The Pilot (20 page)

"Hist!" said the low, tremulous voice of Cecilia, "they are yet up in
the other parts of the house; and if it be as you suspect, our visit
would betray them, and prove the means of their certain destruction."

"Is the laugh of Colonel Howard in his cups so singular and unknown to
your ear, Cecilia, that you know it not?" said Katherine with a little
spirit; "or do you forget that on such occasions he seldom leaves
himself ears to hear, or eyes to see with? But follow me; it is as I
suspect—it must be as I suspect; and unless we do something to rescue
them, they are lost, unless they have laid a deeper scheme than is
apparent."

"It is a dangerous road ye both journey," added the placid tones of
Alice Dunscombe; "but ye are young, and ye are credulous."

"If you disapprove of our visit," said Cecilia, "it cannot be right, and
we had better return."

"No, no: I have said nought to disapprove of your present errand. If God
has put the lives of those in your custody whom ye have taught
yourselves to look up to with love and reverence, such as woman is bound
to yield to one man, he has done it for no idle purpose. Lead us to
their doors, Katherine; let us relieve our doubts, at least."

The ardent girl did not wait for a second bidding, but she led them,
with light and quick steps, along the gallery, until they reached its
termination, where they descended to the basement floor by a flight of
narrow steps; and carefully opening a small door, emerged into the open
air. They now stood on a small plat of grass, which lay between the
building and the ornamental garden, across which they moved rapidly,
concealing their lights, and bending their shrinking forms before the
shivering blasts that poured their fury upon them from the ocean. They
soon reached a large but rough addition to the buildings, that concealed
its plain architecture behind the more labored and highly finished parts
of the edifice, into which they entered through a massive door that
stood ajar, as if to admit them.

"Chloe has been true to my orders," whispered Katherine, as they passed
out of the chilling air; "now, if all the servants are asleep, our
chance to escape unnoticed amounts to certainty."

It became necessary to go through the servants' hall, which they
effected unobserved, as it had but one occupant, an aged black man, who,
being posted with his ear within two feet of a bell, in this attitude
had committed himself to a deep sleep. Gliding through this hall, they
entered divers long and intricate passages, all of which seemed as
familiar to Katherine as they were unknown to her companions, until they
reached another flight of steps, which they ascended. They were now near
their goal, and stopped to examine whether any or what difficulties were
likely to be opposed to their further progress.

"Now, indeed, our case seems hopeless," whispered Katherine, as they
stood, concealed by the darkness, in one end of an extremely long,
narrow passage; "here is the sentinel in the building, instead of being,
as I had supposed, under the windows; what is to be done now?"

"Let us return," said Cecilia, in the same manner; "my influence with my
uncle is great, even though he seems unkind to us at times. In the
morning I will use it to persuade him to free them, on receiving their
promise to abandon all such attempts in future."

"In the morning it will be too late," returned Katherine; "I saw that
demon, Kit Dillon, mount his horse, under the pretence of riding to the
great hunt of to-morrow, but I know his malicious eye too well to be
deceived in his errand. He is silent that he may be sure; and if to-
morrow comes, and finds Griffith within these walls, he will be
condemned to a scaffold."

"Say no more," said Alice Dunscombe, with singular emotion; "some lucky
circumstance may aid us with this sentinel."

As she spoke, she advanced: they had not proceeded far, before the stern
voice of the soldier challenged the party.

"'Tis no time to hesitate," whispered Katherine: "we are the ladies of
the abbey, looking to our domestic affairs," she continued aloud, "and
think it a little remarkable that we are to encounter armed men, while
going through our own dwelling."

The soldier respectfully presented his musket, and replied:

"My orders are to guard the doors of these three rooms, ladies; we have
prisoners in them, and as for anything else, my duty will be to serve
you all in my power."

"Prisoners!" exclaimed Katherine, in affected surprise; "does Captain
Borroughcliffe make St. Ruth's Abbey a jail! Of what offences are the
poor men guilty?"

"I know not, my lady; but, as they are sailors, I suppose they have run
from his majesty's service."

"This is singular, truly! and why are they not sent to the county
prison?"

"This must be examined into," said Cecilia, dropping the mantle from
before her face. "As mistress of this house, I claim a right to know
whom its walls contain; you will oblige me by opening the doors, for I
see you have the keys suspended from your belt."

The sentinel hesitated. He was greatly awed by the presence and beauty
of the speakers, but a still voice reminded him of his duty. A lucky
thought, however, interposed to relieve him from his dilemma, and at the
same time to comply with the request, or rather order, of the lady. As
he handed her the keys, he said:

"Here they are, my lady; my orders are to keep the prisoners in, not to
keep any one out. When you are done with them, you will please to return
them to me, if it be only to save a poor fellow's eye; for unless the
door is kept locked, I shall not dare to look about me for a moment."

Cecilia promised to return the keys, and she had applied one of them to
a lock with a trembling hand, when Alice Dunscombe arrested her arm, and
addressed the soldier.

"Say you there are three?—are they men in years?"

"No, my lady, all good serviceable lads, who couldn't do better than to
serve his majesty, or, as it may prove, worse than to run from their
colors."

"But are their years and appearance similar? I ask; for I have a friend
who has been guilty of some boyish tricks, and has tried the seas, I
hear, among other foolish hazards."

"There is no boy here. In the far room on the left is a smart, soldier-
looking chap, of about thirty, who the captain thinks has carried a
musket before now; on him I am charged to keep a particular eye. Next to
him is as pretty a looking youth as eyes could wish to see, and it makes
one feel mournful to think what he must come to, if he has really
deserted his ship. In the room near you, is a smaller, quiet little
body, who might make a better preacher than a sailor, or a soldier
either, he has such a gentle way with him."

Alice covered her eyes with her hand a moment, and then recovering
herself, proceeded:

"Gentleness may do more with the unfortunate men than fear; here is a
guinea; withdraw to the far end of the passage, where you can watch them
as well as here, while we enter, and endeavor to make them confess who
and what they really are."

The soldier took the money, and after looking about him in a little
uncertainty, he at length complied, as it was obviously true they could
only escape by passing him, near the flight of steps. When he was beyond
hearing, Alice Dunscombe turned to her companions, and a slight glow
appeared in feverish spots on her cheeks, as she addressed them:

"It would be idle to attempt to hide from you, that I expect to meet the
individual whose voice I must have heard in reality to-night, instead of
only imaginary sounds, as I vainly, if not wickedly, supposed. I have
many reasons for changing my opinion, the chief of which is, that he is
leagued with the rebellious Americans in this unnatural war. Nay, chide
me not, Miss Plowden; you will remember that I found my being on this
island. I come here on no vain or weak errand, Miss Howard, but to spare
human blood." She paused, as if struggling to speak calmly. "But no one
can witness the interview except our God."

"Go, then," said Katherine, secretly rejoicing at her determination,
"while we inquire into the characters of the others."

Alice Dunscombe turned the key; and gently opening the door, she desired
her companions to tap for her, as they returned, and then instantly
disappeared in the apartment.

Cecilia and her cousin proceeded to the next door, which they opened in
silence, and entered cautiously into the room. Katherine Plowden had so
far examined into the arrangements of Colonel Howard, as to know that at
the same time he had ordered blankets to be provided for the prisoners,
he had not thought it necessary to administer any further to the
accommodations of men who had apparently made their beds and pillows of
planks for the greater part of their lives.

The ladies accordingly found the youthful sailor whom they sought, with
his body rolled in the shaggy covering, extended at his length along the
naked boards, and buried in a deep sleep. So timid were the steps of his
visitors, and so noiseless was their entrance, that they approached even
to his side without disturbing his slumbers. The head of the prisoner
lay rudely pillowed on a billet of wood, one hand protecting his face
from its rough surface, and the other thrust in his bosom, where it
rested, with a relaxed grasp, on the handle of a dirk. Although he
slept, and that heavily, yet his rest was unnatural and perturbed. His
breathing was hard and quick, and something like the low, rapid
murmurings of a confused utterance mingled with his respiration. The
moment had now arrived when the character of Cecilia Howard appeared to
undergo an entire change. Hitherto she had been led by her cousin, whose
activity and enterprise seemed to qualify her so well for the office of
guide; but now she advanced before Katherine, and, extending her lamp in
such a manner as to throw the light across the face of the sleeper, she
bent to examine his countenance, with keen and anxious eyes.

"Am I right?" whispered her cousin.

"May God, in His infinite compassion, pity and protect him!" murmured
Cecilia, her whole frame involuntarily shuddering, as the conviction
that she beheld Griffith flashed across her mind. "Yes, Katherine, it is
he, and presumptuous madness has driven him here. But time presses; he
must be awakened, and his escape effected at every hazard."

"Nay, then, delay no longer, but rouse him from his sleep."

"Griffith! Edward Griffith!" said the soft tones of Cecilia, "Griffith,
awake!"

"Your call is useless, for they sleep nightly among tempests and
boisterous sounds," said Katherine; "but I have heard it said that the
smallest touch will generally cause one of them to stir."

"Griffith!" repeated Cecilia, laying her fair hand timidly on his own.

The flash of lightning is not more nimble than the leap that the young
man made to his feet, which he no sooner gained, than his dirk gleamed
in the light of the lamps, as he brandished it fiercely with one hand,
while with the other he extended a pistol, in a menacing attitude,
towards his disturbers.

"Stand back!" he exclaimed; "I am your prisoner only as a corpse."

The fierceness of his front, and the glaring eyeballs, that tolled
wildly around, him, appalled Cecilia, who shrank back in fear, dropping
her mantle from her person, but still keeping her mild eyes fastened on
his countenance with a confiding gaze, that contradicted her shrinking
attitude, as she replied:

"Edward, it is I; Cecilia Howard, come to save you from destruction; you
are known even through your ingenious disguise."

The pistol and the dirk fell together on the blanket of the young
sailor, whose looks instantly lost their disturbed expression in a glow
of pleasure.

"Fortune at length favors me!" he cried. "This is kind, Cecilia; more
than I deserve, and much more than I expected. But you are not alone."

"'Tis my cousin Kate; to her piercing eyes you owe your detection, and
she has kindly consented to accompany me, that we might urge you to—
nay, that we might, if necessary, assist you to fly. For 'tis cruel
folly, Griffith, thus to tempt your fate."

"Have I tempted it, then, in vain! Miss Plowden, to you I must appeal
for an answer and a justification."

Katherine looked displeased; but after a moment's hesitation she
replied:

"Your servant, Mr. Griffith; I perceive that the erudite Captain
Barnstable has not only succeeded in spelling through my scrawl, but he
has also given it to all hands for perusal."

"Now you do both him and me injustice," said Griffith; "it surely was
not treachery to show me a plan in which I was to be a principal actor."

"Ah! doubtless your excuses are as obedient to your calls as your men,"
returned the young lady; "but how comes it that the hero of the Ariel
sends a deputy to perform a duty that is so peculiarly his own? Is he
wont to be second in rescues?"

"Heaven forbid that you should think so meanly of him for a moment! We
owe you much, Miss Plowden; but we may have other duties. You know that
we serve our common country, and have a superior with us, whose beck is
our law."

"Return, then, Mr. Griffith, while you may, to the service of our
bleeding country," said Cecilia, "and, after the joint efforts of her
brave children have expelled the intruders from her soil, let us hope
there shall come a time when Katherine and myself may be restored to our
native homes."

"Think you, Miss Howard, to how long a period the mighty arm of the
British king may extend that time? We shall prevail; a nation fighting
for its dearest rights must ever prevail; but 'tis not the work of a
day, for a people, poor, scattered, and impoverished as we have been, to
beat down a power like that of England; surely you forget, that in
bidding me to leave you with such expectations, Miss Howard, you doom me
to an almost hopeless banishment!"