The Midnight Queen [15]
do when I get
there?"
"You will enter the ruins, and go on till you discover a spiral
staircase leading to what was once the vaults. The flags of
these vaults are loose from age, and if you should desire to
remove any of them, you will probably not find it an
impossibility."
"Why should I desire to remove them?" asked Sir Norman, who felt
dubious, and disappointed, and inclined to be dogmatical.
"Why, you may see a glimmering of light - hear strange noises;
and if you remove the stones, may possibly see strange sights.
As I told you before, it is rumored to be haunted, which is true
enough, though not in the way they suspect; and so the fools and
the common herd stay away."
"And if I am discovered peeping like a rascally valet, what will
be the consequences?"
"Very unpleasant ones to you; but you need not be discovered if
you take care. Ah! Look there!"
She pointed to the river, and both her companions looked. A
barge gayly painted and gilded, with a light in prow and stern,
came gliding up among less pretentious craft, and stopped at the
foot of a flight of stairs leading to the bridge. It contained
four persons - the oarsman, two cavaliers sitting in the stern,
and a lad in the rich livery of a court-page in the act of
springing out. Nothing very wonderful in all this; and Sir
Norman and Ormiston looked at her for an explanation.
"Do you know those two gentlemen?" she asked.
"Certainly," replied Sir Norman, promptly; "one is the Duke of
York, the other the Earl of Rochester."
"And that page, to which of them does he belong?"
"The page!" said Sir Norman, with a stare, as he leaned forward
to look; "pray, madam, what has the page to do with it?"
"Look and see!"
The two peers has ascended the stairs, and were already on the
bridge. The page loitered behind, talking, as it seemed, to the
waterman.
"He wears the livery of the Earl of Rochester," said Ormiston,
speaking for the first time, "but I cannot see his face."
"He will follow presently, and be sure you see it then! Possibly
you may not find it entirely new to you."
She drew back into the shadow as she spoke; and the two nobles,
as they advanced, talking earnestly, beheld Sir Norman and
Ormiston. Both raised their hats with a look of recognition, and
the salute was courteously returned by the others.
"Good-night, gentlemen," said Lord Rochester; "a hot evening, is
it not? Have you come here to witness the illumination?"
"Hardly," said Sir Norman; "we have come for a very different
purpose, my lord."
"The fires will have one good effect," said Ormiston laughing;
"if they clear the air and drive away this stifling atmosphere."
"Pray God they drive away the plague!" said the Duke of York, as
he and his companion passed from view.
The page sprang up the stairs after them, humming as he came, one
of his master's love ditties - songs, saith tradition, savoring
anything but the odor of sanctity. With the warning of La Masque
fresh in their mind, both looked at him earnestly. His gay
livery was that of Lord Rochester, and became his graceful figure
well, as he marched along with a jaunty swagger, one hand on his
aide, and the other toying with a beautiful little spaniel, that
frisked in open violation of the Lord Mayor's orders, commanding
all dogs, great and small, to be put to death as propagators of
the pestilence. In passing, the lad turned his face toward them
for a moment - a bright, saucy, handsome face it was - and the
next instant he went round an angle and disappeared. Ormiston
suppressed an oath. Sir Norman stifled a cry of amazement - for
both recognized that beautiful colorless face, those perfect
features, and great, black, lustrous eyes. It was the face of
the lady they had saved from the plague-pit!"
"Am I sane or mad?" inquired Sir Norman, looking helplessly about
there?"
"You will enter the ruins, and go on till you discover a spiral
staircase leading to what was once the vaults. The flags of
these vaults are loose from age, and if you should desire to
remove any of them, you will probably not find it an
impossibility."
"Why should I desire to remove them?" asked Sir Norman, who felt
dubious, and disappointed, and inclined to be dogmatical.
"Why, you may see a glimmering of light - hear strange noises;
and if you remove the stones, may possibly see strange sights.
As I told you before, it is rumored to be haunted, which is true
enough, though not in the way they suspect; and so the fools and
the common herd stay away."
"And if I am discovered peeping like a rascally valet, what will
be the consequences?"
"Very unpleasant ones to you; but you need not be discovered if
you take care. Ah! Look there!"
She pointed to the river, and both her companions looked. A
barge gayly painted and gilded, with a light in prow and stern,
came gliding up among less pretentious craft, and stopped at the
foot of a flight of stairs leading to the bridge. It contained
four persons - the oarsman, two cavaliers sitting in the stern,
and a lad in the rich livery of a court-page in the act of
springing out. Nothing very wonderful in all this; and Sir
Norman and Ormiston looked at her for an explanation.
"Do you know those two gentlemen?" she asked.
"Certainly," replied Sir Norman, promptly; "one is the Duke of
York, the other the Earl of Rochester."
"And that page, to which of them does he belong?"
"The page!" said Sir Norman, with a stare, as he leaned forward
to look; "pray, madam, what has the page to do with it?"
"Look and see!"
The two peers has ascended the stairs, and were already on the
bridge. The page loitered behind, talking, as it seemed, to the
waterman.
"He wears the livery of the Earl of Rochester," said Ormiston,
speaking for the first time, "but I cannot see his face."
"He will follow presently, and be sure you see it then! Possibly
you may not find it entirely new to you."
She drew back into the shadow as she spoke; and the two nobles,
as they advanced, talking earnestly, beheld Sir Norman and
Ormiston. Both raised their hats with a look of recognition, and
the salute was courteously returned by the others.
"Good-night, gentlemen," said Lord Rochester; "a hot evening, is
it not? Have you come here to witness the illumination?"
"Hardly," said Sir Norman; "we have come for a very different
purpose, my lord."
"The fires will have one good effect," said Ormiston laughing;
"if they clear the air and drive away this stifling atmosphere."
"Pray God they drive away the plague!" said the Duke of York, as
he and his companion passed from view.
The page sprang up the stairs after them, humming as he came, one
of his master's love ditties - songs, saith tradition, savoring
anything but the odor of sanctity. With the warning of La Masque
fresh in their mind, both looked at him earnestly. His gay
livery was that of Lord Rochester, and became his graceful figure
well, as he marched along with a jaunty swagger, one hand on his
aide, and the other toying with a beautiful little spaniel, that
frisked in open violation of the Lord Mayor's orders, commanding
all dogs, great and small, to be put to death as propagators of
the pestilence. In passing, the lad turned his face toward them
for a moment - a bright, saucy, handsome face it was - and the
next instant he went round an angle and disappeared. Ormiston
suppressed an oath. Sir Norman stifled a cry of amazement - for
both recognized that beautiful colorless face, those perfect
features, and great, black, lustrous eyes. It was the face of
the lady they had saved from the plague-pit!"
"Am I sane or mad?" inquired Sir Norman, looking helplessly about