Mistress Nell Part 17

"'Tis too heavy, good Master Constable," cried Buzzard, in sore distress.

"Thou clodhopper'" yelled Swallow, unsympathetically. "An thou cannot master a cask of wine, thou wilt never master the King's law. To the kitchen with thee; and keep thy eyes shut, thou knave of a _posse_." The constable made a dive for his pike and lantern, and enforced his authority by punctuating his remarks with jabs of the pike from behind at his powerless friend, who could scarce keep his legs under the weight of the cask.

As Buzzard tottered through the kitchen-door and made his exit, the constable, finding his orders faithfully obeyed, steadied himself with the pike to secure a good start; and then, with long staggering strides, he himself made his way after the _posse_, singing loudly to his heart's content:

_"Good store of good claret supplies everything And the man that is drunk is as great as a king."_

CHAPTER IX

_Three chickens!_

The door opened quickly, and in came King Charles; but who would have known him? The royal monarch had a.s.sumed the mien and garb of a ragged cavalier.

His eyes swept the inn quickly and approvingly. He turned upon the landlord, who followed him with dubious glances.

"Cook the chickens to a turn; and, mark you, have the turbot and sauce hot, and plenty of wine," he said. "Look to't; the vintage I named, Master Landlord. I know the bouquet and sparkle and the ripple o'er the palate."

"Who is to pay for all this, sir?" asked the landlord, aghast at the order.

"Insolent!" replied Charles. "I command it, sirrah."

"Pardon, sir," humbly suggested the landlord; "guineas, and not words, command here."

"Odso!" muttered the King, remembering his disguise. "My temper will reveal me. Never fear, landlord," he boasted loudly. "You shall be paid, amply paid. I will pledge myself you shall be paid."

"Pardon, sir," falteringly repeated the landlord, rubbing his hands together graciously; "but the order is a costly one and you--"

"Do not look flouris.h.i.+ng?" said Charles, as he laughingly finished the sentence, glancing somewhat dubiously himself at his own dress. "Never judge a man by his rags. Plague on't, though; I would not become my own creditor upon inspection. Take courage, good Master Landlord; England's debt is in my pocket."

"How many to supper, sir?" asked the landlord, fearful lest he might offend.

"Two! Two! Only two!" decisively exclaimed Charles. "A man is an extravagant fool who dines more. The third is expensive and in the way.

Eh, landlord?"

The King winked gaily at the landlord, who grinned in response and dropped his eyes more respectfully.

"Two, sir," acquiesced the landlord.

"Aye, mine host, thou art favoured beyond thy kind," laughed Charles, knowingly, as he dwelt upon the joys of a feast incognito alone with Nell. "A belated G.o.ddess would sup at thy hostelry." The landlord's eyes grew big with astonishment. "I will return. Obey her every wish, dost hear, her every wish, and leave the bill religiously to me." Charles swaggered gaily up the steps to the entry-way and out the door.

The moon-face of the inn-keeper grew slowly serious. He could not reconcile the shabby, road-bespattered garments of the strange cavalier with his princely commands.

"Body o' me!" he muttered, lighting one by one the candles in the room, till the rafters fairly glowed in expectation of the feast.

"Roundhead-beggar, on my life! Turbot and capons and the best vintage!

The King could not have better than this rogue. Marry, he shall have the best in the larder; but Constable Swallow shall toast his feet in the kitchen, with a mug of musty ale to make him linger."

The corners of the mouth in the moon-face ascended in a chuckle.

"His ragged lords.h.i.+p'll settle the bill very religiously," he thought, "or sleep off his swollen Roundhead behind the bars."

He pa.s.sed into the kitchen and gave the order for the repast. As he returned, there was a tap at the door; and he hastened to the window.

"Bless me, a petticoat!" he cried. "Well, he's told the truth for once.

She's veiled. Ashamed of her face or ashamed of him."

He opened the door and ushered in a lady dressed in white; across her face and eyes was thrown a scarf of lace.

"Not here?" questioned the new-comer, glancing eagerly about the room and peeping into every nook and corner without the asking, to the astonishment of the inn-keeper.

"Not here?" she asked herself again, excitedly. "Tell me, tell me, is this Ye Blue Boar Inn?"

"Yes, lady--" replied the landlord, graciously.

"Good, good! Has she been here? Have you seen her?"

"Who, the G.o.ddess?" asked the landlord, stupidly.

"The G.o.ddess!" retorted Nell, for it was none other, with humorous irony of lip. "How can you so belie the d.u.c.h.ess?" She laughed merrily at the thought.

There was a second knock; and the landlord again hastened to the window.

"'Tis she; 'tis she!" exclaimed Nell, excitedly. "Haste ye, man; I am in waiting! What has she on? How is she dressed?"

"Body o' me!" exclaimed the landlord, in awe, as he craned his neck at the sash. "'Tis a lady of quality."

"Bad quality," e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Nell.

"She has come in a chair of silver," cried the landlord.

"My chair shall be of beaten gold, then," thought Nell, with a twinkle of the eye. "Charles, you must raise the taxes."

"Mercy me, the great lady's coming in," continued the landlord, beside himself in his excitement.

"She shall be welcome, most welcome, landlord," observed Nell promptly.

"Body o' me! What shall I say?" asked the landlord, in trembling accents.

"Faith and troth," replied Nell, coming to his rescue, "I will do the parlez-vousing with her ladys.h.i.+p. Haste thee, thou grinning fat man."

She glided quickly into a corner of the old fireplace, where she could not be observed so readily.

The d.u.c.h.ess of Portsmouth entered, with all the haughty grandeur of a queen. She glanced about contemptuously, and her lip could be seen to curl, even through the veil which partially hid her face.

"This _bourgeois_ place," she said, "to sup with the King! It cannot be! _Garcon!_"