Black August gs-10
Page 36
'But I'm frightened for you, Gregory.'
'That's nice of you, my dear.'
'Listen. Herbert, my father, went to Windsor at the outset so he must be all right, and he's got tremendous pull in a quiet way. He's a great personal friend of the Monarch, who seems to have turned the corner now, and we can count on him to do everything in his power to get you off.'
'No,' he shook his head, 'intercession would only mean imprisonment, and I couldn't bear that.'
She gripped his hand suddenly and, leaning forward, whispered rapidly in French.
He gave a low delighted chuckle. 'You're a great woman, Veronica, but even if you did cling on to Hay Symple, and Silas and Kenyon joined in, I could never get away. Look at the crowd it's impossible to run on people's heads!'
'But my dear, we can't just let you die like this!'
'Oh, they'll out me I haven't a doubt, and I suppose I deserve it looked at from their point of view. Still I'm not unhappy; “I've taken my fun where I found it and now I must pay for my fun.” Kipling wrote that, didn't he?'
A renewed burst of cheering came from afar, but this time it did not slacken. Borne on the night wind it grew and grew, rushing in a vast wave of sound from Buckingham Palace Road to the gathered thousands before the Palace.
Veronica scrambled to her feet and saw that every face was upturned to the sky. The bright pointed fingers of the searchlights had flashed out while she was talking to Gregory and, caught in their glare, a dozen aeroplanes hovered overhead. A second dozen followed and a third; then came the wingless racing helicopter of the Prince. The searchlights concentrated upon it, shutting out the following squadrons of fast planes, as it sank easily and gracefully until lost to view, descending to its landing ground behind the Palace.
'Isn't this just grand, honey?' Silas flung his arm round Veronica's shoulder. 'Isn't it just too marvellous for anything.'
'Yes, honey,' she agreed, 'it is,' and, side by side, they stood staring at the Palace. There was nothing to be seen but the myriad upturned faces, yet the thunderous cheering continued unabated for the Prince must now be somewhere in the building; then there was a sudden lull in the roaring of the crowd. For a moment or two they swayed and muttered; then an arc lamp flared into life, throwing the first floor balcony into a dazzling patch of light.
A solitary slim figure stepped upon it. He wore no uniform, but, with the simplicity beloved by the English people, a suit of well worn plus fours. Curiously informal in his gestures he stood there bowing a little jerkily, and smiling a pleasant friendly smile as he acknowledged the deafening plaudits of the crowd.
The mighty roar of sustained cheering seemed unending as it issued from those thousands of throats, but gradually it took a lower note and, merging into strange harmony, welled up again with renewed volume upon the paean of the National Anthem.
As the last bars reverberated against the walls of the Palace, Ann squeezed Kenyon's arm and pointed: 'Look, darling,' she cried, 'do you remember that terrible prophet his month has run!'
Then Kenyon, looking upward saw, bright and clear above the Palace, the slender sickle of the September moon: 'My blessing', he drew her closer, 'we've come through Black August so, God willing, we'll have many moons together now.'
The Prince was holding up his hand for silence and, gradually, the cheering subsided; then he spoke, his voice faint but clear from the loud speakers.
'I thank you from my heart for this great demonstration of loyal feeling. With your support I now have every confidence in the complete recovery of our country, and it is my joyous duty to announce the formal restoration of law and order.
'From tonight the ancient laws for the protection of life and property will be administered with the utmost severity against all who seek to retard recovery by breaches of the peace; but, since many thousands have been led to criminal actions contrary to their nature by the stream of late events, I proclaim a general amnesty and free pardon for all such, in the heartfelt hope that they may become once more loyal and responsible citizens.'
'Gregory!' Ann cried, pulling herself away from Ken yon.
'You're free free!' shrieked Veronica.
'How perfectly splendid.' Kenyon hastened over to the prisoners.
'Yes,' Silas's cherubic smile spread over his broad face, 'I felt certain he'd get out of this jam somehow.'
But Gregory was gazing at his faithful henchman and familiar; 'I'm thundering glad,' he said huskily, 'the thought of what they might do to you is the only thing that's really been giving me hell on this journey.'
'Old soldiers never die, sir,' said Mr. Rudd.
The Prince had gone in but the thunderous cheering brought him out again. Once more, he returned bowing, smiling, waving a cheerful hand, yet they simply would not let him go. Five times more he appeared upon the balcony before he finally withdrew.
The great concourse of people would not disperse. Gaunt hungry knowing full well that tomorrow, and for many weeks to come, they would have to face life and all their individual difficulties, upon a meagre ration; perhaps to reconstruct their whole manner of living, or turn their steps from the known ways of the city to strange territories across the seas, they still remained for a new hope was born that night in England. The Prince Regent, idol of a still great and virile nation, would lead them yet into a new prosperity.
Their voices merged again into a solemn wave of sound, unrecognisable at first, yet taken up with the speed of wildfire, until the words of the famous hymn rang out clear and strong:
'Land of hope and glory Mother of the free How shall we extol thee who are born of thee Wider still and wider shall thy bounds be set God, who made thee mighty make thee mightier yet God who made thee mighty MAKE THEE MIGHTIER YET.'
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