"I shall speak to Lady Royland at once."

"Do, sir. She is waiting to see you; she was telling me so when the gun went off."

"Gun went off! And what business has a gun to go off here in this place?" cried the secretary, as he stood, now feeling himself all over and brushing the dust from off his velvet coat.

"Only got the wind of the gun, sir," said the corporal, quietly.

"I was not speaking to you, my good man," cried the secretary.

"Bad plan to stand nigh the muzzle of a big gun when she's going to be fired," growled Ben, in a sententious voice, and the secretary turned upon him sharply.

"And you, sir," he cried; "how dare you let a boy play such antics? Do you know I heard the shot go by my face."

"Nay, sir; that I'll say you didn't," growled Ben.

"But I say I did, sir, with a fierce rush."

"One of the tomt.i.ts' eggs, perhaps, sergeant," said Roy, dryly. "I know I caught sight of one or two when the nest was rammed in."

The men all burst out laughing, and Master Pawson grew preternaturally calm.

"Was that meant as an insult, Master Roy?" he said, turning towards him and speaking slowly, with his eyes half shut and an unpleasant, sneering smile upon his lips.

"No, sir; as a joke," replied Roy, gravely.

"I thank you; but keep your jokes for the servants; try them upon the menials. Recollect that I am a gentleman, placed in authority over you by Sir Granby Royland as tutor and master, and, as I am in authority over you, I am in authority over all here. Have the goodness to recollect that."

He turned upon his heel and walked away, with the back of his doublet covered with sc.r.a.ps of hay from the tomt.i.ts' nest, and Roy's first inclination was to run after him to begin brushing him down.

"But he'll only think I want to insult him again," said the boy to himself. "I wish I hadn't said anything about the tomt.i.ts' eggs, though."

"Shall I run after him, sir, and ask if I shall give him a brush down?"

whispered Ben.

"No; let him find it out. One of the maids will tell him, I dare say."

"But you should ha' stopped by us when the gun was fired, Master Roy,"

protested Ben. "I see them three chaps wink at each other, as much as to say, 'He won't stand fire,' and it hurt me, sir, and seemed to be undoing all I did afore. I didn't think it of you."

"I should like to kick you for thinking me such a coward," cried Roy, fiercely, for his encounter with the secretary had set his temper on edge. "How dare you! You had no business to fire till I came back. I did not want my mother to hear the report without some warning.--Here, corporal, give me that light."

The man stepped up with it, and Roy took it out of his hand.

"Going to fire this one, sir?" said Ben, eagerly.

"Of course. Stand aside!" And Roy applied the sparkling port-fire to the bit of prepared oak.u.m standing out of the touch-hole, with the result that it, too, began to sparkle and fume.

"There," he said; "I hope Master Pawson won't come back and be frightened by this one."

He had hardly uttered the words when the secretary reappeared.

"Where are all the servants?" he cried, angrily. "I want some one to come and brush my clothes."

"Stand aside!" shouted Ben. "She'll run right back."

But the secretary did not understand what was meant, and turned haughtily upon the speaker, totally unconscious of the fact that he was exactly behind the breech of the piece, whose recoil might have produced fatal results.

It was no time for uttering warnings, and Roy knew it. He glanced once at the tiny sparkling going on at the touch-hole of the gun, and sprang right at the secretary, driving him backward and falling heavily with him to the ground.

It was none too soon, for the gun went off with a tremendous roar, leaping up from the paving and running back on its low wheels right over the spot where the secretary had just stood.

"Guns is guns, and always was," said Ben, very grimly; "and them as has to do with 'em wants to know all their little ways. I have know'd a man's arm took off by the recoil, and, if you don't take care, their breeches is as dangerous to them as fires 'em as is their muzzles."

"Hurt, sir?" cried Roy, offering his hand after gaining his own feet, ready to help the tutor to rise.

Master Pawson made no reply, neither did he take the extended hand, but rose and walked away limping, going right down through the pleasaunce so as to reach his own room without having to pa.s.s through the corridor.

"Bit rusty, I s'pose, sir," said Ben, quietly.

"I am afraid so, Ben," was the reply. "But I don't think there's much doubt about the powder."

"Doubt, sir; why, it's stronger than they makes now, or else it has got riper and better for keeping. We're all right there."

"Yes, capital! but that report rings in my ears still."

"Ay, sir, a bra.s.s gun can ring as well as roar; but you won't mind it after a few times."

"I don't feel to mind it now," said Roy, coolly.

"Not you, sir," whispered the old fellow. "And I beg your pardon, Master Roy, and you've done me, and yourself too, a lot of good. It would ha' been horrid for the men to think you was scared. I never thought of frightening my lady with the row. Tell the lads to sponge the guns out with a bit o' rag, and then we'll run 'em back to their places again."

Roy gave the order, and then had the sentry changed at the gate, after which there was another duty to have performed,--that of raising the drawbridge.

"No fear of any one forgetting and walking into the moat at night, is there, Ben?"

"Well, no, sir; I think not," said the old soldier, seriously. "You see, the bridge shuts up all the middle when it's raised, and that makes it sure, while at those sides n.o.body could tumble in without trying to; so I don't see no fear of that. Shall we haul her up, sir?"

"Yes." And giving the order, as soon as the guns were in place, he led the way up into the furnace-chamber, where two men seized each chain, and the ponderous structure slowly rose as the huge weights descended the stone-work tubes in which they hung, the difficulty of hoisting the bridge proving to be much lighter than at the former trial.

"Come, sir, that's safe. You won't set sentries to-night?"

"No, of course not," said Roy; "that will be unnecessary till there is news of some enemy being near."

CHAPTER THIRTEEN.

THE COMING OF RECRUITS.