Murray, was a fine-looking, portly gentleman, of about sixty; he was evidently no foe to good living, as his corpulence, jolly expression of face, double chin, and certainly more than red nose, betrayed; his hair was snow white, which contrasted well with his florid face, and a merry twinkle in his grey eye showed him a lover of the bottle, and its boon-fellow, wit. He was sitting over his wine when the two gentlemen were introduced, and was apparently not altogether pleased at the interruption. However, he showed that he was quite ready for business, by putting on his gold spectacles, and taking a pencil and paper to make notes. Then ordering a couple more gla.s.ses, he begged to hear the case.

"Just take a gla.s.s of port--you will find it excellent, Mr. Lennox; you too, sir, will you not join us?"

"No, I thank you," said Mr. Ravensworth, burying his face in his hands.

Mr. Lennox, however, accepted the offer, and then detailed the whole case to the Sheriff, as Mr. Ravensworth from his emotions was totally unable to speak. During the recital the unhappy father sobbed aloud.

"This is the most melancholy event I ever remember," said the Sheriff, wiping his gla.s.ses; "to think of one so young--so beautiful as you say--and yet so depraved!"

"Oh! judge not from appearances!" cried the wretched parent; "she is innocent as a babe unborn!"

"I regret I cannot see things in the same light; there is every appearance of guilt, though I cannot detect the motive. But you said your children were present--where are they?"

"We left them in the carriage."

"I must see them," said Sheriff Murray.

When he had questioned and cross-questioned both Johnny and Maude, he said:

"All we can do to-night is to drive to the prison and see this unhappy young lady has every comfort her rank and condition justify--she is guiltless yet in law."

When the Sheriff and his companions reached the prison, they were much surprised to find no such lady as Ellen Ravensworth had ever been brought there, nor had any notice been given them of the murder of L'Estrange.

"This is pa.s.sing curious," said the Sheriff; "we had better at once consult the Earl of Wentworth, he is the fittest person."

Much surprised was the Sheriff when he heard the young lady was the betrothed wife of the Earl.

"It grows more and more mysterious; let us at once go to the Towers," he said; "depend upon it this is no proper arrest; the warrant should have had my signature. Either she has been taken to London by special order of the king, or else--but I will not say my suspicion. Let us see Lord Wentworth."

The Earl was standing on the steps, bidding good evening to Lord Dalkeith, who had dropped in to dinner when the carriage containing our friends drew up.

"Why, what is all this?" said his lordship, as the three gentlemen got out, followed by Johnny and Maude, "what in the name of all that's holy has happened?"

The appearance of the Sheriff, of whom the Earl was an intimate friend,--Mr. Ravensworth, with his eyes still swollen with grief,--and Mr. Lennox, were well calculated to induce this question.

"My Lord," said Sheriff Murray, "this is no affair for the ears of all present; come to your study and we will tell you the strange news."

"You alarm me, Sheriff; this way, come along; what has happened?--nothing to Ellen Ravensworth, I hope?"

"Indeed your surmise is too true," said the Sheriff; he then told the whole story. Lord Dalkeith naturally delayed his departure, and with the Captain and Marquis entered the Earl's study and heard all.

To paint Lord Wentworth's fury and grief would be as impossible as it would be useless. "'Sdeath and h.e.l.l!" he exclaimed, his face livid with ire, "and who has dared touch a hair of her head?"

"Who indeed?" asked Sir Richard, who then entered the room.

"By what power dared the villains do so?--oh, G.o.d! had I only stayed an hour longer!"

"The warrant," exclaimed Mr. Lennox, "was couched in the usual form. I fear the worst: I fear she has been taken to London by the King's orders."

"And do you dare insinuate she is an accomplice to a d.a.m.nable crime?

This to my face! where is the warrant?--how did you see it?"

"I have it here, my Lord; it was lying on the table, I took it, thinking it might have been of importance."

"This a warrant!" cried the Earl, in a tone of bitter irony; "what, sir, do you know of warrants who tell me so? You have been duped, Sheriff, gulled--cheated; this is no warrant; a most foul, diabolical imposture!

A pretty officer to leave his warrant! Up, all who love me, let us track the demons to their lair!"

"That would be perhaps a difficult matter, my Lord; I never saw the warrant before, credit me," said Sheriff Murray.

"Talk not to me of difficulty; if she is on the face of the globe I will find her; and woe! woe to her abductors!"

"You think it an abduction?"

"What else?--a vile, wicked scheme. Perhaps she is now in peril--under their mercy!--oh, G.o.d!" And the Earl clasped his hands in agony.

"And who could her abductor be?--it is not possible it could be L'Estrange," said Sir Richard.

"You have it!--you have it!--oh, eternal heavens!" cried the Earl, who scarce knew what he said; "you spoke like a Daniel!"

"It is surely not a collusion--a plan between the two?--It looks devilish suspicious, by Jove!"

"You are a cold-blooded villain to say so, John, even if you thought it.

Oh! Powers above! I will find this out: there is a mystery about it, deep,--inscrutable. I will sift it! Oh, Ellen! Ellen! if you have played me false!--but no, it cannot be;--away, base suspicion! she could not do so! But woe to the author of this plot!--were he my own nearest, dearest relative, he should suffer!"

"There is nothing to be done to-night," said the Sheriff.

"Who says so?" cried the Earl, "moments are priceless now. I go to seek her; come, Dalkeith, we will go to the Duke's."

The two then left, and almost immediately drove away. It would require a pen dipped in fire to describe the agony of sorrow occasioned by this at the Towers, Lady Arranmore wept in uncontrolled grief, Lady Florence nearly fainted, and all was confusion in the hall; Mr. Ravensworth and the Sheriff drove off, leaving Johnny and Maude by especial desire. Mr.

Lennox took advantage of an invitation of the Marquis, and stayed too.

In groups of two or three they talked over the mischance, and the Captain was so exceedingly violent, that Lord Arranmore half suspected he knew more than he would like altogether to be known. It was not till late the next day that the Earl, weary, and sick at heart, returned from a fruitless search. So well had the plot been laid not even a whisper of the carriage, nor any conspirator could be traced home. On his return the Earl soon sent all the hangers on about their business, including Mr. Lennox, and made as Wilson, who never dreamed he was an offender, called "clear decks." Notwithstanding every inquiry not a clue to this second mystery could be found, and it required no need of the Captain's wit to put two and two together, and a.s.sociate the loss of Ellen with the loss of L'Estrange, and people thought, and naturally, it was a bold-schemed runaway match; though no one could divine why a girl should leave a belted Earl for a Captain in the army, and not even that now!

This opinion it was that distressed the Earl above everything, but to do him justice he could not quite bring himself to believe it. The Marchioness sustained him in his grief by a.s.suring him that Ellen was incapable of anything so base. A week of gloom and sorrow rolled away; it was on Sat.u.r.day night the abduction had taken place, and again Sat.u.r.day came, and still no news. On Sunday none of the family appeared in their pew, and the Earl pa.s.sed the day shut up in his study. It was shortly after they had retired from the dinner table, that old Andrew informed the Earl a young lady desired to see him on matters of great moment--she would not give her name!

"Who can it be?"

"It's no Miss Ravensworth, but it is a bonny wench."

"Show her in. Oh! heavens, perhaps she comes with some news of Ellen!"

It was in a state of frantic excitement almost bordering on madness that the Earl waited for his visitor; at last the door opened, and before Lord Wentworth stood--who? Juana Ferraras!

CHAPTER XXII.

"You, too, who hurry me away So cruelly, one moment stay--."

_Lalla Rookh._

"And thou my lover's sister? then thou'rt mine, And as a sister I will fight for thee, Albeit the sword my own breast deeply pierces!"

_Old Play._