Evening star., 1903-07-04
CHAPTER XIV.
Trapped.

full that rode forth from York next MORN
Ia and inurueyed for two days toward
the south without care or hindrance. lie
,,irI WAS elated with her first intoxicating
taste of power: the supreme power Oh
beautiful woman over a strong. ue'erHiie"
man She had shorn him OF MS nSeo III
tentions as Delilah had shorn samson I'll
his locks. As the simile occurred u h',
ber tov in the d,y was clouded. She glanced
sideways at her yellow-haired SAMSON
riding so gracefully on his splendid horse.
He turned and saw the sudden gloom on
her brow. He brought his horse close be-
side hers. reached out and touched het
hand gently. ,s .,
derly Il pledge my faith your brother Is
better already Would | had thought OF IL
in time. and there might have oeen d
horseman travelling all night to YORK prlne-
ing YOU later tidingS of him. but am eNei
stupid in my treatment of you
The girls eyes filled. A helpless rage az
the part assigned to her filled her heart
with bitterness and brought the tears. ~
was only by dnt of repeating TO hersei,
what Cromwell had said to her brother ana
by persuading her mind to hoid last 'le
knowledge that without her fuiflllment Oh
Cromweils orders Armstrong would uie as
n spy that she could prevail upon hefseH
not to stop her horse and to tell him an.
II com forted her to note that Armstrong
smoke not lovingly of the king. ana charac-
terized the whole race of the Stuarts as
fair and false. Whatever motive had sent
him on his dangerous mission, she OBJ
served, II neither love for the KING hoi
loyalty toward his cause.
Thus rejecting. she did not notice that
they were drawing near Northampton uh-
til suddenly the tramping OF a squadron OF
horsemen came to their ears from pellhu
them =,
Armstrong suggested that it would be
well for them to draw into the hedge while
the troopers passed. and this they did Ine
CO sat nlGily
somewhat imposing oncoming, the breast
plates of the men scintillating IN the oe-
cining sun, which shone full upon them.
Suddenly he Strengthened out, and un-
consciously. perhaps, his hand grasped that
OF the girl. ,,
Have you ever seen Cromwell?' he
asked.
No"
THAT is he at the head of the cavalry
She drew away her hand, and sat there
scarcely breathing. fearful of the approach
ing encounter, which could not be aVoldeo
now.
If Armstrong were equally perturbed he
showed no sign of it. and quick admlra-
ton for his calmness surSed through her
as she looked at him.
Rut her ewes turned instincttvely again to
the leader of the troops. There was some
thing masterful in his very bulk; he seemed
a massive man his huge horse; power
personfied horse and man. His un-
blinking eye faced the sun like an eagle s.
and he came stoidly past Alem looking
neither to the right nor the left The firm
face was as inscrutible and as ruthless as
that of the Sphinx.
Four and four came the men behind him.
some old but erect the majority middle
aged. all cast in the same mold as their
leader They sat like him. and looked
straight ahead like him. Polished steel on
head and front but nothing ornamental In
their Quitting. No drums. no flags. no
trumpets: shinir--= yellow bugle at the hip
of the foremost. that was all. Everything
for use, nothing for display. Clanking past
they came four and four, four and four, in
seeming endless procession, weapons and
chains at the horses bits jinglng the only
music of their march. Not word was
spoken, not glance to one side or the
other. At last the final four went by. and
Frances drew a breath of relief that
menace were past and done with. a.,
do you think he saw us?' she whispered,
not yet daring to speak aloud. precaution
rather absurd, for she might have shouted
while they were within arms length of her
and she would not have been heard In the
trampling of the horses.
Saw us!'' echoed Armstrong. Yes.
every thread of our garments. What a
man! God of war, how 1 should like to
fight him,"
II thought you admire him"
so do, more than any other on earth.
If had seen him before 1 doubt If 1 had
been here
- understood you to say YOU met him at
Corbiton.''
Met him, yes by dim candle light,
smooth and courteous. But l never really
saw him until now. You cannot rightly
judge mana fighter, that is-until YOU
have looked at him on horseback That
man knows my business For the first
time since set out doubt my success
"Will you turn back?" she asked, her
voice quavering.
''Oh. I'm his Roland II we do not
cross swords well run a race and may the
best man win. But feel strangely uncom-
Portable about the neck. and l think of my
ancestor Johnnie and the Scottish king"
lie raised his chin and moved his head
from side TO side, as If the rope already
throttled him. Then he laughed and she
gazed at him in fascinated terror, wonder
ing he could jest a subject so gruesome
That man is likely to defeat me- he
continued His plans are all laid and
already | feel the tolls tightening around
have made since left him. The unseen
SPY is on my track. and by my sword I'd
rather circumvent him than rule the king
dom. Wull. whaur's yer wits? Nows the
time We need them, my lad. In the first
place dare not go through Northampton,
that's clear"
WHY
I'm my soul" I'm certain crisis awaits
me there. III be nabbed in Northampton
Then the question. Why did you refuse
pass to Oxford? :"
did he offer you one?"
"fes. The next question will be. Why
are you south of the limit set by yourself
travelling to oxford on anothers pass" To
that query there's no answer. I'm self
convicted spy and then the scaffold, ac-
cording to all the rules of war"
III Cromwell is as crafty as you seem to
believe. ii is likely he wishes you to reach
Oxford. Unless that was the case why
should he have offered you the pass?'
My lass, there are several sides to this
problem. and what you say has the stamp
of probability on it. Nevertheless I'll over
set his arrangements. | am the only one of
us three who cannot give good excuses for
being In these parts Here is the paSs
which protects you and John he said Civ
ing her the document You and he VIII
go to oxford at your leisure. I shalt eallop
across country. will evade the parliament
tary lines as best / may. and will be in
Oxford tomorrow morning. That will
throw old Noll day out of his count"
Then you leave to meet Cromwell
alone?'
You have no need to fear the meeting
Your plea is perfect. Your brother was
wounded and you have undertaken his
task OF me or my plans you know moth
ing, and l was with you merely because 1
happened TO be travelling this way and
had brought your wounded brother to his
home Z