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He was intoxicated with her vivacity, the swift gleams of her wit, her delicate beauty, her exquisite dress. He had never seen, never even imagined, the existence of such a woman. Lord Dunseveric watched her and listened to her with quiet amusement. It seemed to him that his sister-in-law meant not only to rescue Una from an undesirable lover, but to attach a handsome, gauche youth to herself.
Neal locked up his papers, changed his clothes, and went through the rain to Dunseveric House. He was not comfortable or easy in his mind. Yesterday it was natural and pleasant to spend the day with Maurice and Una. To-day he knew things of which he had been entirely ignorant before.
"With His Majesty's officers in the execution of their duty that is, to release prisoners whom I have condemned I, the general in command charged with the suppression of an infamous rebellion. Your son, my lord, will have to abide the consequences of his acts." "Maurice," said Lord Dunseveric, "it is evident that you are going to be hanged. General Clavering is going to hang you.
Neal Ward, and they will not forgive me because they are young and, therefore, have very strict ideas of how a woman ought to behave herself. Nevertheless, I am going to make a speech and propose a toast. I am Irish. Long ago my fathers lived in Ireland and were grands seigneurs as my good brother, Lord Dunseveric, is to-day. They left Ireland for the sake of their faith and their king.
The maid hazarded a suggestion that Lady Dunseveric had found life triste, too triste to be endurable. "You are right," said the Comtesse, "she must have died of sheer dulness. She had two children. That was occupation for a while, no doubt. But, mon dieu, a lady cannot go on having children every year like a woman of the bourgeoisie. It would be too tedious. She died. She was right.
"Strike a light, one of you." "There's two of them, two wenches, by God, and young ones." "Fetch them into the meeting-house and make them dance." "Ay, by God, we'll tie their petticoats round their necks and then make them dance." There was a rush of men to the door of the meeting-house. Lord Dunseveric and Captain Twinely were borne back before they could see what was going on.
You were, I presume," he stirred a little heap of broken glass with his foot as he spoke, "vino gravatus when they relieved you of your tunic. But what has all this to do with me?" "Merely this," said General Clavering, "that your son is accused of having effected the prisoner's escape." Lord Dunseveric looked at Maurice, looked him quietly up and down, as if he saw him then for the first time.
"Since I am not a prisoner at the bar," said Lord Dunseveric, "I shall, with your permission, sit down. As to the seriousness of the business in hand, I confess that for the moment the thought of the worthy Twinely waking this morning not only with a splitting headache but without a pair of breeches on him keeps the humorous side of the situation prominent in my mind." The sentry told his story.
He understood that a woman like Estelle de Tourneville might find the attentions of Neal Ward vastly diverting in a place like Dunseveric, where nothing better in the way of a flirtation was to be looked for. The wine and fruit were placed on the table and the servants withdrew. The Comtesse, with her wine-glass in her hand, stood up.
"Captain Twinely," said Lord Dunseveric, "loose the belt from your prisoner's arms at once." The order was obeyed, and Neal stood free. "Bid your men leave the meeting-house, all but the man who holds the torch and the one who lies there on the floor." The men, cowed and sullen, went out. "Now," said Lord Dunseveric, "I will have this matter cleared up and I will have justice done."
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