IV.
How Sir Thomas Wyat was visited by Herne in the Cell.
Made aware by the clangour of the lock, and Fenwolf's exulting laughter,of the snare in which he had been caught, Sir Thomas Wyat instantlysprang from his hiding-place, and rushed to the door; but being framedof the stoutest oak, and strengthened with plates of iron, it defied allhis efforts, nerved as they were by rage and despair, to burst itopen. Mabel's shrieks, as she was dragged away, reached his ears, andincreased his anguish; and he called out loudly to her companions toreturn, but his vociferations were only treated with derision.
Finding it useless to struggle further, Wyat threw himself upon thebench, and endeavoured to discover some means of deliverance from hispresent hazardous position. He glanced round the cell to see whetherthere was any other outlet than the doorway, but he could discern none,except a narrow grated loophole opening upon the passage, and contrived,doubtless, for the admission of air to the chamber. No dungeon could bemore secure.
Raising the lamp, he examined every crevice, but all seemed solid stone.The recess in which he had taken shelter proved to be a mere hollow inthe wall. In one corner lay a small straw pallet, which, no doubt, hadformed the couch of Mabel; and this, together with the stone bench andrude table of the same material, constituted the sole furniture of theplace.
Having taken this careful survey of the cell, Wyat again sat down uponthe bench with the conviction that escape was out of the question; andhe therefore endeavoured to prepare himself for the worst, for it wasmore than probable he would be allowed to perish of starvation. To afiery nature like his, the dreadful uncertainty in which he was placedwas more difficult of endurance than bodily torture. And he was destinedto endure it long. Many hours flew by, during which nothing occurred torelieve the terrible monotony of his situation. At length, in spite ofhis anxiety, slumber stole upon him unawares; but it was filled withfrightful visions.
How long he slept he knew not, but when he awoke, he found that thecell must have been visited in the interval, for there was a manchet ofbread, part of a cold neck of venison, and a flask of wine on the table.It was evident, therefore, that his captors did not mean to starve him,and yielding to the promptings of appetite, he attacked the provisions,determined to keep strict watch when his gaoler should next visit him.
The repast finished, he again examined the cell, but with no bettersuccess than before; and he felt almost certain, from the position inwhich the bench was placed, that the visitor had not found entrancethrough the door.
After another long and dreary interval, finding that sleep was stealingupon him fast, he placed the bench near the door, and leaned his backagainst the latter, certain that in this position he should be awakenedif any one attempted to gain admittance in that way. His slumber wasagain disturbed by fearful dreams; and he was at length aroused by atouch upon the shoulder, while a deep voice shouted his own name in herears.
Starting to his feet, and scarcely able to separate the reality fromthe hideous phantasms that had troubled him, he found that the door wasstill fastened, and the bench unremoved, while before him stood Hernethe Hunter.
"Welcome again to my cave, Sir Thomas Wyat!" cried the demon, with amocking laugh. "I told you, on the night of the attempt upon the king,that though you escaped him, you would not escape me. And so it has cometo pass. You are now wholly in my power, body and soul--ha! ha!"
"I defy you, false fiend," replied Wyat. "I was mad enough to profferyou my soul on certain conditions; but they have never been fulfilled."
"They may yet be so," rejoined Herne.
"No," replied Wyat, "I have purged my heart from the fierce andunhallowed passion that swayed it. I desire no assistance from you."
"If you have changed your mind, that is nought to me," rejoined the demonderisively--"I shall hold you to your compact."
"Again I say I renounce you, infernal spirit!" cried Wyat; "you maydestroy my body--but you can work no mischief to my soul."
"You alarm yourself without reason, good Sir Thomas," replied Herne, ina slightly sneering tone. "I am not the malignant being you supposeme; neither am I bent upon fighting the battles of the enemy of mankindagainst Heaven. I may be leagued with the powers of darkness, but I haveno wish to aid them; and I therefore leave you to take care of your soulin your own way. What I desire from you is your service while living.Now listen to the conditions I have to propose. You must bind yourselfby a terrible oath, the slightest infraction of which shall involve theperdition of the soul you are so solicitous to preserve, not to discloseaught you may see, or that may be imparted to you here. You must alsoswear implicit obedience to me in all things--to execute any secretcommissions, of whatever nature, I may give you--to bring associatesto my band--and to join me in any enterprise I may propose. This oathtaken, you are free. Refuse it, and I leave you to perish."
"I do refuse it," replied Wyat boldly. "I would die a thousand deathsrather than so bind myself. Neither do I fear being left to perish here.You shall not quit this cell without me."
"You are a stout soldier, Sir Thomas Wyat," rejoined the demon, with ascornful laugh; "but you are scarcely a match for Herne the Hunter, asyou will find, if you are rash enough to make the experiment. Beware!"he exclaimed, in a voice of thunder, observing the knight lay his handupon his sword, "I am invulnerable, and you will, therefore, vainlystrike at me. Do not compel me to use the dread means, which I couldinstantly employ, to subject you to my will. I mean you well, and wouldrather serve than injure you. But I will not let you go, unless youleague yourself with me. Swear, therefore, obedience to me, and departhence to your friends, Surrey and Richmond, and tell them you havefailed to find me."
"You know, then, of our meeting?" exclaimed Wyat.
"Perfectly well," laughed Herne. "It is now eventide, and at midnightthe meeting will take place in the forester's hut. If you attend it not,I will. They will be my prisoners as well as you. To preserve yourselfand save them, you must join me."
"Before I return an answer," said Wyat, "I must know what has become ofMabel Lyndwood."
"Mabel Lyndwood is nought to you, Sir Thomas," rejoined Herne coldly.
"She is so much to me that I will run a risk for her which I would notrun for myself," replied Wyat. "If I promise obedience to you, will youliberate her? will you let her depart with me?"
"No," said Herne peremptorily. "Banish all thoughts of her from yourbreast. You will never behold her again. I will give you time forreflection on my proposal. An hour before midnight I shall return, andif I find you in the same mind, I abandon you to your fate."
And with these words he stepped back towards the lower end of the cell.Wyat instantly sprang after him, but before he could reach him a flashof fire caused him to recoil, and to his horror and amazement, he beheldthe rock open, and yield a passage to the retreating figure.
When the sulphureous smoke, with which the little cell was filled, hadin some degree cleared off, Wyat examined the sides of the rock, butcould not find the slightest trace of a secret outlet, and thereforeconcluded that the disappearance of the demon had been effected bymagic.
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