A Set of Rogues Read online

  CHAPTER IV.

  _Of the several parts that we are appointed to play._

  Finding a sheltered secret corner, we made a very hasty breakfast ofthese stolen dainties, and since we had not the heart to restore them toour innkeeper, so we had not the face to chide Moll for her larceny, butmade light of the business and ate with great content and some mirth.

  A drizzly rain falling and turning the snow into slush, we kept underthe shelter of the shed, and this giving us scope for the reflection DonSanchez had counselled, my compunctions were greatly shaken by theconsideration of our present position and the prospect of worse. When Ithought of our breakfast that Moll had stolen, and how willingly wewould all have eaten a dinner got by the same means, I had toacknowledge that certainly we were all thieves at heart; and thisconclusion, together with sitting all day doing nothing in the raw cold,did make the design of Don Sanchez seem much less heinous to me than itappeared the night before, when I was warm and not exceedingly sober,and indeed towards dusk I came to regard it as no bad thing at all.

  About six comes back our Don on a fine horse, and receives oursalutations with a cool nod--we standing there of a row, looking oursweetest, like hungry dogs in expectation of a bone. Then in he goes tothe house without a word, and now my worst fear was that he had thoughtbetter of his offer and would abandon it. So there we hang about thebest part of an hour, now thinking the Don would presently send for us,and then growing to despair of everything but to be left in the coldforgotten; but in the end comes Master Landlord to tell us his worshipin the Cherry room would see us. So, after the same formalities ofcleansing ourselves as the night afore, upstairs we go at the heels of adrawer, carrying a roast pig, which to our senses was more delightfulthan any bunch of flowers.

  With a gesture of his hands, after saluting us with great dignity, DonSanchez bade us take our places at the table and with never a word ofquestion as to our decision; but that was scarce necessary, for itneeded no subtle observation to perceive that we would accept anyconditions to get our share of that roast pig. This supper differed notgreatly from the former, save that our Moll was taken with a kind oftickling at the throat which presently attracted our notice.

  "What ails you, Molly, my dear?" asks Jack. "Has a bit of crackling gonedown the wrong way?"

  She put it off as if she would have us take no notice of it, but it grewworse and worse towards the end of the meal, and became a most horrid,tearing cough, which she did so natural as to deceive us all and put usin great concern, and especially Don Sanchez, who declared she must havetaken a cold by being exposed all day to the damp weather.

  "If I have," says she, very prettily, after wiping the tears from hereyes upon another fit, "'tis surely a most ungrateful return for thekindness with which you sheltered me last night, Senor."

  "I shall take better care to shelter you in the future, my poor child,"replies the Don, ringing the bell. Then, the maid coming, he bids herwarm a bed and prepare a hot posset against Moll was tucked up in theblankets. "And," says he, turning to Moll, "you shall not rise tillnoon, my dear; your breakfast shall be brought to you in your room,where a fire shall be made, and such treatment shown you as if you weremy own child."

  "Oh! what have I done that you should be so gentle to me?" exclaimsMoll, smothering another cough. And with that she reaches out her legunder the table and fetches me a kick of the shin, looking all the whileas pitiful and innocent as any painted picture. "Would it be well tofetch in a doctor?" says Don Sanchez, when Moll was gone barkingupstairs. "The child looks delicate, though she eats with a fairly goodappetite."

  "'Tis nothing serious," replies Jack, who had doubtless received thesame hint from Moll she had given me. "I warrant she will be mended in aday or so, with proper care. 'Tis a kind of family complaint. I am takenthat way at times," and with that he rasps his throat as a hint that hewould be none the worse for sleeping a night between sheets.

  This was carrying the matter too far, and I thought it had certainlyundone us; for stopping short, with a start, in crossing the room, heturns and looks first at Dawson, then at me, with anything but apleasant look in his eyes as finding his dignity hurt, to be thusbustled by a mere child. Then his dark eyebrows unbending with thereflection, maybe, that it was so much the better to his purpose thatMoll could so act as to deceive him, he seats himself gravely, andreplies to Jack:

  "Your family wit may get you a night's lodging, but I doubt if you willever merit it so well as your daughter."

  "Well," says Jack, with a laugh, "what wit we have amongst us we areresolved to employ in your honour's service, so that you show us thissteward-fellow is a rascal that deserves to be bounced, and we do nogreat injury to any one else."

  "Good," says Don Sanchez. "We will proceed to that without delay. Andnow, as we have no matter to discuss, and must be afoot early to-morrow,I will ring for a light to take you to bed."

  So we up presently to a good snug room with a bed to each of us fit fora prince. And there, with the blankets drawn up to our ears, we fellblessing our stars that we were now fairly out of our straits, and afterthat to discussing whether we should consult Moll's inclination to thisbusiness. First, Dawson was for telling her plump out all about ourproject, saying that being so young she had no conscience to speak of,and would like nothing better than to take part in any piece ofmischief. But against this I protested, seeing that it would bedangerous to our design to let her know so much (she having a woman'stongue in her head), and also of a bad tendency to make her, as it were,at the very beginning of her life, a knowing active party to what lookedlike nothing more nor less than a piece of knavery. Therefore I proposedwe should, when necessary, tell her just so much of our plan as wasexpedient, and no more. And this agreeing mightily with Jack's naturalturn for taking of short cuts out of difficulties, he fell in with myviews at once, and so, bidding God bless me, he lays the clothes overhis head and was snoring the next minute.

  In the morning we found the Don just as kind to us as the day before hehad been careless, and so made us eat breakfast with him, to our greatcontent. Also, he sent a maid up to Moll to enquire of her health, andif she could eat anything from our table, to which the baggage sendsreply that she feels a little easier this morning and could fancy a dishof black puddings. These delicacies her father carried to her, beingcharged by the Don to tell her that we should be gone for a couple ofdays, and that in our absence she might command whatever she felt wasnecessary to her complete recovery against our return. Then I told DonSanchez how we had resolved to tell Moll no more of our purpose than wasnecessary for the moment, which pleased him, I thought, mightily, hesaying that our success or failure depended upon secrecy as much asanything, for which reason he had kept us in the dark as much as ever itwas possible.

  About eight o'clock three saddle nags were brought to the door, and we,mounting, set out for London, where we arrived about ten, the roadsbeing fairly passable save in the marshy parts about Shoreditch, wherethe mire was knee-deep; so to Gracious Street, and there leaving ournags at the Turk inn, we walked down to the Bridge stairs, and thencewith a pair of oars to Greenwich. Here, after our tedious chilly voyage,we were not ill-pleased to see the inside of an inn once more, and DonSanchez, taking us to the King's posting-house, orders a fire to belighted in a private room, and the best there was in the larder to beserved us in the warm parlour. While we were at our trenchers DonSanchez says:

  "At two o'clock two men are coming hither to see me. One is a mastermariner named Robert Evans, the other a merchant adventurer of hisacquaintance whom I have not yet seen. Now you are to mark these two menwell, note all they say and their manner of speaking, for to-morrow youwill have to personate these characters before one who would be only tooglad to find you at fault."

  "Very good, Senor," says Dawson; "but which of these parts am I toplay?"

  "That you may decide when you have seen the men, but I should say frommy knowledge of Robert Evans that you may best represent his character.For in your parts to-day
you are to be John and Christopher Knight, twoneedy cousins of Lady Godwin, whose husband, Sir Richard Godwin, waslost at sea seven years ago. I doubt if you will have to do anything inthese characters beyond looking eager and answering merely yes and no tosuch questions as I may put."

  Thus primed, we went presently to the sitting-room above, and the drawershortly after coming to say that two gentlemen desired to see DonSanchez, Jack and I seated ourselves side by side at a becoming distancefrom the Don, holding our hats on our knees as humbly as may be. Then incomes a rude, dirty fellow with a patch over one eye and a most peculiarbearish gait, dressed in a tarred coat, with a wool shawl about hisneck, followed by a shrewd-visaged little gentleman in a plain clothsuit, but of very good substance, he looking just as trim andwell-mannered as t'other was uncouth and rude.

  "Well, here am I," says Evans (whom we knew at once for the mastermariner), flinging his hat and shawl in a corner. "There's hisexcellency Don Sanchez, and here's Mr. Hopkins, the merchant I spoke onyesterday; and who be these?" turning about to fix us with his one blueeye.

  "Two gentlemen related to Mrs. Godwin, and very anxious for her return,"replies the Don.

  "Then we being met friends all, let's have up a bottle and heave off onthis here business without more ado," says Evans; and with that he seatshimself in the Don's chair, pokes up the fire with his boots, and spitson the hearth.

  The Don graciously places a chair for Mr. Hopkins, rings the bell, andseats himself. Then after a few civilities while the bottle was beingopened and our glasses filled, he says:

  "You have doubtless heard from Robert Evans the purpose of our cominghither, Mr. Hopkins."

  "Roughly," replies Mr. Hopkins, with a dry little cough. "But I shouldbe glad to have the particulars from you, that I may judge more clearlyof my responsibilities in this undertaking."

  "Oh, Lord!" exclaims Evans, in disgust. "Here give us a pipe of tobaccoif we're to warp out half a day ere we get a capful of wind."