CHAPTER XVII
Lord Bellingham soon began the systematic effort to induce Archy to giveup his country for which he had, in truth, been sent for from France.But everything united to make against his scheme. While the time neverhad been that Archy would have abandoned his country and her cause, hewas still less likely to do so in the hour of her triumph, when theEnglish people had forced the King and his Ministry to abandon afratricidal war. And the association for many months with two such menas Paul Jones and Dr. Franklin was not calculated to make any young andimpressionable mind less American in its belief and sympathies. Nor wasthe splendid bait offered by Lord Bellingham half as attractive to Archyas it would have been to a young man of less adventurous life andhabits. Full of an enthusiastic democracy, he rated the title as nothingat all; and as for the estates, it may be said to the honor of humanitythat money has but little weight with a manly and generous nature inthe freshness of youth. Archy really would have liked to own BellinghamCastle if he could have transported it to America, but he wouldcheerfully have given all the medi?val castles in England for one goodship of the line, and would have thrown in Westminster Abbey as amakeweight. And because little things as well as great things influencepeople, Lord Bellingham could not have devised a better way to defeathis own object than in bringing Archy in contact with his two cousins,Isabel and Mary. These two high-spirited young ladies were asdeterminedly English as Archy was aggressively American, and the resultwas warfare, in which quarter was neither asked nor given. Not one ofthe three was bad-tempered, so that, in spite of their continualbickerings, there was an odd sort of sympathy among them, the sympathywhich comes from a community of tastes and amusements, which made themseek each other's society, apparently for the purpose of expressingtheir disesteem for each other's opinions--Mary and Isabel on the oneside, and Archy on the other; Mrs. Langton vainly striving for peace,Colonel Baskerville an impartial umpire, and Lord Bellingham secretlydiverted at the cut-and-come-again style in which his grandchildrendisputed. But he grew grave one day when he came upon them engaged in anexciting discussion on the issues of the war in America, which Isabelended by saying, loftily:
"At all events, we sha'n't be mortified by hearing you express suchopinions in public, for you know grandpapa can't take you about thecountry visiting with him, because a great many people would notrecognize you. They call you a rebel."
"Do they?" wrathfully replied Archy. "I'll give them to understand,then, that I'd rather be an American and a rebel--yes, by Jove! a rebelagainst tyrannical kings--than to be heir to Lord Bellingham's title andestates. And that I will show them, too!"
"I hope you will stick to it," said Isabel, tartly, "for it is a pity tohave the estate go out of the family, and Trevor will get it if youdon't. Dear Trevor!" Isabel, who was tender-hearted in spite of her highspirit, could not keep the tears out of her eyes at the mention ofTrevor's name, and Archy, too, was softened, for he answered:
"Hang it, Isabel, why do you say such maddening things? If you were notLangton's sister and your mother's daughter I would serve you asWilliam the Conqueror did the Princess Matilda--roll you in the muduntil you cried _peccavi_," at which Isabel smiled in a superior manner.She was so tall and strong that William the Conqueror would have hadtrouble rolling her in the mud.
Lord Bellingham moved away in a thoughtful mood. He began, for the firsttime, to realize that he might possibly not succeed in buying up hisgrandson--a reflection which he had hitherto refused, even in his ownmind, to consider a possibility.
However, fate was preparing a delicious revenge for Archy upon his twocousins, and it took a form which not only gave him ecstatic pleasure atthe time, but sufficed him for chaffing the two girls during the residueof their lives; and this is how it came about.
The spring had passed, the fall of the Ministry had made it certain thatthe American war was practically over, and the summer came and waned.But it was not like summer weather, and on a certain August night theair was so sharp upon the northern hills and moors that a fire was notunpleasant in the great hall at Bellingham Castle. Lord Bellingham satbefore it, with Mary and Isabel taking turns in reading the Londonnewspapers to him. The news they contained of the abandonment ofhostilities was not very agreeable to either of the girls, each of whompunctuated her reading with her own opinions, very much after Archy'smanner. Lord Bellingham listened, smiling instead of scowling. Thesociety of his daughter and of his grandchildren had certainly changedthe old man's temper and manners, if not his disposition. Presently LordBellingham asked:
"Where is my grandson?"
"Indeed, I don't know, grandpapa," replied Mary. "He is the mostrestless creature I ever saw. He cannot sit down and be quiet and placidlike an English gentleman; he must always be off on some sort of anexpedition."
Lord Bellingham smiled again. He knew that the instant Archy entered thedoors the three young people would gravitate together, although to say acivil word one to the other was strictly against their code.
"There he is now," said Isabel, as steps were heard, and the porter cameout from his corner to open the doors.
Instead of Archy, though, there entered a slight, well-made man, ofabout thirty-five, with a plain but striking face, in which glowed apair of singularly beautiful black eyes. He was dressed in a handsomeriding-suit, and had an air and manner of distinction.
"Is Mr. Archibald Baskerville here?" he asked; and then, seeing the oldman and the two girls sitting at the other end of the vast hall in theglowing light of the fire, and the waxlights on a reading-stand, headvanced, removing his three-cornered hat and making a profound andgraceful bow, first to the two girls and then to their grandfather.
Lord Bellingham, who had seen much of men and things, recognized in aninstant that he saw before him a person of distinction, and, rising fromhis chair with much dignity, he returned the salutation with a courtlyinclination.
The stranger then spoke in a softly modulated voice, in which there wasoccasionally a slight hesitation.
"I believe I am addressing Lord Bellingham, and--" he paused and lookedtowards the two girls, whose height and beauty made them appear mucholder than their sixteen and seventeen years.
"My granddaughters," said Lord Bellingham, with a wave of his hand.
The stranger made another bow, so elegant that the two girls summonedall their grace to return it properly, and then, accepting the chairwhich Lord Bellingham indicated, he continued:
"I venture the liberty of calling to see my young friend, Mr.Baskerville. I trust he is still here."
"Mr. Baskerville is not at present under this roof, but we are expectinghim in momentarily," replied Lord Bellingham. "Mr. Baskerville is mygrandson, and I beg to introduce myself as Lord Bellingham."
"I wish, my lord," replied the stranger, with dignity, "that I couldrespond to the courtesy you show me by introducing myself. But theexigencies of the times are such that I am compelled to forego, forpolitical as well as personal reasons, giving my name. Mr. Baskerville,however, will recognize me as an officer and a gentleman."
Now, Lord Bellingham was not addicted to making friends with strangers,but he was so captivated with his unknown visitor's air and manners andspeech, and his curiosity was so aroused, that his answer was in a verycourteous tone:
"These are, indeed, troublous times, and I am more than willing to takemy grandson's friend on trust. I may hazard, however, in spite of yourexcellent English, that you are a Frenchman, or a Spaniard perhaps, whofinds himself in England, and whom prudence requires that he shouldconceal his name."
"I am neither French nor Spanish," coolly responded the stranger. "I wasborn in Scotland. But I have lately come from Paris."
"How are affairs there, may I inquire?"
"In a very singular state," replied the stranger. "With an autocraticgovernment, and little sympathy between the court and the people, thecourt ardently espouses the cause of democracy in the case of theAmerican colonies."
"And the King and Queen will rue it," energeti
cally cried LordBellingham, bringing his slender, ivory-headed cane down to emphasizehis remarks. "They are teaching their people rebellion against kings,and they may pay the penalty by being driven out of their ownbailiwick."
The stranger, as if not caring to pursue the subject further, turned andsaid, in a manner at once flattering and respectful:
"May I be permitted to observe that these two charming young gentlewomenremind me strongly of her Majesty Queen Marie Antoinette; and in proofof this, allow me to show you this."
He drew from his bosom a very beautiful miniature of the Queen, set inbrilliants, with her monogram, and handed it to Isabel. There was,undoubtedly, a likeness between that fair, haughty face and the faces ofthe two handsome young English girls, with their abundant blond hair,their brilliant blue eyes, and their short upper lips, like theAustrian.
Mary and Isabel smiled delightedly. It was something to be told theylooked like the Queen of France, and that by a gentleman who had beenhonored by the gift of her portrait.
The miniature at once established the stranger in Lord Bellingham's mindas a person of consequence, and he was already deep in the good gracesof Isabel and Mary.
His conversation further prepossessed them in his favor. Quiet, modest,and without dragging in the names of the great, it was easy to see thathe had moved in the best society of Paris, and by his frank comment uponpersons and things he showed he was not in slavish subservience to it.He spoke of the King and Queen with gratitude and affection, but on thesubject of the administration of the military and naval affairs ofFrance he showed something approaching bitterness and chagrin.
Lord Bellingham was deeply interested in the conversation of soaccomplished a man; but Isabel and Mary, whose lives had been spent inseclusion, were perfectly infatuated with him. They thought him a duke,at least, and even whispered to each other, under cover of theirgrandfather's sonorous conversation, that the stranger might prove to bethe Comte d'Artois, that younger brother of the royal house of Francewho was celebrated for milking the cow so beautifully at the LittleTrianon, and who was the best dancer on the tight-rope in Paris.
Nearly an hour had passed in conversation when, with a bang, the greathall door came open, and Archy and Colonel Baskerville entered, justhome from a long ride.
The stranger rose instantly, and, facing the door, held up a hand ofwarning. As soon as Archy's eyes became accustomed to the glow of thefire and candles, he uttered a cry of joy.
"My--" captain he was about to say, when he caught sight of Paul Jones'suplifted hand, and the word was checked in time. But, rushing forward,the two met and clasped each other rapturously, and in that warm embracesome whispered words were exchanged which caused them both to smiledelightedly as they returned to the fire with their arms around eachother like two school-boys, instead of being a captain and one of hisjunior officers.
Lord Bellingham and the two girls were amazed at the warmth of themeeting, and more puzzled than ever to make out the identity of theirmysterious visitor. Not so Colonel Baskerville. He surmised in aninstant that it was Paul Jones.
"Grandfather," cried Archy, "I cannot tell you the name of thisgentleman whom I have the honor to call my friend, but I assure you thatBellingham never sheltered a more honorable and deserving man."
"I believe you," replied Lord Bellingham, with dignity, "and as I havealready accepted him upon his own representations, I can do no more onyours. Perhaps your friend will remain the night with us?"
"Unfortunately, no," replied Paul Jones, "with sincere thanks for yourlordship's goodness. I have been two weeks in England, and to-morrowmorning, early, I must embark. I have ordered post-horses from thevillage for twelve o'clock to-night, which will get me to the coastbefore this time to-morrow."
"Uncle," then said Archy, turning to Colonel Baskerville, "will you not,on my assurance, shake hands with my friend?"
"Certainly," responded Colonel Baskerville, offering his hand, andsaying, in a low voice, which Lord Bellingham did not catch: "With asurmise which amounts to a certainty as to who he is."
Supper was now ordered in Lord Bellingham's room, and when it wasannounced, all four of the gentlemen arose. Mrs. Langton had sent amessage asking to be excused, so Isabel and Mary were to go to theirmother. As they rose, Paul Jones made them another of those captivatingbows which had charmed very great ladies, much less two innocent andunsophisticated young girls, and they returned it with curtseys whichalmost brought them to the ground. And then a strange thing happened.Archy suddenly doubled up with silent laughter. Lord Bellingham hadpreceded them and was now passing through the library door, so that hecould neither see nor hear what was going on behind him. Paul Joneslooked surprised until Archy whispered in his ear:
"My cousins profess to detest Americans!"
A smile suddenly illuminated his dark face, while Colonel Baskerville,like Archy, seemed to be excessively amused at the profound curtseys ofthe two young girls.
"Dear ladies," said Paul Jones, who was famous for making headway withthe other sex, "may I not have the honor of kissing your charming hands,as a memory to carry away with me of the two most beautiful maidens Ihave ever known outside my native country?"
And Isabel and Mary, blushing and smiling and nothing loath, extendedtheir hands, which Paul Jones touched with his lips in the mostrespectful manner. As they sailed gracefully off, Archy seized ColonelBaskerville, who wore a sympathetic grin, and whispered, convulsively:
"ISABEL AND MARY EXTENDED THEIR HANDS TO PAUL JONES"]
"Uncle, this is more than I can stand. I shall certainly explode when Ithink of Isabel and Mary--and--o-ho!" Archy went off into spasms oflaughter, which lasted until he was seated at the table directly underLord Bellingham's stern eye. And even then, with all his pride anddelight in his old commander, Archy was secretly convulsed when heanticipated the revelation of Paul Jones's identity after he was out ofthe three kingdoms. He felt no fear for his brave commander; he knewthat few men united the greatest boldness with the most consummateprudence as Paul Jones did, and was perfectly sure that after havingescaped capture in the two weeks the great captain had been in England,he was little likely to be caught between Bellingham and the coast.
Lord Bellingham had promptly surrendered to the charm of Paul Jones'sconversation, and listened with profound attention to all he had to say,as did Colonel Baskerville. Paul Jones gave much interesting informationabout affairs on the Continent, but with so much tact that no one wouldhave suspected the active part he had taken in many of the incidents herelated. He sat, the wax light falling upon his clear-cut face and deepand speaking eyes, one knee carelessly thrown over the other, and hisbrown, sinewy hand involuntarily seeking the hilt of the dress swordthat he wore, according to the custom of the time. Lord Bellingham wasin his most gracious mood, but the more fascinated he was with theconversation of his new guest, the more profound was his curiosity tofind out who the stranger was. The personal history of Paul Jones waslittle known at that time, and his announcement that he was born inScotland did not enlighten Lord Bellingham in the least. In vain heframed adroit questions; Paul Jones's answers were more adroit still.Lord Bellingham, with an inscrutable smile upon his handsome old face,listened and watched, and was at last compelled, after four hours ofclose conversation, to admit to himself that he had utterly failed topenetrate the stranger's disguise.
A few minutes before midnight Paul Jones rose.
"My horses are now due from the village," he said, "and I must leavethis hospitable roof. Will not you, Mr. Baskerville, go with me onestage on the road?"
Archy accepted delightedly. The whole party then, Lord Bellinghamincluded, came out in the cold and gloomy hall, where the fire had quitedied out, to bid the guest farewell. Colonel Baskerville said good-byewith great courtesy, and added:
"I beg to say that I offer you my hand with full knowledge, I believe,of your name, and character, and rank."
Paul Jones's expressive eyes glowed with pleasure. Many English officersrefused to recogni
ze him on account of his having adopted the Americancause, although born in one of the British Isles, and the respect ofsuch a man as Colonel Baskerville was peculiarly gratifying.
"I thank you most sincerely for your generous recognition; it is themark of a just and liberal mind. And to you, sir," said Paul Jones,turning to Lord Bellingham, "I do not know whether you would extend tome the same hospitality you have this night if you knew my name. Everymotive of the most ordinary prudence requires me to keep it secret thebrief time I am in England. Yet, as a slight testimony to my belief inyour generosity, I will say to you that I am Paul Jones, captain in thecontinental navy."
And the next moment he had passed through the great doors, descended thestone steps, and his post-chaise was rolling rapidly off with himselfand Archy inside.
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