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"I beseech your majesty to consider the strait into which I was driven," returned Amabel, imploringly. "Summon the Earl of Rochester to the presence," said the king, turning from her to Chiffinch. "In pity, sire," cried Amabel, throwing herself at his feet. "Let the injunction be obeyed," rejoined Charles, peremptorily. And the chief page departed.
"You shall not balk me," said Chiffinch; and a jingling was heard, as if he were filling his comrade's glass with a very unsteady hand. "Hey What the devil is the matter? I used to carry my glass steady very steady." "Well, but this stranger?" "Why, he swept at game and ragout as he would at spring beef or summer mutton.
Chiffinch's lodgings, sending my man to the lodging in Covent Garden, to bestow the horses and to come again to the guard-house to await my orders. Mr. Chiffinch was not within, for he had not expected me so early, a servant told me; but he had looked for my coming about eleven or twelve o'clock, and had given orders that I was to be taken to a closet to change my clothes if I needed it.
It was gone clean beyond mere misprision of treason now: I saw that plain enough. Then Mr. Chiffinch began; and I am bound to say that he shewed himself a better pleader than myself. I thanked God, as he spoke, that I had treated him with patience just now in his lodgings.
"My Lord Duke," said Chiffinch, hesitantly, "surely my duty to the King my respect to your Grace " "You mentioned it to no one, then?" said the Duke sternly. "To no one," replied Chiffinch faintly, for he was intimidated by the Duke's increasing severity of manner. "Ye lie, like a scoundrel!" said the Duke "You told Christian!"
I have no doubt that you were seen there, and followed; and you could have been of no service to your friends there, in any case. Mr. Chiffinch tells me he will provide a wherry for you immediately, that you may go back without observation. You must do this. The question before my mind is as to whether you shall take this packet with you, or not. What do you say, Mr. Mallock?"
For this purpose, when they saw a long tract of road before them, unvaried by the least appearance of man, beast, or human habitation, they began to mend their pace, that they might come up to Chiffinch, without giving him any alarm, by a sudden and suspicious increase of haste.
"It is singular," said the King, "and I have often observed it, that this fellow Christian bears the blame of all men's enormities he performs the part which, in a great family, is usually assigned to that mischief-doing personage, Nobody. When Chiffinch blunders, he always quotes Christian.
Highly satisfied with her personal appearance, Chiffinch was no less so with the sense and delicacy of her conversation, when he met her in company with her uncle afterwards in London.
I related my story in the barest words, saying that I knew nothing of the three men, and leaving it to Mr. Chiffinch to whisper in the officer's ear to prevent him asking what he should not. Of the man I had killed nothing was ever made public, except that he was a tanner's man and lived in Wapping, and that his name was Belton.
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