The Midnight Queen [82]
speaker with much the same
expression of countenance as an incensed tiger. The orator of
the spirited address had stooped to pick up his plumed cap, and
recover his centre of gravity, which was considerably knocked out
of place by the unexpected collision, and held forth with very
flashing eyes, and altogether too angry to recognize his auditor.
Sir Norman waited until he had done, and then springing at him,
grabbed him by the collar.
"You young hound!" he exclaimed, fairly lifting him off his feet
with one hand, and shaking him as if he would have wriggled him
out of hose and doublet. "You infernal young jackanapes! I'll
run you through in less than two minutes, if you don't tell me
where you have taken her."
The astonishment, not to say consternation, of Master Hubert for
that small young gentleman and no other it was - on thus having
his ideas thus shaken out of him, was unbounded, and held him
perfectly speechless, while Sir Norman glared at him and shook
him in a way that would have instantaneously killed him if his
looks were lightning. The boy had recognized his aggressor, and
after his first galvanic shock, struggled like a little hero to
free himself, and at last succeeded by an artful spring.
"Sir Norman Kingsley," he cried, keeping a safe yard or two of
pavement between him and that infuriated young knight, "have you
gone mad, or what, is Heaven's name, is the moaning of all this?"
"It means," exclaimed Sir Norman, drawing his sword, and
flourishing it within an inch of the boy's curly head, - that
you'll be a dead page in lees than half a minute, unless you tell
me immediately where she has been taken to."
"Where who has been taken to?" inquired Hubert, opening his
bright and indignant black eyes in a way that reminded Sir Norman
forcibly of Leoline. "Pardon, monsieur, I don't understand at
all."
"You young villain! Do you mean to stand up there and tell me to
my face that you have not searched for her, and found her, and
have carried her off?"
"Why, do you mean the lady we were talking of, that was saved
from the river?" asked Hubert, a new light dawning upon him.
"Do I mean the lady we were talking of?" repeated Sir Norman,
with another furious flourish of his sword. "Yes, I do mean the
lady we were talking of; and what's more - I mean to pin you
where you stand, against that wall, unless you tell me,
instantly, where she has been taken."
"Monsieur!" exclaimed the boy, raising his hands with an
earnestness there was no mistaking, "I do assure you, upon my
honor, that I know nothing of the lady whatever; that I have not
found her; that I have never set eyes on her since the earl saved
her from the river."
The earnest tone of truth would, in itself, almost have convinced
Sir Norman, but it was not that, that made him drop his sword so
suddenly. The pale, startled face; the dark, solemn eyes, were
so exactly like Leoline's, that they thrilled him through and
through, and almost made him believe, for a moment, he was
talking to Leoline herself.
"Are you - are you sure you are not Leoline?" he inquired, almost
convinced, for an instant, by the marvelous resemblance, that it
was really so.
"I? Positively, Sir Norman, I cannot understand this at all,
unless you wish to enjoy yourself at my expense."
"Look here, Master Hubert!" said Sir Norman with a sudden change
of look and tone. "If you do not understand, I shall just tell
you in a word or two how matters are, and then let me hear you
clear yourself. You know the lady we were talking about, that
Lord Rochester picked up afloat, and sent you in search of?"
"Yes - yes."
"Well," went on Sir Norman, with a sort of grim stoicism. "After
leaving you, I started on a little expedition of my own, two
miles from the city, from which expedition I returned ten minutes
ago. When I left, the lady was secure
expression of countenance as an incensed tiger. The orator of
the spirited address had stooped to pick up his plumed cap, and
recover his centre of gravity, which was considerably knocked out
of place by the unexpected collision, and held forth with very
flashing eyes, and altogether too angry to recognize his auditor.
Sir Norman waited until he had done, and then springing at him,
grabbed him by the collar.
"You young hound!" he exclaimed, fairly lifting him off his feet
with one hand, and shaking him as if he would have wriggled him
out of hose and doublet. "You infernal young jackanapes! I'll
run you through in less than two minutes, if you don't tell me
where you have taken her."
The astonishment, not to say consternation, of Master Hubert for
that small young gentleman and no other it was - on thus having
his ideas thus shaken out of him, was unbounded, and held him
perfectly speechless, while Sir Norman glared at him and shook
him in a way that would have instantaneously killed him if his
looks were lightning. The boy had recognized his aggressor, and
after his first galvanic shock, struggled like a little hero to
free himself, and at last succeeded by an artful spring.
"Sir Norman Kingsley," he cried, keeping a safe yard or two of
pavement between him and that infuriated young knight, "have you
gone mad, or what, is Heaven's name, is the moaning of all this?"
"It means," exclaimed Sir Norman, drawing his sword, and
flourishing it within an inch of the boy's curly head, - that
you'll be a dead page in lees than half a minute, unless you tell
me immediately where she has been taken to."
"Where who has been taken to?" inquired Hubert, opening his
bright and indignant black eyes in a way that reminded Sir Norman
forcibly of Leoline. "Pardon, monsieur, I don't understand at
all."
"You young villain! Do you mean to stand up there and tell me to
my face that you have not searched for her, and found her, and
have carried her off?"
"Why, do you mean the lady we were talking of, that was saved
from the river?" asked Hubert, a new light dawning upon him.
"Do I mean the lady we were talking of?" repeated Sir Norman,
with another furious flourish of his sword. "Yes, I do mean the
lady we were talking of; and what's more - I mean to pin you
where you stand, against that wall, unless you tell me,
instantly, where she has been taken."
"Monsieur!" exclaimed the boy, raising his hands with an
earnestness there was no mistaking, "I do assure you, upon my
honor, that I know nothing of the lady whatever; that I have not
found her; that I have never set eyes on her since the earl saved
her from the river."
The earnest tone of truth would, in itself, almost have convinced
Sir Norman, but it was not that, that made him drop his sword so
suddenly. The pale, startled face; the dark, solemn eyes, were
so exactly like Leoline's, that they thrilled him through and
through, and almost made him believe, for a moment, he was
talking to Leoline herself.
"Are you - are you sure you are not Leoline?" he inquired, almost
convinced, for an instant, by the marvelous resemblance, that it
was really so.
"I? Positively, Sir Norman, I cannot understand this at all,
unless you wish to enjoy yourself at my expense."
"Look here, Master Hubert!" said Sir Norman with a sudden change
of look and tone. "If you do not understand, I shall just tell
you in a word or two how matters are, and then let me hear you
clear yourself. You know the lady we were talking about, that
Lord Rochester picked up afloat, and sent you in search of?"
"Yes - yes."
"Well," went on Sir Norman, with a sort of grim stoicism. "After
leaving you, I started on a little expedition of my own, two
miles from the city, from which expedition I returned ten minutes
ago. When I left, the lady was secure