In Honour's Cause: A Tale of the Days of George the First

by George Manville Fenn

  CHAPTER THIRTY NINE.

  AT THE LAST MOMENT.

  There was not much sleep for the boy that night, for he was in the hornsof a terrible dilemma. What should he do? He turned from side to sideof his bed, trying to argue the matter out, till his father's fate, hisduty to the King and Prince, the natural desire to help, his love forhis mother, Captain Murray and his duty to the King and friendship forhis brother-officer and companion, were jumbled up in an inextricabletangle with Drew Forbes and the attempt at rescue.

  "Oh!" he groaned, as day broke and found him still tossing restlesslyupon his pillow; "I often used to tell poor Drew that he was going mad.I feel as if I were already gone, for my head won't work. I can't thinkstraight, just too when I want to be perfectly clear, and able to makemy plans."

  It would have prostrated a cleverer and more calculating brain thanFrank's--one of those wonderful minds which can see an intricate game ofchess right forward, the player's own and his adversary's moves inattack or defence--to have calmly mapped out the proper course for thelad through the rocks, shoals, and quicksands which beset his path. Asit happened, all his mental struggles proved to be in vain; for, as isfrequently the case in life, the maze of difficulties shaped themselvesinto a broad, even path, along which the boy travelled till the excitingtimes were past.

  To begin with, nature knew when the brain would bear no more; and justat sunrise, when Frank had tried to nerve himself for a fresh struggleby plunging face and a good portion of his head into cold water previousto having a good brisk rub, and then lain down to think out hisdifficulty once more, unconsciously choosing the best attitude for clearthought, a calm and restful sensation stole over him. One moment he wasgazing at the bright light stealing in beside his blind; the next he wasin profound mental darkness, wrapped in a deep, restful slumber, whichlasted till nearly ten o'clock, when he was aroused by a knocking at hisdoor, and leaped out of bed, confused and puzzled, unable for a fewmoments to collect his thoughts into a focus and grasp what it meant.

  "Yes," he said at last. "What is it?"

  "Will you make haste and go across to Lady Gowan's apartments, sir?"said a voice. "She has been very ill all night, and wishes to see you."

  "Oh!" groaned Frank to himself. Then aloud: "Yes; come over directly."

  He began to dress rapidly, with all the troubles of the night magnifiedand made worse by the mental lens of reproach through which he waslooking at his conduct.

  "How can I be such a miserable, thoughtless wretch!" he thought. "Howcould I neglect everything which might have helped to save my poorfather for the sake of grovelling here, and all the time my mother ill,perhaps dying, while I slept, not seeming to care a bit!"

  He had a few minutes of hard time beneath the unsparing lashes hementally applied to himself as he was dressing; and then, ready to sinkbeneath his load of care, and feeling the while that he ought to haveobtained from Captain Murray the route the prisoners would take, andthen have found Drew Forbes and told him, so as to render the attempt atrescue easier, he hurried across the first court, and then into thelesser one to his mother's apartments.

  "The doctor's with her, sir," whispered the maid.

  "How is she now?" asked Frank.

  "Dreadfully bad, sir. Pray make haste to her; she asked for you againwhen the doctor came."

  Frank hurried up, to find the quiet physician who attended her and anurse in the room, while the patient lay with her eyes looking dim, andtwo hectic spots in her thin cheeks, gazing anxiously at the door.

  A faint smile of recognition came upon her lips, and she raised one handto her son, and laid it upon his head as he sank upon his knees by thebedside.

  "Oh, mother darling!" he whispered, in a choking voice, "forgive me fornot coming before."

  She half closed her eyes, and made a movement of the lips for him tokiss her. Then her eyes closed, as she breathed a weary sigh.

  Frank turned in horror to the physician, who bent down and whispered tohim.

  "Don't be alarmed; it is sleep. She has, I find, been in a terriblyexcited state, and I have been compelled to administer a strongsedative. She will be calmer when she wakes. Sleep is everything now."

  "You are not deceiving me, sir?" whispered Frank.

  "No. That is the simple truth," replied the physician, very firmly."Your mother may wake at any time; but I hope many hours will firstelapse. I find that she has expressed an intense longing for you tocome to her side, and, as you saw, she recognised you."

  "Oh yes, she knew me," said Frank eagerly. "But pray tell me--she isnot dying?"

  "Lady Gowan is in a very serious condition," replied the doctor; "but Ihope she will recover, and--"

  "Yes, yes; pray speak out to me, sir," pleaded the boy.

  "Her ailment is almost entirely mental; and if the news can be broughtto her that the King will show mercy to her husband, I believe that herrecovery would be certain."

  "Then you think I ought to go at once and try to save my father?"

  "No," said the physician gravely. "I know all the circumstances of thecase. You can do no good by going. Leave that to your friends--thosehigh in position. Your place is here. Whenever Lady Gowan wakes, shemust find you at her bedside. There, I will leave you now. Absolutequiet, mind. Sleep is the great thing. I will come in again in aboutthree hours. The nurse knows what to do."

  The physician went out silently, and Frank seated himself by hismother's pillow, to hold the thin hand which feebly clung to his andwatch her, thinking the while of how his difficulties had been solved bythese last orders, which bound him there like the endorsement of hisfather's commands to stay by and watch over his mother.

  He could think clearly now, and see that much of that which he haddesired to do was impossible. Even if he had set one duty aside, thatto the Prince, his master, and let his love for and desire to save hisfather carry all before them, he could see plainly enough that it wasnot likely that he would have found Drew Forbes. A visit to the tavernclub would certainly have resulted in finding that the occupants weredispersed and the place watched by spies. Then, even if he had foundDrew, wherever he and his friends were hiding, it was not likely thatthey would have altered their plans for any information which he couldgive them. Everything would have been fixed as they thought best, andno change would have been made.

  Clearer still came the thought that he had no information to give themfurther than that the prisoners would probably be brought into Londonthat evening, which way Captain Murray might know, but he would neverdepart from his duty so far as to supply the information that it mightbe conveyed to the King's enemies. He was too loyal for that, gladly ashe would strive to save his friend.

  It was then with a feeling of relief that Frank sat there by hismother's bed, holding her hand, and thinking that he could do no more,while upon the nurse whispering to him that she would be in the nextroom if wanted, and leaving him alone, he once more sank upon his kneesto rest his head against the bed, and prayed long and fervently in notutored words, but in those which gushed naturally and simply from hisbreast, that the lives of those he loved might be spared and theterrible tribulation of the present times might pass away.

  Hour after hour passed, and the nurse came in and out softly from timeto time, nodding to the watcher and smiling her satisfaction at findingher patient still plunged in a sleep, which, as the day went on, grewmore and more profound.

  Then when alone Frank's thoughts went wandering away along the greatnorth road by which the prisoners must be slowly approaching London, tofind their fate. And at such times his thoughts were busy about hismother's friends. What were they doing to try and save his father?

  Then his thoughts went like a flash to his meeting with Drew the daybefore; and his words came full of hope, and sent a feeling of elationthrough him. The rebels were not beaten, as Drew had said, and therewas no doubt about their making a brave effort to rescue the prisonersbefore they were shut up in gaol.

  And in imagi
nation Frank built up what would in all probability be done.Small parties of the Jacobites would form in different places, and witharms hidden gradually converge upon some chosen spot which the prisonerswith their escort must pass. Then at a given signal an attack would bemade. The escort would be of course very strong; but the Jacobiteswould be stronger, and in all probability the mob, always ready for adisturbance, would feel sympathy with the unfortunate prisoners, andhelp the attacking party, or at least join in checking the Guards,resenting their forcing their horses through the crowd which would havegathered; so that the prospects looked very bright in that direction,and the boy felt more and more hopeful.

  Twice over the servant came to the door to tell the watcher that firstbreakfast, and then lunch, was waiting for him in the room below; but hewould not leave the bedside, taking from sheer necessity what wasbrought to him, and then resuming his watch.

  The physician came at the end of three hours as he had promised, butstayed only a few minutes.

  "Exactly what I wished," he said. "Go on watching and keeping herquiet, and don't be alarmed if she sleeps for many hours yet. I willcome in again this afternoon."

  Frank resumed his seat by the bed, and then hastily pencilled a fewlines to Captain Murray, telling him that it would be impossible toleave the bedside, and sent the note across by the servant, who broughta reply back.

  It was very curt and abrupt.

  "Of course. I see your position. Sorry, for I should have liked him tosee you."

  The note stung Frank to the quick.

  "He thinks I am trying to excuse myself, when I would give the world togo with him," he muttered.

  A glance at the pale face upon the pillow took off some of thebitterness, though, and he resumed his watch while the hours glided by.

  At four the physician came again.

  "Not awake?" he said; and he touched his patient's pulse lightly, andthen softly raised one of Lady Gowan's eyelids, and examined the pupil.

  "Nature is helping us, Mr Gowan," he said softly. "But she ought tohave awoke by now, sir?"

  "I expected that she would have done so; but nothing could be better.She is extremely weak, and if she could sleep like this till to-morrowher brain would be rested from the terrible anxiety from which she issuffering. I will look in once more this evening."

  Frank was alone again with his charge, and another hour passed, duringwhich the lad dwelt upon the plans that had been made, and calculatedthat Captain Murray must be about starting on his mission to meet theescort bringing in the prisoners. And as this idea came to him, Franksat with his head resting upon his hands, his elbows upon his knees,trying hard to master the bitter sense of disappointment that afflictedhim.

  "And he will be looking from the carriage window to right and left,trying to make out whether I am there!" he groaned. "Oh, it seemscruel--cruel! and he will not know why I have not come."

  But one gleam of hope came here. Captain Murray might find anopportunity to speak with the prisoner, and he would tell him that hisson was watching by his suffering mother.

  "He will know why I have not come then," Frank said softly; and after animpatient glance at the clock, he began again to think of Drew and hisplans for the rescue.

  But now, in the face of the precautions which would be taken, thisseemed to be a wildly chimerical scheme, one which was not likely tosucceed, and he shook his head sadly as a feeling of despair began toclose him in like a dark cloud.

  He was at his worst, feeling more and more hopeless, as he sat there,with his face buried in his fingers, when a hand was lightly placed uponhis head, and starting up it was to find that his mother was awake, andgazing wistfully at him.

  He bent over her, and her arms clasped his neck.

  "My boy! my boy!" she said faintly; and she drew him to her breast, tohold him there for some moments before saying quickly:

  "Have I slept long, dear?"

  "Yes, ever since morning, mother."

  "What time is it?"

  "About half-past five."

  "All that time?" she said excitedly. "He must be near now. Frank, myboy, the prisoners were to reach London soon after dark."

  "Yes, mother, I know," he said, looking at her wistfully, as he held herhand now to his cheek.

  "Is there any news?"

  "No, mother, none."

  "Oh," she moaned, "this terrible suspense! Frank, my darling, you mustnot stay here. Have you been with me all the time I have been asleep?"

  "Yes, mother, all. You asked for me."

  "Yes, my darling, in my selfishness; but you ought to go and get thelatest tidings. Frank, it is your duty to be there when your fatherreaches this weary city. He ought not to be looking in vain for one ofthose he loves. You must go at once. Do you hear me? It is yourduty."

  "The doctor said it was my duty to watch by you," said Frank, with hisheart beating fast, as he wondered whether Captain Murray had gone.

  "With me? Oh, what am I, if your being where he could see you, if onlyfor a moment, would give him comfort in his sore distress!"

  "I was going, mother," whispered the boy excitedly. "Captain Murray wasgoing to let me be with him, and he as an officer would have been ableto take me right up to the escort."

  "Then why are you here? Oh, go--go at once!"

  "I was to stay with you, mother, so that you might see me when youawoke," he said huskily, the intense longing to go struggling with thedesire to stay.

  "Yes, yes, and I have seen you; but I am nothing if we can contrive togive him rest. Go, then, at once."

  "But you are not fit to be left."

  "I shall not be left," she said firmly. "Quick, Frank. You areincreasing my agony every moment that you stay. Oh, my boy, pray, praygo, and then come back and tell me that you have seen him. Go. Take norefusal; fight for a position near him if you cannot get there bypraying, and tell him how we are suffering for his sake--how we lovehim, and are striving to save him. Oh, and I keep you while I amtalking, and he must be very near! Quick! Kiss me once and go, and Iwill lie here and pray that you may succeed."

  "You wish it--you command me to go, mother?" he panted.

  "Yes, yes, my boy," she cried eagerly; and he bent down over her,pressed his lips to hers, and darted to the door.

  "Nurse, nurse!" he said hoarsely, "come and stay with my mother." Thento himself as he rushed down the stairs: "Too late--too late! He musthave gone."