R. D. Blackmore - Lorna Doone

R >> R. D. Blackmore >> Lorna Doone

Pages:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58

"If that is thy way of using opportunity," said Spank, looking at me
with some contempt, "thou wilt never thrive in these times, my lad. Even
the Lord Chief Justice can be little help to thee; unless thou knowest
better than that how to help thyself."

It mattered not to me. The word "approver" stuck in my gorge, as used
by the Lord Chief Justice; for we looked upon an approver as a very low
thing indeed. I would rather pay for every breakfast, and even every
dinner, eaten by me since here I came, than take money as an approver.
And indeed I was much disappointed at being taken in that light, having
understood that I was sent for as a trusty subject, and humble friend of
His Majesty.

In the morning I met Mr. Spank waiting for me at the entrance, and very
desirous to see me. I showed him my bill, made out in fair copy, and
he laughed at it, and said, "Take it twice over, Master Ridd; once for
thine own sake, and once for His Majesty's; as all his loyal tradesmen
do, when they can get any. His Majesty knows and is proud of it, for
it shows their love of his countenance; and he says, '_bis dat qui cito
dat_,' then how can I grumble at giving twice, when I give so slowly?"

"Nay, I will take it but once," I said; "if His Majesty loves to be
robbed, he need not lack of his desire, while the Spanks are sixteen in
family."

The clerk smiled cheerfully at this, being proud of his children's
ability; and then having paid my account, he whispered,--

"He is all alone this morning, John, and in rare good humour. He hath
been promised the handling of poor Master Algernon Sidney, and he
says he will soon make republic of him; for his state shall shortly be
headless. He is chuckling over his joke, like a pig with a nut; and that
always makes him pleasant. John Ridd, my lord!" With that he swung up
the curtain bravely, and according to special orders, I stood, face to
face, and alone with Judge Jeffreys.

[Illustration: 212.jpg Tailpiece]

CHAPTER XXVI

JOHN IS DRAINED AND CAST ASIDE

[Illustration: 213.jpg His Lordship busy with letters]

His lordship was busy with some letters, and did not look up for a
minute or two, although he knew that I was there. Meanwhile I stood
waiting to make my bow; afraid to begin upon him, and wondering at his
great bull-head. Then he closed his letters, well-pleased with their
import, and fixed his bold broad stare on me, as if I were an oyster
opened, and he would know how fresh I was.

"May it please your worship," I said, "here I am according to order,
awaiting your good pleasure."

"Thou art made to weight, John, more than order. How much dost thou tip
the scales to?"

"Only twelvescore pounds, my lord, when I be in wrestling trim. And sure
I must have lost weight here, fretting so long in London."

"Ha, ha! Much fret is there in thee! Hath His Majesty seen thee?"

"Yes, my lord, twice or even thrice; and he made some jest concerning
me."

"A very bad one, I doubt not. His humour is not so dainty as mine, but
apt to be coarse and unmannerly. Now John, or Jack, by the look of thee,
thou art more used to be called."

"Yes, your worship, when I am with old Molly and Betty Muxworthy."

"Peace, thou forward varlet! There is a deal too much of thee. We shall
have to try short commons with thee, and thou art a very long common.
Ha, ha! Where is that rogue Spank? Spank must hear that by-and-by. It is
beyond thy great thick head, Jack."

"Not so, my lord; I have been at school, and had very bad jokes made
upon me."

"Ha, ha! It hath hit thee hard. And faith, it would be hard to miss
thee, even with harpoon. And thou lookest like to blubber, now. Capital,
in faith! I have thee on every side, Jack, and thy sides are manifold;
many-folded at any rate. Thou shalt have double expenses, Jack, for the
wit thou hast provoked in me."

"Heavy goods lack heavy payment, is a proverb down our way, my lord."

"Ah, I hurt thee, I hurt thee, Jack. The harpoon hath no tickle for
thee. Now, Jack Whale, having hauled thee hard, we will proceed to
examine thee." Here all his manner was changed, and he looked with his
heavy brows bent upon me, as if he had never laughed in his life, and
would allow none else to do so.

"I am ready to answer, my lord," I replied, "if he asks me nought beyond
my knowledge, or beyond my honour."

"Hadst better answer me everything, lump. What hast thou to do with
honour? Now is there in thy neighbourhood a certain nest of robbers,
miscreants, and outlaws, whom all men fear to handle?"

"Yes, my lord. At least, I believe some of them be robbers, and all of
them are outlaws."

"And what is your high sheriff about, that he doth not hang them all? Or
send them up for me to hang, without more to do about them?"

"I reckon that he is afraid, my lord; it is not safe to meddle with
them. They are of good birth, and reckless; and their place is very
strong."

"Good birth! What was Lord Russell of, Lord Essex, and this Sidney? 'Tis
the surest heirship to the block to be the chip of a good one. What is
the name of this pestilent race, and how many of them are there?"

"They are the Doones of Bagworthy forest, may it please your worship.
And we reckon there be about forty of them, beside the women and
children."

"Forty Doones, all forty thieves! and women and children! Thunder of
God! How long have they been there then?"

"They may have been there thirty years, my lord; and indeed they may
have been forty. Before the great war broke out they came, longer back
than I can remember."

"Ay, long before thou wast born, John. Good, thou speakest plainly.
Woe betide a liar, whenso I get hold of him. Ye want me on the Western
Circuit; by God, and ye shall have me, when London traitors are spun and
swung. There is a family called De Whichehalse living very nigh thee,
John?"

This he said in a sudden manner, as if to take me off my guard, and
fixed his great thick eyes on me. And in truth I was much astonished.

"Yes, my lord, there is. At least, not so very far from us. Baron de
Whichehalse, of Ley Manor."

"Baron, ha! of the Exchequer--eh, lad? And taketh dues instead of His
Majesty. Somewhat which halts there ought to come a little further, I
trow. It shall be seen to, as well as the witch which makes it so to
halt. Riotous knaves in West England, drunken outlaws, you shall dance,
if ever I play pipe for you. John Ridd, I will come to Oare parish, and
rout out the Oare of Babylon."

"Although your worship is so learned," I answered seeing that now he
was beginning to make things uneasy; "your worship, though being Chief
Justice, does little justice to us. We are downright good and loyal
folk; and I have not seen, since here I came to this great town of
London, any who may better us, or even come anigh us, in honesty, and
goodness, and duty to our neighbours. For we are very quiet folk, not
prating our own virtues--"

"Enough, good John, enough! Knowest thou not that modesty is the
maidenhood of virtue, lost even by her own approval? Now hast thou ever
heard or thought that De Whichehalse is in league with the Doones of
Bagworthy?"

Saying these words rather slowly, he skewered his great eyes into mine,
so that I could not think at all, neither look at him, nor yet away.
The idea was so new to me that it set my wits all wandering; and looking
into me, he saw that I was groping for the truth.

"John Ridd, thine eyes are enough for me. I see thou hast never dreamed
of it. Now hast thou ever seen a man whose name is Thomas Faggus?"

"Yes, sir, many and many a time. He is my own worthy cousin; and I fear
he that hath intentions"--here I stopped, having no right there to speak
about our Annie.

"Tom Faggus is a good man," he said; and his great square face had a
smile which showed me he had met my cousin; "Master Faggus hath made
mistakes as to the title to property, as lawyers oftentimes may do; but
take him all for all, he is a thoroughly straightforward man; presents
his bill, and has it paid, and makes no charge for drawing it.
Nevertheless, we must tax his costs, as of any other solicitor."

"To be sure, to be sure, my lord!" was all that I could say, not
understanding what all this meant.

"I fear he will come to the gallows," said the Lord Chief Justice,
sinking his voice below the echoes; "tell him this from me, Jack. He
shall never be condemned before me; but I cannot be everywhere, and some
of our Justices may keep short memory of his dinners. Tell him to change
his name, turn parson, or do something else, to make it wrong to hang
him. Parson is the best thing, he hath such command of features, and he
might take his tithes on horseback. Now a few more things, John Ridd;
and for the present I have done with thee."

All my heart leaped up at this, to get away from London so: and yet I
could hardly trust to it.

"Is there any sound round your way of disaffection to His Majesty, His
most gracious Majesty?"

"No, my lord: no sign whatever. We pray for him in church perhaps,
and we talk about him afterwards, hoping it may do him good, as it is
intended. But after that we have naught to say, not knowing much about
him--at least till I get home again."

"That is as it should be, John. And the less you say the better. But I
have heard of things in Taunton, and even nearer to you in Dulverton,
and even nigher still upon Exmoor; things which are of the pillory
kind, and even more of the gallows. I see that you know naught of them.
Nevertheless, it will not be long before all England hears of them. Now,
John, I have taken a liking to thee, for never man told me the truth,
without fear or favour, more thoroughly and truly than thou hast done.
Keep thou clear of this, my son. It will come to nothing; yet many shall
swing high for it. Even I could not save thee, John Ridd, if thou wert
mixed in this affair. Keep from the Doones, keep from De Whichehalse,
keep from everything which leads beyond the sight of thy knowledge. I
meant to use thee as my tool; but I see thou art too honest and simple.
I will send a sharper down; but never let me find thee, John, either a
tool for the other side, or a tube for my words to pass through."

Here the Lord Justice gave me such a glare that I wished myself well
rid of him, though thankful for his warnings; and seeing how he had
made upon me a long abiding mark of fear, he smiled again in a jocular
manner, and said,--

"Now, get thee gone, Jack. I shall remember thee; and I trow, thou
wilt'st not for many a day forget me."

"My lord, I was never so glad to go; for the hay must be in, and the
ricks unthatched, and none of them can make spars like me, and two men
to twist every hay-rope, and mother thinking it all right, and listening
right and left to lies, and cheated at every pig she kills, and even the
skins of the sheep to go--"

"John Ridd, I thought none could come nigh your folk in honesty, and
goodness, and duty to their neighbours!"

"Sure enough, my lord; but by our folk, I mean ourselves, not the men
nor women neither--"

"That will do, John. Go thy way. Not men, nor women neither, are better
than they need be."

I wished to set this matter right; but his worship would not hear me,
and only drove me out of court, saying that men were thieves and liars,
no more in one place than another, but all alike all over the world,
and women not far behind them. It was not for me to dispute this point
(though I was not yet persuaded of it), both because my lord was a
Judge, and must know more about it, and also that being a man myself I
might seem to be defending myself in an unbecoming manner. Therefore I
made a low bow, and went; in doubt as to which had the right of it.

But though he had so far dismissed me, I was not yet quite free to
go, inasmuch as I had not money enough to take me all the way to Oare,
unless indeed I should go afoot, and beg my sustenance by the way, which
seemed to be below me. Therefore I got my few clothes packed, and my few
debts paid, all ready to start in half an hour, if only they would give
me enough to set out upon the road with. For I doubted not, being young
and strong, that I could walk from London to Oare in ten days or in
twelve at most, which was not much longer than horse-work; only I had
been a fool, as you will say when you hear it. For after receiving from
Master Spank the amount of the bill which I had delivered--less indeed
by fifty shillings than the money my mother had given me, for I had
spent fifty shillings, and more, in seeing the town and treating people,
which I could not charge to His Majesty--I had first paid all my debts
thereout, which were not very many, and then supposing myself to be an
established creditor of the Treasury for my coming needs, and already
scenting the country air, and foreseeing the joy of my mother, what had
I done but spent half my balance, ay and more than three-quarters of it,
upon presents for mother, and Annie, and Lizzie, John Fry, and his wife,
and Betty Muxworthy, Bill Dadds, Jim Slocombe, and, in a word, half of
the rest of the people at Oare, including all the Snowe family, who must
have things good and handsome? And if I must while I am about it, hide
nothing from those who read me, I had actually bought for Lorna a thing
the price of which quite frightened me, till the shopkeeper said it was
nothing at all, and that no young man, with a lady to love him, could
dare to offer her rubbish, such as the Jew sold across the way. Now the
mere idea of beautiful Lorna ever loving me, which he talked about as
patly (though of course I never mentioned her) as if it were a settled
thing, and he knew all about it, that mere idea so drove me abroad,
that if he had asked three times as much, I could never have counted the
money.

Now in all this I was a fool of course--not for remembering my friends
and neighbours, which a man has a right to do, and indeed is bound to
do, when he comes from London--but for not being certified first what
cash I had to go on with. And to my great amazement, when I went with
another bill for the victuals of only three days more, and a week's
expense on the homeward road reckoned very narrowly, Master Spank not
only refused to grant me any interview, but sent me out a piece of blue
paper, looking like a butcher's ticket, and bearing these words and no
more, "John Ridd, go to the devil. He who will not when he may, when he
will, he shall have nay." From this I concluded that I had lost favour
in the sight of Chief Justice Jeffreys. Perhaps because my evidence had
not proved of any value! perhaps because he meant to let the matter lie,
till cast on him.

Anyhow, it was a reason of much grief, and some anger to me, and very
great anxiety, disappointment, and suspense. For here was the time of
the hay gone past, and the harvest of small corn coming on, and the
trout now rising at the yellow Sally, and the blackbirds eating our
white-heart cherries (I was sure, though I could not see them), and who
was to do any good for mother, or stop her from weeping continually? And
more than this, what was become of Lorna? Perhaps she had cast me away
altogether, as a flouter and a changeling; perhaps she had drowned
herself in the black well; perhaps (and that was worst of all) she was
even married, child as she was, to that vile Carver Doone, if the Doones
ever cared about marrying! That last thought sent me down at once to
watch for Mr. Spank again, resolved that if I could catch him, spank him
I would to a pretty good tune, although sixteen in family.

However, there was no such thing as to find him; and the usher vowed
(having orders I doubt) that he was gone to the sea for the good of his
health, having sadly overworked himself; and that none but a poor devil
like himself, who never had handling of money, would stay in London this
foul, hot weather; which was likely to bring the plague with it. Here
was another new terror for me, who had heard of the plagues of London,
and the horrible things that happened; and so going back to my lodgings
at once, I opened my clothes and sought for spots, especially as being
so long at a hairy fellmonger's; but finding none, I fell down and
thanked God for that same, and vowed to start for Oare to-morrow, with
my carbine loaded, come weal come woe, come sun come shower; though all
the parish should laugh at me, for begging my way home again, after the
brave things said of my going, as if I had been the King's cousin.

But I was saved in some degree from this lowering of my pride, and what
mattered more, of mother's; for going to buy with my last crown-piece
(after all demands were paid) a little shot and powder, more needful on
the road almost than even shoes or victuals, at the corner of the street
I met my good friend Jeremy Stickles, newly come in search of me. I took
him back to my little room--mine at least till to-morrow morning--and
told him all my story, and how much I felt aggrieved by it. But he
surprised me very much, by showing no surprise at all.

"It is the way of the world, Jack. They have gotten all they can from
thee, and why should they feed thee further? We feed not a dead pig, I
trow, but baste him well with brine and rue. Nay, we do not victual him
upon the day of killing; which they have done to thee. Thou art a lucky
man, John; thou hast gotten one day's wages, or at any rate half a day,
after thy work was rendered. God have mercy on me, John! The things I
see are manifold; and so is my regard of them. What use to insist on
this, or make a special point of that, or hold by something said of old,
when a different mood was on? I tell thee, Jack, all men are liars; and
he is the least one who presses not too hard on them for lying."

This was all quite dark to me, for I never looked at things like that,
and never would own myself a liar, not at least to other people, nor
even to myself, although I might to God sometimes, when trouble was upon
me. And if it comes to that, no man has any right to be called a "liar"
for smoothing over things unwitting, through duty to his neighbour.

"Five pounds thou shalt have, Jack," said Jeremy Stickles suddenly,
while I was all abroad with myself as to being a liar or not; "five
pounds, and I will take my chance of wringing it from that great rogue
Spank. Ten I would have made it, John, but for bad luck lately. Put back
your bits of paper, lad; I will have no acknowledgment. John Ridd, no
nonsense with me!"

For I was ready to kiss his hand, to think that any man in London (the
meanest and most suspicious place, upon all God's earth) should trust me
with five pounds, without even a receipt for it! It overcame me so that
I sobbed; for, after all, though big in body, I am but a child at heart.
It was not the five pounds that moved me, but the way of giving it; and
after so much bitter talk, the great trust in my goodness.

CHAPTER XXVII

HOME AGAIN AT LAST

[Illustration: 221.jpg Exmoor Hills]

It was the beginning of wheat-harvest, when I came to Dunster town,
having walked all the way from London, and being somewhat footsore. For
though five pounds was enough to keep me in food and lodging upon the
road, and leave me many a shilling to give to far poorer travellers, it
would have been nothing for horse-hire, as I knew too well by the prices
Jeremy Stickles had paid upon our way to London. Now I never saw a
prettier town than Dunster looked that evening; for sooth to say, I had
almost lost all hope of reaching it that night, although the castle was
long in view. But being once there, my troubles were gone, at least as
regarded wayfaring; for mother's cousin, the worthy tanner (with whom we
had slept on the way to London), was in such indignation at the plight
in which I came back to him, afoot, and weary, and almost shoeless--not
to speak of upper things--that he swore then, by the mercy of God, that
if the schemes abrewing round him, against those bloody Papists, should
come to any head or shape, and show good chance of succeeding, he would
risk a thousand pounds, as though it were a penny.

[Illustration: 222.jpg The Luttrell Arms]

I told him not to do it, because I had heard otherwise, but was not at
liberty to tell one-tenth of what I knew, and indeed had seen in London
town. But of this he took no heed, because I only nodded at him; and
he could not make it out. For it takes an old man, or at least a
middle-aged one, to nod and wink, with any power on the brains of other
men. However, I think I made him know that the bad state in which I came
to his town, and the great shame I had wrought for him among the folk
round the card-table at the Luttrell Arms, was not to be, even there,
attributed to King Charles the Second, nor even to his counsellors, but
to my own speed of travelling, which had beat post-horses. For being
much distraught in mind, and desperate in body, I had made all the way
from London to Dunster in six days, and no more. It may be one hundred
and seventy miles, I cannot tell to a furlong or two, especially as I
lost my way more than a dozen times; but at any rate there in six days
I was, and most kindly they received me. The tanner had some excellent
daughters, I forget how many; very pretty damsels, and well set up, and
able to make good pastry. But though they asked me many questions, and
made a sort of lord of me, and offered to darn my stockings (which in
truth required it), I fell asleep in the midst of them, although I would
not acknowledge it; and they said, "Poor cousin! he is weary", and led
me to a blessed bed, and kissed me all round like swan's down.

In the morning all the Exmoor hills, the thought of which had frightened
me at the end of each day's travel, seemed no more than bushels to me,
as I looked forth the bedroom window, and thanked God for the sight of
them. And even so, I had not to climb them, at least by my own labour.
For my most worthy uncle (as we oft call a parent's cousin), finding it
impossible to keep me for the day, and owning indeed that I was right
in hastening to my mother, vowed that walk I should not, even though he
lost his Saturday hides from Minehead and from Watchett. Accordingly he
sent me forth on the very strongest nag he had, and the maidens came
to wish me God-speed, and kissed their hands at the doorway. It made
me proud and glad to think that after seeing so much of the world, and
having held my own with it, I was come once more among my own people,
and found them kinder, and more warm-hearted, ay and better looking too,
than almost any I had happened upon in the mighty city of London.

But how shall I tell you the things I felt, and the swelling of my heart
within me, as I drew nearer, and more near, to the place of all I loved
and owned, to the haunt of every warm remembrance, the nest of all the
fledgling hopes--in a word, to home? The first sheep I beheld on the
moor with a great red J.R. on his side (for mother would have them
marked with my name, instead of her own as they should have been), I do
assure you my spirit leaped, and all my sight came to my eyes. I shouted
out, "Jem, boy!"--for that was his name, and a rare hand he was at
fighting--and he knew me in spite of the stranger horse; and I leaned
over and stroked his head, and swore he should never be mutton. And when
I was passed he set off at full gallop, to call the rest of the J.R.'s
together, and tell them young master was come home at last.

[Illustration: 223.jpg Home at last]

But bless your heart, and my own as well, it would take me all the
afternoon to lay before you one-tenth of the things which came home to
me in that one half-hour, as the sun was sinking, in the real way he
ought to sink. I touched my horse with no spur nor whip, feeling that my
slow wits would go, if the sights came too fast over them. Here was
the pool where we washed the sheep, and there was the hollow that oozed
away, where I had shot three wild ducks. Here was the peat-rick that hid
my dinner, when I could not go home for it, and there was the bush with
the thyme growing round it, where Annie had found a great swarm of our
bees. And now was the corner of the dry stone wall, where the moor gave
over in earnest, and the partridges whisked from it into the corn lands,
and called that their supper was ready, and looked at our house and the
ricks as they ran, and would wait for that comfort till winter.

And there I saw--but let me go--Annie was too much for me. She nearly
pulled me off my horse, and kissed the very mouth of the carbine.

"I knew you would come. Oh John! Oh John! I have waited here every
Saturday night; and I saw you for the last mile or more, but I would not
come round the corner, for fear that I should cry, John, and then not
cry when I got you. Now I may cry as much as I like, and you need
not try to stop me, John, because I am so happy. But you mustn't cry
yourself, John; what will mother think of you? She will be so jealous of
me."

What mother thought I cannot tell; and indeed I doubt if she thought at
all for more than half an hour, but only managed to hold me tight, and
cry, and thank God now and then, but with some fear of His taking me,
if she should be too grateful. Moreover she thought it was my own
doing, and I ought to have the credit of it, and she even came down very
sharply upon John's wife, Mrs. Fry, for saying that we must not be too
proud, for all of it was the Lord's doing. However, dear mother was
ashamed of that afterwards, and asked Mrs. Fry's humble pardon; and
perhaps I ought not to have mentioned it.