"I knew it, I was sure of it!" cried Dolly. "My dear father"s atthe door. Thank God, thank God! Bless you, Sim. Heaven bless youfor this!"
Simon Tappertit, who had at first implicitly believed that thelocksmith"s daughter, unable any longer to suppress her secret passion for himself, was about to give it full vent in itsintensity, and to declare that she was his for ever, lookedextremely foolish when she said these words;--the more so, as theywere received by Hugh and Dennis with a loud laugh, which made herdraw back, and regard him with a fixed and earnest look.
"Miss Haredale," said Sim, after a very awkward silence, "I hopeyou"re as comfortable as circumstances will permit of. DollyVarden, my darling--my own, my lovely one--I hope YOU"RE prettycomfortable likewise."
Poor little Dolly! She saw how it was; hid her face in her hands;and sobbed more bitterly than ever.
"You meet in me, Miss V.," said Simon, laying his hand upon hisbreast, "not a "prentice, not a workman, not a slave, not thewictim of your father"s tyrannical behaviour, but the leader of agreat people, the captain of a noble band, in which these gentlemenare, as I may say, corporals and serjeants. You behold in me, nota private individual, but a public character; not a mender oflocks, but a healer of the wounds of his unhappy country. DollyV., sweet Dolly V., for how many years have I looked forward tothis present meeting! For how many years has it been my intention to exalt and ennoble you! I redeem it. Behold in me, yourhusband. Yes, beautiful Dolly--charmer--enslaver--S. Tappertit isall your own!"
As he said these words he advanced towards her. Dolly retreatedtill she could go no farther, and then sank down upon the floor.
Thinking it very possible that this might be maiden modesty, Simonessayed to raise her; on which Dolly, goaded to desperation, woundher hands in his hair, and crying out amidst her tears that he wasa dreadful little wretch, and always had been, shook, and pulled,and beat him, until he was fain to call for help, most lustily.
Hugh had never admired her half so much as at that moment.
"She"s in an excited state to-night," said Simon, as he smoothedhis rumpled feathers, "and don"t know when she"s well off. Let herbe by herself till to-morrow, and that"ll bring her down a little.
Carry her into the next house!"
Hugh had her in his arms directly. It might be that Mr Tappertit"sheart was really softened by her distress, or it might be that hefelt it in some degree indecorous that his intended bride should bestruggling in the grasp of another man. He commanded him, onsecond thoughts, to put her down again, and looked moodily on as she flew to Miss Haredale"s side, and clinging to her dress, hidher flushed face in its folds.
"They shall remain here together till to-morrow," said Simon, whohad now quite recovered his dignity--"till to-morrow. Come away!"
"Ay!" cried Hugh. "Come away, captain. Ha ha ha!"
"What are you laughing at?" demanded Simon sternly.
"Nothing, captain, nothing," Hugh rejoined; and as he spoke, andclapped his hand upon the shoulder of the little man, he laughedagain, for some unknown reason, with tenfold violence.
Mr Tappertit surveyed him from head to foot with lofty scorn (thisonly made him laugh the more), and turning to the prisoners, said:
"You"ll take notice, ladies, that this place is well watched onevery side, and that the least noise is certain to be attended withunpleasant consequences. You"ll hear--both of you--more of ourintentions to-morrow. In the mean time, don"t show yourselves atthe window, or appeal to any of the people you may see pass it; forif you do, it"ll be known directly that you come from a Catholic house, and all the exertions our men can make, may not be able tosave your lives."
With this last caution, which was true enough, he turned to thedoor, followed by Hugh and Dennis. They paused for a moment, goingout, to look at them clasped in each other"s arms, and then leftthe cottage; fastening the door, and setting a good watch upon it,and indeed all round the house.
"I say," growled Dennis, as they walked away in company, "that"s adainty pair. Muster Gashford"s one is as handsome as the other,eh?"
"Hush!" said Hugh, hastily. "Don"t you mention names. It"s a badhabit."
"I wouldn"t like to be HIM, then (as you don"t like names), when hebreaks it out to her; that"s all," said Dennis. "She"s one of themfine, black-eyed, proud gals, as I wouldn"t trust at such timeswith a knife too near "em. I"ve seen some of that sort, afore now.
I recollect one that was worked off, many year ago--and there was agentleman in that case too--that says to me, with her lip atrembling, but her hand as steady as ever I see one: "Dennis, I"m near my end, but if I had a dagger in these fingers, and he waswithin my reach, I"d strike him dead afore me;"--ah, she did--andshe"d have done it too!"
Strike who dead?" demanded Hugh.
"How should I know, brother?" answered Dennis. "SHE never said;not she."
Hugh looked, for a moment, as though he would have made somefurther inquiry into this incoherent recollection; but SimonTappertit, who had been meditating deeply, gave his thoughts a newdirection.
"Hugh!" said Sim. "You have done well to-day. You shall berewarded. So have you, Dennis.--There"s no young woman YOU want tocarry off, is there?"
"N--no," returned that gentleman, stroking his grizzly beard, whichwas some two inches long. "None in partickler, I think."
"Very good," said Sim; "then we"ll find some other way of making itup to you. As to you, old boy"--he turned to Hugh--"you shall have Miggs (her that I promised you, you know) within three days. Mind.
I pass my word for it."
Hugh thanked him heartily; and as he did so, his laughing fitreturned with such violence that he was obliged to hold his sidewith one hand, and to lean with the other on the shoulder of hissmall captain, without whose support he would certainly have rolledupon the ground.