Evening star., 1924-05-09
tinnsd from Yesterdays Star. 4
CHAFTER XXI.
The Sentenee.

!The Sentenee.
Mr.. Wilding, as we ka
to remain at Bridgwater ar tba mr.
pose OF collecting from tfr N.u1,n1
ton the fine which haF b.sn ,rnro.as
upon, him. 1t is by -no r..n. .I.. :
whether Monmouth realised the fuI,-
ness Of the TRACE Nv at the me-ct.nt,,
mouse ana whether he understood
s.'ioAA with .apoplexy at the
Lhp3usat i,h3s ct parting with SO consider
Sa,g,;S <otion of his fortune. Mr..
hut ha "on had not merely tainted,
eves y" expired under his grace's
eyni II he did realize. it he was
- 6aily Indifferent, and lest we
Suiu De doing him an injustice by
.,Issunhng this we had better give him
the. hhe psneht OF the doubt, and take it
parIure, hfs~mind filled with the pros-
pocI or the night attack to be .deliv-
ersu upon his uncle's army at Sedee-
moor; moor; he Thought no more either of
mt, mi. Newlington or of Mr.. wilding.
- Lhe iaf1er. as We know. had no place
ine Feoei army; although man
OF ms hands, he was not a, trained
soiuier, and Notwithstanding that he
may fuliy have intended to draw his
s"oro for fMonm outh when the time
hia yer circumstances had led to
MS continuing after 'MonmoutI,'s 's
IanoIng Vhe more diplomatic work of
movement man, in which he had been
preceded ii. A04
So It befell that when Monmouth's
a. IL O'Clock on that SUNDAY
ns1t, not to make for Gloucester and
CP6shire, as was generally believed. huf
20 Iall upon the encamped Feversham at
seogemoor and slaughter the royal army
III Iheir beds, Mr.. Wiiding was left be-
ntn1; Irenshard was gone. in command
tot his troop of horse, and Mr.. wJIdine
nan for only company his Thoughts
busy night % VI -iiee
He went back TO the sign of The Ship
overlooking the Cross, and. kicking nff
ms sodden shoes, ne supped ouiefiy in
me room or which sha ttered door and
proken window reminded him OF his odd
interview with Ruth, and of the comedy
OF Iove she had enacted to detain him
tre, the Inc thought of it embittered him
tne part sf1e had played seemed TO his
retrospective mind almost a wanton's
paIt-for ali that in name she was his
Wlfe. And yet, underlying a certain ir-
Tepressibie nausea, came the reflection
thAI a1ser tali. her purpose had been to
save ms Hfe 1t would have been a sweet
thought sweet enough to have ii
tnat other bitterness. had he not in
sisted upon setting it down entirely
70 ner gratitude and her sense of ms
tlce. She intended to repay the debt
In which she had stood TO him since
at the risk of his own life and for
tune, he had rescued her brother
from the clutches Of the lord lieuten-
ant at Taunton.
He sighed heavily as he thought
or the results that had attended his
compulsory wedding of her In the
intensity of his passion, in the blind
ness or his vanity, which made him
conndent-gloriously confident-that
did he make himself her husband, she
herself would make of him her lover
before long, he had committed an un-
WorthlneSs of which it seemed he
might never cleanse himself in life
Ihere was but one amend, as he had
told her Let him make it, and per-
hapS she would-out of gratitude, il
out of no other feeling-come to
think more kindly of him: and that
night 1t seemed to him as he sat
alone in that mean chamber, that il
were better and a sweeter thing to
earn some measure of her esteem m by
death than to continue in a life that
inspired her hatred and resentment
From which 1t Will be seen how ut
terfy he disbelieved the protestations
she had uttered in seeking to detain
him. They were--he was aSsured-a
part of a scheme, a trick, to lull him
while Monmouth and his officers were
being butchered. And she had gone
the length of saying she loved him!
He regretted that, being as he was
convinced OF its untruth. What cause
had she to love him. She hated him,
and because she hated him she did not
scruple to lie to him-once with sug-
gestions and this time with actual
expression of affection-that she
cerned her brother and Sir Rowland
Blake. Sir Rowland Blake, The
name was a very igoad to his passion
and despair.
He rose from the table and took a
turn in the room, moving noiselessly
in his stocking feet. He felt the need
of air and action; the WEAKNESS of
his flesh incurred in his long ride
from London was cast off or forgot
ten He must go forth. He picked
but as luck would have it-little
though he guessed the extent just
then-he found them hardening,
though still damp from the dews of
Mr.. Newlington's garden. He cast
them aside, and, taking a key from
his pocket, unlocked an oak cupboard
and withdrew the heavy muddy boots
in which he had ridden from town.
He drew them on and, taking up his
hat and sword, went down the creak-
ing stairs and out into the street.
Bridgwater had fallen quiet by
now; the army was gone and towns
folk were in their beds Moodily, un-
consciously, yet as if guided by a
sort Of instinct. he went down the
High street, and then turned off into
the narrower lane that led in the di
rection of Lupton House. BY the
gates of this he paused, recalled out
of his abstraction and rendered aware
of whittier his steps had led him by
the sight of the hall door standing
open, black figure silhouetted
against the light behind it. What was
happening here? Why were they not
abed like all decent folk?
The figure called to him in qufver
ing voice. Mr.. wiIding, Mr.. Wild
ingn for the light beating upon his
face and figure from the open door
had revealed him. The form came
swiftly forward, its steps pattering
down the walk, another slenderer
figure surged in its place upon the
threshold, hovered there an instant,
then plunged down into the darkness
to come after it But the first was
by now upon Mr.. Wflding.
'|What is it, Jasper" he asked, re-
cognizing the old servant;
wringing his hands. '.She
she has been = carried off" He
got it out in gasps, winded by his
short run and by the excitement that
possessed him.
stood and stared, scarcely understand
ing, and in that moment they were
Joined by Richard. He seized Wild
ing hy eti,e arm Blake has carried
her off," he cried.
nRIake ?" said MIR. wilding, and won
dered with a sensation of nausea was
it an ordinary running away. But
Richards next words made 1t PLAIN
To him that III was no amorouS eIope-
ment. nor even Rmorous abduction.
sham s.for her betrayal of his
"He has carried her to Fever
tonights plan to seize the duke"
THAT stirred Mr. Wilding. He
wasted no time in idle questions or
idler complainings., ''How long
since? ?" he asked, and 1T was he Who
cJrfp},ed Richard now, by the