第11章

"I will go.I might as well do that as anything else, I suppose;but it is quite impossible," said Sir Norman, firmly, not to say obstinately, "that she can be there.""Very well you'll see.You had better go on horseback, if you desire to be back in time to witness the illumination.""I don't particularly desire to see the illumination, as I know of; but I will ride, nevertheless.What am I to 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.Abarge 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 him for information.Surely that is she we are in search of.""It certainly is!" said Ormiston."Where are the wonders of this night to end?""Satan and La Masque only know; for they both seem to have united to drive me mad.Where is she?""Where, indeed?" said Ormiston; "where is last year's snow?" And Sir Norman, looking round at the spot where she had stood a moment before, found that she, too, had disappeared.