University of Virginia Library

7. CHAPTER VII.
THE CONSPIRACY.

As Red Beard was about to resume his
narrative, the deep growl of a black bear
was heard close without the hut. Griffitt
quickly unsheathed his hunting-knife, and
was rushing out when the captain laid his
hand firmly upon his arm.

`You are not armed for such an attack.
You young men are always too headlong.
There is my rifle! but I believe the charge
is drawn.'

`Then I will try the knife alone,' cried
Ringold, as he broke from him and leaped
out of the cabin.

The moon was shining like a silvery shield,
filling the camp with light, by the aid of
which a large bear was seen trotting off
across the level show in the direction of the
forest, and dragging something in his mouth.
Griffitt was in the act of pursuit, when
Whitlock from the fire called out to him to
stop; and at the same instant the sharp
crack of his rifle awoke the sleepers in the
camp. The bear leaped several feet from
the ground and then rolled over howling terrifically.
Griffitt hastened up to him, but
before he reached him, the animal got to
his feet and went galloping off on three legs,
with what was discovered to be Ringold's
knapsack of sketches which he had placed
by the side of the door as he went in with
Red Beard.

Indignant at discovering what bruin had
stolen, the young artist bounded after him
with long strides and came up with him on
the verge of the wood.

`Let him go Ringold; he will hurt you,'
cried Whitlock.

`Aye, aye,' shouted Ben the pipe-smoker,
`don't trouble him; for a wounded bear is
ugly.'

`Come back, master Griffitt!' commanded
Red Beard in an authoritative tone.

But Ringold was not disposed to hear;
and the next moment he was grappling
with the monster, who turning round upon
him, raised himself upon his hind legs, struck
at and grasped him with his well fore-leg by
the shoulder, blowing his hot breath in his
face. The knapsack was already lying upon
the ground. It was a momentary struggle
between the man and brute. The knife of
the young artist, sunk deeply into the shaggy
chest of the bear, who sunk heavily to the
ground, and after one or two throes lay quiet
in death.

Griffitt now caught up his knapsack, in
which he found a portion of his dinner wrapped
up with his drawings, which had tempted
the animal's appetite, and led to the
theft. Rejoiced at the recovery, he returned
to the cabin, passing on the way, Whitlock
and two or three of the men who had been

aroused from sleep by the report of the rifle.

`Well done, and safely too,' said Whitlock,
`just as you always do. I am going
to take the skin for you.'

`For yourself! I don't want it, Ned!'

`Well, young man you have performed a
bold exploit,' said Red Beard. I am glad
you are not hurt; but you ran a gaeat risk.'

`I have in my wallet, sir, drawings; one in
particular, that I highly value; indeed I
would risk my life for one of them.'

`As you have done in attacking a wounded
bear alone, with only a knife in your
hand, let us go in again, unless you are
weary of my tame story.'

`Weary? oh no, sir. I am deeply interested
in all you have told me. I beg you will
go on with it, and withhold nothing that it
may relieve you to tell me.'

`You say rightly; it does relieve me to
tell you. So I will resume. Come in, and
let us close the door again.'

Ringold brought his knapsack in and laid
it down by his side as he resumed his seat
upon the chest, and placed himself once
more in an attitude to listen to his narrative.

`The defeated libertine, as I have said,
consented, in order to avenge himself upon
the virtuous and noble lady, who had so put
him to shame and confusion, to engage with
these three noble females of the court, in
a base plan to bring about the ruin of the
countess, my mother. You can concieve,
if possible, the baseness of a man who could
lend himself to such a purpose, and the degraded
moral principle of the females who
could unblushingly take part in so infamous
a project.'

`Is it credible that they could combine
for such a purpose?'

`It is credible. What I am relating to
you is truth, word for word. A hundred
times I have heard it from my mother's lips
and those of others, and a hundred times
read it from a manuscrpt in her own hand,
which records the whole particulars which I
have given.

`The plan of these monsters was at length
matured and ready to be carried into effect.
You will observe that the nobleman and the
women had the same end to bring about;
viz: my mother's ruin; though led to compass
it from different motives; the latter desiring
to put a rival out of the way who
threw them into the shade, and the former
wishing to avenge himself upon a virtuous
woman who had seen through his devices
and scorned him.'

`I am surprised that such iniquity should
exist in a palace, and among nobles,' said
Griffitt with a serious air.

`Unless nobles are virtuous, they become
the most vicious of mankind—next to princes.'

`You give me strange lessons, sir, in human
society.'

`You will find them verified if you are so
unfortunate as to see much of the world,
Master Griffitt. But let me tell my sad tale.
The residence of my father was in a palace
adjoining that of the king, and communicating
with it by a covered gallery or close corridor.
My father used to attend the king
every morning between nine and eleven, and
usually an hour after dining. At the same
hours etiquette rendered it necessary for my
mother, the countess, to be with the queen,
but she was with her sometimes all day, and
to a late hour.

One evening, the confidence and outward
friendship between the nobleman and my father
being unimpaired, for my mother did not
see fit to speak to my father touching the lesson
the had given the false friend, my mother was
passing from the queen's apartments to her
own, attended by her page. It was the hour
when my father was with the king in his
audience chamber. Upon reaching the door
of her private apartments she dismissed her
page, and calling her dressing maids, prepared
her toilet for the night. Her sleeping
apartment was a small and elegant chamber
between her own rooms and her husband's
library and dressing room, accessible on both

sides. She soon fell asleep, for a heavy
sleeping portion had been mingled in her
cup of tea by one of the queen's servants
who had been bribed by the conspirators.
It was its influence upon her senses that hastened
her toilet ere her husband's return,
who usually come in and chatted with her
while her maids were busy putting up her
hair. But this night her head was quickly
upon her pillow, and sleep sealed her eyes in
a few moments afterwards. Noble innocent
lady. Your last hour of happiness had been
struck. From that hour began your woe.'

`Poor lady!' sighed Ringold involuntarily.

`She had hardly slept and her maids retired,
when from behind the arras stole forth the
serpent who had planned her ruin. You
will mark how subtlety it was done, and how
hell triumphed over innocence.'

For two or three moments Red Beard
walked to and fro the cabin floor with a
quick and nervous tread, as if his soul were
deeply agitated. At length he resumed:

`This fiend, this base nobleman who planned,
and lent himself to the ruin of a noble
lady, as I said, stole forth from his hiding
place and stood bending over the couch of
innocence and beauty. He gazed and listened,
and then gazed upon her angel face,
and then would bend his ear to harken, as if
he waited for some coming tread. At length
he heard the outer door open and a quick
stern step hastened to the bridal chamber.
Instantly the fiend with malice darker than
hell's, reclined by the side of the unconscious
sleeper, and laid his cheek to hers.
The door opened and my father entered and
saw him there. This was enough, and the
end and consummation of the foul plot begotten
for my mother's ruin. The nobleman
leaped to the floor, and fled whence he had
come, behind the arras, and so escaped.
But my father pursued not. He stood transfixed
with shame, and woe and wonder that
locked his tongue, and chained his limbs to
the ground. Then gazing upon his wife,
who alarmed and startled from her sleep,
rose upright and wildly returned his looks
with inquiring terror. This terror, he interpreted,
as well he might, for guilt; and
after regarding her closely and sternly for
a minute's space, with strong eyes and marbled
face, and almost bursting bosom, he
gave vent to a fearful cry, and fell headlong.'

`Oh, what base villany! I think I can
now see through all their iniquitous planning.'

`It is easy, but my father saw not through
it, for how could he. You must know that
when the chief of these conspirators had
placed the noble behind the arras, by letting
him pass through her own chamber, she
hastened along the corridor towards the
queen's apartments and waited unseen till
she saw my mother pass by and enter her
room, when the trap to ruin her was set.
She then, this vile woman, watched till she
knew that she had retired to her couch,
when quickly she despatched a page to my
father with an urgent errand to see him on
the instant! My father left the presence,
fearing his beloved wife was ill, so well counterfeited
for alarm was the pages errand, and
in the corridor he met the chief conspiratress
who was lying in wait for him. Don't thou
see it all now?'

`I see it clearly, sir, such baseness of
crime never was before conceived.'

`Thou art ignorant of the atmosphere of
courts. There crime hath free license, and
has been perfected to an art, a subtile system,
a high accomplishment in which not to
be skilled, shows unfitness to wait on kings.

`What hath happened? cried my father,
as he met the arch traitress in the carridor,
who with a countenance of well feigned honor
and virtuous indignation in every lineament
of her false face, encountered him.

`Nay, my lord! But it is a shame to tell
thee!' and the woman dropped her eyes and
feigned modest confusion.

`Speak! Is lady Alice ill? for only her
illness, can be bad news to me!'

`This shows how much he loved her to have
her so in his instant thought!' said Griffitt.

“`Lady Alice is not ill, though it is ill she
hath done thee!” answered the woman. “If
thou would'st know why I have sent for thee,
hasten to her sleeping chamber, where taking
advantage of thy presence with the king,
she hath retired earlier than is her wont.
But if thou will hasten, thou wilt see why
she seeks her pillow so early, nor waiteth for
thy coming.”

`My father scarcely waited for her to finish
her ironical and bitter speech, in which he
saw both the irony and triumph, and wondered.
Without waiting to question more,
but impressed with the thought of some
great evil, what he knew not, (for suspicion
of her honor never crossed his mind) he
rushed forward as he had been bidden, to
solve the mystery and relieve the uncertainty
with which her words had impressed him.

`Already I have told you how he entered
his bridal chamber and what sight he beheld,
a sight that made his brain swim and his
eyes grow blind, and his heart cease to beat.'

`I can scarcely listen with patience to such
crimes as these,' cried Griffitt with excitement.
`What deep depravity was it all! I
see now the subtlety of the scheme of ruin,
which so planned, if your father might but
be brought to see this nobleman in the attitude
he had assumed, the triumph of the
conspirators would be complete. I see it
clearly, and it seems to be the quintessence
of iniquity. And your father, what became
of him, and of thy poor injured mother?
Heaven grant he did not believe her guilty!
Yet I tremble for her, the proofs were so
damning.'

`My father came to himself, and found
my mother bending over him in tears, and
embracing him with affection. His first act
of consciousness was to spurn her, his first
words of recollection to brand her with a
term of infamy.'

`Now does my heart bleed for her!'

`And so must angels have wept too at this
triumph of guilt over virtue. My father
spurned her, and bade her leave him. My
poor mother! She was all ignorant of what
had taken place. She had been suddenly
waked from her sleep at his wild cry of despair
and woe, and springing towards him,
had cast herself upon him, wondering at his
cry, amazed at his fall. She thus hung over
him, now asking her maids the cause, but
none could answer, and now bathing his face
with tears. And when at length her kisses
and loving words aroused him and he spurned
her, and called her by an epithet that
spoke her supposed guilt, she, sweet injured
lady, she thought he was delirious and raved
and knew not what he said.'