Part 30 (1/2)
”A uilty,” replied the priest ”He norant of its true scope So it ith me I did decoy your father to his death; but as Heaven sees us in this sacred place, I knew not what I did”
”It e web ye have woven, that I should be, at this hour, at once your prisoner and your judge; that ye should both threaten er Methinks, if ye had been all your life a true ood priest, ye would neither thus fear nor thus detest me And now to your prayers I do obey you, since needs must; but I will not be burthened with your coh so heavy that it had almost touched the lad into some sentiment of pity, and he bowed his head upon his hands like a er in the psalers and the prayers a-pattering between his teeth
Yet a little, and the grey of the h the painted caselihtened, and presently through the south-eastern clerestories a flush of rosy sunlight flickered on the walls The storreat clouds had disburdened their snow and fled farther on, and the new day was breaking on a merry winter landscape sheathed in white
A bustle of church officers followed; the bier was carried forth to the deadhouse, and the stains of blood were cleansed frorace the e of Lord Shoreby At the saed all night began to put onfaces, to do honour to the merrier ceremony which was about to follow And further to announce the coan to assemble and fall to prayer before their favourite shrines, or wait their turn at the confessionals
Favoured by this stir, it was of course easily possible for any ilance of Sir Daniel's sentries at the door; and presently dick, looking about hiht the eye of no less a person than Will Lawless, still in his nised his leader, and privily signed to hi forgiven the old rogue his most untimely drunkenness, but he had no desire to involve hinalled back to hih he had understood, disappeared at once behind a pillar, and dick breathed again
What, then, was his dismay to feel himself plucked by the sleeve and to find the old robber installed beside hied in his devotions!
Instantly Sir Oliver arose fro behind the stalls, made for the soldiers in the aisle If the priest's suspicions had been so lightly wakened, the harm was already done, and Lawless a prisoner in the church
”Move not,” whispered dick ”We are in the plaguiest pass, thanks, before all things, to thy swinishness of yestereven When ye saw ht nor interest, what a one froht ye had heard from Ellis, and were here on duty”
”Ellis!” echoed dick ”Is Ellis, then, returned?
”For sure,” replied the outlaw ”He ca in wine--so there ye are avenged, my master A furious man is Ellis Duckworth! He hath ridden e; and, Master dick, ye know the way of him--do so he will!”
”Nay, then,” returned dick, with composure, ”you and I, my poor brother, are dead men; for I sit here a prisoner upon suspicion, and e that he purposeth to mar I had a fair choice, by the rood! to lose my sweetheart or else lose my life! Well, the cast is thrown--it is to be , ”I aone!”
But dick had his hand at once upon his shoulder
”Friend Lawless, sit ye still,” he said ”An ye have eyes, look yonder at the corner by the chancel arch; see ye not that, even upon the , yon armed men are up and ready to intercept you? Yield ye, friend Ye were bold aboard shi+p, when ye thought to die a sea-death; be bold again, now that y' are to die presently upon the gallows”
”Master dick,” gasped Lawless, ”the thing hath coive ain; and, by the mass, I will be as stout-hearted as yourself”
”Here is oes hard against the grain with , wherefore whine?”
”Nay, that indeed!” chi for death, at worst! It has to be done, ood quarrel is an easy death, they say, though I could never hear of any that ca, the stout old rascal leaned back in his stall, folded his arreatest air of insolence and unconcern
”And for the matter of that,” dick added, ”it is yet our best chance to keep quiet We wot not yet what Duckworth purposes; and when all is said, and if the worst befall, we may yet clear our feet of it”
Now that they ceased talking, they were aware of a very distant and thin strain of mirthful music which steadily drew nearer, louder, and an to break forth into a doubling peal, and a greater and greater concourse of people to crowd into the church, shuffling the snow fro in their hands The western door was flung wide open, showing a gliust the shrewd air of the n that Lord Shoreby desired to be -train was drawing near
Soe down thethe people back with lance-stocks; and just then, outside the portal, the secularnear over the frozen snow, the fifers and tru, the druer
These, as they drew near the door of the sacred building, filed off on either side, and,in the snow As they thus opened their ranks, the leaders of this noble bridal train appeared behind and between theaiety of their attire, such the display of silks and velvet, fur and satin, embroidery and lace, that the procession showed forth upon the snow like a flower-bed in a path or a paintedin a wall