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Data Structures &
Problem Solving
Using Java
fourth edition
This page intentionally left blank
 Data Structures &
Problem Solving
Using Java
fourth edition

mark allen weiss

florida international university
 Editor-in-Chief Michael Hirsch
Editorial Assistant Stephanie Sellinger
Managing Editor Jeffrey Holcomb
Senior Production Supervisor Marilyn Lloyd
Marketing Manager Erin Davis
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Cover Image © Whole artichoke: iStockphoto; Inside slice:
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Access the latest information about Addison-Wesley Computer Science titles from our World
Wide Web site: http://www.pearsonhighered.com/cs
Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are
claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and Addison-Wesley was
aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed in initial caps or all caps.
The programs and applications presented in this book have been included for their instructional
value. They have been tested with care but are not guaranteed for any particular purpose. The
publisher does not offer any warranty or representation, nor does it accept any liabilities with
respect to the programs or applications.
The interior of this book was composed in FrameMaker. The basal text font is set in Times;
the chapter titles, headings, running heads, and folios are all set in Akzidenz-Grotesk_BE; the
programming code is set in Lucida Sans Typewriter.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Weiss, Mark Allen.
Data structures & problem solving using Java / Mark Allen Weiss.-- 4th
ed.
p. cm.
ISBN-13: 978-0-321-54140-6
ISBN-10: 0-321-54140-5
1. Java (Computer program language) 2. Data structures (Computer science)
3. Problem solving--Data processing. I. Title.
QA76.73.J38W45 2010
005.13'3--dc22
2009032662
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may
be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, elec-
tronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission
of the publisher. Printed in the United States of America.
For information on obtaining permission for use of material in this work, please submit a written
request to Pearson Education, Inc., Rights and Contracts Department, 501 Boylston Street, Suite
900, Boston, MA 02116, fax your request to 617-671-3447, or e-mail at http://www.pearsoned.com/
legal/permissions.htm.

ISBN-13: 9780321541406
ISBN-10: 0321541405
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10⎯CRS⎯12 11 10 09
To David and David.
This page intentionally left blank
preface

preface
T his book is designed for a two-semester sequence in computer science,
beginning with what is typically known as Data Structures and continuing
with advanced data structures and algorithm analysis. It is appropriate for the
courses from both the two-course and three-course sequences in “B.1 Intro-
ductory Tracks,” as outlined in the final report of the Computing Curricula
2001 project (CC2001)—a joint undertaking of the ACM and the IEEE.
The content of the Data Structures course has been evolving for some
time. Although there is some general consensus concerning topic coverage,
considerable disagreement still exists over the details. One uniformly
accepted topic is principles of software development, most notably the con-
cepts of encapsulation and information hiding. Algorithmically, all Data
Structures courses tend to include an introduction to running-time analysis,
recursion, basic sorting algorithms, and elementary data structures. Many uni-
versities offer an advanced course that covers topics in data structures, algo-
rithms, and running-time analysis at a higher level. The material in this text
has been designed for use in both levels of courses, thus eliminating the need
to purchase a second textbook.
Although the most passionate debates in Data Structures revolve around
the choice of a programming language, other fundamental choices need to be
made:

n Whether to introduce object-oriented design or object-based

design early
n The level of mathematical rigor
viii preface

n The appropriate balance between the implementation of data struc-

tures and their use
n Programming details related to the language chosen (for instance,
should GUIs be used early)

My goal in writing this text was to provide a practical introduction to data

structures and algorithms from the viewpoint of abstract thinking and prob-
lem solving. I tried to cover all the important details concerning the data
structures, their analyses, and their Java implementations, while staying away
from data structures that are theoretically interesting but not widely used. It is
impossible to cover all the different data structures, including their uses and
the analysis, described in this text in a single course. So I designed the text-
book to allow instructors flexibility in topic coverage. The instructor will need
to decide on an appropriate balance between practice and theory and then
choose the topics that best fit the course. As I discuss later in this Preface, I
organized the text to minimize dependencies among the various chapters.

summary of changes
in the fourth edition
1. This edition provides additional discussion on using classes (Chapter 2),
writing classes (Chapter 3), and interfaces (Chapter 4).
2. Chapter 6 contains additional material discussing the running time of
lists, the use of maps, and the use of views in the Java Collections API.
3. The Scanner class is described, and code throughout the text makes use
of the Scanner class.
4. Chapter 9 describes and implements the 48-bit linear congruential gener-
ator that is part of both the Java and many C++ libraries.
5. Chapter 20 has new material on separate chaining hash tables and the
String hashCode method.
6. There are numerous revisions to the text that improve on the prose in the
previous edition.
7. Many new exercises are provided in Parts I, II, and IV.

a unique approach
My basic premise is that software development tools in all languages come with
large libraries, and many data structures are part of these libraries. I envision an
eventual shift in emphasis of data structures courses from implementation to
 preface ix

use. In this book I take a unique approach by separating the data structures into
their specification and subsequent implementation and taking advantage of an
already existing data structures library, the Java Collections API.
A subset of the Collections API suitable for most applications is discussed
in a single chapter (Chapter 6) in Part Two. Part Two also covers basic analy-
sis techniques, recursion, and sorting. Part Three contains a host of applica-
tions that use the Collections API’s data structures. Implementation of the
Collections API is not shown until Part Four, once the data structures have
already been used. Because the Collections API is part of Java, students can
design large projects early on, using existing software components.
Despite the central use of the Collections API in this text, it is neither a book
on the Collections API nor a primer on implementing the Collections API spe-
cifically; it remains a book that emphasizes data structures and basic problem-
solving techniques. Of course, the general techniques used in the design of data
structures are applicable to the implementation of the Collections API, so sev-
eral chapters in Part Four include Collections API implementations. However,
instructors can choose the simpler implementations in Part Four that do not dis-
cuss the Collections API protocol. Chapter 6, which presents the Collections
API, is essential to understanding the code in Part Three. I attempted to use only
the basic parts of the Collections API.
Many instructors will prefer a more traditional approach in which each
data structure is defined, implemented, and then used. Because there is no
dependency between material in Parts Three and Four, a traditional course can
easily be taught from this book.

prerequisites
Students using this book should have knowledge of either an object-oriented
or procedural programming language. Knowledge of basic features, including
primitive data types, operators, control structures, functions (methods), and
input and output (but not necessarily arrays and classes) is assumed.
Students who have taken a first course using C++ or Java may find the first
four chapters “light” reading in some places. However, other parts are definitely
“heavy” with Java details that may not have been covered in introductory courses.
Students who have had a first course in another language should begin at
Chapter 1 and proceed slowly. If a student would like to use a Java reference
book as well, some recommendations are given in Chapter 1.
Knowledge of discrete math is helpful but is not an absolute prerequi-
site. Several mathematical proofs are presented, but the more complex
proofs are preceded by a brief math review. Chapters 7 and 19–24 require
x preface

some degree of mathematical sophistication. The instructor may easily elect

to skip mathematical aspects of the proofs by presenting only the results.
All proofs in the text are clearly marked and are separate from the body of
the text.

java
This textbook presents material using the Java programming language. Java
is a language that is often examined in comparison with C++. Java offers
many benefits, and programmers often view Java as a safer, more portable,
and easier-to-use language than C++.
The use of Java requires that some decisions be made when writing a text-
book. Some of the decisions made are as follows:

1. The minimum required compiler is Java 5. Please make sure you are
using a compiler that is Java 5-compatible.
2. GUIs are not emphasized. Although GUIs are a nice feature in Java,
they seem to be an implementation detail rather than a core Data
Structures topic. We do not use Swing in the text, but because many
instructors may prefer to do so, a brief introduction to Swing is pro-
vided in Appendix B.
3. Applets are not emphasized. Applets use GUIs. Further, the focus of
the course is on data structures, rather than language features. Instruc-
tors who would like to discuss applets will need to supplement this
text with a Java reference.
4. Inner classes are used. Inner classes are used primarily in the imple-
mentation of the Collections API, and can be avoided by instructors
who prefer to do so.
5. The concept of a pointer is discussed when reference variables are
introduced. Java does not have a pointer type. Instead, it has a refer-
ence type. However, pointers have traditionally been an important
Data Structures topic that needs to be introduced. I illustrate the
concept of pointers in other languages when discussing reference
variables.
6. Threads are not discussed. Some members of the CS community
argue that multithreaded computing should become a core topic in the
introductory programming sequence. Although it is possible that this
will happen in the future, few introductory programming courses dis-
cuss this difficult topic.
 preface xi

7. Some Java 5 features are not used. Including:

n Static imports, not used because in my opinion it actually makes
the code harder to read.
n Enumerated types, not used because there were few places to
declare public enumerated types that would be usable by clients. In
the few possible places, it did not seem to help the code’s readability.

text organization
In this text I introduce Java and object-oriented programming (particularly
abstraction) in Part One. I discuss primitive types, reference types, and some
of the predefined classes and exceptions before proceeding to the design of
classes and inheritance.
In Part Two, I discuss Big-Oh and algorithmic paradigms, including
recursion and randomization. An entire chapter is devoted to sorting, and a
separate chapter contains a description of basic data structures. I use the Col-
lections API to present the interfaces and running times of the data structures.
At this point in the text, the instructor may take several approaches to present
the remaining material, including the following two.
1. Discuss the corresponding implementations (either the Collections
API versions or the simpler versions) in Part Four as each data struc-
ture is described. The instructor can ask students to extend the classes
in various ways, as suggested in the exercises.
2. Show how each Collections API class is used and cover implementa-
tion at a later point in the course. The case studies in Part Three can
be used to support this approach. As complete implementations are
available on every modern Java compiler, the instructor can use the
Collections API in programming projects. Details on using this
approach are given shortly.
Part Five describes advanced data structures such as splay trees, pairing
heaps, and the disjoint set data structure, which can be covered if time permits
or, more likely, in a follow-up course.

chapter-by-chapter text organization

Part One consists of four chapters that describe the basics of Java used
throughout the text. Chapter 1 describes primitive types and illustrates how to
write basic programs in Java. Chapter 2 discusses reference types and illustrates
xii preface

the general concept of a pointer—even though Java does not have pointers—so
that students learn this important Data Structures topic. Several of the basic
reference types (strings, arrays, files, and Scanners) are illustrated, and the use
of exceptions is discussed. Chapter 3 continues this discussion by describing
how a class is implemented. Chapter 4 illustrates the use of inheritance in
designing hierarchies (including exception classes and I/O) and generic com-
ponents. Material on design patterns, including the wrapper, adapter, and dec-
orator patterns can be found in Part One.
Part Two focuses on the basic algorithms and building blocks. In
Chapter 5 a complete discussion of time complexity and Big-Oh notation
is provided. Binary search is also discussed and analyzed. Chapter 6 is
crucial because it covers the Collections API and argues intuitively what
the running time of the supported operations should be for each data struc-
ture. (The implementation of these data structures, in both Collections
API-style and a simplified version, is not provided until Part Four). This
chapter also introduces the iterator pattern as well as nested, local, and
anonymous classes. Inner classes are deferred until Part Four, where they
are discussed as an implementation technique. Chapter 7 describes recur-
sion by first introducing the notion of proof by induction. It also discusses
divide-and-conquer, dynamic programming, and backtracking. A section
describes several recursive numerical algorithms that are used to imple-
ment the RSA cryptosystem. For many students, the material in the second
half of Chapter 7 is more suitable for a follow-up course. Chapter 8
describes, codes, and analyzes several basic sorting algorithms, including
the insertion sort, Shellsort, mergesort, and quicksort, as well as indirect
sorting. It also proves the classic lower bound for sorting and discusses the
related problems of selection. Finally, Chapter 9 is a short chapter that dis-
cusses random numbers, including their generation and use in randomized
algorithms.
Part Three provides several case studies, and each chapter is organized
around a general theme. Chapter 10 illustrates several important techniques
by examining games. Chapter 11 discusses the use of stacks in computer lan-
guages by examining an algorithm to check for balanced symbols and the
classic operator precedence parsing algorithm. Complete implementations
with code are provided for both algorithms. Chapter 12 discusses the basic
utilities of file compression and cross-reference generation, and provides a
complete implementation of both. Chapter 13 broadly examines simulation by
looking at one problem that can be viewed as a simulation and then at the
more classic event-driven simulation. Finally, Chapter 14 illustrates how data
 preface xiii

structures are used to implement several shortest path algorithms efficiently

for graphs.
Part Four presents the data structure implementations. Chapter 15 dis-
cusses inner classes as an implementation technique and illustrates their use
in the ArrayList implementation. In the remaining chapters of Part Four,
implementations that use simple protocols (insert, find, remove variations)
are provided. In some cases, Collections API implementations that tend to
use more complicated Java syntax (in addition to being complex because of
their large set of required operations) are presented. Some mathematics is
used in this part, especially in Chapters 19–21, and can be skipped at the dis-
cretion of the instructor. Chapter 16 provides implementations for both
stacks and queues. First these data structures are implemented using an
expanding array, then they are implemented using linked lists. The Collec-
tions API versions are discussed at the end of the chapter. General linked lists
are described in Chapter 17. Singly linked lists are illustrated with a simple
protocol, and the more complex Collections API version that uses doubly
linked lists is provided at the end of the chapter. Chapter 18 describes trees
and illustrates the basic traversal schemes. Chapter 19 is a detailed chapter
that provides several implementations of binary search trees. Initially, the
basic binary search tree is shown, and then a binary search tree that supports
order statistics is derived. AVL trees are discussed but not implemented, but
the more practical red–black trees and AA-trees are implemented. Then the
Collections API TreeSet and TreeMap are implemented. Finally, the B-tree is
examined. Chapter 20 discusses hash tables and implements the quadratic
probing scheme as part of HashSet and HashMap, after examination of a simpler
alternative. Chapter 21 describes the binary heap and examines heapsort and
external sorting.
Part Five contains material suitable for use in a more advanced course or for
general reference. The algorithms are accessible even at the first-year level.
However, for completeness, sophisticated mathematical analyses that are almost
certainly beyond the reach of a first-year student were included. Chapter 22
describes the splay tree, which is a binary search tree that seems to perform
extremely well in practice and is competitive with the binary heap in some
applications that require priority queues. Chapter 23 describes priority queues
that support merging operations and provides an implementation of the pairing
heap. Finally, Chapter 24 examines the classic disjoint set data structure.
The appendices contain additional Java reference material. Appendix A
lists the operators and their precedence. Appendix B has material on Swing,
and Appendix C describes the bitwise operators used in Chapter 12.
xiv preface

chapter dependencies
Generally speaking, most chapters are independent of each other. However,
the following are some of the notable dependencies.

n Part One (Tour of Java): The first four chapters should be covered in their
entirety in sequence first, prior to continuing on to the rest of the text.
n Chapter 5 (Algorithm Analysis): This chapter should be covered prior
to Chapters 6 and 8. Recursion (Chapter 7) can be covered prior to
this chapter, but the instructor will have to gloss over some details
about avoiding inefficient recursion.
n Chapter 6 (The Collections API): This chapter can be covered prior to
or in conjunction with material in Part Three or Four.
n Chapter 7 (Recursion): The material in Sections 7.1–7.3 should be
covered prior to discussing recursive sorting algorithms, trees, the
Tic-Tac-Toe case study, and shortest-path algorithms. Material such
as the RSA cryptosystem, dynamic programming, and backtracking
(unless Tic-Tac-Toe is discussed) is otherwise optional.
n Chapter 8 (Sorting Algorithms): This chapter should follow Chapters
5 and 7. However, it is possible to cover Shellsort without Chapters 5
and 7. Shellsort is not recursive (hence there is no need for Chapter 7),
and a rigorous analysis of its running time is too complex and is not
covered in the book (hence there is little need for Chapter 5).
n Chapter 15 (Inner Classes and Implementations of ArrayLists):
This material should precede the discussion of the Collections API
implementations.
n Chapters 16 and 17 (Stacks and Queues/Linked Lists): These chapters
may be covered in either order. However, I prefer to cover Chapter 16
first because I believe that it presents a simpler example of linked lists.
n Chapters 18 and 19 (Trees/ Binary Search Trees): These chapters can
be covered in either order or simultaneously.

separate entities
The other chapters have little or no dependencies:

n Chapter 9 (Randomization): The material on random numbers can be

covered at any point as needed.
 preface xv

n Part Three (Applications): Chapters 10–14 can be covered in con-

junction with or after the Collections API (in Chapter 6) and in
roughly any order. There are a few references to earlier chapters.
These include Section 10.2 (Tic-Tac-Toe), which refers to a discus-
sion in Section 7.7, and Section 12.2 (cross-reference generation),
which refers to similar lexical analysis code in Section 11.1 (balanced
symbol checking).
n Chapters 20 and 21 (Hash Tables/A Priority Queue): These chapters
can be covered at any point.
n Part Five (Advanced Data Structures): The material in Chapters
22–24 is self-contained and is typically covered in a follow-up course.

mathematics
I have attempted to provide mathematical rigor for use in Data Structures
courses that emphasize theory and for follow-up courses that require more
analysis. However, this material stands out from the main text in the form of
separate theorems and, in some cases, separate sections or subsections. Thus
it can be skipped by instructors in courses that deemphasize theory.
In all cases, the proof of a theorem is not necessary to the understanding
of the theorem’s meaning. This is another illustration of the separation of an
interface (the theorem statement) from its implementation (the proof). Some
inherently mathematical material, such as Section 7.4 (Numerical Applica-
tions of Recursion), can be skipped without affecting comprehension of the
rest of the chapter.

course organization
A crucial issue in teaching the course is deciding how the materials in Parts
Two–Four are to be used. The material in Part One should be covered in
depth, and the student should write one or two programs that illustrate the
design, implementation, testing of classes and generic classes, and perhaps
object-oriented design, using inheritance. Chapter 5 discusses Big-Oh nota-
tion. An exercise in which the student writes a short program and compares
the running time with an analysis can be given to test comprehension.
In the separation approach, the key concept of Chapter 6 is that different
data structures support different access schemes with different efficiency. Any
case study (except the Tic-Tac-Toe example that uses recursion) can be used
xvi preface

to illustrate the applications of the data structures. In this way, the student can
see the data structure and how it is used but not how it is efficiently imple-
mented. This is truly a separation. Viewing things this way will greatly
enhance the ability of students to think abstractly. Students can also provide
simple implementations of some of the Collections API components (some
suggestions are given in the exercises in Chapter 6) and see the difference
between efficient data structure implementations in the existing Collections
API and inefficient data structure implementations that they will write. Stu-
dents can also be asked to extend the case study, but again, they are not
required to know any of the details of the data structures.
Efficient implementation of the data structures can be discussed after-
ward, and recursion can be introduced whenever the instructor feels it is
appropriate, provided it is prior to binary search trees. The details of sorting
can be discussed at any time after recursion. At this point, the course can con-
tinue by using the same case studies and experimenting with modifications to
the implementations of the data structures. For instance, the student can
experiment with various forms of balanced binary search trees.
Instructors who opt for a more traditional approach can simply discuss a
case study in Part Three after discussing a data structure implementation in
Part Four. Again, the book’s chapters are designed to be as independent of
each other as possible.

exercises
Exercises come in various flavors; I have provided four varieties. The basic In
Short exercise asks a simple question or requires hand-drawn simulations of an
algorithm described in the text. The In Theory section asks questions that either
require mathematical analysis or asks for theoretically interesting solutions to
problems. The In Practice section contains simple programming questions,
including questions about syntax or particularly tricky lines of code. Finally,
the Programming Projects section contains ideas for extended assignments.

pedagogical features
n Margin notes are used to highlight important topics.
n The Key Concepts section lists important terms along with definitions
and page references.
 preface xvii

n The Common Errors section at the end of each chapter provides a list
of commonly made errors.
n References for further reading are provided at the end of most chapters.

supplements
A variety of supplemental materials are available for this text. The following
resources are available at http://www.aw.com/cssupport for all readers of this
textbook:

n Source code files from the book. (The On the Internet section at the
end of each chapter lists the filenames for the chapter’s code.)

In addition, the following supplements are available to qualified instructors.

To access them, visit http://www.pearsonhighered.com/cs and search our cata-
log by title for Data Structures and Problem Solving Using Java. Once on the cat-
alog page for this book, select the link to Instructor Resources.

n PowerPoint slides of all figures in the book.

n Instructor’s Guide that illustrates several approaches to the material.
It includes samples of test questions, assignments, and syllabi.
Answers to select exercises are also provided.

acknowledgments
Many, many people have helped me in the preparation of this book. Many
have already been acknowledged in the prior edition and the related C++ ver-
sion. Others, too numerous to list, have sent e-mail messages and pointed out
errors or inconsistencies in explanations that I have tried to fix in this edition.
For this edition I would like to thank my editor Michael Hirsch, editorial
assistant Stephanie Sellinger, senior production supervisor Marilyn Lloyd,
and project manager Rebecca Lazure and her team at Laserwords. Thanks
also go to Allison Michael and Erin Davis in marketing and Elena Sidorova
and Suzanne Heiser of Night & Day Design for a terrific cover.
Some of the material in this text is adapted from my textbook Efficient C
Programming: A Practical Approach (Prentice Hall, 1995) and is used with
xviii preface

permission of the publisher. I have included end-of-chapter references where

appropriate.
My World Wide Web page, http://www.cs.fiu.edu/~weiss, will contain
updated source code, an errata list, and a link for receiving bug reports.

M. A. W.
Miami, Florida
contents

part one Tour of Java

chapter 1 primitive java 3

1.1 the general environment 4

1.2 the first program 5
1.2.1 comments 5
1.2.2 main 6
1.2.3 terminal output 6
1.3 primitive types 6
1.3.1 the primitive types 6
1.3.2 constants 7
1.3.3 declaration and initialization of primitive types 7
1.3.4 terminal input and output 8
1.4 basic operators 8
1.4.1 assignment operators 9
1.4.2 binary arithmetic operators 10
1.4.3 unary operators 10
1.4.4 type conversions 10
1.5 conditional statements 11
1.5.1 relational and equality operators 11
1.5.2 logical operators 12
1.5.3 the if statement 13
1.5.4 the while statement 14
1.5.5 the for statement 14
1.5.6 the do statement 15
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 Between coaxing and encouraging he got Frank to his feet at last,
and even persuaded him to eat supper, which he ventured to order
sent to the chamber. Throughout Hugh did his best to talk to the boy
of any and all matters that had befallen him, till he roused him to a
certain dull interest. “So you’ve had back your horse all safe?” Frank
asked listlessly. “’Twas I procured Captain Gwyeth the name of the
place where you were hiding. He bought the horse when ’twas sold
at Oxford, and he wished you to have it, that time when he was
working for your pardon. Yes, I know your father well; he is always
kind to me, and does not mock me as the others have been doing. I
used to tell him all about you, and then he asked me find where you
were lodging. I had influence with my father then, so I could learn
it,” he added bitterly.
All thought of comforting Frank had left Hugh; he tried to listen
with sympathy to his piteous complaints, but it was useless; so he
rose, and, bidding him as cheery a good night as possible, and
promising to come back in the morning, went out from the chamber.
At the end of the gallery was a deep window-seat, where he sat
down and stared out at the roofs of the town that huddled gray in
the twilight, so intent on his own thoughts that he started when Dick
touched his shoulder. “How did you leave the poor popinjay?”
Strangwayes asked, with a trace of a laugh in his voice.
“Better, I think,” Hugh replied.
“Poor lad! Sir William might remember there is a mean betwixt
over-indulgence and severity. But Frank has brought it on himself.
When he forgot to do his duty in the troop he would be trying to
cajole Captain Turner into good humor, just as he has always cajoled
Sir William. And Michael Turner is not the man to coax that way. He
has influence with Sir William, too, and so—Well, ’twill be for Frank’s
good in the end,” Dick concluded philosophically, as he settled
himself on the window-bench.
Hugh made room for him, then went on staring at the gray sky.
Suddenly he broke out, “Dick, it was Captain Gwyeth sent me
Bayard.”
“Ay?” the other answered, without surprise. “And I have it of Sir
William, he was main urger, and drew him on to what seemed a
hopeless attempt to gain our pardon.”
Hugh scowled at his boots. “I take it I must wait on him and tell
him ‘thank you,’ when he comes back out of Warwickshire. I wish he
had let me alone!” he cried.
“You are like your father,” Strangwayes said judicially, leaning back
on the window-bench. “See to it, Hugh, you do not make the
resemblance too complete.”
“How that?” Hugh asked guiltily.
“By giving way to your ugly pride, so you do what it may take
months of repentance to undo.”
Hugh made no answer, and the silence between them lasted till
the gallery was quite dark, when, slipping off the window-seat, they
tramped away to their comrades below.
Next day Hugh gave himself up to Frank, who, truth to tell, in his
present half-subdued state was pleasanter company than he had
been at Oxford. He persuaded Master Pleydall to come out and view
the town, which took them till mid-afternoon; and then they loitered
back to the castle, with discreet turnings to avoid meeting any of the
other officers. Frank dodged into a tavern to keep out of sight of
Griffith, but he dragged Hugh half a mile down a blind lane to avoid
a suspected encounter with Captain Turner. “Mayhap I was impudent
and forward, so he got at last to ask my advice about conducting the
troop, when others of the men were by. And I thought he meant it
all in sober earnest.” Frank made a brave attempt at nonchalance,
but his lips quivered so Hugh had an improper desire to chastise
Michael Turner; for all his swagger and affectation, Frank had been
too innocent and childish a lad to be scathed with the captain’s
pitiless sarcasms.
Luckily they had no more encounters with men from the garrison
till they were nearly at the gate of the castle, and then it was only
Strangwayes, riding forth in full armor, with some twenty men
behind him, to post the watch about the town for the evening hours.
Hugh made him a formal salute, which Dick returned gayly before he
rode on.
“Dick is right fond of you,” Frank said, with a shade of envy; and
after that they sauntered in a moody silence, till, the sight of the
stables cheering Frank a bit, he prayed Hugh come in and look at
The Jade. “I’ve not seen the old lass since day before yesterday,” he
explained.
They were still lingering to admire the mare, when two grooms
came hurrying a lathered horse into the stable. “Who’s been riding
so hard?” Hugh asked carelessly.
“Messenger from the troop to the south, sir.”
“To the south?” Hugh repeated. “Come quickly, Frank, I must see
—”
He walked rapidly across the courtyard to the door of the
guardroom. About it men were crowded, and more were pressing
into the room itself; but at Hugh’s jostling they made him a way into
the thick of them. Over on a bench in the corner he had sight of a
man with the sleeve cut from his coat, who sat leaning heavily
against a comrade. Another, whom Hugh recognized as the surgeon
of the regiment, was washing a wound in his arm, and as he moved,
Hugh got a glimpse of the face of the injured man. “Cowper!” he
cried, and ran forward, for he knew the fellow for one of Captain
Gwyeth’s old independent troop.
Men gave him place; he heard a mutter amongst them, “The
captain’s son,” but he did not heed; just pushed his way to the
wounded man, and bent over him: “Cowper, what has happened? Is
anything wrong with my father? Tell me.”
“They closed in on us, sir,” the man roused up to speak. “Captain
Oldesworth’s horse, and a company of foot beside. They took our
horses and they slew Cornet Foster. I came through for help. They
have the colonel blocked up in Kingsford church.”
 CHAPTER XIX
THE RIDING OF ARROW WATER

For a moment the faces of the men about him went all blurry to
Hugh’s sight; then he was making his way fumblingly across the
guardroom, and, thrusting out one arm before him, found the door
to the inner part of the castle. Now that he was hurrying at a surer
pace down the corridor within, he realized that his breath was
coming in short gasps and he was shaking with a nervous tremor.
Kingsford, Kingsford, the word kept singing through his head; the
Oldesworths, who had so hated Alan Gwyeth, held him at their
mercy now at Kingsford. Only to Hugh it was no longer Alan Gwyeth,
but his father, the father whom his mother had taught him to
respect, who had tried to win him a pardon. And he had begrudged
the man even a grateful thought.
Hugh dashed open the door of his chamber, and, kicking off his
shoes, began tugging on his boots. He heard a step behind him, as
he struggled with his head bent; then came Frank’s voice: “Hugh,
you’ve heard? They have cut him off; he has cried for help; my
father is taking counsel with the captains—”
“Counsel?” cried Hugh, springing to his feet. “Why don’t they send
him aid?” He tore his buff coat down from the wall.
“Faith, ’tis a question if there is aid to send,” Frank cried, in equal
excitement, as he made a hindering effort to help Hugh into the
coat; “they have taken away so many of our regiment; we are scant
a hundred men all told; they say ’tis doubtful if we can send—”
“Then I’ll go to Kingsford alone. Run bid them saddle Bayard,
Frank, quick.” With that Hugh caught up his sword, and, going full
speed out of the chamber, drowned in the clatter of his boots the
protests Frank sent after him.
Below, in the tower room that served for conferences, Sir William
would be with his officers, and he hoped there to learn farther news.
Almost at the door he ran upon a man from Turner’s troop, all
accoutred, who drew back and saluted him. “What seek you? Know
you what they are planning?” Hugh asked excitedly.
“Nay, sir; only I was bid have my horse ready, and stand at their
service.”
Hugh could guess the service. Pushing by the trooper to the door
of the chamber, he knocked a rattling, peremptory knock, and
another right upon it. At that the door was wrenched open, and
Leveson, grim and dignified, had begun, “What brings you, sirrah?”
when Turner’s voice interrupted: “Hugh Gwyeth, is it? Let him come
in.”
After that Hugh had a confused sight of the high-studded room,
with the sunlight far up on the walls and the corners dusky, and of
the men by the table, who had faced toward him. Then he found
himself over by Sir William’s armchair, his hand resting hard upon
the table, and he was speaking rapidly: “I am going to Kingsford, Sir
William, to my father. If you are seeking a messenger for anything,
I’ll bear it safely. For I am going straightway.”
“Nay, I shall not suffer it, Hugh Gwyeth,” the baronet cut him
short. “Do you understand? The roads are close beset; the trooper
who brought us the tidings was shot in the arm and the side.”
“But I know the Kingsford roads. I can make it,” Hugh protested,
and looked from one to another of the three dubious faces. “Sure,
you’ll let me go,” he burst out. “I must. If he be—harmed and I not
there. I must go.” His eyes dropped to his hands that were clinching
his hat fast, and rested there; he dared not glance again at those
about him lest he find refusal in their looks, and he hoped they
might not be gazing at him, for he knew his mouth was working.
Then Turners voice sounded quick and decided: “Let him go, Sir
William.”
“Ay, he is a light rider and he knows the roads. A good messenger,
after all,” Leveson added in a matter-of-fact tone.
 Hugh looked up hopefully and saw a glance exchanged between
Sir William and his captains that meant his case was won. “We’ll not
endanger you with a written message,” the baronet spoke at once;
“for I tell you frankly, sir, you run a hundred chances of capture. If
you do contrive to bring yourself through the rebel lines, bid Captain
Gwyeth from me to hold out but two days, till Saturday, and he shall
have help. ’Tis so you have determined, gentlemen?”
“If the Lord aid us, we can recall enough troops to make the town
good and ride for the rescue by then,” Turner answered.
“That’s all your message, Gwyeth,” Sir William resumed; “and
remember, if the rebels knew the time when relief could be looked
for, ’twould aid them mightily, so if you be taken—”
“I’ll not be taken, sir, I do assure you,” cried Hugh, with his hand
on the latch of the door; “I’ll come through safe to Kingsford.”
“Heaven grant it!” the other said, with a trace of a smile, and then
soberly, “I can warn you, the captain will be glad at heart to see
you.”
Turner said something kindly, too, Hugh remembered afterward,
but for the present it was just people speaking and wishing him God
speed, and he was glad when he clapped on his hat outside the door
and could run for his horse.
Outside, the whole castle seemed emptied into the south court;
Leveson’s and Turner’s men, some in coats and more in shirt-
sleeves, who shouted questions and the tidings back and forth, and
swore and scuffled at the jostlings of the crowd. The sun was down,
but the early twilight still was clear between the gray walls, enough
to bring out every detail of the swarming courtyard, and to enable
Hugh to distinguish the faces of the men. Down in the thick of the
throng he caught sight of Frank, with a groom holding The Jade, and
he ran down from the doorway to him. At that, some of the men set
up a cheering, under cover of which Frank, putting his arm round
Hugh’s shoulders, said in a low tone: “I want you to take the mare,
Hugh; she’s faster than Bayard, and she’s not been used these two
days; and I did not know it was your cornetcy I was taking, and I
want you to ride her. Into the saddle with you!”
 Without wit or time to reply, Hugh found himself on the mare’s
back, felt her quiver beneath him, and had opened his mouth to bid
the groom let go her head, when the shouting swarm between him
and the great gateway was suddenly cleft apart. Up the lane Black
Boy came swinging with Strangwayes pulling taut on the bridle so he
eased up at Hugh’s side. “Get you down,” Dick cried without
question, and, springing to the ground himself, began tearing off his
cuirass.
“What will you have? Be brisk,” Hugh shouted, coming out of his
saddle.
Strangwayes flung his cuirass about him, and began very
deliberately taking in the straps to fit Hugh’s body. “Did you think
you were going on a pleasure ride?” he asked. Frank burst into a
nervous laugh, which others caught up, and some began cheering
for the lieutenant. Hugh heard The Jade prancing with impatience at
the sound, and he himself fairly squirmed under Dick’s touch. “Let
me be off!” he cried.
“You’ve all night before you,” Strangwayes drawled. “Hold up your
arm so I can get at the strap.”
Just then, through the clatter of The Jade’s restless hoofs and the
hum of the eager crowd about him, Hugh heard his name called.
Looking over his shoulder he saw Cowper, with his face the color of
ashes, limp up between two comrades. “They said ’twas you should
go to Kingsford, sir,” the man addressed him.
“I’m to venture it,” Hugh answered. “How left you matters there,
Cowper?”
“The captain has the church and the graveyard, sir. The rebels
hold the village and the bridge over the Arrow. I got across two mile
up at the Blackwater ford. The river ran high, and they had set no
guard. ’Twas breaking through the village they shot at me.”
“Go tend your hurt now,” Hugh found thought to urge. “I’ll
remember the ford, be sure. Are you done now, Dick?”
“Done with that,” replied Strangwayes. “Are your pistols in order?
And the word for the night is ‘Gloucester’; you’ll need it at the
gates.”
 “Yes, yes,” Hugh cried, and made a dash for The Jade, who,
dragging her groom at her head, had fretted herself a good ten feet
away. A trooper jumped forward and caught her bit to stay her; but
it was Dick, Hugh remembered, who held the stirrup so he could
swing himself easily into the saddle. “God speed!” he heard
Strangwayes say in the instant that followed. “We’ll be at your heels
soon. God speed!”
That was all the farewell between them; for the men stood back
from The Jade’s head, and, with a shrill squeal, she darted forward
across the court. Hugh heard the click of her hoofs on the
cobblestones, then lost the sound in the cheer upon cheer that
broke from those about him. His arms ached with the tense grip he
was holding on the bridle, and then he found the mare had the bit in
her teeth. “Go, if you will,” he cried, letting the reins looser. The
shadow of the gateway fell upon him; he saw the flicker of the torch
beneath it and the white faces of the men on guard. Then he had
jammed his hat on hard, and, bending his head, was striving to hold
The Jade straight as she tore down the slope and sped through the
town.
Houses and shops rushed by; he heard a woman shriek abuse
after him for his mad riding; the crash of opening casements, as the
townsfolk leaned out to see him pass; once, too, his heart gave a
jump as a boy, like a black streak, shot across the road just clear of
The Jade’s nose. Then the bulk of the town gate blocked his way; he
saw the sentinels spring forth to stay him, and, contriving to check
the mare an instant, he leaned from the saddle to say “Gloucester”
to the corporal in charge.
“Pass free,” came the word; the men stood from his path, and,
giving loose rein to The Jade, he flew by them out into the twilight
stretch of open country road.
For a time it was just breathless riding, with his full weight on the
reins to slacken the mare’s speed; for the road was all ruts, and he
feared for her slender legs. The mud spattered up even into his
eyes, and once, at a dip in the road, he felt his mount make a half-
slip in the mire, which sobered her somewhat, so he could ease her
down to a slow, careful trot that promised to carry him well through
the night. Now he was first able to look about at the broad, dusky
fields and back over his shoulder, where Tamworth town and castle
were merged into the night. The first exhilaration of the setting forth
went from him in the stillness and dark; it was steady, grim work he
had before him, yet he felt assured he would come safely into
Kingsford, and, spite of the gravity of it all, he found himself smiling
a little at the way in which, at last, he was going to his father. He
wondered perplexedly how he should greet Captain Gwyeth, and
how phrase his message; a formal tone would perhaps be best till he
was sure of his welcome. But Sir William had said his father would
be glad at his coming; at that thought Hugh pricked on The Jade a
little faster.
Once clear of the first village beyond Tamworth he entered a
stretch of woodland, where the black tips of the trees showed vivid
against the starless gray sky. Below, the undergrowth was all dense
darkness and Hugh thought it well to keep a hand on his pistol, for
he was drawing into Puritan country where a Cavalier was fair game
for an ambuscade. Out beyond he trotted again through fields, only
blacker and lonelier now than those by Tamworth. Such cottages as
he passed were silent and dark; at one farmstead he heard a dog
howl, and once, in a tangled hollow, a bat whizzed by his head, but
he saw or heard no other living thing. Though once, as he gazed
across the fields on his left, he made out in the distance a gleam of
light; a farm must lie yonder, and he pictured to himself the low
cottage chamber, where the goodwife would be watching with a
restless child. Such shelter and companionship was betokened by
the light that he turned in the saddle to gaze at it till a clump of
trees shut it from him.
It must have been something after midnight, though under that
starless sky he could not tell the time surely, when he clattered into
a considerable town. An officious watchman with a bobbing torch
ran from a byway, calling on him to stand, so Hugh clapped spurs to
The Jade and shot through the street at such a pace that the next
watchman could only get out of his course without trying to stay
him. But after that he grew wary and, when the outlying houses of
the next town came out of the black, turned off into the fields and
picked his way about it. The round-about course saved him from
interference, but it took much time; by a dull, unbraced feeling, that
was not sleepiness nor yet quite weariness alone, he knew he had
been many hours in the saddle, and he began to look to the east, in
dread lest he catch the first signs of daybreak.
Presently he must give his whole attention to The Jade, for they
spattered into a ford where the going was treacherous. While she
halted to drink he gazed about at the bushes and the field before
him, and, spite of the dark, knew the place. It was home country he
was drawing toward now, so he trotted on slowly, with his senses
alert and his eyes peering into the dusk for the landmarks that
should guide him. So it was that at last on his right hand he caught
sight of a big leafless oak, beneath which he pulled up short. True
enough, he remembered the way in which the tree stood up bare
and alone with scragged common at its back; he could not see well
for the dark, but he knew that at the farther edge of the open land
was a belt of young oaks that hid the ford of Blackwater.
He lingered beneath the blasted oak, time enough to look to his
pistols, and time enough, too, for him to recall the ghostly reputation
of the lonely tree, so his nerves were crisping as he rode by it into
the common. But he quieted The Jade’s fretty step, and, in the
action and the thought of what might be before him, steadied
himself till, though his body was trembling with eagerness, his head
was cool. He took the precaution of making the mare keep a slow
trot that was half muffled in the turf, though he urged her as much
as he dared on the uneven ground; for to the east, as he looked
over his shoulder, the dark was beginning to pale. The early summer
morning must be near at hand, for when he had crossed the open
there was light enough for him to make out the break in the trees
where the bridle path wound down to the ford.
Hugh went in cautiously, with the reins taut in his left hand and
his right on his pistol; but for all that The Jade’s feet splashed in the
sloughs of the pathway with a loudness that startled him. He pulled
up a moment and listened; ahead he could hear the lap, lap of swift
water, but for the rest the wood was silent. He was about to press
the mare forward with a touch of the spur, when, flinging up her
head, she whickered shrilly. Right upon that, somewhere to the front
by the water’s edge, a horse neighed.
Next moment Hugh felt the lash of low boughs across his neck, as
he pulled The Jade round with her haunches in among the bushes
by the path. Spite of the crash of the branches, and the pounding of
the blood in his temples that near deafened him, he caught the
sound of hoof-beats on his left, coming down on him from the
common as well as up from the river. At that he urged The Jade
forward, straight into the bushes at the other side of the path,
where the limbs grew so low that he bent down with his bare head
pressed against her mane. For all the hurry and tumult, his ears
were alert, and presently he heard their horses crashing behind him
among the trees at the right. Then, cautiously as he could pick his
way in the gray dimness, he turned The Jade’s head to the common.
Brushing out through the last of the oaks he faced southward, and,
as he did so, cast a glance behind him. Out of the shadows of the
trees in his rear he saw the dim form of a horseman take shape, and
a command, loud in the hush of morning, reached him: “Halt, there!”
Hugh laid the spurs to The Jade’s sides and, as she ran,
instinctively bent himself forward. Behind him he heard a shot, then
the patter of many hoofs upon the turf, and a second shot. Right
upon it he felt a dull shock above the shoulder blade; the ball must
have rebounded from his cuirass. After that he was in among the
trees once more; through the wood behind him men were crashing
and shouting; and even such scant shelter as the oaks gave was
ending, as they grew sparser and sparser, till he dashed into an open
stretch that sloped to the Arrow. To the front he had a dizzy sight of
more horsemen straggling from cover; there were two patrols
closing in on him, he realized, and with that, jerking the mare to the
right, he headed for the river.
Before him he could see the slope of hillside, the dark water under
the bank beyond, even the dusky sedge of the low opposite shore.
He saw, too, a horseman, bursting out from the trees, halt across his
path, but he neither stayed nor swerved, just drove the spurs into
The Jade and braced himself for the shock. He must have struck the
other horse on the chest; he had an instant’s sight of a trooper’s
tense face and a horse’s sleek shoulders, then only black water was
before him and men behind him were shouting to pull up. There
came a sickening sense of being hurled from the earth; a great
splashing noise and spray in his face. After that was a time of
struggling to free his feet from the stirrups, to clear himself from the
frightened mare; all this with water choking and strangling him and
filling his ears and beating down his head. He had no thought nor
hope nor conscious plan of action, only with all the strength of his
body he battled clear till he found himself in mid-stream, with the
current tugging at his legs, and his boots and cuirass dragging him
down. Once his head went under, and he rose gasping to a dizzy
sight of gray sky. He struck out despairingly while he tried in vain to
kick free from his boots. The current was twisting and tossing him
helplessly; he turned on his back a moment, and still the sky was
rushing past above him and whirling as it went. Above the din of the
water he heard faint shouts of men and crack of musket-shot. A
base end for a soldier, to drown like a rat! he reflected, and at the
thought struck out blindly. The water swept him down-stream, but
he fought his way obliquely shoreward till of a sudden he found the
tug of the current had abated. He could rest an instant and look to
his bearings; quite near him lay the shore, a dark sweep of field with
a hedge that ran down to the water, and on the farther side the
hedge he saw horsemen following down the stream.
Hugh struck out with renewed strength, till, finding the bottom
beneath his feet at last, he splashed shoreward on the run, and,
stumbling through the sedge and mire of the margin, panted upward
into the field. Off to the left were the roofs of Kingsford, so far the
current had swept him, but near at hand there was no hiding-place,
nor even a tree to set his back against, and, with his boots heavy
with water and his breath exhausted with the past struggle, he had
no hope to run. He halted where he was, in the midst of the bare
field, and pulled out his sword, just as the foremost horseman
cleared the hedge at a leap. It was not so dark but Hugh recognized
the square young figure, even before the man charged right upon
him. “Good morrow, Cousin Peregrine,” he cried out, and dodged
aside so the horse might not trample him. “Get down and fight.”
 As he spoke he made a cut at the horse’s flank; then Peregrine,
crying out his name, sprang down and faced him. They were blade
to blade at last, and at the first blow the older lad flinched,
stumbling back in the long grass of the field, and Hugh, with eyes on
his set, angry face, pressed after him. Horses were galloping nearer
and nearer, men calling louder, but Hugh did not heed; for Peregrine,
mistaking a feint he made, laid himself open, and he lunged forward
at him.
Then his sword-arm was caught and held fast, and he was flung
backward into the grasp of a couple of troopers. The man who had
first seized him, a grim corporal in a yellow sash, wrenched the
sword out of his hand, and he heard him speak to Peregrine: “Has
the knave done you hurt, sir?”
Hugh pulled himself together, though his whole body was still a-
quiver with the action of the last moments, and looked about him.
Yellow-sashed troopers surrounded him, six or seven, he judged,
and a few paces distant stood Peregrine, with his hand pressed to
his right forearm. “He slashed me in the wrist,” young Oldesworth
broke out; “I tripped, else he had not done it.”
“You had not tripped if you had stood your ground,” Hugh flung
back, with an involuntary effort to loosen his arms from the grasp of
those who had seized him.
“Hold your tongue, you cur!” snapped Peregrine, and might have
said more, had there not come from across the river a prolonged
hail. One ran down to the brink to catch the words; but Hugh had no
chance to listen, for at Peregrine’s curt order he was hustled upon
one of the troop horses. They tied his hands behind him, too;
whereat Hugh set his teeth and scowled in silence. What would
Peregrine do with him before he were done, he was wondering
dumbly, when the man from the river came up with the report that
the captain bade to convey the prisoner to Everscombe, and see to it
that he did not escape. “I’ll see to it,” Peregrine said grimly, and got
to his saddle, awkwardly, because of his wounded arm, that was
already staining a rough bandage red.
The morning was breaking grayly as the little squad turned
westward through the fields, and by a hollow to the Kingsford road.
As they descended into the highway, Hugh faced a little about in his
saddle, and gazed down it toward the village; a rise in the land shut
the spot from sight, but he knew that yonder Captain Gwyeth lay,
awaiting the message that he was not to bring. The trooper who
rode at his stirrup took him roughly by the shoulder then, and made
him face round to the front. “You don’t go to Kingsford to-day, sir,”
he jeered.
Hugh had not spirit even to look at the fellow, but fixed his eyes
on the pommel of the saddle. Trees and road he had known slipped
by, he was aware; he heard the horses stamp upon the roadway;
and he felt his wet clothes press against his body, and felt the strap
about his wrists cut into the flesh. But nothing of all that mattered
as his numbed wits came to the full realization that this was the end
of the boasting confidence with which he had set forth, and the end
of his hope of meeting with his father. The last fight would be fought
without him, or even now Captain Gwyeth, ignorant of the aid that
should hurry to him, might be putting himself into his enemies’
hands. At that, Hugh tugged hopelessly at the strap, and found a
certain relief in the fierce smarting of his chafed wrists.
Like an echo of his thoughts Peregrine’s voice came at his elbow:
“So you were thinking to reach Kingsford, were you?”
“I should not be riding here just for my pleasure,” Hugh replied,
with a piteous effort to force a light tone.
“’Twould be as well for you if you were less saucy,” his cousin said
sternly. “You know me.”
“I know you carry one mark of my sword on you,” Hugh answered,
looking his tormentor in the face, “and if you’d not let your troop
come aid you, you’d carry more.”
For a moment he expected Peregrine to strike him; then the elder
lad merely laughed exasperatingly. “You’ll not talk so high by to-
night,” he said, “when you’re fetched out to see that dog Gwyeth
hanged up in Everscombe Park.”
“You’d best catch him before you hang him,” Hugh answered
stoutly, though the heart within him was heavy almost beyond
endurance. What might the Oldesworths not do if once they laid
hands on Captain Gwyeth? A prisoner of war had no rights, Hugh
was well aware, and so many accidents could befall. He felt his face
must show something of his fear, and he dreaded lest Peregrine
goad him into farther speech, and his words betray his
wretchedness.
But happily just there they turned in between the stone pillars of
Everscombe Park, and Peregrine paced to the front of his squad.
Hugh listlessly watched the well-remembered trees and turnings of
the avenue, which were clear to see now in the breaking dawn. The
roofs of the manor house showed in even outlines against the dull
sky, all as he remembered it, only now the lawn beneath the terrace
was scarred with hoof-prints, and over in the old west wing the door
was open, and a musketeer paced up and down the flagstones
before it. Heading thither, the squad drew up before the entrance,
and Hugh, haled unceremoniously from the horse’s back, was jostled
into the large old hall of the west wing, that seemed now a
guardroom.
“How do you like this for a home-coming, cousin?” Peregrine
asked, and Hugh looked him in the eyes but answered nothing. His
captor laughed and turned to his troopers. “Search him thoroughly
now,” he ordered; “then hold him securely till Captain Oldesworth
comes.—And I can tell you, sirrah,” he addressed Hugh once more,
“you’ll relish his conversation even less than you relish mine.”
 CHAPTER XX
BENEATH THE ROOF OF EVERSCOMBE

They had searched Hugh, thoroughly and with more than

necessary roughness, and now he was permitted to drag on his
dripping clothes again. It was in a long, narrow room at the end of
the old hall, where the ceiling was high and dark and the three tall
windows set well up from the floor. A year ago it had been a closed
and disused apartment, but now a couple of tables and some stools
were placed there; Hugh noted the furniture in listless outer fashion
as he sat wrestling on his sodden boots. For once his captors had
taken their hands off him; one trooper was guarding the door and
another was pacing up and down beneath the windows, but the
corporal and the third man stood within arm’s reach of him. When
Hugh rose to his feet the corporal made a little movement, and he
realized they were all alert for his least suspicious action. “My faith,
I’m not like to get away from the four of you,” Hugh broke out in a
despairing sort of sullenness. “’Tis only that I’d fain put on my coat,
unless you claim that along with my cuirass and buff jacket.”
One bade him put on and be hanged, and Hugh, having drawn on
the wet garment, sat down again on the stool by the table, too
utterly weary and hopeless to note more than that the room was
damp and the chill of his soaked clothes was striking to his marrow.
With a thought of tramping some warmth into his body he rose
again, but the corporal sharply bade him sit down quietly or be tied
down. Hugh resumed his place on the stool with his shoulders
against the edge of the table and one ankle resting on the other
knee; he would gladly have swung round and rested his head upon
the table, so worn-out and faint he felt, only he knew if he did his
captors would think him childish and frightened.
Of a sudden he heard the sentinel at the door advance a step and
announce to the corporal: “Captain Oldesworth has just come into
the guardroom, sir.”
A queer tingling went through Hugh’s veins, and upon it followed
a sickening faintness. Bringing both feet down to the ground, he
faced about with his clinched hand on the table and his eyes
fastened upon the door. He knew now why he had not been able to
think, those last moments, why every humiliation had been scarcely
heeded, in the expectation of this that was before him. He saw the
corporal draw up stiff in salute, the sentinel stand back from the
door, and then, clean-shaven, set-mouthed as ever, he saw Tom
Oldesworth stride in.
It had been in Hugh’s mind to stand up to meet his uncle, but at
the last he dared not trust his knees to such a test. For the moment
the old boyish fear of the elder man, whose raillery had cut him,
whose blows had made him flinch, came back on him, and he could
only stare at him dumbly.
“’Tis not the place I had looked to find you, nephew,” Oldesworth
greeted him, in a tone that though brusque was kindly enough. Only
in the hurriedness of his bearing and the eagerness in his eyes Hugh
read no friendly presage, so he let his gaze fall to the table and
studied the grain of the wood, while he listened to the beating of his
heart that vibrated through all his body.
Oldesworth spoke a word aside to the corporal, and as the
troopers drew to the farther end of the room came and set himself
down opposite Hugh. “Now attend me, sir,” he began rapidly. “By
your trappings you seem to have learned something of war; then
you know how the case stands with you now we have you fast. So I
trust you will not suffer any childish stubbornness to vex me or harm
you.”
Hugh watched the man’s hard face with fascinated eyes and lips
half-opened, but found no tongue to reply.
“You were riding to Kingsford,” Oldesworth continued, gazing at
him fixedly. “You came from Tamworth, whither a messenger was
posted yesterday. You brought an answering message. What was it?”
Hugh flung back his head. “If there be a message, think you I’d be
such a fool as to tell it?” he cried, in a voice that was so firm it made
him glad. After all, he had no need to fear, for this was only a man
like the rest, and he was now a man, too.
“You brought a message from Sir William Pleydall,” Oldesworth
repeated, unmoved. “He is going to send aid to this man, is he not?
Why, I can read that in your face, Hugh. Aid is coming, then. Is it to-
day? To-morrow? Answer me.”
Hugh met his uncle’s gaze fairly, with his head held a little upward
and his lips tight-set now. There was nothing for him to say, but he
knew they fought the battle out betwixt them while their glances
met.
“So you’re stubborn, are you?” Oldesworth said, rising to his feet.
“You young fool! Do you think you can set your will against mine?”
“I think I will not tell what you ask,” Hugh replied without a
tremor.
Oldesworth leaned a little forward with his fist upon the table. “I
have been waiting all my manhood to take satisfaction from Alan
Gwyeth,” he said slowly. “Now the opportunity is given me do you
think I shall suffer a boy’s obstinacy to hinder me? I will have that
message. If you’ll not yield it for the asking, why—Come, come,
speak. I’d be loath to hurt you, Hugh.”
“I’d be loath to have you, sir,” Hugh replied soberly, though his
whole inclination was to laugh; for now the worst had come he was
braced to meet it, and quite unafraid.
Captain Oldesworth’s jaws were set ominously at that. “Corporal,”
he ordered sharply, “send a man to fetch rope and a piece of
match.”
With an involuntary start Hugh came to his feet, for his mind had
jumped back to something Butler had once hinted,—that a length of
burning match tied between the fingers was the surest way to make
a dumb knave find his tongue.
“’Tis no laughing matter, you’ll perceive,” the captain said, with a
trace of satisfaction. “Now you’ll tell?”
 Hugh shook his head, not looking at his uncle but with eyes upon
the door. He saw it pushed open, and then came in the trooper with
a length of rope in his hand, but Hugh scarcely heeded, for behind
him, with an eager step, walked Peregrine Oldesworth. After that it
did not need the tramp of the men crossing from the other end of
the room to set every fibre of Hugh’s body tense for the coming
struggle. With a quick movement he swung about to catch up the
stool he had just quitted; Oldesworth must have stepped round the
table behind him, for he blocked his way now, and catching him by
the shoulders made him stand, for all Hugh’s effort to wrench clear.
“’Twill be no use fighting, my lad,” he said, with something oddly like
pity in his face. “Do as I ask straightway. You’ve done all a
gentleman need do. Tell me now when Pleydall is coming. Else you
go into the hands of Cornet Oldesworth and his squad here. And
Peregrine is keen for this work. But tell, and no one shall lay hand
on you, nor—”
“I care not if you kill me!” Hugh cried hoarsely.
“Have it your way, then!” Oldesworth retorted, and, flinging him
off, turned his back. “Tie him up, lads,” he ordered.
Some one griped his collar, Hugh felt; there was a rip of cloth, and
for a moment he had torn himself free and struck out blindly at the
mass of them. They must have tripped him, for he felt the floor
beneath his shoulders; but he still had hold on one of them, and he
heard a shirt tear beneath his hands. There came a dull pain
between his eyes, as if the bones of the forehead were bursting
outward, and he made a feeble effort to strike up as he lay. Then
the struggling was over; he could not even kick, for one that sat
upon his legs; a man’s knee was grinding down on his back, and his
arms were forced behind him. His face was pressed to the floor, and
he could see nothing for a blackness before his eyes, but he heard
Peregrines voice, cool and well-satisfied: “He’ll be quiet enough now.
Here’s the rope.”
Some one else had entered the room, Hugh realized; a slow step,
a pause, and then a stern voice that rang loud: “Thomas
Oldesworth! Bid your ruffians take their hands from your sister’s
son.”
 “Father!” the captain’s voice spoke, then after an instant’s blank
pause ran on: “You do not understand, good sir. He—”
“Will you stand arguing?” There came a noise as of a staff’s being
struck upon the floor. “Do I command in this house, son Thomas, or
do you? You ruffianly knaves, up with you all!”
They had left him free, Hugh found, and dragging one arm up to
his head he lay panting desperately, without strength or heart to
move. “Help him to his feet,” the stern voice spoke again. “Or have
you done him serious hurt?”
They lifted him up, with gentler handling than they had yet given
him, and staggering a pace to the table he leaned against it. He
drew his hand across his eyes unsteadily to rub away the black spots
that danced before them; he had a blurry sight, then, of the
troopers drawn back to the windows, and of the captain and
Peregrine, who stood together with half-abashed faces, for in the
doorway, leaning on his staff, was Master Gilbert Oldesworth. “Get
you back to Kingsford and fight out your fight with the scoundrel
who wronged your sister,” he spoke again. “At such a time can you
find no better task than to maltreat a boy?”
“If you would only pause to hear how matters stand, sir,” the
captain urged, with a visible effort to maintain a respectful tone.
“The lad holds the information that shall make us masters of that
villain Gwyeth. If he will not speak, though he were twenty times my
nephew, I’ll—”
“If he were twenty times the meanest horseboy in the king’s
camp, he should not be put to torture beneath my roof,” Master
Oldesworth answered grimly. “Come here to me, Hugh Gwyeth.”
Wondering dully why all the strength had gone out of his body,
Hugh stumbled across the room and pitched up against the wall
beside his grandfather. He noted now that his shirt was torn open,
and drawing his coat together he tried to fasten it; his fingers shook
unsteadily, and the buttons were hard to find. He felt his
grandfather’s hand placed firmly on his shoulder. “I think you have
mishandled this gentleman enough to satisfy you,” the old man
spoke contemptuously. “Henceforth you will merely hold him as a
prisoner taken in honorable war. And I shall myself be responsible
for his custody.”
“My good father,” Captain Oldesworth broke out, “I cannot suffer
him to pass from my keeping. My responsibility to the state—”
“Will you school me, Thomas?” Master Oldesworth cut him short.
“I am neither bed-ridden nor brain-sick that you should try to dictate
to me now. But I will advise you, sir, that there are decencies to be
observed even in war, and there are those in authority would make
you to smart if ever they got knowledge of this you purposed. Lift
your hand against my grandson, and this day’s work comes to their
ears.”
Then the grasp on Hugh’s shoulder tightened, and submissively he
walked at his grandfathers side out into the guardroom. Those
loitering there drew back to make way for them, he judged by the
sound of footsteps, but he had not spirit even to look up. By the
difference of the oak planking of the floors he perceived they were
entering the passage that led to the main building, when he felt a
firmer grip close on his arm and heard the voice of the Roundhead
corporal: “I crave your pardon, sir. The captain bade me see the
prisoner safely locked up.”
“No need,” Master Oldesworth spoke curtly, and then addressed
Hugh: “You will give me your parole not to attempt an escape.”
Hugh looked up helplessly into his grandfather’s stern face, and
felt the grasp of the corporal press upon his arm. His breath came
hard like a sob, but he managed to force out his answer: “I cannot,
sir, I cannot. You’d better thrust me back into my uncle’s hands. I
cannot promise.”
He was trying to nerve himself to be dragged back to the chamber
behind the guardroom, but though Master Oldesworth’s face grew
harder, he only said, “Bring him along after me,” and led the way
down the passage.
Hugh followed unsteadily, glad of the grasp on his arm that helped
to keep him erect. They had entered the east wing, he noted
listlessly; then he was trudging up the long staircase and stumbling
down the corridor. At the first window recess he saw Master
Oldesworth halt and heard him speak less curtly: “I have indeed to
thank you, mistress.” Raising his eyes as he passed, Hugh saw that
by the window, with hands wrung tight together, Lois Campion was
standing.
Instinctively he tried to halt, but the grip on his arm never relaxed,
and he must come on at his captor’s side, down to the end of the
corridor. There Master Oldesworth had flung open a door into a tiny
chamber, with one high, narrow slit of a window, bare of furniture
save for a couple of chests and a broken chair, over which the dust
lay thick. “Since you will have no better lodging, you shall stay here,”
he said coldly.
Dragging his way in, Hugh flung himself down on a chest with his
head in his hands. “Could you let me have a drink of water, sir?” he
asked faintly.
“Go to my chamber and fetch the flask of Spanish wine, Lois,”
Master Oldesworth bade, and Hugh heard the girl’s footsteps die
away in the corridor, then heard or heeded nothing, just sat with his
face hidden.
A touch on the shoulder roused him at last; he took the glass of
wine his grandfather offered him and slowly drank it down. They
were alone in the room now, he noted as he drank, the door was
drawn to, and Lois was gone. He set down the empty glass and
leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. “I thank you, sir, for
this, for all you have saved me from,” he said slowly.
“You might thank me for more, if you were less self-willed.”
“’Tis not from self-will, sir, I did as I have done, that I refused my
parole,” Hugh broke out, “’tis for my father. I cannot bind myself. I
must go to him. I—”
“No more words of that man,” Master Oldesworth silenced him.
“You shall never go to him again. A year ago I dealt not wisely with
you. I gave you choice where you were too young to choose. For all
your folly there are parts in you too good for me to suffer you
destroy yourself. Now where I let you walk at your will I shall see to
it that you keep the right path, by force, if you drive me to it. For the
present I shall hold you in safe custody at Everscombe. Later, as you
conduct yourself, I shall determine what course to take.”
“But my father!” Hugh cried.
 “Captain Oldesworth will deal with Alan Gwyeth,” Master
Oldesworth replied. “Do you forget him.”
“I can never forget him, sir. Sure, I’d liefer be hanged with him
than be saved apart from him thus. I—”
The door closed jarringly behind Master Oldesworth, the key
grated in the lock, and the bolt was shot creakingly.
For a time Hugh sat staring stupidly at the door of his prison,
then, getting slowly to his feet, he began dragging and shoving the
chest beneath the window. His hands were still unsteady and he felt
limp and weak, so again and again he must pause to sit down. The
little room was close and hot; the perspiration prickled on the back
of his neck, and stung above his eyebrows. The movement of the
chest cleared a white space on the gray floor, and the dust that rose
thick sifted into his mouth and nostrils till he was coughing painfully
with a miserable feeling that it needed but little for the coughing to
end in sobbing. He hated himself for his weakness, and, gritting his
teeth, shoved the chest the more vigorously till at last it was in
position beneath the window. Lifting the one chair upon it, he
mounted up precariously; the sill of the window came level with his
collar bone while the top grazed his forehead. He stretched up his
arms and measured the length and breadth of the opening twice
over, but he knew it was quite hopeless; there was no getting
through that narrow window, and, had it been possible, he must risk
a sheer fall of two stories to the flagged walk below. For a moment
he stood blinking out at the green branches of the elms that swayed
before his window, then he dropped to the floor again and sat down
on the chest with his face in his hands.
So he was still sitting, when the door was unlocked and one of the
serving men of the household came in to fetch him dinner. Hugh
looked up, and, recognizing the fellow, would have spoken, but the
man only shook his head and backed out hastily. Hugh noted that it
was no trooper’s rations they had sent him, but food from his
grandfathers table; still he had no heart to eat, though he drank
eagerly, till presently he reasoned this was weak conduct, for he
must keep up strength if he were ever to come out of his captors’
hands, so, drawing the plate to him, he resolutely swallowed down a
tolerable meal.
Then he set himself to watch the motes dance in a sunbeam that
ran well up toward the ceiling, but presently it went out altogether.
He leaned back then on the chest where he sat, and perhaps had
lost himself a time in a numb, half-waking sleep, when of a sudden
he caught a distant sound that brought him to his feet. He could not
mistake it; off to the east where Kingsford lay he could hear the faint
crack of musketry fired in volleys. Hugh cried out something in a
hoarse voice he did not recognize; then he was wrenching at the
latch and hammering on the door with his clinched hands, while he
shrieked to them to let him go. He saw the blood smearing out from
his knuckles, but he beat on against the unshaken panels till the
strength left him and he dropped down on the floor. Still, as he lay,
he could hear the distant firing, and then he ground his face down
between his hands and cried as he had never cried before with great
sobs that seemed to tear him.
Afterward there came a long time when he had not strength even
to sob, when the slackening fire meant nothing to him, and, lying
motionless and stupid, he realized only that the light was paling in
the chamber. The door was pushed open, and mechanically he rolled
a little out of the way of it. The serving man he remembered came
in with supper, and at sight of him Hugh lifted up his head and
entreated brokenly: “Tell me, what has happened? Have they taken
my father? For the love of Heaven, tell me.”
The man hesitated, then, as he passed to the doorway, bent down
and whispered: “They’ve beat the Cavaliers into the church, sir, but
they’ve not taken the captain yet. Lord bless you, don’t cry so, sir.”
For the sheer nervous relief had set Hugh choking and sobbing
again without pride or strength enough left to hold himself in check.
As the darkness closed in, however, he grew a little calmer, though
sheer exhaustion more than inner comfort held him quiet. His eyes
were hot and smarting, and his throat ached, so he crept over to the
chest where the food was placed, and laying hands on a jug of water
gulped down a good deal and splashed some over his face. After
that he stretched himself again upon the floor, where for pure
weariness he dropped at length into a heavy sleep.
He awoke in darkness, his blood tingling and his pulses a-jump in
a childish momentary fear at the strangeness of the place and a
something else he could not define. He had recollected his position
and laid down his head again, with a little effort to place himself
more comfortably upon the floor, when there came a second time
the noise that must have wakened him,—a stealthy faint click of the
latch, as if the door were being softly opened. Hugh sprang to his
feet and set his back to the wall, in the best position for defence, if it
were some enemy, if it were Captain Oldesworth came seeking him.
The door was opening, he perceived, as his eyes grew accustomed
to the darkness. “Who is it?” he asked in a guarded tone.
“Hush! ’Tis I, Lois.”
Hugh caught his breath in a gasp of relief. “Lois, you’ve come to
free me?” he whispered, and, stepping softly to her, fumbled in the
dark and found her hand.
“Yes, yes. I was afraid for you. I told Master Oldesworth that
Peregrine was bragging how the captain would serve you. He saved
you that time. But ’tis possible the captain will lay hands on you
again. I slipped into Master Oldesworth’s chamber and took the key.
I know ’tis wicked; I care not. Pull off your boots and come away,
quick.”
Noiselessly as he could, Hugh got his boots in his hand and in his
stockinged feet stole out of the chamber. In the corridor it was all
black and still, just as it had been that other time when he ran from
Everscombe, only now Lois was with him, and when the stairs
creaked they pressed close together. Then she went forward boldly,
and he, still half-blinded with sleep, was content to follow the
guidance of her hand. “In here,” she whispered at length, and so led
him into the east parlor, where the great clock still ticked, solemn
and unperturbed. “Go out at the window,” Lois spoke softly; “I dare
not open the door. There are a few men in the house, but they lie in
the west wing and the stables. The bulk are at Kingsford. Northward
you will find the way clear.”
 “I am not going northward,” Hugh answered, as he warily pushed
open the casement. “I go to my father now.”
“Hugh!” The girl’s voice came in a frightened gasp. “I had not
released you— If you come unto them at last— They wish it not—
You may be killed! You shall not do this thing.”
Leaning from the casement Hugh dropped his boots carefully
where the dark showed an edge of grass bordered the flagged walk;
as he set himself astride the window ledge he spoke: “’Tis just the
thing I shall do, Lois, and the only thing. If you be sorry for what
you did, call, if you will, but I shall jump and run for it.”
“I shall not call,” she answered. “Oh, I care not who has the right
and wrong of the war. I cannot bear they should hurt you.”
She was kneeling on the window-bench with her face close to his;
he suddenly bent forward and kissed her. “God bless you for this,
Lois,” he said.
Then he swung himself over the window ledge, and letting his
weight come on his hands dropped noiselessly to the walk below. He
dragged on his boots, and taking a cautious step across the
flagstones slid down the terrace to the lawn. Once more he glanced
back, not at Everscombe manor house, but at the opened window of
the east parlor. It was too dark more than to distinguish the outline
of the casement, but he knew that at the lattice Lois was still
standing to wish him God speed to his father.
 CHAPTER XXI
THE FATHERHOOD OF ALAN GWYETH

The sky was bluish black with heavy masses of clouds, but
through a rift in the west showed a bright star, by which Hugh
guessed roughly it must be within two hours of dawn. Quickening his
pace to a run at that, he came into the shelter of the park, where it
was all black, and he went forward blindly, with one arm thrust up to
guard his face. Now and again he had through the tree-tops a
distant sight of the sky, and by it took his directions; but for the
most part he stumbled on haphazard, though at a brisk pace, for the
night was passing rapidly. When at length he crushed his way
through a thicket to the edge of the brook that marked the bounds
of the park, the bright western star had sunk out of sight behind the
trees.
Beyond the brook he hurried through a tract of woodland, where
he bore to the southward to keep clear of the Kingsford highway and
a farmstead that lay back from it. He came out in a cornfield, where
the blades felt damp against his face as he forced a rustling passage
through, and after that climbed over a wall into the open fields.
There were no more houses to avoid before he reached the village,
so with less caution he pressed on at a good jog-trot. For the night
was waning, and Kingsford was still to come.
An ominous pale streak showed in the east before him as he
climbed the swell of land that cut off sight of the village. Fearing lest
his figure show up too distinctly against the sky line, he made for a
clump of bushes at the summit, and had just got within their shadow
when he caught the sound of hoof-beats. Dropping flat he dragged
himself in under the bushes, where, peering out between the leaves,
he saw the black bulk of a horseman ride along the slope below him.
A little to Hugh’s left he pulled up and called to another rider a
challenge that reached the boy’s ears quite clearly, then turned and
came pacing back.
They had set a mounted guard about the town, then; and with
that Hugh told himself he must slip past it and quickly, too, or the
dawn would be upon him. But first he waited for the horseman’s
return, to know what was the time between his passing and
repassing, and while he waited he strained his eyes into the dark to
get the lay of the land. At the foot of the rising ground was a hollow,
he remembered, and across it, on the higher land, stood an irregular
line of three cottages, beyond which ran a lane that led by the side
wall of the churchyard. Very likely troops were lodged about the
cottages now, perhaps even more patrols in the hollow, but all he
could see was the black depths beneath him and the outline of the
nearest cottage. Then he heard the sound of hoofs loud again, as
once more the horseman on guard rode by below. Hugh could make
out his form far too clearly; dawn was coming, and he durst stay no
longer.
So soon as the man had turned and paced a rod on his journey
back, Hugh crawled from beneath the bushes and, rolling noiselessly,
creeping on hands and knees, made his way down the hillside. He
remembered afterward the feel of the moist grass in his hands, the
look of the mottled dark sky and the faint stars, and how at a distant
hail in the village he pressed flat on the cold ground. But at last he
crawled across a more level space he judged the bridle path, and
scrambled down into the depth of the hollow, where a chilly mist set
him shivering. As he lay outstretched, resting his weary arms a
moment, he heard up above him the horseman ride by.
Now that he was within the lines of the patrol only caution and
quickness were necessary. Still on hands and knees, he dragged
himself slowly up the hillside, bearing ever to the south to get
behind the cottages, yet not daring to venture too far, lest he come
upon another line of guards. As he approached the first cottage he
rose half erect and tried a short run, but the bark of a dog made him
drop flat in the grass, where he lay trembling. Next instant, realizing
that it was better to push on, whatever befell, he sprang up and
made a dash to the cover of a hedge behind the second cottage. For
now the protection of the night had nearly left him; he could see
clearly the lattices of the cottage, the whitish line of highway beyond
it, and others might see him as well. But as he crept forward,
keeping to the shelter of the hedge, he looked up, and against the
gray sky saw what gave him courage. Above the farther cottage rose
the church tower, and from it stood up a staff on which fluttered a
red flag with a splotch of gold upon it; Captain Gwyeth and his men
still were holding out.
With renewed hope Hugh worked his way past the hedge to the
shelter of an outbuilding, not a rod from the lane that ran white
beneath the lich wall. He could see the church clearly now, the
scowling small windows, the close side door, and the gravestones on
the slope below. There was little prospect of welcome, he was
reckoning anxiously, as he lay crouched against the outbuilding,
when suddenly he heard a cry: “Stand, there!” Off to his right in the
lane he beheld a Roundhead sentinel halted with his piece levelled.
Springing to his feet Hugh dashed across the grass plot to the
lane. On the left he heard hoof-beats, then a cry: “Shoot him down!”
A bullet struck the sand at his feet; he heard men running, and
another shot. He heard, too, the crunch of crisp weeds beneath his
boots as he crashed into the overgrown tangle beyond the lane. He
felt the rough stones on the top of the wall, then he had flung
himself clear across it, and was struggling up the slope among the
graves. His boots were heavy and hampered him, and his breath
seemed gone. He looked up to the dead windows of the church and
tried to cry: “King’s men! To the rescue!” but what sound he could
make was lost in the din behind him. A bullet struck on a headstone
just to one side; then of a sudden came a numbing pain in his left
arm. He staggered, stumbled blindly a pace; then the sky was rolled
up like a gray scroll, the stars were dancing before his eyes, and he
was down flat upon the ground. Lifting his head dizzily he had a dim
sight of the lane below, men swarming from the cottages, and one
he saw leap the wall and come running toward him. Hugh’s head
dropped back on the ground; he saw the sky pale above and waited
for the butt of his pursuer’s musket to crash down upon him, and
prayed it might not be long to wait.
 They were still firing, he heard; and he heard, too, quick footsteps
behind him and a man breathing fast. He was swung up bodily from
the ground, and there came a voice he knew: “Your arm round my
neck, so. Have no fear, Hugh; I’ve got you safe.”
There was firing still and faint cheering; the rest darkness; but
before it closed in on him Hugh had one blurred glimpse of a strong,
blue-eyed face above him, and he knew it was his father who held
him.
The light returned to Hugh in a dim and unfamiliar place; high
above him, as he lay on his back, he had sight of a vaulted roof full
of shadows. His head felt heavy and dazed, so he did not care to stir
or speak, just closed his eyes again. There had been faces about
him, he remembered vaguely, and he felt no surprise when he heard
a voice that was unmistakably Ridydale’s: “He’s coming round, sir.”
They were pressing a wet cloth to his forehead, Hugh judged, and
his head was aching so he tried to thrust up his arm to stop them.
“Let—me—alone,” he forced the words out faintly, and opened his
eyes. It was his father who was bathing his head, he saw, and
remembering what brought him thither his mind went back to the
formal message he had framed on the way from Tamworth. “Captain
Gwyeth, Sir William Pleydall bade me deliver word, he will send you
relief; it shall come to-morrow.”
“Saxon, take that word to Lieutenant von Holzberg,” Captain
Gwyeth’s voice came curtly. “Spread it through the troop that help is
coming.—Spare farther speaking now, Hugh; I understand.”
Hugh closed his eyes heavily and lay quiet. He felt a wet cloth tied
round his head, and then he winced through all his body as a knife
ripped halfway up his sleeve. “Thank Heaven, ’tis only a clean flesh
wound,” he heard the captain say. “Nay, Jack, I’ll hold him. Do you
bandage it.”
Hugh felt himself lifted up till his head rested against the captain’s
shoulder. Half opening his eyes he had a confused sight down the
nave of the church, only now it seemed unfamiliar, for the pews
were torn from their places and piled up against the great entrance
door. Up and down by the walls men were pacing, and some lay
silent on the floor of the choir, and some he heard groaning as they
lay. Then he closed his eyes and clinched his teeth, for his arm was
aching rarely, so the lightest touch made him shrink. He wondered if
the bandages they were putting on would never end, and if he could
keep on biting down all sign of pain, when at last Ridydale spoke:
“There, sir, ’tis done the best I could. If we only had water to wash
the hurt properly!”
That suggested to Hugh that his mouth was dry, so he said under
his breath: “I am thirsty.”
“If there be a drop of water in the place, fetch it,” Captain Gwyeth
bade; and a moment later Hugh’s head was lifted up and a cup set
to his lips. It was brackish water, and very little at that; he
swallowed it with one gulp, and opened his eyes to look for more.
“Nay, that’s the last,” the captain spoke out. “’Tis an ill lodging you
have taken with us. I would to God you were elsewhere!”
With the scant power of his returning strength, Hugh tried to
move clear of the arm that was about him. “I had hoped, this time,
you would not be sorry to see me,” he broke out, in a voice that
quavered in spite of himself.
He heard the captain give a sharp order to Ridydale to be off, and
he felt it was to save the dignity which had almost slipped from him.
He put his head down on the captain’s shoulder again. “Father, you
are glad to have me, after all,” he said softly.
He felt the sudden tension of the arm that drew him closer,
though when Captain Gwyeth spoke, his tone was of the driest:
“After the trouble I’ve had to get hold of you, do you not think ’tis
reasonable I should be glad?” Then he cut short all response with a
hasty: “Lie you down here now and be quiet. You’ve been knocked
just enough for you to make a fool of yourself if you try to talk.”
Hugh grinned weakly, and suffered his father to put him down
with his head upon a folded cloak. “I’ll send Ridydale to have an eye
to you,” the captain said in a low tone, “and if anything happens, I’ll
be near.” Then he rose and tramped away down the nave of the
church, but Hugh, watching him through half-shut eyes, saw him
halt to glance back.
After that Hugh lay a long time in a heavy, half-waking state,
where he listened to the slow pacing up and down of those about
him who kept guard, and to the quicker step of men who, on other
errands, hastened across the reëchoing church; he heard men shout
orders across the aisles or nearer to him speak in curt
monosyllables; and he heard, too, all the time, the labored groaning
of one who must lie somewhere near. Then there were moments
when, losing all sounds, he drifted off into an unknown world, where
he lived over again the happenings of the last hours, and struggled
in the water of the Arrow, and fought Oldesworth’s troopers, and
made the last run through the churchyard under the Roundhead fire.
It was a relief to come back to consciousness and find himself
lying comfortably on the floor of the choir with the dark roof far
above him. A glint of purple sunlight from a broken window wavered
on the ground beside him, and, forcing his mind to follow one train
of thought, he contrived at last to reason out that it must be past
noon. Pulling himself up on his sound arm, he tried to look about the
church, but the effort made his head ache so he was glad to lie
down. But he had got sight of Ridydale, who stood on a bench
beneath one of the tall windows in speech with a trooper, and after
a moment’s rest he called the corporal by name.
Ridydale stepped down, carabine in hand, and came to Hugh’s
side. “Is there anything you’ll be wanting, sir?” he began.
“Yes,” Hugh replied, “I’d take it kindly of you if you’d just tell me
what hit me that time.”
Ridydale grinned and settled himself close by on the steps of the
altar with his carabine across his knees. “’Tis all very simple, Master
Hugh,” he explained. “They wasted a deal of lead trying to wing you,
—they’re clumsy marksmen, those Roundhead cowherds. Somehow,
by good luck, they contrived to shoot you in the arm. I take it you
stumbled on one of those sunken stones, then, for you went down
and broke your head against another gravestone.”
“Was that it?” Hugh asked, in some mortification.
“And then the colonel stepped out and fetched you in. We had
sight of you, those that were keeping the west windows, as you
came down to the lane. ‘It’s Hugh,’ says the colonel, sharplike;
‘unbar the door.’ Soon as we had the barrier tore down, and we
made short work of it, he out after you. ’Twas a most improper
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