The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-08-08

Ic luke y Z was " PlNNhA'. W. ~
lnin!'' he said again, what do you want''
For my silcnCei'
wh tEGr i! ~ 2nrr s oSi { SS0 ou b mhss Is Sn So %nd pi the
other. The son of your King TO prison and
death. Nc, i you can, t. ruin and snam :;
What do / igaimi What shall / gain, you
mean Ferguson answered, smiling cunningly:
only your gracc's signature to II scrap, of
paper give me that and | am mum, and neither
Berwick nor you will he, n penny the worse"
what, money!" cried my lord. surprised, l
''Oh, no, not money" said the plotter coolly.
And yeti may he moneys worth TO INC over
there
CHAPTER XXlI.
81, is this way, ny lHra" he continued; after
four years back; but you never acted on them,
though 1t was whispered you paid dearly for
them hero. In the interval IL has been the aim
of "A good many to get something more definite
from your Grace; the rather rs you stand al,
most alone, the main part of the court, and
more than you know of, having made their
peace. But their efforts failed because they
went about IL in the wrong way. Now Rob.
ert Ferguson" he continued patting himself
on the chest and bowling with groteSquc con.
ccit. have gone about II in the right way. and
| shall not fail, You must either arrest the
Duke of Berwick, my lord. or let him go. That
Is clear. II, you do the former. you viii offend
beyond pardon, and your head viii fail at the
hand. Il You let the Dixie escape and it comes
to the Prince of Oranges. ears. that you knew
of his presence, you viii be ruined with Your
present party. The only course left TO you
therefore, IL to let him 20. but to purchase my
silcnce-that it may not reach the Princes
ears by signing a few words on a paper. which
Majesty in his closet. Now. my lord, what do
y.2yyy s3ylM he addsi; With ,hl, m a,sdr eAuitetion.
THAT you are n fool as well as n knaye!" was
the Dukes unexpected reply. Hc had recov:
cred his rguanini'y' and took a pinch OF snuft
The %plottcr's eyes s~parklcd. Why he
cried with an oath, and is that language for
a gentleman
"A g%cntlcman! Faugh.' cried my lord. AN
whyi ,Because you suppose your word to be
of value. Whereas YOU should know that
were you to go to Konsinston and tell the King
that you had informed me OF this or that or the
gate for certain, and to the pillory perhaps but
should be not a penny the worse. Your word,
forsooth! God MN; You are GrazGd!, uo,,
tho other answered, saragcly. IF | can pro
ducc three witnesses to prove, you were with
my lord, what them,
why, then this" the Duke answered with
hence to. the King and tell him all; and on
your information, Mr.. Ferguson, the Duke Of
Berwick will be arrested. Whatever my fate
or his after that, ! shall Mt least have done my
duty and kept my oath MS a ,friyy Councillor;
and tho rest / leave to God. But for You"
TO gain a hold on me, have betrayed the son OF
your King. voIr fate be on vour own head "
The POTTER. who, | think. had expected any
sidered his own position should the Duke stand
firm. roarcd cut = furious You lic!' And
rose more clearly before him. Won lie!" h
cried. striking his hand on the table. You
NJ Fcrs uson," the Duke answered. haught-
ton to tell me what l dare or do not dare. o.
persons of any condition 10 give me the lie. Be
Sign the paper, the eonspirator hi.scd. His
fear and the rage OF defeat. While the chair or
the back of which hi leaned his LEFT hand lerkcd
ri! !sisn wax tSc 1 pnpe that Miri i; yo If 'e Or y psinEb blood oSd be ss% on
your own Read!'' he cried.
The Dukes only answer was to point to the
othneTwiso unlnovcd. "bho yo9 bear mel"
But either Ferguson's rage had SO much the
himself. or he was desperate, seeing into what
an abyss the Others ilrmncss wa, pushing him;
or from the first he had determined ON this
course in the last resort. At any, rate; nj that.
and, instead of complying, he fell back "a step,
nnf; Ti ~ a. a d i1hr f t@ai. dF sEisn!p@ ii h@ d fFS% Tie Ris
voice whistling in his throat. as he lcveilcd the
arm at my lo ord, head. sign; you Roman
alive YOU TP'arisi spawn, Has the Lord > foot
been put on the neck Of his enemies that such
as you should Divide TIC spoiI!'.
There was no,ni"G to Fign :. for ne had not
was unconscious Of this, and Of all clse except
thai he was in danger Of falling into tho pit he
had diggct for another. His hand shook pc
violently that every moment l expected the
pistol 10 explode, With his will or without ii;
his fears no less than his despair putting my
posed to naked death thought in his heart while
his existence hung on a shaking niger; ! can
not sny, nor If he prayed. for no man talked less
Of religion, To be. rs ] trust he was. IL believer;
while the prid" which supported him in that
cvcnt. Put that down. he said. and met the
Others eyes without blhnching, though | think
he WAS u tritic paler than he had been.
sign answered the mailman, with an oath.
Put it down. repeated the Duke, and with
out doubt his courage by imposing n restraint
on the Others readiness postponed, though it
could not avert, the catastrophe. Every sec
ond they stood thus confronting one another,
Ferguson grinning and gibberinH 10 him to
sign, cooked to see the pistol explode and my
lord fall lifoleSs. My knees shook under me;
Mortified ut this murder 10 he committed under
my eyes, scare" conscious what ! did or
would do. fMmbled for the handle of the door
which, luckll". was beside me; and found it
precisely IA the Duke, with II twirl of his cane
IA? swift as it was unexpected, knocked the
pistol aside ana sprang bodily on the villain,
striving to bear him down, for he had no time
He was the younger man by twenty years, and
the more active. If not the more powerful; so
that for an instant it seemed to nc that the
danger, was over, but counted without Fergu.
son, who, ,lcnpiing back before the other could
his years. put the table between them, and
dwelling the pistol afrcsh, with u snarl Of rage.
pulled the trigger. The flint snapped harm
More than that ! could not benr, and by
heavens mercy the movement, had brought the
wretch close 10 the door at which | stood, and
which had that moment opened. As he
aimed the pistol IA second time, and with "a fresh
eXcCration, | dung my arms round him from he
hind and with my right hand jcrked M the
pistol, which exploded, bringing down an ava
lnnClG OF. plaster and tllling the room with
smoke and birthstone.
An intcrposition 30 sudden and timely must
have been no less u surprise to The Duke than 10
Ferguson. Nevertheless tho former, without
the loss of IA moment, flung himself on his an
tagonist, and, scizing the pistol while | still
Clung 10 him behind, in n twinkling had him
disarimcd. Yet; even when thi; was done, 50
furious were the mans struggles, and so in
human the strength he displayed, even to bit
inT, and foGming % q fury that could only bc
called lmgniacnl, that ii was rs much ms We
could both do 10 conquer him, though We were
two 10 one and younger; nor would he be quiet
or resign himself To defeat until we had him
down ON his back with my lords swOrdpOint
al his throat.
Then 1t was that. while we stood over him,
painting and trembling with the cxcrtions We had
made, my lord turned his eyes on me. "Who
are you he said, I'M fricudi'
] could not speak for emotion, and though he
was calincr, ! could SEQ that he was deeply
stirred, now, he had leisure to think. both by
the risk he had run and the nRrrOwness of his
p5CIiDp, 'AlV lord ~ 4 cried uI Inst lake mo