CHAPTER XVIII. Then are the harpies gone-Yet ere we perch Agamemnon. THE embassy of Wildrake had been successful, chiefly through the mediation of the Episcopal divine, whom we formerly found acting in the character of chaplain to the family, and whose voice had great influence on many accounts with its master. A little before high noon, Sir Henry Lee, with his small household was again in unchallenged possession of their old apartments at the Lodge of Woodstock; and the combined exertions of Joceline Jolliffe, of Phoebe, and of old Joan, were employed in putting to rights what the late intruders had left in great disorder. Sir Henry Lee had, like all persons of quality of that period, a love of order amounting to precision, and felt, like a fine lady whose dress has been disordered in a crowd, insulted and humiliated by the rude confusion into which his household goods had been thrown, and impatient till his mansion had been purified from all marks of intrusion. In his anger he uttered more orders than the limited number of his domestics were likely to find time or hands to execute. "The villains have left such sulphureous steams behind them, too," said the old knight, as if old Davie Leslie and the whole Scotch army had quartered among them." "It may be near as bad," said Joceline, “for men say, for certain, it was the Devil came down bodily among them, and made them troop off." "Then," said the knight, "is the Prince of Darkness a gentleman, as old Will Shakspeare says. He never interferes with those of his own coat, for the Lees have been here, father and son, these five hundred years, without disquiet; and no sooner came these misbegotten churls, than he plays his own part among them." "Well, one thing he and they have left us," said Jolliffe, "which we may thank them for; and that is, such a well-filled larder and buttery as has been seldom seen in Woodstock Lodge this many a day; -carcases of mutton, large rounds of beef, barrels of confectioners' ware, pipes and runlets of sack, muscadine, ale, and what not. We shall have a royal time on't through half the winter; and Joan must get to salting and pickling presently." "Out, villain!" said the knight;" are we to feed on the fragments of such scum of the earth as these? -Cast them forth instantly!-Nay," checking himself, "that were a sin; but give them to the poor, or see them sent to the owners.-And, hark ye, I will none of their strong liquors-I would rather drink like a hermit all my life, than seem to pledge scoundrels as these in their leavings, like a miserable drawer, who drains off the ends of the bottles after the guests have paid their reckoning, and gone off.-And, hark ye, I will taste no water from the cistern out of which these slaves have been serving themselves-fetch me down a pitcher from Rosamond's spring." Alice heard this injunction, and well guessing there was enough for the other members of the family to do, she quietly took a small pitcher, and flinging a cloak around her, walked out in person to procure Sir Henry the water which he desired. Meantime, Joceline said, with some hesitation, "that there was a man still remained, belonging to the party of these strangers, who was directing about VOL. 1-24 the removal of some trunks and mails which belonged to the Commissioners, and who could receive his honour's commands about the provisions." "Let him come hither."-(The dialogue was held in the hall.)-"Why do you hesitate, and drumble in that manner?" "Only, sir," said Joceline, "only perhaps your honour might not wish to see him, being the same who, on the night before last" He paused. "Sent my rapier a hawking through the firmament, thou would'st say?-Why, when did I take spleen at a man for standing his ground against me? Roundhead as he is, man, I like him the better of that, not the worse. I hunger and thirst to have another turn with him. I have thought on his passado ever since, and I believe, were it to try again, I know a feat would control it.-Fetch him directly." Trusty Tomkins was presently ushered in, bearing himself with an iron gravity, which neither the terrors of the preceding night, nor the dignified demeanour of the high-born personage before whom he stood, were able for an instant to overcome. "How now, good fellow?" said Sir Henry; “I would fain see something more of thy fence, which baffled me the other evening-but truly, I think the light was somewhat too faint for my old eyes-Take a foil, man-I walk here in the hall, as Hamlet says; and 'tis the breathing-time of day with me— Take a foil then in thy hand." "Since it is your worship's desire," said the steward, letting fall his long cloak, and taking the foil in his hand. "Now," said the knight, " if your fitness speaks, mine is ready. Methinks the very stepping on this same old pavement hath charmed away the gout which threatened me.-Sa-sa-I tread as firm as a game-cock." They began the play with great spirit; and whether the old knight really fought more coolly with the blunt than with the sharp weapon, or whether the steward gave him some grains of advantage in this merely sportive encounter, it is certain Sir Henry had the better in the assault. His success put him into excellent humour. "There," said he, "I found your trick,-nay, you cheat me not twice the same way-There was a very palpable hit-Why, had I had but light enough the other night-But it skills not speaking of it-Here we leave off; I must not fight, as we unwise cavaliers did with you roundhead rascals, beating you so often that we taught you to beat us at last. And good now, tell me why you are leaving your larder so full here ?--Do you think I or my family can use broken victuals?-What, have you no better employment for your rounds of sequestrated beef than to leave them behind you when you shift your quarters?" "So please your honour," said Tomkins, "it may be that you desire not the flesh of beeves, of rams, or of goats. Nevertheless, when you know that the provisions were provided and paid for out of your own rents and stock at Ditchley, sequestrated to the use of the state more than a year since, it may be you will have less scruple to use them for your own behoof." "Rest assured that I shall," said Sir Henry; "and glad you have helped me to a share of mine own. Certainly I was an ass to suspect your masters of subsisting, save at honest men's expense." "And as for the rumps of beeves," continued Tomkins, with the same solemnity, "there is a rump at Westminster, which will stand us of the army much hacking and hewing yet, ere it is discussed to our mind.' Sir Henry paused, as if to consider what was the meaning of this inuendo; for he was not a person of very quick apprehension. But having at length caught the meaning of it, he burst into an explosion of louder laughter than Joceline had seen him indulge in for a good while. "Right, knave," he said, "I taste thy jest-It is the very moral of the puppet-show. Faustus raised the devil, as the Parliament raised the army-and then, as the devil flies away with Faustus, so will the army fly away with the Parliament or the rump, as thou call'st it, or sitting part of the socalled Parliament.-And then, look you, friend, the very devil of all hath my willing consent to fly away with the army in its turn, from the highest general down to the lowest drum-boy.-Nay, never look fierce for the matter; remember there is daylight enough now for a game at sharps." Trusty Tomkins appeared to think it best to suppress his displeasure; and observing, that the wains were ready to transport the Commissioners' property to the borough, took a grave leave of Sir Henry Lee. Meantime the old man continued to pace his recovered hall, rubbing his hands, and evincing greater signs of glee than he had shown since the fatal 30th of January. "Here we are again in the old frank, Jolliffewell victualled too. How the knave solved my point of conscience!-the dullest of them is a special casuist where the question concerns profit. Look out if there are not some of our own ragged regiment lurking about, to whom a bellyful would be a God-send, Joceline-Then his fence, Jocelinethough the fellow foins well-very sufficient wellBut thou saw'st how I dealt with him when I had fitting light, Joceline." |