CHAPTER VI
THE LAST STAND
The court outside had deepened into shadows as they came out; butoverhead the sky still glowed faintly luminous in a tender translucentgreen. The evening star shone out clear and tranquil opposite them inthe west.
There were three figures standing at the foot of the steps that led downfrom the cloister; one of the servants with the two gentlemen; and asChris pushed forward quickly his father turned and lifted his finger forsilence.
The town lay away to the right; and over the wall that joined the westend of the church to the gatehouse, there were a few lightsvisible--windows here and there just illuminated.
For the first moment Chris thought there had been a mistake; he hadexpected a clamour at the gate, a jangling of the bell. Then as helistened he knew that it was no false alarm.
Across the wall, from the direction of the hills that showed dimlyagainst the evening sky, there came a murmur, growing as he listened.The roads were hard from lack of rain, and he could distinguish thesound of horses, a great company; but rising above this was a dull roarof voices. Every moment it waxed, died once or twice, then sounded outnearer and louder. There was a barking of dogs, the cries of children,and now and again the snatch of a song or a shouted word or two.
Of the group on the steps within not one stirred, except when Sir Jamesslowly lowered his upraised hand; and so they waited.
The company was drawing nearer now; and Chris calculated that they mustbe coming down the steep road that led from the town; and even as hethought it he heard the sound of hoofs on the bridge that crossed theWinterbourne.
Dom Anthony pushed by him.
"To the gate," he said, and went down the step and across the courtfollowed by the others. As they went the clamour grew loud and near inthe road outside; and a ruddy light shone on the projecting turret ofthe gateway.
Chris was conscious of extraordinary coolness now that the peril was onhim; and he stared up at the studded oak doors, at the wicket cut in oneof the leaves, and the sliding panel that covered the grill, with littlethought but that of conjecture as to how long the destruction of thegate would take. The others, too, though he was scarcely aware of theirpresence, were silent and rigid at his side, as Dom Anthony stepped upto the closed grill and waited there for the summons.
It came almost immediately.
There was a great crescendo of sound as the party turned the corner, anda flare of light shone under the gate; then the sound of loud talking, asilence of the hoofs; and a sudden jangle on the bell overhead.
The monk turned from the grill and lifted his hand.
Then again the talking grew loud, as the mob swept round the cornerafter the horses.
Still all was silent within. Chris felt his father's hand seek his own amoment, and grip it; and then above the gabbling clamour a voice spokedistinctly outside.
"Have the rats run, then?"
The bell danced again over their heads; and there was a clatter of rapson the huge door.
Dom Anthony slid back the shutter.
* * * * *
For a moment it was not noticed outside, for the entry was dark. Chriscould catch a glimpse on either side of the monk's head of a flare oflight, but no more.
Then the same voice spoke again, and with something of a foreign accent.
"You are there, then; make haste and open."
Another voice shouted authoritatively for silence; and the clamour oftongues died.
Dom Anthony waited until all was quiet, and then answered steadily.
"Who are you?"
There was an oath; the tumult began again, but hushed immediately, asthe same voice that had called for admittance shouted aloud--
"Open, I tell you, you bloody monk! We come from the King."
"Why do you come?"
A gabble of fierce tongues broke out; Chris pressed up to Dom Anthony'sback, and looked out. The space was very narrow, and he could not seemuch more than a man's leg across a saddle, the brown shoulder of ahorse in front, and a smoky haze beyond and over the horse's back. Theleg shifted a little as he watched, as if the rider turned; and thenagain the voice pealed out above the tumult.
"Will you open, sir, for the last time?"
"I will not," shouted the monk through the grill. "You are nothingbut--" then he dashed the shutter into its place as a stick struckfiercely at the bars.
"Back to the cloister," he said.
The roar outside was tremendous as the six went back across the emptycourt; but it fell to a sinister silence as an order or two was shoutedoutside; and then again swelled with an excited note in it, as the firstcrash sounded on the panels.
Chris looked at his father as they stood again on the steps fifty yardsaway. The old man was standing rigid, his hands at his sides, staringout towards the arch of the gateway that now thundered like a drum; andhis lips were moving. Once he caught his breath as a voice shouted abovethe din outside, and half turned to his son, his hand uplifted as if forsilence. Then again the voice pealed, and Sir James faced round andstared into Chris's eyes. But neither spoke a word.
Dom Anthony, who was standing a yard or two in front, turned presentlyas the sound of splintering began to be mingled with the reverberations,and came towards them. His square, full face was steady and alert, andhe spoke with a sharp decision.
"You and Sir Nicholas, sir, had best be within. My place will be here;they will be in immediately."
His words were perfectly distinct here in the open air in spite of theuproar from the gate.
There was an indignant burst from the young squire.
"No, no, father; I shall not stir from here."
The monk looked at him; but said no more and turned round.
A sedate voice spoke from the dark doorway behind.
"John and I have fetched out a table or two, father; we can brace thisdoor--"
Dom Anthony turned again.
"We shall not resist further," he said.
Then they were silent, for they were helpless. There was nothing to bedone but to stand there and listen to the din, to the crash thatsplintered more every moment in the cracked woodwork, and to watch thehigh wall and turret solemn and strong against the stars, and brighthere and there at the edges with the light from the torches beneath. Theguest-house opposite them was dark, except for one window in the upperfloor that glowed and faded with the light of the fire that had beenkindled within an hour or two before.
Sir James took his son suddenly by the arm.
"And you, Chris--" he said.
"I shall stay here, father."
There was a rending thunder from the gate; the wicket reeled in andfell, and in a moment through the flimsy opening had sprung the figureof a man. They could see him plainly as he stood there in the light ofthe torches, a tall upright figure, a feathered hat on his head, and ariding cane in his hand.
The noise was indescribable outside as men fought to get through; therewas one scream of pain, the plunging of a horse, and then a loud steadyroar drowning all else.
The oblong patch of light was darkened immediately, as another mansprang through, and then another and another; then a pause--then thebright flare of a torch shone in the opening; and a moment later afellow carrying a flambeau had made his way through.
The whole space under the arch was now illuminated. Overhead the plainmouldings shone out and faded as the torch swayed; every brick of thewalls was visible, and the studs and bars of the huge doors.
Chris had sprung forward by an uncontrollable impulse as the wicket fellin; and the two monks were now standing motionless on the floor of thecourt, side by side, in their black habits and scapulars, hooded andgirded, with the two gentlemen and the servants on the steps behind.
Chris saw the leaders come together under the arch, as the whole gatebegan to groan and bulge under the pressure of the crowd; and a momentlater he caught the flash of steel as the long rapiers whisked out.
Then above the bayin
g he heard a fierce authoritative voice scream outan order, and saw that one of the gentlemen in front was at the door,his rapier protruded before him; and understood the man[oe]uvre. It wasnecessary that the mad crowd should be kept back.
The tumult died and became a murmur; and then one by one a file offigures came through. In the hand of each was an instrument of somekind, a pick or a bludgeon; and it was evident that it was these who hadbroken in the gate.
Chris counted them mechanically as they streamed through. There seemedto be a dozen or so.
Then again the man who had guarded the door as they came through slippedback through the opening; and they heard his voice beginning to haranguethe mob.
But a moment later they had ceased to regard him; for from the archway,with the torch-bearer beside him, advanced the tall man with theriding-cane who had been the first to enter; and as he emerged into thecourt Chris recognised his brother.
* * * * *
He was in a plain rich riding-suit with great boots and plumed hat. Hewalked with an easy air as if certain of himself, and neither quickenednor decreased his pace as he saw the monks and the gentlemen standingthere.
He halted a couple of yards from them, and Chris saw that his face wasas assured as his gait. His thin lips were tight and firm, and his eyeswith a kind of insolent irony looked up and down the figures of themonks. There was not the faintest sign of recognition in them.
"You have given us a great deal of labour," he said, "and to no purpose.We shall have to report it all to my Lord Cromwell. I understand thatyou were the two who refused to sign the surrender. It was the act offools, like this last. I have no authority to take you, so you had bestbe gone."
Dom Anthony answered him in an equally steady voice.
"We are ready to go now," he said. "You understand we have yielded tonothing but force."
Ralph's lips writhed in a smile.
"Oh! if that pleases you," he said. "Well, then--"
He took a little step aside, and made a movement towards the gate wherethere sounded out still an angry hum beneath the shouting voice that wasaddressing them.
Chris turned to his father behind, and the voice died in his throat, sodreadful was that face that was looking at Ralph. He was standing asbefore, rigid it seemed with grief or anger; and his grey eyes werebright with a tense emotion; his lips too were as firm as his son's. Buthe spoke no word. Sir Nicholas was at his side, with one foot advanced,and in attitude as if to spring; and Morris's face looked like a maskover his shoulder.
"Well, then--" said Ralph once more.
"Ah! you damned hound!" roared the young squire's voice; and his handwent up with the whip in it.
Ralph did not move a muscle. He seemed cut in steel.
"Let us go," said Dom Anthony again, to Chris, almost tenderly; "it isenough that we are turned out by force."
"You can go by the church, if you will," said Ralph composedly. "Infact--" He stopped as the murmur howled up again from the gate--"Infact you had better go that way. They do not seem to be your friends outthere."
"We will go whichever way you wish," remarked the elder monk.
"Then the church," said Ralph, "or some other private door. I supposeyou have one. Most of your houses have one, I believe."
The sneer snapped the tension.
Dom Anthony turned his back on him instantly.
"Come, brother," he said.
Chris took his father by the arm as he went up the steps.
"Come, sir," he said, "we are to go this way."
There was a moment's pause. The old man still stared down at his elderson, who was standing below in the same position. Chris heard a deepbreath, and thought he was on the point of speaking; but there wassilence. Then the two turned and followed the others into the cloister.
The King's Achievement Page 30
