The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1906-07-24


lady. Turn out whoever occupies them.
whatever their quality"
The landlord called his wife, and
Frances was given into her care.
The officer introduced the traveller to
the high official:
MY lord chamberlain, this gentle
man says he has come from the Scot
fish mobiles with message for his
majesty. Sir, NJ. de Courcy, lord great
chamberlain to the king"
Frenchman and Scot bowed to each
other, the grace of the gesture being
almost entirely in favor of the former
despite his marred face.
Sir" said Armstrong to the officer,
Il thank you for your guidance, and
you, my lord" to De Courcy, for your
kind and prompt command with re-
spect to the lady. She has had long
and firing journey through a danger
Gus country, under continual fear of
arrest, and so it is not to be wondered
that a woman should succumb to the
strain at the last
give me your name, SIR" said De
Courcy.
Il am William Armstrong, somewhat
known on the border, a Scottish gen.
tleman and a loyal subject of his maj
esty the king"
Then you are very welcome in OK
ford, and l am sure his majesty wishes
there were more like you in the en-
virons thereof and the regions beyond.
1t is now too late to see the king today,
and probably you are not loath to meet
a nights rest after a hard days riding.
l will arrange a conference for you
with his majesty as soon as. possible"
Thank you. If l may hint that
every day is of value you will perhaps
urge upon the king the danger of de-
lay"
II shall not fail to do SO. Good
night"
For the first time in his life Arm
strong left his horse to the care Of
others and entered the inn to inquire
after the welfare of the lady who alb
sorbed his thoughts. She sent word
that she was quite recovered, but
would see no one until the morrow.
and he wandered about the town in the
gathering dusk, hoping to do her a
service by discovering the whereabouts
of Lord Rudby's son, to whom he sup
posed she carried some message from
her brother.
He learned that this young man, who
was captain in the kings army, had
been sent, it was supposed, to London,
but nothing had been heard of him for
a month or more, and whether he was
prisoner or not none could say. This
intelligence depressed Armstrong, who
feared that the girl had taken her long
Journey for nothing and that the fail
ing to find the one she sought might
entail serious consequences upon her
brother or herself, for each in turn had
manifested great concern touching the
mission she had undertaken.
Next morning his first visitor was
the lord chamberlain, who expressed
deep regret that the king was indis-
posed and could not see any emissary
from the Scots that day. The high
official spoke feelingly Of the disap-
ed upon to endure through the unmerit-
ed success of his rebellious subjects,
and this statement seemed to the trav-
eler only what was to have been ex,
pected.
During the day Armstrong was priv
ileged in securing one brief interview
with Frances. The landlord had plac.
Oh har -,
the scantily furnished parlor the young
man had called upon her. The i'm.
provement she had affirmed the evening
before was scarcely borne out by her
appearance, for she was wan and dis
pirited, so much so that when Arm
strong announced the disappearance OF
Captain Rudby the tidings did not
ready the case.
However, the news chung to her
mind, for as he was telling her that
the king could not see him that day
she suddenly said, in a tone which
showed she had not been listening, that
as Captain Rudby was not in Oxford
there was no reason why she should
stay-she would go on at once to Ban
bury and there await the coming OF
Armstrong. But the young man would
not hear of such a course. 1t was i'm
possible, he said, that an unprotected
lady in the disturbed state of the coun
try should travel alone between Ok
ford and Banbury. 1t was not likely
ttat ne would be held from the king
more than another day, and then they
would both set out together. Besides
she needed all the rest she could Obtain
before they turned north again.
The girl was too deeply detected ever
to argue the question, when he 81
strenuously opposed her desire. L
seemed that a contrary fate was tight
ening the coils around her, and al
struggle against it was fruitless. There
were unshed tears in her eyes as sht
glanced timidly up at him, and she ha(
the haunted look Of one who was trap
ped. The unforeseen meeting with Dc
Courcy, although Cromwell's words
should have prepared her for it, ha(
completely unnerved her; that night
mare face of his confronting her when
ever she closed her eyes. The past haC
come up before her in its most abhor
rent guise. She remembered striking
him fiercely with the jagged iron sht
happened to hold in her hand anC