The Young Castellan Part 39

"Have you anything more to say?" cried Roy.

"Yes; a good deal, my boy, and I will not notice your young, hot-blooded words. You have allowed your men to perform an act this morning that may mean serious consequences for you."

"I do not understand your meaning, sir."

"Yes, you do, boy," said the officer, sternly. "You allowed your men to fire upon a picket of our cavalry."

"Of course. You allowed your cavalry, as you term them, to try and ride down six unarmed men on their way to the castle, and I gave orders for them to be stopped, and they were stopped."

"I have no time to argue these things with you, sir. I have only this to say: if you give up the keys to me at once, your people can disperse unharmed to their homes, and Dame Royland and her son can depart with such personal effects as she desires, to go wherever she pleases, and an escort will be provided for her protection."

"And, if she declines this offer, sir, as my father's steward of his estates and possessions?"

"Your father has neither estate nor possessions now, my boy; he is a proclaimed rebel. If this kindly offer is refused, and you are both so weak and vain as to resist, the place will be battered down and left in ruins, while the sufferings and slaughter of your people will be at your door. Now, sir, briefly, what message am I to take back to the commanding officer?"

"G.o.d save the king!" cried Roy, warmly.

"That is no answer, sir--only the vain cry of an enthusiastic, misled boy. What am I to say to the general in chief?"

"That Lady Royland will hold Royland Castle in the king's name as long as one stone stands upon another, and she has a brave following to fight."

The officer raised his hand in salute, turned his horse and rode back, while Roy stood there with his heart throbbing as he watched the three figures depart, and wondered whether it was really he who had spoken, or all this scene in the deepening evening were part of a feverish dream.

He was brought back to the present by the deep gruff voice of Ben.

"There, sir," he said, with a look of pride at the boy in whose training he had had so large a share, "I knew you could."

At the same moment Roy glanced at the corporal, who smiled and saluted him proudly.

"I only wish, sir," he said, "that the colonel had been here."

Roy turned to recross the bridge, feeling as if, in spite of all, this was part of a dream, when something on high began to flutter over the great gate tower, and glancing up, it was to see there in front, gazing down at them as she leaned forward in one of the embrasures, Lady Royland.

"What is it to be, Roy?" she cried, as he came closer. "Peace or war?"

"War!" he replied, sternly; and the sound seemed to be whispered in many tones through the great archway as the portcullis fell with its heavy clang and the drawbridge began to rise.

CHAPTER TWENTY.

WAR TO THE KNIFE.

War to the knife without a doubt, for in the gathering gloom of the evening, as Roy went up to the top of the north-west tower, followed by Master Pawson, it was to see that mounted men were in a goodly body making a complete circuit of the castle, roughly marking out a line about half a mile in diameter, and at every hundred yards or so a couple of troopers were halted, and retained their posts.

"Shutting us in, Master Pawson," said Roy, after watching the manoeuvre for some time.

"Ah!" said the secretary, with a sigh; "they will patrol the country all round now, and stop communications with the outside."

"Yes," said Roy, frowning; "and I suppose I must give up all hope of the men from the farm getting in."

"Ah, yes! they are prisoners before this. So your poor father is looked upon as a rebel now."

"Stop, Master Pawson," said Roy, hotly; "these words must not be spoken here."

"I only meant them as the opinion of the other party, who presume to say the estate is confiscated."

"My father acknowledges no other party. Confiscated! Why, this place has belonged to the Roylands from the days of the Plantagenets, Master Pawson. Let these people come and take it if they can."

"Ah, yes! that's brave and true, Roy, brave and true. Then you do mean to fight?"

"Yes, and you too," cried the boy. "You want to save my father's estate."

"Oh, yes, I want to save the estate," said the secretary, eagerly.

"Then do everything you can," cried Roy. "Yes, they will soon have formed a ring round the castle now! Well, let them keep their distance, for I shall give orders for the garrison to fire at any one who attempts to approach."

"And how long do you hope to be able to hold out?"

"As long as it is necessary," said Roy, proudly; "till my father comes with his men, and scatters all these people away."

"To be sure, yes," said the secretary. "How proud he will be of you, Roy, when he knows all."

Roy hurried down to join his lieutenant, whom he found humming a tune in the armoury, busy over some preparations by the light of a lamp.

"You don't seem in very bad spirits, Ben," he said. "Bad spirits! What about, sir? Why, it's like the good old time when your father and I were young. Not so young as you, though! Well, sir, we've been thinking over our plans. They won't do anything yet--only shut us in.

They're going to wait for more men and more artillery."

"But we must be well on the watch against surprise, Ben."

"Why, of course, sir! You'll have your watch on the towers. And you've seen how they've got a ring of patrols round us?"

"Yes, I watched them. So we may give up all hope of getting those ten of Raynes's."

"I'm afraid so. It's a bad job, sir, as the corporal was saying just now, for we'd trained them into being our best gunners."

"A terrible loss."

"Well, not so very terrible, sir, because we must train up some more.

Oh! we can keep the enemy outside the moat and enjoy ourselves while they're starving without a roof to cover them. But I want to say a serious thing or two, sir."

"I know, Ben; you want to say that my mother's garden must go."

"That's one thing, sir."

"Well, take what ground you want, and we'll put it straight when we've sent the Parliament to the right-about."

"Oh, you'll make a good general, sir; and this trouble's a blessing in disguise to save you from being wasted on books, and becoming a sort of Master Pawson. And that brings me to the other things."