The Coming of the King Part 65

"Who goes there?"

I did not speak, but touched Black Ben's side with my spur. The brave horse leaped forward, and then stopped as if held by a strong hand.

"'Tis she, 'tis she! Help! help!"

"Forward, Ben!" I said, and the horse gave a great leap, leaving himself at liberty. But this was only for a moment. Another man had leaped forward, and brought the horse to his haunches.

"We've got them!" he cried. "Help! help!"

My sword hand was by this time free, and I brought my weapon down upon the man's head. The blade turned in my hand, or I must have cleaved his skull with the blow. But I think he must have worn a steel cap, for although he fell, I knew I had not killed him.

"Let me guide your horse, then will your right arm be free, I know the road," cried Constance; and she took the reins, heedless of the cries we heard, and a few seconds later we were in a lonely lane.

"Towards London!" I said, as she hesitated which way to turn, and then a bullet pa.s.sed so close to me that it e'en shaved my ear, and to this day my right ear is not perfect as my left ear is.

It was no longer a fight. It had now become a race. We had much against us, seeing we both sat on one horse; but we had much for us also, seeing that Black Ben had the strength of two horses, and bore us as though we were feathers. Nevertheless, I knew we could not ride to my father's house in this fas.h.i.+on, and even then I remember wondering how I was to get a steed for my love.

I quickly discovered that there were two horses following us, but whether they gained on us I could not tell; sometimes I thought they did, and again I fancied otherwise; but, in any case, we had happened upon a dangerous time, for more than once I heard a pistol shot, even although neither of us was harmed.

"They are gaining on us," I said presently.

"But only one, Roland."

"That is true," I said with a laugh, for now that I had my love by my side I cared not one whit for danger; neither did I feel my weakness, as I had feared I should. In truth, my strength had come back to me wondrously.

Black Ben dashed on at a fine speed as soon as we gained the highway, but I knew that if our pursuers were well mounted we must in time be overtaken, for I was never a light man, and must have weighed nine score pounds even then; while Constance, as I have before stated, was no slender slip of a maid, but well grown and finely proportioned. However good a horse may be, he cannot carry two as easily as one, and thus, as one of our pursuers gained upon us, I had to think of what we were to do.

"I have a plan," I said presently.

"What, Roland?"

"We will presently let the man close behind us come up to us. I will unhorse him, and then you shall take his place. There is only one thing against that."

"What is that?" she asked eagerly.

"Only that a man's saddle will be on the nag's back, and it will look strange for a maid to be riding on a man's saddle."

I felt her laughing as I spoke, at the which I wondered.

"Why do you laugh?" I asked.

"Because I am afraid I should look more strange on a woman's saddle than a man's," she replied.

At this I laughed too, for now I realized that she was dressed in the attire of a gallant, the which I had not noticed at first, seeing that she wore a long cloak.

She did not seem to have a vestige of fear, and I knew by the tone of her voice that her heart was light, even in spite of all she had pa.s.sed through.

Presently we came to a lonely spot, and then I allowed the man who had been shouting at us to stop to overtake us.

It was but the work of a moment. The man was no swordsman, neither was he prepared for my attack. In truth, I believe he expected to find only Constance, so heedlessly did he ride up. As it was, he fell to the ground stunned and helpless.

In less time than it takes me to tell, Constance had leaped on to the man's horse, and we were soon galloping side by side towards London.

"They cannot catch us now," she laughed.

"Why do you think so?"

"Because I have the better horse. The man who rode this left the other far behind."

After this we spoke not for some time, but rode steadily on.

"You are not afraid, Constance?"

"Not with you," she replied, and my heart burned with joy at the sound of her voice.

Now and then as we pa.s.sed into an open s.p.a.ce I saw that the feather of her hat waved in the wind, and that the cloak slipped from her shoulders, revealing the gay attire she wore.

"I'faith, you make a pretty man," I said.

"Do I ride like one, Roland?"

"Ay, and you ride like one, too. In truth, so well do you ride that I would e'en like a kiss to a.s.sure myself that thou art not some gay gallant who hath come riding with me."

Again we dashed on, until when morning came we had wellnigh reached Barnet, and here I deemed it well to turn aside and make my way through the village of Enfield instead of keeping nearer London. Here we stopped and breakfasted while the horses were fed and groomed. No one cast suspicious eyes upon us, for in truth Constance might have pa.s.sed as my younger brother, so bravely did she carry herself. Not even the maid of whom Will Shakespeare wrote in the play _As You Like It_, looked half as sweet and charming as she.

"I would call you Rosalind, only Will's heroine was not half so fair as thee, neither was she half so brave," I laughed as we breakfasted together in the inn.

I saw her lip quiver at this, and the tears well up into her eyes; and then I felt that, although she was as brave as any man--nay, braver than any man I ever knew--she was still a woman. I saw that, while she was fearless and bold in the face of danger, she became trembling and fearful now that the danger was over. Perchance, too, she remembered her father's fate, and thought of her own lonely condition. But that was only for a minute, for her eyes had neither tears nor sorrow in them as they looked up into mine and told me of her love.

By noon we had reached my father's house. I did not come in at the lodge gate, but entered by an unfrequented way. It was by a wicket gate which led through a shrubbery and up to a postern door, a door which was seldom opened in the old days when I lived at home.

My heart seemed ready to burst as I came in sight of the house, for it was now nearly two years since I had seen it; and after all, there is no spot on earth which affects a man as much as the place where he was born and reared.

"I trust my father is at home," I said to Constance.

"Ay, he is, and here to greet thee, Roland!"

I turned and saw my father standing by my side.

"I have been expecting thee, Roland."

I looked at him in astonishment.

"Ay, I knew what thou would'st do. Art thou not my own son? That is why I have been waiting and watching these last twenty-four hours. But come in," and he opened the postern door. "Fasten the horses here," he said.

"I will give orders concerning them."

He led the way into the room, where I had had the interview with Katharine Harcomb two years before, while I watched his face closely, wondering what he would think of Constance.