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WE posted five-and-thirty miles,
then stopped for a couple of
hours to rest, and wait for a
night coach running northward.
On getting into this vehicle
we were fortunate enough to find
the fourth inside place not occupied.
Mrs. Baggs showed her sense of
the freedom from restraint thus
obtained by tying a huge red
comforter round her head like
a turban, and immediately falling
fast asleep. This gave Alicia
and me full liberty to talk as
we pleased. Our conversation
was for the most part of that
particular kind which is not
of the smallest importance to
any third person in the whole
world. One portion of it, however,
was an exception to this general
rule. It had a very positive
influence on my fortunes, and
it is, therefore, I hope, of
sufficient importance to bear
being communicated to the reader.
We had changed horses for the
fourth time, had seated ourselves
comfortably in our places, and
had heard Mrs. Baggs resume the
kindred occupations of sleeping
and snoring, when Alicia whispered
to me:
"I must have
no secrets, now, from you--
must I, Frank?"
"You must have
anything you like, do anything
you like, and
say anything you like. You must
never ask leave--but only grant
it!"
"Shall you
always tell me that, Frank?"
I did not answer in words,
but the conversation suffered
a momentary interruption. Of
what nature, susceptible people
will easily imagine. As for the
hard-hearted I don't write for
them.
"My secret need not alarm you," Alicia
went on, in tones that began
to sound rather sadly; "it is
only about a tiny pasteboard
box that I can carry in the bosom
of my dress. But it has got three
diamonds in it, Frank, and one
beautiful ruby. Did you ever
give me credit for having so
much that was valuable about
me?--shall I give it you to keep
for me?"
I remembered directly Old File's
story of Mrs. Dulcifer's elopement,
and of the jewels she had taken
with her. It was easy to guess,
after what I had heard, that
the poor woman had secretly preserved
some of her little property for
the benefit of her child.
"I have no present need of
money, darling," I answered; "keep
the box in its present enviable
position." I stopped there, saying
nothing of the thought that was
really uppermost in my mind.
If any unforeseen accident placed
me within the grip of the law,
I should not now have the double
trial to endure of leaving my
wife for a prison, and leaving
her helpless.
Morning dawned and found us
still awake. The sun rose, Mrs.
Baggs left off snoring, and we
arrived at the last stage before
the coach stopped.
I got out to see about some
tea for my traveling companions,
and looked up at the outside
passengers. One of them seated
in the dickey looked down at
me. He was a countryman in a
smock-frock, with a green patch
over one of his eyes. Something
in the expression of his uncovered
eye made me pause--reflect--turn
away uneasily--and then look
again at him furtively. A sudden
shudder ran through me from top
to toe; my heart sank; and my
head began to feel giddy. The
countryman in the dickey was
no other than the Bow Street
runner in disguise.
I kept away from the coach
till the fresh horses were on
the point of starting, for I
was afraid to let Alicia see
my face, after making that fatal
discovery. She noticed how pale
I was when I got in. I made the
best excuse I could; and gently
insisted on her trying to sleep
a little after being awake all
night. She lay back in her corner;
and Mrs. Baggs, comforted with
a morning dram in her tea, fell
asleep again. I had thus an hour's
leisure before me to think what
I should do next.
Screw was not in company with
the runner this time. He must
have managed to ident ify me
somewhere, and the officer doubtless
knew my personal appearance well
enough now to follow and make
sure of me without help. That
I was the man whom he was tracking
could not be doubted: his disguise
and his position on the top of
the coach proved it only too
plainly.
But why had he not seized me
at once? Probably because he
had some ulterior purpose to
serve, which would have been
thwarted by my immediate apprehension.
What that purpose was I did my
best to fathom, and, as I thought,
succeeded in the attempt. What
I was to do when the coach stopped
was a more difficult point to
settle. To give the runner the
slip, with two women to take
care of, was simply impossible.
To treat him, as I had treated
Screw at the red-brick house,
was equally out of the question,
for he was certain to give me
no chance of catching him alone.
To keep him in ignorance of the
real object of my journey, and
thereby to delay his discovering
himself and attempting to make
me a prisoner, seemed the only
plan on the safety of which I
could place the smallest reliance.
If I had ever had any idea of
following the example of other
runaway lovers, and going to
Gretna Green, I should now have
abandoned it. All roads in that
direction would betray what the
purpose of my journey was if
I took them. Some large town
in Scotland would be the safest
destination that I could publicly
advertise myself as bound for.
Why not boldly say that I was
going with the two ladies to
Edinburgh?
Such was the plan of action
which I now adopted.
To give any idea of the distracted
condition of my mind at the time
when I was forming it, is simply
impossible. As for doubting whether
I ought to marry at all under
these dangerous circumstances,
I must frankly own that I was
too selfishly and violently in
love to look the question fairly
in the face at first. When I
subsequently forced myself to
consider it, the most distinct
project I could frame for overcoming
all difficulty was, to marry
myself (the phrase is strictly
descriptive of the Scotch ceremony)
at the first inn we came to,
over the Border; to hire a chaise,
or take places in a public conveyance
to Edinburgh, as a blind; to
let Alicia and Mrs. Baggs occupy
those places; to remain behind
myself; and to trust to my audacity
and cunning, when left alone,
to give the runner the slip.
Writing of it now, in cool blood,
this seems as wild and hopeless
a plan as ever was imagined.
But, in the confused and distracted
state of all my faculties at
that period, it seemed quite
easy to execute, and not in the
least doubtful as to any one
of its probable results.
On reaching
the town at which the coach
stopped, we found ourselves
obliged to hire another chaise
for a short distance, in order
to get to the starting-point
of a second coach. Again we took
inside places, and again, at
the first stages when I got down
to look at the outside passengers,
there was the countryman with
the green shade over his eye.
Whatever conveyance we traveled
by on our northward road, we
never escaped him. He never attempted
to speak to me, never seemed
to notice me, and never lost
sight of me. On and on we went,
over roads that seemed interminable,
and still the dreadful sword
of justice hung always, by its
single hair, over my head. My
haggard face, my feverish hands,
my confused manner, my inexpressible
impatience, all belied the excuses
with which I desperately continued
to ward off Alicia's growing
fears, and Mrs. Baggs's indignant
suspicions. "Oh! Frank, something
has happened! For God's sake,
tell me what!"--"Mr. Softly,
I can see through a deal board
as far as most people. You are
following the doctor's wicked
example, and showing a want of
confidence in me." These were
the remonstrances of Alicia and
the housekeeper.
At last we got out of England,
and I was still a free man. The
chaise (we were posting again)
brought us into a dirty town,
and drew up at the door of a
shabby inn. A shock-headed girl
received us.
"Are we in Scotland?" I
asked.
"Mon! whar' else should ye
be?" The accent relieved me of
all doubt.
"A private room--something
to eat, ready in an hour's time--chaise
afterward to the nearest place
from which a coach runs to Edinburgh." Giving
these orders rapidly, I followed
the girl with my traveling companions
into a stuffy little room. As
soon as our attendant had left
us, I locked the door, put the
key in my pocket, and took Alicia
by the hand.
"Now, Mrs. Baggs," said I, "bear
witness--"
"You're not going to marry
her now!" interposed Mrs. Baggs,
indignantly. "Bear witness, indeed!
I won't bear witness till I've
taken off my bonnet, and put
my hair tidy!"
"The ceremony won't take a
minute," I answered; "and I'll
give you your five-pound note
and open the door the moment
it's over. Bear witness," I went
on, drowning Mrs. Baggs's expostulations
with the all-important marriage-words, "that
I take this woman, Alicia Dulcifer
for my lawful wedded wife."
"In sickness and in health,
in poverty and wealth," broke
in Mrs. Baggs, determining to
represent the clergyman as well
as to be the witness.
"Alicia, dear," I said, interrupting
in my turn, "repeat my words.
Say 'I take this man, Francis
Softly, for my lawful wedded
husband.' "
She repeated the sentence,
with her face very pale, with
her dear hand cold and trembling
in mine.
"For better for worse," continued
the indomitable Mrs. Baggs. "Little
enough of the Better, I'm afraid,
and Lord knows how much of the
Worse."
I stopped her
again with the promised five-pound
note, and
opened the room door. "Now, ma'am," I
said, "go to your room; take
off your bonnet, and put your
hair as tidy as you please."
Mrs. Baggs
raised her eyes and hands to
heaven, exclaimed "Disgraceful!" and
flounced out of the room in a
passion. Such was my Scotch marriage--as
lawful a ceremony, remember,
as the finest family wedding
at the largest parish church
in all England.
An hour passed; and I had not
yet summoned the cruel courage
to communicate my real situation
to Alicia. The entry of the shock-headed
servant-girl to lay the cloth,
followed by Mrs. Baggs, who was
never out of the way where eating
and drinking appeared in prospect,
helped me to rouse myself. I
resolved to go out for a few
minutes to reconnoiter, and make
myself acquainted with any facilities
for flight or hiding which the
situation of the house might
present. No doubt the Bow Street
runner was lurking somewhere;
but he must, as a matter of course,
have heard, or informed himself,
of the orders I had given relating
to our conveyance on to Edinburgh;
and, in that case, I was still
no more in danger of his avowing
himself and capturing me, than
I had been at any previous period
of our journey.
"I am going out for a moment,
love, to see about the chaise," I
said to Alicia. She suddenly
looked up at me with an anxious
searching expression. Was my
face betraying anything of my
real purpose? I hurried to the
door before she could ask me
a single question.
The front of the inn stood
nearly in the middle of the principal
street of the town. No chance
of giving any one the slip in
that direction; and no sign,
either, of the Bow Street runner.
I sauntered round, with the most
unconcerned manner I could assume,
to the back of the house, by
the inn yard. A door in one part
of it stood half-open. Inside
was a bit of kitchen-garden,
bounded by a paling; beyond that
some backs of detached houses;
beyond them, again, a plot of
weedy ground, a few wretched
cottages, and the open, heathery
moor. Good enough for running
away, but terribly bad for hiding.
I returned disconsolately to
the inn. Walking along the passage
toward the staircase, I suddenly
heard footsteps behind me--turned
round, and saw the Bow Street
runner (clothed again in his
ordinary costume, and accompanied
by two strange men) standing
between me and the door.
"Sorry to stop you from going
to Edinburgh, Mr. Softly," he
said. "But you're wanted back
at Barkingham. I've just found
out what you have been traveling
all the way to Scotland for;
and I take you prisoner, as one
of the coining gang. Take it
easy, sir. I've got help, you
see; and you can't throttle three
men, whatever you may have d
one at Barkingham with one."
He handcuffed me as he spoke.
Resistance was hopeless. I could
only make an appeal to his mercy,
on Alicia's account.
"Give me ten minutes," I said, "to
break what has happened to my
wife. We were only married an
hour ago. If she knows this suddenly,
it may be the death of her."
"You've led me a nice dance
on a wrong scent," answered the
runner, sulkily. "But I never
was a hard man where women are
concerned. Go upstairs, and leave
the door open, so that I can
see in through it if I like.
Hold your hat over your wrists,
if you don't want her to see
the handcuffs."
I ascended the first flight
of stairs, and my heart gave
a sudden bound as if it would
burst. I stopped, speechless
and helpless, at the sight of
Alicia, standing alone on the
landing. My first look at her
face told me she had heard all
that had passed in the passage.
She passionately struck the hat
with which I had been trying
to hide the handcuffs out of
my fingers, and clasped me in
her arms with such sudden and
desperate energy that she absolutely
hurt me.
"I was afraid of something,
Frank," she whispered. "I followed
you a little way. I stopped here;
I have heard everything. Don't
let us be parted! I am stronger
than you think me. I won't be
frightened. I won't cry. I won't
trouble anybody, if that man
will only take me with you!"
It is best for my sake, if
not for the reader's, to hurry
over the scene that followed.
It ended with as little additional
wretchedness as could be expected.
The runner was resolute about
keeping me handcuffed, and taking
me back, without a moment's unnecessary
waste of time to Barkingham;
but he relented on other points.
Where he was obliged to order
a private conveyance, there was
no objection to Alicia and Mrs.
Baggs following it. Where we
got into a coach, there was no
harm in their hiring two inside
places. I gave my watch, rings,
and last guinea to Alicia, enjoining
her, on no account, to let her
box of jewels see the light until
we could get proper advice on
the best means of turning them
to account. She listened to these
and other directions with a calmness
that astonished me.
"You shan't say, my dear, that
your wife has helped to make
you uneasy by so much as a word
or a look," she whispered to
me as we left the inn.
And she kept the hard promise
implied in that one short sentence
throughout the journey. Once
only did I see her lose her self-possession.
At starting on our way south,
Mrs. Baggs--taking the same incomprehensible
personal offense at my misfortune
which she had previously taken
at the doctor's--upbraided me
with my want of confidence in
her, and declared that it was
the main cause of all my present
trouble. Alicia turned on her
as she was uttering the words,
with a look and a warning that
silenced her in an instant:
"If you say
another syllable that isn't
kind to him, you shall
find your way back by yourself!"
The words may not seem of much
importance to others; but I thought,
as I overheard them, that they
justified every sacrifice I had
made for my wife's sake.
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