In Honour's Cause Part 40

"Good advice, boy. Out with the candle. That's right."

Lady Gowan blew out the light, and Frank quickly drew the heavy curtain aside, and uttered a groan, for the garden was full of armed men, dimly seen in the gloom amid the shrubs.

"Trapped, Frank," said Sir Robert quietly, the danger having made the soldier cool.

Lady Gowan uttered a faint, despairing cry.

"Hush, dear!" said Sir Robert firmly. "Be a woman--my wife. I may escape yet. See Berry, and keep her from opening the door, no matter what they say or do."

"Yes, yes," said Lady Gowan excitedly; "but, Robert, what will you do?"

"Escape, if you help me. Now be calm. Let them break in, and when they do face them. You were alarmed, and did not know what evil was abroad.

You need no excuse for refusing to have your house--and it is your house--opened to a riotous party of drunken soldiers for aught you know.

Now go down. Do anything you can to gain time for me. Heaven bless you, darling, till we meet again!"

Lady Gowan's answer was to hurry out on the staircase, where the place was echoing to the resounding knocks and orders to open in the King's name. She was just in time to seize the old housekeeper by the arm, while a hysterical crying came from the maid below.

"Oh, my lady, my lady! They're going to break in. I was about to unfasten the door."

"Silence! Touch it at your peril," cried Lady Gowan imperatively. "Let them break in if they dare. Go below to that foolish, sobbing girl, and stay there keeping her quiet."

"But they'll break down the door, my lady."

"Let them," said Lady Gowan coolly.

But she started as one of the narrow side windows was shivered by the b.u.t.t of a musket, and the fragments of gla.s.s fell inside with a tinkling sound.

"That's right; now reach in and shoot back the bolts."

A hand and arm were thrust in through the hammered iron scroll work which covered the gla.s.s in the place of iron bars across the narrow window for protection, rendering it impossible for a man to creep past.

But the arm came freely right up to its owner's shoulder, and in the gloom could be seen feeling about, the hand strained here and there to reach bolt, bar, or lock. Vainly enough, for they were far out of reach; and at last, after several more angry orders, it was withdrawn.

"Try the other window!" cried the voice of the officer in command.

"Quick, men; don't shilly-shally. Use your b.u.t.ts."

_Crash_, _crash_ and _tinkle_, _tinkle_ went the broken gla.s.s as it fell upon the marble floor beyond the mat; but the hole made was not in the best place, and there was another crash as the b.u.t.t of a musket was driven through higher up, and simultaneously there was the loud report of the piece used as a battering-ram.

"What are you doing?" roared the officer.

"Went off, sir."

"Went off, idiot! You must have touched the trigger."

"No, sir. Both hands hold of the barrel."

"Silence, sir! How dare you!" roared the officer--"how dare you! Any one hurt, sergeant?"

"No, sir; bullet went too high; but it's gone through a window opposite."

Proof came of the truth of the man's word, for a window on the other side of the street was thrown open, and a voice shouted angrily:

"Hallo there! What are you doing? Want to shoot people?"

"Go in, and shut your window!" cried the officer, in an authoritative tone.

"Yes, that's all very well," cried the voice; "but you've no right to--"

"Silence, sir! in the King's name!" roared the officer. "Here, four rear rank face about, make ready, present!"

There was a shuffling sound, and the ring of muskets being brought up to the shoulder; but before the command _Fire_! could be uttered, even if it had been intended, the window opposite was banged down, and a laugh arose.

"Now then there," said the officer to the man who had thrust in his arm on the other side of the door, "can you reach?"

There was no reply for a time, while the man strained and reached out up and down, his hand making a peculiar whispering sound as it pa.s.sed over the panelled woodwork between the door and window.

"Can't reach, sir."

"Here, let me try."

A faint light appeared at the window for a few moments, and then there was a c.h.i.n.king sound as it was darkened again, and Lady Gowan, as she stood panting there, dimly made out that a sword was thrust through, an arm followed, and she could hear the blade ring and sc.r.a.pe as it was used to feel for the fastenings, clicking loudly against the ironwork and the chain which hung at the side ready for hanging across the door, to pa.s.s over a spiral hook on the other side.

This went on for a few minutes, when, as with an angry exclamation the officer who had thrust his arm through paused to rest, Lady Gowan stepped forward out of the darkness, went close to the door, bent down, and caught the ring at the end of the hanging chain, and raised it to hook it across and fasten it to secure the door.

She hardly made a sound with foot or dress; but as she drew the chain tight it c.h.i.n.ked against the hook, and the officer heard her.

"Ha!" he shouted, with his face to the broken gla.s.s. "I see you there.

Open this door, or--"

_Click_, _click_ went the chain into its place, and, raising the blade of his sword, the officer made a sweeping blow at the brave woman, which struck her on the shoulder as she drew back.

"Now," he roared, "will you open?"

The answer was a faint rustling, as Lady Gowan drew back into the dark part of the hall, fortunately unhurt, for the arm which wielded the sword was the left, and thoroughly crippled by its owner's position.

"Lucky for you I didn't give point," he muttered.

Then aloud: "Once more, in the King's name, open this door!"

"I'd die first," said Lady Gowan to herself; and she stood close to the foot of the great staircase listening, and hardly daring to breathe, as she strained her ears to catch some sound of what might be going on upstairs, her wildly dilated eyes fixed the while on the slips of windows on either side of the door. But from within the house all she could hear was a low sobbing from the housekeeper's room below, and the murmur of her old servant's voice as she tried to calm the hysterical girl who was nearly crazy with terror.

But her attention was taken up directly by the voices outside, which came plainly to her through the broken windows.

"Well?" said the officer sharply; and she knew by the reply that one of the men must have climbed the iron railings and been down into the area.

"Both windows covered with big iron bars, sir, and the door seems a reg'lar thick 'un."

"How long will they be getting back, sergeant, with the hammer and crowbars?"