University of Virginia Library

11. CHAPTER XI.
THE KING AND THE SMUGGLER.

The mansion of the Earl of Percival
communicated with the palace by a private
passage, by means of which the prime
minister could at all times have easy access
to the cabinet of the king. He passed
from his own rooms through the hall,
opened a door which led into a narrow
entry, and thence by a flight of stairs to
a long stone passage. At the extremity
of this the nobleman came to a door which
he opened with a key that he took from
his pocket. It opened upon a flight of
steps well lighted by a gothic window,
and after passing along a paved corridor,
he found himself in the palace and near
the door of the ante-room to the king's
chamber.

As he was about to enter it he was met
by a large, noble-looking man, with grey
hair, and an aspect of command. It was
the Duke of —, to whom he had written
his note the night before.

`Good morning, my lord Duke,' he
said, as the latter stopped to address him.

`We are well met, my dear Earl,' answered
his royal highness. `What is
this news that you have, that you desired
me to meet you here so early? What
said Ross to you that he sent for you?
How is he?'

`He is dead, my lord Duke,' answered
the earl. `He unfolded to me an extraordinary
confession, which I feel it my
duty to lay before the king, and in your
royal highness's presence.'

`Then let us enter, my lord,' said the
duke, opening the door and going into the
ante-chamber. They had no sooner entered
than the king came from the inner
room and advanced with a smile towards
them. He was a princely-looking monarch,
tall and well-made, with an air of
royalty and dominion. He was young,
yet looked some years older than he really
was; for his countenance was habitually
grave and thoughtful.

`My royal cousin, you are welcome,
and you, my noble lord,' he said to them.
`You are come early to council; but I
have been expecting you, my dear Earl,
since I received the line from you last
evening. It was certainly mysterious
enough. I hope now we shall have it explained.'

`I received, your majesty, a note something
similar with a message to meet his
lordship in the king's cabinet at half past
seven! I also feel some curiosity to
learn the meaning of it.'

`I suppose, gentlemen, you have heard
of the sudden death of the Marquis of
Ross,' said the King in a tone of regret.

`Yes, your majesty,' answered Earl
Percival. `I was present at his death.
I was sent for by him to receive some
communication which he said he could
not die without making. And, your majesty,
a most wonderful communication it
was.'

`Pray do not be long in making it
known to us! Some development of
old wicked intrigues of state I doubt not,'
said the king, as he seated himself,
while he made a gesture for the two noblemen
also to sit.

`Your majesty shall be made acquainted
with the facts, and I have no doubt
that you will be the first to propose that
justice be done to the innocent.'

`The innocent shall never receive
wrong in all my realm, my lord, if the
king can make it right,' answered his
majesty with warmth and an expression
of benevolent resolution.

`Your majesty and you, my noble
Duke, will listen with amazement and
perhaps incredulity at what I am now
about to reveal; but I assure your majesty
that I have, before coming to you,
substantiated the confession of lord Ross
by proofs that are incontrovertible.'

The Earl then proceeded in a clear
and minute manner to relate to the young
monarch all that had been confessed to
him by the Marquis of Ross, and the subsequent
developments of Bonfield in attestation
of the truth of the dying noble's
account.

When he had finished, the king, who
had not listened without many interrupting
questions, rose up and for some moments
seemed to be lost in the astounding
thoughts with which this relation had
overwhelmed his mind. The Duke seemed
in the greatest agitation, and more
than once in the course of the Earl's account
of Ross's confession he had pronounced
it a false fabrication of that nobleman's,
to sow the seeds of dissention
in the kingdom after his death. To this
idea the king was also inclined. But
when lord Percival began to relate his
interview with Bonfield, who corroborated
fully the story of the marquis, then they
felt bound to believe the relation, incredible
as it seemed. But they listened
with strong emotion and profound amazement.

When the earl ended, there reigned for
full two minutes the most painful silence.
At length the marquis exclaimed,

`My lord Percival, this seems incredible.
It cannot be true. It is not true!

`We shall soon see,' answered the king
calmly and coming forward. `My lord
you spoke of a paper which the marquis
said he obtained from the late king, my
honored father. Have you the paper?'

`It is here, your majesty,' answered
the carl, placing the paper which he had
taken from the hand of the dead marquis
in the king's hands.

`It is my father's writing, cousin,' he
said to the duke.

`It is, your majesty, like it. But rather
than believe it was written by the
king, I will give the devil credit for it.—
It is a conspiracy of this Ross to over-throw
your majesty's throne!'

`If it be a conspiracy, couzin,' answered
the king in the same firm and quiet
way, `we must sift it and prove it so;
but if it be true, we must bow to the
power of truth. God forbid that I should
stand on the throne of England in the
place of another better entitled to it!—
My lord Percival, I know not how I shall
thank you for this promptness in making
this known to me. It is complimentary
to my integrity as a man. It causes me
to feel that you believed I would do justice
where facts convinced me that I was
doing injustice to another. I shall be
rejoiced to recover such a sister! My
heart already is moved with affection to
her unknown.'

`But, your majesty,' said the Duke,
with high color, `you do not mean seriously
to investigate this singular affair?
What would be the good of it to her,
brought up in ignorance of her birth, or
to your majesty. Indeed, it would be ruin
to your reign, and bring, perhaps, great
mischief upon the land. It is my advice,
your majesty, that you have this pirate
Bonfield executed at once, and let the
memory of the facts he is witness to
perish with him. The peace of the Empire
demands this of your majesty. The
people of England would not thank you
to abdicate the throne to a stranger, and
that stranger a woman. Half the nation
would deny her title, deny that she was
bona fide the very twin princess that was
cast forth from the palace!'

`Not a word, cousin!' said the king
severely. `I will do right, whatever be
the issue. Still there is some doubt on
my mind. This doubt I will remove at
once by application to the Queen dowager,
my honored mother. Excuse me,
my noble lords, for a few moments, and
I will soon return to you. I go to the
queen. Her testimony will decide this
affair.'

The King then left the apartment.—
The Duke turning to the Earl Percival
bitterly censured him for divulging the
matter at all to his majesty.

`You have done wrong, a grevious
wrong, my lord,' he repeated for the
third time.

`Right can never be pronounced wrong
—I have but done my duty. It was a
duty I owed to the innocent victim if she
be alive—a duty I owed to Lord Ross,
for he confessed only that I might be
instrumental in lessening his guilt by restoring
her to her rights; it was a duty I
owed to the king! for I knew he would
thank me for the revelation; and lastly
it was a duty, my lord duke, that I owed
to my own conscience.'

`Mischief will come of it. The king
is too confoundedly honest. I hope and
pray the child may not be alive, or that
she can never be found! Bonfield you
say last saw her in America. So! we
may get home as good as a Yankee girl
on the British throne! for with her
American education she will be unfit for
an English princess. You have done all
wrong, my lord! But here comes his
majesty. If the queen says no, then this
paper of the king's is a forgery; for this
is all the evidence we have, in my mind,
that lord Ross has not invented the whole
to leave a fire-brand behind him. But
hither comes his majesty again. His
step is firm. His face is exceedingly
grave. I fear the worst.'

As the king re-entered both of the noblemen
watched the expression of his
face with deep interest.

`I hope your majesty has found that
the whole is false,' said the Duke.

`No, my noble cousin,' answered the
king. `I have spoken with the Queen.
I asked her if she had given birth to twins
when I was born. She answered without
hesitation `yes;' yet asked me why I
asked and how I heard of it. I waived
the questions and inquired what became
of my twin-sister. She answered that it
died a few hours after it was born! Thus
you see that the account of my lord
Ross is fully sustained.'

`I do believe it did die, since we must
now take it for granted there were twins,'
cried the duke. `I am firmly of the
opinion that the infant Ross gave in
charge to Bonfield and sent to the Bermudas
was some other child.'

`I cannot think so, my noble duke,'
said the king. `There is no doubt of
the birth of the princess, and as little
doubt but that it was removed secretly,
as lord Ross has stated. This is my
firm opinion, as I see it is that of lord Percival.'

`There is deception somewhere, be
assured, your majesty,' said the duke,
who was greatly excited.

`If there be, I will detect it, my cousin.
I am resolved to have the whole affair
investigated.'

`And if your majesty discovers this
person, you will no doubt vacate the
throne to her, for being some five minutes
elder-born!'

`You forget you stand in the king's
presence, cousin Duke!' said his majesty
mildly reproving him. `Captain Bonfield
must be sent for, my lord Percival.
I must see him in person. You say he
has no suspicion who the infant, his protege,
is!'

`No, your majesty. He believes her
to be of high birth, but has not the most
distant conception of the truth.'

`This is all the better. Will you arrange
it, my lord, so that I can see this
man without delay?'

`Anticipating this wish on the part of
your majesty, I have invited him to breakfast
with me. Before I left my house to
come hither I gave instructions to have
him brought hither from the schooner.
He is no doubt awaiting me in my library,
where I gave orders to those who
went for him to have him conducted.—
Neither my servants, nor even Manning
who went for him, suspect who my guest
is!'

`You must have another guest at your
table, my lord, whom Bonfield must not
suspect, nor any of your household. I
will breakfast with you.'

The smuggler, at eight o'clock, landed
at the stairs in the boat which the earl
ordered to go for him; and Manning, the
earl's secretary, received him, and taking
him into his carriage, drove to the earl's
residence with him. Bonfield was dressed
in a plain, neat suit of blue, with bright
buttons, and looked like a very respectable
citizen.

`If you will remain here and amuse
yourself awhile with the prints and books,
sir,' said Manning as he left him in the
earl's library, `his lordship will soon be in.'

Bonfield bowed and the secretary retired,
wondering not a little who it was
that the earl had taken such pains to
bring to his house so early in the morning;
but as he knew he came from the captured
smuggling schooner, he took it for
granted he was some man who was wanted
in evidence against the smuggler,
whom all London looked upon as some
hideous monster in form; for his reputation
had filled their imaginations with the
most extravagant notions of the celebrated
rover.

The earl, soon after leaving the king,
returned to his own chambers.

`Is the person arrived, Manning?' he
asked of his secretary, whom he had encountered
in the hall.

`Yes, my lord. He is in the library.'

The earl, upon entering and seeing a
well-dressed, stout-looking gentleman of
fifty looking carelessly over a book of
prints, supposed he was some stranger,
and he looked round for the smuggler.
But as Bonfield raised his face and he
caught his dark, deep-set eyes, he recognised
him at once.

`I am glad to see you, Captain Bonfield,'
he said. `I am happy, too, to see
you without your irons.'

`I thank you, my lord, for the favor
you have done me in ordering them to
be removed.'

`I have been thinking much upon your
recital last night, Captain Bonfield, and I
have communicated it to one or two gentlemen
who I thought would be able to
furnish a clue to the mystery you have
been so many years involved in. They
will be to breakfast with me; and I beg
you will be quite as frank and open with
them in replying to their questions as you
have been with me.'

`It will give me pleasure to do so, my
lord. But will your lordship tell me how
you knew about the matter at all?' he
asked, with eager inquiry, lighting up his
eyes.

`With great pleasure.' answered the
Earl. He then began to state how that
the Marquis of Ross on his dying bed
had sent for him, and unfolded to him
the whole of the circumstances as far as
he was acquainted with them. He gave
the smuggler a brief but distinct accoum
of the Marquis's confession—and also
informed him of his having expired immediately
after making it,

`And did the Marquis tell your lordship
who the child's parents were?' asked
Bonfield quickly add earnestly.

`I can form an opinion,' answered
the Earl evasively. `As you guessed, I
have no doubt of her rank being very
high.'

`Well my lord, it is my opinion that it
is a natural child of the Marquis which he
wished to get rid of in some way without
being guilty of murder and he took the
method that he did.'

`Be satisfied to know that it is not the
Marquis' child—but further than this do
not at present seek to learn. So that I
can put you in the way of seeing your
protege happily restored to the birth right
she has so long been deprived of, I presume
you will be content.'

`That I shall be, my lord!' answered
Bonfield very decided!y. `I am as interested
now in my dear little Flora's
welfare as ever I was, though she is not
little now, but grown up to be a beautiful
young lady.'

`I suppose it would make you happy
to be commissioned to go for her, and
bring her back to England since you took
her away?'

`It would be the crowing happiness
and triumph of my life, my lord,' he answered
with animation. `If it is on this
condition I have my liberty given me,
the act is done, provided I can find her
and find her alive and well. But I bepelieve
I shall my lord, for Heaven
wont let me die till she has her own, that
I am sure of.'

As he spoke the King and the Duke
of—came into the library, both disguised
as country gentlemen, in broad
hats, huge wigs, broad skirted coats and
top boots, with whips in their hands. It
would have required one very well ac
quainted with his majesty's features to
have recognized him or the Duke either.
The Earl would have been at fault had
he not more than once seen the King in
precisely the same costume when in the
country; for it was his majesty's custom
to ride on short journeys from one
place to another dressed as a citizen, that
he might observe without being observed.

`Gentleman,' said the Earl, `this is
the worthy Captain Bonfield of whom you
heard me speak.'

The King stared with surprise. Bonfield
bowed with a respectful, formal air
as he would have done to two genuine
country squires, friends of the Earl.—
The party then proceeded to the breakfast
room. The coffee urn being placed
before the Earl he dispensed with the attendance
of his servants and dismissing
them locked the doors.

To relate the conversation that now
passed would be to give a detail of what
has already been made known. The
King heard from Bonfield in answer to
his leading questions the same account
he had given the Earl. The result was
that both were convinced that the confession
of the dying Marquis was true, and
that the infant which he had intrusted to
the smuggler was the twin-princess.

`Your account, Captain,' said the king
after he had finished asking questions and
had drawn all the facts from the smuggler,

`your account bears evidence of the
truth. I am satisfied with it!'

`So am I!' answered the Duke; `and
I must add that I consider it as one of
the most remarkable things that ever occurred.'

`You deserve great credit and much
praise, Captain Bonfield,' said the King,
`for your care of the child and your devoted
attachment to it throughout. By
your means it was saved from a horrible
fate—eternal silence with the gift of
speech!'

`I could not help loving it, sir. Its
love for me in return was all the reward
I cared for.'

`Be assured the friends of the child
will wish to reward you more fully, Captain,
when they shall see it again—see it
restored to them by your own hnad!'

`Sir,' said Bonfield, who had been fixedly
observing the countenance of the
king for some minutes; `sir, I beg your
pardon, but I perceive such a strong likeness
in you to Flora that I cannot be mistaken
when I say, that I believe you are
nearly related! You have the same eyes
and the same expression about the mouth
when you speak!'

At hearing this remark the Earl uttered
an exclamation of gratified surprise.
The king clapped his hands together in
wonder and astonishment, while the duke,
striking his fist upon the table, exclaimed
in a sort of emphasis of despair,

`It is up now! There cannot be another
word said!'

`Then I am right, sir!' cried Bonfield
with some agitation, as he bent eagerly
toward the king. `I feel that I am right,
sir! If you were her own father—but
you are too young for that—were you her
own brother, sir, you could not look more
like her. If I have indeed found a relative
of Flora, I shall call this the happiest
day of my life!'

The earl looked at the king to see if he
would reveal himself. The duke also
watched him, looking as if he feared that
he would do so. Both saw that he was
deeply agitated—that his eyes were moist.

`You are right, Captain Bonfield,' said
the king at length; `in me you do find a
near relative of Flora! She is, I have
reason to believe, my twin-sister.'

`Then, sir, let me grasp your hand!'
cried the smuggler with animation and
warmth, stretching across the table his
hard hand to seize that of the king. The
earl was about to interfere to check this
movement, but the king put his arm back
and grasped the palm of the friend of the
exiled princess.

`There is my hand,' he said, pressing
it. `You have shown yourself to have a
generous heart, Captain Bonfield. I rejoice
in taking by the hand one who has
befriended my sister in her banishment
from the land of her birth. Now, sir, are
you willing, for fair recompense, to sail
this very night from London in search of
the maiden!'

`This hour, sir, and without reward!'
responded Bonfield. `How like her you
are, sir! I love you already, for her
sake! I would have sworn you were
Flora's brother in India. I know not your
rank, sir,' he added bluntly, `but I can
easily tell neither you nor your friend are
country squires. I can tell a nobleman
easily under false colors. I know Flora
is noble—therefore you must be!'