The Midnight Queen [85]
Tell me how
many have been in that house since the young lady was brought
back like a drowned rat?"
"How many?" said the man, meditating, with his eyes fixed on Sir
Norman's garments, and he, perceiving that, immediately gave him
the promised coin to refresh his memory, which it did with
amazing quickness. "How many - oh - let me see; there was the
young man that brought her in, and left her there, and came out
again, and went away. By-and-by, he came back with another,
which I think this as gave me the money is him. After a little,
they came out, first the other one, then this one, and went off;
and the next that went in was a tall woman in black, with a mask
on, and right behind her there came two men; the woman in the
mask came out after a while; and about ten minutes after, the two
men followed, and one of them carried something in his arms, that
didn't look unlike a lady with her head in a shawl. Anything
wrong, sir?" as Sir Norman gave a violent start and caught Hubert
by the arm.
"Nothing! Where did they carry her to? What did they do with
her? Go on! go on!"
"Well," said the watchman, eyeing the speaker curiously, "I'm
going to. They went along, down to the river, both of them, and
I saw a boat shove off, shortly after, and that something, with
its head in a shawl, lying as peaceable as a lamb, with one of
the two beside it. That's all - I went asleep about then, till
you two were shaking me and waking me up."
Sir Norman and Hubert looked at each other, one between despair
and rage, the other with s thoughtful, half-inquiring air, as if
he had some secret to tell, and was mentally questioning whether
it was safe to do so. On the whole, he seemed to come to the
conclusion, that a silent tongue maketh a wise head, and nodding
and saying "Thank you!" to the watchman, he passed his arm
through Sir Norman's, and drew him back to the door of Leoline's
house.
"There is a light within," he said, looking up at it; "how comes
that?"
"I found the lamp burning, when I returned, and everything
undisturbed. They must have entered noiselessly, and carried her
off without a straggle," replied Sir Norman, with a sort of
groan,
"Have you searched the house - searched it well?"
"Thoroughly - from top to bottom!"
"It seems to me there ought to be some trace. Will you come back
with me and look again?"
"It is no use; but there in nothing else I can do; so come
along!"
They entered the house, and Sir Norman led the page direct to
Leoline's room, where the light was.
"I left her here when I went away, and here the lamp was burning
when I came back: so it must have been from this room she was
taken."
Hubert was gazing slowly and critically round, taking note of
everything. Something glistened and flashed on the floor, under
the mantel, and he went over and picked it up.
"What have you there?" asked Sir Norman in surprise; for the boy
had started so suddenly, and flushed so violently, that it might
have astonished any one.
"Only a shoe-buckle - a gentleman's - do you recognize it?"
Though he spoke in his usual careless way, and half-hummed the
air of one of Lord Rochester's love songs, he watched him keenly
as he examined it. It was a diamond buckle, exquisitely set, and
of great beauty and value; but Sir Norman knew nothing of it.
"There are initials upon it -see there!" said Hubert, pointing,
and still watching him with the same powerful glance. "The
letters C. S. That can't stand for Count L'Estrange."
"Who then can it stand for?" inquired Sir Norman, looking at him
fixedly, and with far more penetration than the court page had
given him credit for. "I am certain you know."
"I suspect!" said the boy, emphatically, "nothing more; and if it
is as I believe, I will bring you news of Leoline before you are
two hours older."
"How am
many have been in that house since the young lady was brought
back like a drowned rat?"
"How many?" said the man, meditating, with his eyes fixed on Sir
Norman's garments, and he, perceiving that, immediately gave him
the promised coin to refresh his memory, which it did with
amazing quickness. "How many - oh - let me see; there was the
young man that brought her in, and left her there, and came out
again, and went away. By-and-by, he came back with another,
which I think this as gave me the money is him. After a little,
they came out, first the other one, then this one, and went off;
and the next that went in was a tall woman in black, with a mask
on, and right behind her there came two men; the woman in the
mask came out after a while; and about ten minutes after, the two
men followed, and one of them carried something in his arms, that
didn't look unlike a lady with her head in a shawl. Anything
wrong, sir?" as Sir Norman gave a violent start and caught Hubert
by the arm.
"Nothing! Where did they carry her to? What did they do with
her? Go on! go on!"
"Well," said the watchman, eyeing the speaker curiously, "I'm
going to. They went along, down to the river, both of them, and
I saw a boat shove off, shortly after, and that something, with
its head in a shawl, lying as peaceable as a lamb, with one of
the two beside it. That's all - I went asleep about then, till
you two were shaking me and waking me up."
Sir Norman and Hubert looked at each other, one between despair
and rage, the other with s thoughtful, half-inquiring air, as if
he had some secret to tell, and was mentally questioning whether
it was safe to do so. On the whole, he seemed to come to the
conclusion, that a silent tongue maketh a wise head, and nodding
and saying "Thank you!" to the watchman, he passed his arm
through Sir Norman's, and drew him back to the door of Leoline's
house.
"There is a light within," he said, looking up at it; "how comes
that?"
"I found the lamp burning, when I returned, and everything
undisturbed. They must have entered noiselessly, and carried her
off without a straggle," replied Sir Norman, with a sort of
groan,
"Have you searched the house - searched it well?"
"Thoroughly - from top to bottom!"
"It seems to me there ought to be some trace. Will you come back
with me and look again?"
"It is no use; but there in nothing else I can do; so come
along!"
They entered the house, and Sir Norman led the page direct to
Leoline's room, where the light was.
"I left her here when I went away, and here the lamp was burning
when I came back: so it must have been from this room she was
taken."
Hubert was gazing slowly and critically round, taking note of
everything. Something glistened and flashed on the floor, under
the mantel, and he went over and picked it up.
"What have you there?" asked Sir Norman in surprise; for the boy
had started so suddenly, and flushed so violently, that it might
have astonished any one.
"Only a shoe-buckle - a gentleman's - do you recognize it?"
Though he spoke in his usual careless way, and half-hummed the
air of one of Lord Rochester's love songs, he watched him keenly
as he examined it. It was a diamond buckle, exquisitely set, and
of great beauty and value; but Sir Norman knew nothing of it.
"There are initials upon it -see there!" said Hubert, pointing,
and still watching him with the same powerful glance. "The
letters C. S. That can't stand for Count L'Estrange."
"Who then can it stand for?" inquired Sir Norman, looking at him
fixedly, and with far more penetration than the court page had
given him credit for. "I am certain you know."
"I suspect!" said the boy, emphatically, "nothing more; and if it
is as I believe, I will bring you news of Leoline before you are
two hours older."
"How am