 
 
 The park, in the vicinity of the Hall, presented a lively 
 scene by eleven o'clock ; every one in the neighbourhood, 
 far and near, entitled to be called anybody, being present 
 at the meet, and all the nobodies as well. There were 
 two or three well-appointed drags and a goodly show of 
 colour altogether, a strong force of pink coats being 
 
 vol. 1. l
 
 1 46 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 relieved here and there by a few " currant-jelly- dog " 
 gentlemen in green, and a fair sprinkling of ladies. 
 
 It was well known that an unusual quarry would be 
 provided that day, and Master Macbeth had earned such 
 a reputation roundabout as lent additional interest and 
 excitement to the occasion. Lord Bucknam had insisted 
 at first that those dangerous horns should be sawn off 
 before the animal was " enlarged," since he had no wish 
 to risk the lives of any of his valuable hounds ; but this 
 the Squire protested against; ; firstly, because he wished to 
 preserve that splendid head intact ; and secondly, because 
 his idea of sport did not hold with this custom. 
 
 " If staghounds are staghounds," he argued, "let them 
 tackle their game in its natural state, not mutilated and 
 shorn of its defence to suit their safety, and make the 
 animal an easy prey." 
 
 Still harping on the subject, he put forward as a further 
 argument a reminder of bygone days, when Davis, on old 
 Hermit, used to take Her Majesty's Buckhounds down to 
 the New Forest for choice, there rousing the lordly 
 denizen from his "harbour," and giving the royal pack 
 a taste of the wild blood. 
 
 Alas, that those times are past ! that the noble stag in its 
 untamed state has been nearly exterminated in England, 
 and except for a scanty few in the sylvan glades of Exmoor, 
 the " merrie woods of England " know them no longer ! 
 
 To Mr. Grayle's last remark his lordship replied, — 
 
 "That's all very well, Squire; of course when you hunt 
 a warrantable stag from the forest you must take him 
 as you find him ; but you are not obliged to do so in a 
 case like this, and I can't see the harm in clipping his 
 claws to save my pack." 
 
 But Mr. Grayle was obdurate, and held out that Master 
 Macbeth must be run as he stood, or left alone.
 
 A Run with Lord Bucknam 's Staghounds. 147 
 
 Eventually the Squire gained his point ; but when old 
 •Job, his lordship's huntsman, heard the result of the con- 
 troversy, he had strong misgivings as to the fate of some 
 of " them impetshus ones." 
 
 In that equestrian crowd we may recognize almost all 
 our old acquaintances. Talking to Captain Heffernan, 
 who stands at her stirrup, is Agnes Grayle, looking 
 remarkably well in the most perfect habit Wolmershausen 
 ever turned out, and seated on a rakish-looking little 
 chestnut — a Christmas-box from the Squire — with a first- 
 rate reputation as a fencer, and a safe lady's mount. At 
 this moment a groom brings up Heffernan's horse, a 
 handsome hunter of the old school, with splendid 
 shoulder, deep girth, short flat legs, and " well let down 
 behind/' displaying quarters that would jump you into 
 the middle of next week ; very different from one of those 
 fiddle-headed, ewe-necked, tucked-up brutes, showing 
 more daylight underneath than pluck inside, so common 
 in the hunting-field nowadays, and of which class there 
 are a good many to be seen on the present occasion. 
 
 Heffernan is very proud of the "Emperor;" he picked 
 him up rather cheap at Tattershall's with a queer leg, but 
 by judicious rest and doctoring the animal had come up 
 as sound as a brass bell. Such a lucky bargain does not 
 often fall to dabblers in horseflesh ! He has mounted 
 now, horse and rider both looking thoroughly business- 
 like, and ranging up alongside his fiancee, he is pleased to 
 hear her express undisguised admiration of the animal. 
 
 Lady Mountjoy has driven Sir Francis over in her 
 pony carriage, drawn by a pair of sleek cream-coloured 
 little ponies, with a smart tiger behind. " Dear Sir 
 Francis/' did not himself hunt, but her ladyship did (not- 
 withstanding that she was "getting on"), and gloried in 
 it ; so, emerging from her wraps, she quickly transfers 
 
 l 2
 
 1 48 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 herself from the carriage to her horse, which had been 
 sent forward. 
 
 The Squire, Hector, and others, are all more or less 
 well mounted; Mrs. Tewkesley's and Clement Mountjoy's 
 animals comiDg rather under the head of less. The little 
 Irish lady, albeit with a national keenness for hunting, 
 only aspires to a fat, apoplectic-looking cob, more accus- 
 tomed to eating its head off than going across country; 
 and Clement's horse was just one of those fiddle-headed 
 creatures alluded to, but a fair specimen of the Merry- 
 dale stables, where Hector said they never had a decent 
 animal, which was true (if we except the cream ponies), 
 for her ladyship's hunter was a very questionable beast, 
 and quite unworthy of its plucky rider. 
 
 But we have no time now to discuss all the people and 
 their individual steeds ; we shall see what they are good for 
 presently. Meanwhile Master Macbeth has had liberal law, 
 and his lordship giving Job the signal, the motley caval- 
 cade moves off. 
 
 The stag had been driven from his paddock and turned 
 out of the park by a side entrance at a point where, if he 
 faced the open properly, his line would take them over a 
 good hunting country. His exit having taken place 
 privately, Job now trotted away with his eighteen couples 
 of splendid buckhounds towards the High Lodge en- 
 trance, there being a perfect swarm of unruly pedestrians 
 and others, whom he was anxious to shake off. On 
 getting outside the gates he swung round, and keeping 
 along the park wall, left it to the pack to strike the proper 
 line as they came across it. 
 
 When the procession passed the lodge, Lizzie Kolfe 
 and her mother were standing in the trellised porch, 
 whereupon Mr. Grayle stopped and spoke to the keeper's 
 daughter, and tendered a gracious apology for the fright
 
 A Ran with Lord BucknanCs Staghoitnds. 149 
 
 the red deer had given her, adding that her assailant was 
 about to pay the penalty of his misdemeanour. Hector, 
 riding by his grandfather's side, and looking the beau 
 ideal of a young English gentleman in his " pink " and 
 otherwise faultless " get up," was pleased at this action 
 on the part of the Squire, and gave Lizzie a look and 
 smile full of meaning as they rode on. 
 
 "And what do you think of our village beauty, Al- 
 bert ? " inquired Agnes, drawing Heffernan's attention to 
 Lizzie Rolfe as they passed. 
 
 « Very pretty, certainly/' 
 
 " A sweet face, isn't it ? The belle of Barringtree, they 
 call her." 
 
 "Nay, that can hardly be," rejoined Heffernan, gal- 
 lantly. " But, of course, you mean in her own sphere." 
 He frowned slightly, as if at the idea of a mere village 
 girl presuming to compete with his future wife. 
 
 " No, I don't, indeed ! " exclaimed Agnes ; " and not 
 only that, she is considered one of the beauties of the 
 county by all who have seen her." 
 
 u Really ? Well, too much admiration is bad for a 
 girl in her position. I hope her people look well after 
 her." 
 
 " They have no reason to be anxious about Lizzie, I 
 assure you; she's a thoroughly good girl, and quite a 
 pattern daughter." 
 
 " Then they are greatly to be congratulated," observed 
 Heffernan, turning his head away as he spoke to adjust a 
 stirrup-leather. " So much virtue and beauty are not 
 often to be found in a girl of that class." 
 
 "I really don't see why they shouldn't be," re- 
 turned Agnes, rather vexed at an almost imperceptible 
 sarcasm which she fancies she detects in his words. 
 
 But further conversation is interrupted at this juncture ;
 
 150 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 for suddenly a deep note is heard in front, which in a 
 moment swells into a melodious chorus as old Job brings 
 his pack upon the line, and away race the eager beauties 
 at a terrific pace with a breast-high scent. 
 
 Now the stag, on leaving the park, in spite of rattling 
 of hats with sticks, and other devices to frighten him off, 
 only condescends to trot a few hundred yards away ; and 
 on reaching a tempting piece of grass on the further side 
 of a wood which hides him from view, he proceeds to 
 take a slight refection, not understanding why he should 
 hurry himself. Presently, however, he raises his head, 
 and sniffing danger with rapid instinct, again makes off 
 with quick, jerky bounds, all-four-hoof s-at-once sort of 
 action, accelerating these movements still further as the 
 distant peal of music from the pack is wafted to his ears. 
 A beautiful line he is taking now, and seems rather to 
 enjoy the fun, not the least fearing to face the open; 
 when, unluckily, just as he is going right away, he is 
 " blanched " by some labourers in a field immediately 
 ahead. He turns like lightning, and keeps almost on 
 his " heel line " for a few yards ; then, suddenly darting 
 off at right angles, heads straight for the village, and 
 leads the field such a dance as was not forgotten for many 
 a day. On reaching the first cluster of cottages he hesi- 
 tates for a moment, but suddenly appears to lose his head 
 altogether, and dashes down the middle street at full 
 speed, to the terror of all the old women and children, 
 and the edification of a few gaping Hodges, who watch 
 his manoeuvres. As he gets level with the churchyard 
 he takes the low wall in his stride, and has a little 
 steeplechase on his own account among the tombstones — 
 literally a steeplechase, since he seems to have an idea 
 of seeking refuge in the steeple itself ; but, finding no 
 entrance available, quits consecrated ground for the
 
 A Run with Lord Bucknam's Staghounds. 1 5 1 
 
 parson's kitchen-garden close by, and astonishes the old 
 gardener's weak mind by flying over a huge cucumber- 
 frame with an effortless leap. Coming to a very high 
 quickset hedge, which formed the boundary of the par- 
 son's paddock, he quickly makes his "rack" through 
 this, being very nearly caught by the horns as he does 
 so, and re-enters the village at another point. He then 
 continues his mad career along a row of cottage gardens, 
 separated from each other by low fences, and executes 
 a series of quick jumps over these, like a performing pie- 
 bald at a circus, eventually getting among some farm- 
 buildings, where it seems as if he would be stopped. 
 "Without hesitation, however, he clears a range of pig- 
 styes, and lights right into the middle of Mother Mangle's 
 drying ground, giving the old washerwoman, who hap- 
 pened to be there, a fit on the spot. Here he had again 
 to make his "rack" — this time through a labyrinth 
 of hanging petticoats, chemises, shirts, sheets, and what 
 not, which he charges in gallant style, carrying off a 
 baby's frock on one of his horns as a trophy. Tired, 
 however, of such a cramped country as this, he leaves 
 the village at last, and heads once more for the open. 
 
 Meanwhile the parish of Barringtree re-echoes with the 
 pounding hoofs which thunder along its thoroughfare, 
 the impetuous farmers and country folk galloping inanely 
 about, as if for their lives, on every description of cow, 
 camel, and giraffe. But Lord Bucknam does not at all 
 relish this sort of hunting, and anxious for a run, gives 
 Job the word, who at once whips off the hounds, which 
 are fortunately well together, and, quietly taking them 
 down a bye lane, there waits till the " shirkin' varmint " 
 shall condescend to run fair. Sundry scouts report at 
 last that he has got well away ; so Job lays the pack on 
 again, and then, to all appearance, the run begins in earnest.
 
 1 5 2 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 But this uncanny stag has not yet done with his eccen- 
 tricities, for after giving them a merry gallop of three 
 or four miles, he seems bent on suddenly committing 
 suicide, and the huntsman, to his disgust, views him in 
 the distance, from a high point of ground, making straight 
 for the railway at a part where there is a deep cutting. 
 Into this he disappears, just as a train comes tearing 
 along, and Job, with a very un-Job-like expression, 
 exclaims — 
 
 " Divil take the beast ! Never saw a beggar run so 
 unkindly. That cuttings half a mile long — safe to be 
 
 smashed ! What the did he want to let the ingine 
 
 rob the hounds for ! " 
 
 Not a bit of it, Job, not a bit of it ! Master Macbeth is 
 still as fresh as paint, and able to give the Great Eastern 
 train a good start in half a mile and beat it, so he has no 
 difficulty in showing the engine his heels and keeping his 
 distance ahead. Of course, the moment he gets on to the 
 metals — it was a single line — the approaching train turns 
 him up the cutting, which, however, he quits as soon as 
 he can, going away on the opposite side in promising 
 style. 
 
 But Job is not at all inclined to emulate the lunatic 
 antics of the hunted animal, nor does he mean to run the 
 risk of the pack being cut up into sausage-meat before 
 their time ; so he whips off again, and lifting his hounds 
 a little, skirts the cutting till the line reaches the open. 
 Here he knows that the deer, if not run into by the 
 train, will strike away to the right or left, and acts 
 accordingly. 
 
 " Hark to Woldsman ! That's it, by Jupiter ! " ex- 
 claims the old huntsman in delight, as he anxiously 
 watches his hounds get on to the stag's line again, and 
 off that of the Great Eastern. " Not finished yet, my
 
 A Run with Lord Btccknam's Staghoimds . 153 
 
 lord/' he cries, exultingly. " Worth, a good many dead 
 'uns yet. Forrard there ! forrard!" 
 
 And away they go once more, helter skelter over a 
 broad common, studded with gorse; and all is plain 
 sailing for a time. 
 
 " Wide through the furzy field their route they take, 
 Their bleeding bosoms force the thorny brake ; 
 The flying game their smoking nostrils trace, 
 No bounding hedge obstructs their eager pace ;" — 
 
 But let us take a glance at some of these ardent 
 sportsmen following ; who, by the bye, have been rather 
 thinned since they left the village. The Squire had 
 dropped away some time ago, not intending to follow 
 beyond a certain distance; but others, who did mean 
 going, have been prematurely stopped from various 
 causes ; amongst these being Mrs. Tewkesley and the 
 cob — the fat beast, sobbing as if its heart would break, 
 having succumbed in a heavy plough some two or three 
 fields back. 
 
 " Faith, Arthur," she cried to her husband, who had 
 kept near her, "my poor baste can't go any further. 
 But never mind me, you go on and keep your place." 
 
 " No, no, Norrie, we'll swop horses," replied Tewkesley, 
 preparing to dismount. He was riding a hunter the 
 Squire had lent him from the Hall stables. " You just 
 get on to this animal. Come now, I insist ; I'll change 
 the saddle in a minute." 
 
 " Not for the world, Arthur, not for the wor-r-ld. 
 I've had fun enough, railly. Bob and I'll get back quietly 
 now. Go you on for any's sake, and don't let the other 
 parsons cut ye down whativer ye do." 
 
 Tewkesley, it appeared, was not the only clerical 
 sportsman out, and Norah was most anxious that her
 
 1 54 The Szvoi'd of Damocles. 
 
 husband shouldn't be out of the hunt, at least, so long as 
 his brothers of the cloth were in it. He knew it was use- 
 less to argue the point, since they had had a very unselfish 
 wrangle, before starting, as to their respective mounts, 
 when Mrs. Tewkesley insisted on taking the cob ; so he 
 gave in, and with a kindly glance and smile at his good 
 little wife, put spurs to his horse, which, being one of the 
 right sort, soon made up lost ground. 
 
 Now Clement Mount joy could not at any time be con- 
 sidered a good horseman; but on this occasion some devil 
 seemed to possess him, for he rode as recklessly as Jack 
 Mytton of old, and appeared determined to cut the whole 
 field down, or perish in the attempt. It was not a very 
 elegant process, however, since he had no more idea of 
 riding than a tailor, and went at his jumps, arms and legs 
 working like a windmill, with a loose rein, and a looser 
 seat, only escaping a fall each time by the " skin of his 
 teeth/' 
 
 Poor old Clem ! I don't think he would have cared to 
 confess why he rode so hard that day — what powerful 
 feeling prompted him to try and ride down, not the whole 
 field exactly, but a certain somebody against whom he 
 could not suppress an inward animosity, a jealous pang, 
 which kept gnawing at his heart. It was all very well 
 for his conscience to argue that this was ungenerous, 
 unmanly ; but he was little more than a lad, and although 
 he fervently desired her happiness, it was impossible to 
 quell a natural antipathy to the person who had come 
 between him and his ; and he felt all that agony which 
 Young describes as 
 
 " The hydra of calamities, 
 The seven-fold death." 
 
 But as a solution of this hard riding he might have put
 
 A Run with Lord Bucknam s StagJiounds. 155 
 
 it to himself cui bono ? and the answer would not have 
 been satisfactory. Perhaps he wanted to prove himself 
 as good a man as his rival or better, in which case his 
 calculation should have included the horse as well as the 
 rider; or perhaps he desired that this interloper on the 
 domestic scene should be knocked down and trodden 
 into the plough for his pains — who knows ? He could 
 not have told you himself, so I am afraid I cannot ; but 
 I imagine many a man, similarly circumstanced, has felt 
 that same indefinable antagonism, which he cannot sup- 
 press, and is powerless to act upon. 
 
 The unconscious cause of this emulative spirit on the 
 part of Clement is taking it very coolly, entirely igno- 
 rant of the other's efforts to outride him. Sailing 
 along on his magnificent hunter, with a light hand and 
 perfect seat (the very antithesis of Clement), he smiles 
 in amusement now and then at the frantic efforts of 
 many of the field less happy in their mounts. Hitherto 
 Clement had escaped his notice, but at length HefFernan's 
 attention is drawn to his reckless riding, and he observes 
 to himself as he sees him take, with more pluck than 
 judgment, a post and rails with a wide ditch on the 
 other side. 
 
 " By George, what a near thing ! That young idiot 
 will break his own neck, or his horse's, before the day's 
 out, if he doesn't mind." 
 
 And it certainly looked as if he would in his futile 
 attempts to compete with the well-mounted officer; for 
 in these cutting-down tactics, whether rushing through 
 a thick bullfinch, floundering over a double, or topping 
 a bank, Clement adopted the same daresome, devil- 
 may-care style of riding. 
 
 Meanwhile Agnes is going beautifully, easily holding 
 her own at present on the wiry little chestnut, and
 
 1 5 6 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 Heffernan, with a proprietary eye, watches her negotiate 
 her fences with a cleverness which wins his cordial 
 approval. Hector, too, as bold as Alexander, keeps his 
 Bucephalus well in the front rank, but through all the 
 thrilling excitement of that memorable run he never 
 forgets his sister's safety, and is generally either by her 
 side, or ready to give her a lead at the difficult places. 
 
 Soon after crossing the railway and getting beyond the 
 common, the tremendous pace, combined with some 
 pretty little jumping, had the effect of further reducing 
 the field, and they might have been counted now on the 
 fingers — the huntsman, master, first whip, a couple of 
 hard-riding farmers, and a few of the Hall contingent 
 forming the diminished total. 
 
 Lady Mountjoy, with a heart twice as big as her worth- 
 less hunter's, had been reluctantly compelled to give in 
 at last; but, as the deer ran in a circuit, she had the 
 satisfaction, with a good many others, of cutting in again 
 before the finish. Clement, too, was about told out, 
 or rather, his horse was, for he himself was riding a 
 good deal faster than that animal could go ; but deter- 
 mined to make one expiring effort to show his mettle, he 
 rushed past Heffernan like a tornado, and charged a huge 
 wattle fence and ditch in front full tilt. His fiddle- 
 headed beast, however, never rose a foot, so they tumbled 
 head over heels on the other side in a helpless heap \ and 
 while the horse flopped into the ditch, Clement was 
 pitched several yards beyond, but fortunately on to a 
 ploughed field, so he was none the worse. 
 
 " You went at it too fast, Mountjoy/' remarked 
 Heffernan, as his well-trained hunter carried him safely 
 over, lighting close by the prostrate hero ; c ' much too 
 fast, and your animal's blown — not hurt, though, I hope 
 — that's all right. 'Ware hoss ! here, catch hold, or we
 
 A Run with Lord Bucknam's Staghounds. 
 
 D/ 
 
 shall be out of it," he added, quickly hooking up the 
 reins of the fallen steed with the handle of his crop, and 
 passing them to Clement, who had only just regained his 
 feet. The latter's mouth was too full of mud to thank 
 him, even if he had not been almost choked at the same 
 time by a feeling of mortification ; but HefFernan never 
 waited for thanks, and in a twinkling was out of sight 
 in the next field. 
 
 This was practically the end of .the run as far as 
 Clement was concerned. He viewed his horse's heaving 
 flanks with a rueful glance, and thought he had better 
 give it up as a bad job; so, remounting leisurely, he 
 dropped into a lane close by, and rode slowly and de- 
 jectedly back towards Barringtree, 
 
 As I have said, the stag ran in a circuit, a very 
 extensive circuit too, and few indeed were able to live 
 with the hounds all the way. In fact, such a run for 
 pace, jumps, and distance, had seldom been seen, and 
 even our young friends, Hector and Agnes, were thrown 
 out for a time — until the deer headed back — though Hef- 
 fernan, on the noble Emperor, was able to stick to the 
 line through every yard. 
 
 To many of the beaten field, who were scattered here 
 and there all over the country, it was a welcome sound 
 indeed when the distant music of the returning pack once 
 more greeted their ears, and the excitement was increased 
 tenfold when Master Macbeth was presently viewed 
 making his point straight back for Barringtree Park. 
 It was evident now that the noble beast was fearfully 
 distressed, and the hounds were lessening the gap 
 between them and their quarry every field they went. 
 
 "What a grand old stag!" was the general ejacu- 
 lation. 
 
 " He ought to have his life for giving us such a run,"
 
 158 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 cried some one else, though the speaker had seen very 
 little of it himself. 
 
 Some of the keen tag-rag and bob-tail, who had 
 had plenty of breathing time, now cut in, and galloped 
 madly off after the deer, as if each meant to take him 
 single-handed ; but fortunately he swerved to the right 
 just then, and prevented these lunatics from crossing his 
 line or getting between him and the pack. 
 
 And now every eye watches him, still in full view, as 
 he nears the park wall — eight feet high if it is an inch — 
 undoubtedly making as if he intends to jump it. Can 
 such a leap as this be possible after the tremendous 
 "bucketing" he has undergone? Scarcely. Yet he 
 seems to think so ; for as he approaches the obstacle, he 
 apparently gathers his legs quicker under him for the 
 attempt. But no — see ! he falters ! though only for a 
 second ; the next moment he bounds high into the air, 
 and with a tremendous effort clears the wall and some- 
 thing to spare, 1 with one of the finest leaps ever recorded 
 in the annals of sport. 
 
 Here he baulks hounds, huntsman, and everybody; 
 though Job had played strict follow-my-leader since they 
 got over the railway. But they are stumped again now, 
 and the old huntsman, with the balance of his pack — for 
 there are several absentees by this time — is forced to 
 hurry round the wall in search of the nearest entrance. 
 By this, however, they lose very little ground, and are 
 quickly on the line again, which now' leads them straight 
 towards the lake. 
 
 " Taken soil, for a monkey ! " cries Job to himself, as 
 he catches sight of the water ; and he is right in his con- 
 jecture, for as they reach the bank, the hunted deer is seen 
 swimming diagonally across towards the opposite shore. 
 
 1 A fact.
 
 A Rim with Lord Bucknanis Stao-Jwuuds. 
 
 t> 
 
 159 
 
 The eager pack, with a suppressed burst of music, 
 dash in after him, and in a few minutes bring him to bay- 
 by the boat-house. But there is plenty of work cut out- 
 for them yet. The noble animal, with the water dripping 
 from his heaving flanks, now places himself stern-fore- 
 most to the side of the boat-house, and with lowered 
 head prepares to receive the onslaught of his foes. 
 
 Although he is sore distressed and almost exhausted, 
 as evidenced by his panting sides and lolling tongue, he 
 has not lost the threatening fire in his eyes nor the use 
 of his terrible horns, and quick as lightning two of his 
 foremost assailants are bowled over by a sweep of those 
 deadly points. 
 
 " D — n it ! quick ! here, catch hold some one, quick ! " 
 cries Job, as he leaps from his horse and hurries across 
 the bridge ; " tmVU never do — Traitor and Harlequin 
 stuck like pigs — best hounds in the pack — curse that 
 horned divil!" and, without a moments hesitation, he 
 rushes round to the boat-house, and clambering on to the 
 roof, which is fortunately low enough for the purpose, he 
 whips out his hunting-knife and watches his opportunity. 
 
 Suddenly stooping over, he makes a dive forward, and 
 seizing the animal by the antlers with marvellous quick- 
 ness and dexterity, delivers the coup de grace. 
 
 Thus ended the career of Master Macbeth and the 
 wonderful run he gave for his life ; by some computed at 
 fifty miles in length, though five-and- thirty would, per- 
 haps, be nearer the mark; at any rate, a memorable 
 run, in which nearly everybody was enabled to be in at 
 the death, and well worthy to be quoted, as it was, in all 
 the papers, London and. local, and as re-quoted at the 
 heading of this chapter.
 
 1 60 The Sword of Damocles, 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 "Thou wondrous yellow fiend!" 
 
 Davenport. 
 
 " Accursed jealousy ! 
 O merciless, wild, and unforgiving fiend ! 
 Blindfold it runs to undistinguish'd mischief, 
 And murders all it meets. Cursed be its rage ; 
 For there is none so deadly. Doubly cursed 
 Be all those easy fools who give it harbour ; 
 Who turn a monster loose among mankind, 
 Fiercer than famine, war, or spotted pestilence, 
 Baneful as death, and horrible as hell." 
 
 Hoive. 
 
 More jealousy ! Yes, with the reader's permission, this 
 chapter will treat a little further on that familiar subject. 
 Indeed, " the green-eyed monster/' " the yellow fiend/' 
 or whatever he may be called, is rather a prominent 
 character in this first part of my story. 
 
 " Thou king of torments ! " " Almighty tyrant of the 
 human mind!" the heart of the high-born gentleman 
 and that of the lowly peasant are alike seared and 
 torn by thy merciless, venomous fangs. Thus Clement 
 Mountjoy and Allan Woodruff were fellow-victims 
 — suffering under the same bane, though with widely 
 different feelings, and under a different force of circum- 
 stances.
 
 " The Yellow Fiend!" 161 
 
 As I have said, Hector Grayle flattered himself that 
 Woodruff had acted on counsel and held his tongue as to 
 that romantic moonlight episode ; and so he had up to 
 the present, though more from a natural sulky reserve 
 than from any caution inspired by threats ; and as to the 
 apology, that was not at all likely to be forthcoming. 
 
 The fellow brooded in silence for a few days, during 
 which he did not see Lizzie Rolfe ; but it was only the 
 ominous lull before the storm, for the next time they 
 met their interview was an angry one — at least on his 
 part — and all the worst passions of the man seemed 
 thoroughly roused. 
 
 This Woodruff, then, was now almost as dangerous a 
 creature abroad as the late Master Macbeth had been, 
 and was nearly demented by the racking tortures of the 
 "yellow tinging plague. " And what an unprovoked 
 jealousy it was — what a one-sided affair altogether ! Lizzie 
 had never given him the slightest hope or encouragement 
 to look upon her other than a friend or acquaintance; 
 what right, then, had he to be jealous of her or her 
 actions ? 
 
 What right have scores of men, one may ask, to foster 
 the all-consuming passion — where their ardour is only 
 expended on thin air, and when such misplaced energy 
 might be much more usefully applied ? 
 
 Ai'ter the stormy interview alluded to, Lizzie returned 
 home quite terrified by the violence of her would-be lover ; 
 and on entering the cottage, found Mrs. Corcoran seated 
 with her mother, sharing the warmth of the yule log. 
 Observing her frightened looks, which Lizzie could not 
 conceal, they naturally inquired the cause. After a little 
 hesitation she was obliged to explain, though the name 
 of Hector Grayle, in connexion with the affair, was care- 
 fully suppressed. 
 
 VOL. I. M
 
 1 6 2 The Szvord of Damocles. 
 
 " That there fellow Woolly Woodruff's wholly crazed," 
 observed Mrs. Rolfe, as Lizzie concluded ; " mad as a 
 march hare. Gideon ought to keep an eye on him. Sit 
 you down, my dear, and have a cup of tea. Why, you're 
 trembling all over like a haspen." 
 
 • " No wonder, poor child/' said Mrs. Corcoran, in a 
 sympathizing tone ; " a great rough brute like that, 
 bullying a girl because she won't have anything to say 
 to him." 
 
 u I'll give him ' what; for ' next time I see him," ex- 
 claimed Mrs. Rolfe, indignantly, as she poured Lizzie out 
 some tea. 
 
 ' ' What can make him so wild with you, I wonder," re- 
 marked Mrs. Corcoran, watching the girl's face narrowly ; 
 (i are you sure you haven't jilted him, Lizzie ? Are you 
 sure he isn't jealous of somebody ? " 
 
 "He can hardly think himself jilted when there has never 
 been anything between us," answered Lizzie, evasively, her 
 face colouring while she replied. 
 
 "Well, you know best, my dear," returned Mrs. 
 Corcoran, who duly observed the sudden blush ; " I 
 merely thought perhaps you might have given him a 
 little encouragement one time or another; just a little, 
 you know, and then have thrown him over for some one 
 else." 
 
 " Allan Woodruff has no cause to complain of my 
 conduct towards him in any way, Mrs. Corcoran," 
 rejoined Lizzie ; and desiring to avoid further cross 
 questioning, she added, " If you please I would rather 
 not talk of the man any more ; it quite upsets me." 
 
 " Just as you like, my dear, of course. Pray don't 
 think I meant to be curious," said Mrs. Corcoran, with 
 somewhat an offended air. 
 
 " Oh, not at. all," returned the girl, hastening to con-
 
 " The Yellow Fiend ! " 163 
 
 ciliate her; u and I'rn sure I'm much, obliged to you for 
 taking any interest in the matter." 
 
 " Well, here comes your father, Lizzie," observed Mrs. 
 Eolfe ; " at any rate you'd best tell him all about it, and 
 let him give that there Woolly Woodruff a talking to," 
 and Gideon entered the cottage while his wife was 
 speaking. 
 
 Then Lizzie had, very reluctantly, to go over all the 
 affair again. When Eolfe heard it, he was very angry, 
 and vowed all sorts of vengeance against the underkeeper 
 for daring to frighten his " sweet little rosebud ; n and 
 Woolly Woodruff's ears must have tingled at the old 
 man's threats and indignation. 
 
 It was getting late in the afternoon, so Mrs. Corcoran 
 now took her leave, and, as she wished Lizzie good-bye, 
 expressed a hope that the young girl might not be sub- 
 jected to further annoyance. Mrs. Corcoran was an 
 independent sort of woman, and whether she walked 
 out in the daytime or at night, invariably scorned an 
 escort, so she made her return journey to her brother's 
 house alone, as she had come. No nervousness about 
 her, as she averred to herself ; she wasn't afraid of fero- 
 cious stags, or ferocious Woodruffs, or ferocious fiddle- 
 de-dees of any kind. She was sure there was something 
 at the bottom of this affair, though, which Lizzie Rolfe 
 hadn't told them, and she should just like to know 
 what. She couldn't tell why exactly, but her curiosity 
 was aroused. 
 
 Now although Mrs. Corcoran boasted of her nerves, or 
 more properly, the absence of them, and feared no mortal 
 man, nor goblin either, she was certainly a bit startled, 
 on drawing near Crutch Hut, at seeing a rough-looking 
 fellow suddenly jump over the hedge just in front of her 
 and bar the way. But she suppressed a little cry, which 
 
 m 2
 
 1 64 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 nearly rose to her lips, and summoning all her courage, 
 attempted to pass him as if heedless of his evident 
 intention to stop her progress. 
 
 " Hold hard, mum, not so fast ! " cried the figure, in a 
 gruff voice, " I want to speak to yaw. 33 
 
 " What do you want to say ? " she asked, with a forced 
 asperity in her tone. Then suddenly adding, as she 
 caught sight of the man's face, "Why it's you, Woodruff, 
 is it ? " 
 
 " Yes, that is me; look yow here, missus, yow ha' just 
 come from Rolfe's lodge, hain't yer ? 3i 
 
 " And what if I have ? Don't stand there stopping 
 me with your impertinence, man ; let me pass." 
 
 " Don't yer be in such an 'urry, missus ; du yow listen 
 to what I ha' got to say." 
 
 "Well, what is it?" Mrs. Corcoran thought she 
 might as well hear both sides of the story. 
 
 " You're a friend o' Lizzie's, I s'pose ? " Mrs. Cor- 
 coran nodded. " Then look yow here ; du yow get back 
 to that there lodge, and tell that there gal if she don't 
 mind what she's arter, she'll be the death o' some one 
 afore very long, so I don't deceive her. She'll 'now who 
 I mean." 
 
 " And who do you mean ? yourself ? " asked the woman, 
 thinking what a good riddance it would be. 
 
 " No, taint myself neither. That's my business ivho it 
 is ; Lizzie'll 'now." 
 
 She was right then. There was something or some- 
 body else at the bottom of this affair. 
 
 "You needn't be so mysterious with me, my good 
 fellow," she observed blandly, and wishing to pump him. 
 " I am Lizzie's friend; but if I can be yours, too, I shall 
 be glad. Come now, what's the matter ? tell us all 
 about it."
 
 " The Yellow Fiend ! " 165 
 
 " It 'on't take much telling though I don't see what 
 good yow can du if I du tell yer/ J was Woodruff's 
 ungracious reply. 
 
 " Perhaps I can ; perhaps I can influence Lizzie in 
 your favour/' she persevered. 
 
 " Oh, that be blarmed ; not yow, missus. Her head's 
 tu much took up with another party, to think of the 
 likes o' me." 
 
 "You go to work too roughly with her, Woodruff. 
 But who is this party that has come between you ? " 
 
 " Ah, yow may well arsk." 
 
 " Won't you tell me, then ? " 
 
 " Well, every one's like to know afore long, so yow 
 may as well nayow for what I care. It's Mister Hector, 
 that's who that is." 
 
 " What ! Mr. Hector Grayle ? " exclaimed Mrs. Cor- 
 coran, in surprise, becoming more interested when she 
 heard this. 
 
 u Ay, Mister Hector Grile, and more shame for him, 
 a playin' the fool with a young girl like that there." 
 
 " But how do you know, Woodruff ? What have you 
 seen or heard to make you think this ? " 
 
 " Think it ! I know it ; I ha' heard enough and seen 
 enough tu to show me; and what's more, that there gal 
 loves him though he's only a foolin' of her." 
 
 " But how did you find it out ? Was it when he was 
 lying sick at the lodge ? " 
 
 " No, no ; since then. Though that's when they started 
 it, I dessay," and Woodruff now proceeded to relate the 
 particulars of that interview on which he had played the 
 spy. " But he had better look out for hisself," growled 
 he, fiercely. " He have got a desp'rut c'racter to deal 
 with here, so I don't deceive him ! Curse him ! " he 
 hissed out between his teeth. " He wantin' me to beg his
 
 1 66 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 pardon tu — ha, ha, ha ! or else I was to git a horse- 
 whippin' — ho, ho, ho ! ha, ha, ha ! That's a good 'un, 
 that is, ain't it, Missus ? " 
 
 Mrs. Corcoran shuddered as she heard the man laugh 
 in his savage scorn. He meant mischief ; of that there 
 was no doubt ; and she thought it would be her duty to 
 warn Hector Grayle at once of his danger. 
 
 Woodruff had called himself a desperate character, 
 and he certainly looked it, with his lowering eyes and 
 heavy scowling face. A difficult creature to conciliate 
 under the circumstances; but Mrs. Corcoran made the 
 effort. 
 
 " Now listen to me, Woodruff:/' said she. " Don't you 
 go exciting yourself like this, and threatening people and 
 so on. For that'll do no good. You bide your time, and 
 it'll all come right in the end. Try a different tack with 
 Lizzie, and don't be for ever growling and grumbling to 
 her. That's not the way to make a girl like you. As 
 for Mr. Hector, you've no right to talk of the young 
 gentleman as you have," she contiuued, emboldened by 
 Woodruff's silence, which she took for acquiescence or 
 submission. " He means no harm, I'll warrant. Just a 
 silly bit of flirtation, nothing more. Now, do you behave 
 yourself like a sensible man, pray do, and you'll see Lizzie 
 will come round after a little." 
 
 " Bit of flirtation, indeed ! He mayn't mean more, 
 darn him ! but she does, and that's where it is." 
 
 ' c Oh, nonsense ; it's all your fancy." 
 
 " 'Taint all my fancy," cried he, making Mrs. Cor- 
 coran jump as he barked out the words. " I tell yow 
 'taint. Yow aint a goin' to git over me with yer soft 
 sawder. Howsomdever," he added, in a calmer voice, "if 
 you want to do a feller a good turn, and her too, p'r'aps, 
 you might go and tell that there gal what I say, and that
 
 " The Yellow Fiend ! " 167 
 
 she'd better mind what she's arter a playin' the fool like 
 this here,, or it'll be the wuss for her." 
 
 Saving which the amiable Woodruff passed on without 
 waiting to hear more. 
 
 " Well, this is a pretty state of affairs/' soliloquized 
 Mrs. Corcoran, continuing on her way. u I wonder what 
 Mr. Albert will say to it. I'll lay those two are really 
 in love in earnest, and Woodruff knows it, or he wouldn't 
 be so precious wild. The fellow's half mad, that's clear. 
 I think I'd better go straight off to the Hall and tell the 
 Captain what I've heard. He'll warn Mr. Hector; so I 
 shall kill two birds with one stone." 
 
 " Hulloa ! Good evening Mrs. Corcoran," cried a voice, 
 as the woman was passing Crutch Hut, and turning, she 
 saw Grumpy Grayle standing by his garden-gate. ' c I 
 noticed you talking to that fellow in the road — " said he, 
 " thought it was you." 
 
 " Good evening, Mr. Grayle. A nice fellow he is too, 
 sir, that Woolly Woodruff. I've had a very pleasant talk 
 with him, I can tell you." 
 
 " Oh, indeed ? " 
 
 " Yes. I think he's about as crazy a creature as ever 
 I saw." 
 
 " Crazy, eh ? Well he seemed all right as he passed 
 just now. Touched his hat civilly enough and all that. 
 Precious dirty hat it was too. Sooner lie touched it than 
 I did." 
 
 " They call him Woolly Woodruff, and I'm sure his 
 wits are gone a wool gathering." 
 
 ''But what has he been doing? What has he been 
 saying, eh ? " 
 
 " I should like to tell you about it, Mr. Grayle. Per- 
 haps you could advise me." 
 
 " Certainly, if I can. But come into the Hut and sit
 
 1 68 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 down/' said Grumpy, opening the garden-gate for her. 
 li You must be cold standing about." 
 
 Mrs. Corcoran gladly accepted the offer, and they dis- 
 appeared into the house. 
 
 " Now then/' said Andrew, as he made her take a seat 
 beside the cheerful fire in the sanctum, " let's hear about 
 this Mr. Woodruff. But first of all, can I offer you a cup 
 of tea or anything ? " 
 
 " No, thank you, Mr. Grayle," she replied, removing a 
 fur tippet, for the room was warm. " I shall get home 
 just by tea-time, so I won't take anything before." 
 
 Mrs. Corcoran then communicated in a few concise 
 sentences all the facts relative to Lizzie and Hector, and 
 Woodruff's consequent jealousy. 
 
 " So you see, sir," she remarked, in conclusion, " he's 
 got some reason for his craziness. Some method in his 
 madness, as a body may say, and it's a funny affair 
 altogether." 
 
 Grumpy Grayle had listened attentively meanwhile, 
 stroking the black cat with a continuous motion, which 
 drew out the electricity, and kept up a running accompa- 
 niment of crackling sparks. When the woman ceased 
 speaking he merely gave vent to a prolonged whistle by 
 way of reply, and was silent for a few minutes. 
 
 " A very interesting romance, Mrs. Corcoran, upon my 
 word," he observed presently. " It strikes me it will 
 lead to complications." 
 
 " So I think, Mr. Grayle," said she, thinking so even 
 more than he did. 
 
 " That is if the boy Hector is serious. But I don't 
 expect he is." 
 
 " I wouldn't be too sure. You see Lizzie Rolfe's a 
 very uncommon girl — " 
 
 " An uncommon fine girl, yes ; I quite agree with you."
 
 " The Yellow Fiend! " 169 
 
 " And such a face as hers is likely enough to make any 
 young fellow, no matter what his position, fall despe- 
 rately in love, and no half- measures about it." 
 
 " No doubt, no doubt. Well, if he has, it's a pretty 
 kettle of fish. Wonder what they'll say at the Hall ? " 
 
 At this thought Grumpy chuckled to himself, and drew 
 out an extra volley of sparks from the cat. 
 
 " I'm sure I don't know, Mr. Grayle. They ought to 
 squash the affair at once, I should think, before it goes 
 any further." 
 
 " Yes, to be sure, to be sure ; so they ought." 
 
 Grumpy fell a-thinking again. Was his prophecy 
 coming true after all ? He had said that boy would 
 come to no good, and this was certainly a bad start. 
 Just like his father, he supposed, fond of low company 
 too ; what could one expect ? Here Grumpy paid him- 
 self rather a bad compliment, seeing that George Grayle 
 had sought his company so much ; but in this respect 
 Hector had not followed in the footsteps of his father, 
 nor run counter to the Squire's wishes by associating too 
 much with his captious and sinister-minded relative ; 
 though they always spoke to each other when they 
 met, and were on very fair nod-and-good-morning 
 terms. 
 
 Lost in his meditations, Andrew Grayle did not ad- 
 dress Mrs. Corcoran for some minutes, which that person 
 took as a hint to go, and made a movement to do so. 
 
 " Steady a bit, Mrs. Corcoran," cried he, waving her 
 back into her seat ; " don't be in a hurry. About .this 
 fellow, Woodruff, then — you think he's really dangerous 
 eh?" 
 
 " I do indeed." 
 
 " But in what way do you mean ? "
 
 i 70 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 11 Well, I wouldn't answer for what he mightn't do — 
 he's mad and furious enough for anything." 
 
 " Bless my soul ! a nice sort of wild beast to be at 
 large." 
 
 " Very. I thought I'd better go up to the Hall on 
 my way home, and warn Mr. Hector." 
 
 " Well, yes, p'r'aps you had," observed Grumpy, 
 abruptly. 
 
 "As to the other matter, Mr. Grayle, that's not my 
 business, so I shan't interfere." 
 
 These were only Mrs. Corcoran's words ; Mrs. Corco- 
 ran's intentions were quite another thing. 
 
 " No, of course not ; still — somebody ought. I can't — 
 no connexion with the shop over the way, you under- 
 stand," said he, jerking his head in the direction of the 
 Hall. "Yes, yes, they certainly should be enlightened 
 somehow ; and the boy ought to be bundled off abroad 
 directly, or something of the sort — that is, if he isn't 
 murdered meantime." 
 
 Here Grumpy smiled a ghastly smile, as if he didn't 
 feel quite sure whether he had made a joke or not." 
 
 Mrs. Corcoran soon afterwards protesting again that 
 she really must go, he politely showed her to the door. 
 
 " Well, good evening, if you must," said he. " Good 
 evening — thanks for the news — very glad to have seen 
 you." 
 
 " Not advisable to let him know too much," muttered 
 Mrs. Corcoran, thinking aloud as she resumed her way ; 
 " besides, I must keep faith with old friends. It wouldn't 
 do to mix matters up worse than they are already; and 
 now to see Mr. Albert." 
 
 " Shrewd old woman that," said Grumpy to himself, as 
 he closed the door after her ; " she seems to take quite
 
 " The Yellow Fiend f" 171 
 
 an interest in the family. Dash my wig ! are things 
 looking up after all, I wonder ? — who can tell ? " and in 
 the sudden excitement of his thoughts, he went to the 
 cellaret, and filling a sherry-glass with raw brandy, tossed 
 it off with a smack of intense relish.
 
 1 7 2 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 THE HAUNTED ROOM AT BARRINGTREE. 
 
 u Blood hath been shed ere now, i' the olden time, 
 Ere human statute purged the gentle weal ; 
 Ay, and since too, murders have been perform'd 
 Too terrible for the ear : the times have been, 
 That when the brains were out the man would die, 
 And there an end : but now, they rise again, 
 With twenty mortal murders on their crowns, 
 Aud push us from our stools : this is more strange 
 Than such a murder is." 
 
 Macbeth. 
 
 Notice ! Any person or persons (of nervous temperament) 
 trespassing on the pages of this and the following chapter 
 will be persecuted — by nightmares, horrible dreams, and 
 other unpleasant visitations ! 
 
 Having said as much, I feel I have only done my duty; 
 for, on penning the above heading, some such warning 
 occurred to me as being due to the gentler sex, since an 
 author has no right to intrude a spice of morbid horror 
 on those to whom it may be unacceptable. But the 
 legend of Barringtree is part of the family history, so far 
 as the Hall itself is concerned, and as such must be duly 
 chronicled. 
 
 A day or two subsequent to the events last recorded, 
 it happened that Clement Mountjoy, who had as usual 
 been out shooting with the Barringtree party, found
 
 The Haunted Room at Barringtree. 173 
 
 himself completely weather-bound by nightfall, and unable 
 to return to Merrydale till next morning. 
 
 The day, which had been anything but a genial one, 
 culminated at sunset in a howling tempest of sleet and 
 bitter north-east wind, so that the intrepid Clement, who 
 was generally callous of all weathers, was prevailed upon 
 to sleep at the Hall, in preference to braving the fierce 
 elements. 
 
 Now the question arose where to put him, for Barring- 
 tree was full of guests for the shooting and some private 
 theatricals besides, which were in course of preparation. 
 Hence every room in the house was occupied with the 
 exception of one, which was certainly empty and likely to 
 remain so, since nobody would have desired to sleep there ; 
 and Hector, rather than allow his friend to do so, offered 
 to let him double- up in his own apartment. 
 
 This one exception was the grey room, situate in the 
 old part of the house, at the extreme end of the left wing, 
 facing the north, and better known at Barringtree as the 
 haunted chamber. 
 
 Connected with this bedroom there was a most ghastly 
 tradition, which had hung over it for many years, and 
 which had been handed down from father to son as a 
 perfectly true story in all its horrible details. So much 
 superstition indeed had been felt regarding this grey 
 room, that the present Squire had often thought of brick- 
 ing it up, with all its ancient furniture, just as it stood ; 
 but this had never been done, and consequently it 
 remained a sort of skeleton in the Hall, and a special 
 nightmare to any nervous people who slept on that 
 landing. 
 
 That it had once been the scene of a frightful tragedy 
 there was not the least doubt, and though this was long 
 ago, the grey chamber still retained its ghostly character
 
 i 74 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 or was supposed to do so, for like all such rooms in old 
 rambling mansions, it gave ample cause for a thousand 
 fancies, arising from the frequent strange and mysterious 
 noises heard therein at the dead of night, peculiar, one 
 may suppose, to any apartment so long uninhabited, and 
 doubtless caused by a legion of hoary old rats personating 
 so many fiendish hobgoblins. 
 
 There was a good deal of chaff that night in the 
 billiard-room about this same haunted chamber, and 
 Clement was twitted by some of the mischievous ones as 
 to his want of pluck in not jumping at it for his sleeping 
 apartment, since it was the only unoccupied one to be had . 
 Hector, however, came to the rescue of his friend, and 
 declared, whether Clement wished it or not, he would 
 never permit him to pass the night in that mouldy old 
 place. 
 
 Foremost in this chaff was Heffernan, who professed to 
 look with extreme contempt on such schoolboy stories j 
 and although he, as well as the others, had heard of the 
 legend, he actually went so far as to offer to give up his 
 own bedroom to young Mountjoy and sleep in the other 
 himself. This was too much for Clement, and that reck- 
 less dare-devil spirit took possession of him again; the 
 same rash heedlessness already signalized by his furious 
 riding in the famous stag-hunt. He made up his mind in 
 a moment. He should sleep there, and no one else. He 
 would show them that he was no such contemptible 
 craven as they imagined; and if all the incarnate fiends 
 from the infernal regions appeared to him and sat on him 
 till morning, let them ! Sleep there he would — at all 
 events pass the night — and nothing should prevent 
 him. 
 
 " Bravo ! well said, Mountjoy," exclaimed Heffernan, 
 as Clement made the announcement and looked defiantly
 
 The Haunted Room at Barringtree. 175 
 
 round, meeting his rival's eye. "I never thought you 
 wanting in pluck, 'pon my soul. That's right; break 
 the spell and exorcise this wonderful demon, or whatever 
 it is, and summon us all if you see it ; let's have some 
 proof that there is such a thing." 
 
 " Oh, it's a pack of nonsense altogether," interposed 
 Hector. I am not at all certain that he really thought 
 this however. ' ' But the room is damp and miserable ; 
 besides, there's no bed or anything made up. I wouldn't 
 let a dog sleep in such a place." 
 
 "I mean to do so, old man, if I have to sleep on 
 the floor." Clement looked very determined as he said it. 
 
 " Rubbish, Clem, you shall do nothing of the kind." 
 
 " But I tell you I will," persisted the other ; " please 
 don't thwart me, Hec," he continued, in a whisper ; " I 
 really wish it, or I wouldn't say so." 
 
 " But why, in heaven's name ? " 
 
 " I — I don't know exactly ; I've a fancy to make the 
 experiment, that's all." 
 
 " You're a funny boy ! However, if you are bent on 
 being thoroughly uncomfortable, so be it; at any rate 
 we'll do our best for you, and tell the housekeeper to have 
 some bedding and sheets aired ; then if you think better 
 of it by-and-by, you can. You obstinate old lunatic ! " 
 Hector added, laughing and ringing the bell ; " but you'll 
 have one satisfaction, if you can call it so, in knowing that 
 you're the first person who has slept in that four-poster 
 for years ; at least, so I believe." 
 
 "And that ought to be an inducement," observed 
 Heffernan, dryly ; M but as to ghosts, who believes in such 
 bosh?" 
 
 "Not I," cried Clement, with ineffable contempt; its 
 only people with bad digestions who see such things, and 
 mine's as good as an ostrich's."
 
 176 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 "William," observed Hector, as the footman now 
 answered the bell, " tell Mrs. Hurst I want to speak to 
 her." 
 
 " Talking of ghosts, I remember a story of a friend of 
 mine once," began Heffernan, " a Mr. Mulgrave by name, 
 who made a point of visiting his stables the last thing 
 every night to see that his horses were properly bedded 
 up and so on, mindful of the old adage, f a merciful man 
 is merciful to his beast/ and not caring to leave every- 
 thing to his grooms, whom he habitually mistrusted. 
 
 " Well, on one occasion, he went as usual with a lantern, 
 which, as ill-luck would have it, seemed to be troubled 
 with a spit in its flame that night and gave but the 
 feeblest light, only serving to make darkness more visible. 
 Thinking, however, it would recover itself in a minute or 
 so, he made the best of his way to the stables, and, open- 
 ing the door, began his usual noctural inspection. On 
 reaching the second stall he was about to arrange the 
 clothing 01 its occupant, which had become twisted awry, 
 when suddenly he heard a deep groan proceeding from 
 the further end of the building. 
 
 "He started for a moment, but attributing the sound 
 to one of the horses, was about to continue his rounds 
 when his attention was attracted by a dark indistinct 
 figure standing behind the partition of the furthest stall, 
 which he knew to be empty. Owing to the impenetrable 
 darkness and the wretched light afforded by his lantern 
 he could not at first define the outline of this figure ; but 
 curious to make out the shadowy olfspring of his imagina- 
 tion, if such it were, he drew nearer, and raising the 
 lantern, an involuntary shudder passed through his frame 
 as the shape became more clearly revealed. 
 
 " Sure enough above the partition there towered a huge 
 pair of shoulders, surmounted by a grim-looking head-
 
 The Haunted Room at Barringtree. 1 7 7 
 
 piece, on which was a slouched hat, effectually concealing 
 the features. 
 
 11 Knowing this was not one of his servants, from the 
 stature and breadth of the figure, and suspecting some 
 foul play, Mulgrave, who was far from a nervous man, 
 took a step forward and in a stern voice demanded who 
 the intruder was. Another deep groan, which sounded 
 horribly sepulchral in the still darkness, was the only 
 reply ; and, beginning to feel rather uncomfortable, he 
 repeated his question in a louder tone. A momentary 
 pause ensued, and then there issued from the mysterious 
 figure a mumbling sound, which gradually developed into 
 a volley of frightful oaths, dying away again into indistinct 
 mutterings. 
 
 " Mulgrave was now more alarmed than he cared to own, 
 and the whinnying of his favourite mare close by him was 
 quite a grateful relief to his throbbing ears. He waited 
 for a few seconds and then called out in an angry 
 voice, — 
 
 " l Hark you, by the heaven above ! if you don't say 
 who you are and what you want, be you man or devil, 
 I'll dash your brains out with this/ and he seized a crow- 
 bar which chanced to be standing against the wall near 
 him. 
 
 "Another awful pause, suddenly broken by a fierce 
 guttural oath, and then deep silence again. The black 
 monster never moved, but towered above the stall as if in 
 defiance of the threat. 
 
 u ' Once more, will you answer me or will you not ? ' 
 cried .Mulgrave, clutching the crowbar convulsively, while 
 the cold perspiration burst out on his forehead. 
 
 " To this there was no reply, not even a groan nor an 
 oath. The silence was only disturbed by the thumping 
 pulse of the terrified man and an occasional movement 
 
 vol 1. n
 
 1 78 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 of the horses as they champed the hay or rustled the 
 straw at their feet. 
 
 " Presently, as he watched, Mulgrave saw, or fancied he 
 saw, this uncanny thing in front of him rising higher and 
 higher above the woodwork of the partitiou. He could 
 stand it no longer. 
 
 " ' Your blood be on your own head then/ he shouted 
 at length, and hurling the crowbar with all his might, it 
 struck its mark with terrific force, and in a moment the 
 mysterious creature vanished. 
 
 " The horses snorted with fright and rattled their stall 
 chains, while Mulgrave, summoning all his courage, rushed 
 round to the empty compartment, and was there confronted 
 by one of his own grooms in the act of rising from the 
 ground. 
 
 " ' Whatsh the matter ? ' hiccoughed the man, in drunken 
 accents, rubbing his bleared eyes as the lantern light fell 
 on them, l whatsh the devilsh the row V 
 
 " ' James, you here ! ' cried his astonished master, ' why 
 didn't vou answer me ? whereas your companion ? ' he 
 asked, looking round ; ' by heaven ! if I haven't killed 
 him he shall be taken off to the police station at 
 once/ 
 
 "'Who, shir — where shir?' spluttered the bewildered 
 groom. 
 
 " ' What do you mean by this conduct, fellow ? ' 
 
 " ' Who shir — me shir — I was only asleep in here 'cos 
 I — ' (hiccough). 
 
 " ' Faugh ! you're drunk, you scoundrel ! ' exclaimed 
 Mulgrave, thoroughly angry, though still mystified ; 4 but 
 where is that other fellow who was with you just now ? 
 Look, there he lies ! pick him up at once; do you hear 
 me, James ? serve him right if I have killed him.' 
 
 " ' What other fellow, shir ? no one else here, shir/ and
 
 The Haunted Room at Barringtree. 1 76 
 
 James began to get a little sober, looking round him as 
 if dazed by his master's words. 
 
 " That gentleman now lowered the lantern, and there, to 
 his intense disgust, though subsequent amusement, dis- 
 covered lying on the ground with the crowbar across it, 
 the cause of this extraordinary apparition. 
 
 " Propped up against the stall partition had been a hay- 
 rake, which some one had left there, and on which the 
 groom had hung his wet overcoat, spreading it out at the 
 shoulders over the teeth of the rake to dry it the quicker ; 
 and against this again, elevated on the bottom of a bucket, 
 had stood the stable mop on which he had hung his 
 dripping hat. The groans and oaths too came from this 
 inebriated worthy in his slumbers, for James had been 
 out on the spree, and coming home wet through, 'as 
 drunk as a lord/ had just instinct enough to hang his 
 moist clothes in this fashion, and then dropped down to 
 sleep beneath the bogey which he had thus unconsciously 
 raised up for his master's benefit. 
 
 " I never heard whether James got the sack or not ; 
 but my friend Mulgrave always tells this ghost story 
 against himself with a good hearty laugh at his own 
 expense." 
 
 ' ' A capital story too ! " exclaimed Hector ; " another 
 proof of the absurd fallacy regarding supernaturalism." 
 
 " Of course/' observed Heffernan ; w nightly shadows 
 and sounds may be turned into any sort of horrible appa- 
 rition by a too vivid imagination and late suppers. At 
 the same time, I think my friend had some reason to be in 
 a funk. I should have been. What do you say, Mountjoy ? " 
 
 tS Can't tell, I'm sure, unless I was tried; but I'll let 
 you know in the morning how I've slept in the haunted 
 room," said Clement, smiling in self-confidence of his own 
 courage. 
 
 n 2
 
 180 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 Finding he was more than ever fixed in his determina- 
 tion, Hector duly gave Mrs. Hurst instructions to prepare 
 the grey chamber for him; very much to the house- 
 keeper's surprise, apparently, for she hesitated and said, — 
 
 " Lor, Mr. Hector, you're joking. Mr. Mountjoy don't 
 mean to sleep there, surely ? " 
 
 " He does, and prefers it ; he's not afraid of all the 
 silly stories about the room, Mrs. Hurst. Besides, there 
 is nowhere else to put him/' 
 
 u Couldn't I make up a bed for him on your floor, sir ? " 
 urged the housekeeper. 
 
 "No; he won't have it. He seems quite bent on 
 sleeping in the grey room, and I can't dissuade him." 
 
 " Curious taste, I must say, sir. Lor ! I wouldn't if it 
 was ever so ; no, not if you were to give me all 
 Barringtree." 
 
 " Well, never mind, Mrs. Hurst ; just have it prepared. 
 Mr. Clement is not nervous ; so there's no need to be 
 alarmed about him. If he were afraid, it would be dif- 
 ferent, as he might fancy all sorts of things ; but in 
 reality there's nothing there to hurt any one. The idea is 
 absurd." 
 
 " I don't believe you think that, all the same, Mr. Hec- 
 tor. However, you say you want the room got ready, so 
 I'll go and see to it ;" whereupon the housekeeper hurried 
 off to give the necessary orders. It was getting late, and 
 she did not relish the job at all, requiring all her staff of 
 housemaids to accompany her to the dreaded apartment. 
 However, it was soon done ; and after the fire got up a 
 bit, the ghostly haunt looked quite snug and cheerful. 
 
 When the gentlemen from the billiard-room went up- 
 stairs it was just on the stroke of midnight, and the ladies 
 had retired some time before. Of course, the male party 
 were curious to see this wonderful chamber under its new
 
 The Haunted Room at Biirrinptree. 1 8 1 
 
 <i> 
 
 aspect ; so thither they repaired, one and all, and Cle- 
 ments had no lack of an escort to his weird roosting- 
 place. 
 
 Then, amid jokes and laughter, these convivial spirits 
 proceeded to make a general search ; under the four-post 
 bed, on the top of its canopy, into the wardrobe and cup- 
 boards, and everywhere they could think of. But, finding 
 nothing out of the common, they went off, rather disap- 
 pointed perhaps, to their respective beds. Hector, how- 
 ever, remained to have a final pipe with his friend before 
 he turned in, just to give him confidence, as he said 
 laughingly ; and these two sat, cosily smoking and chat- 
 ting together, by the roaring fire for some time, having 
 apparently dismissed from their minds the lately absorbing 
 topic relative to supernatural lore. 
 
 It was Hector's object to send his friend to bed with 
 an unwarped imagination ; but Clement seemed deter- 
 mined to frustrate this object, and returned to the charge 
 presently, remarking, — 
 
 " I dare say you wonder, Hec, what made me so deter- 
 mined to sleep here." 
 
 " Your usual pigheadedness, I suppose, old boy/' 
 replied Hector, smiling. 
 
 1 ' Not a bit of it. I'll tell you, then. If there is one 
 man in this world who aggravates me by his calm sneer- 
 ing manner, it's that fellow Heffernan." 
 
 " Really ? Well, I can't see that." 
 
 " No, I daresay not ; and far be it from me to speak 
 slightingly of your future brother-in-law. But I can't 
 help saying it — he does aggravate me; and he does it, 
 too, in such a pleasant, good-humoured sort of way, which 
 makes it worse." 
 
 Hector could not quite make out what Clement meant 
 by this ; but had he known the secret of his friend's
 
 1 8 2 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 heart, he might have understood better. With all their 
 confidences, however, young Mountjoy had not confided 
 his latent love ; and on the other hand, too, Agnes had 
 kept her own counsel ; so Hector was quite in the dark. 
 
 " Couldn't you see what he was driving at ? M continued 
 Clement ; " couldn't you see, with all his chaff and 
 joking, he was daring me to sleep in this haunted 
 room ? " 
 
 " Ton my soul I couldn't/' 
 
 Nor any one else. Such was the influence of that 
 " deadly venom." Clement Mountjoy knew he hated 
 Heffernan, and fancied the feeling was reciprocal. 
 
 " Well, never mind, I could," he continued, filling a 
 fresh pipe. " Now tell me, do you really believe there's 
 any ground for the superstition about it ? " 
 
 As he spoke, he glanced round the room inquisitively, 
 and up at the ceiling, as if searching for the ground 
 there. 
 
 "Certainly not," returned Hector, contemptuously, 
 " except in the fact of there being a lot of old rats." 
 
 "But there is a legend, of course; I know that," 
 resumed the other, puffing away up into the chimney, 
 " only I heard it so long ago I've forgotten all about it." 
 
 " A very good thing too." 
 
 " On the contrary, when there is such a thing connected 
 with a place where a fellow is going to sleep, one likes to 
 know what it is, to prepare for the worst ; so I shouldn't 
 mind hearing it again. Suppose you refresh my memory 
 with the particulars ;" and he drew nearer to the fire, with 
 a sympathetic shiver, whilst the howling tempest rattled 
 against the casement. 
 
 " What a morbid old fool you are, Clem ! you evidently 
 want to court the horrors. The story's creepy enough 
 told in the daytime, in all conscience, but here at night,
 
 The Haunted Room at Barringtree. iS 
 
 o 
 
 and just as you're going to bed in the identical place — 
 not if I know it." 
 
 " Why, you're as bad as Heffernan. What the deuce 
 do you take me for ? Do you think I'm an old woman to 
 be scared by a stupid legend ? But perhaps you're afraid 
 to tell it yourself under the circumstances." 
 
 There was a tinge of sarcasm in this last remark. 
 
 " Not I, my dear boy ; the story is pretty familiar to 
 me — I've told it often enough, goodness knows — only 
 last night too — " 
 
 " Yes, but I wasn't here — " 
 
 " Well, it's getting awfully late," added Hector, looking 
 at his watch, with a yawn ; " but if you will have it, it 
 must be in a condensed form. 
 
 ' ' You must know, then, that it was in my great grand- 
 father's young days — I can't say for the moment how 
 many years ago — when the tragedy took place in this 
 house — that is, in this room — which gave rise to the 
 Barringtree legend ; but it had nothing whatever to do 
 with any of our own family, and I am thankful to think 
 tli ere is no such blot on our escutcheon. 
 
 "My ancestor, it appears, had only been married a 
 short time when he was obliged to go abroad for the 
 benefit of his wife's health ; and as their absence from 
 England promised to be a protracted one, he commissioned 
 his estate agent to let Barringtree for a certain period. 
 
 ' c Accordingly this was done, and the place was taken 
 by a certain Sir Geoffrey Hendricks, a wealthy, middle- 
 aged baronet, who had also been recently married. His 
 young wife, Lady Linda, daughter of Earl Tremaine, 
 was one of the loveliest women in England, quite the 
 rage in London at that time, and a girl who might have 
 married the highest in the land, for every one was at her 
 feet.
 
 1 84 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 "This, however, was essentially un mariage de con- 
 venance, since Lord Tremaine owed Sir Geoffrey a heavy 
 gambling debt, which he could not possibly pay; and the 
 baronet, by way of compromise, proposed for the Lady 
 Linda's hand — the only compromise, in fact, to which he 
 would agree. 
 
 " Lord Tremaine pleaded hard with his daughter — for 
 he shrank from forcing her — and she, poor girl, to save 
 her father's good name, consented to sacrifice herself, and 
 become the wife of a man whom she could neither love 
 nor respect. Such marriages were not uncommon in 
 those days, and even in our present age more ill-assorted 
 and more mercenary ones still are often contracted, al- 
 though not, perhaps, on such a basis. 
 
 " Sir Geoffrey Hendricks was one of the most dissipated 
 roues in town, an inveterate gambler and a hard drinker, 
 and many a disgraceful orgy took place in this old house 
 during his tenancy. A man of this kind, then, was 
 scarcely likely to endear himself to any woman, espe- 
 cially when he and his wife went to the altar under such 
 auspices; so it is not to be wondered at that Lady 
 Linda's first feelings of mere dislike soon developed into 
 utter loathing and contempt. 
 
 " Lord Tremaine was a constant visitor here during his 
 son-in-law's residence, and he often introduced to Sir 
 Geoffrey's circle friends of his own whom he chose to 
 bring from town — a useful little pigeon, now and then, 
 too, to be served up at the baronet's card-parties, 
 promptly plucked, and let go again — but this was purely 
 accidental, for his lordship's sole purpose was to give his 
 daughter the benefit of some decent society other than 
 Sir Geoffrey's choosing. 
 
 " Among these friends was a certain Hubert Ormiston, 
 a handsome young guardsman, who had known Lady
 
 The Haunted Room at Barringtree. 185 
 
 Linda before her marriage, and had been one of her most 
 ardent admirers. This was dangerous ground, then, for 
 him to tread, especially under the circumstances j and the 
 old earl ought to have known better than to have thus 
 brought the moth to the candle. Sir Geoffrey, besides, was 
 really fond of his beautiful wife, after a fashion, and jealous 
 of her to the last degree, since he felt she had no love for 
 him. Even in the wildest moments of excitement 
 during card-playing he would watch her narrowly as she 
 shone like a bright star in his drawing-room — the very 
 centre of attraction — a planet around which hovered many 
 satellites. 
 
 " In return for the homage which Ormiston had paid 
 her before her fatal marriage, Lady Linda had cherished 
 a warm feeling in her heart for him, not far removed from 
 actual love, and now that they were once more thrown 
 together, all the old sentiments in each were revived with 
 renewed strength. In her unhappy married state, Lady 
 Linda yearned for sympathy and a kindred affection, which 
 Hubert Ormiston was only too ready to give her. Thus it 
 came to pass that a secret liaison was established between 
 them, congenial in its warmth, as it was glaring in its 
 guilt. This intimacy did not fail to attract Sir Geoffrey's 
 notice, although the lovers put the strictest guard on every 
 word, and look, and gesture ; but the incensed husband 
 gave no index by his face or manner of the jealous wrath 
 fast rising within his stony heart, and planted there by 
 the unconscious wife herself; for like Parisina, Lady 
 Linda, in her slumbers, betrayed the secret of her guilt. 
 
 1 Fever'd in her sleep she seems, 
 And red her cheek with troubled dreams, 
 And mutters she in her unrest 
 A name she dare not breathe by day, 
 And clasps her lord unto the breast 
 Which pants for one away.'
 
 1 86 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 " Then, as the cruel poison sank deep into the soul of 
 Prince Azo, creating in him a relentless fury, which no 
 feelings of tie or kindred could assuage — so withered the 
 last spark of humanity in Sir Geoffrey's nature, already 
 too far brutalized, and, ' more cruel than the grave/ 
 he plotted for that guilty pair a stealthy and a terrible 
 revenge. 
 
 " Night after night he watched those two single them- 
 selves out from the rest, and withdraw to a secluded 
 corner of the room for earnest converse, and though 
 apparently deep in his game of cards, they were ever 
 under his searching eye. Night after night Sir 
 Geoffrey staked higher and higher, and drank more 
 deeply in proportion, and night after night he reeled off 
 to his bed, or was carried there in the very last stage of 
 intoxication. 
 
 " But still the bait remained untouched ! 
 
 " Oh ! it was a cold, calculating, horribly villainous 
 scheme, and it makes one shudder to recall it. 
 
 " Not a whit thrown off his guard by its failure at first, 
 Sir Geoffrey continued his counterfeited excesses — for 
 little else than toast-and-water passed his lips, cunningly 
 provided by his valet whom he took into confidence — and 
 never in his life had the baronet gone to bed so sober as 
 on these occasions when carried upstairs by his faithful 
 attendant and another, apparently the most helpless votary 
 of Bacchus. 
 
 " One night when he had lain watching for some time, 
 feigning a heavy breathing as in drunken sleep, he dozed 
 off against his will, and so remained in real slumber for 
 over two hours. But ( a jealous man sleeps dog-sleep/ 
 and presently he awoke with a start and found his wife's 
 place vacant in the bed beside him. With mingled 
 feelings of rage and triumph, he rose immediately, and
 
 The Haunted Room at Barringtrec. 187 
 
 hastily throwing on some clothes, snatched a dagger from 
 his dressing-case, and stole on tiptoe along the passage to 
 the spot where his suspicion led him." 
 
 " To this room in fact/' remarked Clement. 
 
 " To this very room, which Ormiston then occupied. 
 
 " Sir Geoffrey cautiously tried the door, and, as he 
 suspected, found it locked. He listened, but could hear 
 no sound within, and he himself was noiseless as a serpent 
 in every movement. True, Ormiston might have locked 
 the door on retiring to bed, he thought ; but as a rule 
 men were not so cautious, and the fact of finding it 
 secured helped to confirm his suspicion. 
 
 " Now, I don't know whether you know it, but there 
 is another entrance to this room, a secret one, formed by a 
 movable panel in a corresponding apartment on the other 
 side. That cupboard, which we looked into just now, 
 has a false back, which if you touch a certain spring 
 (acting for either entrance), gives way to or from you, 
 leading to the other room through a small intermediate 
 space, whence runs a narrow staircase to the top of the 
 house — at least it did once, but I believe it is now blocked 
 higher up. In order to get in here, however, from that 
 side, supposing this door to be fastened, you would have 
 to go round and up another flight of stairs. 
 
 " Sir Geoffrey Hendricks was aware of this secret 
 entrance, and lost no time in availing himself of it, which 
 he was the better able to do as the other bedroom 
 happened to be unoccupied. Stealthily he crept through 
 the secret passage, and on entering this, his guest's 
 chamber, had the grim satisfaction of finding matters as 
 he suspected. There, by the faint light of a waning 
 moon, which glimmered through the curtained window, 
 he saw too plainly his guilty wife actually sleeping calmly 
 by the side of her paramour.
 
 1 8 8 The Sword of Da modes . 
 
 11 The furious husband stood over them for a minute, as 
 if gloating on his own shame and their impending punish- 
 ment. Then, with clenched teeth and gleaming eyes, he 
 clutched the dagger tightly in his grasp, and, with the 
 other hand, shook the sleeping Ormiston by the shoulder, 
 crying in a hoarse whisper, — 
 
 " ' Wretched villain ! this is your return for my hospi- 
 tality ; this, then, is mine for your vile treachery ; die, 
 as you deserve ! ' " and he plunged the dagger once, 
 twice, up to the very hilt in the breast of his struggling 
 victim, who, in the vain attempt to ward off those deadly 
 blows, only prevented them from proving fatal on the 
 instant, thereby adding to his own punishment and the 
 husband's revenge, by prolonging his fearful death 
 agony. 
 
 "Lady Linda started with a frantic shriek as she 
 realized the awful scene, but the fierce Sir Geoffrey in a 
 moment placed his hand upon her mouth and held her 
 down. 
 
 " ' Miserable woman ! ' " he hissed in her ear, ' ' ' to die 
 were far too good for such as you; but move hand or 
 foot, or utter another sound, and I stab you to the 
 heart ! ; " 
 
 " Paralyzed with fear, she remained silent and motion- 
 less, fascinated with horror at the sight of the writhing 
 form beside her, weltering in his gore, and splashing her 
 with his fast-ebbing life-blood. Meanwhile Sir Geoffrey 
 strode across the room, and with his reeking dagger, cut 
 down both the bell-ropes, which hung on either side of the 
 mantlepiece, returning to the bed with them and exclaim- 
 ing in a grating voice, suppressed by violent passion, — 
 
 " ' You shall not die, Lady Linda, do not fear, but live 
 in the shame you have brought upon yourself. Here, in 
 this room, I leave you with the partner of your crime ;
 
 The Haunted Room at Barringtree. 1 89 
 
 nor shall you quit the side of yon dying man until all 
 eyes have feasted on your foul disgrace and his just 
 retribution ! ' 
 
 " So saying, despite her desperate struggles, the relent- 
 less husband bound her tightly with the ropes he had cut 
 down for that purpose, and so fastened them to the frame 
 of the bed that she could not stir. Then gazing pitilessly 
 on his handiwork for a few seconds, and satiating his 
 stormy spirit with this murderous revenge, Sir Geoffrey 
 Hendricks left the room by the same way he had entered. 
 
 " For a long time the wretched woman remained 
 speechless in this horrible situation ; but the ghastly con- 
 tortions of the body beside her, which touched her again 
 and again in its spasmodic movements, recalled the mise- 
 rable Lady Linda from a state of stupor to a sense of the 
 dreadful reality, and at length, maddened by terror, her 
 frightful cries roused the household. 
 
 " Then the footsteps of servants and others were heard 
 hurrying along the corridors towards the spot whence the 
 sounds proceeded; the pale faces, anxious inquiries, and 
 awe-stricken whispers, indicating an anticipation of some 
 fearful calamity, though no one could tell what, and little 
 could they realize how appalling. 
 
 " Day was dawning as they burst open the door, when 
 a shocking spectacle met their view. There lay the mur- 
 dered man in his last death-throes, the bed completely 
 saturated with his blood ; and sitting upright by his side 
 was Sir Geoffrey's wife — a raving maniac now — tearing 
 with her teeth, like a wild beast, at her night-dress and 
 the ropes that still partly bound her, which, in her mad, 
 frenzied strength, she had loosened, and uttering from 
 her foaming lips such terrific yells as rang in the ears of 
 those that heard them for long afterwards. 
 
 " The matter might probably have remained for ever a
 
 1 90 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 mystery, but that Sir Geoffry Hendricks, under pressure 
 of his valet's threatened disclosure, confessed, was put 
 upon his trial, and acquitted on the plea of justifiable 
 homicide — though I'm not sure that he would have got 
 off so cheaply nowadays — and the unfortunate Lady Hen- 
 dricks was afterwards removed to a private madhouse, I 
 believe, where death happily soon put an end to her 
 sufferings.'" 
 
 " And that's the whole story ? " remarked Clement, as 
 Hector concluded ; " well, it is awful enough, I must 
 say." 
 
 " The sequel to the legend is in the tradition regarding 
 this room, namely, that the mad woman's yells and 
 screams are sometimes heard in here at the dead of night, 
 and that the ghost of Sir Geoffrey Hendricks pays it 
 periodical visits from the tomb, when he goes to that 
 bedside, and stands over it with upraised dagger, as if 
 searching for his victims." 
 
 " Like all other traditions, I suppose, utter rubbish." 
 
 " Of course," replied Hector, with an involuntary 
 shudder; " and now to bed, old fellow." 
 
 At this moment Clement's face assumed a startled 
 expression, and he looked anxiously at his companion, 
 and then towards the legendary cupboard. 
 
 " Hark ! " cried he, clutching Hector's arm, " did you 
 hear that ? " 
 
 " What ? I heard the rats, that's all," returned the 
 other, smiling. 
 
 « Listen ! " 
 
 And they did listen, but nothing could they detect above 
 the storm outside except a spluttering jet of gas in the 
 fire, and the occasional rattling and creaking of the 
 window. 
 
 " Come, Clem, I tell you what it is — you're all on wires,
 
 The Haunted Room at Barringti'cc. 191 
 
 I can see. You shall not sleep here at all ; you'll be 
 having an awful nightmare, or a fit of some sort, if you 
 do." 
 
 " Not I," replied Clement, scornfully ; " I'm no more 
 nervous than I was before you told me the legend ; why 
 should I be ? But I certainly thought I heard a queer 
 noise in that cupboard — a sigh, or something like it — and 
 I fancied I heard it two or three times while you were 
 telling the story." 
 
 " My dear boy, with this tremendous wind and that 
 rickety old window-frame, you might fancy anything." 
 
 " Well, I should like to have another peep in there, at 
 all events." 
 
 " Nonsense, there's nothing ; we looked just now," re- 
 joined Hector, determined to discourage the morbid 
 fancy. 
 
 "Yes, but you never told us about the secret spring, 
 et csetera ; why didn't you ? " 
 
 " Why should I ? I didn't want to remind you of the 
 fact at all, until you made me tell that sickening legend." 
 
 " I wish you had, and then we might have explored it 
 together." 
 
 u No doubt ; but I didn't see any use in your conjuring 
 up a lot of phantasmagoric pictures in your excitable 
 brain just before you went to bed." 
 
 " At any rate the mischief is done now ; I know all 
 about it, so I shall have a look into this secret passage, 
 whether you will or not." 
 
 "M?) KLvei KafxapLvav, if you remember your Greek," 
 remonstrated Hector ; " let the ghost alone to-night ; 
 come off to my room, and sleep there." 
 
 " Not I ; here goes," persisted Clement, taking a 
 candle off the mantlepiece and going towards the cup- 
 board.
 
 1 9 2 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 " Oh, you obstinate old pig ! " cried Hector, laughing, 
 and poking up the fire ; " well, if you do see anything, 
 pull him out by the nose, and let's have a look at him." 
 
 "All right, I will," and the inquisitive youth dived 
 into the cupboard, with his lighted candle held high above 
 his head.
 
 19. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 WHAT WAS SEEN IN THE HAUNTED ROOM. 
 
 " What may this mean, 
 That thou, dread corse, 
 Revisitest thus the glimpses of the moon, 
 Making night hideous ? " 
 
 Hamlet. 
 " Avaunt ! and quit my sight ! 
 Let the earth hide thee ! 
 Thy bones are marrowless, thy blood is cold ; 
 Thou hast no speculation in those eyes 
 Which thou dost glare with ! 
 
 * * * # * 
 
 Take any shape but that, and my firm nerves 
 Shall never tremble." 
 
 Macbeth. 
 
 It is a strange, unaccountable fascination, that craving 
 after the indefinite horrible. How powerful the attraction 
 afforded by even a mere suspicion of the supernatural ! 
 Like a weird Will-o' -the- wisp, it draws its victim on as 
 by magnetic influence, producing the wildest phantasies 
 of the brain ; then, as the too willing mind yields to the 
 unwholesome influence, the morbid spiritualist, passing in 
 his fancy through that eerie land of shapeless shadows 
 and unearthly forms, peoples it with the preposterous 
 progeny of perverted imagination. Omnium pestium pesti- 
 lentissima est superstitio ! 
 
 VOL. i. o
 
 1 9 4 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 It would be difficult indeed to analyze human nature 
 with regard to such a subject, or to arrive at a satisfactory 
 solution of the extraordinary problem, why some people 
 seem to take a positive delight in frightening themselves 
 out of their wits. I give up the task as hopeless. There 
 always have been, and I suppose there always will be, 
 some such weak-minded people in the world, though much 
 of their folly has of late been happily unmasked. 
 
 Let gold-bagg'd priests, from Ganges to Bermudas, 
 
 The gospel preach, according to St. Judas ; 
 
 It is my opinion, if the truth were known, 
 
 That earth pertains to man and beast alone ; 
 
 And neither saint, nor fiend, nor bright nor dark angel, 
 
 Between the South Pole and the port of Archangel, 
 
 Have any call, or leave, or will, or power 
 
 To meddle with a mortal for an hour." 
 
 So says Bailey, and what rational person would not 
 agree with him ? Yet, paradoxical as the statement may 
 appear, it must be confessed that there are several authen- 
 tic cases where the strangest sights and noises have been 
 experienced in certain houses, supposed to be haunted, 
 which phenomena have, at all events, never been satisfac- 
 torily accounted for. But, as Bulwer Lytton writes, 
 u My theory is that the supernatural is the impossible, and 
 that what is called supernatural is only a something in the 
 laws of nature of which we have been hitherto ignorant. " 
 
 This common sense rationale might, no doubt, be bene- 
 ficially applied to all such phenomenal mysteries, and 
 explain conclusively, perhaps, what has appeared, until 
 now, utterly incomprehensible. That is, if people would 
 be content to accept such a view. As a rule, however, 
 the pneumatologic proselyte much prefers not to be disil- 
 lusioned ; and where he clings to some family tradition,
 
 What was seen in the Haunted Room. 1 95 
 
 with perfect faith, engendered more by habit than mental 
 conviction, it would be idle to attempt to " lay" the 
 ghost for him by any such matter-of-fact means as sound 
 arguments or wise theories. Indeed such an office would 
 probably be looked upon less in the light of a benefit 
 than a personal injury. 
 
 Clement Mountjoy entered the cupboard, as I have 
 said, and searching for the spring, which he soon found, 
 he pressed it, and the back opened a little from him, as 
 described by Hector. For a moment there seemed to be 
 something pushing against it and preventing it from 
 opening any further, but thinking that it only stuck from 
 disuse, he gave it a violent shove and passed into the 
 dark space beyond. 
 
 As he did so his candle was blown out by some unseen 
 agency, and he scrambled back again into the room 
 through the cupboard, pulling to the false back as he 
 quickly made his exit, a good deal faster than he had 
 entered. When he reappeared his face was deadly pale ; 
 but this escaped Hector's notice, as he was occupied with 
 the fire, and his back turned. 
 
 Clement would hardly have liked to own it now after 
 all his boasting, but he certainly fancied there had been 
 something leaning or pushing against that false back, 
 and which gave way as he opened it. He also fancied he 
 had caught sight of a dark figure disappearing up the 
 staircase ; but feeling convinced that all this must be pure 
 imagination and nothing else, he quickly recovered him- 
 self, and held his tongue for very shame. 
 
 "Well, what did you see?" asked Hector, with an 
 amused smile, when his friend returned to the fire. 
 
 " Oh, not much," replied Clement, carelessly. u Only 
 a horrid little black hole smelling very fusty." 
 
 " Ha, ha, ha ! " laughed Hector, taking up his candle, 
 o 2
 
 196 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 " That's the real goblin smell. They bring it from the 
 graves, you know. But now, we really must go to bed/' 
 he added, yawning again. " I'm dead tired, and shall be 
 fit for nothing in the morning. Come along/' 
 
 " Where to ? " 
 
 "My room, of course." 
 
 " Not a bit of it. I tell you I mean to sleep here." 
 
 "Don't be a fool, Clem. Why can't you be reason- 
 able?" 
 
 " I am reasonable. Do you think I'd sleep anywhere 
 else now ? No, no ; my mind's made up." 
 
 " Oh, well, if your mind is made up, I suppose it's of 
 no earthly use talking. I know what that means — that 
 the devil himself couldn't move you." 
 
 " Well, let's hope he won't try," said Clement, with a 
 grim smile, and thinking of the mysterious cupboard. 
 " Anyhow, here I am, Hec, and here I mean to stay." 
 
 " Good night, then, you old double-distilled essence of 
 stubbornness." 
 
 " Good night, old chap," returned Clement, in an off- 
 hand tone, though all the same he would have given 
 worlds to have detained him a little longer. " I daresay 
 I shall be up before you in the morning." 
 
 He little anticipated in what way those simple words 
 were to be verified. 
 
 " Then you are positively and unalterably determined 
 on sleeping here ? " asked Hector, finally. 
 
 « Quite." 
 
 " Well, once more bon soir, and pleasant dreams. Just 
 think of five hundred sheep or so passing one by one 
 through a hole in a hedge, and you'll soon fall asleep," 
 added Hector, as he reached the door. " Good night." 
 
 " Good night." And Clement Mountjoy was left alone 
 in the haunted chamber. Nervous ? Not he. Never
 
 What was seen in the 'Haunted Room. 197 
 
 less so in his life. Look at the way he glances round the 
 room, with perfect unconcern, as he fills just another half 
 pipe before he tumbles into that old four-poster. Hear 
 him whistle to himself, with admirable sang-froid, as he 
 pokes up the fire again into a bright cheerful blaze. 
 Besides he is determined to re-explore that secret pas- 
 sage before he goes to bed — no very pleasant occupation 
 under the solitary circumstances — and he is making up 
 his mind to the self-imposed task, bringing himself to 
 the sticking-point, in fact, with the heroism of an 
 Achilles. 
 
 The storm outside appeared now to have increased in 
 intensity — the impetuous borean blasts beating with ill- 
 tempered gusts against the groaning casement — and it 
 seemed to Clement as if the whole atmosphere were 
 charged with frantic imps and demons, who clamoured 
 from without to be allowed to enter and make a night of 
 it with him. 
 
 Whatever may have been his inward conviction as to 
 the existence or non-existence of such things, he certainly 
 did not appear to be wanting in that animal qualification 
 called physical pluck, for he very soon primed himself for 
 a second visit to that strange cupboard, although he expe- 
 rienced an unaccountable misgiving of some disastrous 
 result from the venture. No matter, he was pledged to 
 pass the night in that room j and until he had satisfied 
 himself by another inspection, he felt he could not get 
 into bed, much less sleep. Accordingly, still keeping the 
 pipe in his mouth for company's sake, he made his way 
 again towards the cupboard, though scarcely with such a 
 careless feeling at his heart as when he did so the first 
 time, while Hector was in the room. 
 
 On this occasion the false back offered no resistance, 
 which proved, he thought, one of two things ; either that
 
 198 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 something must have been behind it on his former visit, 
 or else that it had been eased in its rusty action by having 
 been once opened. With a quick pulse he stepped boldly 
 into the passage beyond, and elevating his candle, 
 looked carefully round. He even went up four or 
 live steps of the secret staircase, and peered into the 
 impenetrable darkness as far as the rays of the candle- 
 light would reach, but nothing could he see to cause 
 the slightest suspicion or alarm ; and laughing at himself 
 for having allowed his imagination to get the better of 
 him on the previous expedition, he re-entered the bed- 
 room with a feeling of intense relief. 
 
 Just as he closed the cupboard-door, however, a sudden 
 noise greeted his ears, which rather upset his new-found 
 confidence for the moment. Behind the wainscot, and 
 proceeding as if from the top of the room, he distinctly 
 heard a sound like something falling — bump — bump — 
 bump — bump — down the secret staircase he had just 
 examined. It seemed to reach the level of the floor on 
 which he stood, and then all was silent. 
 
 For a brief space he argued and puzzled with himself 
 what this could possibly be, suddenly exclaiming, as a 
 bright thought flashed across him, — 
 
 11 Psha ! what an utter fool I am ! nothing but a 
 venturesome old rat, of course — attracted by my candle, 
 no doubt, and jumping down the stairs from step to 
 step." 
 
 So, feeling quite satisfied on this point, and shaking off 
 the "trammels of superstition/' he proceeded to divest 
 himself leisurely of his coat and waistcoat, and then knelt 
 down by his bed and offered up a prayer to Him who is in 
 every place, beholding the evil and the good. When he 
 rose from his knees, he felt infinitely easier in his mind 
 than he had done since he first entered the grey room.
 
 What was seen in the Haunted Room. 199 
 
 It was now getting very late, and as he wound up his 
 watch the last thing before jumping into the funereal- 
 looking bed, the Hall clock over the stables chimed the 
 half-hour past two. For some time after he laid his head 
 on the pillow he remained, with eyes wide open, watching 
 the glowing fire till it got lower and lower in the grate, 
 and then at length, thoroughly tired out, he sank into a 
 fitful slumber. 
 
 How long he may have slept thus he could not tell, but 
 suddenly he awoke with a violent start — why, he knew 
 not — and raising himself on his elbow, glanced involun- 
 tarily round the room. But nothing unusual was to be 
 seen, except the daik shadows thrown here and there by 
 the expiring firelight, and he was determined not to let 
 his fancy play him any pranks. There were his clothes 
 tossed on to the chair, his dress shoes and socks lying on 
 the ground near ; there was the candlestick with his pipe 
 in the tray — everything just as he had left it; what else 
 did he expect ? Not a sign nor sound of any kind to 
 alarm the most nervous-minded. 
 
 Clement felt, however, that having once awoke he 
 should not easily drop off to sleep again without recourse 
 to the composing influence of another pipe ; so, leaping 
 from the bed, he returned to the fire, stirred up the dying 
 embers, and refilled his briar-root. 
 
 What a delightful solace is that insinuating little 
 smoke ! — the cherished companion of a man under almost 
 any circumstances. Whether in the moment of care and 
 trouble, hard work and excitement, or merely apathetic 
 indolence, how keenly does the true smoker appreciate 
 the boon of the narcotic weed. It may be a species of 
 vice, no doubt ; but I must say I pity the non-smoker as 
 a being ignorant of such soothing gratification to the 
 senses, and only wonder how our ancestors could
 
 200 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 have put up with snuff as the unsatisfactory substi- 
 tute. 
 
 Having lighted his pipe, Clement got into bed again to 
 smoke it comfortably with his head on the pillow — a 
 dangerous custom at any time, not to be advocated for a 
 moment. Whilst he watched the fragrant clouds curl 
 upwards from his lips, wreathing in fantastic shapes until 
 lost in the deep shadow of the canopy, his thoughts 
 wandered far away from the sombre regions of super- 
 naturalism to a bright elysium on earth — a little paradise 
 which he had often and often imagined, where reigned a 
 lovely queen with auburn hair, blue eyes, and graceful 
 figure — in conception, the counterfeit presentment of 
 some one we know already — now flown, alas ! leaving that 
 paradise a bleak and barren waste — never to return, never 
 more to gladden it with her glorious presence. Oh, it 
 was hard, it was very, very hard ; and poor old Clem, with 
 a tear or two moistening his eyes, and the lighted pipe 
 still between his teeth, fell fast asleep to dream of his 
 cruel fate. 
 
 The next time he awoke there was good reason for the 
 violent start with which he did so, for a strong smell of 
 burning greeted his nostrils, and he felt an uncomfortably 
 hot sensation about his face. Then he saw what had 
 happened; that the pipe had fallen from his lips, and set 
 fire to the sheet just under his nose. Snatching up the 
 pillow he quickly smothered the blaze, thankful that he 
 had been roused in time, and vowed he would never 
 smoke in bed again, especially in another person's 
 house. 
 
 " Tut, tut/ 5 thought he, looking at the damaged linen 
 with a rueful countenance ; " one of the best Barringtree 
 sheets completely spoiled. What would Mrs. Hurst say ? 
 Never mind, he ; d put it down to the grey-room ghost,
 
 What was seen in the Haunted Room. 201 
 
 and show them all what a fiery monster he had had to 
 deal with ;" then laughing at this little conceit, he turned 
 over in the bed, and prepared to fall asleep again on the 
 other side. This movement brought the cupboard under 
 his view, and when he caught sight of it, just as his head 
 was burrowing into the soft pillow, he raised himself as 
 suddenly on his elbow again. 
 
 u I'll swear I shut that door when I came out," he 
 muttered, staring at it as it now stood partly open. " Vm 
 positive I did. Psha ! crazy old thing ! I suppose it 
 came undone when I jumped out of bed and shook the 
 room," 
 
 Very likely, for it only fastened with one of those old- 
 fashioned buttons revolving on a screw, which would slip 
 its hold and release the door at the slightest provocation. 
 However, this did not seem to trouble Clement much, and 
 he dropped once more on to his pillow. 
 
 But no, it was of no use ; he could not sleep with that 
 cupboard open. It was only a restless, fidgety feeling, 
 perhaps, but the room did not seem comfortable with 
 that door ajar, and shut it he must. So, with a 
 shiver at having to jump out of bed again, he sprang 
 across the room, closed the closet, and placed a chair 
 against the refractory door to prevent its opening any 
 more. 
 
 There was just firelight enough for him to see what 
 o'clock it was by his watch. Five minutes to four. 
 
 " Well, I can take it out in the pillows for nearly five 
 hours," thought he, " before I need get up. Lor, how 
 tired I am," and tumbling in between the sheets again, 
 he dropt off to sleep for the third time. 
 
 One can dream a good deal in a very little while, and 
 before Clement had been under the influence of Somnus 
 many minutes, the drowsy god's prime minister had led
 
 202 The Sword of Damocles, 
 
 him through a wonderful labyrinth of scenes and adven- 
 tures. 
 
 After various transformations, he dreamt he was a 
 knight of the olden time ; that a fair, golden-haired prin- 
 cess (Agnes) had been carried off to the enchanted castle 
 of a wicked ogre (Heffernan), and that he, the brave 
 knight, had flown to the rescue. At the castle gates 
 there were the inevitable fiery dragons with the orthodox 
 green scales, but these he quickly disposed of by handing 
 them each a Spratt's dog-biscuit, besmeared with some 
 deadly rat poison, of all which articles he seemed to have 
 a ready supply in his wallet. When he made his way up 
 to the castle, he found the ogre in his bowling-green, 
 playing a friendly game of bowls with Hector, and all the 
 rest of the Barringtree party having tea out of doors 
 under an old sycamore, with the princess doing the 
 honours. Without the slightest hesitation, and scorning 
 to take the cup of tea proffered by the princess — just as 
 one bull-dog does when he sees another, he forthwith 
 fastened a quarrel on the ogre, who, scorning to fight, 
 referred the matter to the Squire, when, hey presto ! 
 they were all spirited off to the billiard -room at Barring- 
 tree, where Heffernan, changed from his ogreish form to 
 a respectable member of society in evening clothes, sat on 
 a chair by the fire, and jeered scornfully at Clement, who 
 was engaged in a game of billiards. Exasperated at 
 length, he dreamt he suddenly chalked his cue in a wild 
 manner, and aiming carefully at the centre stud of 
 Heffernan's shirt, pushed fiercely and viciously against it, 
 and sent his rival sprawling on to the floor, chair and all, 
 with a tremendous crash. Then he awoke. The fall of 
 that chair awoke him. What chair ? good gracious ! the 
 chair by th*e cupboard, and the door open again — wide 
 open now !
 
 What was seen in the Haunted Room. 203 
 
 Clement was lying with his face still in that direction, 
 but he did not spring up this time, and merely huddled 
 himself together closer in the bed, feeling he did not 
 know what. A kind of spell seemed to have come over 
 him — a superstitious awe, as though some mysterious 
 agency were at work — and at that moment a friendly cock 
 crowed outside, as if warning him of danger. 
 
 The fire, now, had nearly died out, but a faint streak of 
 dawn began to steal in through the window, and threw 
 an uncertain grey light over the apartment. 
 
 What extraordinary fascination was it that kept him 
 from moving ? He had an instinctive feeling that there 
 was some one else in that room besides himself, and yet 
 for the life of him he could not raise his head to see. 
 There was something, moreover, about the silence that 
 was painfully oppressive, and the ticking of his watch on 
 the dressing-table, some distance off, sounded like the 
 ponderous pendulum of a cathedral clock. How he 
 wished the chanticleer would crow again and break that 
 awful silence ! Where was all his vaunted courage now ? 
 What account could he conscientiously give of himself in 
 the morning ? Bah ! he felt the veriest coward that 
 ever breathed as he lay trembling there under the bed- 
 clothes ; but he should get the better of his foolish fear 
 directly ; he was resolved to conquer this craven spirit, 
 happen what might; so presently, with a stealthy, almost 
 imperceptible movement, he turned his head slowly, 
 cautiously round on the pillow and there — oh, horror ! 
 looming between him and the door of the room, was just 
 what he knew and felt had been there all the time since 
 he awoke— a dark indistinct shape close by his bedside, 
 apparently watching him, with deep cavernous eyes, which 
 by the deceptive light he fancied glowered on him in 
 malignant fury.
 
 204 The Sword of Damocles, 
 
 To say that lie was merely frightened now would 
 convey but the faintest idea of his sensations ; his whole 
 frame seemed literally paralyzed with terror, and a violent 
 perspiration broke out at every pore. 
 
 He might well have expressed his dread dismay in the 
 very words of Job : " From the visions of the night, when 
 deep sleep falleth on men, fear came upon me, and trem- 
 bling, which made all my bones to shake. Then a spirit 
 passed before my face ; the hair of my flesh stood up ; it 
 stood still, but I could not discern the form thereof : an 
 image was before mine eyes — " 
 
 It was an awful trial for him, poor boy ! and other 
 persons have been turned crazy, or prematurely grey, 
 under no worse circumstances. 
 
 That flesh-creeping legend and the tradition connecting 
 it with the room he occupied, flashed through his mind 
 with painful vividness, and he could scarcely doubt that 
 the grisly figure he saw standing there was a visitor from 
 the other world — the shadowy form of that ferocious 
 homicide, watching grimly at his old post. 
 
 He dared not move again, but remained fascinated by 
 the spectre : he dared not call out ; indeed, his tongue 
 clove to the roof of his mouth; his parched lips refused 
 to articulate a syllable, and it was well indeed for him 
 that they could not. When he made the effort once to 
 cry " Who is that ? " the words sank into a hollow whis- 
 per, like the tremulous mutterings of a dreamer. How 
 long would it stand there ? It seemed as if he had been 
 watching it for hours already. 
 
 But at last it moves ! It draws still nearer to the 
 bed and leans over him ! Terrified to death, Clement 
 holds his breath, his heart palpitating fast and vio- 
 lently, and seeming as though it would burst through 
 his ribs. He feels that he is gradually growing uncon-
 
 What was seen in the Haunted Room. 205 
 
 scious — that in another minute he will lose his senses — 
 the room even now reels round — the four-post bed 
 heaves up and down like a ship at sea — his brain seems 
 on fire ! — when at last — oh, what intense relief ! — that 
 dreadful thing moves away again from the bed; and Cle- 
 ment, with pent up breath, gives forth a heavy, quaver- 
 ing sigh, checking it little by little as though fearing to 
 bring the apparition back to his side. It was fortunate 
 that it moved when it did, or the horror-stricken boy 
 must have swooned j human nature could not have borne 
 such a frightful tension on the nerves for another moment. 
 Still he watches with staring, aching eyeballs, and watch- 
 ing, sees it slowly, noiselessly, glide further from the bed 
 and make towards the door. Thank God ! then it is 
 going to leave him. Clement remembers he locked his 
 door, but that of course will not arrest the progress of 
 the phantom. Pray heaven it may not ! He expects to 
 see the shadowy form vanish through the panels — but no! 
 it turns the lock with a grating sound, plainly audible 
 and quite pleasant to the ear after the weird groping 
 movements which have hitherto made the- silence so 
 terrible. Now it moves the handle slowly and cautiously 
 — the door opens and closes with a subdued noise, and it 
 has gone ! 
 
 The spectral visitor once out of his sight, Clement felt 
 a new man. The opening and shutting of that door 
 seemed to have given him confidence. He drew a long 
 breath, and wiped the cold perspiration from his face. 
 What could it all mean ? Had he been dreaming, and 
 was this the nightmare of a disordered brain ? No — he 
 knew he had been as wide awake for some time as he 
 was at that moment. 
 
 Then there was real ground for the fearful tradition, it 
 appeared, after all — ample reason to call that apartment
 
 2o6 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 the haunted room. But such an idea seemed to upset 
 all rational theory; it seemed an outrage on common 
 sense ; yet how could he gainsay it after what he had just 
 seen himself? Clement was utterly puzzled — mystified — 
 dumbfounded ; he could not and would not believe in 
 spirits or visitations from the other world ; but what 
 other complexion could be put upon this marvellous vision? 
 It was past his comprehension,true; but he was determined 
 it should not get the better of his faith and reason. 
 
 These thoughts flashed rapidly through his mind, when 
 suddenly a powerful feeling — some controlling influence 
 — seemed to prompt him to get up, follow the shadow if 
 possible, and endeavour to solve this ghostly problem, 
 should it prove to be soluble. 
 
 " If it were done — then it were well it were done 
 quickly," Clement argued ; so, giving himself no time for 
 second thoughts, he rose hurriedly, threw on his smoking- 
 jacket, and stole quietly out into the passage in the wake 
 of the mysterious phantom. He felt more satisfied with 
 himself now ; this piece of prompt resolution redeemed, 
 in a measure, his recent cowardice. 
 
 It was just light enough in the long passage outside 
 for him to see a few yards ahead ; such light as it was 
 improving further on, where the dawn peeped through a 
 skylight dome. 
 
 There was the uncanny shape, sure enough, creeping 
 and crouching on just in front of him, and now and again 
 stopping in its progress. Clement, still with a quick-beat- 
 ing pulse and trembling limbs, kept well under the shade 
 of the wall, preserving the same relative distance between 
 him and the dreaded object he followed. But presently 
 its movements became so mystic, so strangely weird, that 
 poor young Mountjoy felt a cold shiver pass through 
 him, and almost wished he had remained in bed. The
 
 What was seen in the Haunted Room. 207 
 
 unearthly creature, or whatever it was, kept looking 
 back towards the end of the passage, and then bowing its 
 head slowly and deliberately at each bedroom door on the 
 landing up to the point where it stopped. What sort of 
 manifestation was this ? Was it cursing the inmate of 
 each room, or what ? To whom did it next intend to 
 pay a nocturnal visit before retiring again into Hades ? 
 
 At length it reached the last door but one from the 
 further end, and then stopped, stooping down at the key- 
 hole, as if peering in or listening. This was Hector's room, 
 as Clement knew, and he crept quickly along under the 
 shadowed wall three or four paces nearer, with an instinct 
 of friendship greater even than Orestes could have felt for 
 Pylades, since he seemed resolved to protect his friend at 
 any cost, though it were against a supernatural foe. He 
 knew Hector never locked his door, therefore was not 
 surprised to see it stealthily open without noise or effort, 
 and the phantom figure forthwith disappear. With 
 his heart throbbing painfully from excitement, he has- 
 tened forward, and saw the door close as quietly. But 
 nothing could stop him now; he felt convinced some 
 horrible danger was at hand ; so, pushing it open again 
 quickly, yet with extreme caution — luckily it had been left 
 ajar — he followed the retreating form into the bedroom. 
 
 The sight which now met his view made the blood 
 curdle in his veins ; and for a moment, but only for a 
 moment, he recoiled in terror at what he saw, rendered 
 the more appalling by the imperfect light. There, stand- 
 ing over his sleeping friend, was that very apparition of 
 Sir Geoffrey Hendricks, with upraised dagger in his 
 hand, preparing to strike ! 
 
 But Clement never paused to think, nor shrank in 
 human dread of the supernatural. Hector was in peril ; 
 his dear friend and Agnes' brother was in imminent
 
 208 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 danger of his life ; that was enough for him. So, utter i 
 ing a suppressed cry of horror, he rushed forward, threw 
 himself with frantic energy on the threatening figure, and 
 pinioned its arms to its sides ! 
 
 A fierce curse, a desperate struggle, and then Clement 
 knew he had no ghost to deal with, but a solid, powerful 
 man. He could not alone have held him long; but 
 Hector, waking with the noise, and hearing Clement's 
 cries for help, quickly rose to his assistance. Then, 
 between them — the one lithe and active as a cat, the 
 other with a strength lent by bull- dog pluck — they very 
 soon had the mysterious assailant on his back, and 
 the dagger — or rather knife — wrested from his grasp 
 in a twinkling. The upsetting of the washstand in 
 the struggle, and their united shouts and calls, soon 
 brought Heffernan and others on to the scene ; then, when 
 a light was procured, the mystery was solved. 
 
 " Woodruff, as I live ! " cried Hector, holding the 
 candle to the scowling face of the intended assassin. 
 
 " Thank God I did sleep in that room, Hector ! I was 
 only just in time to save you ! " was all Clement could 
 ejaculate, while panting for breath from his violent 
 exertions. 
 
 " By George ! I must have had a narrow escape, I 
 know. I was warned against this fellow/'' exclaimed 
 Hector. " So, Allan Woodruff," he continued, keeping 
 his knee on the ruffian's chest, while some one went for 
 a cord to bind his dangerous hands, " this is your apology 
 to me, is it ? — this cowardly attempt at murder in cold 
 blood ! Ah ! would you ? " and he, Clement, and Heffer- 
 nan held the villain down more firmly as he struggled to 
 free himself. 
 
 There is little more to be said regarding that morning's 
 work save that the whole household were quickly aroused,
 
 What was seen in the Haunted Room. 209 
 
 when the police were immediately summoned, and on 
 their arrival the culprit was taken straightway off into 
 custody to await his trial at the next sessions. 
 
 Oh, ye infatuated spiritualists ! — ye gullible ghost- 
 seeing fraternity ! — slaves of a base and foolish super- 
 stition (to call it by no harsher name) ! — what would you 
 not have given to have received Clement Mountjoy into 
 your community at the moment when the apparition dis- 
 appeared from his room, and before the mystery was 
 traced to its natural cause — to have heard him recount 
 the adventures of that awful night ? It would, indeed, 
 have been a red-lettered epoch in your history; a flaunt- 
 ing flag hung out in the cause of your credulity, and a 
 rare triumph, indeed, for the disciples of " John King " 
 and his spirit mediums. 
 
 Further particulars regarding this vile attempt at 
 assassination were cleared up afterwards. The jealous 
 fanatic, "Woodruff, had at first no real intention, it ap- 
 pears, of carrying out his threat against Lizzie's lover, nor 
 had he laid any plan for doing so, or he would hardly 
 have blurted out what he did to Mrs. Corcoran. This, 
 however, was in the hope that she would go back to 
 Lizzie and frighten the girl into accepting his attentions. 
 True he had thought at one time of shooting Hector 
 Grayle from some coigne of vantage, but abandoned that 
 idea as too likely to lead to detection, since he never 
 carried a gun, and would have been obliged to borrow 
 one; and it was only afterwards, when the devil prompted 
 the cunning scheme, that he determined to put it into 
 effect, and thought he could do so with comparative 
 safety. It seemed that he knew of the haunted room, and 
 that it was never occupied ; so it struck him directly that 
 this was the very place to hide in at night, in order to 
 accomplish his fiendish design. It was easy of access, 
 
 vol. 1. P
 
 210 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 moreover, from outside, since there happened to be some 
 trellis-work beneath it, which enabled him to scale the 
 wall up to the window without difficulty. In order to 
 open the crazy old casement he had not much trouble m 
 forcing the framework, and bending the catch out of 
 place. But even had he failed in this he would not have 
 hesitated about breaking a pane of glass to effect an 
 entrance. 
 
 Accordingly he concealed himself in the cupboard, not 
 knowing then of the secret passage ; but when Mrs. 
 Hurst and the housemaids came in force to prepare the 
 room for Clement, he was somewhat disconcerted, and 
 began to bethink him of another hiding-place. 
 
 By the merest chance, however, he just touched the 
 spring of the false back, and as it opened he saw at once 
 where he could better ensconce himself. He took off his 
 boots half-way up the little staircase, placing them and 
 his billycock hat on an upper ledge to be out of the way, 
 and it was the hat which Clement heard bumping down 
 the stairs, Woodruff having let it fall by accident. These 
 articles were found in the secret passage afterwards, as 
 the man probably intended to return for them when his 
 ghastly work was completed. 
 
 Clement was quite right about there having been some- 
 thing pressing against that panel when he first visited the 
 cupboard, for Woodruff had been leaning- there, trying to 
 listen to their conversation, and wondering when they 
 would go to bed. He had only just time to slip up the 
 dark stairs out of sight (extinguishing Clement's candle 
 as he did so) when the latter entered the aperture. 
 Woodruff had cursed and fumed a good deal at that 
 young gentleman's wakefulness, which had nearly pre- 
 vented his making even the attempt on Hector's life, and
 
 What was seen in the Haunted Room. 2 1 1 
 
 more than oace he had opened the closet door to sally 
 forth on his murderous excursion, when he was deterred 
 by some action on the part of Mountjoy. It was easy 
 enough to unfasten the cupboard from within by inserting 
 the blade of his clasp knife in the chink, and with it 
 pushing aside the button. At last he had almost con- 
 templated committing a double assassination rather than 
 be foiled, albeit his nature, maddened even as it was, 
 revolted against the dastardly act of shedding another 
 man's blood thus wantonly. But had Clement spoken or 
 moved when he stood over him, he probably would have 
 done so to avoid detection. 
 
 It was fortunate that Clement fell asleep when he did, 
 for Woodruff's patience was fast becoming exhausted, 
 and fortunate too that the latter thought he had left him 
 sleeping when he stole out of the room. The ruffian had 
 carefully ascertained which was Hector's bedroom from the 
 window looking on to the park ; and, in the peculiar pan- 
 tomime that had attracted Clement's attention, he was 
 then calculating the door corresponding with that window. 
 He had not, however, taken into reckoning the possibility 
 of Hector locking his door, but in this, chance had favoured 
 him. Most of the above particulars came out in the 
 man's confession after his trial, and he expressed at the 
 same time a sincere regret for his villainy, which regret 
 he desired might be conveyed to Hector Grayle, who even- 
 tually returned him a frank forgiveness. British justice, 
 however, took a more serious view of the case, and Allan 
 Woodruff was deservedly sentenced to seven years' penal 
 servitude ; he is, therefore, not likely to figure any further 
 in the pages of this story. 
 
 By his outrageous act the fellow, of course, placed him- 
 self beyond the pale of pity ; still one cannot help feeling 
 
 p 2
 
 2 1 2 The Swo7'd of Damocles. 
 
 sorry for him. That powerful, raging jealousy which can 
 
 at will 
 
 " Unsettle the calm brain, 
 O'erturn the scaled heart, and shake the man 
 Through all his frame with tempest and distraction" — 
 
 must have emanated from a strong love, fierce and uncouth 
 as such a passion was. But many a better man than he 
 has gone to the devil for a lovely face, and so it will be to 
 the end of time. 
 
 Hector, very naturally, was deeply grateful to Clement 
 for his plucky conduct in the affair ; nevertheless, from the 
 recollections of his own dreadful fright, which he did not 
 say much about at the time, Clement felt conscious that he 
 could not lay claim to being quite such a hero as every one 
 thought him. Bub although he should never forget to 
 the day of his death the awful horrors of that night, he 
 felt thankful to God that he had been thus instrumental 
 in saving the life of his dearest friend, and clearly recog- 
 nized in all this the hand of overruling Providence. 
 
 "Our indiscretion sometimes serves us well — 
 There's a divinity that shapes our ends, 
 Eough-hew them how we will." 
 
 So, the dreaded grey chamber was turned to some 
 good account after all; and as the superstition regarding 
 it abated by degrees, it was taken once more into use, 
 and became like any other respectable and well-behaved 
 bedroom.
 
 2J 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 THE VILLAGE SCANDAL. 
 
 " Spargere voces in vulguni ambiguas." — Virgil. 
 
 What a pleasant relief to emerge again into sunshine 
 after the shadowy gloom of the last two chapters ! in fact, 
 to rejoin the ladies, as I suppose I may say ; for I trust 
 that " world's witch/' curiosity, has not prompted them 
 to run the risk of experiencing the " nervous agitation to 
 which brave men as well as cowards are subject." 
 
 As a sequel to the attempted assassination, Woodruff's 
 motive for such a deed naturally came under discussion, 
 and this of itself would have been sufficient to throw 
 light on the clandestine affair between Hector and the 
 keeper's daughter, even supposing no other agency to 
 have been at work, besides village gossip. 
 
 But meanwhile Mrs. Corcoran had reported the matter 
 to Heffernan, and he, in turn, had mentioned it to Ger- 
 trude and the Squire. 
 
 Although no one at present had challenged Hector with 
 the rumours afloat, and he himself studiously preserved a 
 rigid silence regarding them, he knew this could not 
 last, and that sooner or later he would be compelled to 
 openly declare his attachment to the girl, and be prepared 
 to defend himself and her against all interference. No 
 matter how deeply interested in his welfare were they
 
 2 1 4 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 who did interfere, he felt he could ill brook even his 
 mother or sister coming between him and his love. He 
 said nothing, but waited for the cloud to burst, and was 
 prepared to weather the domestic storm at any cost. 
 
 It was shortly after this discovery about Hector that 
 Gertrude and Captain Heffernan were seated one day in 
 the morning room at Barringtree, engaged in earnest 
 conversation. 
 
 "I cannot tell you, Albert," said Gertrude — she no 
 longer called her future son-in-law by his surname — " I 
 cannot tell you how this matter has distressed and worried 
 me." 
 
 " I am not at all surprised." 
 
 " f 0f course if it were only a silly flirtation — though 
 even that with a gamekeeper's daughter is derogatory to 
 one in Hector's position — I say if it were nothing more, 
 I should merely smile at such youthful folly. But I very 
 much fear it is as you represent — that the boy is seriously 
 and desperately in love." 
 
 " Not a doubt about it, Mrs. George ; my eyes were 
 opened to that some time ago." 
 
 " Pm sure I don't know how to thank you, Albert, for 
 all the disinterested kindness and good nature you have 
 shown in this affair." 
 
 " Nay, you mustn't give me. credit for too much; it is 
 only natural that I should not quite appreciate the con- 
 nexion — the fact of my future brother-in-law being linked 
 to a peasant girl." 
 
 " Oh, but we must never dream of such a possibility." 
 
 " Of course not, and it will be better to nip the affair 
 in the bud at once, if we can ; for it has already caused 
 too much talk in the village and round about." 
 
 "But how are we to do that?" asked Gertrude, help- 
 lessly; "Hector is so dreadfully headstrong. It seems
 
 The Village Scandal. 2 1 
 
 «b 
 
 the dear boy is always in danger. First lie gets hurt 
 out shooting ; then a horrid man tries to kill him ; and 
 then he falls in love where he ought not." 
 
 " There you have changed the order of things a little ; 
 the attempt on his life grew out of his falling in love, and 
 his falliDg in love grew out of his getting shot ; alto- 
 gether an unlucky sequence." 
 
 " Oh, how I wish I had never left his side when he 
 was lying ill at the keeper's lodge," lamented Gertrude. 
 
 " That can't be helped now, Mrs. George ; but we 
 must go to work carefully with him. Leave him to me 
 at present, and I'll see if I can influence him at all." 
 
 iC Pray do, Albert ; Fm sure you can if you try, and 
 perhaps you may be able to advise Lizzie Rolfe as well ; 
 she is a good child, and would no doubt listen to reason. 
 One can hardly be surprised at Hector for admiring her 
 so much, I think, for she is certainly a great beauty ; 
 it's a very lovely face, I must own," added Gertrude 
 musingly. 
 
 " Well, there I cannot quite agree with you," rejoined 
 Heffernan, with the air of an art critic ; " pretty, no 
 doubt — too pretty, it seems, for your son's peace of mind." 
 
 " A great deal ; wouldn't it be a good plan, Albert, to 
 try and get her away somewhere ? just for a time, you 
 understand, to let them cool down a little ? " 
 
 " Yes, I had thought of that ; you mean place her in 
 some situation ? " 
 
 " Exactly ; but it would hardly do for us, Hector's 
 relations, to moot such a thing. She would suspect our 
 motive directly." 
 
 " Quite right, though I think I might try to arrange 
 it : coming from me, you see, it would not appear so 
 obvious." 
 
 a 0h, very many thanks for the suggestion; if you
 
 2 1 6 The Szuord of Damocles. 
 
 wouldn't mind the trouble, it would be so kind of you. 
 Once get her away for a little while, and I have no doubt it 
 will be a case of out of sight out of mind with Hector. " 
 
 " We'll hope so, but there is a contradictory proverb, 
 you know, about absence making the heart grow fonder, 
 only I don't fancy that would apply to his case." 
 
 Agnes now appeared at the door, dressed in her riding- 
 habit, exclaimiug as she looked in, — 
 
 " I'm just going for a ride with Hector, mother dear; 
 we shall pass by the town if I can do any commissions 
 for you ; only remember, I can't carry much on Rata- 
 plan." 
 
 " Thanks, my love, I don't think I want anything, and 
 they are sure to be sending in to-morrow." 
 
 "Then you really can't ride with us to-day, Albert?" 
 inquired Agnes. 
 
 "I'm afraid not," he replied; "I've a lot of letters I 
 must write this morning, and I've put them off from time 
 to time." 
 
 " Poor Emperor ! he'll be so disappointed. I promised 
 him a gallop this afternoon when I took him his lump of 
 sugar." 
 
 " He shall have one to-morrow instead," said Heffer- 
 nan, smiling, " and I'll make a match with you against 
 the chestnut — two miles, owners up." 
 
 "What stakes?" 
 
 " A dozen pair of gloves to a new Lincoln and Ben- 
 nett." 
 
 " Rather short odds ; never mind, done ! " 
 
 " Where have you been all the morning, my dear ? " 
 inquired her mother. 
 
 " In my boudoir ; I couldn't sleep last night for think- 
 ing of that dreadful creature, Woodruff, so I've just been 
 having a nap to freshen me up."
 
 The Village Scandal. 2 1 7 
 
 " Not without a fire in the room, I hope." 
 
 " Oh, I wasn't a bit cold. I lay like a warrior taking 
 my rest, with my Marshall (and Snelgrove) cloak around 
 me ;" and thus paraphrasing the old poem, she was 
 tripping off with a laugh, when her mother called her 
 back. 
 
 " You absurd child/' said Gertrude, " do be serious for 
 one moment. I want to ask you something. Have you 
 spoken to Hector yet ? " 
 
 " What about, mamma ? " 
 
 " This ridiculous love affair of his." 
 
 " Oh, you mean with Lizzie Eolfe. I haven't yet ; but 
 I will this very morning. I'm going to give it to him well. 
 Lizzie is a great favourite of mine, and I won't have her 
 trifled with." 
 
 " Ah, my dear, I wish it were only trifling." 
 
 " Do you, mother ? I don't. I mean, you know, 
 that Lizzie wouldn't get over it in five minutes, whereas 
 Hector would, perhaps in less. What is it some one says 
 about love being a woman's whole existence, and only 
 a sort of little adventure in a man's. Isn't that it, 
 Albert ? " 
 
 "Really, I'm not sure. It's somebody's idea, I 
 believe." 
 
 " And somebody knew all about it then ? But trust 
 me, mamma. I'll talk to Hector like a grandfather." 
 
 " And if you find he is really serious ? " 
 
 " Oh, I'll soon laugh him out of it. Good-bye. We 
 shan't be back before three, so cold luncheon will do for 
 us." With which Agnes disappeared, singing blithely as 
 she crossed the hall, and finishing up each bar with a 
 musical call for Hector. 
 
 " Depend upon it she won't do any harm," observed 
 Gertrude, as the singer's sweet voice died away.
 
 2 1 8 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 "Are you sure? If she is so fond of this keeper's 
 daughter, and finds her brother very much in earnest, she 
 may be induced to take another view of the matter." 
 
 u Do you think so, Albert ? I hope not." 
 
 " So do I, Mrs. George. But sisters are sometimes 
 very weak about their brother's love affairs/' he remarked, 
 dubiously. 
 
 " Granted. But this is quite a different thing. A girl 
 out of the village and all. Agnes would surely never be 
 so foolish." 
 
 " At any rate you may rely on me to do all I can to 
 further your wishes," said Heffernan, rising. " And as to 
 getting the girl into some situation, I make no doubt it can 
 be managed. I will go at once and see how the land lies." 
 
 Thus the conversation ended, and Heffernan shortly 
 afterwards made his way across to the keeper's lodge on 
 the all-important errand. 
 
 This business regarding Hector and Lizzie appeared to 
 be a very vexed subject at the Hall just now ; and as the 
 theatricals had been postponed sine die, owing to the 
 sudden death of a relation of Mrs. Grayle senior, they 
 had nothing else to talk about. Even in the short space 
 of time since Woodruff's committal, various vague rumours 
 had oozed out respecting the affair, creating quite a 
 scandal in the parish of Barringtree. 
 
 At the same time that Gertrude and Heffernan were 
 conversing together on the matter, the Squire and his 
 wife were holding a conference in the study. As usual the 
 latter was neither amiable nor charitable in her arguments, 
 and it was as much as her husband could do to keep his 
 temper. 
 
 " You say, Percy, that it's not like Hector to do anything 
 underhand," remarked Mrs. Grayle ; " but I say he takes 
 after his father, and here is an instance."
 
 The Village Scandal. 219 
 
 :c Nonsense, my dear, nonsense. You are the only 
 person who thinks so, that's one comfort. No son could 
 be less like his parent." And no grandson less like his 
 grandmother, he might have added. 
 
 u Hector's quite as bad, if not worse, in my opinion. 
 George would never have done such a thing as this. You 
 call it no disgrace, I suppose, for a gentleman's son to 
 bring about a scandal of this kind — to make desperate 
 love to a parish girl, and place himself on a level with a 
 low clodhopper ? " 
 
 Here Mrs. Grayle snorted with indignation. 
 
 " How do you mean, my dear ? " 
 
 " How do I mean ? Why your grandson and one of 
 your underkeepers, a common labourer, are sweethearts 
 to the same girl, aren't they ? At least they were till 
 one of them was sent to prison. A good thing if the 
 other could keep him company till he came to his senses. 
 Psha ! I've no patience with it all." 
 
 " My dear Harriet, you talk a great deal of nonsense," 
 returned Mr. Grayle, still keeping his temper, however. 
 11 This affair is all exaggerated, grossly exaggerated. If 
 it had not been for that mad scoundrel's conduct we should 
 probably never have heard of the matter at all." 
 
 " Perhaps not, till the poor girl was ruined," she 
 observed, significantly. 
 
 " Harriet ! I am surprised at you. How can you talk 
 so of your own flesh and blood ? A boy, too, who is the 
 very impersonation of all that is honourable and high- 
 minded." 
 
 " Fair evidence of such characteristics, I must say." 
 
 " I don't understand you, Harriet," cried the Squire, 
 rising and waxing wrath by this time. " I don't 
 understand your character, I must say — " he continued, 
 pacing up and down the room, " fouling your own nest
 
 2 20 The Szuord of Damocles. 
 
 by such insinuations. I tell you this confounded affair 
 has been made a great deal too much of, magnified as it 
 has been by that villain's jealous rage. A little extra 
 attention, perhaps, on the part of Hector, in return for 
 the care taken of him when laid up at the lodge — or, to 
 go further, a passing fancy for his little nurse, arising 
 from mere gratitude; and all this hubbub to be made 
 about it, forsooth ! just because an infuriated blackguard 
 like that fellow Woodruff chooses to take it as a personal 
 injury to himself. Pshaw ! There, that will do, Harriet," 
 he added, stopping suddenly in his walk, and holding up 
 his hand as Mrs. Grayle was about to speak. If I don't 
 want to hear any more. I shall talk to Hector myself on 
 the subject, and that's enough. You let it alone." 
 
 Whereupon he bounced out of the study without 
 waiting for a reply. 
 
 The old man was very much incensed at the idea of his 
 beloved boy being so maligned ; and, to soothe his 
 irritation, he lit a cigar, and strolled round the hothouses 
 on his morning tour. This was a favourite custom of his 
 when at all vexed or ruffled by his unsympathetic spouse. 
 After the jarring wrangle, with which he was too often 
 victimized, he found delicious relief in the fragrant silence 
 of his conservatories, there to seek commune with nature's 
 most delicately nurtured beauties — his favourite camelias, 
 with their waxlike corollas, the ever-varied orchid, and 
 other choice exotics, appearing to welcome the weary 
 spirit in dumb eloquence, when colour, form, and perfume 
 alike appealed to his grateful senses, and transported the 
 mortal clay from earth to fairy-land. Surely it was 
 enough that his son had gone to the bad without his 
 grandson following in the same footsteps. But such an 
 idea as this he scouted from his mind as an utter impos- 
 sibility. He himself had no apprehension as to Hector's
 
 The Village Scandal. 221 
 
 future career, though bygone experience, bitter as it was, 
 made him dread what the boy might be driven to do if 
 his grandmother were allowed to interfere. 
 
 A more aggravating woman than old Mrs. Grayle never 
 breathed ; and the Squire felt convinced in his heart that 
 George Grayle' s undutiful conduct and devil-may-care 
 character were attributable in a great measure to her 
 influence, added to that of his uncle Andrew. She it was 
 who had made George's home intolerable, who had pro- 
 moted discord and quarrels between him and Gertrude 
 — though such quarrels were all on his side — and fiually 
 had caused him, in desperation, to forsake wife and 
 family, and his wretched domicile, to seek a more genial 
 existence alone in the wide world. 
 
 From the day George left his father standing by the 
 breakfast-room window, after their stormy debate, up to 
 the present time, nothing positive had been heard of him, 
 beyond the applications for money to his uncle, and a 
 sorrowful letter written to Gertrude in exculpation of his 
 conduct, begging her forgiveness therein, but furnishing 
 no address to which a reply could be sent. A few years 
 afterwards, however, a vague report of his death had 
 reached them, though this was unaccompanied by any 
 particulars as to time or place, thus causing the indirect 
 announcement to be all the more painful. 
 
 Squire Grayle had often and often mourned his hasti- 
 ness, and the loss of his only son. He knew George was 
 as proud as Lucifer, and as obstinate as a mule ; but he 
 little thought that such pride and obstinacy would be 
 carried to this extent, and induce him to give up home 
 and family merely on account of domestic brawls. But, 
 as I have said, the Squire conjectured, and rightly, that 
 the mother's conduct was the chief incentive to the 
 desperate resolution adopted by his son.
 
 222 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 For some time the old man had advertised repeatedly 
 for the prodigal's return, " when all would be forgiven," 
 causing, moreover, strict inquiries to be instituted at 
 several confidential agencies in London; but all to no 
 purpose. 
 
 Of course poor Gertrude was inconsolable on finding 
 that her husband had really deserted her ; and when her 
 grass widowhood was converted into a stern reality by the 
 news of his death, her grief was painful to witness. Mr. 
 Grayle spent many an hour trying to soothe and console 
 his gentle daughter-in-law, and Gertrude believed her 
 heart would have broken, and that she must have sunk 
 gradually under the infliction, had it not been for the old 
 man's extreme kindness and the God-given blessings of 
 those two beautiful children. 
 
 With all George's faults Gertrude had loved him 
 dearly, as only such a woman can love ; fondly she 
 cherished his memory still, hoping against hope, and 
 praying her heart out to God to deal gently with her lost 
 one, and bring him back to her once more. Often and 
 often as she rose from her knees after these earnest 
 orisons, a feeling almost of conviction sprang up within 
 her that her prayers would yet be answered. Then as 
 she clung to such a thought, which soon faded away into 
 utter hopelessness, she sadly reflected how different it 
 might be now, with George restored to her, and those 
 dear children to draw them nearer to each other, making 
 their lives happy, loving, and contented, in contrast to 
 the cruel past. 
 
 But with all this great trouble weighing on her mind, 
 Gertrude felt how much she had to be thankful for. Had 
 not her darling boy been twice mercifully spared — once 
 from a dangerous accident, and then again snatched from 
 the jaws of a violent death, by the heroic conduct of his
 
 The Village Scandal. 223 
 
 friend ? She felt it impossible, indeed, to overrate her 
 debt of gratitude to Clement Mountjoy for that timely 
 rescue, and loved him almost as a son for his bravery. 
 Little did she wot of the indirect cause which led to 
 Hector's providential escape, and how Clement, in his 
 jealous love for Agnes, had been induced to sleep in that 
 haunted room entirely through pique occasioned by his 
 rival's raillery. 
 
 In a former chapter Woodruff and Clement were quoted 
 as fellow-victims to the same passion, but how very 
 differently that passion seemed to operate on their respec- 
 tive natures ! Here, in the one case, was a jealous man 
 all intent on injuring his rival; while, in the other, the 
 jealous man was all intent on injuring himself, or at least, 
 ever bent on placing himself in peril, since he first tried 
 all he could to break his neck out hunting, and then did his 
 best to frighten himself crazy by courting ghostly horrors. 
 
 But whatever the cause which led to his saving Hector's 
 life, Clement was henceforth a hero in Gertrude's eyes, 
 and she felt nearly as proud of him as she was of her own 
 children. 
 
 The children in question were now riding side by side 
 
 at foot's pace towards the town of , evidently arguing 
 
 some important point, and Agnes' face looked a little 
 anxious as she spoke. 
 
 " Do you mean to tell me, dear boy, that you really 
 and truly love this girl — with all your heart ? " 
 
 " With all my heart. Yes, Fay, that I do." 
 
 Fay was the pet name he gave his sister ; not an in- 
 appropriate one, since Agnes was more like a fairy than 
 anything else. 
 
 " And she returns that love ? Ah, me ! But, Hector, 
 think — just reflect for one moment; what can come of it 
 all?"
 
 224 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 " I have reflected, very seriously ; and though I know 
 the future is wrapped in uncertainty, I can't help loving 
 her just the same." 
 
 " Oh, I feel so sorry for her/' exclaimed Agnes, with a 
 sigh ; " poor Lizzie ! it will blight her life ; it can only 
 bring unhappiness in the end." 
 
 " There I don't agree with you ; but you're not sorry 
 for me, I suppose." 
 
 "Of course I am ; but you are a man, Hector, that is so 
 different." 
 
 " I can't see why. I'm sure no one, man or woman, 
 could love more deeply than I do. I perfectly worship 
 the very ground she treads on — there ! I tell you that, 
 Fay ; and as to my love only bringing her unhappiness, 
 it never shall if I can help it. We may have to wait, but 
 I shall never change; and if my grandfather casts me off, 
 and I have to beg my bread, I don't care — I mean to 
 marry her ! " He brought his hand down on his horse's 
 neck with an emphatic smack as he said this, which made 
 the animal jump and sidle along the road. " I mean to 
 marry her," he repeated, with a resolute look, " whatever 
 any one may say." 
 
 " You really do, Hector ? " 
 
 " I do, on my honour." 
 
 " Well, dear, I hope it will be on something more sub- 
 stantial," replied the incorrigible Agnes, with perfect 
 gravity. 
 
 "You are laughing at me, I see; if you can't be serious, 
 I'd rather not talk about it any more." 
 
 Here Hector, a little nettled at his sister's apparent 
 levity on so grave a subject, trotted on. She meant to 
 try to laugh him out of it, but would not have offended 
 him for the world. 
 
 " Don't be angry, dear boy," she cried, coming along-
 
 The Village Scandal. 225 
 
 side again with a penitent look, " you misunderstood me ; 
 I meant the bread-begging business ; that wouldn't be 
 very pleasant or substantial either, would it ? " 
 
 " I don't care ; if I can't marry Lizzie Rolfe with the 
 approval of the family, I shall do so without, that's 
 all." 
 
 " But what does she say to this ? " 
 
 " Oh, you may be sure Lizzie is far too good to act 
 otherwise than with discretion and — " 
 
 " Yes, I am certain of that." 
 
 " She understands my sentiments perfectly, but will 
 not agree to any engagement." 
 
 " Of course not ; she sees the utter madness of such an 
 idea. Ah, well, you poor children ! I'm very sorry for 
 you both ; but what is to be done ? " 
 
 "I don't know, I'm sure; we're young and can wait, I 
 suppose. There, Fay," he added, changing his tone, 
 "we've talked enough about my love affair; let's try 
 something else ; yours, for instance." 
 
 " Mine ! " she exclaimed, with a little comical look; "I'm 
 afraid its very commonplace — all plain sailing, in fact." 
 
 " And Shakspeare says, ( The course of true love never 
 did—'" 
 
 " Oh, the bard only writes that ; he didn't know ; he was 
 never in love himself — at least not with Anne Hathaway, 
 they say — besides there are exceptions, and Albert and I 
 are going to prove the rule." 
 
 " But you've to wait a year, you know." 
 
 " Yes, so the little mother insists." 
 
 " And lots may happen in that time ; there's many a 
 slip — remember." 
 
 " You are a Job's comforter, I must say, old bov; a 
 regular dog in the manger. Because your course of love 
 is likely to run anything but smooth, you want mine to 
 
 vol. 1. q
 
 226 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 do ditto. But you approve of my choice, don't you ? you 
 like Albert ? " 
 
 " Of course I do. I think he's an awfully nice fellow ; 
 but I must say Fd sooner have seen you married to dear 
 old Clem." 
 
 " Then why on earth didn't you say so before, one of 
 you ? " observed Agnes, demurely. 
 
 " Really, you're too ridiculous, Fay. I don't suppose 
 you would have done it to please me, and I don't suppose 
 Clement meant to ask you." 
 
 " Didn't he ! that's all you know, Master Hector." 
 
 This to herself ; and Agnes did look serious now, as 
 she thought of that interview on New Year's eve — not 
 with a mock gravity, such as accompanied her dry 
 remarks, but with quite a sad expression for the moment. 
 
 They were near the town now ; and, touching Rataplan 
 lightly with her whip to make him break into a canter, 
 she kept slightly in advance of Hector for a few strides, 
 as if wishing to avoid further conversation on this sub- 
 ject. 
 
 ***** 
 
 When Heffernan reached the gamekeeper's lodge, he 
 knocked at the door, which was opened by Mrs. Rolfe ; 
 and not seeing Lizzie anywhere about, was rather glad, 
 for he was anxious to try if he could talk her mother over 
 first. 
 
 The old woman was rather taken aback by the visit, 
 and wondered what it meant ; then, wiping the arm-chair 
 by the fireplace with the corner of her apron, she begged 
 him to be seated. 
 
 u I've been intending to come and see you for some 
 time," he began, " but have never had — had an oppor- 
 tunity before." 
 
 That was rather peculiar, considering that he had
 
 The Village Scandal. 227 
 
 passed the lodge over and over again; but he was 
 obliged to make a beginning. Mrs. Rolfe muttered 
 something about his being " kindly welcome/' and still 
 wondered. 
 
 " The fact is/' he continued, "we feel we owe you — that 
 is to say, I feel I owe you a — a great debt of gratitude/' 
 
 " Well I'm sure, sir ; and what for ? " 
 
 " In this way, Mrs. Rolfe. You see, Mr. Hector Grayle 
 is my very particular friend j and our friendship will be 
 further strengthened soon by my becoming his brother- 
 in-law. So you understand — w 
 
 " How, sir ? " 
 
 " By my marrying Miss Agnes Grayle, to be sure."" 
 
 " Lawk, you don't say so, sir ! Why, I alius thought 
 she'd took up with young Mr. Mountjoy." 
 
 a Did you indeed ? " returned Heffernan, smiling at 
 the bare idea of the ungainly Clement daring to aspire to 
 the fair Agnes. " Mere gossip, Mrs. Rolfe, that's all. 
 However, I only mention the fact so that you might 
 understand my motive." 
 
 " What's that, sir, if I may make so bold ? " 
 
 " I mean in the proposal I am about to put to you — an 
 the desire I have to do you a good turn." 
 
 He seemed to be taking very unnecessary pains to beat 
 about the bush to explain this motive of his. He might 
 have spared himself a great deal of trouble. Old 
 Mrs. Rolfe was the most guileless creature in the world, 
 and never suspected anything below the surface ; added 
 to this, she was rather in the dark still as to the Lizzie- 
 Hectorian agitation, although, of course, she had heard of 
 the prevailing scandal — the nocturnal adventure in con- 
 nexion with Woolly Woodruff. 
 
 " What I wish to say is this/' continued Heffernan, his 
 tone and manner being the very essence of philanthropy. 
 
 q 2
 
 228 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 " As a small recognition of your tender nursing of my 
 friend, I should much desire to render you some service — 
 some little reward for — " 
 
 " Lawk, sir ! I'm sure we don't look for no reward, nor 
 nothing o' that. What we did we did out of love to 
 Mr. Hector, and what's more, only our duty, seeing as he 
 was laid up in our cottage." 
 
 "That's merely your modest way of looking at it, 
 Mrs. Kolfe. You certainly deserve a reward — something 
 more substantial than the trifling consideration bestowed 
 already ; and, as Mr. Hector Grayle's friend, I desire that 
 that reward should emanate from me." 
 
 He was very pompous and stilted in his way of speak- 
 ing, doubtless wishing to appear more impressive by dint 
 of grandiloquence. 
 
 " I'm sure you're very kind, sir," said the woman, with 
 a respectful curtsey. 
 
 " Now it happens that I have it in my power," he 
 resumed, " to provide your daughter Lizzie with a very 
 first-rate situation," — he had not the least notion where 
 at that moment, but trusted to find one, — " a situation 
 agreeable in every way, with high salary, a comfortable 
 home, and a kind mistress." 
 
 " Dear me, sir ! you don't say so ! I'm sure that 
 sounds beautiful ; but, lor bless you ! we wouldn't part 
 with Lizzie if it was ever so ; we poor old souls couldn't 
 live without her nohow. Still Gideon and me wouldn't 
 never stand in the gal's way if she herself wanted to go 
 out and see the world. But here she comes; she can 
 answer you better nor I can." 
 
 Lizzie Rolfe now entered the cottage. She had been 
 walking round the woods with her father, as was her 
 frequent custom, and her lovely face was blooming with 
 health from the fresh air and exercise.
 
 The Village Scandal. 229 
 
 Heffernan could not help being struck with the girl's 
 extreme beauty, nor wondered much at Hector's in- 
 fatuation. 
 
 She greeted their visitor with a graceful curtsey, more 
 like a formal bow of the olden times. Her mother at 
 once explained the purport of his visit; and, Gideon 
 Kolfe shortly afterwards following his daughter into the 
 Lodge, the subject was duly discussed between them all. 
 
 Heffernan, however, very soon ascertained how utterly 
 fruitless was his mission. Nothing would induce Lizzie 
 to leave the old people, and nothing would induce the old 
 people to part with Lizzie. He saw it would be mere 
 waste of time to press the matter, so took his departure 
 with as little outward show of vexation and disappoint- 
 ment as possible. 
 
 He had ignominiously failed in this experiment, but he 
 was not the man to be easily baffled ; so, on his way back 
 across the park, he busied his fertile imagination with 
 some other plan for nipping this unfortunate affair in the 
 bud. 
 
 Gertrude's future son-in-law was quite a godsend to 
 her in this matter apparently, persevering to a degree, 
 and all anxiety for the welfare of the wayward youth. 
 
 As the wise Mentor was to Telemachus, so was Albert 
 Heffernan to Hector Grayle ; though the faithful coun- 
 sellor at present only acted in concert with Penelope in 
 the interests of her son, not having as yet taken the latter 
 in hand personally. 
 
 He appeared to Gertrude as the most unselfish man she 
 had ever known — a kind and sincere friend, and one who 
 had her interests at heart, as well as the interests of the 
 Grayle family in general; a man, moreover, who never 
 seemed to think of number one, and who never minded 
 how much trouble he took to please and oblige others.
 
 230 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 Then the delicate way in which he absolved them from 
 any obligation to himself ! so like a perfect gentleman ! 
 Ah ! her daughter Agnes was a lucky girl — a very lucky 
 girl — to have won such a man for her future husband ! 
 
 So gratified., indeed, was the confiding mother with all 
 the virtue and excellence she discovered in this new-found 
 paragon, that she began to think seriously of curtailing 
 that year's probation which she had been so very 
 particular about at first. 
 
 " I know what I'll do," thought Heffernan, stopping 
 suddenly half way down the avenue ; " I'll go and have a 
 talk to Mrs. Corcoran, and see what she says." 
 
 Whereupon he struck off to the right, towards a side 
 entrance into the park, which would lead out near 
 Sickles' farm. 
 
 " Let's see," he added, glancing at his watch ; " there's 
 just time to look up the old woman before luncheon;" 
 and he quickened his pace in the new direction.
 
 2X1 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 A PLOT TO CHECKMATE CUPID. 
 
 The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men 
 
 Gang aft a-gley, 
 And lea'e us nought but grief and pain 
 
 For promised joy." 
 
 Barns. 
 
 Mes. Cokcokan, then, it seems, was Albert HefTernan's 
 mentor. Very handy things these mentors; it is so 
 pleasant to have some one always to fly to for counsel 
 and guidance. 
 
 Heffernan had evidently a high opinion of the old 
 nurse's intelligence, or he would scarcely have consulted 
 her on such a delicate matter as this -, but she had already 
 won his confidence by reporting certain circumstances 
 that had come under her notice, and the whole subject 
 had been carefully discussed between them. 
 
 He found her at home, as it was just the Sickles' 
 dinner-hour, and as soon as they were left tete-a-tete, he 
 plunged in medias res without ceremony. 
 
 " I tell you what it is, Hannah," he exclaimed, dropping 
 into a chair, and bringing his open palm down on the 
 table with some force ; " we're in a fix — the plot thickens 
 — this infernal business is becoming awkward." 
 
 " What infernal business do you mean, Mr. Albert ? w 
 inquired Mrs. Corcoran, composedly.
 
 232 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 "Why, about that young fool over there" — nodding 
 towards the Hall — " wanting to marry this blessed 
 
 girl-" 
 
 "You mean the keeper's daughter? Well, why 
 shouldn't he ? — why need you care ? " she asked, in an 
 imperturbable tone which was very provoking to him just 
 then. 
 
 " Why need I care ? You ought to know, I should 
 think. I've told them I don't relish the prospect of such 
 a connexion ; my future brother-in-law married to a low 
 girl like that — it's monstrous. Don't you see ? " 
 
 " Of course, of course, I understand ; but supposing 
 young Mr. Grayle persists, and you find he's really 
 determined to marry her ; what would you do then ? " 
 
 "'Pon my life, I hardly know. If I didn't care for his 
 sister so much I think I should be inclined to cut the 
 whole concern, and yet — " 
 
 " You would ! " exclaimed Mrs. Corcoran, raising her 
 black eyebrows, as if in astonishment; "well, of course 
 that would be a sacrifice, but I'm not sure it wouldn't be 
 wise." 
 
 " You think it would, eh ? " 
 
 " Well, you know best." 
 
 " You'll agree that I've good cause to object to the 
 connexion, haven't I ? " he observed, with a significant 
 smile. 
 
 "You're the best judge of that, too." 
 
 " I wish you wouldn't be so confoundedly sententious, 
 my dear Hannah. Can't you give one a little advice ? " 
 
 " I don't understand your long words, Mr. Albert ; 
 but if you mean by sententious that I won't say much, 
 it's a good fault, isn't it ? Don't you think it's as well 
 I've learnt to hold my tongue ? " 
 
 " Certainly ; I always have thought and always shall
 
 A Plot to checkmate Cupid. 233 
 
 think you the most sensible woman living ; that's the 
 reason I consult you." 
 
 " To be sure. Well, my advice mayn't be worth much ; 
 but I say — get them apart — send the girl away some- 
 where — if you can't do that, send him." 
 
 « Just what I thought of." 
 
 H Naturally." 
 
 u And the very thing I've been trying to do. I have 
 only this minute come from Rolfe's lodge, where I've 
 been offering to get her into any situation she likes — in 
 gratitude, you understand, for nursing my friend." 
 
 " Exactly — and she declined ? " 
 
 {< She did, promptly though civilly enough." 
 
 " The old people wouldn't let her go, I suppose ? " 
 
 " She wouldn't if they did." 
 
 "Ah ! those old folks are too fond of their only child 
 to let her out of their sight, don't you see." 
 
 " I suppose so ; and the only child smelt a rat, I suspect, 
 and guessed what my object was." 
 
 " How in the world could she ? " asked Mrs. Corcoran, 
 starting in surprise. 
 
 " I mean she thought I was only trying to get her away 
 from Hector Grayle just to quash their love affair." 
 
 " Ah ! precisely; and she wasn't far out, was she ? " 
 
 " No. But I've another idea, Hannah." 
 
 " No doubt. You call me a sensible body, Mr. Albert, 
 but I can return the compliment ; I always did think you 
 had your wits about you. What is the idea ? " 
 
 " Well, having failed with the confounded girl, we 
 must get young Grayle out of the way; that's all." 
 
 " Of course ; that's hardly a new notion though, for I 
 just now suggested it. But how are you going to manage 
 it?" 
 
 " I've a capital plan, which I'll tell you. I've already
 
 234 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 mentioned it to the boy casually, though I didn't think 
 seriously of pressing the matter at the time, but I cer- 
 tainly shall do so now. However, to explain. You must 
 know that my regiment is likely to be sent out to India 
 before very long, maybe in a couple of months or so — at 
 least that's the report — not in the usual order of relief, 
 but because there's some disturbance threatening on the 
 frontier, and we are next for service. Do you follow 
 me?" 
 
 " Perfectly." 
 
 " Now I think, with a little judicious influence at the 
 Hall, I could persuade them to purchase the boy a 
 direct commission; and with a little further influence 
 at the Horse Guards, I could get him posted to my regi- 
 ment. He's doing nothing at home — his mother and all of 
 them are on tenter-hooks about this business, so I should 
 think I ought to be able to work it somehow." 
 
 " It's rather a happy thought, I must say ; but did you 
 intend to go yourself ? " 
 
 " Most certainly — to look after him ; his mother will 
 trust him to me. Besides, I can't sell out or exchange 
 when my regiment is ordered on active service ; but even 
 if we were only going in the ordinary relief I shouldn't 
 care to do so, as I'm at the top of the captains, and 
 expect my majority directly ; and by an exchange, you 
 know, I should lose such a lot of steps. But I'm afraid 
 you don't understand my military jargon." 
 
 " Yes, I do, well enough for the purpose, Mr. Albert. 
 Don't you think, though, that his mother and the rest 
 of 'em would be afraid of his going out to the 
 wars ? " 
 
 " Not' if I calm their fears and tell them, which is 
 probably true, that there's not likely to be any real 
 fighting, worthy of the name — no danger or anything of
 
 A Plot to checkmate Cupid. 235 
 
 that sort. You see they understand the great im- 
 portance of the object,, and will jump at it ; besides, his 
 foreign service need only be very temporary/' 
 
 " And what about the young man himself ? What if 
 he objects ? " 
 
 11 Oh, but he won't. I must be careful not to let him 
 see my hand, of course. But he'll like the novelty of the 
 thing, as soon as he can make up his mind ; the prospect 
 of a nice red coat, and a bright sword to play with. I 
 can get him to do just what I like, I believe, for he's as 
 weak as water, and, if properly managed, will be charmed 
 with the idea." 
 
 " You fancy, then, that taking him to India will knock 
 the spooniness out of his head ? " 
 
 "Effectually, I should thijik." 
 
 " Let's hope it may." 
 
 " However, if he doesn't cool down very soon, I've 
 another remedy ; I shall make him fall in love with some 
 woman out there. Young men are very susceptible in a 
 tropical climate like India." 
 
 " You're a shrewd gentleman, Mr. Albert, and no mis- 
 take," remarked Mrs. Corcoran, admiringly. 
 
 " I am merely acting in the interests of the family I'm 
 about to enter," he returned, in a dry tone. 
 
 " They ought to be very much obliged to you. Talking 
 of India, I had a letter last mail from my son. You 
 remember Joey ? " 
 
 " I should think so." 
 
 " He was always a great admirer of yours, you know, 
 Mr. Albert, and he often mentions you in his letters — 
 says he should like to get transferred to your regiment, 
 and be under you." 
 
 " I'm flattered I'm sure. Where is he, and how is he 
 getting on \ "
 
 236 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 " He's at Brelly or Briley, or some such place, just now, 
 but he says they're coming home directly/' 
 
 " What is he in, did you say V 
 
 " The Eifle Brigade, and he's just taken the lance 
 stripe again, or whatever he calls it. The captin of his 
 company died a little while ago, and he was his butter- 
 man — " 
 
 " Batman you mean, I think," observed Heffernan, 
 smiling. 
 
 " To be sure, that was it, batman. Well, after the 
 captin's death, he thought he'd try and go in for pro- 
 motion again. Joe's getting an old soldier now, Mr. 
 Albert — been a corporal a heap o' times, but he's always 
 getting broke for something or other; rather fond of a 
 glass, I expect, like his father. But I was going to say, 
 this Captin Yickers — that was his captin's name — was 
 wonderfully kind to him, and he liked being his servant 
 best, I think." 
 
 " Vickers ! what Yickers is that, I wonder ? A friend 
 of mine married a Vickers some years ago ; he was in the 
 service, too. I wonder if it's the same." 
 
 "Joe don't mention much about her, so I can't tell 
 you what she's like ; though he seems very fond of her 
 and a little child of hers, too, which he writes about in 
 his letters. I'm sure if he knew you was going out to 
 the country, Mr. Albert, he'd be very glad, for he wrote 
 to me not long since to say he'd like to volunteer for your 
 regiment when his comes home." 
 
 "So he shall, then; you write and tell him. Bless 
 me ! why 1 recollect Joe as well as if it were yesterday, 
 when we were children playing together. I shall take a 
 great interest in him, Hannah, for his own sake as well 
 as yours." 
 
 " I'm sure you would, sir."
 
 A Plot to checkmate Cupid. 237 
 
 " He always promised to be a strapping fine fellow j I 
 suppose you've never seen him since he grew up ? " 
 
 wf I haven't, but he says he's the biggest man in his 
 regiment a long way — stands nearly half a head over the 
 tallest." 
 
 " Indeed ! By the bye, Hannah, I wonder if he has a 
 good memory. Is his memory as long as his body, 
 think you i" 
 
 " That I can't say ; he remembers you, of course — " 
 
 " Yes, but I mean — " 
 
 " I understand. Well, I dessay he wouldn't recollect 
 much about circumstances quite so far back as that 
 blessed accident; besides, he left us, you know, before 
 then." 
 
 " Ah, to be sure he did ; that's lucky ; he's not likely, 
 then, to increase the complication." 
 
 u Not he, don't be alarmed. You take him under you, 
 Mr. Albert, into your company and look after him, if he 
 volunteers. I know I can trust you to take care of his 
 interests, can't I ? " 
 
 As she spoke she gave him that peculiar look with 
 those black eyes of hers. 
 
 " That you can, Hannah ; he is your son ; that's quite 
 enough for me. Now I must be moving," he added, 
 rising from his chair; "I'm afraid I've been keeping you 
 from your dinner." 
 
 " Not at all, Mr. Albert." 
 
 " Very glad we've had a chat about this matter, though." 
 
 " So am I, and I'm sure I wish you luck." 
 
 u I shall see you again, soon, when I'll report progress 
 — good-bye." 
 
 So saying, these intelligent people shook hands cordially 
 and parted. 
 
 As Heffernan was leaving the little farmhouse, old
 
 23^ The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 Sickles' moon face appeared at the parlour window, crying- 
 out, — 
 
 ' ' Morning cap'en ! wkoy, dear kea-art aloive ! ye ain't a 
 goin' to run away like tkat there, sureli. ^On't you drop 
 in and jest taiste a mite o' our Irisk stew ? We ka' got 
 a be-ewty a comin' up — and tkin a glarse o' my ould 
 home-brewed to wask ut dayown witk, pry du now," 
 pressed tke kospitable farmer. 
 
 Heffernan, however, begged very civilly to be excused, 
 saying he was obliged to get back to the Hall imme- 
 diately, so made his escape and returned thither in a 
 somewhat easier frame of mind, notwithstanding his 
 failure at High Lodge. 
 
 After Hector and Agnes came back from tkeir ride, 
 Gertrude questioned tke latter closely as to wkat kad 
 passed between tkem ; but finding tkat tke result of tkeir 
 conversation only confirmed ker fears, ske took tke first 
 opportunity of seeking an interview witk ker boy, tke 
 outcome of wkick gave furtker and stronger evidence still 
 of kow desperately and kopelessly Hector was in love. 
 
 Tke quiet, uncommunicative man, powerfully inspired 
 by tke tender passion, is invariably tke most dangerous, 
 and tke most difficult to deal witk. As tke fluke of 
 tke skip's anchor sinks deep into the ground through 
 calm and motionless water — swifter and deeper than 
 when cast in turbulent seas mid the flow of a powerful 
 under-current — so Cupid's shaft buries itself to the 
 feather in the heart of the tranquil, steadfast nature, 
 whereas it glances lightly off that which palpitates only 
 with volatile emotions, and is rendered impervious to a 
 wound by its armour of insensibility. 
 
 Hector Grayle's was just one of those placid, reticent 
 natures, especially when under the influence of love — and 
 this, as I have said, was the first time he had been under
 
 A Plot to checkmate Cttpid. 239 
 
 such influence. His secret, then, which had only transpired 
 b y accident, would never have been extracted from his own 
 lips; unlike the shallow-hearted babbler, who confides in 
 every other person he meets. 
 
 He had often communed seriously with himself regard- 
 ing the great depth of his passion, and was astonished 
 to find the powerful hold it was gradually assuming over 
 him. At first he even struggled against it, and tried to 
 shake off the sense of absolute enslavement ; but utterly 
 failed, as many a stronger-minded man has failed before 
 him. 
 
 Gertrude's conference with Hector being attended 
 with no greater success than her daughter's, the anxious 
 mother was in sorer trouble than ever about it all, and 
 longed once more to consult her oracle, Captain Heffer- 
 nan, as to what had better be done. 
 
 That gentleman had already reported the unsatisfactory 
 issue of his visit to the keeper's cottage, so everything 
 was now ripe for mooting his own scheme. With his 
 usual tact and common sense he argued within himself 
 that it would be better to again broach the subject to 
 Hector first of all, and, by holding out bright prospects 
 of glorious excitement and sport in India, so work upon 
 his young imagination as to make him eager for this trip 
 to the gorgeous East. 
 
 Hector, as was his wont, had been very gentle and 
 considerate in his conversation with his mother, for he 
 loved her dearly, and would not have given her a 
 moment's pain for the world ; nevertheless, he was very 
 firm in his purpose, and talked so vehemently of his 
 devotion to the girl, that poor Gertrude was quite over- 
 whelmed, and could not argue with him a bit. Amove 
 nihil molliu8, nihil violentius ; and when his voice faltered 
 as he spoke of Lizzie, and he vowed and protested that
 
 240 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 he was wretched and miserable without her, that be could 
 never change, and so on, his gentle mother, on the point 
 of bursting into a flood of s} T mpathetic tears, very nearly 
 gave in on the spot, and sobbed a blessing on them both. 
 But the mentor was at hand, ready to come to the rescue ; 
 and although he did not know then how dreadfully weak 
 Gertrude had been, she confessed to him afterwards at 
 their next consultation. 
 
 It was during those two or three idle hours of a winter's 
 afternoon, when it is too dark to do anything out of doors 
 and time hangs heavy on hand till the dressing-bell rings 
 for dinner, that Heffernan and Hector adjourned to the 
 billiard-room for a game. 
 
 Gertrude glanced up at them anxiously as they left the 
 library — after having joined the ladies in " the cup that 
 cheers, but not inebriates" — and catching Heffernan's 
 eye, she gave him a solicitous look, which he returned by 
 a reassuring smile as he went out at the door. 
 
 Ah ! what should she do without him ? thought Ger- 
 trude ; she felt such confidence in him now ; so -sure that 
 his influence over her troublesome child would be suc- 
 cessful in the end. 
 
 While he played his game of billiards Hector was more 
 taciturn than usual, and though his friend knew well 
 enough what was weighing on his mind, he carefully re- 
 frained from touching on the subject. Heffernan was 
 aware that it would be the worst policy to let him even 
 suspect that there was any ulterior motive for the pro- 
 posal he was about to renew, knowing how sensitive and 
 suspicious these love-birds invariably are. 
 
 " By the way, I told you, Hector," he observed, care- 
 lessly, during their game, " that my regiment was likely 
 to be ordered abroad soon ? " 
 
 " To India, eh ? "
 
 A Plot to checkmate Cupid. 241 
 
 "Yes, there's some row brewing on the frontier, I 
 believe." 
 
 "Ah, will you really have to go, then ? " 
 
 " Certainly ; but I should do so even were it optional, 
 which it isn't. Anyhow, we're next on the roster for 
 India, and should be going a little later, if we're not sent 
 now." 
 
 " Have you said anything to the others about it yet ? " 
 
 M No, I intend to mention it, though, before I go back 
 to Aldershot." 
 
 " I would ; Agnes and the mother will be anxious when 
 they hear it." 
 
 " As I suggested the other day, Hector, what would 
 you say to come out with me ? " asked Heffernan, 
 after a pause, stroking his long black moustache rather 
 anxiously. 
 
 "Well — I've been thinking about it. But how— I 
 mean in what capacity could I go ? " 
 
 " As an officer, of course, and in my regiment. If you 
 would like it, I really don't see much difficulty about it." 
 
 " Well, I don't know ; I see a good deal," said Hector, 
 doubtfully. 
 
 " How do you mean ? You've just taken your degree 
 at Cambridge, so the exam, would be a mere walk over ; 
 with a little interest we could easily work a direct com- 
 mission for you, and get you posted to my corps into the 
 bargain." 
 
 " Upon my word," returned Hector, " I daresay it 
 would be very jolly, and I should like it, perhaps ; but, 
 as I said before, I don't know at all how it could be 
 done ; I've such a lot of things to keep me at home just 
 now." 
 
 " He means that confounded girl, I suppose," thought 
 his friend. 
 
 vol. 1. R
 
 242 7 lie Sword of Damocles. 
 
 " There's all the shooting to be looked after," con- 
 tinued Hector, telling off on his fingers, " and the fishing, 
 and the hunters — Fm quite the head stableman, you 
 know — and then the cricket club, and heaps of other 
 things." 
 
 " Bless you, my dear boy, they'll all take care of them- 
 selves. Shooting is over for this season, and hunting will 
 be soon. But talk of shooting, by Jove ! think of the big 
 game out there all the year round ; there's nothing in 
 the world to be compared with Indian shikar ; besides, 
 ' home-keeping youth have ever homely wits ! ' as the 
 immortal William says; not that you have, old chap," 
 he added pleasantly, placing a friendly hand on Hector's 
 shoulder;" but the glorious excitement and change would 
 do you a world of good, I'm quite sure." 
 
 " I daresay you're right ; I believe it would. But how 
 long would one be away ? " asked Hector, thinking of 
 his love, and that he could not bear a separation from 
 Lizzie for any indefinite time. 
 
 " Well, that depends on circumstances ; if there's not 
 much fighting to be done— and I daresay the war we 
 shall wage on the frontier hills will be chiefly against the 
 ibex, markhor, and other Himalayan game — you might 
 get leave or sell out again whenever you pleased; perhaps 
 before the end of the year." 
 
 " If that's the case, then," rejoined the unsuspecting 
 Hector, " I think I should like it ; in fact, I'm sure I 
 should like it awfully. That Indian shooting has often 
 made my mouth water, and I'd give anything for such 
 sport as can be got out there. I suppose one wouldn't 
 be tied down too much to the regiment ? " 
 
 " Oh dear no, certainly not. Now, let me see," con- 
 tinued the matter-of-fact Heffernan, wasting no words, 
 and anxious to strike while the iron was hot; "this is
 
 A Plot to checkmate Cupid. 243 
 
 the middle of January ; if we do go — which is pretty 
 certain, I believe — the battalion will be ordered out by 
 the beginning or middle of March. That also depends 
 on circumstances. At any rate you would have plenty of 
 time to get through everything and be gazetted by then; 
 or, if not, you could easily follow us afterwards."" 
 
 " Of course I could ; though I'd sooner go with you." 
 
 " And I don't the least see why you shouldn't."" 
 
 " But is there any vacancy in your regiment ? " 
 
 " There is, or, I may say, there are, for we're two or 
 three short at this moment. They'll be filled up directly, 
 though, if we don't look sharp." 
 
 " We'd better make a move at once, then. But what 
 induced you to think of this lately ? " 
 
 11 Beally I hardly know," returned his friend, in an off- 
 hand tone. cc I just thought it would be very jolly to 
 have you with us, that's all — to have some tiger-shooting 
 and pig-sticking together, and all that sort of thing. 
 The idea occurred to me some time ago — one morning 
 when I was shaving, I believe. Bright thoughts often 
 come to a fellow under the razor. Perhaps the contact 
 of the sharp edge is contagious to the wits. You'll find 
 that out by-and-by, my boy, when the stubble begins to 
 get troublesome." 
 
 Hector at present only cultivated a silky little mous- 
 tache, very much in its infancy. 
 
 " I wonder what my people will say to it all when we 
 tell them," he remarked, presently, nursing the project 
 in his mind while they went on playing. 
 
 " You leave me to start the idea. I'll put it judiciously 
 to your mother and the Squire directly I get a chance." 
 
 " We mustn't frighten them, you know. It will be 
 better to suppress any whisper as to a frontier skrimmage 
 just at present." • 
 
 k 2
 
 244 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 " Very true, until they have got over the first shock 
 of the notion. Now, Hector, seriously speaking, you're 
 quite sure you would like to go ? " continued Heffernan. 
 " Pray don't let me persuade you to take any step that 
 you are likely to regret afterwards/' 
 
 " There's not much chance of that. I'm a fellow who 
 knows his own mind, and doesn't take long to make it up 
 about a thing. I may say it's quite made up now." 
 
 " That's right, then." 
 
 Hector, on turning the matter over in his thoughts, 
 reflected that his absence in India would put an end to 
 the idle gossip concerning hiin and Lizzie; and this idea, 
 added to other inducements, had finally decided him. 
 
 The mentor was so elate with his success he could 
 scarcely conceal his triumph. Telemachus ivas a good 
 boy, but the crafty counsellor had scarcely expected him 
 to fall into the trap quite so easily. 
 
 That evening he spoke very seriously to Mr. Grayle 
 about Hector's infatuation, and suggested, first of all, 
 that it would be a good plan, under the circumstances, 
 if the Rolfes could be removed from the estate. This, 
 however, the Squire would not hear of, saying that old 
 Rolfe was much too valuable a servant to be dismissed in 
 that sort of way, simply because he happened to have a 
 pretty daughter to whom Hector chose to make love. 
 Furthermore, he looked upon this vagary on the part of 
 his grandson as quite a harmless affair, not worth serious 
 discussion. But Heffernan shook his head with a grave 
 air, and argued so strongly about the matter, that the 
 Squire began to think there might be something in it after 
 all; accordingly, when the project for getting Hector away 
 from the scene for a while was explained, the old gentle- 
 man, contrary to expectation, and after a little demur, 
 seemed quite to enter into it, and agreed in thinking that
 
 A Plot to checkmate Cupid. 245 
 
 the change would be a capital thing for the boy, and, no 
 doubt, knock the nonsense out of his head. 
 
 u So far so good/' thought Heffernan. " And now to 
 tackle the anxious mother/' 
 
 This he did with considerable finesse, and much well- 
 considered persuasion, completely carrying Gertrude 
 away by his eulogiums on the scheme, and the certain 
 advantage that would accrue. His sudden announcement 
 that his regiment was likely to be ordered abroad imme- 
 diately, and that he intended going with it, took her as 
 much by surprise as the proposal itself regarding Hector. 
 She was naturally all anxiety at first, for her loving heart 
 fluttered at the thought of her darling son going out to 
 such a very hot and dangerous country. But then he 
 would be under Albert's special charge, she reflected ; so 
 what need was there to fear? She felt she could place such 
 implicit trust in him, and eventually the anxious mother's 
 apprehensions were almost entirely allayed by the smooth 
 silvery tones and repeated reassurances of her paragon. 
 
 Here was another instance of his extreme unselfishness 
 and innate kindness, she thought. He would actually 
 undertake to go to India at considerable inconvenience 
 and expense, no doubt solely in the interests of her head- 
 strong boy, and in order to look after him. Heffernan's 
 absence, too, in this cause would, perhaps, involve a 
 further postponement of his marriage with Agnes — for it 
 was uncertain how long they might be away — therefore 
 Gertrude was positive that this must be a great sacrifice 
 on his part, and appreciated it accordingly. Surely such 
 magnanimous conduct and such a generous nature were 
 rare to find — very rare, indeed — and forthwith the mentor 
 went up fifty degrees in her opinion. Nor could she 
 congratulate herself enough on her daughter's future 
 prospects.
 
 246 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 Finally Agnes and Hector were taken into the con- 
 sultation, and as every one seemed to be agreed on the 
 excellence of the project— there being no dissentient voice, 
 except a little grumble from Agnes as to how dreadfully 
 dull she would find it without them — the resolution was 
 carried mm. con.
 
 247 
 
 CHAPTEK XX. 
 
 UNDER THE PEEFUL-TREE. 
 
 " A woman is like to — but stay, 
 What a woman is like, who can say ? 
 There is no living with, or without one, 
 She's like nothing on earth but a woman." 
 
 Hoare. 
 " The stranger's general blessing 
 From sultry India to the Pole ! " 
 
 Ledyard. 
 
 From Barringtree to Bareilly, in the North-West Pro- 
 vinces of India, is a ' ' far cry " — many thousands of miles 
 — but in these days of advanced civilization, when rapid 
 means of communication and transit bring distant 
 countries -within convenient reach of each other, an 
 author has less scruple in suddenly transporting his reader 
 far away from the scene where the main action of his story 
 is laid. 
 
 Bareilly is a pretty little military station in the Kohil- 
 cund district, situate within easy distance of the hills 
 (the Kumaon range), and on a clear day the blue line 
 of the first Himalayan ridge is distinctly visible from 
 almost any part of the cantonment. The station was 
 burnt to the ground during the Indian Mutiny, but 
 on its being rebuilt became a place of more importance, 
 and the barracks which were afterwards erected for
 
 248 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 the European troops are amongst the finest in India. 
 The private houses, however, for the accommodation 
 of officers and others, were constructed on a very dif- 
 ferent scale, and are, for the most part, mere huts by 
 comparison — small, ugly, low-roofed bungalows, with- 
 out any pretensions to architecture, and very little to 
 comfort, forming a strange contrast to the handsome red- 
 brick churches and the lofty barracks. 
 
 From a picturesque point of view, Bareilly is quite an 
 oasis in the desert, and may well be called the garden 
 of the North- West Provinces, for nature has lavished her 
 favours here with greater liberality than on most stations 
 situate on the Indian plains. There are many beautiful 
 1 ' topes n of trees studding the outskirts of the civil 
 and military cantonments which give a wooded appear- 
 ance to the scene, especially grateful to the eye after 
 the dreary wastes of arid soil which prevail over such 
 a vast expanse of country, approaching to, and partly 
 surrounding it. 
 
 Like nearly every settlement on the plains of Northern 
 India, although it can boast the most delightful climate 
 in the world during the cold season — that is, from 
 October to March — Bareilly is a perfect little jehanum, 1 to 
 use the native term, during the hot months. But old 
 Qwihais* say it is worth while to undergo the grilling 
 summer at one of these stations in order to appreciate 
 more thoroughly the delicious change when it does come 
 — when punkahs, " khus-khus tatties " and " solah 
 topees " are put aside, and people are no longer cooped 
 up in bungalows all day long, to go out at dusk with the 
 owls and the jackals, or rise in the morning before the 
 sun appears — but can take their constitutional (howar 
 
 1 The infernal regions. 
 
 2 Old Indian residents.
 
 Under the Peepul-Ti'ee. 249 
 
 Ichana ki waste) at any hour they choose, as in the tem- 
 perate zone. 
 
 After the sweltering heat of an Indian summer, welcome 
 indeed to the poor dried-up, washed-out-looking resident, 
 is that first cool breath of air, which heralds the approach 
 of the cold weather and makes itself felt in the mornings 
 and evenings, loaded with the fragrance of orange blossoms 
 and other heavily^ scented plants. 
 
 On such a morning, about the beginning of October — 
 for I must go back a few months in my story — we will 
 ask our genii to drop us down into the middle of the 
 Bareilly cantonments. It is nearly seven o'clock, and a 
 brigade parade is going on, as can be heard from the 
 booming of guns, rumbling of artillery-carriages, firing of 
 rifles, bugle-calls, and hoarse words of command, which 
 sound sharp and clear on the fresh morning air, though 
 the general parade-ground is some distance from the lines. 
 
 This is the first brigade muster of the season, and all 
 the troops of the little garrison have collected en masse, 
 consisting of one European foot regiment, one battery of 
 artillery, a Native cavalry regiment, and a battalion of 
 Native infantry. As they will not be marching back to 
 barracks for some time, we will wait for them, and turn 
 into the compound of a bungalow,which stands by the main 
 roadside, up which road most of the small army will pass 
 by-and-by when the parade is over. 
 
 The compound, that is, the enclosed land immediately 
 surrounding this bungalow, is more attractive than the 
 generality of such grounds, and is rendered cool, shady, 
 and pleasant, by some large trees and shrubs, and a 
 frantic attempt to cultivate a garden, which, favoured by 
 the rich Bareilly soil, is just beginning to show itself to 
 advantage. 
 
 A prominent feature in the compound is a stately
 
 250 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 peepul-tree, which grows in dangerous proximity to the 
 bungalow and its out-houses, or "go-downs/' close at 
 hand, threatening very shortly to demolish the whole of 
 the buildings in its wide-spreading "clutch, as with those 
 tenacious roots it feels its way under the flimsy foundation, 
 slowly and surely undermining it and rearing from the 
 ruins a family of young peepul-trees in defiance of every 
 effort to prevent their growth. 
 
 To explain the extraordinary nature of the peepul, if I 
 may be excused for a moment's digression, I will quote an 
 authority on the subject, who says, "No wonder that 
 superstition should have consecrated this tree, delicate 
 and beautiful as it is, to the gods. The palace, the castle, 
 the temple, and the tomb — all those works which man is 
 most proud to raise, to spread, and to perpetuate his name 
 — crumble to dust beneath her withering grasp. She 
 rises triumphant over them all in her lofty beauty, bear- 
 ing high in the air, amidst her light green foliage, frag- 
 ments of the wreck she has made, to show the nothing- 
 ness of man's efforts." And another writer describes it as 
 springing up " in most extraordinary places, and often to 
 the great detriment of public buildings, growing out of 
 the cement which connects stones and bricks, and by the 
 violence of its pressure gradually destroying the edifices;" 
 adding further, " No Hindoo dares lop off the heads of 
 these young trees, and if they did, it would only put off 
 the evil and inevitable day, for such are the vital powers 
 of their roots, when they have once penetrated deeply into 
 a building, that they will send out their branches again, 
 cut them off as often as you may, and carry on their 
 internal attack with undiminished vigour." 
 
 However, we have less to do with the tree itself than 
 with the group of people who will be gathered presently 
 under its leafy branch ps.
 
 Under the Peepul- Tree. 2 5 1 
 
 A khitmutgar, in spotless white garments, is just now 
 engaged in laying out chota hazree, or little breakfast, 
 under the cool shade of that monster peepul, and very 
 refreshing and inviting the table looks, covered with its 
 dazzling cloth, on which is spread the early morning 
 repast, consisting of bunches of ripe yellow plantains, a 
 dish of mangoes, toast, biscuits, tea, and other condiments. 
 
 This meal is a favourite institution in the East (as 
 indispensable to Anglo-Indians as afternoon tea is to 
 most English ladies), at which the station gossip is dis- 
 cussed, and characters taken away with as much gusto as 
 at any other gathering of scandal-mongers. The British 
 officer, faint and fagged by very early rising and a long 
 parade, followed, perhaps, by orderly-room and other 
 barrack duties, is grateful enough for that light refection, 
 and unbuckles his sword with a sigh of intense relief as 
 he lounges down at the table. 
 
 While Hussain Khan, the native butler, was putting 
 the finishing touch to his work, a pretty child, some five 
 or six years of age, appeared in the verandah of the 
 bungalow, then skipping across the compound to the open 
 ateway, looked down the road, and waited for the return 
 of the regiments. 
 
 " How very late they are ! " she exclaimed, coming to 
 the table and casting a wistful glance at the fruits ; 
 " and I'm so hungry ; I shall begin without mamma. " 
 
 "Bahoot hurra parade hai, Gwinnie mem sahib," 
 replied the native in his own language, rolling out his 
 words in a pompous tone, as if his mouth were full of 
 pudding ; " a very big parade, Miss Gwinnie, but it will 
 be soon over now. Shall I make little mem sahib a cup 
 of tea ? " 
 
 " Yes, I want something, please, Hussain ; I can't wait 
 any longer," and the next minute Miss Gwendoline
 
 252 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 Vickers was perched on a chair, fortifying herself with a 
 mango. 
 
 This young lady was an only child, and rather spoilt as 
 a natural consequence, so she was somewhat imperious in 
 her small way towards the native servants ; and even had 
 the khitmutgar objected to her disturbing the symmetry 
 of the table, such protest would probably have had no 
 effect. 
 
 Mrs. Vickers, her mother, had been recently left a 
 widow, Gwennie's father, a captain in the Rifle Brigade, 
 then stationed at Bareilly, having died within the last few 
 months. 
 
 In the ordinary course of events the widow would have 
 sold up her furniture, vacated the bungalow, and left the 
 station en route for England within a reasonable time of 
 her husband's decease; but certain circumstances mili- 
 tated against this customary programme being carried out. 
 
 Captain Vickers, as said, had been dead some months, 
 having succumbed to a lingering fever, and still his 
 widow retained her residence in the military lines ; but 
 only on sufferance, for the usual period granted by 
 courtesy in such cases had long since expired, and yet 
 Mrs. Vickers made no sign of moving. Month after 
 month passed, and the colonel commanding the regiment 
 had intimated, first of all delicately, then rather pressingly, 
 and finally peremptorily, that the quarters were required 
 for another married officer. However, everything must 
 have an end, and both the colonel's patience and the 
 lady's excuses being exhausted at last, she found herself 
 obliged to go to avoid unpleasant proceedings. 
 
 The reasons for clinging thus to her domicile, like a 
 cat to its fireside, or a partridge to its home fields, were 
 manifold. She was much attached to the regiment and 
 all its belongings, and felt besides a natural reluctance
 
 Under the Pecpnl-Tree. 253 
 
 to give up her bijou residence, which, with her own 
 hands, she had made so pretty and homelike; added to 
 this, the widow had found a confidential friend and 
 adviser in one Major Bonus, an old Quihai commanding 
 the native infantry regiment then at Bareilly, whose 
 friendship and advice were conducive to her u hanging 
 on " as long as possible. 
 
 Major Bonus, a widower himself, was desperately in 
 love with Mrs. Vickers, and had lost no time in paying 
 his addresses after the death of her husband ; indeed, if 
 the truth must be told, he had been smitten long before 
 that event, and with the instinct of an old vulture, had, 
 perhaps, somewhat anticipated matters. I merely say 
 perhaps — a statement of that kind must be made re- 
 servedly ; but however sad the possibility of such a thing, 
 it is not, I fear, entirely without precedent in the East, 
 or even nearer home. 
 
 Worse is it than the story of the private's wife at 
 Frizzlempore, who followed her husband to the cemetery 
 in abject grief, but during the funeral party's return to 
 barracks, was reluctantly compelled to refuse Private 
 Smith's kind offer of marriage because Private Jones had 
 unfortunately come forward first and proposed beside the 
 grave. Verily, nn embarras cle richesse ! 
 
 Georgie Vickers, as she was familiarly called amongst the 
 young officers, was a most egregious little flirt, although I 
 will not calumniate her further by saying that she encou- 
 raged such advances as the major's before her bereavement. 
 His attentions and kindnesses were gratefully received, 
 but that was all ; and as for the major himself, though 
 no doubt the attentions were intentions, and as such the 
 stepping-stones to a second edition of the altar, the 
 ulterior motive, even if obvious enough, was never openly 
 expressed. About this time Major Bonus had proposed
 
 254 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 and been duly accepted, but in common decency they 
 could not be married offhand so soon after her late 
 husband's decease; nor was Mrs. Vickers in such a 
 desperate hurry as the major, for I am bound to confess 
 she did not care much for him, and rather preferred her 
 freedom as a widow. Her engagement, then, was purely 
 one of convenience, since the old Quihai's influence helped 
 to keep her home over her head for a little while louger, 
 which seemed to be her chief anxiety ; besides this, his 
 assistance from a pecuniary point of view was very 
 acceptable, as she had been left very badly off. Therefore, 
 so long as Georgie Vickers could make use of him, she 
 was satisfied. 
 
 Gwennie was well into her second mango — and a pretty 
 mess she had made of her face, hands, and frock, with the 
 juicy fruit — wheu the syce, or native groom, entered the 
 compound at the " double/' pulling up in front of the 
 bungalow and squatting on his " hunkahs." Here he 
 awaited his mistress' return, Mrs. Yickers having been 
 out riding on her " tatto " to witness the parade. u Hah, 
 mem sahib ahta hai" was the syce's reply to Gwennie's 
 question as to whether her mother was coming. The 
 native never moved from his position as he spoke, but 
 sat whisking the ground in front of him with a chowri, 
 his badge of office — a yak's tail attached to a piece of 
 cane, and used for switching the tormenting flies off 
 horses. 
 
 Soon afterwards a clatter of small hoofs, a cloud of dust 
 at the gateway, and Georgie Yickers dashed into the com- 
 pound on her active little pony, pulling up sharply at the 
 steps of the verandah with the sudden precision of an 
 adjutant, or field-officer, taking up a distant point. 
 
 A small pale-faced woman, five feet nothing, with a 
 retrousse nose, large light grey eyes, nut-brown hair
 
 Under the Peepul- Tree. 255 
 
 (rather untidily kept), and a neat figure — such was the 
 lady who now sprang nimbly from the back of " Gooral/' 
 as she called her pony, and approached the chota hazree 
 table. Strictly speaking, far from a pretty woman, if you 
 took her to pieces, but withal something very attractive 
 about her,, especially in the eyes of the British subalterns 
 apparently — and older birds too, to wit the major — with 
 whose hearts she played battledore and shuttle-cock to 
 an alarming extent. 
 
 But there was no harm in Mrs. Yickers — she knew 
 where to stop ; though, of course, by such foolish and 
 systematic flirting, she gave too much reason for having 
 her name dragged through the mire ; and once an Anglo- 
 Indian lady gives the slightest indication of being flighty, 
 she is done for — her good name is gone — at least, in that 
 little world in which she lives for the time — for there is 
 no clapping the muzzle on the babbling mouth of scandal ; 
 especially in an out-of-the-way station in India where 
 people have nothing else to talk about. 
 
 A thoroughly vain, frivolous woman, who seeks amuse- 
 ment at the cost of self-respect, risks losing even that 
 respect from those who only seek amusement for them- 
 selves, caring naught for her good name; and maybe, 
 after running the gauntlet of her neighbours' scorn and 
 scandal, she actually tempts the very devil by whom she 
 is so naturally shocked, and then shrinks in virtuous 
 horror from the insidious danger. Such a woman would 
 do well to take counsel from the lines, — 
 
 " Let this great maxim be my virtue's guide : 
 In part, she is to blame that has been tried ; 
 He comes too near who comes to be denied." 
 
 With all her flightiness, then, it was scarcely likely 
 that Mrs. Yickers should go scatheless, notwithstanding
 
 256 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 that her married life had been guileless enough ; but all 
 the men liked the little woman, therefore most of, the 
 women hated her, and pretended to look upon her as a 
 very black sheep indeed, though envy and jealousy caused 
 by the attentions she received were at the bottom of so 
 much virtuous indignation. 
 
 When Mrs. Vickers saw Gwendoline seated at the 
 table, and by this time smothered with mango-juice, with 
 which she had also decorated the white table-cloth, she 
 was naturally vexed, and cried out in a scolding voice, — 
 
 " You naughty child ! go in directly, and tell Ninneah 
 to put you on a clean frock. How dare you make your- 
 self in such a mess, and the table too ! " 
 
 Gwennie at once did as she was told, slinking off very 
 sheepishly with her forefinger in her mouth, while her 
 mother called to the khitmutgar to replace the stained 
 tablecloth by a clean one as quickly as possible. 
 
 Now when a man is engaged to be married to a widow 
 with children, the latter are generally looked upon as 
 excrescences to be tolerated rather than liked ; but when 
 those children are allowed to go about dirty and slovenly, 
 they become positively repulsive to their future step- 
 father; Mrs. Yickers well knew this, and was therefore 
 always careful to present her little daughter to the 
 major as if she had just come home from the dhobi. 3 
 She need have been under no apprehension, however, 
 for Major Bonus was excessively fond of Gwennie, who 
 had been useful to him in a hundred ways as a sort of 
 go-between during his season of wooing. 
 
 Hussain Khan had barely time to re-set the table 
 when the troops filed past the compound on their return 
 to quarters, with bands braying, colours fluttering, dust 
 
 8 Native launderer.
 
 Under the Peepul- Tree. 257 
 
 flying, and all that goes to make up a military pageant, 
 on however small a scale. 
 
 Presently, into the compound trotted Major Bonus, on 
 his flea-bitten Arab charger, with jingling bridle-chain, 
 and clanking scabbard, very military and very important; 
 sitting his horse, moreover, in a jaunty, debonair style. 
 
 He dismounted, gave the Arab to his syce, and clanked 
 somewhat stiffly up to the table, when Mrs. Vickers 
 pushed forward the easiest chair, into which the exhausted 
 warrior dropped with a grunt of satisfaction. 
 
 More jingling, more clanking, and the major was 
 followed by four or five other officers (youDg ones), some 
 on horse, some on foot, and all on the same errand, viz., 
 chota hazree. They got leave to fall out as their regi- 
 ments passed, and accordingly turned into the compound 
 of the hospitable little bungalow, " the Vickers' Arms," 
 as it was facetiously called, and which, on such occasions, 
 was looked upon as a legitimate restaurant for the thirsty 
 officer. 
 
 Major Bonus, however, did not half like this, for he was 
 very jealous in his new position of the future husband — 
 very proud of it too, and thought he ought to have the 
 monopoly of the fascinating widow ; though he might 
 as well have asked the Commander-in-chief to do without 
 his staff as Georgie Vickers to do without her morning 
 levee. 
 
 cc You look tired, Major," she observed — she never 
 called him by his Christian name, though he wished she 
 would. " You'd better have a peg, I think." 
 
 To the uninitiated, I may explain that a " peg " meant 
 a brandy and soda, rather too common a beverage at 
 chota hazree, or indeed at any time, to be good for the 
 health of the Anglo-Indian. 
 
 " Thanks, I think I will, Georgie," replied Major 
 
 VOL. I. S
 
 258 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 Bonus ; " I want something to pull me together, for I 
 have a court-martial at eleven." 
 
 " Who's it on, Major ?," asked Tiny Gore, an ensign in 
 the Rifle Brigade, and nicknamed Tiny from the fact of 
 his being the lightest weight in the regiment. 
 
 " Sergeant Baines, of the Artillery. You might have 
 seen that if you had read your orders, sir," returned the 
 old Quihai, reprovingly. 
 
 "I never do read 'em, Major," grinned the unabashed 
 subaltern. " My bearer 4 always does that ; he's a highly 
 educated baboo. But I remember, now you mention the 
 name, it's for insubordination or something, isn't it ?" 
 
 The major did not condescend a reply, and addressed 
 himself to Mrs. Vickers. He was a techy old fire-eater, 
 and had a strong aversion to all "griffs 5 " — in which 
 category Gore might be classed — especially all griflins 
 who presumed to flutter round the volatile widow. 
 
 " That's a useful bearer of yours, Tiny," remarked 
 one of the others. " Writes all your letters too, doesn't 
 he?" 
 
 " Rather ! " laughed the youngster ; " I've only to 
 holloa out ' Ram Lai ! ' — that's his name — ' Mail day, 
 write a letter to my mother,' or my father, as the case 
 may be, and he does it." 
 
 "And do you ever read them before they go ? " 
 
 " Sometimes — not always — glad I did once, though. 
 The beggar had got nothing to say, I suppose, so he'd 
 translated the whole of one of the Bagh-a-bahar fables by 
 way of filling up the sheet. I cut him half a month's 
 pay for his cheek." 
 
 " Ha, ha, ha ! " laughed the other ; " serve him right." 
 
 4 A native valet. 
 
 5 An abbreviation of griffins — a griffin being a young fellow fresh 
 from England, or a greenhorn.
 
 Under the Peepul-Tree. 259 
 
 " You're on this court-martial, Perditon, are you not?" 
 inquired the major, addressing a lieutenant of the 
 Artillery, seated opposite. 
 
 " He might have seen that if he'd read his orders ! " 
 muttered the incorrigible Gore, in suppressed retalia- 
 tion. 
 
 Perditon said he was. 
 
 " You know this Sergeant Baines, of course/' continued 
 the major. " What sort of a man is he ? " 
 
 "Very superior in a way — well educated and all that 
 sort of thing — " 
 
 "The reason I ask is because IVe often heard your 
 CO. 6 mention him ; quite a character, I suppose." 
 
 " Quite ; but he's always coming to grief, and has 
 been reduced to the ranks three or four times already, if 
 not more." 
 
 "Why, he's like our regimental giant, Joe Corcoran, 
 then," cried Gore j " he's always getting promoted and 
 always getting smashed — never can keep the stripe for 
 more than a week. Hulloa ! talk of the devil— here 
 comes the very identical." 
 
 And just then an enormous figure stalked into the 
 compound with martial tread, dressed in the invisible 
 green of the Rifle Brigade. 
 
 Corporal Corcoran — to give him his very temporary 
 rank, for he now wore the fitful chevron on his arm — 
 was a splendid-looking fellow, six feet four in his stock- 
 ings, with a pair of shoulders to match his height. He 
 might have been drum-major a dozen times over — and 
 would have made a fine figure-head for any regiment, 
 but for one unfortunate weakness — a strong leaning to- 
 wards the canteen. Except for that little failing there 
 
 6 Commanding officer. 
 
 S 2
 
 260 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 could not be a nicer or better behaved soldier in the 
 whole army than Joe Corcoran. 
 
 The eccentric point about him was that he seldom 
 indulged too much until he was promoted, and then he 
 at once and invariably wiped off his stripes with canteen 
 1 c swipes/' as some poetic comrade put it. However, on 
 this occasion, he had upset all prophecy and precedent 
 by retaining his lance rank for two whole moons. 
 
 Very sober indeed was he as he marched stolidly past 
 the chota hazree group, saluting as he did so with the 
 stiff formality peculiar to the British private. 
 
 That mechanical precision, which is a marked charac- 
 teristic in so many old soldiers, has something irresistibly 
 comic about it to those unaccustomed to the machine-like 
 ways of the barrack veteran. Whatever they do and 
 under whatever influence or emotion they may be 
 actuated, their movements remind one somewhat of a 
 life-size marionette worked slowly and deliberately and 
 with studied precision ; such peculiarities arising from 
 perpetual drill, powerful discipline, and a long course of 
 C( extension motions/' 
 
 Joe Corcoran was just one of these automatic figures, 
 no doubt familiar enough to the military reader. 
 
 " Good morning, Corporal Corcoran, what is it ? " 
 inquired Mrs. Vickers. 
 
 " Just goin' to lend a haud with the packin', mum, 
 that's all/' replied Joe, making a half -turn to the right, 
 and halting at attention. 
 
 " It's very good of you, I'm sure. I shall be thankful 
 for your help." 
 
 Whereupon the dark green tower, saluting again, 
 stalked on without further remark, and entered the 
 bungalow. 
 
 As Mrs. Corcoran explained to Heffernan — her son
 
 Under the Peepul- Tree. 26 1 
 
 Joe had been the late Captain Vickers' batman for a 
 long time ; that is to say, he used to make himself useful 
 to the family in various ways, regular soldier-servants 
 being the exception rather than the rule in India. Hence, 
 only too glad to get back into his old harness if but for 
 a day, he now sadly offered his last services at the break- 
 up of the establishment; for that break-up grieved him 
 sorely. He was very fond of the widow, whom he would 
 have gone to the end of the world to serve; and his devo- 
 tion to Gwennie was quite paternal — more especially now 
 that she had lost her own father — and the little girl reci- 
 procated his affection with all the ardour of her childish 
 nature. 
 
 "Koi hai ! ag lao ! ,,7 now cried the major, pulling out his 
 cheroot-case for a smoke, and making himself at home. 
 
 In reply to this summons the khitmutgar brought a 
 lump of glowing charcoal on a broken piece of chatti, 8 
 and from this primitive arrangement each officer lighted 
 his Manilla cheroot in turn. 
 
 " So you're really going to leave us to-morrow ? " 
 observed Tiny Gore to Mrs. Yickers, with a comical 
 sadness in his face, and speaking in a low tone as he 
 looked across at the major, who was just then intent on 
 the charcoal. 
 
 " The day after — " said Georgie. 
 
 " I'll take my dick I shall cry — I shan't get over it 
 for years," exclaimed the ensign, gushingly, though still 
 sotto voce. 
 
 "Don't be an idiot, Tiny," rejoined Mrs. Vickers. 
 " What do you care about our going ? " she added, not 
 displeased with the subject, and raising her voice, as 
 rather liking to parade her popularity before the major. 
 
 7 " Somebody there ! bring fire " — meaning a light. 
 8 An earthenware vessel .
 
 262 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 "Don't I just ? " cried the youth, with impulsive 
 honesty. " Doesn't everybody ? I'm sure I don't know 
 what we shall all do without you." 
 
 " Keally ? " returned the gratified lady ; " well, it's nice 
 to feel one will be missed by old comrades ; however, I 
 may not be absent so very long/' she added, significantly, 
 " I'm only going down country to Cawnpore, to stay with 
 some friends for a little while, and when I return, if ever 
 I do—" 
 
 " I hope it will not. be as Mrs. Vickers," interposed 
 the major, "but as Mrs. Bonus." 
 
 After which pithy remark the old field officer puffed 
 away at his cheroot with excited importance. 
 
 "Bravo, Major ! well said ! " exclaimed the officers, in 
 chorus. 
 
 " Here ! let's drink a peg all round to the health of 
 the future bride and bridegroom," cried the excitable 
 Gore, who forthwith, with the help of the khitmutgar, 
 poured out brandies and sodas in the most liberal style, 
 as though he had been host instead of guest. 
 
 Glad of this excuse for a general "liquor up," the thirsty 
 officers drank the toast with immense relish, afterwards 
 re buckling on their swords preparatory to a move, for it 
 was getting late in the morning. 
 
 "Hulioa! what's the commotion now ? I say, I say, 
 holy pokers ! just look ! " ejaculated Gore, as they rose 
 to leave ; " why, the giant's gone stick, stark, staring 
 mad!" 
 
 And well might he say so, for behold ! there was the 
 stately corporal prancing up and down the verandah like 
 a playful young elephant, with Miss Gwennie perched on 
 his broad shoulders, and "finishing" an imaginary race 
 in the most approved style, with all the skill of George 
 Fordham.
 
 Under the Pecpul-Tree. 26 
 
 j 
 
 A loud guffaw from the officers brought the giant to 
 his senses and " attention," and made him pull himself up 
 to his enormous height so suddenly as nearly to smash 
 the infant amateur's little skull against the low rafters. 
 
 "Gwennie, you young romp, come here directly/' 
 cried her mother, " and let the corporal get on with the 
 packing." 
 
 Accordingly, the Lilliputian jockey dismounted from 
 her Brobdingnagian steed and bounded towards the group 
 with a hop, skip, and a jump, looking very picturesque, 
 with her pretty laughing face and loose wavy hair — a 
 rich brown, like her mother's, but having a golden 
 tinge as if reflecting a gleam of sunshine. Her clean 
 white frock, with a black sash, was rather tumbled from 
 her equestrian exercise, and Mrs. Vickers smoothed her 
 out with a gentle reproof when the child presented herself 
 before the officers, with whom she was a general favourite, 
 and looked upon by all as " the daughter of the regiment/' 
 The major patted Gwennie's head with proprietary pride, 
 as the little girl stood beside him, and the next moment 
 Tiny Gore swung her up into the air and gave her a 
 hearty kiss, vowing that " she was a little stunner, and 
 should be his wife some day as sure as eggs were eggs, 
 when his ship came home." 
 
 Soon afterwards the chota hazree party broke up, and 
 the officers having all taken their departure, Georgie 
 Yickers repaired to the bungalow, to see about that 
 dreadful business of packing.
 
 264 The Sword of Damocles, 
 
 CHAPTER XXL 
 
 REDUCED TO THE RANKS. 
 
 " Then, a soldier ; 
 Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard, 
 Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel." 
 
 Shakspeare. 
 " Black was his beard, and manly was his face ; 
 The balls of his broad eyes roll'd in his head — 
 
 $fe ^ tP t£ vP 
 
 Big-boned, and large of limbs, with sinews strong, 
 
 Broad shoulder 'd, and his arms were round and long ; 
 
 Upright he stood." 
 
 Dryden. 
 
 Extract from Station Orders by Colonel the Honourable 
 Hugh Melraont, C.B., commanding. 
 
 Bareilly, October 7th, 186—. 
 A district court-martial will assemble at the Mess-house 
 of the Royal Artillery, on Thursday, the 9th instant, at 
 11 a.m., for the trial of No. 2027, Sergeant John Baines, 
 X Battery, Y Brigade, R.A. 
 
 President : 
 
 Major R. Bonus, 51st P.N.I. 
 
 Members : 
 
 Captain H. Wing, R.A. 
 Captain W. J. Ripley, 51st 
 
 P.N.I. 
 Lieut. G. E. Haylock, 18th 
 
 Bengal Lancers. 
 
 Captain F. R. Stanners, 5th 
 
 Bat. Rifle Brigade. 
 Lieut. J. Perditon, R.A. 
 Lieut. C. Raikes, 5th Bat. 
 
 Rifle Brigade.
 
 Reduced to the Ranks. 265 
 
 Accordingly, at the appointed place and hour, the 
 above court-martial duly assembled. 
 
 Preparatory to the proceedings, Major Bonus, the 
 president, took his seat at the head of the highly-polished 
 teak-wood table before the other members arrived. With 
 fussy importance he examined certain papers relative to 
 the prisoner, provided by Lieutenant Singleton, Eoyal 
 Artillery, who acted as prosecutor. 
 
 The mess-table was denuded of everything except just 
 the requisite materials for the occasion, which were col- 
 lected in front of the president ; a silver mortar (in 
 miniature) doing duty as an inkstand ; a blotting-pad, 
 quill pens, foolscap paper, official documents tied up with 
 red tape, u The Articles of War/'' and a Bible, were all 
 that relieved the eye on that wilderness of polished teak. 
 
 Punkahs had not yet been taken down in the Artillery 
 Mess-room, and the one overhead flapped and creaked 
 with a dreary monotonous sound, as the black automaton 
 in the verandah outside pulled it to and fro. 
 
 The punkah-wallah in India is quite a phenomenal 
 creature, a sleepy piece of mechanism — requiring con- 
 siderable oiling in the shape of chastisement now and 
 then — rather than a responsible human being ; but it is 
 wonderful how the poor wretch will pull away at that bit 
 of rope and cane for hours through the fiercest heat. He 
 will often keep it going in this way while fast asleep, the 
 somnambulistic motion becoming feebler and feebler 
 sometimes, until roused to spasmodic efforts by the 
 angry cry of " Kainsho punkah ! " l from within. 
 
 Presently the members forming the court began to 
 arrive one by one — " julde puckarao ! " 2 " lajao ghora I " 3 
 and such like instructions being heard as the swords 
 
 1 Pull the punkah ! 2 Q u i c k I catch hold ! 
 
 3 Take the horse awa}\
 
 265 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 clattered across the verandah and into the mess-room, 
 when the officers, in various uniforms, took their places 
 at the table. After the long hot weather, it was quite re- 
 freshing to see these differently coloured uniforms sub- 
 stituted for the monotonous, but necessary white dress, 
 generally worn throughout the summer. 
 
 All being ready, Lieutenant Singleton now conveyed 
 the order from the president to have the prisoner brought 
 in. The sergeant in charge theu ushered him into the 
 room, mumbling the words, " Quick-marck-right-turn- 
 halt-front," in a low tone, as if under protest, and think- 
 ing it an unnecessary piece of formality ; perhaps it was, 
 but it's a way they have in the army. 
 
 Sergeant John Baines now stood arraigned on the 
 following charges, read out by the president to the 
 court : — 
 
 "First charge. — For having at Bareilly, on the 28th 
 day of September, 186 — , been absent from the inspection 
 parade ordered by the officer commanding his battery. 
 
 " Second charge. — For insubordinate conduct, unbe- 
 coming a non-commissioned officer, and to the prejudice of 
 good order and military discipline, in having at the same 
 place and on the same day aforementioned, when repri- 
 manded in the orderly-room by his commanding officer, 
 made use of the following language : ( Am I a wretched 
 schoolboy, to be publicly scolded in this way by an 
 infernal old fool like you ? Try me — smash me — do what 
 you like — but for God's sake hold your tongue/ Or 
 words to that effect." 
 
 The prisoner was a fine, soldierlike-looking man, with 
 a profusion of dark brown beard, whisker, and moustache, 
 which added dignity to an already handsome face (regu- 
 lations as to shaving in India are less observed by both 
 officers and soldiers than in England); these appendages
 
 Reduced to the Ranks. 267 
 
 as well as the hair on his head being streaked with grey 
 in many places, thereby making him appear older than he 
 was, as if he had seen some ups and downs in life. His 
 black, restless eyes and determined-looking nostrils indi- 
 cated a lurking devil within hini,which it were easy but dan- 
 gerous to rouse, and his full chest and brawny shoulders 
 gave evidence of great muscular strength. Yet, with all 
 this, there was no coarseness in the rnan's physique; on the 
 contrary, his figure, though powerful, was gracefully set, 
 and there was a look of refinement both in his face and 
 the shape of his hands. 
 
 The officers of the court, prompted by curiosity, stared 
 with rather questionable taste at the prisoner as he stood 
 before them, for he had earned a reputation for himself in 
 the artillery, and was looked upon as somewhat an 
 uncommon character. 
 
 A well-educated man, with a good address, Sergeant 
 Baines' origin was a mystery to every one ; nor was it 
 likely to become known, since he kept his lips rigidly 
 sealed on the subject. His superior qualifications had 
 several times raised him from the ranks, but his fright- 
 fully hot temper had always proved the stumbling-block 
 in his career. Yet he was as steady and sober a man as 
 ever took the pledge, and would no doubt have made an 
 excellent non-commissioned officer, but for the irritating 
 "red-tape" system, which is such a prevalent curse in the 
 British service. Strict discipline, by all means — for strict 
 discipline is the very backbone of our army — but that 
 miserable red-tape system, carried to the extent it is now- 
 a-days, is quite another matter, and contributes far more 
 to making officers narrow-minded and old womanish than 
 any real good it does to the interior economy of a regi- 
 ment. 
 
 Sergeant Baines was not endowed with sufficient patience
 
 268 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 to observe the thousand and one minutice which is now in- 
 cluded in that interior economy, and which, as a non- 
 commissioned officer, it was his duty to observe ; conse- 
 quently he was perpetually being " called over the coals." 
 Now, beyond the hearing of the court assembled to try 
 the prisoner, and "without partiality, favour, or affection/' 
 I may say that Sergeant John Baines had not blurted out 
 his mutinous remarks without considerable provocation. 
 
 Major Fusserley, commanding X Battery, Y Brigade, 
 was a dreadful officer to serve under, being an aggravating 
 old woman by nature, rendered ten times worse by his 
 profession — as he followed it. A perfect slave to petty 
 details, red tape, in Major Fusserley's case, might be 
 appropriately called the apron-strings of the Government, 
 to which he was tied > literally and figuratively bowing 
 down and worshipping his bonds. 
 
 "The Queen's Kegulations" was Major Fusserley's 
 bible, "The Articles of War" was his prayer-book, " The 
 Army List " his dictionary, and " The Order Book " his 
 daily paper — beyond which it is doubtful if this old mar- 
 tinet ever dipped into any literature of a lighter or more 
 interesting nature. 
 
 This was by no means the first time that " old Mother 
 Fussey," as he was nicknamed, had goaded Sergeant 
 Baines beyond endurance, when the contumacious spirit 
 at length broke forth with the result given. 
 
 It was rumoured that this gallant commanding officer, 
 who was himself a particularly plebeian-looking man, was 
 jealous of Sergeant Baines' distinguished and gentleman- 
 like appearance ; and it was further whispered that he was 
 excessively jealous about his own wife, a pretty woman 
 (fifteen years younger than her husband) , whom he fancied 
 had a weakness for this handsome sergeant, and who 
 certainly expressed herself sometimes in terms of strong
 
 Reduced to the Ranks. 269 
 
 admiration regarding him ; but of course such reports 
 were all nonsense, mere barrack scandal, and not worthy 
 of consideration ! 
 
 With reference to the crimes for which the prisoner 
 was brought up for trial, his absence from the parade in 
 question was comparatively a trifling offence, and scarcely 
 ought to have been entered in the charge, since some 
 reason had been given for that absence ; but it was a fine 
 opening for the nagging old woman to have a good 
 worry-worry-worry at him, which had been eagerly 
 jumped at. 
 
 The charges having been read over, to which the 
 prisoner pleaded guilty, the court was cleared, and the 
 officers sworn in, when the culprit was again brought 
 forward, and the first witness called to prove the first 
 charge in the indictment. 
 
 This evidence having been taken, the next witness was 
 summoned to prove the charge of insubordination. 
 
 Number 4291, Farrier- Sergeant Charles Vulcan, X 
 Battery, Y Brigade, Royal Artillery, a heavy-looking*, 
 bloated-faced warrior, with a nose like a strawberry, duly 
 sworn, as follows : — 
 
 Senior Member (handing him the Bible, and speaking 
 in a low tone) . — " The evidence you shall give before this 
 court — " 
 
 President (interrupting). — "The right hand, if you 
 please, Farrier- Sergeant, and take off your glove."" 
 
 This witness appeared to be all abroad, and very ner- 
 vous aDd shaky, as if he had been drinking hard overnight. 
 
 Senior Member (continuing). — "The evidence you shall 
 give before this court shall be the truth, the whole truth, 
 and nothing but the truth, so help you God ! " 
 
 2nd Witness (kissing the Bible). — ,f So help me bob ! " 
 
 (A suppressed titter from the court.)
 
 2 jo The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 Pres. (very gravely) . — " So help you God, Farrier- 
 Sergeant." 
 
 2nd Wit. (hurriedly).— " So help me God, sir. Beg 
 pardon, sir." 4 
 
 Pres. — " Escort and prisoner, stand-at-ease." 
 
 2nd Wit. (states) — " On the morning of the 28th I 
 was present at ord — " 
 
 Pres. (pulling him up). — " When, Farrier- Sergeant ? " 
 
 2nd Wit. — " About half -past seven, sir." 
 
 Pres.—" What day ? " 
 
 2nd Wit.— (l On the morning of the 28th, sir." 
 
 Pres. — "We want the month, Farrier- Sergeant." 
 
 2nd Wit.—" September, sir." 
 
 Pres. — " Well — on the morning of the 28th of Sep- 
 tember — ? " 
 
 2nd Wit. — "On the morning of the 28th of September, 
 sir, about half -past seven o'clock, I was present at or- 
 derly-room — " 
 
 Pres. (pulling him up again). — "Where, Farrier- 
 Sergeant ? " 
 
 2nd Wit. — " At our orderly-room, sir." 
 
 Pres. — " But what place ? You must state what place." 
 
 2nd Wit. — "In the Artillery Barracks, sir." 
 
 Pres. (losing patience). — "Tut, tut! I mean what 
 station, Farrier- Sergeant ? " 
 
 2nd Wit.—" Oh— why, Bareilly, sir." 
 
 Pres.—" Exactly so. Well ? go on." 
 
 2nd Wit.—" On the morning of the 28th—" 
 
 Pres. — " Yes ; we've got all that down." 
 
 2nd Wit. (getting confused). — "I was present about 
 Bareilly at half-past orderly — I mean about seven o'clock, 
 at—" 
 
 Pres. — " Come, come, Farrier- Sergeant, let's have it 
 
 4 A true incident.
 
 Reduced to the Ranks. 2 7 1 
 
 clearly. On the morning of the 28th of September, at 
 Bareilly, at about half-past seven o'clock, you were pre- 
 sent — Yes ? go on." 
 
 2nd Wit. — " At orderly-room, sir, when — M 
 
 Pres. — "But what orderly-room ? u 
 
 2nd Wit. (rather suspecting he is being made a fool 
 of). — " Why, our orderly-room, of course — " 
 
 Pres. (reprovingly). — "There's no ' of course * in the 
 matter, Farrier-Sergeant; say at orderly-room in the 
 Royal Artillery Barracks, then." 
 
 2nd Wit. (repeating like a parrot). — u At orderly- 
 room, in the Royal Artillery Barracks then, when Ser- 
 geant Baines was brought up — n 
 
 Pres. — " Who, Farrier- Sergeant ? " 
 
 2nd Wit. (very emphatically, and determined to be 
 right at last) . — ' ' Sergeant John Baines, X Battery, Y 
 Brigade, Royal Artillery, Bareilly, sir." 
 
 Pres. (with calm patience). — Do you mean the prisoner 
 before the court, Farrier- Sergeant ? " 
 
 2nd Wit. — "Yes, sir " (wondering who else he could 
 mean). 
 
 Pres. — " Then, say so, please." 
 
 2nd Wit. — "When the prisoner, Sergeant John 
 Baines, was brought up before the major for absence — " 
 
 Pres. (darting at him). — " What ! Whom do you mean 
 by the major ? What major ? n 
 
 2nd Wit. (decisively). — " Why, Major Thomas William 
 Fusserley, sir, X Battery, Y — " 
 
 Pres. — " The commanding-officer, in fact ? " 
 
 2nd Wit.—" Yes, sir." 
 
 Pres. — " Then say so, please." 
 
 2nd Wit. — "When the prisoner was brought before the 
 commanding-officer for absence from parade, and after- 
 wards — "
 
 272 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 Pres. — "But what parade, Farrier- Sergeant? You 
 haven't told us what parade — " 
 
 2nd Wit. — " Inspection parade, sir." 
 
 Pres. — " Then you must say so, please." 
 
 2nd Wit. (in desperation, and resolved not to be 
 bothered any more) . — " For absence from inspection 
 parade at Bareilly, sir, on the artillery parade ground, at 
 half-past six Hay M — " 
 
 Pres. (approvingly). — "There, that's the way to give 
 your evidence. Well ? go on." 
 
 2nd Wit. — "And afterwards, when the major was 
 reprimanding him — " 
 
 Pres. — " You mean the commanding-officer — " 
 
 2nd Wit. — " I mean the commanding-officer j yes, sir." 
 
 Pres. — " Then say so, please." 
 
 2nd Wit. — "When the commanding-officer was re- 
 primanding him, he began to fidget about and get very 
 angry—" 
 
 Pres. — " Who began to fidgetabout, Farrier- Sergeant?" 
 (Here the prisoner smiles, while the members of the court 
 bite their nails and clear their throats with suppressed 
 irritation.) 
 
 2nd Wit.— <( The prisoner, sir." 
 
 Pres. — " Then why the deuce don't you say so ? " 
 
 And so on ad libitum. Consequently it took the best 
 part of an hour to get through this witness's evidence, 
 and Major Bonus, by absurd and unnecessary inter- 
 ruptions, made the Farrier - Sergeant's statement appear 
 the most tautological declaration ever heard or read ; 
 while the latter, very much fuddled to start with, became 
 hopelessly bewildered, and ended by getting a good deal 
 out of temper. 
 
 Between the president and the witness it was not 
 wonderful that the process of taking down evidence
 
 Redticed to the Ranks. 273 
 
 was protracted and tedious; for Farrier- Sergeant Yulcan 
 was just one of those wrecks of a smart soldier so often 
 to be seen in India ; another of the numberless victims 
 to that thirsty climate — made thirstier still, no doubt, by 
 the heat of the forge — with the curse of drink written in 
 his face, and evidenced by his speech and palsied action. 
 As he stood before that court he was undoubtedly 
 bordering on a state of delirium tremens, and his col- 
 lapse was a mere question of time. The man was what 
 may be termed a sober drunkard, and these sober drunkards 
 are not easy to deal with in a summary manner, since 
 they give no opportunity exactly for being called to 
 account, although their example in a regiment is most 
 baneful and mischievous ; but drunkenness being their 
 normal condition, they get through their duty somehow; 
 nor could they perform it so well, in all probability, if 
 really sober. Major Fusserley, however, was watching 
 this worthy disciple of Bacchus as a cat watches a mouse, 
 and was longing to bring him to the same tribunal as the 
 prisoner then under trial. 
 
 On the other hand, Major Eobert Bonus — or M Bobby 
 Bones," as he was irreverently called — being in command 
 of a native regiment, liked to make the most of his im- 
 portance as president of a court-martial on a European 
 non-commissioned officer ; but the members of the court, 
 the prosecutor, the witness, the escort, and the prisoner 
 himself, were all driven to such a state of irritability at 
 last as to feel a strong inclination to knock old Bobby 
 Bones off his presidential chair, and sit on his head in a 
 body. 
 
 But suffice it to say, without going into further details, 
 that both charges were at length proven, Sergeant Baines 
 found guilty, as he had pleaded, and sentenced to be 
 reduced to the ranks. This sentence having been duly 
 
 VOL. I. T
 
 2 74 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 confirmed by the officer commanding the station or 
 district, a parade was called, at which the prisoner under- 
 went the degrading ceremony of having the chevrons cut 
 from his sleeves in the presence of all his comrades. Then 
 the late Sergeant went back to his barrack as plain 
 Gunner Baines — a morose and disgusted man — and Major 
 Fusserley's dignity was avenged ! 
 
 Poor Baines ! Only another victim to an old woman in 
 uniform — only one more instance of a good soldier ruined 
 by a bad officer ! and it may be truly said, that excessive 
 zeal, carried to a pitch of fanaticism, and becoming at 
 last a species of mental disease (especially when added to 
 a nagging propensity), disqualifies a man for command 
 even more than actual " slackness " and incapacity.
 
 2 75 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 A WOMAN WITH A STORY. 
 
 " O'er that fair broad brow were wrought 
 The intersected lines of thought ; 
 ***** 
 
 Scars of the lacerating mind 
 
 "Which the soul's Avar doth leave behind." 
 
 Byron. 
 
 "Thus sometimes hath the brightest day a cloud." — Shakspeare. 
 
 The court-martial over, Major Bonus called for his horse 
 and galloped back to his lines, taking Mrs. Vickers' 
 bungalow en route. There he found her in the midst of 
 her packing agonies, for it was still hot in the day-time, 
 and not at all conducive to over-exertion. Georgie, 
 however, gave the real work to the corporal, her ayah, 
 and other servants to do, while she sat in an easy chair 
 in cool and degage attire, and chatted to them — her re- 
 frain being a good grumble at having to turn out of her 
 home. 
 
 The giant was quite an adept at packing, apparently ; 
 and he ordered the natives about in grand style, at the 
 same time doing more work in five minutes than they did 
 in a whole day. 
 
 Mrs. Yickers was not going to take away very much 
 with her, and had arranged with Major Bonus that he 
 should look after the sale of her furniture and immove- 
 
 t 2
 
 276 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 able effects, consigning to his custody sundry articles 
 which she wished to reserve. 
 
 There was some uncertainty about their future plans 
 at present, and it was doubtful whether she would return 
 to Bare illy or not, since a rumour had reached the major 
 that his regiment might be ordered to move at short 
 notice. 
 
 " Well, Corporal/'' remarked Mrs. Vickers, during the 
 packing — Joe liked to be called corporal while he was 
 one, however transitory the rank — " Well, Corporal, I 
 suppose you'll be sorry to lose us, won't you ? " 
 
 " Don't name it, mum," replied Joe, in fearful con- 
 tortions over the strap of a bullock-trunk, which he was 
 trying to fasten. " Sorry ! I should think I shall just." 
 
 11 And I'm afraid we're not likely to meet again very 
 soon, as the regiment's going home. I suppose you'll go 
 with it, Corporal ; you won't volunteer ? " 
 
 " Faith ! I don't know what I shall do yet, mum." Joe 
 Corcoran, although the son of an Irishman, had never 
 been in his father's country since his childhood, so he 
 hardly had the true Hibernian brogue, although he some- 
 times affected to speak it as a sort of national privilege. 
 "Ye see it's just this way, mum. I like this country 
 well enough; but now the poor Captin's dead — savin' 
 your prisence, mum — and you and the little 'un are goin' 
 away from the ridgement, why, I've got no ties like. 
 But there's another ridgement now as I want to get into, 
 and that's the hundred and twenty-sixth, mum." 
 
 " And why the hundred and twenty-sixth, Corporal ? " 
 
 " 'Cos there's an old friend o' mine, mum, as is a 
 cap tin in that ridgement." 
 
 " Indeed ! what is his name ? " 
 
 " Captin Heflfenham, or something like that, I think." 
 
 " But surely you know — "
 
 A Woman with a Story. 277 
 
 u I don't remember rightly till I hear it again, mum, 
 'cos he's only took that name lately, instead of his old 
 one." 
 
 " And what was that, Corporal ? 3i 
 
 " Denby— Mr. Albert Denby— " 
 
 " Good gracious ! you don't mean to say that ? — how 
 strange ! " 
 
 " Why, mum — do you know him ? " 
 
 " I certainly knew one gentleman of that name, an 
 officer in the service; I daresay it is the same — what 
 is he like ? " 
 
 Joe described him in a rough-and-ready sort of way. 
 
 " Oh, yes, that's the man I mean, Corporal — no doubt 
 about it.'' 
 
 " He's a rale nice gentleman, mum ; that is, as I 
 remember him years ago, and I dessay he aint changed 
 for the wuss. My mother writes and tells me about him 
 now and then, and I'm goin' to get further 'tic'lars from 
 her, 'cos, you see, mum, I want to get transferred to his 
 ridgement directly." 
 
 " So Mr. Albert Denby is an old friend of yours, 
 Corporal, and — ? " 
 
 " And a friend of yours, too — yes, that's it, mum. And 
 we never found it out till now." 
 
 " How very strange ! " observed Mrs. Vickers, 
 musingly. 
 
 "It is funny, mum. But o' course it's only these 
 changes what made me mention the gentleman, and think 
 of getting to serve under him." 
 
 w How long is it since you saw him ? " 
 
 " Well, I can't say exactly, mum. Some ten or twelve 
 years, maybe. But I recollect him as well as if it was 
 yesterday." 
 
 M And by your description he was not much changed
 
 278 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 when I saw him last. That was more recently ; five or 
 six years ago." 
 
 " Oh, indeed, mum ? Then that must have been when 
 you married the Cap tin, and came to India." 
 
 ' ' Yes, it was about that time," she replied, abstractedly. 
 As he spoke a cloud passed across her face as if some 
 sudden and unpleasant recollection forced itself upon her, 
 and for several minutes her mind seemed to wander far 
 away, the white forehead contracting as though from 
 mental or physical pain. 
 
 During the pause in their conversation the giant lifted 
 a heavy box full of things, making no more of the weight 
 than if it had been a brickbat, and took it outside into 
 the back verandah, where the other luggage was 
 deposited. 
 
 "Did you say the 126th were coming to India, Corporal?" 
 inquired Mrs. Yickers, as he re-entered. 
 
 " I don't know, mum, by rights. I'm not sure how 
 they stand on the roster ; but I think I heard it said they 
 was one of the next for foreign service." 
 
 " Indeed ! Then if they do come out this cold season 
 you'll volunteer and stop in the country, I suppose ? " 
 
 "Yes, mum, I s'pose I shall. But I can't be certain 
 about nothink not yet." 
 
 Mrs. Yickers then changed the conversation ; for 
 although the corporal harped on the subject of Albert 
 Denby for a while, she appeared disinclined for further 
 discussion of their mutual friend. 
 
 " Well, Major," said she, as that officer now entered 
 the bungalow, " and what have you done with him ? " 
 " What have I done with whom, Georgie ? " 
 "The mutinous sergeant, of course." 
 " Oh, to be sure. Well, I'm sorry I can't gratify a 
 lady's curiosity, but it's against the Articles of War to
 
 A Woman with a Story. 279 
 
 disclose or divulge the sentence of the court until it shall 
 be duly approved and confirmed/' 
 
 " Never mind the Articles of War. I want to know 
 particularly. Surely you can tell me privately." 
 
 " Indeed I'm afraid I can't." 
 
 " That's always the way with you men. I thought you 
 said you could never refuse me anything." 
 
 Georgie Yickers here pouted her pretty mouth like a 
 spoilt child, for, though rather full-lipped, it was a pretty 
 mouth — the best feature of her face. 
 
 " Yes, my dear ; but this is different," explained the 
 major. u One mustn't fly in the face of the Articles of 
 War, you know." 
 
 "Very well, I suppose you're right. I only hope you'll 
 always be as loyal to your future wife as you are to your 
 Queen." 
 
 " I hope I shall, Georgie. But tell me, why did you 
 want to know? What makes you take an interest in this 
 — this Sergeant Baines ? " 
 
 " Oh, I'm not aware that I do particularly. It's only 
 that I felt rather sorry for him. He seems such a supe- 
 rior sort of man." 
 
 " Indeed, how do you know that ? When did you 
 have an opportunity of judging ? " 
 
 "Well, you remember the non-commissioned officers' 
 ball we gave in our regiment some time ago ? I danced 
 with him twice that evening, and I was very much struck 
 with his conversation and manner; not a bit like the 
 other Serjeants." 
 
 " Ah, it is a pity, then, that he doesn't regulate his 
 conversation and manner towards his superior officers ; 
 then he wouldn't come to grief so often. However, if 
 you are really interested to know, though you might 
 easily guess, I can write and tell you his sentence when
 
 2 So The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 it appears in orders. You'll receive a letter from me at 
 Cawnpore by the time you arrive there. But now about 
 the packiug — how are you getting on with it ? " 
 
 " Not very fast, I'm afraid/' she replied, glancing help- 
 lessly at the chaos around her. 
 
 " You look tired and dispirited, my dear • quite melan- 
 choly, in fact. Come, I can't have you knocking 
 yourself up." 
 
 " Oh, I shall be all right as soon as this is over, and 
 we make a start," she returned, with a smile. Not that 
 she had over-exerted herself at all. It was something 
 else than fatigue that made her look just then so dispirited 
 and melancholy, as the major had remarked. ct I'm sure 
 I don't know what I should do without my corporal," she 
 added, u he's quite a professional packer." 
 
 Hereupon Joe, who was then courting a fit of apoplexy 
 over a tremendous camel- trunk, sprang to attention, and, 
 saluting the major, said, — 
 
 " Shall I take this, sir, and thim other things over to 
 your bungalow this evening, sir, or to-morrow morning?" 
 pointing as he spoke to a number of articles set aside to 
 be placed in the major's keeping. 
 
 " Whenever you like, Corcoran. I've given all direc- 
 tions to my servants to have them stowed away 
 carefully." 
 
 " And please, Major Bonus," exclaimed little Gwennie, 
 coming forward with a wicker birdcage in her arms, " do 
 take care of my poor ' chowkidar ' for me" — the name she 
 had given to the minah l perched inside the cage — " see 
 that he's fed, and please do talk to him sometimes, or he'll 
 feel so dull." 
 
 " Very well, little one," replied the major, kindly, and 
 
 1 The Indian starling — " Chowkidar " being the Hindustani for a 
 watchman.
 
 A Woman with a Story. 281 
 
 stroking her glossy hair; "I'll attend to the chow- 
 kidar. He shall have first post of honour in my sitting- 
 room, and I'll take him into my confidence on every 
 occasion." 
 
 Here Mrs. Yickars caught sight of the corporal looking 
 at the bird in the cage with wistful eyes, and a dreadfully 
 disappointed expression. 
 
 " Why, Gwennie," she exclaimed, hastening to the 
 rescue, " you've forgotten ; you said the corporal was to 
 have the minah. Besides, you mustn't trouble Major 
 Bonus with such things." 
 
 t€ On the contrary, I should be highly flattered. But 
 if the chowkidar is promised — " began the major. 
 
 u Why, of course he is ! " cried Gwennie ; " I said Joe 
 was to have him. How silly of me, dear old Joe, to forget 
 like that ! There, now mind you take care of him," she 
 added, shaking her head with an important air, and 
 placing the cage in the delighted giant's arms, as if it 
 had been a baby about to be christened ; and Joe took it 
 with the reverential care of an officiating minister. 
 
 "Now — let me see — I'm to keep the pony and sell 
 the trap ; but what are you going to do with Pompey, 
 Georgie ? " inquired Major Bonus, indicating a hideous 
 mongrel, very churlish in its nature, and with a hatred 
 for all niggers, except just those on whom it was depen- 
 dent for food. 
 
 u I mean to take him with me ; it's safer travelling with 
 a dog I think — especially a growler like Pompey ; he'll 
 make the natives civil." 
 
 " You're quite right ; these fellows have a cordial dread 
 of the white man's dog : I believe they fancy it's charmed 
 in some way, or the devil in disguise sent to protect one 
 of his angels. Though they could hardly think so in your 
 case," he added, gallantly ; " but tell me, is there anything
 
 282 The Sivord of Da modes. 
 
 else I can do for you, Georgie ? — any other way in which 
 I can be useful. Pray command me." 
 
 " Many thanks ; no, I think not. I'm sure I am very 
 much obliged to you as it is/ 5 
 
 " Don't speak of it, pray. It's not only a pleasure, my 
 dear, but my duty." 
 
 As he said this he leant over and kissed her forehead. 
 
 Although extremely kind and thoughtful — for Major 
 Bonus was really fond of the little widow — his endear- 
 ments were somewhat too patronizing and paternal in 
 their nature to please Mrs. Yickers, and lacked that charm 
 of the lover's caress which she would have preferred. 
 This, I am afraid, made her hold his affection a little 
 cheaply, since she felt rather as if engaged to be married 
 to her grandfather, or at any rate her father, for the 
 latter the major was quite old enough to be. 
 
 " I must get back to the lines now, my dear," observed 
 Major Bonus, presently, " for I've several things to see to. 
 By the- bye, I've ordered your dak and bearers," he 
 added, as he was going out of the bungalow ; " they'll be 
 here at sundown to-morrow, so that's all right. Au revozr 
 till this evening ; I shall meet you at the band, I suppose?" 
 
 " Yes, it's our band to-night, so of course I shall go. 
 Perhaps it will be the very last time I shall hear it." 
 
 Mrs. Vickers sighed to herself sadly as she said this, 
 and followed the major out into the verandah. There she 
 watched him mount his charger and trot off, jingle 
 jangle, jingle jangle, with the true military jog on which 
 he prided himself, waving his hand jauntily to her as he 
 disappeared at the gateway. 
 
 Punctually at five o'clock the same evening the syce 
 brought round Gooral harnessed to the light pony- 
 carriage for Mrs. Vickers and Gwennie to drive to the 
 band for that very last time.
 
 A Woman with a Story. 283 
 
 Gooral was a small wiry tatto, a useful pony 3 but 
 certainly not quiet either to ride or drive, though Mrs. 
 Vickers used him for both. He was what the natives 
 called a bahoot-bobberywallah, or a hurra budmash, which 
 meant that he was an exceedingly frisky little brute, or 
 an exceedingly vicious one. The former he decidedly 
 was, a very small beast with a very big spirit, and doubt- 
 less there was a good deal of vice about him as well. 
 
 Every evening as regularly as clock-work when they 
 went for a drive the bobbery Gooral plunged about 
 furiously at starting, and every evening invariably 
 knocked the syce either into the verandah or into the 
 bushes. That long-suffering domestic, however, had be- 
 come so thoroughly accustomed to this part of the pro- 
 gramme, that if he had not found himself sprawling on 
 his back as usual he would quite have missed it and 
 would have thought something was wrong. Accordingly 
 that evening he was utterly astonished to see the pony 
 trot off quietly, and he himself still preserving the per- 
 pendicular. Whether the Gooral knew by instinct of the 
 approaching departure of his mistress and thereby felt 
 depressed, or whether he had not got over the tremendous 
 bucketing she had given him in the morning, it is im- 
 possible to say — probably the latter — but he certainly went 
 out of the compound, for a wonder, like an old sheep. 
 
 The syce shook his head as he looked after them and 
 marvelled ; indeed, so amazed was he that he could not 
 move for a few seconds, remaining as if spell-bound, and 
 thereby getting a very bad start after the carriage. Not- 
 withstanding this he was at the band first, and had been 
 there some minutes before his mistress drove up. 
 
 A wonderful fellow the syce, who, by cutting across 
 country, combined with considerable staying powers, 
 appears to be almost ubiquitous in his nature. His master,
 
 284 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 maybe, leaves him in the compound as he gallops off to 
 parade or elsewhere, and, lo and behold, when he arrives 
 at his destination, there is the syce waiting for him, 
 perfectly calm and not blowing as much as he or his 
 horse. Of course there are syces and syces ; but I 
 think I may say that much of the average. 
 
 When Georgie Vickers pulled up near the band-stand, 
 at her customary corner, there was as yet a very small 
 audience assembled ; and although the musicians were 
 playing away vigorously, their sweetness was almost 
 wasted on desert air, for beyond a few ayahs with 
 washed-out looking infants in their arms, and pale 
 sickly-looking children clinging to their skirts, the 
 native infantry doctor and his wife in a buggy, a Parsee 
 shopkeeper, and a couple of native chuprassees, there was 
 no one to listen. 
 
 Gwennie jumped out of the pony carriage as soon as 
 they arrived, and went to play with the other children, 
 so Mrs. Vickers, for a short time, was left alone in her 
 glory — a very unusual occurrence indeed, for on such 
 occasions her carriage was generally besieged by gay 
 young officers ; but Georgie was glad of her solitary 
 grandeur for this evening, since her heart was heavy and 
 sad at leaving the old regiment — and from other causes 
 as well. The soft strains of music — they were playing a 
 beautiful selection from La Favorita at the time — soothed 
 her sorrowing spirit, and she preferred to enjoy the 
 delicious passages without a running accompaniment of 
 Ensigns' claptrap. 
 
 But not long was this sweet Donizettian solitude to be 
 uninterrupted, for gradually and surely the officer element 
 crept upon the scene, and gradually and surely the 
 widow and her tiny equipage were surrounded by a 
 cluster of chaffing, chattering, and cheeky young subal-
 
 A Woman with a Story. 285 
 
 terns, who hovered together at her shrine like so many 
 starlings on a favourite tree. 
 
 This was Georgie's normal condition, it is true, and 
 as a rule she was well equal to the occasion, keeping 
 them all going at once with her pert and piquant observa- 
 tions ; but to day there seemed a certain restraint in her 
 manner — a listless, preoccupied air about her, which did 
 not fail to attract attention, and as she made an effort to 
 talk to, and laugh with, the gay spirits around her, a far- 
 away look in her eyes betrayed that her spirit was not 
 with them. 
 
 " The poor little woman is sorry to leave us," whispered 
 a young ensign of the Rifle Brigade to one of his com- 
 panions. " She's got the blues — don't let's chaff her 
 to-night." 
 
 So saying, with good-natured intention, he hooked his 
 arm into his brother officer's, and they sauntered off to 
 another carriage. 
 
 Yes, she was sorry — very sorry to leave them, and once 
 or twice the hot tears sprang to her eyes as some young 
 friend touched her heart by simple words of kindness, 
 words conveyed in a little good-bye speech, which mingled 
 sadly with that plaintive air still floating in her ears. 
 She keenly appreciated the tender sympathy thus ex- 
 pressed, for, with more enemies than friends amongst the 
 ladies, she was dependent on these boys for gentle fellow- 
 feeling and condolence. 
 
 Yes, she was sorry to leave the dear old regiment and 
 all her comrades, especially that faithful giant, the 
 corporal. But Georgie Vickers had even more than this 
 to weigh upon her mind just then — more than this to 
 crush the animal spirits which so characterized her nature. 
 Her widowhood, the memory of her late husband, the 
 break up of her home — these were recent and present
 
 286 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 sorrows; but it was the long-ago with which her mind 
 was then filled and which chiefly troubled her — the 
 memory of something almost forgotten, but lately revived 
 with two-fold bitterness. 
 
 No one would have thought, to look at Georgie Vickers 
 in her naturally merry and vivacious moods, that she was 
 a woman with some painful secret preying at her heart — 
 a woman with a story, in fact ; but so it was. 
 
 " The canker blooms have fall as deep a dye 
 As the perfumed tincture of the roses, 
 Hang on such thorns, and play as wantonly 
 "When summer's breath their masked bud discloses." 
 
 And the gnawing canker within had been brought to 
 life again that very day. Little did honest Joe Corcoran 
 know, when he mentioned the name of Albert Denby, 
 what cruel recollections that name brought back to her 
 mind — how it made the old wound bleed afresh — how it 
 caused her old sorrow to wake and cry ; and the torture 
 was the more agonizing since she could make no confidant 
 — impart the secret of her trouble to no one in the world 
 — not even to Major Bonus, her future husband — less 
 even to him than any other living soul. 
 
 Poor little woman ! she was much to be pitied ; and, 
 far more sinned against than sinning, her story was 
 indeed a sad one. But why did she fret and worry her- 
 self about it all ? it might still remain buried in the past, 
 never, never to be revealed till the crack of doom, when 
 the great book would be opened against her. It might 
 be so, it is true, but for one person — one man, who, as 
 she believed, was the sole participator of that secret ; 
 and that man was Albert Denby. Oh, how she prayed 
 that she might never meet him — that he might never 
 find a trace of her again. While she thus pondered
 
 A Woman with a Story. 287 
 
 sadly and anxiously, Georgie Vickers felt that she could 
 have bitten her tongue out for vexation at the inadvertent 
 disclosure she had made to the corporal. But when Joe 
 mentioned that name she had almost forgotten for the 
 moment how Albert Denby had been connected with the 
 past secret of her life, and actually went on conversing 
 about him before the painful memory rushed upon her. 
 Light-hearted by nature, and somewhat superficial in 
 character, Georgie never troubled herself to think too 
 deeply on any subject ; and it was only when the bitter 
 memory of the past actually forced itself on the present, 
 that she allowed it to prey upon her mind. 
 
 Through the corporal, then, this man, Albert Denby, 
 would hear of her again as surely as she had mentioned 
 his name, unless she bound the giant over to strictest 
 secrecy, and that she was resolved to do before they 
 parted. 
 
 The giddy throng of youngsters finding it rather slow 
 at last beside the widow's pony carriage — for she made 
 little effort to entertain them, and it was clear that there 
 was something wrong — began to move off one by one, 
 and so gave Major Bonus, on his flea-bitten charger, a 
 chance of drawing near. 
 
 That poor Arab must have been endowed with wonder- 
 ful powers of endurance, for he seemed to be always on 
 duty — always champing away at that imposing military 
 bit, in which he found, perhaps, some peculiar nutri- 
 ment, for he seldom had time to champ anything else. 
 
 It was a favourite joke of Tiny Gore's, who asserted 
 that Bobby Bones' charger never got anything to eat 
 except the chaff so plentifully bestowed upon its master, 
 and that the grey must have derived all its mettle from 
 sucking at its bit. 
 
 Major Bonus was not more successful than the sub-
 
 288 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 alterns in drawing Georgie into conversation, and seeing 
 her so depressed, he thought she would be better left 
 alone ; so, shortly before the band struck up " God save 
 the Queen," he wished her good night like an affectionate 
 father, and trotted off — strictly a la militaire — to dress 
 for mess. 
 
 The band was playing the last bar of the national 
 anthem, Gwennie had been summoned to take her seat 
 in the carriage, and her mother was about to drive off, 
 when Ensign Gore cantered back on his pony for a 
 parting word. 
 
 " I say, there's no doubt, I suppose, about your going 
 to-morrow ? " said he ; " what time ? " 
 
 " We shall start between seven and eight in the even- 
 ing, I think," replied Mrs. Vickers. 
 
 " All right, I shall be there, and Warburton too ; we're 
 going to see you off, you know." 
 
 " That's very good of you, Tiny ; but it'll just be at 
 your mess time — ? " 
 
 " Oh, we don't care for that," exclaimed the youth, 
 glad of an excuse for doing something out of the hum- 
 drum routine ; " and we're going to help to carry you 
 out of the station — " 
 
 " How do you mean ? " 
 
 " Why, as palkee- wallahs, to be sure ; you'll see." 
 
 "Nonsense, Tiny, I won't have you do anything so 
 silly," observed Georgie, nevertheless pleased at this 
 proposed mark of adulation. 
 
 " Oh, but we will ; what's the harm ?" 
 
 " Yes, do, please do, Mr. Gore," cried little Gwennie, 
 clapping her hands in delight ; " it will be such fun." 
 
 "All right, little one," rejoined the ensign, smiling, 
 "we mean to do so; that's settled. Hulloa ! I say, I 
 say, there goes our first bugle, and I've got a guest coming
 
 A Woman with a Story. 289 
 
 to dine with me, so I must look sharp. Au revoir till to- 
 morrow evening then," he added, giving his tatto a 
 tremendous rib-roaster as a hint to start. 
 
 " Good-night, Mr. Palkeewallah ! " laughed Gwennie, 
 calling after him, as his pony, a dreadful slug — not at all 
 like Gooral — went off at a slovenly shamble, and made his 
 way across the maidan towards the ensign's bungalow. 
 
 In this journey from Bareilly to Cawnpore I should 
 mention that Mrs. Vickers and her daughter were obliged 
 to go by palkee, or palanquin dak, as far as Futteyghur, for 
 at that time there was no proper road between the latter 
 place and Bareilly to admit of travelling by a wheeled con- 
 veyance. Such a mode of progression, however, is by no 
 means so irksome or unpleasant as might be supposed ; 
 and to any one not pressed for time it is somewhat better 
 than jolting and jogging over very bad roads, in rickety 
 gharries with groggy horses, although it may be a little 
 slower. 
 
 You dine before starting, we will say, then light your 
 cheroot (premising you to be a man and a smoker), jump 
 into the palkee and take up a comfortable reclining 
 position, with all the materials for sundry pegs and other 
 refreshment stowed away in the network in front of you, 
 depending from the roof. Everything being ready for a 
 start, the " mussalchee " lights his torch — which emits a 
 most villainous smell of rank oil, impregnating the fresh 
 night air around — the bearers cry" Uthao !" and then hoist 
 you up with a groan, as if you were a second Daniel Lam- 
 bert. A short pause follows, during which there is a little 
 shifting of the palkee-pole on the men's shoulders, and then 
 awav you go to that mysterious, monotonous chant, u Ee- 
 yur ee-yur ee-yur ee-yur," changing presently to " Yah- 
 ee yah-ee yah-ee," and so on, which, by way of amusing 
 your imagination, you may convert into any words and 
 
 vol. 1. c
 
 290 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 phrases you please, until you fall asleep. Proceeding 
 thus by rather long stages, you stop at certain " chow- 
 kees " to change bearers, and a dak bungalow or two for 
 the everlasting mourghi 1 grill by way of refreshment ; so, 
 between eating and drinking, smoking and sleeping, you 
 manage to kill the time, and arrive at the end of your 
 journey much sooner than you expect, having made no 
 more of it than a commercial traveller now-a-days of a 
 run from London to Liverpool. 
 
 It may strike the reader as rather a dangerous pro- 
 ceeding for an unprotected woman and child to travel in 
 this way through the wilds of India ; but after the mutiny, 
 when the country was perfectly quiet, it was as safe as 
 walking down Regent Street in broad daylight; safer, 
 perhaps, than doing so by night. 
 
 The next day the faithful corporal was at his post 
 again, and by dint of his gigantic energy the toils of 
 packing fast drew to a close. Georgie Vickers had been 
 debating in her mind all the morning how to broach the 
 subject she was so anxious about ; how to bind over the 
 trustworthy Joe to say nothing whatever concerning her 
 to this Albert Denby, alias Heffernan. 
 
 After a good deal of beating about the bush, she 
 managed at length to express herself to this effect ; and 
 although Joe was rather mystified and surprised, he 
 promised to do exactly as she wished. 
 
 " I daresay he has almost forgotten me, Corporal," said 
 she, the wish being father to the thought, "and will 
 never mention my name if you don't ; but pray mind 
 what I ask you. Though I can't explain myself exactly, 
 you may be sure I have good reason for the request." 
 
 " That's right enough, mum," replied Joe: "I gets 
 my orders from you. You tell me you don't want this, 
 
 1 A fowl.
 
 A Woman with a Sto?y. 291 
 
 or you don't want that, and you may trust Joe Corcoran 
 to mind what you tell him.'" 
 
 " Thank you, my honest old friend ; thank you for that 
 promise, and all your faithful , kindness," returned the 
 widow, taking his hand and grasping it warmly, much to 
 the great corporal's astonishment, who drew himself up 
 to " attention " immediately afterwards, arms by the sides, 
 and gave a stealthy glance at the lucky hand as he moved 
 it out from the wrist at right angles to the trouser-seam, 
 as if curious to know how it looked after the honour. 
 
 " I shall miss you, Joe ; I shall miss you terribly when 
 we're gone, and so will dear little Gwennie ; but you 
 must write and let us hear of you now and then ; that is, 
 until — until you leave the regiment." 
 
 She added this ; remembering, perhaps, that any cor- 
 respondence afterwards might be unadvisable. 
 
 " All right, mum, I understand. I've got my orders, 
 don't you be afraid. Lor, mum" — here he heaved a sigh 
 like the bellows of an organ — " this day don't seem right 
 to me at all. I got off my cot this mornin' with the 
 wrong leg fust — I buttoned up my tunic with the 
 buttons all askew — I clapped on my forage-cap hind 
 part afore— and I- was late for parade and got pulled up 
 in front o' the orf-ficer. I'm off my head to-day, that's 
 what I am, and no wonder, when I come to think of it ;" 
 whereupon he gave a jerk with his rigid body, as if he 
 had suddenly received the first word of command, and 
 was waiting for the second. " No wonder, when I'm a 
 goin' to lose you, mum, and that blessed little 'un, all in a 
 lump." 
 
 Here poor Joe entirely forgot about being a corporal, 
 and dismissed himself from parade with a sniff and a 
 hasty snatch at his watering eyes ; either from shame at 
 such weakness, or force of habit in " quitting the right
 
 292 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 hand sharply after the last motion.''' Joe Corcoran's 
 feelings were too much for him as it was ; but when the 
 little woman, seeing the great giant shed a tear, gave 
 way, too, and sobbed and cried at the approaching 
 parting, he could not stand it any louger, but rushed out 
 into the verandah with an audible gulp, and anything 
 but the regulation step. 
 
 There he found that "blessed little 'un " playing with 
 Ninneah, the ayah, and catching her up in his arms, he 
 smothered her with kisses, calling her his "little darlint," 
 his "sweet little mavourneen," his beautiful "little 
 cruskeen lawn," arid other names which he improvised for 
 the occasion, and which were all Dutch to Grwennie. 
 
 " Dear old Joe," exclaimed the little girl, putting her 
 arms round his brawny neck, and kissing the affectionate 
 giant in return," don't you fret and cry about us ; we shall 
 soon come back, and we won't forget one another, will we ? 
 Look here, Joe," a bright thought occurring to her, "when- 
 ever you feel dull, you just have a talk with the chowkidar. 
 Get him to speak to you about mamma and me, and that'll 
 cheer you up, won't it ? Besides, he'll like you to talk 
 to him sometimes, poor old bird ! " 
 
 Joe said he would, that he would ; indeed had she given 
 him instructions to shave all the hair off his head once a 
 month during her absence, he would have promised to do 
 it at all risks. 
 
 It was fortunate that the packing had been finished in 
 good time, for as the hour drew near for their departure, 
 Joe became more and more incapacitated for any rational 
 work, and could only wander restlessly about and in and 
 out of the verandah, declaring that that was the worst day 
 for him since ever he 'listed. 
 
 At last the palkee and bearers arrived, together with 
 the " ban gy wallahs" for the luggage, and almost at the
 
 A Woman with a Story. 293 
 
 same time, true to their threat, Ensigns Gore and War- 
 burton appeared also, and stood ready to take up their 
 positions as amateur palkee-wallaks. 
 
 Major Bonus did not quite approve of this madcap 
 arrangement ; but as the widow did not object, and the 
 youngsters pleaded to be allowed the privilege, he hardly 
 liked to interfere; more especially as he intended to 
 escort them himself on that poor overworked charger for 
 a certain distance, and so give a respectable tone to the 
 little cortege. 
 
 But Joe Corcoran was not to be outdone — not he ; and 
 if there was no objection to his lending a hand, let the two 
 officers support the pole behind, while he took it in front 
 by u hisself," and so carry their burden in triumph beyond 
 the station boundary. This was accordingly agreed 
 upon, intensely to the amusement and satisfaction of the 
 palanquin-bearers, who were glad to be rid of their load 
 even for a little way. 
 
 " Wall, iuah ! bahoot accha sahib logue ! yih hahoot accha 
 tumasha had"* they muttered in chorus as they trotted 
 alongside the palkee, Gore and Warburton imitating the 
 grunt of the natives to perfection, while they performed 
 their self-imposed task, much to the merriment of Mrs. 
 Vickers and Gwennie ; the corporal stalking on before in 
 stolid silence. 
 
 From the enormous stature of the giant in front, as 
 compared with that of the officers behind, the widow 
 naturally found her feet a good deal higher than her 
 head when they started, as if they had been ascending a 
 very steep hill. But what matter though the ship did not 
 ride on an even keel ? Georgie Vickers felt that this was 
 a labour of love, and appreciated it accordingly. 
 
 Right well they bore their burden far out of the station 
 
 2 " Bravo, bravo! very good gentlemen these ! This is capital fun !"
 
 294 The Sword of Damocles. 
 
 of Bareilly, until they were at length persuaded to transfer 
 the poles to the shoulders of the legitimate bearers. 
 
 Now came the final good-bye ; and the giant's honest 
 squeeze of her small hand made Georgie Vickers 
 wince as he bade her farewell, while little Gwennie was 
 kissed again and again by them all; and when the 
 palanquin started once more on its journey, there arose 
 three such hearty cheers into the stillness of the night as 
 melted its occupants to tears. Then the grunting chorus 
 of the bearers gradually died away in the distance, and 
 the light from the torch, like a mysterious Will-o'-the- 
 wisp, danced and flitted along, growing fainter and fainter, 
 until it finally disappeared into the darkness. 
 
 END OF VOL. I. 
 
 GILBERT AND RIVINGTON, PRINTERS, ST. JOHN'S SQUARE, LONDON.
 
 m? 
 
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 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOI9-URBANA 
 
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