Theywerebravefellowsforallthemischieftheydidhere,andtheyseemedtohavelittleheartintheserviceofthePopishKing。Itwastheofficersdrovethemontoallthisdamage,andoncethey'dstarted—well,therewereroguesamongstthemsawachanceofplunder,andtheytookit。Ihavesoughttoputtheplacetorights;buttheydidsomewoeful,wantonmischief。"
　　Wildingsighed。"It'slittlematter,perhaps,astheplaceisnolongermine。
　　"No……nolongeryours,sir？"
　　"I'manattaintedoutlaw,Walters,"heexplained。"They'llbestowitonsomePopishtime—server,unlessKingMonmouthcanfollowupbygreatervictoriesto—night's。Haveyouaughtamanmayeatordrink？"
　　Meatandwine,freshlinenandfreshgarmentsdidoldWaltersfindhim;
　　andwhenhehadwashed,eaten,anddrunk,Mr。Wildingwrappedhimselfinadressing—gownandlaidhimselfdowntosleeponasettleinthelibrary,hisservantandhisdogonguard。
　　Notaboveanhour,however,washedestinedtoenjoyhishard—earnedrest。Thelighthadgrown,meanwhile,andfromgreyithadturnedgolden,theheraldsofthesunbeingalreadyintheeast。Inthedistancethefiringhaddieddowntoamereoccasionalboom。
　　SuddenlyoldWaltersraisedhisheadtolisten。Thebeatofhoofswasdrawingrapidlynear,sonearthatpresentlyheroseinalarm,forahorsemanwaspoundinguptheavenue,haddrawnreinatthemainentrance。
　　Waltersknithisbrowsinperplexity,andglancedathismasterwhosleptonutterlywornout。Asilentpausefollowed,lastingsomeminutes。Thenitwasthedogthatrosewithagrowl,hiscoatbristling,andaninstantlatertherecameasharprappingatthehaildoor。
　　"Sh！Down,Jack！"whisperedWalters,afraidofrousingMr。Wilding。Hetiptoedsoftlyacrosstheroom,pickeduphismusket,and,callingthedog,wentout,agreatfearinhisheart,butnotforhimself。
　　Therappingcontinued,growingeveryinstantmoreurgent,sourgentthatWalterswasalmostreassured。Herewasnoenemy,butsurelysomeoneinneed。Waltersopenedatlast,andMr。Trenchard,grimyoffaceandhands,hishatshornofitsplumes,hisclothestorn,staggeredwithanoathacrossthethreshold。
　　"Walters！"hecried。"ThankGod！Ithoughtyou'dbehere,butIwasn'tcertain。Down,Jack！"
　　Thehoundwasbarkingmadlyagain,havingrecognizedanoldfriend。
　　"Plagueonthedog！"growledWalters。"He'llwakeMr。Wilding。"
　　"Mr。Wilding？"saidTrenchard,andcheckedmidwayacrossthehall。"Mr。
　　Wilding？"
　　"Hearrivedhereacoupleofhoursago,sir……"
　　"Wildinghere？Oddsheart！Iwasmorethanwelladvisedtocome。Whereishe,man？"
　　"Sh,sir！He'sasleepinthelibrary。You'llwakehim,you'llwakehim！"
　　ButTrenchardneverpaused。Hecrossedthehailatabound,andflungwidethelibrarydoor。"Anthony！"heshouted。"Anthony！"AndinthebackgroundWalterscursedhimforafool。Wildingleapttohisfeet,awakeandstartled。
　　"Wha……Nick！"
　　"Oons！"roaredNick。"You'rechoicelyfound。IcametosendtoBridgwaterforyou。Wemustawayatonce,man。"
　　"How—away？Ithoughtyouwereinthefight,Nick。"
　　"Anddon'tIlookasifIhadbeen？"
　　"Butthen……
　　"Thefightisfoughtandlost;there'sanendtothegarboil。Monmouthisinfullflightwithwhat'slefthimofhishorse。WhenIquittedthefield,hewasridinghardforPoldenHill。"Hedroppedintoachair,hisaccentsgrimanddespairing,hiseyeshaggard。
　　"Lost？"gaspedWilding,andhisconscienceprickedhimforamoment,rememberinghowmuchithadbeenhisfault—howeverindirectly—thatFevershamhadbeenforewarned。"Buthowlost？"hecriedamomentlater。
　　"AskGrey,"snappedTrenchard。"Askhiscraven,numskulledlordship。
　　Hehadasgoodahandinlosingitasany。Oh,itwasallmostinfernallymishandled,ashasbeeneverythinginthisill—starredrising。
　　GreysentbackGodfrey,theguide,andattemptedinthedarktofindhisownwayacrosstherhine。Hemissedtheford。Whatelsecouldthefoolhavehoped？AndwhenhewasdiscoveredandDunbarton'sgunsbegantoplayonus—hellandfire！weranasifSedgemoorhadbeenarace—course。
　　"Therestwasbutthenaturalsequel。Thefoot,seeingourconfusion,broke。Theywereralliedagain;brokeagain;andagainwererallied;
　　butalltoolate。Theenemywasup,andwiththatdamnedditchbetweenustherewasnogettingtoclosequarterswiththem。HadGreyriddenround,andsoughttoturntheirflank,thingsmighthavebeen—0God！—
　　theywouldhavebeenentirelydifferent。Ididsuggestit。ButformypainsGreythreatenedtopistolmeifIpresumedtoinstructhiminhisduty。IwouldtoHeavenIhadpistolledhimwherehestood。"
　　Walters,atgazeinthedoorway,listenedtothebittertirade。Wilding,onthesettle,satsilentamoment,hiselbowsonhisknees,hischininhishands,hiseyessetandgrimasTrenchard'sown。Thenhemasteredhimself,andwavedahandtowardsthetablewherestoodfoodandwine。
　　"Eatanddrink,Nick,"hesaid,`andwe'lldiscusswhat'stobedone。"
　　"It'llneedlittlediscussing,"wasNick'ssavageanswerasheroseandwenttopourhimselfacupofwine。"There'sbutonecourseopentous—instantflight。IamforMineheadtojoinHewling'shorse,whichwentthereyesterdayforguns。Wemightseizeashipsomewhereonthecoast,andthusgetoutofthisinfernalcountryofmine。"
　　TheydiscussedthematterinspiteofTrenchard'shavingsaidthattherewasnothingtodiscuss,andintheendWildingagreedtogowithhim。Whatchoicehadhe？ButfirsthemustgotoBridgwatertoreassurehiswife。
　　"ToBridgwater？"blazedTrenchard,inapassionatthefollyofthesuggestion。"You'reclearlymad！AlltheKing'sforceswillbethereinanhourortwo。"
　　"Nomatter,"saidWilding,"Imustgo。Iamdeadalready,asithappens。"AndherelatedhissingularadventureinFeversham'scamplastnight。
　　Trenchardheardhiminamazement。Ifanysuspicioncrossedhismindthathisfriend'sloveaffairshadhadanythingtodowithrousingFevershamprematurely,heshowednosignofit。ButheshookhisheadatWilding'sinsistencethathemustfirstgotoLuptonHouse。
　　"Shaltsendamessage,Anthony。Walterswillfindsomeonetobearit。
　　Butyoumustnotgoyourself。"
　　IntheendMr。Trenchardprevaileduponhimtoadoptthiscourse,howeverreluctanthemightbe。Thereaftertheyproceededtomaketheirpreparations。Therewerestillacoupleofnagsinthestables,inspiteofthevisitationofthemilitia,andWalterswasabletofindfreshclothesforMr。Trenchardabove—stairs。
　　Ahalf—hourlatertheywerereadytosetoutonthisforlornhopeofescape;thehorseswereatthedoor,andMr。WildingwasintheactofdrawingonthefreshpairofbootswhichWaltershadfetchedhim。
　　Suddenlyhepaused,hisfootinthelegofhisrightboot,andsatbemusedamoment。
　　Trenchard,watchinghim,waxedimpatient。"Whatailsyounow？"hecroaked。
　　Withoutansweringhim,WildingturnedtoWalters。"WherearethebootsIworelastnight？"heasked,andhisvoicewassharp—oddlysharp,consideringhowtrivialthematterofhisspeech。
　　"Inthekitchen,"answeredWalters。
　　"Fetchmethem。"Andhekickedoffagaintheboothehadhalfdrawnon。
　　"Buttheyareallbefouledwithmud,sir。"
　　"Cleanthem,Walters;cleanthemandletmehavethem。"
　　StillWaltershesitated,pointingoutthatthebootshehadbroughthismasterwerenewerandsounder。Wildinginterruptedhimimpatiently。
　　"DoasIbidyou,Walters。"Andtheoldman,understandingnothing,wentoffontheerrand。
　　"Apoxonyourboots！"sworeTrenchard。"Whatdoesthismean？"
　　Wildingseemedsuddenlytohaveundergoneatransformation。Hisgloomhadfallenfromhim。Helookedupathisoldfriendand,smiling,answeredhim。"Itmeans,Nick,thatwhilsttheseexcellentbootsthatWalterswouldhavemewearmightbewellenoughforaridetothecoastsuchasyoupropose,theyarenotatallsuitedtothejourneyIintendtomake。"
　　"Maybe,"saidNickwithasniff,"you'reintendingtojourneytoTowerHill？"
　　"Inthatdirection,"answeredMr。Wildingsuavely。
　　"IamforLondon,Nick。Andyoushallcomewithme。"
　　"Godsaveus！Doyoukeepafool'seggunderthatnestofhair？"
　　Wildingexplained,andbythetimeWaltersreturnedwiththebootsTrenchardwaswalkingupanddowntheroominanoddagitation。"Oddsmylife,Tony！"hecriedatlast。"Ibelieveitisthebestthing。"
　　"Theonlything,Nick。"
　　"Andsinceallislost,why……"Trenchardblewouthischeeksandsmackedfistintopalm。"Iamwithyou,"saidhe。
　　CHAPTERXXIV
　　JUSTICE
　　IthasfallentomylotinthecourseofthisveridicalchronicleofMr。
　　AnthonyWilding'sconnectionwiththeRebellionintheWest,andofhisweddingandpost—nuptialwinningofRuthWestmacott,torelatecertainmattersofincidentandpersonalitythatmaybeaccountedstrange。Butthestrangestyetremainstoberelated。ForinspiteofallthathadpassedbetweenSirRowlandBlakeandtheWestmacottsonthatmemorablenightofSundaytoMonday,onwhichthebattleofSedgemoorwaslostandwon,towardstheendofthatsamemonthofJulywefindhimnotonlybackatLuptonHouse,butonceagaintheavowedsuitorofMr。Wilding'swidow。Foreffronterythisisamatterofwhichitistobedoubtedwhetherhistoryfurnishesaparallel。Indeed,untilthecircumstancesaresifteditseemswildandincredible。Soletusconsiderthese。
　　OnthemorrowofSedgemoor,thetownofBridgwaterbecameinvested—
　　infestedwerenowhittoostrongaword—bytheKing'sforcesunderFevershamandtheodiousKirke,andtherebeganareignofterrorforthetown。Theprisonswerechokedwithattaintedandsuspectedrebels。
　　>FromBridgwatertoWestonZoylandtheroadwasbecomeanavenueofgallows,eachbearingitsrepulsivegemmace—ladenburden;fortheKing'scommandswereunequivocal,andhangingwastheorderoftheday。
　　ItisnotmydesireatthisstagetosurfeityouwiththehorrorsthatwereperpetratedduringthathideousweekofJuly,whennoman'slifewassafefromtheroyalbutchers。TheawfulcampaignofJeifreysandhisfourassociateswasyettofollow,butitisdoubtfulifitcouldcompareinruthlessnesswiththatofFevershamandKirke。Atleast,whenJeifreyscame,menweregivenatrial—orwhatlookedlikeit—
　　andthereremainedthemachance,howeverslender,ofacquittal,asmanylivedtoprovethereafter。WithFevershamtherewasnosuchchance。AnditwasofthiscircumstancethatSirRowlandBlaketookthefullestandthecowardliestadvantage。
　　TherecanbenodoubtthatSirRowlandwasavillain。Itmightbeurgedforhimthathewasacreatureofcircumstance,andthathadcircumstancesbeenotheritispossiblehehadbeenacredittohisname。Buthewasweakincharacter,andoutofthatweaknesshehaddevelopedaHerculeanstrengthinvillainy。Failurehaddoggedhimineverythingheundertook。Brokenatthegaming—tables,houndedoutoftownbycreditors,hewasindesperatestraitstorepairhisfortunesand,aswehaveseen,hewasnotniceinhisendeavourstoachievethatend。
　　RuthWestmacott'sfairinheritancehadseemedaneasythingtoconquer,andtoitsconquesthehadappliedhimselftosufferdefeatashehadsuffereditinallthingselse。ButSirRowlanddidnotyetacknowledgehimselfbeaten,andtheBridgwaterreignofterrordealthimafreshhand—ahandoftrumps。Withthishecameboldlytorenewthegame。
　　Hewasassmoothasoilatfirst,averypenitent,confessinghimselfmadinwhathehaddoneonthatSundaynight—madwithdespairandrageathavingbeendefeatedinthenobletasktowhichhehadturnedhishands。HispenitencemighthavehadlittleeffectupontheWestmacottshadhenotknownhowtoinsinuatethatitmightbebestforthemtolendaneartoit—andaforgivingone。
　　"YouwilltellMr。Westmacott,Jasper,"hehadsaid,whenJaspertoldhimthattheycouldnotreceivehim,"thathewouldbeunwisenottoseeme,andthesametoMistressWilding。"
　　AndoldJasperhadcarriedhismessage,andhadtoldRichardofthewickedsmilethathadbeenonSirRowland'slipswhenhehadutteredit。
　　NowRichardwasinmanywaysachangedmansincethatnightatWestonZoyland。Atransformationseemedtohavebeenwroughtinhimasoddasitwassudden,anditdatedfromthemomentwhenwithtearsinhiseyeshehadwrungWilding'shandinfarewell。Whereprecepthadfailed,Richardfoundhimselfconvertedbyexample。Hecontrastedhimselfinthatstressfulhourwithgreat—souledAnthonyWilding,andsawhimselfashewas,aweakling,strongonlyinviciousways。Repentanceclaimedhim;repentanceandafineambitiontobeworthier,toresembleasnearlyashisnaturewouldallowhimthisAnthonyWildingwhomhetookforpattern。Hechangedhisways,abandoneddrinkandgaming,andgainedtherebyahealthiercountenance。Theninhiszealheovershothismark。HedevelopedatasteforScripture—reading,bethoughthimofprayers,andeventooktosayinggracetohismeat。Indeed—forconversion,whenitcomes,isafuriousthing—theswingofhissoul'spendulumthreatenednowtocarryhimtoextremesofvirtueandpiety。
　　"0Lord！"hewouldcryascoreoftimesaday,"Thouhastbroughtupmysoulfromthegrave;ThouhastkeptmealivethatIshouldnotgodowntothepit！"
　　Butunderlyingallthisremainedunfortunatelytheinherentweaknessofhisnature—indeed,itwasthatveryweaknessandmalleabilitymadethissuddenandwholesaleconversionpossible。
　　UponhearingSirRowland'smessagehisheartfainted,despitehisgoodintentions,andheurgedthatperhapstheyhadbetterhearwhatthebaronetmighthavetosay。
　　ItwasthreedaysafterSedgemoorFight,andpoorRuthwaswornandexhaustedwithhergrief—believingWildingdead,forhehadsentnomessagetoinformherofhisalmostmiraculouspreservation。ThethinghewenttodoinLondonwasfraughtwithsuchperilthatheforesawbuttheslenderestchanceofescapingwithhislife。Therefore,hehadargued,whyconsolehernowwithnewsthathelived,wheninafewdaystheheadsmanmightprovethathisendhadbeenbutpostponed？
　　Todosomightbetogivehercausetomournhimtwice。Againhewashauntedbythethoughtthat,inspiteofall,itmayhavebeenpitythathadsogrievouslymovedherattheirlastmeeting。Better,then,towait;betterforboththeirsakes。Ifhecamesafelythroughhisordealitwouldbetimeenoughtobearhernewsofhispreservation。
　　Indeepestmourning,verywhite,withdarkstainsbeneathhereyestotellthetaleofanguishedvigils,shereceivedSirRowlandinthewithdrawing—room,herbrotheratherside。Tohisexpressionsofdeeppenitencehefoundthemcold;sohepassedontoshowthemwhatdisastrousresultsmightensueuponastubbornmaintainingofthisattitudeoftheirstowardshim。
　　"Ihavecome,"hesaid,hiseyesdowncast,hisfacelong—drawn,forhecouldplaythesorrowfulwithanyhypocriteinEngland,"todosomethingmorethanspeakofmygriefandregret。Ihavecometoofferproofofitbyservice。
　　"Weasknoserviceofyou,sir,"saidRuth,hervoiceaswordofsharpness。
　　Hesighed,andturnedtoRichard。"Thiswerefolly,"heassuredhiswhilomfriend。"YouknowtheinfluenceIwield。"
　　"DoI？"quothRichard,histoneimplyingdoubt。"YouthinkthatthebungledmatteratNewlington'smayhaveshakenit？"quothBlake。"WithFeversham,perhaps。ButAlbemarle,remember,trustsmeveryfully。
　　Thereareuglyhappeningsinthetownhere。Menarebeinghunglikelinenonawashing—day。Benottoosurethatyourselfarefreefromalldanger。"Richardpaledunderthebaronet'sbaleful,half—sneeringglance。"Benotintoogreathastetocastmeaside,foryoumayfindmeuseful。"
　　"Doyouthreaten,sir？"criedRuth。
　　"Threaten？"quothhe。Heturneduphiseyesandshowedthewhitesofthem。"Isittothreatentopromiseyoumyprotection;toshowyouhowIcanserveyou？—thanwhichIasknosweeterboonofheaven。
　　Awordfromme,andRichardneedfearnothing。"
　　"Heneedfearnothingwithoutthatword,"saidRuthdisdainfully。"SuchserviceashedidLordFevershamtheothernight……"
　　"Issoonforgotten,"Blakecutinadroitly。"Indeed,`twillbemostconvenienttohislordshiptoforgetit。Thinkyouhewouldcaretohaveitknownthat`twastosuchachanceheowesthepreservationofhisarmy？"Helaughed,andaddedinavoiceofmuchslymeaning,"Thetimesarefullofperil。There'sKirkeandhislambs。Andthere'snosayinghowKirkemightactdidhechancetolearnwhatRichardfailedtodothatnightwhenhewaslefttoguardtherearatNewlington's！"
　　"Wouldyouinformhimofit？"criedRichard,betweenangerandalarm。
　　Blakethrustouthishandsinagestureofhorrifiedrepudiation。
　　"Richard！"hecriedindeepreproofandagain,"Richard！"
　　"Whatothertonguehashetofear？"askedRuth。"AmItheonlyonewhoknowsofit？"criedBlake。"Oh,madam,whywillyoueverdomesuchinjustice？Richardhasbeenmyfriend—mydearestfriend。Iwishhimsotocontinue,andIswearthatheshallfindmehis,asyoushallfindmeyours。
　　"ItisaboonIcoulddispensewith,"sheassuredhim,androse。"Thistalkcanprofitlittle,SirRowland,"saidshe。"Youseektobargain。"
　　"Youshallseehowunjustyouare,"hecriedwithdeepsorrow。"Itisbutfitting,perhaps,afterwhathaspassed。Itismypunishment。Butyoushallcometoacknowledgethatyouhavedonemewrong。YoushallseehowIshallbefriendandprotecthim。"
　　Thatsaid,hetookhisleaveandwent,butheleftbehindhimashrewdseedoffearinRichard'smind,andofthegrowththatsprangfromitRichardalmostunconsciouslytransplantedsomethinginthedaysthatfollowedintotheheartofRuth。Asaresult,tomakesurethatnoharmshouldcometoherbrother,thelastofhisnameandrace,sheresolvedtoreceiveSirRowland,resolvedinspiteofDiana'soutspokenscorn,inspiteofRichard'sprotests—forthoughafraid,yethewouldnothaveitso—inspiteevenofherowndeeprepugnanceoftheman。
　　Dayspassedandgrewtoweeks。Bridgwaterwassettlingdowntopeaceagain—topeaceandmourning;theRoyalistscourgehadspreadtoTaunton,andBlakelingeredonatLuptonHouse,anunwelcomebutanundeniableguest。
　　HispresencewasasdetestabletoRichardnowasitwastoRuth,forRichardhadtosubmittothemockerywithwhichthetownrakelashedhisgodlybearingandalteredways。Morethanonceingustsofsuddenvalourtheboyurgedhissistertopermithimtodrivethebaronetfromthehouseandlethimdohisworst。ButRuth,afraidforRichard,badehimwaituntilthetimesweremoresettled。Whentheroyalvengeancehadslakeditslustforblooditmightmatterlittle,perhaps,whattalesSirRowlandmightelecttocarry。
　　AndsoSirRowlandremainedandwaited。Heassuredhimselfthatheknewhowtobepatient,andcongratulatedhimselfuponthatcircumstance。
　　Wildingdead,alittletimemustnowsufficetobluntthesharpedgeofhiswidow'sgrief;lethimbutawaitthattime,andtherestshouldbeeasy,thebattlehis。WithRichardhedidnotsomuchastroublehimselftoreckon。
　　Thushedetermined,andthusnodoubthewouldhaveactedbutforanunforeseencontingency。Amiserable,paltrycreditorhadsmokedhimoutinhisSomersetretreat,andgotalettertohimfullofdarkhintsofadebtor'sgaol。Thefellow'snamewasSwiney,andSirRowlandknewhimforfierceandpertinaciouswhereadefaultingcreditorwasconcerned。
　　Oneonlycourseremainedhim:toforcematterswithWilding'swidow。
　　Fordaysherefrained,fearingthatprecipitancymightlosehimall;itwashiswishtodothethingwithouttoomuchcoercion;some,hewasnotcoxcombenoughtothink—coxcombthoughhewas—mightbedispensedwith。
　　AtlastoneSundayeveninghedecidedtobedonewithdallying,andtobringRuthbetweenthehammerandtheanvilofhiswill。ItwasthelastSundayinJuly,exactlythreeweeksafterSedgemoor,andtheoddcoincidenceofhishavingchosensuchadayandhouryoushallappreciateanon。
　　Theywereonthelawntakingthecooloftheeveningafteranoppressivelyhotday。Bythestoneseat,nowoccupiedbyLadyHortonandDiana,Richardlayontheswardattheirfeetintalkwiththem,andtheirtalkwasofSirRowland。Diana—gallinhersoultoseethebaronetbywayofgainingyethisends—chidRichardinstrongtermsforhisweaknessinsubmittingtoBlake'sconstantpresenceatLuptonHouse。AndRichardmeeklytookherchidingandpromisedthat,ifRuthwouldbutsanctionit,thingsshouldbechangeduponthemorrow。
　　SirRowland,allunconscious—reckless,indeed—ofthis,saunteredwithRuthsomelittledistancefromthem,havingcontrivedadroitlytodrawheraside。Hebrokeaspellofsilencewithadoloroussigh。
　　"Ruth,"saidhepensively,"ImindmeofthelasteveningonwhichyouandIwalkedherealone。"
　　Sheflashedhimaglanceoffearandaversion,andstoodstill。Underhisbrowhewatchedthequickheaveofherbosom,thesuddenflowandabidingebbofbloodinherface—grownnowsothinandwistful—andherealizedthatbeforehimlaynoeasytask。Hesethisteethforbattle。
　　"Willyouneverhaveakindnessforme,Ruth？"hesighed。
　　Sheturnedabout,herintenttojointheothers,adullangerinhersoul。Hesatahanduponherarm。"Wait！"saidhe,andthetoneinwhichheutteredthatonewordkeptherbesidehim。Hismannerchangedalittle。"Iamtiredofthis,"saidhe。
　　"Why,soamI,"sheansweredbitterly。
　　"Sinceweareagreedsofar,letusagreetoendit。"
　　"ItisallIask。"
　　"Yes,but—alas！—inadifferentway。Listennow。"
　　"Iwillnotlisten。Letmego。
　　"IwereyourenemydidIdoso,foryouwouldknowhereafterasorrowandrepentanceforwhichnothingshortofdeathcouldofferyouescape。
　　Richardisundersuspicion。"
　　"Doyouharkbacktothat？"Thescornofhervoicewasdeadly。Haditbeenherselfhedesired,surelythattonehadquenchedallpassioninhim,orelsetransformeditintohatred。ButBlakewasplayingforafortune,forshelterfromadebtor'sprison。
　　"Ithasbecomeknown,"hecontinued,"thatRichardwasoneoftheearlyplotterswhopavedthewayforMonmouth'scoming。Ithinkthatthat,inconjunctionwithhisbetrayalofhistrustthatnightatNewlington's,therebycausingthedeathofsometwentygallantfellowsofKingJames's,willbeenoughtohanghim。"
　　Herhandclutchedatherheart。"Whatis'tyouseek？"shecried。Itwasalmostamoan。"Whatis'tyouwantofme？"
　　"Yourself,"saidhe。"Iloveyou,Ruth,"headded,andsteppedcloseuptoher。
　　"0God！"shecriedaloud。"HadIamanathandtokillyouforthatinsult！"
　　Andthen—miracleofmiracles！—avoicefromtheshrubsbywhichtheystoodboretoherearsthestartlingwordsthattoldherherprayerwasansweredthereandthen。
　　"Madam,thatmanishere。"
　　Shestoodfrozen。NotmoreofastatuewasLot'swifeinthemomentoflookingbehindherthanshewhodarednotlookbehind。Thatvoice！A
　　voicefromthedead,avoiceshehadheardforthelasttimeinthecottagethatwasFeversham'slodgingatWestonZoyland。HerwildeyesfelluponSirRowland'sface。Itshowedlivid;thenether—lipsuckedinandcaughtinthestrongteeth,asiftopreventanoutcry;theeyeswildwithfright。Whatdiditmean？Byaneffortshewrenchedherselfroundatlast,andascreambrokefromhertorouseheraunt,hercousin,andherbrother,andbringthemhasteningtowardsheracrossthesweepoflawn。
　　Beforeher,ontheedgeoftheshrubbery,agreyfigurestooderectandgraceful,andtheface,withitsthinlipsfaintlysmiling,itsdarkeyesg1eaming,wasthefaceofAnthonyWilding。Andasshestaredhemovedforward,andsheheardthefallofhisfootupontheturf,theclinkofhisspurs,theswishofhisscabbardagainsttheshrubs,andreasontoldherthatthiswasnoghost。
　　Sheheldoutherarmstohim。"Anthony！Anthony！"Shestaggeredforward,andhewasnomorethanintimetocatchherassheswayed。
　　Heheldherfastagainsth:mandkissedherbrow。"Sweet,"hesaid,"forgivemethatIfrightenedyou。Icamebytheorchardgate,andmycomingwassotimelythatIcouldnotholdinmyanswertoyourcry。"
　　Hereyelidsfluttered,shedrewalongsighingbreath,andnestledclosertohim。"Anthony！"shemurmuredagain,andreachedupahandtostrokehisface,tofeelthatitwastrulylivingflesh。
　　AndSirRowland,realizing,too,bynowthatherewasnoghost,recoveredhislostcourage。Heputahandtohissword,thenwithdrewit,leavingtheweaponsheathed。Herewasahangman'sjob,notaswordsman's,heopined—andwisely,forhehadhadearlierexperienceofMr。Wilding'splayofsteel。
　　Headvancedastep。"0fool！"hesnarled。"Thehangmanwaitsforyou。"
　　"Andacreditorforyou,SirRowland,"camethevoiceofMr。Trenchard,whonowpushedforwardthroughthosesameshrubsthathadmaskedhisfriend'sapproach。"AMr。Swiney。`TwasIsenthimfromtown。He'slodgedattheBull,andbellowslikeonewhenhespeaksofwhatyouowehim。Therearethreemessengerswithhim,andtheytellofadebtor'sgaolforyou,sweetheart。"
　　AspasmoffurycrossedthefaceofBlake。"Theymayhaveme,andwelcome,whenI'vetoldmytale,"saidhe。"LetmebuttellofAnthonyWilding'slurkinghere,andnotonlyAnthonyWilding,butalltherestofyouaredoomedforharbouringhim。Youknowthelaw,Ithink,"hemockedthem,forLadyHorton,Diana,andRichard,whohadcomeup,stoodnowapaceorsoawayindeepestwonder。"Youshallknowitbetterbeforethenightisout,andbetterstillbeforenextSunday'scome。"
　　"Tush！"saidTrenchard,andquoted,"`There'snonebutAnthonymayconquerAnthony。'"
　　"`Tisclear,"saidWilding,"youtakemeforarebel。Anoddmistake！
　　Foritchances,SirRowland,thatyoubeholdinmeanaccreditedservantoftheSecretaryofState。"
　　Blakestared,thenfellapreytoironiclaughter。Hewouldhavespoken,butMr。Wildingpluckedapaperfromhispocket,andhandedittoTrenchard。
　　"Showithim,"saidhe,andBlake'sfacegrewwhiteagainashereadthelinesaboveSunderland'ssignatureandobservedthesealsofoffice。HelookedfromthepapertothehatedsmilingfaceofMr。Wilding。
　　"Youwereaspy？"hesaid,histonemakingaquestionoftheodiousstatement。"Adirtyspy？"
　　"Yourincredulityisflattering,atleast,"saidWildingpleasantlyasherepocketedtheparchment,"anditleadsyouintherightdirection。
　　Ineitherwasnoramaspy。"
　　"Thatpaperprovesit！"criedBlakecontemptuously。Havingbeenaspyhimself,'hewasagoodjudgeofthevilenessoftheoffice。
　　"Seetomywife,Nick,"saidWildingsharply,andmadeasiftotransferhertothecareofhisfriend。
　　"Nay,"saidTrenchard,"`tisyourowndutythat。Letmedischargetheotherforyou。"AndhesteppeduptoBlakeandtappedhimbrisklyontheshoulder。"SirRowland,"saidhe,"you'reaknave。"SirRowlandstaredathim。"You'reafoulthing—amuckworm—SirRowland,"addedTrenchardamiably,"andyou'vebeendiscourteoustoalady,forwhichmayHeavenforgiveyou—Ican't。"
　　"Standaside,"Blakebadehim,hoarsewithpassion,blindtoallrisks。
　　"MyaffairiswithMr。Wilding。"
　　"Aye,"saidTrenchard,"butmineiswithyou。Ifyousurviveit,youcansettlewhatotheraffairsyouplease—including,belike,yourbusinesswithMr。Swiney。"
　　"Notso,Nick,"saidWildingsuddenly,andturnedtoRichard。"Here,Richard！Takeher,"hebadehisbrother—in—law。
　　"Anthony,youdamnedshirk—duty,seetoyourwife。Leavemetomyowndiversions。SirRowland,"heremindedthebaronet,"Ihavecalledyouaknaveandafoulthing,andfaith！ifyouwantitproven,youneedbutstepdowntheorchardwithme。"
　　HesawhesitationlingeringinSirRowland'sface,andheuncurledthelastofthewhiphecarried。"I'dgrievetodoaviolentthingbeforetheladies,"hemurmureddeprecatingly。"I'dneverrespectmyselfagainifIhadtodriveagentlemanofyourqualitytothegroundofhonourwithahorsewhip。But,asGod'smylife,ifyoudon'tgowillinglythisinstant,`tiswhatwillhappen。"
　　Richard'snewbornrighteousnesspromptedhimtointerfere,toseektoavertthisthreatenedbloodshed;hishumanityurgedhimtoletmattersbe,andhishumanityprevailed。Dianawatchedthisforeshadowingoftragedywithtightlips,palecheeks。Justicewastobedoneatlast,itseemed,andasherfrightenedeyefelluponSirRowlandsheknewnotwhethertoexultorweep。Hermother—understandingnothing—
　　pliedhermeanwhilewithwhisperedquestions。
　　AsforSirRowland,helookedintotheoldrake'seyesagleamwithwickedmirth,andragewelleduptochokehim。Hemustkillthisman。
　　"Come,"saidhe。"I'llseetoyourfinefriendWildingafterwards。"
　　"Excellent,"saidTrenchard,andledthewaythroughtheshrubberytotheorchard。
　　Ruth,reviving,lookedup。HerglancemetMr。Wilding's;itquickenedintounderstanding,andshestirred。"Isittrue？Isitreallytrue？"
　　shecried。"Iambeingtorturedbythisdreamagain！"
　　"Nay,sweet,itistrue;itistrue。Iamhere。Say,shallIstay？"
　　Sheclungtohimforanswer。"Andyouareinnodanger？"
　　"Innone,sweet。IamMr。WildingofZoylandChase,freetocomeandgoasbestshallseemtome。Hebeggedtheotherstoleavethemalittlewhile,andheledhertothestoneseatbytheriver。Hesetherathissidethereandtoldherthestoryofhisescapefromthefiring—party,andoftheinspirationthathadcometohimonthemorrowtomakeuseoftheletterinhisbootwhichSunderlandhadgivenhimforMonmouthinthehourofpanic。Monmouth'scavaliertreatmentofhimwhenhehadarrivedinBridgwaterhadprecludedhisdeliveringthatletteratthecouncil。Therewasneveranotheropportunity,nordidheagainthinkofthepackageinthestressfulhoursthatfollowed。Itwasnotuntilthefollowingmorningthathesuddenlyremembereditlayundelivered,andbethoughthimthatitmightproveaweapontowinhimdeliveryfromthedangersthatencompassedhim。
　　"Itwasaslenderchance,"hetoldher,"butIemployedit。IwaitedinLondon,inhiding,closeuponafortnightereIhadanopportunityofseeingSunderland。Helaughedmetoscornatfirst,andthreatenedmewiththeTower。ButItoldhimtheletterwasinsafehandsandwouldremainthereinearnestofhisgoodbehaviour,andthatdidhehavemearresteditwouldinstantlybelaidbeforetheKingandbringhisownheadtotheblockmoresurelyeventhanmyown。Itfrightenedhim;butithadscarcelydoneso,sweet,hadheknownthatthatpreciousletterwasstillinmyboot,formybootwasonmyleg,andmylegwasintheroomwiththerestofme。
　　"Hesurrenderedatlast,andgavemepapersprovingthatTrenchardandI—forIstipulatedforoldNick'ssafetytoo—wereHisMajesty'saccreditedagentsintheWest。Iloathedthetitle。But……"—hespreadhishandsandsmiled—"itwasthatorwidowingyou。"
　　Shetookhisfaceinherhandsandstrokeditfondly,andtheysatthusuntiladrycoughbehindthemrousedthemfromtheirjoyoussilence。Mr。Trenchardwassaunteringtowardsthem,hislefteyetuckedfartherunderhishatthanusual,hishandsbehindhim。
　　"`Tisathirstyevening,"heinformedthem。
　　"Go,tellRichardso,"saidWilding,whoknewnaughtofRichard'salteredways。
　　"I'vethoughtofit;buthaplyhe'ssensitiveonthescoreofdrinkingwithmeagain。Hehasdoneittwicetohisundoing。"
　　"He'lldoitathirdtime,nodoubt,"saidMr。Wildingcurtly,andTrenchard,takingthehint,turnedwithashrug,andwentupthelawntowardsthehouse。HefoundRichardintheporch,wherehehadlingeredfearfully,waitingfornews。AtsightofMr。Trenchard'sgrim,weather—beatencountenancehecameforwardsuddenly。
　　"Howhasitsped？"heasked,hislipstwitchingonthewords。
　　"Yondertheysit,"saidTrenchard,pointingdownthelawn。
　　"No,no。Imean……SirRowland。"
　　"Oh,SirRowland？"criedtheoldsinner,asthoughSirRowlandweresomematterlongforgotten。Hesighed。"Alas,poorSwiney！IfearI'vecheatedhim。"
　　"Youmean？"
　　"Artslowatinference,Dick。SirRowlandhaspassedawayintheodourofvillainy。"
　　Richardclaspednervoushandstogetherandraisedhiscolourlesseyestoheaven。
　　"MaytheLordhavemercyonhissoul！"saidhe。
　　"MayHe,indeed！"saidTrenchard,whenhehadrecoveredfromhissurprise。"But,"headdedpessimistically,"Idoubttherogue'sinhell。"
　　Richard'seyeskindledsuddenly,andhequotedfromthethirtiethPsalm,"`Iwillextolthee,0Lord;forThouhastliftedmeup,andhastnotmademyfoestorejoiceoverme。'"
　　Dumbfounded,wondering,indeed,wasWestmacott'smindunhinged,Trenchardscannedhimnarrowly。Richardcaughttheglanceandmisinterpreteditforoneofreproof。Hebethoughthimthathisjoywasunrighteous。Hestifledit,andforcedhislipstosigh"PoorBlake！"
　　"Poor,indeed！"quothTrenchard,andadaptedarememberedlineofhisplay—actingdaystosuitthecase。"Thetearsliveinanonionthatshallwaterhisgrave。Though,perhaps,IamforgettingSwiney。"Then,inabriskertone,"Come,Richard。WhatlikeisthemuscadineyoukeepatLuptonHouse？"
　　"Ihaveabjuredallwine,"saidRichard。
　　"Aplagueyouhave！"quothTrenchard,understandinglessandless。
　　"HaveyouturnedMussuman,perchance？"
　　"No,"answeredRichardsternly;"Christian。"
　　Trenchardhesitated,rubbinghisnosethoughtfully。"Hum,"saidheatlength。"Peacebewithyou,then。I'llleaveyouheretobaythemoontoyourheart'scontent。PerhapsJasperwillknowwheretofindmeabrain—wash。"Andwithafinalsuspicious,wonderinglookatthewhilombibber,hepassedintothehouse,muchexercisedonthescoreofthesanityofthisfamilyintowhichhisfriendAnthonyhadmarried。
　　Outside,thetwilightshadowsweredeepening。
　　"Shallwehome,sweet？"whisperedMr。Wilding。Theshadowsbefriendedher,aveilforhersuddenconfusion。Shebreathedsomethingthatseemednomorethanasigh,thoughmoreitseemedtoAnthonyWilding。