CHAPTER TWENTY NINE.
WHEREOF THE HERO IS JACK.
"Ay, we must go, then," said Mr Roberts, with a long-drawn sigh. "Thisdiscovery leaves us no choice. For howso God and we may pardon thechild, Father Bastian will not so. We must go ere he find it out, andleave Primrose Croft to his fate."
"Father!" exclaimed Gertrude suddenly, "I beseech you, hear me. UncleAnthony conforms, and he is kindly-hearted as man could wish. If hewould come hither, and have a care of Primrose Croft, as though he heldit by gift or under lease from you, they should never think to disturbhim."
"The maid's wit hath hit the nail on the head!" returned her father, inhigh satisfaction. "But how shall I give him to know, without lettingforth our secret?--and once get it on paper, and it might as well begiven to the town crier. `Walls have ears,' saith the old saw, butpaper hath a tongue. And I cannot tell him by word of mouth, sith he isnow at Sandwich, and turneth not home afore Thursday. Elsewise thatwere good counsel."
"Ask True," suggested Mistress Grena with a smile. "The young wit isthe readiest amongst us, as methinks."
"Under your correction, Father, could you not write a letter, andentrust it to Margery, to be sent to Uncle as Thursday even--giving itinto her hand the last minute afore we depart? Is she not trustworthy,think you?"
"She is trustworthy enough, if she be let be. But I misdoubt if herwits should carry her safe through a discourse with Father Bastian, ifhe were bent on winning the truth from her. I could trust Osmund betterfor that; but I looked to take him withal."
"Give me leave then, Father, to walk down to Uncle's, as if I wist notof his absence, and slip the letter into one of his pockets. He alwayleaveth one of his gowns a-hanging in the hall."
"And if his Martha were seized with a cleaning fever whilst he isthence, and turned out the pocket, where should we then be? Nay, True,that shall not serve. I can think of no means but that you twain setforth alone--to wit, without me--under guidance of Osmund, and that Ifollow, going round by Sandwich, having there seen and advertised mybrother."
"Were there no danger that way, Tom?"
"There is danger every way," replied Mr Roberts, with a groan. "Butmaybe there is as little that way as any: and I would fain saveGertrude's inheritance if it may be."
"At the cost of your liberty, Father? Nay, not so, I entreat you!"cried Gertrude, with a flash of that noble nature which seemed to havebeen awakened in her. "Let mine inheritance go as it will."
"As God wills," gently put in Mistress Grena.
"As God wills," repeated Gertrude: "and keep you safe."
Mistress Grena laid her hand on her brother's shoulder.
"Tom," she said, "let us trust the Lord in this matter. Draw you up, ifyou will, a lease of Primrose Croft to the Justice, and leave it in thehouse in some safe place. God can guide his hand to it, if He will.Otherwise, let us leave it be."
That was the course resolved on in the end. It was also decided thatthey should not attempt to repeat the night escape which had alreadytaken place. They were to set forth openly in daylight, but separately,and on three several pretexts. Mistress Grena was to go on a professedvisit to Christabel, old Osmund escorting her; but instead of returninghome afterwards, she was to go forward to Seven Roods, and there awaitthe arrival of Mr Roberts. He was to proceed to his cloth-works atCranbrook, as he usually did on a Tuesday; and when the time came toreturn home to supper, was to go to Seven Roods and rejoin Grena. ToGertrude, at her own request, was allotted the hardest and most perilouspost of all--to remain quietly at home after her father and aunt haddeparted, engaged in her usual occupations, until afternoon, when shewas to go out as if for a walk, accompanied by the great house-dog,Jack, and meet her party a little beyond Seven Roods. Thence they wereto journey to Maidstone and Rochester, whence they could take ship tothe North. Jack, in his life-long character of an attached andincorruptible protector, was to go with them. He would be quite asready, in the interests of his friends, to bite a priest as a layman,and would show his teeth at the Sheriff with as little compunction as ata street-sweeper. Moreover, like all of his race, Jack was a forgivingperson. Many a time had Gertrude teased and tormented him for her ownamusement, but nobody expected Jack to remember it against her, when hewas summoned to protect her from possible enemies. But perhaps thegreatest advantage in Jack's guardianship of Gertrude was the fact thatthere had always been from time immemorial to men--and dogs--anunconquerable aversion, not always tacit, especially on Jack's part,between him and the Rev. Mr Bastian. If there was an individual inthe world who might surely be relied on to object to the reverendgentleman's appearance, that individual was Jack: and if any personexisted in whose presence Mr Bastian was likely to hesitate aboutattaching himself to Gertrude's company, that person was Jack also.Jack never had been able to see why the priest should visit his master,and had on several occasions expressed his opinion on that point withmuch decision and lucidity. If, therefore, Mr Bastian would keep awayfrom the house until Gertrude started on her eventful walk, he was notvery likely to trouble her afterwards.
The priest had fully intended to call at Primrose Croft that veryafternoon, to see Mr Roberts, or if he were absent, Mistress Grena; buthe preferred the gentleman, as being usually more manageable than thelady. He meant to terrify the person whom he might see, by vague hintsof something which he had heard--and which was not to be mentioned--thatit might be mournfully necessary for him to report to the authorities ifmore humility and subordination to his orders were not shown. But hewas detained, first by a brother priest who wished to consult him in adifficulty, then by the Cardinal's sumner, who brought documents fromhis Eminence, and lastly by a beggar requesting alms. Having at lengthfreed himself from these interruptions, he set out for Primrose Croft.He had passed through the gates, and was approaching the door, when hesaw an unwelcome sight which brought him to a sudden stop. That sightwas a long feathery tail, waving above a clump of ferns to the left.Was it possible that the monster was loose? The gate was between MrBastian and that tail, in an infinitesimal space of time. Ignorant ofthe presence of the enemy, the wind being in the wrong direction, Jackfinished at leisure his inspection of the ferns, and bounded afterGertrude.
"How exceedingly annoying!" said Mr Bastian to himself. "If that blackdemon had been out of the way, and safely chained up, as he ought tohave been, I could have learned from the girl whether she had overheardanything. I am sure it was her hood that I saw disappearing behind thelaurels. How very provoking! It must be Satan that sent the creaturethis way at this moment. However, she will come to shrift, of course,on Sunday, and then I shall get to know."
So saying, Mr Bastian turned round and went home, Gertrude saunteredleisurely through the garden, went out by the wicket-gate, which Jackpreferred to clear at a bound, and walked rather slowly up the road,followed by her sable escort. She was afraid of seeming in haste untilshe was well out of the immediate neighbourhood. The clouds were so farthreatening that she felt it safe to carry her cloak--a very necessarytravelling companion in days when there were no umbrellas. She hadstitched sundry gold coins and some jewellery into her underclothing,but she could bring away nothing else. John Banks passed her on theroad, with a mutual recognition; two disreputable-looking trampssurveyed her covetously, but ventured on no nearer approach when Jackremarked, "If you do--!" The old priest of Cranbrook, riding past--aquiet, kindly old man for whom Jack entertained no aversion--blessed herin response to her reverence. Two nuns, with inscrutable white marblefaces, took no apparent notice of her. A woman with a basket on her armstopped her to ask the way to Frittenden. Passing them all, she turnedaway from the road just before reaching Staplehurst, and took the fieldpathway which led past Seven Roods. Here Jack showed much uneasiness,evidently being aware that some friend of his had taken that way beforethem, and he decidedly disapproved of Gertrude's turning aside withoutgoing up to the house. The path now led through several fields, andacross a brook spanned by a little
rustic bridge, to the stile where itdiverged into the high road from Cranbrook to Maidstone.
As they reached the last field, they saw Tabitha Hall coming to meetthem.
"Glad to see you, Mistress Gertrude! All goes well. The Master andMistress Grena's somewhat beyond, going at foot's pace, and looking outfor you. So you won away easy, did you? I reckoned you would."
"Oh, ay, easy enough!" said Gertrude.
But she never knew how near she had been to that which would have madeit almost if not wholly impossible.
"But how shall I ride, I marvel?" she asked, half-laughing. "I canscarce sit on my father's saddle behind him."
"Oh, look you, we have a pillion old Mistress Hall was wont to ride on,so Tom took and strapped it on at back of Master's saddle," saidTabitha, with that elaborate carelessness that people assume when theyknow they have done a kindness, but want to make it appear as small aspossible.
"I am truly beholden to you, Mistress Hall; but I must not linger, so Ican only pray God be wi' you," said Gertrude, using the phrase which hasnow become stereotyped into "good-bye."
"But, Mistress Gertrude! won't you step up to the house, and take asnack ere you go further? The fresh butter's but now churned, and eggsnew-laid, and--"
"I thank you much, Mistress Hall, but I must not tarry now. May God ofHis mercy keep you and all yours safe!"
And Gertrude, calling Jack, who was deeply interested in a rabbit-hole,hastened on to the Maidstone Road.
"There's somewhat come over Mistress Gertrude," said Tabitha, as shere-entered her own house. "Never saw her so meek-spoken in all my life.She's not one to be cowed by peril, neither. Friswith, where on earthhast set that big poker? Hast forgot that I keep it handy for FatherBastian and the catchpoll, whichever of 'em lacks it first? Good lack,but I cannot away with that going astray! Fetch it hither this minute.Up in the chamber! Bless me, what could the maid be thinking on?There, set it down in the chimney-corner to keep warm; it'll not take solong to heat then. Well! I trust they'll win away all safe; but I'd aslief not be in their shoon."
A faint sound came from the outside. Jack had spied his friends, andwas expressing his supreme delight at having succeeded in once morepiecing together the scattered fragments of his treasure.
All's Well Page 29
