When London burned; a story of restoration times and the great fire. With twelve page illus. by J. Finnemore

WHEN LONDON BURNED

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LONDON: BLACKIE & SON, LIMITED; GLASGOW AND DUBLIN.

"WITH GREAT RAPIDITY THE FLAMES SPREAD FROM HOUSE TO HOUSE."

WHEN LONDON BURNED

BY

G. A. HENTY

Author of " Beric the Briton ", " By Pike and Dyke ", " One of the 28th ", " The Lion of St. Mark "
" In the Reign of Terror ", " The Dash for Khartoum", &c.

WITH TWELVE PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS BY J. FINNEMORE

LONDON
BLACKIE & SON, LIMITED, 50 OLD BAILEY, E.G.

GLASGOW AND DUBLIN
1895

tlBRARyX
NOV 1 1967

PREFACE.

We are accustomed to regard the Eeign of Charles II. as one
of the most inglorious periods of English History ; but this was
far from being the case. It is true that the extravagance and
profligacy of the Court were carried to a point unknown before
or since, forming,— by the indignation they excited among the
people at large, — the main cause of the overthrow of the House
of Stuart. But, on the other hand, the nation made extraor-
dinary advances in commerce and wealth, while the valour of
our sailors was as conspicuous under the Dukes of York and
Albemarle, Prince Rupert and the Earl of Sandwich, as it had
been under Blake himself, and their victories resulted in trans-
ferring the commercial as well as the naval supremacy of
Holland to this country. In spite of the cruel blows inflicted
on the well-being of the country, alike by the extravagance of
the Court, the badness of the Government, the Great Plague,
and the destruction of London by fire, an extraordinary exten-
sion of our trade occurred during the reign of Charles II.
Such a period, therefore, although its brilliancy was marred
by dark shadows, cannot be considered as an inglorious epoch.
It was ennobled by the bravery of our sailors, by the fearlessness
with which the coalition of France with Holland was faced,
and by the spirit of enterprise with which our merchants and
traders seized the opportunity, and, in spite of national misfor-
tunes, raised England in the course of a few years to the rank
of the greatest commercial power in the world.

G. A. HENTY.

CONTENTS.

CHAP. Page

I. FATHERLESS, 11

II. A CHANGE FOR THE BETTER, 34

III. A THIEF SOMEWHERE, 51

IV. CAPTURED, 69

V. KIDNAPPED, 87

VI. A NARROW ESCAPE, . . 106

VII. SAVED FROM A VILLAIN, , . . f24

VIII. THE CAPTAIN'S YARN, 141

IX. THE FIRE IN THE SAVOY, 161

X. How JOHN WILKES FOUGHT THE DUTCH, 169

XI. PRINCE RUPERT, 179

XII. NEW FRIENDS, 196

XIII. THE BATTLE OF LOWESTOFT, 213

XIV. HONOURABLE SCARS, 230

XV. THE PLAGUE, 248

XVI. FATHER AND SON, 266

XVII. SMITTEN DOWN, 284

XVIII. A STROKE OF GOOD FORTUNE, 302

XIX. TAKING POSSESSION, 319

XX. THE FIGHT OFF DUNKIRK, 335

XXI. LONDON IN FLAMES, 351

XXII. AFTER THE FIRE, 369

ILLUSTRATIONS.

Page
"WITH GREAT RAPIDITY THE FLAMES SPREAD FROM HOUSE TO

HOUSE," Frontis. 358

"DON'T CRY, LAD; YOU WILL GET ON BETTER WITHOUT ME," . 25
"THIS is MY PRINCE OF SCRIVENERS, MARY," 35

"ROBERT ASHFORD, KNIFE IN HAND, ATTACKED JOHN WILKES
WITH FURY," 76

"CYRIL SAT UP AND DRANK OFF THE CONTENTS OF THE PANNIKIN," 94
"FoR HEAVEN'S SAKE, SIR, DO NOT CAUSE TROUBLE," . . . 122
"TAKE HER DOWN QUICK, JOHN, THERE ARE THREE OTHERS," . 166
"CYRIL RAISED THE KING'S HANDS TO HIS LIPS," 185

"A DUTCH MAN-OF-WAR RAN ALONGSIDE AND FIRED A BROAD-
SIDE," 230

"FOR THE LAST TIME: WlLL YOU SIGN THE DEED?" .... 274
"WELCOME BACK TO YOUR OWN AGAIN, SIR CYRIL!" .... 322
"WHAT NEWS, JAMES?" THE KING ASKED EAGERLY, .... 346

WEEN LONDON BURNED.

CHAPTER I.

FATHERLESS.

LAD stood looking out of the dormer window in a
scantily furnished attic in the high-pitched roof of
a house in Holborn, in September 1 664. Numbers
of persons were traversing the street below, many
of them going out through the bars, fifty yards
away, into the fields beyond, where sqme sports were being
held that morning, while country people were coming in with
their baskets from the villages of Highgate and Hampstead,
Tyburn and Bayswater. But the lad noted nothing that was
going on; his eyes were filled with tears, and his thoughts
were in the little room behind him ; for here, coffined in readi-
ness for burial, lay the body of his father.

Sir Aubrey Shenstone had not been a good father in any
sense of the word. He had not been harsh or cruel, but he had
altogether neglected his son. Beyond the virtues of loyalty
and courage, he possessed few others. He had fought, as a
young man, for Charles, and even among the Cavaliers who
rode behind Prince Rupert was noted for reckless bravery.
When, on the fatal field of Worcester, the last hopes of the
Royalists were crushed, he had effected his escape to France

12 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

and taken up his abode at Dunkirk. His estates had been
forfeited ; and after spending the proceeds of his wife's jewels
and those he had carried about with him in case fortune went
against the cause for which he fought, he sank lower and
lower, and had for years lived on the scanty pension allowed
by Louis to the King and his adherents.

Sir Aubrey had been one of the wild, reckless spirits whose
conduct did much towards setting the people of England
against the cause of Charles. He gambled and drank, inter-
larded his conversation with oaths, and despised as well as
hated the Puritans against whom he fought. Misfortune did
not improve him ; he still drank when he had money to do
so, gambled for small sums in low taverns with men of his
own kind, and quarrelled and fought on the smallest provoca-
tion. Had it not been for his son he would have taken
service in the army of some foreign Power; but he could
not take the child about with him, nor could he leave it
behind.

Sir Aubrey was not altogether without good points. He
would divide his last crown with a comrade poorer than him-
self. In the worst of times he was as cheerful as when money
was plentiful, making a joke of his necessities and keeping a
brave face to the world.

Wholly neglected by his father, who spent the greater
portion of his time abroad, Cyril would have fared badly
indeed had it not been for the kindness of Lady Parton,
the wife of a Cavalier of very different type to Sir Aubrey.
He had been an intimate friend of Lord Falkland, and, like
that nobleman, had drawn his sword with the greatest
reluctance, and only when he saw that Parliament was bent
upon overthrowing the other two estates in the realm and
constituting itself the sole authority in England. After the
execution of Charles he had retired to France, and did not
take part in the later risings, but lived a secluded life with
bis wife and children. The eldest of these was of the same
age as Cyril; and as the latter's mother had been a neigh-

FATHERLESS. 1 3

hour of hers before marriage, Lady Parton promised her, on
her death-bed, to look after the child, a promise that she faith-
fully kept.

Sir John Parton had always been adverse to the association
of his boy with the son of Sir Aubrey Shenstone ; but he had
reluctantly yielded to his wife's wishes, and Cyril passed the
greater portion of his time at their house, sharing the lessons
Harry received from an English clergyman who had been
expelled from his living by the fanatics of Parliament. He
was a good and pious man, as well as an excellent scholar,
and under his teaching, aided by the gentle precepts of Lady
Parton, and the strict but kindly rule of her husband, Cyril
received a training of a far better kind than he would ever
have been likely to obtain had he been brought up in his
father's house near Norfolk. Sir Aubrey exclaimed sometimes
that the boy was growing up a little Puritan, and had he taken
more interest in his welfare would undoubtedly have with-
drawn him from the healthy influences that were benefiting
him so greatly; but, with the usual acuteness of children,
Cyril soon learnt that any allusion to his studies or his life
at Sir John Parton's was disagreeable to his father, and
therefore seldom spoke of them.

Sir Aubrey was never, even when under the influence of
his potations, unkind to Cyril. The boy bore a strong likeness
to his mother, whom his father had, in his rough way, really
loved passionately. He seldom spoke even a harsh word to
him, and although he occasionally expressed his disapproval
of the teaching he was receiving, was at heart not sorry to
see the boy growing up so different from himself ; and Cyril,
in spite of his father's faults, loved him. When Sir Aubrey
came back with unsteady step, late at night, and threw himself
on his pallet, Cyril would say to himself, " Poor father ! How
different he would have been had it not been for his mis-
fortunes ! He is to be pitied rather than blamed ! " And so, as
years went on, in spite of the difference between their natures,
there had grown up a sort of fellowship between the two ; and

14 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

of an evening sometimes, when his father's purse was so low
that he could not indulge in his usual stoup of wine at the
tavern, they would sit together while Sir Aubrey talked of his
fights and adventures.

" As to the estates, Cyril," he said one day, " I don't know
that Cromwell and his Roundheads have done you much
harm. I should have run through them, lad — I should have
diced them away years ago — and I am not sure but that
their forfeiture has been a benefit to you. If the King ever
gets his own, you may come to the estates ; while, if I had had
the handling of them, the usurers would have had such a grip
on them that you would never have had a penny of the
income."

" It doesn't matter, father," the boy replied. " I mean to
be a soldier some day, as you have been, and I shall take
service with some of the Protestant Princes of Germany;
or, if I can't do that, I shall be able to work my way some-
how."

" What can you work at, lad ? " his father said, con-
temptuously.

" I don't know yet, father ; but I shall find some work
to do."

Sir Aubrey was about to burst into a tirade against work,
but he checked himself. If Cyril never came into the estates
he would have to earn his living somehow.

" All right, my boy. But do you stick to your idea of earning
your living by your sword ; it is a gentleman's profession, and
I would rather see you eating dry bread as a soldier of fortune
than prospering in some vile trading business."

Cyril never argued with his father, and he simply nodded
an assent and then asked some question that turned Sir
Aubrey's thoughts on other matters.

The news that Monk had declared for the King, and that
Charles would speedily return to take his place on his father's
throne, caused great excitement among the Cavaliers scattered
over the Continent ; and as soon as the matter was settled, all

FATHERLESS. 15

prepared to return to England, in the full belief that their
evil days were over, and that they would speedily be restored
to their former estates, with honours and rewards for their
many sacrifices.

" I must leave you behind for a short time, Cyril," his
father said to the boy, when he came in one afternoon. " I
must be in London before the King arrives there, to join in
his welcome home, and for the moment I cannot take you ; I
shall be busy from morning till night. Of course, in the
pressure of things at first it will be impossible for the King
to do everything at once, and it may be a few weeks before all
these Roundheads can be turned out of the snug nests they
have made for themselves, and the rightful owners come to
their own again. As I have no friends in London, I should
have nowhere to bestow you, until I can take you down with
me to Norfolk to present you to our tenants, and you would
be grievously in my way ; but as soon as things are settled 1
will write to you or come over myself to fetch you. In the
meantime I must think over where I had best place you.
It will not matter for so short a time, but I would that you
should be as comfortable as possible. Think it over yourself,
and let me know if you have any wishes in the matter. Sir
John Parton leaves at the end of the week, and ere another
fortnight there will be scarce another Englishman left at
Dunkirk."

" Don't you think you can take me with you, father? "

" Impossible," Sir Aubrey said shortly. " Lodgings will be
at a great price in London, for the city will be full of people
from all parts coming up to welcome the King home. I can
bestow myself in a garret anywhere, but I could not leave
you there all day. Besides, I shall have to get more fitting
clothes, and shall have many expenses. You are at home here,
and will not feel it dull for the short time you have to remain
behind."

Cyril said no more, but went up, with a heavy heart, for his
last day's lessons at the Partons'. Young as he was, he was

16 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

accustomed to think for himself, for it was but little guidance
he received from his father ; and after his studies were over he
laid the case before his master, Mr. Eel ton, and asked if he
could advise him. Mr. Felton was himself in high spirits, and
was hoping to be speedily reinstated in his living. He looked
grave when Cyril told his story.

" I think it is a pity that your father, Sir Aubrey, does not
take you over with him, for it will assuredly take longer to
bring all these matters into order than he seems to think.
However, that is his affair. I should think he could not
do better for you than place you with the people where I
lodge. You know them, and they are a worthy couple; the
husband is, as you know, a fisherman, and you and Harry
Parton have often been out with him in his boat, so it would
not be like going among strangers. Continue your studies.
I should be sorry to think that you were forgetting all that
you have learnt. I will take you this afternoon, if you like,
to my friend, the Cure of St. Ursula. Although we differ on
religion we are good friends, and should you need advice on
any matters he will give it to you, and may be of use in
arranging for a passage for you to England, should your
father not be able himself to come and fetch you."

Sir Aubrey at once assented to the plan when Cyril men-
tioned it to him, and a week later sailed for England ;
Cyril moving, with his few belongings, to the house of Jean
Baudoin, who was the owner and master of one of the largest
fishing- boats in Dunkirk. Sir Aubrey had paid for his board
and lodgings for two months.

" I expect to be over to fetch you long before that, Cyril," he
had said, " but it is as well to be on the safe side. Here are
four crowns, which will furnish you with ample pocket-money.
And I have arranged with your fencing-master for you to have
lessons regularly, as before ; it will not do for you to neglect
so important an accomplishment, for which, as he tells me,
you show great aptitude."

The two months passed. Cyril had received but one letter

(948)

FATHERLESS. ] 7

from liis father. Although it expressed hopes of his speedy
restoration to his estates, Cyril could see, by its tone, that his
father was far from satisfied with the progress he had made in
the matter. Madame Baudoin was a good and pious woman,
and was very kind to the forlorn English boy ; but when a
fortnight over the two months had passed, Cyril could see that
the fisherman was becoming anxious. Regularly, on his return
from the fishing, he inquired if letters had arrived, and seemed
much put out when he heard that there was no news. One
day, when Cyril was in the" garden that surrounded the cottage,
he heard him say to his wife, —

" Well, I will say nothing about it until after the next
voyage, and then if we don't hear, the boy must do something
for his living. I can take him in the boat with me ; he can
earn his victuals in that way. If he won't do that, I shall
wash my hands of him altogether, and he must shift for him-
self. I believe his father has left him with us for good. We
were wrong in taking him only on the recommendation of Mr.
Felton. I have been inquiring about his father, and hear
little good of him."

Cyril, as soon as the fisherman had gone, stole up to his
little room. He was but twelve years old, and he threw him-
self down on his bed and cried bitterly. Then a thought
struck him ; he went to his box, and took out from it a sealed
parcel ; on it was written, " To my son. This parcel is only
to be opened should you find yourself in great need, Your
Loving Mother." He remembered how she had placed it in
his hands a few hours before her death, and had said to
him, —

" Put this away, Cyril. I charge you let no one see it. Do
not speak of it to any one — not even to your father. Keep it as
a sacred gift, and do not open it unless you are in sore need.
It is for you, and you alone. It is the sole thing that I have
to leave you ; use it with discretion. I fear that hard times
will come upon you."

Cyril felt that his need could hardly be sorer than it was

( 948 ) B

18 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

now, and without hesitation he broke the seals, and opened
the packet. He found first a letter directed to himself. It
began, —

" MY DARLING CYRIL, — I trust that it will be many years
before you open this parcel and read these words. I have left
the enclosed as a parting gift to you. I know not how long
this exile may last, or whether you will ever be able to return
to England. But whether you do or not, it may well be that
the time will arrive when you may find yourself in sore need.
Your father has been a loving husband to me, and will, I am
sure, do what he can for you ; but he is not provident in his
habits, and may not, after he is left alone, be as careful in his
expenditure as I have tried to be. I fear then that the time
will come when you will be in need of money, possibly even
in want of the necessaries of life. All my other trinkets I
have given to him; but the one enclosed, which belonged to
my mother, I leave to you. It is worth a good deal of money,
and this it is my desire that you shall spend upon yourself.
Use it wisely, my son. If, when you open this, you are of age
to enter the service of a foreign Prince, as is, I know, the
intention of your father, it will provide you with a suitable
outfit. If, as is possible, you may lose your father by death
or otherwise while you are still young, spend it on your educa-
tion, which is the best of all heritages. Should your father
be alive when you open this, I pray you not to inform him
of it. The money, in his hands, would last but a short time,
and might, I fear, be wasted. Think not that I am speaking
or thinking hardly of him. All men, even the best, have their
faults, and his is a carelessness as to money matters, and a
certain recklessness concerning them ; therefore, I pray you to
keep it secret from him, though I do not say that you should
not use the money for your common good, if it be needful ;
only, in that case, I beg you will not inform him as to what
money you have in your possession, but use it carefully and
prudently for the household wants, and make it last as long

FATHERLESS. 19

as may be. My good friend, Lady Parton, if still near you,
will doubtless aid you in disposing of the jewels to the best
advantage. God bless you, my son ! This is the only secret I
ever had from your father, but for your good I have hidden
this one thing from him, and I pray that this deceit, which is
practised for your advantage, may be forgiven me.

" YOUK LOVING MOTHER."

It was some time before Cyril opened the parcel; it con-
tained a jewel-box in which was a necklace of pearls. After
some consideration he took this to the Cure of St. Ursula,
and, giving him his mother's letter to read, asked him for his
advice as to its disposal.

" Your mother was a thoughtful and pious woman," the
good priest said, after he had read the letter, " and has acted
wisely in your behalf. The need she foresaw might come, has
arisen, and you are surely justified in using her gift. I will
dispose of this trinket for you ; it is doubtless of considerable
value. If it should be that your father speedily sends for you,
you ought to lay aside the money for some future necessity. If
he does not come for some time, as may well be — for, from the
news that comes from England, it is like to be many months
before affairs are settled — then draw from it only such amounts
as are needed for your living and education. Study hard, my
son, for so will you best be fulfilling the intentions of your
mother. If you like, I will keep the money in my hands,
serving it out to you as you need it ; and in order that you
may keep the matter a secret, I will myself go to Baudoin, and
tell him that he need not be disquieted as to the cost of your
maintenance, for that I have money in hand with which to
discharge your expenses, so long as you may remain with him."

The next day the Cure informed Cyril that he had disposed
of the necklace for fifty louis. Upon this sum Cyril lived
for two years.

Things had gone very hardly with Sir Aubrey Shenstone.
The King had a difficult course to steer. To have evicted

20 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

ail those who had obtained possession of the forfeited estates
of the Cavaliers' would have been to excite a deep feeling of
resentment among the Nonconformists. In vain Sir Aubrey
pressed his claims, in season and out of season. He had no
powerful friends to aid him ; his conduct had alienated the
men who could have assisted him, and, like so many other
Cavaliers who had fought and suffered for Charles I., Sir
Aubrey Shenstone found himself left altogether in the cold.
For a time he was able to keep up a fair appearance, as
he obtained loans from Prince Rupert and other Royalists
whom he had known in the old days, and who had been more
fortunate than himself ; but the money so obtained lasted but
a short time, and it was not long before he was again in
dire straits.

Cyril had from the first but little hope that his father
would recover his estates. He had, shortly before his father
left France, heard a conversation between Sir John Parton
and a gentleman who was in the inner circle of Charles's
advisers. The latter had said, —

" One of the King's great difficulties will be to satisfy the
exiles. Undoubtedly, could he consult his own inclinations only,
he would on his return at once reinstate all those who have
suffered in their estates from their loyalty to his father and
himself. But this will be impossible. It was absolutely
necessary for him, in his proclamation at Breda, to promise an
amnesty for all offences, liberty of conscience and an oblivion
as to the past, and he specially says that all questions of grants,
>sales and purchases of land, and titles, shall be referred to
Parliament. The Nonconformists are at present in a majority,
and although it seems that all parties are willing to welcome
the King back, you may be sure that no Parliament will
consent to anything like a general disturbance of the possessors
of estates formerly owned by Royalists. In a vast number of
cases, the persons to whom such grants were made disposed
of them by sale to others, and it would be as hard on them to
be ousted as it is upon the original proprietors to be kept out

FATHERLESS. 21

of their possession. Truly it is a most difficult position, and
one that will have to be approached with great judgment,
the more so since most of those to whom the lands were
granted were generals, officers, and soldiers of the Parliament,
and Monk would naturally oppose any steps to the detriment
of his old comrades.

" I fear there will be much bitter disappointment among
the exiles, and that the King will be charged with ingratitude
by those who think that he has only to sign an order for
their reinstatement, whereas Charles will have himself a
most difficult course to steer, and will have to govern himself
most circumspectly, so as to give offence to none of the
governing parties. As to his granting estates, or dispossessing
their holders, he will have no more power to do so than you or
1. Doubtless some of the exiles will be restored to their estates ;
but I fear that the great bulk are doomed to disappointment.
At any rate, for a time no extensive changes can be made,
though it may be that in the distance, when the temper of the
nation at large is better understood, the King will be able
to do something for those who suffered in the cause.

" It was all very well for Cromwell, who leant solely on the
Army, to dispense with a Parliament, and to govern far more
autocratically than James or Charles even dreamt of doing ;
but the Army that supported Cromwell would certainly not
support Charles. It is composed for the most part of stern
fanatics, and will be the first to oppose any attempt of the
King to override the law. No doubt it will ere long be dis-
banded ; but you will see that Parliament will then recover the
authority of which Cromwell deprived it ; and Charles is a
far wiser man than his father, and will never set himself
against the feeling of the country. Certainly, anything like
a general reinstatement of the men who have been for the
List ten years haunting the taverns of the Continent is out
of the question ; they would speedily create such a revulsion of
public opinion as might bring about another rebellion. Hyde,
staunch Royalist as he is, would never suffer the King to

22 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

make so grievous an error ; nor do I think for a moment that
Charles, who is shrewd and politic, and above all things a
lover of ease and quiet, would think of bringing such a nest of
hornets about his ears."

When, after his return to England, it became evident that
Sir Aubrey had but small chance of reinstatement in his
lands, his former friends began to close their purses and to
refuse to grant further loans, and he was presently reduced
to straits as severe as those he had suffered during his exile.
The good spirits that had borne him up so long failed now,
and he grew morose and petulant. His loyalty to the King
was unshaken ; Charles had several times granted him
audiences, and had assured him that, did it rest with him,
justice should be at once dealt to him, but that he was
practically powerless in the matter, and the knight's resent-
ment was concentrated upon Hyde, now Lord Clarendon, and
the rest of the King's advisers. He wrote but seldom to
Cyril ; he had no wish to have the boy with him until he
could take him down with him in triumph to Norfolk, and
show him to the tenants as his heir. Living from hand to
mouth as he did, he worried but little as to how Cyril was
getting on.

" The lad has fallen on his feet somehow," he said, " and
he is better where he is than he would be with me. I suppose
when he wants money he will write and say so, though where
I should get any to send to him I know not. Anyhow, I
need not worry about him at present."

Cyril, indeed, had written to him soon after the sale of the
necklace, telling him that he need not distress himself about
his condition, for that he had obtained sufficient money for his
present necessities from the sale of a small trinket his mother
had given him before her death, and that when this was spent
he should doubtless find some means of earning his living
until he could rejoin him. His father never inquired into
the matter, though he made a casual reference to it in his
next letter, saying that he was glad Cyril had obtained some

FATHERLESS. 23

money, as it would, at the moment, have been inconvenient to
him to send any over.

Cyril worked assiduously at the school that had been re-
commended to him by the Cure, and at the end of two years
he had still twenty louis left. He had several conversa-
tions with his adviser as to the best way of earning his
living.

" I do not wish to spend any more, Father," he said, " and
would fain keep this for some future necessity."

The Cur6 agreed with him as to this, and, learning from his
master that he was extremely quick at figures and wrote an
excellent hand, he obtained a place for him with one of the
principal traders of the town. He was to receive no salary for
a year, but was to learn book-keeping and accounts. Although
but fourteen, the boy was so intelligent and zealous that his
employer told the Cure that he found him of real service, and
that he was able to entrust some of his books entirely to his
charge.

Six months after entering his service, however, Cyril received
a letter from his father, saying that he believed his affairs
were on the point of settlement, and therefore wished him to
come over in the first ship sailing. He enclosed an order
on a house at Dunkirk for fifty francs, to pay his passage.
His employer parted with him with regret, and the kind Cure
bade him farewell in terms of real affection, for he had come
to take a great interest in him.

"At any rate, Cyril," he said, "your time here has not been
wasted, and your mother's gift has been turned to as much
advantage as even she can have hoped that it would be.
Should your father's hopes be again disappointed, and fresh
delays arise, you may, with the practice you have Lad, be
able to earn your living in London. There must be there,
as in France, many persons in trade who have had but little
education, and you may be able to obtain employment in
keeping the books of such people, who are, I believe, more
common in England than here. Here are the sixteen louis

24 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

that still remain ; put them aside, Cyril, and use them only
for urgent necessity."

Cyril, on arriving in London, was heartily welcomed by his
father, who had, for the moment, high hopes of recovering his
estates. These, however, soon faded, and although Sir Aubrey
would not allow it, even to himself, no chance remained of
those Royalists, who had, like him, parted with their estates for
trifling sums, to be spent in the King's service, ever regaining
possession of them.

It was not long before Cyril perceived that unless he himself
obtained work of some sort they would soon be face to face with
actual starvation. He said nothing to his father, but started
out one morning on a round of visits among the smaller class
of shopkeepers, offering to make up their books and write out
their bills and accounts for a small remuneration. As he had
a frank and pleasant face, and his foreign bringing xip had given
him an ease and politeness of manner rare among English lads
of the day, it was not long before he obtained several clients. To
some of the smaller class of traders he went only for an hour or
two, once a week, while others required their bills and accounts
to be made out daily. The pay was very small, but it sufficed to
keep absolute want from the door. When he told his father of
the arrangements he had made, Sir Aubrey at first raged and
stormed ; but he had come, during the last year or two, to re-
cognise the good sense and strong will of his son, and although
he never verbally acquiesced in what he considered a degrada-
tion, he offered no actual opposition to a plan that at least
enabled them to live, and furnished him occasionally with a
few groats with which he could visit a tavern.

So things had gone on for more than a year. Cyril was now
sixteen, and his punctuality, and the neatness of his work, had
been so appreciated by the tradesmen who first employed him,
that his time was now fully occupied, and that at rates more
remunerative than those he had at first obtained. He kept
the state of his resources to himself, and had no difficulty in
doing this, as his father never alluded to the subject of his

FATHERLESS. 25

work. Cyril knew that, did he hand over to him all the
money he made, it would be wasted in drink or at cards ; con-
sequently, he kept the table furnished as modestly as at first,
and regularly placed after dinner on the corner of the mantel
a few coins, which his father as regularly dropped into his
pocket.

A few days before the story opens, Sir Aubrey had, late
one evening, been carried upstairs, mortally wounded in a
brawl ; he only recovered consciousness a few minutes before
his death.

" You have been a good lad, Cyril," he said faintly, as he
feebly pressed the boy's hand ; " far better than I deserve to
have had. Don't cry, lad; you will get on better without
me, and things are just as well as they are. I hope you will
come to your estates some day ; you will make a better master
than I should ever have done. I hope that in time you will
carry out your plan of entering some foreign service ; there is
no chance here. I don't^ want you to settle down as a city
scrivener. Still, do as you like, lad, and unless your wishes go
with mine, think no further of service."

" I would rather be a soldier, father. I only undertook
this work because I could see nothing else."

"That is right, my boy, that is right. I know you won't
forget that you come of a race of gentlemen."

He spoke but little after that. A few broken words came
from his lips that showed that his thoughts had gone back
to old times. " Boot and saddle," he murmured. " That is
right. Now we are ready for them. Down with the prick-
eared knaves ! God and King Charles ! " These were the last
words he spoke.

Cyril had done all that was necessary. He had laid by more
than half his earnings for the last eight or nine months.
One of his clients, an undertaker, had made all the necessary
preparations for the funeral, and in a few hours his father
would be borne to his last resting-plaoe. As he stood at the
open window he thought sadly over the past, and of his

26 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

father's wasted life. Had it not been for the war he might
have lived and died a country gentleman. It was the war,
with its wild excitements, that had ruined him. What was
there for him to do in a foreign country, without resource or
employment, having no love for reading, but to waste his life
as he had done ? Had his wife lived it might have been
different. Cyril had still a vivid remembrance of his mother,
and though his father had but seldom spoken to him of her, he
knew that he had loved her, and that, had she lived, he would
never have given way to drink as he had done of late years.

To his father's faults he could not be blind ; but they stood
for nothing now. He had been his only friend, and of late they
had been drawn closer to each other in their loneliness ; and
although scarce a word of endearment had passed between
them, he knew that his father had cared for him more than
was apparent in his manner.

A few hours later, Sir Aubrey Shenstone was laid to rest
in a little graveyard outside the city walls. Cyril was the only
mourner ; and when it was over, instead of going back to his
lonely room, he turned away and wandered far out through the
fields towards Hampstead, and then sat himself down to think
what he had best do. Another three or four years must pass
before he could try to get service abroad. When the time
came he should find Sir John Parton, and beg him to procure
for him some letter of introduction to the many British
gentlemen serving abroad. He had not seen him since he came
to England. His father had met him, but had quarrelled with
him upon Sir John declining to interest himself actively to
push his claims, and had forbidden Cyril to go near those
who had been so kind to him.

The boy had felt it greatly at first, but he came, after a time,
to see that it was best so. It seemed to him that he had
fallen altogether out of their station in life when the hope
of his father's recovering his estates vanished, and although
he was sure of a kindly reception from Lady Parton, he shrank
from going there in his present position. They had done so

FATHERLESS. 27

much for him already, that the thought that his visit might
seem to them a sort of petition for further benefits was
intolerable to him.

For the present, the question in his mind was whether he
should continue at his present work, which at any rate sufficed
to keep him, or should seek other employment. He would
greatly have preferred some life of action, — something that
would fit him better to bear the fatigues and hardships of war,
— but he saw no prospect of obtaining any such position.

" I should be a fool to throw up what I have," he said to
himself at last. " I will stick to it anyhow until some oppor-
tunity offers ; but the sooner I leave it the better. It was bad
enough before ; it will be worse now. If I had but a friend or
two it would not be so hard ; but to have no one to speak to,
and no one to think about, when work is done, will be lonely
indeed."

At any rate, he determined to change his room as soon as
possible. It mattered little where he went so that it was
a change. He thought over various tradesmen for whom he
worked. Some of them might have an attic, he cared not
how small, that they might let him have in lieu of paying
him for his work. Even if they never spoke to him, it would
be better to be in a house where he knew something of those
downstairs, than to lodge in one where he was an utter
stranger to all. He had gone round to the shops where he
worked, on the day after his father's death, to explain that he
could not come again until after the funeral, and he resolved
that next morning he would ask each in turn whether he
could obtain a lodging with them.

The sun was already setting when he rose from the bank on
which he had seated himself, and returned to the city. The
room did not feel so lonely to him as it would have done had
he not been accustomed to spending the evenings alone. He
took out his little hoard and counted it. After paying the
expenses of the funeral there would still remain sufficient to
keep him for three or four months should he fall ill, or, from

28 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

any cause, lose his work. He had one good suit of clothes that
had been bought on his return to England, — when his father
thought that they would assuredly be going down almost imme-
diately to take possession of the old Hall, — and the rest were
all in fair condition.

The next day he began his work again ; he had two visits
to pay of an hour each, and one of two hours, and the
spare time between these he filled up by calling at two or
three other shops to make up for the arrears of work during
the last few days.

The last place he had to visit was that at which he had
the longest task to perform. It was at a ship-chandler's in
Tower Street, a large and dingy house, the lower portion
being filled with canvas, cordage, barrels of pitch and tar,
candles, oil, and matters of all sorts needed by ship-masters,
including many cannon of different sizes, piles of balls,
anchors, and other heavy work, all of which were stowed away
in a yard behind it. The owner of this store was a one-armed
man. His father had kept it before him, but he himself,
after working there long enough to become a citizen and
a member of the Ironmongers' Guild, had quarrelled with
his father and had taken to the sea. For twenty years he
had voyaged to many lands, principally in ships trading in
the Levant, and had passed through a great many adventures,
including several fights with the Moorish corsairs. In the
last voyage he took, he had had his arm shot off by a ball
from a Greek pirate among the Islands. He had long before
made up his differences with his father, but had resisted
the latter's entreaties that he should give up the sea and
settle down at the shop ; on his return after this unfortu-
nate voyage he told him that he had come home to stay.

" I shall be able to help about the stores after a while,"
he said, " but I shall never be the man I was on board ship.
It will be hard work to take to measuring out canvas and
to weighing iron, after a free life on the sea, but I don't so
much mind now I have had my share of adventures ; though

FATHERLESS. 29

I dare say I should have gone on for a few more years if
that rascally ball had not carried away my arm. I don't
know but that it is best as it is, for the older I got the
harder I should find it to fall into new ways and to settle
down here."

" Anyhow, I am glad you are back, David," his father said.
" You are forty-five, and though I don't say it would not have
been better if you had remained here from the first, you have
learnt many things you would not have learnt here. You
know just the sort of things that masters of ships require,
and what canvas and cables and cordage will suit their wants.
Besides, customers like to talk with men of their own way of
thinking, and sailors more, I think, than other men. You
know, too, most of the captains who sail up the Mediterranean,
and may be able to bring fresh custom into the shop. There-
fore, do not think that you will be of no use to me. As to
your wife and child, there is plenty of room for them as well
as for you, and it will be better for them here, with you always
at hand, than it would be for them to remain over at Rother-
hithe and only to see you after the shutters are up."

Eight years later Captain Dave, as he was always called,
became sole owner of the house and business. A year after
he did so he was lamenting to a friend the trouble that
he had with his accounts.

" My father always kept that part of the business in his
own hands," he said, " and I find it a mighty heavy burden.
Beyond checking a bill of lading, or reading the marks on the
bales and boxes, I never had occasion to read or write for
twenty years, and there has not been much more of it for
the last fifteen ; and although I was a smart scholar enough
in my young days, my fingers are stiff with hauling at
ropes and using the marling-spike, and my eyes are not so
clear as they used to be, and it is no slight toil and labour to
me to make up an account for goods sold. John Wilkes, my
head shopman, is a handy fellow ; he was my boatswain in the
Kate, and I took him on when we found that the man who

30 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

had been my father's right hand for twenty years had been
cheating him all along. We got on well enough as long as I
could give all my time in the shop ; but he is no good with the
pen — all he can do is to enter receipts and sales.

" He has a man under him, who helps him in measuring
out the right length of canvas and cables or for weighing
a chain or an anchor, and knows enough to put down the
figures ; but that is all. Then there are the two smiths and
the two apprentices ; they don't count in the matter. Robert
Ashford, the eldest apprentice, could do the work, but I have
no fancy for him ; he does not look one straight in the face
as one who is honest and above board should do. I shall
have to keep a clerk, and I know what it will be — he will
be setting me right, and I shall not feel my own master ; he
will be out of place in my crew altogether. I never liked
pursers ; most of them are rogues. Still, I suppose it must
come to that."

" I have a boy come in to write my bills and to make up
my accounts, who would be just the lad for you, Captain
Dave. He is the son of a broken-down Cavalier, but he is a
steady, honest young fellow, and I fancy his pen keeps his
father, who is a roystering blade, and spends most of his time
at the taverns. The boy comes to me for an hour, twice a
week ; he writes as good a hand as any clerk and can reckon
as quickly, and I pay him but a groat a week, which was all
he asked."

" Tell him to come to me, then. I should want him every
day, if he could manage it, and it would be the very thing
for me."

" I am sure you would like him the other said ; " he is a
good-looking young fellow and his face speaks for him without
any recommendation. I was afraid at first that he would not
do for me ; I thought there was too much of the gentleman
about him. He has good manners, and a gentle sort of way.
He has been living in France all his life, and though he has
never said anything about his family — indeed he talks but

FATHERLESS.

31

little, he just comes in and does his work and goes away —
I fancy his father was one of King Charles's men and of good
blood."

" Well, that doesn't sound so well," the sailor said, " but
anyhow I should like to have a look at him."

" He comes to me to-morrow at eleven and goes at twelve,"
the man said, " and I will send him round to you when he has
done."

Cyril had gone round the next morning to the ships'
store.

" So you are the lad that works for my neighbour Anderson ? "
Captain Dave said, as he surveyed him closely. " I like your
looks, lad, but I doubt whether we shall get on together. I am
an old sailor, you know, and I am quick of speech and don't
stop to choose my words, so if you are quick to take offence it
would be of no use your coming to me."

" I don't think I am likely to take offence," Cyril said quietly ;
" and if we don't get on well together, sir, you will only have
to tell me that you don't want me any longer ; but I trust you
will not have often the occasion to use hard words, for at any
rate I will do my best to please you."

" You can't say more, lad. Well, let us have a taste of your
quality. Come in here," and he led him into a little room parti-
tioned off from the shop. " There, you see," and he opened
a book, " is the account of the sales and orders yesterday ;
the ready-money sales have got to be entered in that ledger
with the red cover ; the sales where no money passed have to
be entered to the various customers or ships in the ledger. I
have made out a list — here it is — of twelve accounts that have
to be drawn out from that ledger and sent in to customers.
You will find some of them are of somewhat long standing, for
I have been putting off that job. Sit you down here. When
you have done one or two of them I will have a look at your
work, and if that is satisfactory we will have a talk as to what
hours you have got disengaged, and what days in the week will
suit you best."

32 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

It was two hours before Captain Dave came in again.
Cyril had just finished the work ; some of the accounts were
long ones, and the writing was so crabbed that it took him
some time to decipher it.

" Well, how are you getting on, lad ? " the Captain asked.

" I have this moment finished the last account."

" What ! Do you mean to say that you have done them all.
Why, it would have taken me all my evenings for a week. Now,
hand me the books ; it is best to do things ship-shape."

He first compared the list of the sales with the entries, and
then Cyril handed him the twelve accounts he had drawn up.
Captain David did not speak until he had finished looking
through them.

" I would not have believed all that work could have been
done in two hours," he said, getting up from his chair. " Orderly
and well written, and without a blot. The King's secretary could
not have done better ! Well, now you have seen the list of sales
for a day, and I take it that be about the average, so if you
come three times a week you will always have two days' sales
to enter in the ledger. There are a lot of other books my
father used to keep, but I have never had time to bother
myself about them, and as I have got on very well so far, T do
not see any occasion for you to do so, for my part it seems to
me that all these books are only invented by clerks to give
themselves something to do to fill up their time. Of course,
there won't be accounts to send out every day. Do you think
with two hours, three times a week, you could keep things
straight ? "

" I should certainly think so, sir, but I can hardly say
until I try, because it seems to me that there must be a great
many items, and I can't say how long it will take entering
all the goods received under their proper headings ; but if the
books are thoroughly made up now, I should think I could
keep them all going."

"That they are not," Captain David said ruefully; "they
are all horribly in arrears. I took charge of them myself

FATHERLESS. 33

three years ago, and though I spend three hours every evening
worrying over them, they get further and further in arrears.
Look at those files over there," and he pointed to three long
wires, on each of which was strung a large bundle of papers ;
" I am afraid you will have to enter them all up before you
can get matters into ship-shape order. The daily sale book is
the only one that has been kept up regularly."

" But these accounts I have made up, sir 1 Probably in
those files there are many other goods supplied to the same
people."

"Of course there are, lad, though I did not think of
it before. Well, we must wait, then, until you can make
up the arrears a bit, though I really want to get some
money in."

" Well, sir, I might write at the bottom of each bill
" Account made up to," and then put in the date of the latest
entry charged."

" That would do capitally, lad — I did not think of that. I
see you will be of great use to me. I can buy and sell, for I
know the value of the goods I deal in ; but as to accounts, they
are altogether out of my way. And now, lad, what do you
charge ? "

" I charge a groat for two hours' work, sir ; but if I came to
you three times a week, I would do it for a little less."

" No, lad, I don't want to beat you down ; indeed, I don't
think you charge enough. However, let us say, to begin with,
three groats a week."

This had been six weeks before Sir Aubrey Shenstone's
death ; and in the interval Cyril had gradually wiped off all
the arrears, and had all the books in order up to date, to the
astonishment of his employer.

(048)

34 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

CHAPTER II.

A CHANGE FOB THE BETTER..

" T AM glad to see you again, lad," Captain David said,

JL when Cyril entered his shop. " I have been thinking
of the news you gave me last week, and the mistress and I
have been talking it over. Where are you lodging ? "

" I have been lodging until now in Holborn," Cyril replied ;
" but I am going to move."

" Yes ; that is what we thought you would be doing. It is
always better to make a change after a loss. I don't want to
interfere in your business, lad, but have you any friends you
are thinking of going to ? "

" No, sir ; I do not know a soul in London save those I
work for."

" That is bad, lad — very bad. I was talking it over with my
wife, and I said that maybe you were lonely. I am sure, lad,
you are one of the right sort. I don't mean only in your
work, for as for that I would back you against any scrivener
in London, but I mean about yourself. It don't need half an
eye to see that you have not been brought up to this sort of
thing, though you have taken to it so kindly, but there is not
one in a thousand boys of your age who would have settled
down to work and made their way without a friend to help
them as you have done ; ib shows that there is right good stuff
in you. There, I am so long getting under weigh that I shall
never get into port if I don't steer a straight course. Now,
my ideas and my wife's come to this : if you have got no
friends you will have to take a lodging somewhere among
strangers, and then it would be one of two things — you would
either stop at home and mope by yourself, or you would go
out, and maybe get into bad company. If I had not come
across you I should have had to employ a clerk, and he would
either have lived here with us or I should have had to
pay him enough to keep house for himself. Now in fact you

"THIS IS MY PRINCE OF SCRIVENERS, MARY."

A CHANGE FOR THE BETTER. 35

are a clerk; for though you are only here for six hours a
week — you do all the work there is to do, and no clerk could
do more. Well, we have got an attic upstairs which is not
used, and if you like to come here and live with us, my wife
and I will make you heartily welcome."

" Thank you, indeed," Cyril said warmly. " It is of all
things what I should like ; but of course I should wish to pay
you for my board. I can afford to do so if you will employ
me for the same hours as at present."

" No, I would not have that, lad ; but if you like we can
reckon your board against what I now pay you. We feed
John Wilkes and the two apprentices, and one mouth extra
will make but little difference. I don't want it to be a matter
of obligation, so we will put your board against the work you
do for me. I shall consider that we are making a good
bargain."

" It is your pleasure to say so, sir. but I cannot tell you
what a load your kind offer takes off my mind. The future
has seemed very dark to me."

" Very well. That matter is settled, then. Come upstairs
with me and I will present you to my wife and daughter ;
they have heard me speak of you so often that they will be
glad to see you. In the first place, though, I must ask you
your name. Since you first signed articles and entered the
crew I have never thought of asking you."

" My name is Cyril, sir — Cyril Shenstone."

His employer nodded and at once led the way upstairs.
A motherly looking woman rose from the seat where she was
sitting at work, as they entered the living-room.

" This is my Prince of Scriveners, Mary, the lad I have often
spoken to you about. His name is Cyril ; he has accepted the
proposal we talked over last night, and is going to become
one of the crew on board our ship."

" I am glad to see you," she said to Cyril, holding out her
hand to him. " I have not met you before, but I feel very
grateful to you Till you came, my husband was bothered

36 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

nearly out of his wits ; he used to sit here worrying over his
books, and writing from the time the shop closed till the hour
for bed, and Nellie and I dared not to say as much as a word.
Now we see no more of his books, and he is able to go out for
a walk in the fields with us as he used to do before."

"It is very kind of you to say so, Mistress," Cyril said
earnestly ; " but it is I, on the contrary, who am deeply grateful
to you for the offer Captain Dave has been good enough to
make me. You cannot tell the pleasure it has given me, for
you cannot understand how lonely and friendless I have been
feeling. Believe me, I will strive to give you as little trouble as
possible, and to conform myself in all ways to your wishes."

At this moment Nellie Dowsett came into the room. She
was a pretty girl some eighteen years of age.

" This is Cyril, your father's assistant, Nellie," her mother
said.

" You are welcome, Master Cyril. I have been wanting to
see you. Father has been praising you up to the skies so often
that I have had quite a curiosity to see what you could be like."

" Your father is altogether too good, Mistress Nellie, and
makes far more of my poor ability than it deservqp.*

" And is he going to live with us, mother? " Nellie asked.

" Yes, child ; he has accepted your father's offer."

Nellie clapped her hands.

" That is good," she said. " I shall expect you to escort me
out sometimes, Cyril. Father always wants me to go down to
the wharf to look at the ships or to go into the fields; but I
want to go sometimes to see the fashions, and there is no one
to take me, for John Wilkes always goes off to smoke a pipe
with some sailor or other, and the apprentices are stupid and
have nothing to say for themselves; and besides, one can't
walk alongside a boy in an apprentice cap."

" I shall be very happy to, Mistress, when my work is
done, though I fear that I shall make but a poor escort, for
indeed I have had no practice whatever in the esquiring of
dames."

A CHANGE FOR THE BETTER. 37

"I am sure you will do very well," Nellie said, nodding
approvingly. " Is it true that you have been in France ?
Father said he was told so."

" Yes ; I have lived almost all my life in France."

" And do you speak French ? "

" Yes ; I speak it as well as English."

" It must have been very hard to learn ? "

" Not at all. It came to me naturally, just as English did."

" You must not keep him any longer now, Nellie ; he has
other appointments to keep, and when he has done that, to go
and pack up his things and see that they are brought here by a
porter. He can answer some more of your questions when he
comes here this evening."

Cyril returned to Holborn with a lighter heart than he
had felt for a long time. His preparations for the move took
him but a short time, and two hours later he was installed in
a little attic in the ship-chandler's house. He spent half-an-
hour in unpacking his things, and then heard a stentorian
shout from below, —

" Masthead, ahoy ! Supper's waiting."

Supposing that this hail was intended for himself, he at once
went downstairs. The table was laid. Mistress Dowsett took
her seat at the head ; her husband sat on one side of her, and
Nellie on the other. John Wilkes sat next to his master, and
beyond him the elder of the two apprentices. A seat was left
between Nellie and the other apprentice for Cyril.

" Now our crew is complete, John," Captain Dave said.
" We have been wanting a supercargo badly."

" Ay, ay, Captain Dave, there is no doubt we have been
short-handed in that respect ; but things have been more ship-
shape lately."

" That is so, John. I can make a shift to keep the vessel on
her course, but when it comes to writing up the log, and keep-
ing the reckoning, I make but a poor hand at it. It was
getting to be as bad as that voyage of the Jane in the Levant,
when the supercargo had got himself stabbed at Lemnos "

38 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

" I mind it, Captain — I mind it well. And what a trouble
there was with the owners when we got back again ! "

" Yes, yes," the Captain said ; " it was worse work than
having a brush with a Barbary corsair. I shall never forget
that day. When I went to the office to report, the three
owners were all in.

" ' Well, Captain Dave, back from your voyage 1 ' said the
littlest of the three. ' Made a good voyage, I hope ? '

"First-rate, says I, except that the supercargo got killed
at Lemnos by one of them rascally Greeks.

" ' Dear, dear,' said another of them — he was a prim, sancti-
monious sort — ' Has our brother Jenkins left us ? '

" I don't know about his leaving us, says I, but we left
him sure enough in a burying-place there.

" ' And how did you manage without him ? '

" I made as good a shift as I could, I said. I have sold
all the cargo, and I have brought back a freight of six tons of
Turkey figs, and four hundred boxes of currants. And these
two bags hold the difference.

" ' Have you brought the books with you, Captain ? '

" Never a book, said I. I have had to navigate the ship
and to look after the crew, and do the best I could at each
port. The books are on board, made out up to the day
before the supercargo was killed, three months ago ; but I have
never had time to make an entry since.

" They looked at each other like owls for a minute or two,
and then they all began to talk at once. How had I sold the
goods ? had I charged the prices mentioned in the invoice ?
what percentage had I put on for profit ? and a lot of other
things. I waited until they were all out of breath, and then
I said I had not bothered about invoices. I knew pretty well
the prices such things cost in England. I clapped on so much
more for the expenses of the voyage and a fair profit. I
could tell them what I had paid for the figs and the currants,
and for some bags of Smyrna sponges I had bought, but as to
the prices I had charged, it was too much to expect that I

A CHANGE FOR THE BETTER. 39

could carry them in my head. All I knew was I had paid
for the things I had bought, I had paid all the port dues and
other charges, I had advanced the men one-fourth of their wages
each month, and I had brought them back the balance.

" Such a hubbub you never heard. One would have thought
they would have gone raving mad. The sanctimonious partner
was the worst of the lot. He threatened me with the Lord
Mayor and the Aldermen, and went on till I thought he would
have had a fit.

" Look here, says I, at last, I'll tell you what I will do.
You tell me what the cargo cost you altogether, and put on
so much for the hire of the ship. I will pay you for them
and settle up with the crew, and take the cargo and sell it.
That is a fair offer. And I advise you to keep civil tongues
in your heads, or I will knock them off and take my chance
before the Lord Mayor for assault and battery.

" With that I took off my coat and laid it on a bench. I
reckon they saw that I was in earnest, and they just sat as
mum as mice. Then the little man said, in a quieter sort of
voice, —

" ' You are too hasty, Captain Dowsett. We know you to
be an honest man and a good sailor, and had no suspicion that
you would wrong us ; but no merchant in the City of
London could hear that his business had been conducted in
such a way as you have carried it through without for a time
losing countenance. Let us talk the matter over reasonably
and quietly.'

" That is just what I am wanting, I said ; and if there
hasn't been reason and quiet it is from no fault of mine.

"'Well, please to put your coat on again, Captain, and let
us see how matters stand ! '

" Then they took their ink-horns and pens, and, on finding
out what I had paid for the figs and other matters, they
reckoned them up ; then they put down what I said was due
to the sailors and the mate and myself; then they got out
some books, and for an hour they were busy reckoning up

40 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

figures ; then they opened the bags and counted up the gold
we had brought home. Well, when they had done, you would
hardly have known them for the same men. First of all, they
went through all their calculations again to be sure they had
made no mistake about them ; then they laid down their
pens, and the sanctimonious man mopped the perspiration
from his face, and the others smiled at each other. Then the
biggest of the three, who had scarcely spoken before, said, —

" ' Well, Captain Dowsett, I must own that my partners
were a little hasty. The result of our calculations is that the
voyage has been a satisfactory one, I may almost say very satis-
factory, and that you must have disposed of the goods to much
advantage. It has been a new and somewhat extraordinary
way of doing business, but I am bound to say that the result
has exceeded our expectations, and we trust that you will
command the Jane for many more voyages.'

" Not for me, says I. You can hand me over the wages
due to me, and you will find the Jane moored in the stream
just above the Tower. You will find her in order and ship-
shape ; but never again do I set my foot on board her or
on any other vessel belonging to men who have doubted my
honesty.

" Nor did I. I had a pretty good name among traders,
and ten days later I started for the Levant again in command
of a far smarter vessel than the Jane had ever been."

"And we all went with you, Captain," John Wilkes said,
" every man jack of us. And on her very next voyage the Jane
was captured by the Algerines, and I reckon there are some
of the poor fellows working as slaves there now ; for though
Blake did blow the place pretty nigh out of water a few
years afterwards, it is certain that the Christian slaves handed
over to him were not half those the Moors had in their
hands."

" It would seem, Captain Dowsett, from your story, that
you can manage very well without a supercargo ? " Cyril said
quietly.

A CHANGE FOR THE BETTER. 41

" Ay, lad ; but you see that was a ready-money business.
I handed over the goods and took the cash ; there was no
accounts to be kept. It was all clear and above board. But
it is a different thing in this ship altogether, when, instead of
paying down on the nail for what they get, you have got to
keep an account of everything and send in all their items
jotted down in order. Why, Nellie, your tongue seems quieter
than usual."

" You have not given me a chance, father. You have been
talking ever since we sat down to table."

Supper was now over. The two apprentices at once retired.
Cyril would have done the same, but Mistress Dowsett
said, —

" Sit you still, Cyril. The Captain says that you are to be
considered as one of the officers of the ship, and we shall be
always glad to have you here, though of course you can
always go up to your own room, or go out, when you feel
inclined."

" I have to go out thi^ee times a week to work," Cyril said ;
" but all the other evenings I shall be glad indeed to sit here,
Mistress Dowsett. You cannot tell what a pleasure it is to me
to be in an English home like this."

It was not long before John Wilkes went out.

" He is off to smoke his pipe," the Captain said. " I never
light mine till he goes. I can't persuade him to take his with
me ; he insists it would not be manners to smoke in the cabin."

" He is quite right, father," Nellie said. " It is bad enough
having you smoke here. When mother's friends or mine
come in they are well-nigh choked ; they are not accustomed
to it as we are, for a respectable London citizen does not
think of taking tobacco."

" I am a London citizen, Nellie, but I don't set up any
special claim to respectability. I am a sea-captain, though
that rascally Greek cannon-ball and other circumstances
have made a trader of me, sorely against my will; and if
I could not have my pipe and my glass of grog here I would

42 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

go and sit with John Wilkes in the tavern at the corner of
the street, and I suppose that would not be even as respectable
as smoking here."

" Nellie doesn't mean, David, that she wants you to give
up smoking; only she thinks that John is quite right to go
out to take his pipe. And I must say I think so too. You
know that when you have sea-captains of your acquaintance
here, you always send the maid off to bed and smoke in the
kitchen."

"Ay, ay, my dear, I don't want to turn your room into a
fo'castle. There is reason in all things. I suppose you don't
smoke, Master Cyril ? "

"No, Captain Dave, I have never so much as thought
of such a thing. In France it is the fashion to take snuff,
but the habit seemed to me a useless one, and I don't think
that I should ever have taken to it."

" I wonder," Captain Dave said, after they had talked for
some time, " that after living in sight of the sea for so long
your thoughts never turned that way."

" I cannot say that I have never thought of it," Cyril said.
" I have thought that I should greatly like to take foreign
voyages, but I should not have cared to go as a ship's boy, and
to live with men so ignorant that they could not even write
their own names. My thoughts have turned rather to the
Army ; and when I get older 1 think of entering some foreign
service, either that of Sweden or of one of the Protestant
German princes. I could obtain introductions through which
I might enter as a cadet, or gentleman volunteer. I have
learnt German, and though I cannot speak it as I can French
or English, I know enough to make my way in it."

" Can you use your sword, Cyril ? " Nellie Dowsett asked.

" I have had very good teaching," Cyril replied, " and hope
to be able to hold my own."

" Then you are not satisfied with this mode of life ? "
Mistress Dowsett said.

" I am satisfied with it, Mistress, inasmuch as I can earn

A CHANGE FOR THE BETTER. 43

money sufficient to keep me. But rather than settle down for
life as a city scrivener, I would go down to the river and ship
on board the first vessel that would take me, no matter where
she sailed for."

" I think you are wrong," Mistress Dowsett said gravely.
" My husband tells me how clever you are at figures, and you
might some day get a good post in the house of one of our
great merchants."

" Maybe it would be so," Cyril said ; " but such a life would
ill suit me. I have truly a great desire to earn money ; but it
must be in some way to suit my taste."

" And why do you want to earn a great deal of money,
Cyril?" Nellie laughed, while her mother shook her head
disapprovingly.

" I wish to have enough to buy my father's estate back
again," he said, " and though I know well enough that it is not
likely I shall ever do it, I shall fight none the worse that
I have such a hope in my mind."

" Bravo, lad ! " Captain Dave said. " I knew not that there
was an estate in the case, though I did hear that you were
the son of a Royalist. It is a worthy ambition, boy, though if
it is a large one 'tis scarce like that you will get enough to
buy it back again."

"It is not a very large one," Cyril said. " 'Tis down in
Norfolk, but it was a grand old house — at least, so I have
heard my father say, though I have but little remembrance of
it, as I was but three years old when I left it. My father,
who was Sir Aubrey Shenstone, had hoped to recover it ; but
he was one of the many who sold their estates for far less
than their value in order to raise money in the King's
service, and, as you are aware, none of those who did so
have been reinstated, but only those who, having had their
land taken from them by Parliament, recovered them because
their owners had no title-deeds to show, save the grant of
Parliament that was of no effect in the Courts. Thus the
most loyal men — those who sold their estates to aid the Bang

44 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

— have lost all, while those that did not so dispossess them-
selves in his service are now replaced on their land."

" It seems very unfair," Nellie said indignantly.

" It is unfair to them, assuredly, Mistress Nellie. And yet
it would be unfair to the men who bought, though often
they gave but a tenth of their value, to be turned out again
unless they received their money back. It is not easy to see
where that money could come from, for assuredly the King's
privy purse would not suffice to pay all the money, and
equally certain is it that Parliament would not vote a great
sum for that purpose."

" It is a hard case, lad — a hard case," Captain Dave said, as
he puffed the smoke from his pipe. " Now I know how you
stand, I blame you in no way that you long more for a life of
adventure than to settle down as a city scrivener. I don't
think even my wife, much as she thinks of the city, could
say otherwise."

" It alters the case much," Mistress Dowsett said. " I did
not know that Cyril was the son of a Knight, though it was
easy enough to see that his manners accord not with his present
position. Still there are fortunes made in the city, and no
honest work is dishonouring even to a gentleman's son."

" Not at all, Mistress," Cyril said warmly. " 'Tis assuredly
not on that account that I would fain seek more stirring
employment ; but it was always my father's wish and intention
that, should there be no chance of his ever regaining the estate,
I should enter foreign service, and I have always looked for-
ward to that career."

" Well, I will wager that you will do credit to it, lad,"
Captain Dave said. " You have proved that you are ready to
turn your hand to any work that may come to you. You
have shown a manly spirit, my boy, and I honour you for it ;
and by St. Anthony I believe that some day, unless a musket-
ball or a pike-thrust brings you up with a round turn, you
will live to get your own back again."

Cyril remained talking for another two hours, and then

A CHANGE FOR THE BETTER. 45

betook himself to bed. After he had gone, Mistress Dowsett
said, after a pause, —

" Do you not think, David, that, seeing that Cyril is the son
of a Knight, it would be more becoming to give him the room
downstairs instead of the attic where he is now lodged ? "

The old sailor laughed.

" That is woman-kind all over," he said. " It was good
enough for him before, and now forsooth, because the lad
mentioned, and assuredly in no boasting way, that his father
had been a Knight, he is to be treated differently. He
would not thank you himself for making the change,
dame. In the first place, it would make him uncomfortable,
and he might make an excuse to leave us altogether ; and in
the second, you may be sure that he has been used to no
better quarters than those he has got. The Royalists in
France were put to sore shifts to live, and I fancy that he
has fared no better since he came home. His father would
never have consented to his going out to earn money by keep-
ing the accounts of little city traders like myself had it not been
that he was driven to it by want. No, no, wife ; let the boy
go on as he is, and make no difference in any way. I liked him
before, and I like him all the better now, for putting his gentle-
manship in his pocket and setting manfully to work instead of
hanging on the skirts of some Royalist who has fared better
than his father did. He is grateful as it is — that is easy to see
— for our taking him in here. We did that partly because he
proved a good worker and has taken a lot of care off my
shoulders, partly because he was fatherless and alone. I would
not have him think that we are ready to do more because he is
a Knight's son. Let the boy be, and suffer him to steer his
ship his own course. If, when the time comes, we can further
his objects in any way we will do it with right good will. What
do you think of him, Nellie ? " he asked, changing the subject.

" He is a proper young fellow, father, and I shall be well
content to go abroad escorted by him instead of having your
apprentice, Robert Ashford, in attendance on me. He has not

46 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

a word to say for himself, and truly I like him not in any
way."

" He is not a bad apprentice, Nellie, and John Wilkes has
but seldom cause to find fault with him, though I own that
I have no great liking myself for him ; he never seems to look
one well in the face, which, I take it, is always a bad sign. I
know no harm of him; but when his apprenticeship is out,
which it will be in another year, I shall let him go his own
way, for I should not care to have him on the premises."

" Methinks you are very unjust, David. The lad is quiet and
regular in his ways; he goes twice every Sunday to the Church
of St. Alphage, and always tells me the texts of the sermons."

The Captain grunted.

" Maybe so, wife ; but it is easy to get hold of the text of
a sermon without having heard it. I have my doubts whether
he goes as regularly to St. Alphage's as he says he does. Why
could he not go with us to St. Bennet's ? "

" He says he likes the administrations of Mr. Catlin better,
David. And, in truth, our parson is not one of the stirring kind."

" So much the better/' Captain Dave said bluntly. " I like
not these men that thump the pulpit and make as if they
were about to jump out head foremost. However, I don't
suppose there is much harm in the lad, and it may be that his
failure to look one in the face is not so much his fault as that of
nature, which endowed him with a villainous squint. Well, let
us turn in ; it is past nine o'clock, and high time to be a-bed."

Cyril seemed to himself to have entered upon a new life
when he stepped across the threshold of David Dowsett's store.
All his cares and anxieties had dropped from him. For the
past two years he had lived the life of an automaton, starting
early to his work, returning in the middle of the day to his
dinner, — to which as often as not he sat down alone, — and
spending his evenings in utter loneliness in the bare garret,
where he was generally in bed long before his father returned.
He blamed himself sometimes during the first fortnight of his
stay here for the feeling of light-heartedness that at times

A CHANGE FOR THE BETTER. 47

came over him. He had loved his father in spite of his
faults, and should, he told himself, have felt deeply depressed
at his loss ; but nature was too strong for him. The pleasant
evenings with Captain Dave and his family were to him de-
lightful ; he was like a traveller who, after a cold and cheerless
journey, comes in to the warmth of a fire, and feels a glow
of comfort as the blood circulates briskly through his veins.
Sometimes, when he had no other engagements, he went out
with Nellie Dowsett, whose lively chatter was new and very
amusing to him. Sometimes they went up into Cheapside,
and into St. Paul's, but more often sallied out of the city at
Aldgate, and walked into the fields. On these occasions he
carried a stout cane that had been his father's, for Nellie tried
in vain to persuade him to gird on a sword.

" You are a gentleman, Cyril," she would argue, " and have
a right to carry one."

" I am for the present a sober citizen, Mistress Nellie, and
do not wish to assume to be of any other condition. Those
one sees with swords are either gentlemen of the Court, or
common bullies, or maybe highwaymen. After nightfall it is
different ; for then many citizens carry their swords, which
indeed are necessary to protect them from the ruffians who,
in spite of the city watch, oftentimes attack quiet passers-by ;
and if at any time I escort you to the house of one of your
friends, I shall be ready to take my sword with me. But in
the daytime there is no occasion for a weapon, and, moreover,
I am full young to carry one, and this stout cane would, were
it necessary, do me good service, for I learned in France the
exercise that they call the bdton, which differs little from our
English singlestick."

While Cyril was received almost as a member of the family
by Captain Dave and his wife, and found himself on excellent
terms with John Wilkes, he saw that he was viewed with
dislike by the two apprentices. He was scarcely surprised
at this. Before his coming, Robert Ashford had been in the
habit of escorting his young mistress when she went out, and

48 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

had no doubt liked these expeditions, as a change from the
measuring out of ropes and weighing of iron in the store.
Then, again, the apprentices did not join in the conversation
at table unless a remark was specially addressed to them ;
and as Captain Dave was by no means fond of his elder
apprentice, it was but seldom that he spoke to him. Robert
Ashford was between eighteen and nineteen. He was no taller
than Cyril, but it would have been difficult to judge his age
by his face, which. had a wizened look; and, as Nellie said one
day, in his absence, he might pass very well for sixty.

It was easy enough for Cyril to see that Robert Ashford
heartily disliked him ; the covert scowls that he threw across
the table at meal-time, and the way in which he turned his
head and feigned to be too busy to notice him as he passed
through the shop, were sufficient indications of ill-will. The
younger apprentice, Tom Frost, was but a boy of fifteen ; he
gave Cyril the idea of being a timid lad. He did not appear to
share his comrade's hostility to him, but once or twice, when
Cyril came out from the office after making up the accounts
of the day, he fancied that the boy glanced at him with an
expression of anxiety, if not of terror.

" If it were not," Cyril said to himself, " that Tom is clearly
too nervous and timid to venture upon an act of dishonesty,
I should say that he had been pilfering something; but I
feel sure that he would not attempt such a thing as that,
though I am by no means certain that Robert Ashford, with
his foxy face and cross eyes, would not steal his master's goods
or any one else's did he get the chance. Unless he were caught
in the act, he could do it with impunity, for everything here is
carried on in such a free-and-easy fashion that any amount
of goods might be carried off without their being missed."

After thinking the matter over, he said, one afternoon when
his employer came in while he was occupied at the accounts, —

" I have not seen anything of a stock-book, Captain Dave.
Everything else is now straight, and balanced up to to-
day. Here is the book of goods sold, the book of goods

A CHANGE FOR THE BETTER. 49

received, and the ledger with the accounts ; but there is no
stock-book such as I find in almost all the other places where
I work."

" What do I want with a stock-book ? " Captain Dave asked.

" You cannot know how you stand without it," Cyril
replied. " You know how much you have paid, and how much
you have received during the year ; but unless you have a
stock-book you do not know whether the difference between
the receipts and expenditure represents profit, for the stock
may have so fallen in value during the year that you may
really have made a loss while seeming to make a profit."

" How can that be? " Captain Dave asked. " I get a fair
profit on every article."

" There ought to be a profit, of course," Cyril said ; " but
sometimes it is found not to be so. Moreover, if there is a
stock-book you can tell at any time, without the trouble of
opening bins and weighing metal, how much stock you have
of each article you sell, and can order your goods accordingly."

" How would you do that ? "

" It is very simple, Captain Dave," Cyril said. " After taking
stock of the whole of the goods, I should have a ledger in
which each article would have a page or more to itself, and
every day I should enter from John Wilkes's sales-book a list
of the goods that have gone out, each under its own heading.
Thus, at any moment, if you were to ask how much chain you
had got in stock I could tell you within a fathom. When did
you take stock last ? "

" I should say it was about fifteen months since. It was
only yesterday John Wilkes was saying we had better have a
thorough overhauling."

" Quite time, too, I should think, Captain Dave. I suppose
you have got the account of your last stock-taking, with the
date of it ? "

"Oh yes, I Have got that;" and the Captain unlocked his
desk and took out an account- book. " It has been lying there
ever since. It took a wonderful lot of trouble to do, and I

( 948 ) D

50 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

had a clerk and two men in for a fortnight, for of course John
and the boys were attending to their usual duties. I have
often wondered since why I should have had all that trouble
over a matter that has never been of the slightest use to me."

" Well, I hope you will take it again, sir ; it is a trouble, no
doubt, but you will find it a great advantage."

" Are you sure you think it needful, Cyril ? "

" Most needful, Captain Dave. You will see the advantage
of it afterwards."

" Well, if you think so, I suppose it must be done," the
Captain said, with a sigh ; " but it will be giving you a lot of
trouble to keep this new book of yours."

" That is nothing, sir. Now that I have got all the back
work up it will be a simple matter to keep the daily work
straight. I shall find ample time to do it without any need of
lengthening my hours."

Cyril now set to work in earnest, and telling Mrs. Dowsett
he had some books that he wanted to make up in his room
before going to bed, he asked her to allow him to keep his
light burning.

Mrs. Dowsett consented, but shook her head and said he would
assuredly injure his health if he worked by candle light.

Fortunately, John Wilkes had just opened a fresh sales-book,
and Cyril told him that he wished to refer to some particulars
in the back books. He first opened the ledger by inscribing
under their different heads the amount of each description of
goods kept in stock at the last stock-taking, and then entered
under their respective heads all the sales that had been made,
while on an opposite page he entered the amount purchased.
It took him a month's hard work, and he finished it on the
very day that the new stock-taking concluded.

A THIEF SOMEWHERE. 51

1

CHAPTER III.

A THIEF SOMEWHERE.

TWO days after the conclusion of the stock-taking, Cyril
said, after breakfast was over, —

" Would it trouble you, Captain Dave, to give me an hour up
here before you go downstairs to the counting-house. I am
free for two hours now, and there is a matter upon which I
hould like to speak to you privately."

"Certainly, lad," the old sailor said, somewhat surprised,
" We shall be quiet enough here, as soon as the table is cleared.
My dame and Nellie will be helping the maid do up the
cabins, and will then be sallying out marketing."

When the maid had cleared the table, Cyril went up to his
room and returned with a large ledger and several smaller
books.

" I have, for the last month, Captain Dave, been making
up this stock-book for my own satisfaction."

" Bless me, lad, why have you taken all that trouble ? This
accounts, then, for your writing so long at night, for which my
dame has been quarrelling with you ! "

" It was interesting work," Cyril said quietly. " Now, you
see, sir," he went on, opening the big ledger, " here are the
separate accounts under each head. These pages, you see, are
for heavy cables for hawsers ; of these, at the date of the last
stock-taking, there were, according to the book you handed to
me, five hundred fathoms in stock. These are the amounts
you have purchased since. Now, upon the other side are all
the sales of this cable entered in the sales-book. Adding
them together, and deducting them from the other side, you
will see there should remain in stock four hundred and fifty
fathoms. According to the new stock-taking there are four
hundred and thirty-eight. That is, I take it, as near as you
could expect to get, for, in the measuring out of so many

52 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

thousand fathoms of cable during the fifteen months between
the two stock-takings, there may well have been a loss of the
twelve fathoms in giving good measurement."

" That is so," Captain Dave said. " I always say to John
Wilkes, ' Give good measurement, John — better a little over
than a little under.' Nothing can be clearer or more
satisfactory."

Cyril closed the book.

" I am sorry to say, Captain Dave, all the items are not
so satisfactory, and that I greatly fear that you have been
robbed to a considerable amount."

" Robbed, lad ! " the Captain said, starting up from his chair.
" Who should rob me ? Not John Wilkes, I can be sworn !
Not the two apprentices for a surety, for they never go out
during the day, and John keeps a sharp look-out upon them,
and the entrance to the shop is always locked and barred
after work is over, so that none can enter without getting the
key, which, as you know, John always brings up and hands
to me as soon as he has fastened the door ! You are mistaken,
lad, and although I know that your intentions are good, you
should be careful how you make a charge that might bring
ruin to innocent men. Carelessness there may be ; but robbery !
No ; assuredly not."

" I have not brought the charge without warrant, Captain
Dave," Cyril said gravely, " and if you will bear with me
for a few minutes, I think you will see that there is at least
something that wants looking into."

" Well, it is only fair after the trouble you have taken,
lad, that I should hear what you have to say; but it will
need strong evidence indeed to make me believe that there
has been foul play.""

" Well, sir," Cyril said, opening the ledger again, " in the
first place, I would point out that in all the heavy articles, such
as could not conveniently be carried away, the tally of the stock-
takers corresponds closely with the figures in this book. In best
bower anchors the figures are absolutely the same, and, as

A THIEF SOMEWHERE. 53

you have seen, in heavy cables they closely correspond. In
the large ship's compasses, the ship's boilers, and ship's galleys,
the numbers tally exactly. So it is with all the heavy
articles ; the main blocks are correct, and all other heavy gear.
This shows that John Wilkes's book is carefully kept, and it
would be strange indeed if heavy goods had all been properly
entered, and light ones omitted ; but yet when we turn to small
articles, we find that there is a great discrepancy between the
figures. Here is the account, for instance, of the half -inch rope.
According to my ledger, there should be eighteen hundred
fathoms in stock, whereas the stock-takers found but three
hundred and eighty. In two-inch rope there is a deficiency
of two hundred and thirty fathoms, in one-inch rope of six
hundred and twenty. These sizes, as you know, are always in
requisition, and a thief would find ready purchasers for a coil
of any of them. But, as might be expected, it is in copper that
the deficiency is most serious. Of fourteen-inch bolts, eighty-
two are short, of twelve-inch bolts a hundred and thirty, of
eight-inch three hundred and nine ; and so on throughout
almost all the copper stores. According to your expenditure
and receipt-book, Captain Dave, you have made, in the last
fifteen months, twelve hundred and thirty pounds ; but accord-
ing to this book your stock is less in value, by two thousand
and thirty-four pounds, than it should have been. You are,
therefore, a poorer man than you were at the beginning of this
fifteen months' trading, by eight hundred and four pounds."

Captain Dave sat down in his chair, breathing hard. He
took out his handkerchief and wiped the drops of perspiration
from his forehead.

"Are you sure of this, boy ? " he said hoarsely. " Are you
sure that you have made no mistake in your figures ? "

"Quite sui-e," Cyril said firmly. "In all cases in which I
have found deficiences I have gone through the books three
times and compared the figures, and I am sure that if you put
the books into the hands of any city accountant, he will bear
out my figures."

54 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

For a time Captain Dave sat silent.

" Hast any idea," he said at last, " how this has come
about?"

" I have none," Cyril replied. " That John Wilkes is not con-
cerned in it I am as sure as you are ; and, thinking the matter
over, I see not how the apprentices could have carried off so
many articles, some heavy and some bulky, when they left
the shop in the evening, without John Wilkes noticing them.
So sure am I, that my advice would be that you should take
John Wilkes into your confidence, and tell him how matters
stand. My only objection to that is that he is a hasty man,
and that I fear he would not be able to keep his countenance,
so that the apprentices would remark that something was
wrong. I am far from saying that they have any hand in it ;
it would be a grievous wrong to them to have suspicions when
there is no shadow of evidence against them ; but at any rate,
if this matter is to be stopped and the thieves detected, it is
most important that they should have, if they are guilty, no
suspicion that they are in any way being watched, or that these
deficiencies have been discovered. If they have had a hand in
the matter they most assuredly had accomplices, for such goods
could not be disposed of by an apprentice to any dealer with-
out his being sure that they must have been stolen."

" You are right there, lad — quite right. Did John Wilkes
know that I had been robbed in this way he would get into a
fury, and no words could restrain him from falling upon the
apprentices and beating them till he got some of the truth
out of them."

" They may be quite innocent," Cyril said. " It may be that
the thieves have discovered some mode of entry into the store
either by opening the shutters at the back, or by loosening a
board, or even by delving up under the ground. It is surely
easier to believe this than that the boys can have contrived to
carry off so large a quantity of goods under John Wilkes's
eye."

" That is so, lad. I have never liked Robert Ashford, but

A THIEF SOMEWHERE. 55

God forbid that I should suspect him of such crime only
because his forehead is as wrinkled as an ape's, and Providence
has set his eyes crossways in his head. You cannot always
judge a ship by her upper works ; she may be ugly to the eye
and yet have a clear run under water. Still, you can't help
going by what you see. I agree with you that if we tell
John Wilkes about this, those boys will know five minutes
afterwards that the ship is on fire ; but if we don't tell him,
how are we to get to the bottom of what is going on ? "

" That is a difficult question, but a few days will not make
much difference, when we know that it has been going on
for over a year, and may, for aught we know, have been going
on much longer. The first thing, Captain Dave, is to send
these books to an accountant, for him to go through them
and check my figures."

" There is no need for that, lad. I know how careful you
are, and you cannot have gone so far wrong as all this."

" No, sir, I am sure that there is no mistake ; but, for your
own sake as well as mine, it were well that you should have
the signature of an accountant to the correctness of the books.
If you have to lay the matter before the magistrates, they
would not take my testimony as to your losses, and might
even say that you were rash in acting upon the word of a boy
like myself, and you might then be obliged to have the
accounts made up anew, which would cost you more, and
cause much delay in the process ; whereas, if you put in your
books and say that their correctness is vouched for by an
accountant, no question would arise on it ; nor would there be
any delay now, for while the books are being gone into, we
can be trying to get to the bottom of the matter here."

" Ay, ay, it shall be done, Master Cyril, as you say. But for
the life of me I don't see how we are to get at the bottom of
the ship to find out where she is leaking ! "

" It seems to me that the first thing, Captain Dave, is to see
to the warehouse. As we agreed that the apprentices cannot
have carried out all these goods under John Wilkes's eye, and

56 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

cannot have come down night after night through the house,
the warehouse must have been entered from without. As I
never go in there, it would be best that you should see to this
matter yourself. There are the fastenings of the shutters in
the first place, then the boardings all round. As for me, I
will look round outside. The window of my room looks into
the street, but if you will take me to one of the rooms at the
back we can look at the surroundings of the yard, and may
gather some idea whether the goods can have been passed
over into any of the houses abutting on it, or, as is more likely,
into the lane that runs up by its side."

The Captain led the way into one of the rooms at the back
of the house, and opening the casement, he and Cyril leaned
out. The store occupied fully half the yard, the rest being
occupied by anchors, piles of iron, ballast, etc. There were two
or three score of guns of various sizes piled on each other. A
large store of cannon-ball was ranged in a great pyramid
close by. A wall some ten feet high separated the yard from
the lane Cyril had spoken of. On the left, adjoining the
warehouse, was the yard of the next shop, which belonged to a
wool-stapler. Behind were the backs of a number of small
houses crowded in between Tower Street and Leadenhall
Street.

" I suppose you do not know who lives in those houses,
Captain Dave ? "

" No, indeed. The land is not like the sea. Afloat,
when one sees a sail, one wonders what is her nationality,
and whither she is bound, and- still more whether she is an
honest trader or a rascally pirate ; but here on land, one
scarcely .gives a thought as to who may dwell in the houses
round."

" [ will walk round presently," Cyril said, " and gather,
as far as I can, who they are that live there ; but, as I have
said, I fancy it is over that wall and into the alley that your
goods have departed. The apprentices' room is this side of
the house, is it not ? "

A THIEF SOMEWHERE. 57

" Yes ; John Wilkes sleeps in the room next to yours, and
the door opposite to his is that of the lads' room."

" Do the windows of any of the rooms look into that lane ? "

" No ; it is a blank wall on that side."

"There is the clock striking nine," Cyril said, starting.
" It is time for me to be off. Then you will take the books
to-day, Captain Dave ? "

"I will carry them off at once, and when I return will
look narrowly into the fastenings of the two windows and
door from the warehouse into the yard ; and will take care
to do so when the boys are engaged in the front shop."

When his work was done, Cyril went round to the houses
behind the yard, and he found that they stood in a small
court, with three or four trees growing in the centre, and
were evidently inhabited by respectable citizens. Over the
door of one was painted, " Joshua Heddings, Attorney " ; next
to him was Gilbert Gushing, who dealt in jewels, silks, and
other precious commodities from the East ; next to him was
a doctor, and beyond a dealer in spices. This was enough to
assure him that it was not through such houses as these that
the goods had been carried.

Cyril had not been back at the mid-day meal, for his work
that day lay up by Holborn Bar, where he had two customers
whom he attended with but half an hour's interval between
the visits, and on the days on which he went there he was
accustomed to get something to eat at a tavern hard by.

Supper was an unusually quiet meal. Captain Dave now
and then asked John Wilkes a question as to the business
matters of the day, but evidently spoke with an effort. Nellie
rattled on as usual ; but the burden of keeping up the conver-
sation lay entirely on her shoulders and those of Cyril. After
the apprentices had left, and John Wilkes had started for his
usual resort, the Captain lit his pipe. Nellie signed to Cyril to
come and seat himself by her in the window that projected
out over the street, and enabled the occupants of the seats at
either side to have a view tip and down it.

58 WHEN LONDON BURNED,

" What have you been doing to father, Cyril ? " she asked, in
low tones ; " he has been quite unlike himself all day. Gene-
rally when he is out of temper he ratas every one heartily, as
if we were a mutinous crew, but to-day he has gone about
scarcely speaking ; he hasn't said a cross word to any of us,
but several times when I spoke to him I got no answer, and
it is easy to see that he is terribly put out about something.
He was in his usual spirits at breakfast ; then, you know, he
was talking with you for an hour, and it does not take much
guessing to see that it must have been something that passed
between you that has put him out. Now what was it ? "

" I don't see why you should say that, Mistress Nellie. It
is true we did have a talk together, and he examined some fresh
books I have been making out and said that he was mightily
pleased with my work. I went away at nine o'clock, and
something may have occurred to upset him between that and
dinner."

" All which means that you don't mean to tell me anything
about it, Master Cyril. Well, then, you may consider yourself
in my black books altogether," she said petulantly.

" I am sorry that you should say so," he said. " If it were
true that anything that I had said to him had ruffled him, it
would be for him to tell you, and not for me."

" Methinks I have treated Robert Ashford scurvily, and I
shall take him for my escort to see His Majesty attend service
at St. Paul's to-morrow."

Cyril smiled.

" I think it would be fair to give him a turn, Mistress, and
I am glad to see that you have such a kind thought."

Nellie rose indignantly, and taking her work sat down by
the side of her mother.

" It is a fine evening," Cyril said to Captain Dave, " and I
think I shall take a walk round. I shall return in an hour."

The Captain understood, by a glance Cyril gave him, that he
was going out for some purpose connected with the matter they
had in hand.

A THIEF SOMEWHERE. 59

" Ay, ay, lad," he said. " It is not good for you to be sitting
moping at home every evening. I have often wondered before
that you did not take a walk on deck before you turned in. I
always used to do so myself."

" I don't think there is any moping in it, Captain Dave,"
Cyril said, with a laugh. " If you knew how pleasant the
evenings have been to me after the life I lived before, you
would not say so."

Cyril's only object in going out, however, was to avoid the
necessity of having to talk with Dame Dowsett and Nellie.
His thoughts were running on nothing but the robbery, and
he had found it very difficult to talk in his usual manner, and
to answer Nellie's sprightly sallies. It was dark already. A
few oil lamps gave a feeble light here and there. At present
he had formed no plan whatever of detecting the thieves ; he
was as much puzzled as the Captain himself as to how the
goods could have been removed. It would be necessary, of
course, to watch the apprentices, but he did not think that
anything was likely to come out of this. It was the ware-
house itself that must be watched, in order to discover how
the thieves made an entry. His own idea was that they got
over the wall by means of a rope, and in some way managed
to effect an entry into the warehouse. The apprentices
could hardly aid them unless they came down through the
house.

If they had managed to get a duplicate key of the door
leading from the bottom of the stairs to the shop, they could,
of course, unbar the windows, and pass things out — that part
of the business would be easy ; but he could not believe that
they would venture frequently to pass down through the
house. It was an old one, and the stairs creaked. He himself
was a light sleeper ; he had got into the way of waking at the
slightest sound, from the long watches he had had for his
father's return, and felt sure that he should have heard them
open their door and steal along the passage past his room,
however quietly they might do it. He walked up the

60 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

Exchange, then along Cheapslde as far as St. Paul's, and
back. Quiet as it was in Thames Street there was no lack
of animation elsewhere. Apprentices were generally allowed
to go out for an hour after supper, the regulation being that
they returned to their homes by eight o'clock. Numbers of
these were about. A good many citizens were on their way
home after supping with friends. The city watch, with
lanterns, patrolled the streets, and not infrequently inter-
fered in quarrels which broke out among the apprentices.
Cyril felt more solitary among the knots of laughing, noisy
lads than in the quiet streets, and was glad to be home
again. Captain Dave himself came down to open the door.

" I have just sent the women to bed," he said. " The two
boys came in five minutes ago. I thought you would not be
long."

" I did not go out for anything particular," Cyril said ; " but
Mistress Nellie insisted that there was something wrong with
you, and that I must know what it was about, so, feeling
indeed indisposed to talk, I thought it best to go out for a
short time."

" Yes, yes. Women always want to know, lad. I have been
long enough at sea, you may be sure, to know that when
anything is wrong, it is the best thing to keep it from the
passengers as long as you can."

" You took the books away this morning, Captain Dave 1 "
Cyril asked as they sat down.

"Ay, lad, I took them to Master Skinner, who bears as
good a reputation as any accountant in the city, and he
promised to take them in hand without loss of time ; but I have
been able to do nothing here. John, or one or other of the
boys, was always in the warehouse, and I have had no oppor-
tunity of examining the door and shutters closely. When
the house is sound asleep we will take a lantern and go down
to look at them. I have been thinking that we must let
John Wilkes into this matter ; it is too much to bear on my
mind by myself. He is my first mate, you see, and in time of

A THIEF SOMEWHERE. 61

danger, the first mate, if he is worth anything, is the man the
captain relies on for help."

" By all means tell him, then," Cyril said. " I can keep
books, but I have no experience in matters like this, and shall
be very glad to have his opinion and advice."

" There he is — half-past eight. He is as punctual as clock-
work."

Cyril ran down and let John in.

" The Captain wants to speak to you," he said, " before you
go up to bed."

John, after carefully bolting the door, followed him upstairs.

" I have got some bad news for you, John. There, light
your pipe again, and sit down. My good dame has gone off to
bed, and we have got the cabin to ourselves."

John touched an imaginary hat and obeyed orders.

" The ship has sprung a bad leak, John. This lad here has
found it out, and it is well he did, for unless he had done
so we should have had her foundering under our feet without
so much as suspecting anything was going wrong."

The sailor took his newly -lighted pipe from between his lips
and stared at the Captain in astonishment.

" Yes, it is hard to believe, mate, but, by the Lord Harry,
it is as I say. There is a pirate about somewhere, and the
books show that, since the stock-taking fifteen months ago, he
has eased the craft of her goods to the tune of two thousand
pounds and odd."

John Wilkes flung his pipe on to the table with such force
that it shivered into fragments.

" Dash my timbers ! " he exclaimed. " Who is the man 1
You only give me the orders, sir, and I am ready to range
alongside and board him."

" That is what we have got to find out, John. That the
goods have gone is certain, but how they can 'have gone
beats us altogether."

" Do you mean to say, Captain, that they have stolen them
out of the place under my eyes and me know nothing about

62 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

it ? It can't be, sir. There must be some mistake. I know
naught about figures, save enough to put down the things I
sell, but I don't believe as a thing has gone out of the shop
unbeknown to me. That yarn won't do for me, sir," and he
looked angrily at Cyril.

" It is true enough, John, for all that. The books have been
balanced up. We knew what was in stock fifteen months
ago, and we knew from your sale-book what has passed out of
the shop, and from your entry-book what has come in. We
know now what there is remaining. We find that in bulky
goods, such as cables and 'anchors and ship's boilers and such-
like, the accounts tally exactly, but in the small rope, and
above all in the copper, there is a big shrinkage. I will read
you the figures of some of them."

John's face grew longer and longer as he heard the totals
read.

" Well, I'm jiggered ! " he said, when the list was concluded.
" I could have sworn that the cargo was right according to
the manifest. Well, Captain, all I can say is, if that 'ere list
be correct, the best thing you can do is to send me adrift as
a blind fool. I have kept my tallies as correct as I could, and
I thought I had marked down every package that has left the
ship, and here they must have been passing out pretty nigh
in cart-loads under my very eyes, and I knew nothing
about it."

" I don't blame you, John, more than I blame myself. I
am generally about on deck, and had no more idea that the
cargo was being meddled with than you had. I have been
wrong in letting matters go on so long without taking stock
of them and seeing that it was all right ; but I never saw the
need for it. This is what comes of taking to a trade you know
nothing about ; we have just been like two children, thinking
that it was all plain and above board, and that we had nothing
to do but to sell our goods and to fill up again when the hold
got empty. Well, it is of no use talking over that part of the
business. What we have got to do is to find out this leak and

A THIEF SOMEWHERE. 63

stop it. We are pretty well agreed, Cyril and me, that the
things don't go out of the shop by daylight. The question is,
how do they go out at night ? "

" I always lock up the hatches according to orders, Captain."

" Yes, I have no doubt you do, John ; but maybe the fasten-
ings have been tampered with. The only way in which we see
it can have been managed is that some one has been in the habit
of getting over the wall between the yard and the lane, and then
getting into the warehouse somehow. It must have been done
very often, for if the things had been taken in considerable
quantities you would have noticed that the stock was short
directly the next order came in. Now I propose we light these
two lanterns I have got here, and that we go down and have
a look round the hold."

Lighting the candles, they went downstairs. The Captain
took out the key and turned the lock. It grated loudly as he
did so.

" That is a noisy lock," Cyril said.

" It wants oiling," John replied. " I have been thinking of
doing it for the last month, but it has always slipped out of
my mind."

" At any rate," Cyril said, " it is certain that thieves could
not have got into the shop this way, for the noise would have
been heard all over the house."

The door between the shop and the warehouse was next
unlocked. The fastenings of the shutters and doors were first
examined ; there was no sign of their having been tampered
with. Each bolt and hasp was tried, and the screws examined.
Then they went round trying every one of the stout planks
that formed the side ; all were firm and in good condition.

" It beats me altogether," the Captain said, when they had
finished their examination. " The things cannot walk out of
themselves ; they have got to be carried. But how the fellows
who carry them get in is more than I can say. There is
nowhere else to look, is there, John ? "

" Not that I can see, Captain."

b4 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

They went to the door into the shop, and were about to close
it, when Cyril said, —

" Some of the things that are gone are generally kept
in here, Captain — the rope up to two inch, for example, and
a good deal of canvas, and most of the smaller copper fittings ;
so that, whoever the thief is, he must have been in the habit
of coming in here as well as into the warehouse."

" That is so, lad. Perhaps they entered from this side."

" Will you hold the lantern here, John," Cyril said.

The sailor held the lantern to the lock.

" There are no scratches nor signs of tools having been used
here," Cyril said, examining both the lock and the door-post.
Whether the thief came into the warehouse first, or not, he
must have had a key."

The Captain nodded

" Thieves generally carry a lot of keys with them, Cyril ;
and if one does not quite fit they can file it until it does."

The shutters of the shop window and its fastenings, and
those of the door, were as secure as those of the warehouse,
and, completely puzzled, the party went upsta Lrs again.

" There must be some way of getting in and out, although
we can't find it," Captain Dave said. " Things can't have gone
off by themselves."

" It may be, Captain," John Wilkes said, " that some of the
planks may be loose."

" But we tried them all, John."

" Ay, they seem firm enough, but it may be that one of
them is wedged in, and that when the wedges are taken out
it could be pulled off."

" I think you would have noticed it, John. If there was
anything of that sort it must be outside. However, we will
take a good look round the yard to-morrow. The warehouse
is strongly built, and I don't believe that any plank could
be taken off and put back again, time after time, without
making a noise that would be heard in the house. What do
you think, Cyril ? "

A THIEF SOMEWHERE. 65

" I agree with you, Captain Dave. How the thieves make
an entry I can't imagine, but I don't believe that it is through
the wall of the warehouse. I am convinced that the robberies
must have been very frequent. Had a large amount been
taken at a time, John Wilkes would have been sure to notice
it. Then, again, the thieves would not come so often, and each
time for a comparatively small amount of booty, unless it
could be managed without any serious risk or trouble. How-
ever, now that we do know that they come, we shall have, I
should think, very little difficulty in finding out how it is done."

" You may warrant we will keep a sharp look-out," John
Wilkes said savagely. " If the Captain will give me the use
of a room at the back of the house, you may be sure I sha'n't
close an eye till I have got to the bottom of the matter. I
am responsible for the cargo below, and if I had kept as sharp
an eye on the stores as I ought to have done, this would not
have happened. Only let me catch them trying to board, and
I will give them such a reception that I warrant me they
will sheer off with a bullet or two in them. I have got that
pair of boarding pistols, and a cutlass, hung up over my bed."

" You must not do that, John," the Captain said. " It isn't
a matter of beating off the pirates by pouring a broadside
into them. Maybe you might cripple them, more likely they
would make off, and we want to capture them. Therefore, I
say, let us watch, and find out how they do it. When we once
know that, we can lay our plans for capturing them the next
time they come. I will take watch and watch with you."

" Well, if it goes on long, Captain, I won't say no to that;
but for to-night anyhow I will sit up alone."

" Very well, let it be so, John. But mind, whatever you see,
you keep as still as a mouse. Just steal to my room in your
stockinged feet directly you see anything moving. Open the
door and say, ' Strange sail in sight ! ' and I will be over at
your window in no time. And now, Cyril, you and I may as
well turn in."

The night passed quietly.

( 948 ) E

66 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

" You saw nothing, I suppose, John ? " the Captain said next
morning, after the apprentices had gone down from breakfast.

" Not a thing, Captain."

" Now we will go and have a look in the yard. Will you
come, Cyril?"

" I should like to come," Cyril replied, " but, as I have never
been out there before, had you not better make some pretext
for me to do so. You might say, in the hearing of the appren-
tices, ' We may as well take the measurements for that new
shed we were talking about, and see how much boarding it
will require.' Then you can call to me out from the office to
come and help you to measure."

" Then you still think the apprentices are in it ? " John
Wilkes asked sharply.

" I don't say I think so, John. I have nothing against them.
I don't believe they could come down at night without being
heard ; I feel sure they could not get into the shop without
that stiff bolt making a noise. Still, as it is possible they may
be concerned in the matter, I think that, now we have it in good
train for getting to the bottom of it, it would be well to keep
the matter altogether to ourselves."

" Quite right," Captain Dave said approvingly. " When
you suspect treachery, don't let a soul think that you have
got such a matter in your mind, until you are in a position to
take the traitor by the collar and put a pistol to his ear. That
idea of yours is a very good one ; I will say something about
the shed to John this morning, and then when you go down to
the counting-house after dinner I will call to you to come out
o the yard with us."

After dinner, Captain Dave went with Cyril into the
counting-house.

" We had an order in this morning for a set of ship's
anchors, and John and I have been in the yard looking them
out ; we looked over the place pretty sharply, as you may be
sure, but as far as we could see the place is as solid as when
it was built, fifty years ago, by my father."

A THIEF SOMEWHERE. 67

The Captain went out into the store, and ten minutes after-
wards re-entered the shop and shouted, —

" Come out here, Cyril, and lend a hand. We are going to
take those measurements. Bring out your ink-horn, and a
bit of paper to put them down as we take them."

The yard was some sixty feet long by twenty-five broad,
exclusive of the space occupied by the warehouse. This, as
Cyril had observed from the window above, did not extend as
far as the back wall ; but on walking round there with the two
men, he found that the distance was greater than he had
expected, and that there was a space of some twenty feet clear.

" This is where we are thinking of putting the shed," the
Captain said in a loud voice.

" But I see that you have a crane and door into the loft
over the warehouse there," Cyril said, looking up.

" We never use that now. When my father first began
business, he used to buy up old junk and such-like stores, ami
store them up there, but it didn't pay for the trouble ; and,
besides, as you see, he wanted every foot of the yard room,
and of course at that time they had to leave a space clear for
the carts to come up from the gate round here, so it was given
up, and the loft is empty now."

Cyril looked up at the crane. It was swung round so as
to lie flat against the wooden shutters. The rope was still
through the block, and passed into the loft through a hole cut
at the junction of the shutters.

They now measured the space between the warehouse and
the wall, the Captain repeating the figures, still in a loud
voice ; then they discussed the height of the walls, and after
some argument between the Captain and John Wilkes agreed
that this should be the same as the rest of the building. Still
talking on the subject, they returned through the warehouse,
Cyril on the way taking a look at the massive gate that
opened into the lane. In addition to a heavy bar it had a
strong hasp, fastened by a great padlock. The apprentices
were busy at work coiling up some rope when they passed by.

68 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

" When we have knocked a door through the end there,
John," Captain Dave said, " it will give you a deal more room,
and you will be able to get rid of all these cables and heavy
dunnage, and to have matters more ship-shape here."

While they had been taking the measurements, all three
had carefully examined the wall of the warehouse.

" There is nothing wrong there, Cyril," his employer said, as,
leaving John Wilkes in the warehouse, they went through the
shop into the little office.

" Certainly nothing that I could see, Captain Dave. I did
not before know the loft had any opening to the outside. Of
course I have seen the ladder going up from the warehouse to
that trap-door ; but as it was closed I thought no more of it."

" I don't suppose any one has been up there for years, lad.
What, are you thinking that some one might get in through
those shutters ? Why, they are twenty feet from the ground,
so that you would want a long ladder, and when you got up
there you would find that you could not open the shutters.
I said nobody had been up there, but I did go up myself to
have a look round when I first settled down here, and there
is a big bar with a padlock."

Cyril thought no more about it, and after supper it was
arranged that he and Captain Dave should keep watch by
turns at the window of the room that had been now given to
John Wilkes, and that the latter should have a night in his berth,
as the Captain expressed it. John Wilkes had made some op-
position, saying that he would be quite willing to take his watch.

" You will just obey orders, John," the Captain said. " You
have had thirty-six hours off the reel on duty, and you have
got to be at work all day to-morrow again. You shall take
the middle watch to-morrow night if you like, but one can see
with half an eye that you are not fit to be on the look-out
to-night. I doubt if any of us could see as far as the length
of the bowsprit. It is pretty nearly pitch dark ; there is
not a star to be seen, and it looked to me, when I turned
out before supper, as if we were going to have a storm."

CAPTURED. 69

CHAPTER IV.

CAPTURED.

IT was settled that Cyril was to take the first watch, and
that the Captain should relieve him at one o'clock. At
nine, the family went to bed. A quarter of an hour later, Cyril
stole noiselessly from his attic down to John Wilkes's room.
The door had been left ajar, and the candle was still burning.

" I put a chair by the window," the sailor said, from his
bed, "and left the light, for you might run foul of some-
thing or other in the dark, though I have left a pretty clear
gangway for you."

Cyril blew out the candle, and seated himself at the window.
For a time he could see nothing, and told himself that the
whole contents of the warehouse might be carried off without
his being any the wiser.

" I shall certainly see nothing," he said to himself ; "but, at
least, I may hear something."

So saying, he turned the fastening of the casement and
opened it about half an inch. As his eyes became accustomed
to the darkness, he was able to make out the line of the roof of
the warehouse, which was some three or four feet below the
level of his eyes, and some twenty feet away on his left. The
time passed slowly. He kept himself awake by thinking over
the old days in France, the lessons he had learnt with his
friend, Harry Parton, and the teaching of the old clergyman.

He heard the bell of St. Paul's strike ten and eleven.
The last stroke had scarcely ceased to vibrate when he rose
to his feet suddenly. He heard, on his left, a scraping noise.
A moment later it ceased, and then was renewed again. It
lasted but a few seconds ; then he heard an irregular, shuff-
ling noise, that seemed to him upon the roof of the warehouse.
Pressing his face to the casement, he suddenly became aware
that the straight line of the ridge was broken by something

70 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

moving along it, and a moment later he made out a second
object, just behind the first. Moving with the greatest care,
he made his way out of the room, half closed the door
behind him, crossed the passage, and pushed at a door opposite.

" Captain Dave," he said, in a low voice, " get up at once,
and please don't make a noise."

" Ay, ay, lad."

There was a movement from the bed, and a moment later
the Captain stood beside him.

" What is it, lad ? " he whispered.

" There are two figures moving along on the ridge of the roof
of the warehouse. I think it is the apprentices. I heard a
slight noise, as if they were letting themselves down from their
window by a rope. It is just over that roof, you know."

There was a rustling sound as the Captain slipped his
doublet on.

" That is so. The young scoundrels ! What can they be
doing on the roof?"

They went to the window behind. Just as they reached it
there was a vivid flash of lightning. It sufficed to show them
a figure lying at full length at the farther end of the roof ;
then all was dark again, and a second or two later came a
sharp, crashing roar of thunder.

" We had better stand well back from the window," Cyril
whispered. " Another flash might show us to any one looking
this way."

" What does it mean, lad ? What on earth is that boy
doing there? I could not see which it was."

" I think it is Ashford," Cyril said. " The figure in front
seemed the smaller of the two."

" But where on earth can Tom have got to ? "

" I should fancy, sir, that Robert has lowered him so that
he can get his feet on the crane and swing it outwards ;
then he might sit down on it and swing himself by the rope
into the loft if the doors are not fastened inside. Robert,
being taller, would have no difficulty in lowering himself

CAPTURED. 71

There 1 " he broke off, as another flash of lightning lit up the
sky. " He has gone, now ; there is no one on the roof."

John Wilkes was by this time standing beside them, having
started up at the first flash of lightning.

" Do you go up, John, into their room," the Captain said.
" I think there can be no doubt that these fellows on the
roof are Ash ford and Frost, but it is as well to be able to
swear to it."

The foreman returned in a minute or two.

" The room is empty, Captain ; the window is open, and
there is a rope hanging down from it. Shall I cast it
adrift?"

" Certainly not, John. We do not mean to take them to-
night, and they must be allowed to go back to their beds
without a suspicion that they have been watched. I hope and
trust that it is not so bad as it looks, and that the boys have
only broken out from devilry. You know, boys will do things
of that sort just because it is forbidden."

" There must be more than that," John Wilkes said. " If it
had been just after they went to their rooms, it might be
that they went to some tavern or other low resort, but the
town is all asleep now."

They again went close to the window, pushed the casement
a little more open, and stood listening there. In two or three
minutes there was a very slight sound heard.

" They are unbolting the door into the yard," John Wilkes
whispered. " I would give a month's pay to be behind them
with a rope's end."

Half a minute later there was a sudden gleam of light
below, and they could see the door open. The light dis-
appeared again, but they heard footsteps ; then they saw the
light thrown on the fastening to the outer gate, and could
make out that two figures below were applying a key to the
padlock. This was taken off and laid down ; then the heavy
wooden bar was lifted, and also laid on the ground. The gate
opened as if pushed from the other side. The two figures

72 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

went out ; the sound of a low murmur of conversation could
be heard ; then they returned, the gate was closed and
fastened again, they entered the warehouse, the light dis-
appeared, and the door was closed.

" That's how the things went, John."

" Ay, ay, sir," the foreman growled.

" As they were undoing the gate, the light fell on a coil of
rope they had set down there, and a bag which I guess had
copper of some kind in it. They have done us cleverly, the
young villains ! There was not noise enough to wake a cat.
They must have had every bolt and hinge well oiled."

" We had better close the casement now, sir, for as they
come back along the ridge they will be facing it, and if a
flash of lightning came they would see that it was half open,
and even if they did not catch sight of our faces they would
think it suspicious that the window should be open, and it
might put them on their guard."

" Yes ; and we may as well turn in at once, John. Like
enough when they get back they will listen for a bit at their
door, so as to make sure that everything is quiet before they
turn in. There is nothing more to see now. Of course they
will get in as they got out. You had better turn in as you
are, Cyril ; they may listen at your door."

Cyril at once went up to his room, closed the door, placed
a chair against it, and then lay down on his bed. He listened
intently, and four or five minutes later thought that he heard
a door open ; but he could not be sure, for just at that
moment heavy drops began to patter down upon the tiles.
The noise rose louder and louder until he could scarce have
heard himself speak. Then there was a bright flash and the
deep rumble of the thunder mingled with the sharp rattle of
the raindrops overhead. He listened for a time to the storm,
and then dropped off to sleep.

Things went on as usual at breakfast the next morning.
During the meal, Captain Dave gave the foreman several
instructions as to the morning's work.

CAPTURED. 73

" I am going on board the Royalist" he said. " John Browning
wants me to overhaul all the gear, and see what will do for
another voyage or two, and what must be new. His skipper
asked for new running rigging all over, but he thinks that
there can't be any occasion for its all being renewed. I
don't expect I shall be in till dinner-time, so anyone that wants
to see me must come again in the afternoon."

Ten minutes later, Cyril went out, on his way to his work.
Captain Dave was standing a few doors away.

" Before I go on board the brig, lad, I am going up to the
Chief Constable's to arrange about this business. I want to
get four men of the watch. Of course, it may be some nights
before this is tried again, so I shall have the men stowed away
in the kitchen. Then we must keep watch, and as soon as
we see those young villains on the roof, we will let the men
out at the front door. Two will post themselves this end of
the lane, and two go round into Leadenhall Street and station
themselves at the other end. When the boys go out after supper
we will unlock the door at the bottom of the stairs into the
shop, and the door into the warehouse. Then we will steal
down into the shop and listen there until we hear them open
the door into the yard, and- then go into the warehouse and
be ready to make a rush out as soon as they get the gate
open. John will have his boatswain's whistle ready, and will
give the signal. That will bring the watch up, so they will
be caught in a trap."

" I should think that would be a very good plan, Captain
Dave, though I wish that it could have been done without
Tom Frost being taken. He is a timid sort of boy, and I have
no doubt that he has been entirely under the thumb of
Robert."

" Well, if he has he will get off lightly," the Captain said.
" Even if a boy is a timid boy, he knows what will be the
consequences if he is caught robbing his master. Cowardice
is no excuse for crime, lad. The boys have always been well
treated, and though I daresay Ashford is the worst of the

74 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

two, if the other had been honest he would not have seen him
robbing me without letting me know."

For six nights' watch was kept without success. Every even-
ing, when the family and apprentices had retired to rest, John
Wilkes went quietly downstairs and admitted the four con-
stables, letting them out in the morning before any one was
astir. Mrs. Dowsett had been taken into her husband's con-
fidence so far as to know that he had discovered he had been
robbed, and was keeping a watch for the thieves. She was
not told that the apprentices were concerned in the matter,
for Captain Dave felt sure that, however much she might try
to conceal it, Robert Ashford would perceive, by her looks
that something was wrong.

Nellie was told a day or two later, for, although ignorant
of her father's nightly watchings, she was conscious from his
manner, and that of her mother, that something was amiss,
and was so persistent in her inquiries, that the Captain consented
to her mother telling her that he had a suspicion he was
being robbed, and warning her that it was essential that the
subject must not be in any way alluded to.

" Your father is worrying over it a good deal, Nellie, and it
is better that he should not perceive that you are aware of it.
Just let things go on as they were."

" Is the loss serious, mother ? "

" Yes ; he thinks that a good deal of money has gone. I
don't think he minds that so much as the fact that, so far, he
doesn't know who the people most concerned in it may be.
He has some sort of suspicion in one quarter, but has no clue
whatever to the men most to blame."

" Does Cyril know anything about it ? " Nellie asked
suddenly.

"Yes, he knows, my dear; indeed, it was owing to his
cleverness that your father first came to have suspicions."

" Oh ! that explains it," Nellie said. " He had been talking
to father, and I asked what it was about and he would not
tell me, and I have been very angry with him ever since."

CAPTURED. 75

"I have noticed that you have been behaving very foolishly,"
Mrs. Dowsett said quietly, " and that for the last week you
have been taking Robert with you as an escort when you
went out of an evening. I suppose you did that to annoy
Cyril, but I don't think that he minded much."

" I don't think he did, mother," Nellie agreed, with a laugh
which betrayed a certain amount of irritation. " I saw that
he smiled, two or three evenings back, when I told Robert at
supper that I wanted him to go out with me, and I was rarely
angry, I can tell you."

Cyril had indeed troubled himself in no way about Nellie's
coolness ; but when she had so pointedly asked Robert to go
with her, he had been amused at the thought of how greatly
she would be mortified, when Robert was haled up to the Guild-
hall for robbing her father, at the thought that he had been
accompanying her as an escort.

" I rather hope this will be our last watch, Captain Dave,"
he said, on the seventh evening.

" Why do you hope so specially to-night, lad ? "

" Of course I have been hoping so every night. But I think
it is likely that the men who take the goods come regularly
once a week ; for in that case there would be no occasion for
them to meet at other times to arrange on what night they
should be in the lane."

" Yes, that is like enough, Cyril ; and the hour will pro-
bably be the same, too. John and I will share your watch
to-night, so as to be ready to get the men off without loss of
time."

Cyril had always taken the first watch, which was from
half -past nine till twelve. The Captain and Wilkes had taken
the other watches by turns.

As before, just as the bell finished striking eleven, the three
watchers again heard through the slightly open casement the
scraping noise on the left. It had been agreed that they
should not move, lest the sound should be heard outside. Each
grasped the stout cudgel he held in his hand, and gazed at the

76 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

roof of the warehouse, which could now be plainly seen, for
the moon was half full and the sky was clear. As before, the
two figures went along, and this time they could clearly recog-
nise them. They were both sitting astride of the ridge tiles,
and moved themselves along by means of their hands. They
waited until they saw one after the other disappear at the end
of the roof, and then John Wilkes quietly stole downstairs.
The four constables had been warned to be specially wakeful.

" They are at it again to-night," John said to them, as he
entered. ' ' Now, do you two who go round into Leadenhall Street
start at once, but don't take your post at the end of the lane
for another five or six minutes. The thieves outside may not
have come up at present. As you go out, leave the door ajar ;
in five minutes you others should stand ready. Don't go to
the corner, but wait in the doorway below until you hear the
whistle. They will be only fifteen or twenty yards up the lane,
and would see you if you took up your station at the corner ;
but the moment you hear the whistle, rush out and have at
them. We shall be there before you will."

John went down with the last two men, entered the shop,
and stood there waiting until he should be joined by his
master. The latter and Cyril remained at the window until
they saw the door of the warehouse open, and then hurried
downstairs. Both were in their stockinged feet, so that their
movements should be noiseless.

"Come on, John; they are in the yard," the Captain
whispered ; and they entered the warehouse and went noiselessly
on, until they stood at the door. The process of unbarring
the gate was nearly accomplished. As it swung open, John
Wilkes put his whistle to his lips and blew a loud, shrill call,
and the three rushed forward. There was a shout of alarm,
a fierce imprecation, and three of the four figures at the gate
sprang at them. Scarce a blow had been struck when the
two constables ran up and joined in the fray. Two men fought
stoutly, but were soon overpowered. Robert Ashford, knife
in hand, had attacked John Wilkes with fury, and would have

''ROBERT ASHFORD, KNIFE IN HAND, ATTACKED JOHN WILKES WITH FURY.

CAPTURED. 77

stabbed him, as his attention was engaged upon one of the men
outside, had not Cyril brought his cudgel down sharply on his
knuckles, when, with a yell of pain, he dropped the knife and
fled up the lane. He had gone but a short distance, however,
when he fell into the hands of the two constables, who were
running towards him. One of them promptly knocked him
down with his cudgel, and then proceeded to bind his hands
behind him, while the other ran on to join .in the fray. It
was over before he got there, and his comrades were engaged
in binding the two robbers. Tom Frost had taken no part in
the fight. He stood looking on, paralysed with terror, and
when the two men were overpowered he fell on his knees
beseeching his master to have mercy on him.

" It is too late, Tom," the Captain said. " You have been
robbing me for months, and now you have been caught in the
act you will have to take your share in the punishment. You
are a prisoner of the constables' here, and not of mine, and
even if I were willing to let you go, they would have their say
in the matter. Still, if you make a clean breast of what you
know about it, I will do all I can to get you of? lightly ; and
seeing that you are but a boy, and have been, perhaps, led into
this, they will not be disposed to be hard on you. Pick up
that lantern and bring it here, John ; let us see what plunder
they were making off with."

There was no rope this time, but a bag containing some
fifty pounds' weight of brass and copper fittings. One of the
constables took possession of this.

" You had better come along with us to the Bridewell,
Master Dowsett, to sign the charge sheet, though I don't know
whether it is altogether needful, seeing that we have caught
them in the act ; and you will all three have to be at the Court
to-morrow at ten o'clock."

" I will go with you," the Captain said ; " but I will first
slip in and put my shoes on ; I brought them down in my
hand and shall be ready in a minute. You may as well lock
up this gate again, John. I will go out through the front

78 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

door and join them in the lane." As he went into the house,
John Wilkes closed the gate and put up the bar, then took up
the lantern and said to Cyril, —

"Well, Master Cyril, this has been a good night's work,
and mighty thankful I am that we have caught the pirates.
It was a good day for us all when you came to the Captain,
or they might have gone on robbing him till the time came
that there was nothing more to rob ; and I should never have
held up my head again, for though the Captain would never
believe that I had had a hand in bringing him to ruin, other
people would not have thought so, and I might never have
got a chance of proving my innocence. Now we will just go
to the end of the yard and see if they did manage to get
into the warehouse by means of that crane, as you thought
they did."

They found that the crane had been swung out just far
enough to afford a foot-hold to those lowering themselves on to
it from the roof. The door of the loft stood open.

" Just as you said. You could not have been lighter, not if
you had seen them at it. And now I reckon we may as well
lock up the place again, and turn in. The Captain has got
the key of the front door, and we will leave the lantern
burning at the bottom of the stairs."

Cyril got up as soon as he heard a movement in the house,
and went down to the shop, which had been already opened
by John Wilkes.

" It seems quiet here, without the apprentices, John. Is
there any way in which I can help ? "

" No, thank you, sir. We sha'n't be moving the goods about
till after breakfast, and then, no doubt, the Captain will get
an extra man in to help me. I reckon he will have to get a
neighbour in to give an eye to the place while we are all
away at the Court."

" I see there is the rope still hanging from their window,"
Cyril said, as he went out into the yard.

" I thought it best to leave it there," John Wilkes replied ;

CAPTURED. 79

" and I ain't been up into the loft either. It is best to leave
matters just as they were. Like enough, they will send an
officer down from the Court to look at them."

When the family assembled at breakfast, Mrs. Dowsett
was looking very grave. The Captain, on the other hand, was
in capital spirits. Nellie, as usual, was somewhat late.

" Where is everybody ? " she asked in surprise, seeing that
Cyril alone was in his place with her father and mother.

" John Wilkes is downstairs, looking after the shop, and
will come up and have his breakfast when we have done," her
father replied.

" Are both the apprentices out, then 1 " she asked.

" The apprentices are in limbo," the Captain said grimly.

" In limbo, father ! What does that mean 1 "

" It means that they are in gaol, my dear."

Nellie put down the knife and fork that she had just taken
up.

" Are you joking, father ? "

" Very far from it, my dear ; it is no joke to any of us —
certainly not to me, and not to Kobert Ashford, or Tom Frost.
They have been robbing me for the last year, and, for aught I
know, before that. If it had not been for Master Cyril it
would not have been very long before I should have had to
put my shutters up."

" But how could they rob you, father ? "

" By stealing my goods, and selling them, Nellie. The way
they did it was to lower themselves by a rope from their
window on to the roof of the warehouse, and to get down at the
other end on to the crane, and then into the loft. Then they
went down and took what they had a fancy to, undid the door,
and went into the yard, and then handed over their booty to
the fellows waiting at the gate for it. Last night we caught
them at it, after having been on the watch for ten days."

"That is what I heard last night, then," she said. " I was
woke by a loud whistle, and then I heard a sound of quarrelling
and fighting in the lane. I thought it was some roysterers

80 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

going home late. Oh, father, it is dreadful to think of ! And
what will they do to them ? "

" It is a hanging matter," the Captain said ; " it is not only
theft, but mutiny. No doubt the judges will take a lenient
view of Tom Frost's case, both on the ground of his youth,
and because, no doubt, he was influenced by Ashford ; but I
would not give much for Robert's chances. No doubt it will
be a blow to you, Nellie, for you seem to have taken to him
mightily of late."

Nellie was about to give an emphatic contradiction, but
as she remembered how pointedly she had asked for his escort
during the last few days, she flushed up, and was silent.

"It is terrible to think of," she said, after a pause. "I
suppose this is what you and Cyril were consulting about,
father. I have to ask your pardon, Master Cyril, for my
rudeness to you; but of course I did not think it was any-
thing of consequence, or that you could not have told me if
you had wished to do so."

" You need not beg my pardon, Mistress Nellie. No doubt
you thought it churlish on my part to refuse to gratify your
curiosity, and I am not surprised that you took offence. I
knew that when you learned how important it was to keep
silence over the matter, that you would acquit me of the
intention of making a mystery about nothing."

" I suppose you knew, mother ? " Nellie asked.

" I knew that your father believed that he was being
robbed, Nellie, and that he was keeping watch for some hours
every night, but I did not know that he suspected the
apprentices. I am glad that we did not, for assuredly we
should have found it very hard to school our faces so that
they should not guess that aught was wrong."

" That was why we said nothing about it, Nellie. It has
been as much as I have been able to do to sit at table, and
talk in the shop as usual, with boys I knew were robbing
me ; and I know honest John Wilkes must have felt it still
more. But till a week ago we would not believe that they

CAPTURED. 81

had a hand in the matter. It is seven nights since Cyril
caught them creeping along the roof, and called me to the
window in John Wilkes's room, whence he was watching the
yard, not thinking the enemy was in the house."

" And how did you come to suspect that robbery was going
on, Cyril ? "

" Simply because, on making up the books, I found there
was a great deficiency in the stores."

" That is what he was doing when he was sitting up at
night, after you were in bed, Miss Nellie," her father said.
" You may thank your stars that he took a berth in this
ship, for the scoundrels would have foundered her to a cer-
tainty, if he had not done so. I tell you, child, he has saved
this craft from going to the bottom. I have not said much
to him about it, but he knows that I don't feel it any the
less."

" And who were the other men who were taken, father? "

" That I can't tell you, Nellie. I went to the Bridewell with
them, and as soon as I saw them safely lodged there I came
home. They will be had up before the Lord Mayor this
morning, and then I daresay I shall know all about them.
Now I must go and take my watch below, and let John
Wilkes come off duty."

" Why, John, what is the matter?" Mrs. Dowsett said, when
the foreman entered.

" Nothing worth speaking of, Mistress. I got a clip over
the eye from one of the pirates we were capturing. The
thing mattered 'nothing, one way or the other, but it might
have cost me my life, because, for a moment, it pretty well dazed
me. That young villain, Bob, was just coming at me with
his knife, and I reckon it would have gone hard with me
if Master Cyril here hadn't, just in the nick of time, brought
his stick down on Robert's knuckles, and that so sharply that
the fellow dropped his knife with a yell, and took to his heels,
only to fall into the hands of two of the watch coming from
the other end of the lane. You did me a good turn, lad, and

(948) F

82 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

if ever I get the chance of ranging up alongside of you in a
fray, you may trust me to return it."

He held out his hand to Cyril, and gave a warm grip to
the hand the latter laid in it.

" It is a rum start, Mistress," John went on, as he sat down
to his meal, " that two old hands like the Captain and I were
sailing on, not dreaming of hidden rocks or sand-banks, when
this lad, who I used to look upon as a young cockerel who was
rather above his position, should have come forward and have
saved us all from shipwreck."

"It is indeed, John," his mistress said earnestly, " and I
thank God indeed that He put the thought into the minds of
Captain Dave and myself to ask him to take up his abode with
us. It seemed to us then that we were doing a little kindness
that would cost us nothing, whereas it has turned out the
saving of us."

" Dear, dear ! " Nellie, who had been sitting with a frown on
her pretty face, said pettishly. " What a talk there will be
about it all, and how Jane Greenwood and Martha Stebbings
and the rest of them will laugh at me ! They used to say
they wondered how I could go about with such an ugly wretch
behind me, and of course I spoke up for him and said that he
was an honest knave and faithful ; and now it turns out that
he is a villain and a robber. I shall never hear the last of
him."

" You will get over that, Nellie," her mother said severely.
" It would be much better if, instead of thinking of such trifles,
you would consider how sad a thing it is that two lads should
lose their character, and perhaps their lives, simply for their
greed of other people's goods. I could cry when I think of it.
I know that Robert Ashford has neither father nor mother to
grieve about him, for my husband's father took him out of
sheer charity; but Tom's parents are living, and it will be
heart-breaking indeed to them when they hear of their son's
misdoings."

" I trust that Captain Dave will get him off," Cyril said.

CAPTURED. 83

" As he is so young he may turn King's evidence, and I feel
sure that he did not go willingly into the affair. 1 have noticed
many times that he had a frightened look, as if he had some-
thing on his mind. I believe that he acted under fear of the
other."

As soon as John Wilkes had finished his breakfast he went
with Captain Dave and Cyril to the Magistrates' Court at the
Guildhall. Some other cases were first heard, and then the
apprentices, with the two men who had been captured in the
lane, were brought in and placed in the dock. The men bore
marks that showed they had been engaged in a severe struggle,
and that the watch had used their staves with effect. One
was an elderly man with shaggy grey eyebrows; the other
was a very powerfully built fellow, who seemed, from his attire,
to follow the profession of a sailor. Tom Frost was sobbing
bitterly. One of Robert Ashford's hands was bandaged up.
As he was placed in the dock he cast furtive glances round
with his shifty eyes, and as they fell upon Cyril an expression
of deadly hate came over his face. The men of the watch
who had captured them first gave their evidence as to finding
them in the act of robbery, and testified to the desperate
resistance they had offered to capture. Captain Dave then
entered the witness-box, and swore first to the goods that
were found on them being his property, and then related how,
it having come to his knowledge that he was being robbed, he
had set a watch, and had, eight days previously, seen his two
apprentices getting along the roof, and how they had come
out from the warehouse door, had opened the outer gate, and
had handed over some goods they had brought out to persons
unknown waiting to receive them.

" Why did you not stop them in their commission of the
theft ? " the Alderman in the Chair asked.

" Because, sir, had I done so, the men I considered to
be the chief criminals, and who had doubtless tempted my
apprentices to rob me, would then have made off. Therefore, I
thought it better to wait until I could lay hands on them also,

84 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

and so got four men of the watch to remain in the house at
night."

Then he went on to relate how, after watching seven
nights, he had again seen the apprentices make their way
along the roof, and how they and the receivers of their booty
were taken by the watch, aided by himself, his foreman, and
Master Cyril Shenstone, who was dwelling in his house.

After John Wilkes had given his evidence, Cyril went into
the box and related how, being engaged by Captain David
Dowsett to make up his books, he found, upon stock being
taken, that there was a deficiency to the amount of many
hundreds of pounds in certain stores, notably such as were
valuable without being bulky.

" Is anything known as to the prisoners ? " the magistrate
asked the officer of the city watch in charge of the case.

"Nothing is known of the two boys, your honour; but the
men are well known. The elder, who gave the name of Peter
Johnson, is one Joseph Marner ; he keeps a marine shop close
to the Tower. For a long time he has been suspected of
being a receiver of stolen goods, but we have never been able
to lay finger on him before. The other man has, for the last
year, acted as his assistant in the shop ; he answers closely to
the description of a man, Ephraim Fowler, who has loitg been
wanted. This man was a seaman in a bi-ig trading to Yar-
mouth. After an altercation with the captain he stabbed him,
and then slew the mate who was coming to his assistance ;
then with threats he compelled the other two men on board to
let him take the boat. When they were off Brightlingsea he
rowed away, and has not been heard of since. If you will
remand them, before he comes up again I hope to find the
men who were on board, and see if they identify him. We
are in possession of Joseph Marner 's shop, and have found
large quantities of goods that we have reason to believe are
the proceeds of these and other robberies."

After the prisoners had left the dock, Captain Dave went
up to the officer.

CAPTURED. 85

" I believe," he said, " that the boy has not voluntarily taken
part in these robberies, but has been led away, or perhaps
obliged by threats to take part in them ; he may be able to
give you some assistance, for maybe these men are not the only
persons to whom the stolen goods have been sold, and he may
be able to put you on the track of other receivers."

" The matter is out of my hands now," the officer said, " but
I will represent what you say in the proper quarter ; and now
you had better come round with me ; you may be able to pick out
some of your property. We only made a seizure of the place
an hour ago. I had all the men who came in on duty this
morning to take a look at the prisoners. Fortunately two or
three of them recognised Marner, and you may guess we lost no
time in getting a search warrant and going down to his place.
It is the most important capture we have made for some time,
and may lead to the discovery of other robberies that have
been puzzling us for months past. There is a gang known as
the Black Gang, but we have never been able to lay hands
on any of their leaders, and such fellows as have been cap-
tured have refused to say a word, and have denied all know-
ledge of it. There have been a number of robberies of a
mysterious kind, none of which have we been able to trace,
and they have been put down to the same gang. The Chief
Constable is waiting for me there, and we shall make a
thorough search of the premises, and it is like enough we shall
come across some clue of importance. At any rate, if we can
find some of the articles stolen in the robberies I am speaking
of, it will be a strong proof that Marner is one of the chiefs of
the gang, and that may lead to further discoveries."

" You had better come with us, John," Captain Dave said.
" You know our goods better than I do myself. Will you
come, Cyril?"

" I should be of no use in identifying the goods, sir, and I
am due in half an hour at one of my shops."

The search was an exhaustive one. There was no appear-
ance of an underground cellar, but on some of the boards of

86 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

the shop being taken up, it was found that there was a large
one extending over the whole house. This contained an
immense variety of goods. In one corner was a pile of copper
bolts that Captain Dave and John were able to claim at once,
as they bore the brand of the maker from whom they obtained
their stock. There were boxes of copper and brass ship and
house fittings, and a very large quantity of rope, principally
of the sizes in which the stock had been found deficient ; but to
these Captain Dave was unable to swear. In addition to these
articles the cellar contained a number of chests, all of which
were found to be filled with miscellaneous articles of wearing
apparel — rolls of silk, velvet, cloth, and other materials —
curtains, watches, clocks, ornaments of all kinds, and a con-
siderable amount of plate. As among these were many articles
which answered to the descriptions given of goods that had been
stolen from country houses, the whole were impounded by the
Chief Constable, and carried away in carts. The upper part of
the house was carefully searched, the walls tapped, wainscotting
pulled down, and the floors carefully examined. Several
hiding-places were found, but nothing of any importance dis-
covered in them.

" I should advise you," the Chief Constable said to Captain
Dave, " to put in a claim for every article corresponding with
those you have lost. Of course, if any one else comes forward
and also puts in a claim, the matter will have to be gone into,
and if neither of you can absolutely swear to the things, I
suppose you will have to settle it somehow between you. If
no one else claims them, you will get them all without
question, for you can swear that, to the best of your know-
ledge and belief, they are yours, and bring samples of your
own goods to show that they exactly correspond with them.
1 have no doubt that a good deal of the readily saleable
stuff, such as ropes, brass sheaves for blocks, and things
of that sort, will have been sold, but as it is clear that
there is a good deal of your stuff in the stock found below,
I hope your loss will not be very great. There is no doubt

KIDNAPPED. 87

it has been a splendid find for us. It is likely enough that
we shall discover among those boxes goods that have been
obtained from a score of robberies in London, and likely
enough in the country. We have arrested three men we
found in the place, and two women, and may get from some
of them information that will enable us to lay hands on
some of the others concerned in these robberies."

CHAPTER V.

KIDNAPPED.

fTlHAT afternoon Captain Dave went down to the Bridewell,
JL and had an interview with Tom Frost, in the presence of
the Master of the prison.

" Well, Tom, I never expected to have to come to see you in
a place like this."

" I am glad I am here, master," the boy said earnestly, with
tears in his eyes. " I don't mind if they hang me ; I would
rather anything than go on as I have been doing. I knew it
must come, and whenever I heard any one walk into the shop
I made sure it was a constable. I am ready to tell everything,
master ; I know I deserve whatever I shall get, but that
won't hurt me half as much as it has done, having to go on
living in the house with you, and knowing I was helping to
rob you all along."

" Anything that you say must be taken down," the officer
said ; " and I can't promise that it will make any difference in
your sentence."

" I do not care anything about that ; I am going to tell the
truth."

" Very well, then, I will take down anything you say. But
wait a minute."

He went to the door of the room and called.

88 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

" Is the Chief Constable in 1 " he asked a man who came
up. "If he is, ask him to step here."

A minute later the Chief Constable came in.

" This prisoner wishes to make a confession, Master Holmes.
I thought it best that you should be here. You can hear
what he says then, and it may help you in your inquiry.
Besides, you may think of questions on points he may not
mention ; he understands that he is speaking entirely of his
own free will, and that I have given him no promise whatever
that his so doing will alter his sentence, although no doubt it
will be taken into consideration."

" Quite so," the constable said. " This is not a case where
one prisoner would be ordinarily permitted to turn King's
evidence against the others, because, as they were caught in
the act, no such evidence is necessary. We know all about
how the thing was done, and who did it."

" I want to tell how I first came to rob my master," the boy
said. " I never thought of robbing him. When I came up to
London, my father said to me, ' Whatever you do, Tom, be
honest. They say there are rogues up in London ; don't you
have anything to do with them.' One evening, about a. year
ago I went out with Robert, and we went to a shop near the
wall at Aldgate. I had never been there before, but Robert
knew the master, who was the old man that was taken in the
lane. Robert said the man was a relation of his father's, and
had been kind to him. We sat down and talked for a time,
and then Robert, who was sitting close to me, moved for some-
thing, and put his hand against my pocket.

" ' Hullo ! ' he said ; ' what have you got there ? '

" « Nothing,' I said.

" ' Oh, haven't you ? ' and he put his hand in my pocket, and
brought out ten guineas. ' Hullo ! ' he said ; ' where did you
get these? You told me yesterday you had not got a groat.
Why, you young villain, you must have been robbing the till ! '

" I was so frightened that I could not say anything, except
that I did not know how they came there, and I could swear

KIDNAPPED. 89

that I had not touched the till. I was too frightened to think
then, but I have since thought that the guineas were never
in my pocket at all, but were in Robert's hand.

" ' That won't do, boy,' the man said. ' It is clear that you
are a thief. I saw Robert take them from your pocket, and,
as an honest man, it is my duty to take you to your master
and tell him what sort of an apprentice he has. You are
young, and you will get off with a whipping at the pillory,
and that will teach you that honesty is the best policy.'

" So he got his hat and put it on, and took me by the collar
as if to haul me out into the street. I went down on my knees
to beg for mercy, and at last he said that he would keep the
matter quiet if I would swear to do everything that Robert
told me ; and I was so frightened that I swore to do so.

" For a bit there wasn't any stealing, but Robert used to take
me out over the roof, and we used to go out together and go to
places where there were two or three men, and they gave us
wine. Then Robert proposed that we should have a look
through the warehouse. I did not know what he meant,
but as we went through he filled his pockets with things
and told me to take some too. I said I would not. Then
he threatened to raise the alarm, and said that when Captain
Dave came down he should say he heard me get up to
come down by the rope on to the warehouse, and that he had
followed me to see what I was doing, and had found me in
the act of taking goods, and that, as he had before caught
me with money stolen from the till, as a friend of his could
testify, he felt that it was his duty to summon you at once.
I know I ought to have refused, and to have let him call you
down, but I was too frightened. At last I agreed to do what
he told me, and ever since then we have been robbing you."

" What have you done with the money you got for the
things ? " the constable asked.

" I had a groat sometimes," the boy said, " but that is all.
Robert said first that I should have a share, but I said I
would have nothing to do with it. I did as he ordered me

90 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

because I could not help it. Though I have taken a groat or
two sometimes, that is all I have had."

" Do you know anything about how much Robert had ? "

" No, sir ; I never saw him paid any money. I supposed
that he had some because he has said sometimes he should
set up a shop for himself, down at some seaport town, when
he was out of his apprenticeship ; but I have never seen him
with any money beyond a little silver. I don't know what he
used to do when we had given the things to the men that
met us in the lane. I used always to come straight back to
bed, but generally he went out with them. I used to fasten
the gate after him, and he got back over the wall by a rope.
Most times he didn't come in till a little before daybreak."

" Were they always the same men that met you in the
lane?"

" No, sir. The master of the shop was very seldom there.
The big man has come for the last three or four months, and
there were two other men. They used to be waiting for us
together until the big man came, but since then one or other of
them came with him, except when the master of the shop was
there himself."

" Describe them to me ? "

The boy described them as well as he could.

" Could you swear to them if you saw them ? "

" I think so. Of course, sometimes it was moonlight, and I
could see their faces well ; and besides, the light of the lantern
often fell upon their faces."

The constable nodded.

" The descriptions answer exactly," he said to Captain Dave,
" to the two men we found in the shop. The place was
evidently the headquarters of a gang of thieves."

" Please, sir," the boy said, " would you have me shut up in
another place ? I am afraid of being with the others. They
have sworn they will kill me if I say a word, and when I get
back they will ask me who I have seen and what I have said."

Captain Dave took the other two men aside.

KIDNAPPED. 91

" Conld you not let the boy come home with me ? " he said.
" I believe his story is a true one. He has been terrified
into helping that rascal, Robert Ashford. Of course he him-
self was of no good to them, but they were obliged to force
him into it, as otherwise he would have found out Robert's
absences and might have reported them to me. I will give
what bail you like, and will undertake to produce him
whenever he is required."

" I could not do that myself," the constable said, " but I
will go round to the Court now with the boy's confession, and
I have no doubt the Alderman will let him go. But let me
give you a word of advice : don't let him stir out of the house
after dark. We have no doubt that there is a big gang
concerned in this robbery, and the others of which we found
the booty at the receiver's. They would not know how much
this boy could tell about them, but if he went back to you
they would guess that he had peached. If he went out after
dark, the chances would be against his ever coming back
again. No, now I think of it, I am sure you had better let him
stay where he is. The Master will put him apart from the
others, and make him comfortable. You see, at present we
have no clue as to the men concerned in the robberies. You
may be sure that they are watching every move on our part,
and if they knew that this boy was out, they might take the
alarm and make off."

" Well, if you think so, I will leave him here."

" I am sure that it would be the best plan."

"You will make him comfortable, Master Holroyd?"

" Yes ; you need not worry about him, Captain Dowsett."

They then turned to the boy.

" You will be moved away from the others, Tom," Captain
Dave said, " and Mr. Holroyd has promised to make you
comfortable."

"Oh, Captain Dave," the boy burst out, "will you forgive
me ? I don't mind being punished, but if you knew how awfully
miserable I have been all this time, knowing that I was

92 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

robbing you while you were so kind to me, I think you would
forgive me."

" I forgive you, Tom," C'aptain Dave said, putting his hand
on the boy's shoulder. '' I hope that this will be a lesson to
you, all your life. You see all this has come upon you because
you were a coward. If you had been a brave lad you would
have said, 'Take me to my master.' You might have been sure
that I would have heard your story as well as theirs, and I
don't think I should have decided against you under the cir-
cumstances. It was only your word against Robert's ; and his
taking you to this man's, and finding the money in your
pocket in so unlikely a way, would certainly have caused me
to have suspicions. There is nothing so bad as cowardice ; it
is the father of all faults. A coward is certain to be a liar,
for he will not hesitate to tell any falsehood to shelter him from
Nthe consequences of a fault. In your case, you see, cowardice
has made you a thief ; and in some cases it might drive a man
to commit a murder. However, lad, I forgive you freely. You
have been weak, and your weakness has made you a criminal ;
but it has been against your own will. When all this is over,
I will see what can be done for you. You may live to be an
honest man and a good citizen yet."

Two days later Cyril was returning home late in the
evening after being engaged longer than usual in making up a
number of accounts for one of his customers. He had come
through Leadenhall Street, and had entered the lane where the
capture of the thieves had been made, when he heard a foot-
step behind him. He turned half round to see who was
following him, when he received a tremendous blow on the
head which struck him senseless to the ground.

After a time he was dimly conscious that he was being carried
along. He was unable to move ; there was something in his
mouth that prevented him from calling out, and his head was
muffled in a cloak. He felt too weak and confused to struggle.
A minute later he heard a voice, that sounded below him,

say,—

KIDNAPPED. 93

" Have you got him ? "

" I have got him all right," was the answer of the man
who was carrying him.

Then he felt that he was being carried down some stairs.
Some one took him, and he was thrown roughly down ; then
there was a slight rattling noise, followed by a regular sound.
He wondered vaguely what it was, but as his senses came
back it flashed upon him ; it was the sound of oars ; he
was in a boat. It was some time before he could think
why he should be in a boat. He had doubtless been
carried off by some of the friends of the prisoners', partly,
perhaps, to prevent his giving evidence against them, partly
from revenge for the part he had played in the discovery of
the crime.

In a few minutes the sound of oars ceased, and there was a
bump as the boat struck against something hard. Then he was
lifted up, and some one took hold of him from above. He was
carried a few steps and roughly thrust in somewhere. There
was a sound of something heavy being thrown down above
him, and then for a long time he knew nothing more.

When he became conscious again, he was able, as he lay there,
to come to a distinct conclusion as to where he was. He had
been kidnapped, carried off, taken out in a boat to some craft
anchored in the river, and was now in the hold. He felt almost
suffocated. The wrap round his head prevented his breathing
freely, the gag in his mouth pressed on his tongue, and gave
him severe pain, while his head ached acutely from the effects
of the blow.

The first thing to do was, if possible, to free his hands, so as
to relieve himself from the gag and muffling. An effort or two
soon showed him that he was but loosely bound. Doubtless the
man who had attacked him had not wasted much time in
securing his arms, believing that the blow would be sufficient
to keep him quiet until he was safe on board ship. It was,
therefore, without much difficulty that he managed to free one
of his hands, and it was then an easy task to get rid of the

94 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

rope altogether. The cloak was pulled from his face, and,
feeling for his knife, he cut the lashings of the gag and re-
moved it from his mouth. He lay quiet for a few minutes,
panting from his exhaustion. Putting up his hand he felt a
beam about a foot above his body. He was, then, in a hold
already stored with cargo. The next thing was to shift his
position among the barrels and bales upon which he was
lying, until he found a comparatively level spot. He was in
too great pain to think of sleep ; his head throbbed fiercely,
and he suffered from intense thirst.

From time to time heavy footsteps passed overhead. Pre-
sently he heard a sudden rattling of blocks, and the flapping of
a sail. Then he noticed that there was a slight change in the
level of his position, and knew that the craft was under way
on her voyage down the river.

It seemed an immense time to him before he saw a faint
gleam of light, and edging himself along, found himself again
under the hatchway, through a crack in which the light was
shining. It was some hours before the hatch was lifted off, and
he saw two men looking down.

" Water ! " he said. " I am dying of thirst."

" Bring a pannikin of water," one of the men said, " but first
give us a hand, and we will have him on deck."

Stooping down, they took Cyril by the shoulders and hoisted
him out.

" He is a decent-looking young chap," the speaker went on.
" I would have seen to him before, if I had known him to be
so bad. Those fellows didn't tell us they had hurt him. Here
is the water, young fellow. Can you sit up to drink it?"

Cyril sat up and drank off the contents of the pannikin.

" Why, the back of your head is all covered with blood ! "
the man who had before spoken said. "You must have had
an ugly knock 1 "

" I don't care so much for that," Cyril replied. " It's the
gag that hurt me. My tongue is so much swollen I can hardly
speak."

'CYRIL SAT UP AND DRANK OFF THE CONTENTS OF THE PANNIKIN."

KIDNAPPED. 95

" Well, you can stay here on deck if you will give me your
promise not to hail any craft we may pass. If you won't do
that I must put you down under hatches again."

" I will promise that willingly," Cyril said ; " the more so
that I can scarce speak above a whisper."

" Mind, if you as much as wave a hand, or do anything to
bring an eye on us, down you go into the hold again, and
when you come up next time it will be to go overboard.
Now just put your head over the rail, and I will pour a
few buckets of water over it. I agreed to get you out of the
way, but I have got no grudge against you, and don't want
to do you harm."

Getting a bucket with a rope tied to the handle, he dipped
it into the river, and poured half-a-dozen pailf uls over Cyril's
head. The lad felt greatly refreshed, and, sitting down on the
deck, was able to look round. The craft was a coaster of
about twenty tons burden. There were three men on deck
besides the man who had spoken to him, and who was evi-
dently the skipper. Besides these a boy occasionally put up his
head from a hatchway forward. There was a pile of barrels*
and empty baskets amidship, and the men presently began to
wash down the decks and to tidy up the ropes and gear lying
about. The shore on both sides was flat, and Cyril was
surprised at the width of the river. Behind them was a
small town, standing on higher ground.

" What place is that ? " he asked a sailor who passed near
him.

" That is Gravesend."

A few minutes afterwards the boy again put his head out
of the hatchway and shouted, —

" Breakfast ! "

" Can you eat anything, youngster ? " the skipper asked
Cyril.

" No, thank you, my head aches too much ; and my mouth
is so sore I am sure I could not get anything down."

" Well, you had best lie down, then, with your head on

96 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

that coil of rope ; I allow you did not sleep much last
night."

In a few minutes Cyril was sound asleep, and when he
awoke the sun was setting.

" You have had a good bout of it, lad," the skipper said,
as he raised himself on his elbow and looked round. " How
are you feeling now ? "

" A great deal better," Cyril said, as he rose to his feet.

" Supper will be ready in a few minutes, and if you can
manage to get a bit down it will do you good."

" I will try, anyhow," Cyril said. " I think that I feel
hungry."

The land was now but a faint line on either hand. A gentle
breeze was blowing from the south-west, and the craft was
running along over the smooth water at the rate of three
or four miles an hour. Cyril wondered where he was being
taken to, and what was going to be done with him, but
determined to ask no questions. The skipper was evidently
a kind-hearted man, although he might be engaged in lawless
business, but it was as well to wait until he chose to open the
subject.

As soon as the boy hailed, the captain led the way to the
hatchway. They descended a short ladder into the fo'castle,
which was low, but roomy. Supper consisted of boiled skate —
a fish Cyril had never tasted before — oaten bread, and beer.
His mouth was still sore, but he managed to make a hearty
meal of fish, though he could not manage the hard bread. One
of the men was engaged at the helm, but the other two shared
the meal, all being seated on lockers that ran round the cabin.
The fish were placed on an earthenware dish, each man cutting
off slices with his jack-knife, and using his bread as a platter.
Little was said while the meal went on ; but when they went on
deck again, the skipper, having put another man at the tiller,
while the man released went forward to get his supper, said, —

" Well, I think you are in luck, lad."

Cyril opened his eyes in surprise.

KIDNAPPED. 97

" You don't think so ? " the man went on. " I don't mean
that you are in luck in being knocked about and carried off,
but that you are not floating down the river at present
instead of walking the deck here. I can only suppose that
they thought your body might be picked up, and that it would
go all the harder with the prisoners, if it were proved that
you had been put out of the way. You don't look like an
informer either 1 "

" I am not an informer," Cyril said indignantly. " I found
that my employer was being robbed, and I aided him to catch
the thieves. I don't call that informing. That is when a man
betrays others engaged in the same work as himself."

" Well, well, it makes no difference to me," the skipper said.
" I was engaged by a man, with whom I do business sometimes,
to take a fellow who had been troublesome out of the way,
and to see that he did not come back again for some time. I
bargained that there was to be no foul play ; I don't hold with
things of that sort. As to carrying down a bale of goods
sometimes, or taking a few kegs of spirits from a French
lugger, I see no harm in it; but when it comes to cutting
throats, I wash my hands of it. I am sorry now I brought
you off, though maybe if I had refused they would have put a
knife into you, and chucked you into the river. However, now
that I have got you I must go through with it. I ain't a man
to go back from my word, and what I says I always sticks to.
Still, I am sorry I had anything to do with the business.
You look to me a decent young gentleman, though your
looks and your clothes have not been improved by what
you have gone through. Well, at any rate, I promise you
that no harm shall come to you as long as you are in my
hands."

" And how long is that likely to be, captain ? "

" Ah ! that is more than I can tell you. I don't want to
do you harm, lad, and more than that, I will prevent other
people from doing you harm as long as you are on board this
craft. But more than that I can't say. It is likely enough I

(948) G

98 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

shall have trouble in keeping that promise, and I can't go a
step farther. There is many a man who would have chucked
you overboard, and so have got rid of the trouble altogether,
and of the risk of its being afterwards proved that he had
a hand in getting you out of the way."

" I feel that, captain," Cyril said, " and I thank you heartily
for your kind treatment of me. I promise you that if at any
time I am set ashore and find my way back to London, I will
say no word which can get you into trouble."

" There is Tom coming upon deck. You had better turn
in. You have had a good sleep, but I have no doubt you can
do with some more, and a night's rest will set you up. You
take the left-hand locker. The boy sleeps on the right hand,
and we have bunks overhead."

Cyril was soon soundly asleep, and did not wake when the
others turned in. He was alone in the cabin when he opened
his eyes, but the sun was shining brightly through the open
hatchway. He sprang up and went on deck. The craft was
at anchor. No land could be seen to the south, but to the
north a low shore stretched away three or four miles distant.
There was scarcely a breath of wind.

" Well, you have had a good sleep, lad," the captain said.
" You had best dip that bucket overboard and have a wash ;
you will feel better after it. Now, boy, slip down and get
your fire going ; we shall be ready for breakfast as soon as it
is ready for us."

Cyril soused his head with the cold water, and felt, as the
captain had said, all the better for it, for the air in the
little cabin was close and stuffy, and he had felt hot and
feverish before his wash.

" The wind died out, you see," the captain said, " and we
had to anchor when tide turned at two o'clock. There is
a dark line behind us, and as soon as the wind reaches us, we
will up anchor. The force of the tide is spent."

The wind, however, continued very light, and the vessel did
little more than drift with the tide, and when it turned at

KIDNAPPED. 99

two o'clock they had to drop anchor again close under some
high land, on the top of which stood a lofty tower.

" That is a land-mark," the captain said. " There are some
bad sands outside us, and that stands as a mark for vessels
coming through."

Cyril had enjoyed the quiet passage much. The wound at
the back of his head still smarted, and he had felt disinclined
for any exertion. More than once, in spite of the good
allowance of sleep he had had, he dosed off as he sat on the
deck with his back against the bulwark, watching the shore
as they drifted slowly past it, and wondering vaguely how it
would all end. They had been anchored but half an hour
when the captain ordered the men to the windlass.

" There is a breeze coming, lads," he said ; " and even if it
only lasts for an hour, it will take us round the head and far
enough into the bay to get into the tide running up the rivers."

The breeze, however, when it came, held steadily, and in two
hours they were off Harwich ; but on coming opposite the
town they turned off up the Orwell, and anchored, after dark,
at a small village some six miles up the river.

" If you will give me your word, lad, that you will not try to
escape, and will not communicate with any one who may come
off from the shore, I will continue to treat you as a passenger ;
but if not, I must fasten you up in the cabin, and keep a
watch over you."

" I will promise, captain. I should not know where to go
if I landed. I heard you say, ' There is Harwich steeple,' when
we first came in sight of it, but where that is I have no idea,
nor how far we are from London. As I have not a penny
in my pocket, I should find it well-nigh impossible to make my
way to town, which may, for aught I know, be a hundred
miles away ; for, in truth, I know but little of the geography
of England, having been brought up in France, and not
having been out of sight of London since I came over."

Just as he was speaking, the splash of an oar was heard
close by.

100 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

" Up, men," the captain said in a low tone to those in the
fo'castle. " Bring up the cutlasses. Who is that 1 " he called,
hailing the boat.

" Merry men all," was the reply.

" All right. Come alongside. You saw our signal, then ? "

" Ay, ay, we saw it ; but there is an officer with a boat-
load of sailors ashore from the King's ship at Harwich. He
is spending the evening with the revenue captain here, and
we had to wait until the two men left in charge of the boat
went up to join their comrades at the tavern. What have
you got for us 1 "

" Six boxes and a lot of dunnage, such as cables, chains,
and some small anchors."

" Well, you had better wait for an hour before you take the
hatches off. You will hear the gig with the sailors row past
soon. The tide has begun to run down strong, and I expect
the officer won't be long before he moves. As soon as he has
gone we will come out again. We shall take the goods up
half a mile farther. The revenue man on that beat has been
paid to keep his eyes shut, and we shall get them all stored
in a hut, a mile away in the woods, before daybreak. You
know the landing-place ; there will be water enough for us to
row in there for another two hours."

The boat rowed away to the shore, which was not more than
a hundred yards distant. A little later they heard a stir
on the strand, then came the sound of oars, and two minutes
later a boat shot past close to them, and then, bearing away,
rowed down the river.

" Now, lads," the captain said, " get the hatches off. The
wind is coming more off shore, which is all the better for us,
but do not make more noise than you can help."

The hatches were taken off, and the men proceeded to get up
a number of barrels and bales, some sail-cloth being thrown on
the deck to deaden the sound. Lanterns, passed down into the
hold, gave them light for their operations.

" This is the lot," one of the sailors said presently.

KIDNAPPED. 101

Six large boxes were then passed up and put apart from the
others. Then followed eight or ten coils of rope, a quantity of
chain, some kedge anchors, a number of blocks, five rolls of
canvas, and some heavy bags that, by the sound they made
when they were laid down, Cyril judged to contain metal articles
of some sort. Then the other goods were lowered into the
hold and the hatches replaced. The work had scarcely con-
cluded when the boat again came alongside, this time with four
men on board. Scarcely a word was spoken as the goods were
transferred to the boat.

" You will be going to-morrow 1 " one of the men in the
boat asked.

" Yes, I shall get up to Ipswich on the top of the tide — that
is, if I don't stick fast in this crooked channel. My cargo is
all either for Ipswich or Aldborough. Now let us turn in,"
as the boatmen made their way up the river. " We must be
under way before daylight, or else we shall not save the tide
down to-morrow evening. I am glad we have got that lot
safely off. I always feel uncomfortable until we get rid of that
part of the cargo. If it wasn't that it paid better than all the
rest together I would not have anything to do with it."

Cyril was very glad to lie down on the locker, while the
men turned into their berths overhead. He had not yet fully
recovered from the effects of the blow he had received, but in
spite of the aching of his head he was soon sound asleep.
It seemed to him that he had scarcely closed his eyes when he
was roused by the captain's voice, —

" Tumble up, lads. The light is beginning to show."

Ten minutes later they were under way. The breeze had
almost died out, and after sailing for some two miles in nearly
a straight course, the boat was thrown over, two men got into
it, and, fastening a rope to the ketch's bow, proceeded to tow
her along, the captain taking the helm.

To Cyril's surprise, they turned off almost at right angles to
the course they had before been following, and made straight for
the opposite shore. They approached it so closely that Cyril

102 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

expected that in another moment the craft would take ground,
when, at a shout from the captain, the men in the boat started
off parallel with the shore, taking the craft's head round. For
the next three-quarters of an hour they pursued a serpentine
course, the boy standing in the chains and heaving the lead
continually. At last the captain shouted, — " You can come on
board now, lads. We are in the straight channel at last."
Twenty minutes later they again dropped their anchor oppo-
site a town of considerable size.

" That is Ipswich, lad," the captain said. " It is as nasty a
place to get into as there is in England, unless you have got
the wind due aft."

The work of unloading began at once, and was carried on
until after dark.

" That is the last of them," the captain said, to Cyril's
satisfaction. " We can be off now when the tide turns,
and if we hadn't got clear to-night we might have lost
hours, for there is no getting these people on shore to under-
stand that the loss of a tide means the loss of a day, and that
it is no harder to get up and do your work at one hour than
it is at another. I shall have a clean up, now, and go ashore.
I have got your promise, lad, that you won't try to escape 1 "

Cyril assented. Standing on the deck there, with the river
bank but twenty yards away, it seemed hard that he should
not be able to escape. But, as he told himself, he would not
have been standing there if it had not been for that promise,
but would have been lying, tightly bound, down in the hold.

Cyril and the men were asleep when the captain came aboard,
the boy alone remaining up to fetch him off in the boat when
he hailed.

" There is no wind, captain," Cyril said, as the anchor was
got up.

" No, lad, I am glad there is not. We can drop down with
the tide and the boat towing us, but if there was a head wind
we might have to stop here till it either dropped or shifted.
I have been here three weeks at a spell. I got some news

KIDNAPPED. 103

ashore," he went on, as he took his place at the helm, while
the three men rowed the boat ahead. " A man I sometimes
bring things to told me that he heard there had been an attempt
to rescue the men concerned in that robbery. I heard, before
I left London, it was likely that it would be attempted. There
were a lot of people concerned in that affair, one way and
another, and I knew they would move heaven and earth to get
them out, for if any of them peached there would be such
a haul as the constables never made in the city before.
Word was passed to the prisoners to be ready, and as they
were being taken from the Guildhall to Newgate there was
a sudden rush made. The constables were not caught napping,
and there was a tough fight, till the citizens ran out of their
shops and took part with them, and the men, who were sailors,
watermen, 'longshore-men, and rascals of all sorts, bolted.

" But two of the prisoners were missing. One was, I heard,
an apprentice who was mixed up in the affair, and no one saw
him go. They say he must have stooped down and wriggled
away into the crowd. The other was a man they called Black
Dick; he struck down two constables, broke through the
crowd, and got clean away. There is a great hue and cry,
but so far nothing has been heard of them. They will be
kept in hiding somewhere till there is a chance of getting
them through the gates or on board a craft lying in the river.
Our men made a mess of it, or they would have got them all
off. I hear that they are all in a fine taking that Marner
is safely lodged in Newgate with the others taken in his house ;
he knows so much that if he chose to peach he could hang
a score of men. Black Dick could tell a good deal, but he
wasn't in all the secrets, and they say Marner is really the
head of the band and had a finger in pretty nigh every
robbery through the country. All those taken in his place
are also in Newgate, and they say the constables are searching
the city like ferrets in a rabbit-warren, and that several other
arrests have been made."

" I am not sorry the apprentice got away," Cyril said. " He

104 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

is a bad fellow, there is no doubt, and, by the look he gave me,
he would do me harm if he got a chance, but I suppose that is
only natural. As to the other man, he looked to me to be
a desperate villain, and he also gave me so evil a look that,
though he was in the dock with a constable on either side of
him, I felt horribly uncomfortable, especially when I heard
what sort of man he was."

" What did they say of him ? "

" They said they believed he was a man named Ephraim
Fowler, who had murdered the skipper and mate of a coaster
and then went off in the boat."

" Is that the man ? Then truly do I regret that he has
escaped. I knew both John Moore, the master, and George
Monson, the mate, and many a flagon of beer we have emptied
together. If I had known the fellow's whereabouts, I would
have put the constables on his track. I am heartily sorry now,
boy, that I had a hand in carrying you off, though maybe it
is best for you that it has been so. If I hadn't taken you
some one else would, and more than likely you would not
have fared so well as you have done, for some of them would
have saved themselves all further trouble and risk, by chucking
you overboard as soon as they were well out of the Pool."

" Can't you put me ashore now, captain ? "

" No, boy ; I have given my word and taken my money,
and I am not one to fail to carry out a bargain because I find
that I have made a bad one. They have trusted me with
thousands of pounds' worth of goods, and I have no reason
to complain of their pay, and am not going to turn my back on
them now they have got into trouble ; besides, though I would
trust you not to round upon me, I would not trust them. If
you were to turn up in London they would know that I had
sold them, and Marner would soon hear of it. There is a way
of getting messages to a man even in prison. Then you may
be sure that, if he said nothing else, he would take good care
to let out that I was the man who used to carry their booty
away, sometimes to quiet places on the coast, and sometimes

KIDNAPPED. 105

across to Holland, and the first time I dropped anchor in
the Pool I should find myself seized and thrown into limbo.
No, lad ; I must carry out my agreement — which is that I am
not to land you in England, but that I am to take you across
to Holland or elsewhere — the elsewhere meaning that if you
fall overboard by the way there will be no complaints as to
the breach of the agreement. That is, in fact, what they
really meant, though they did not actually put it into words.
They said, ' We have a boy who is an informer, and has
been the means of Marner being seized and his place broken
up, and there is no saying that a score of us may not get a
rope round our necks. In consequence, we want him carried
away. What you do with him is nothing to us so long as he
don't set foot in England again.' ' Will Holland suit you ?
I am going across there,' I said, ' after touching at Ipswich and
Aldborough.' ' It would be much safer for you and every one
else if it happen that he falls over before he gets there. How-
ever, we will call it Holland.' "

" Then if I were to fall overboard," Cyril said, with a smile,
" you would not be breaking your agreement, captain ? I
might fall overboard to-night, you know."

" I would not advise it, lad. You had much better stay where
you are. I don't say I mightn't anchor off Harwich, and that
if yo\i fell overboard you couldn't manage to swim ashore, but
I tell you I would not give twopence for your life when you
got back to London. It is to the interest of a score of men to
keep Marner's mouth shut. They have shown their willingness
to help him as far as they could, by getting you out of the
way, and if you got back they would have your life the first
time you ventured out of doors after dark; they would be
afraid Marner would suppose they had sold him if you were
to turn up at his trial, and as like as not he would round on the
whole lot. Besides, I don't think it would be over safe for
me the first time I showed myself in London afterwards, for,
though I never said that I would do it, I have no doubt they
reckoned that I should chuck you overboard, and if you

106 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

were to make your appearance in London they would certainly
put it down that I had sold them. You keep yourself quiet,
and I will land you in Holland, but not as they would expect,
without a penny or a friend ; I will put you into good hands,
and arrange that you shall be sent back again as soon as the
trial is over."

"Thank you very much, captain. I have no relations in
London, and no friends, except my employer, Captain David
Dowsett, and by this time he will have made up his mind that
I am dead, and it won't make much difference whether I
return in four or five days or as many weeks."

CHAPTER VI.

A NARKOW ESCAPE.

Eliza, for this Cyril, after leaving Ipswich, learnt was
JL her name, unloaded the rest of her cargo at Aldborough,
and then sailed across to Rotterdam. The skipper fulfilled
his promise by taking Cyril to the house of one of the men
with whom he did business, and arranging with him to board
the boy until word came that he could safely return to England.
The man was a diamond -cutter, and to him packets of jewellery
and gems that could not be disposed of in England had often
been brought over by the captain. The latter had nothing to
do with the pecuniary arrangements, which were made direct
by Marner, and he had only to hand over the packets and take
back sums of money to England.

" You understand," the captain said to Cyril, " that I have
not said a word touching the matter for which you are here.
I have only told him that it had been thought it was as well
you should be out of England for a time. Of course, he under-
stood that you were wanted for an affair in which you had
taken part ; but it matters not what he thinks. I have paid

A NARROW ESCAPE. 107

him for a month's board for you, and here are three pounds,
which will be enough to pay for your passage back if I myself
should not return. If you do not hear from me, or see the
Eliza, within four weeks, there is no reason why you should not
take passage back. The trial will be over by that time, and
as the members of the gang have done their part in preventing
you from appearing, I see not why they should have further
grudge against you."

" I cannot thank you too much for your kindness, captain.
I trust that when I get back you will call at Captain Dowsett's
store in Tower Street, so that I may see you and again thank
you ; I know that the Captain himself will welcome you heartily
when I tell him how kindly you have treated me. He will be
almost as glad as I shall myself to see you. I suppose you
could not take him a message or letter from me now ? "

" I think not, lad. It would never do for him to be able to
say at the trial that he had learnt you had been kidnapped.
They might write over here to the Dutch authorities about
you. There is one thing further. From what I heard when
I landed yesterday, it seems that there is likely to be war be-
tween Holland and England."

" I heard a talk of it in London," Cyril said, " but I do not
rightly understand the cause, nor did I inquire much about
the matter."

" It is something about the colonies, and our taxing their
goods, but I don't rightly understand the quarrel, except that
the Dutch think, now that Blake is gone and our ships for
the most part laid up, they may be able to take their revenge
for the lickings we have given them. Should there be war,
as you say you speak French as well as English, I should
think you had best make your way to Dunkirk as a young
Frenchman, and from there you would find no difficulty in
crossing to England."

" I know Dunkirk well, captain, having indeed lived there
all my life. I should have no difficulty in travelling through
Holland as a French boy."

108 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

" If there is a war," the captain said, " I shall, of course,
come here no more ; but it may be that you will see me at
Dunkirk. French brandy sells as well as Dutch Schiedam,
and if I cannot get the one I may perhaps get the other ; and
there is less danger in coming to Dunkirk and making across
to Harwich than there is in landing from Calais or Nantes
on the south coast, where the revenue men are much more on
the alert than they are at Harwich."

" Are you not afraid of getting your boat captured ? You
said it was your own."

" Not much, lad. I bring over a regular cargo, and the
kegs are stowed away under the floor of the cabin, and I run
them at Pin-mill — that is the place we anchored the night
before we got to Ipswich. I have been overhauled a good
many times, but the cargo always looks right, and after
searching it for a bit, they conclude it is all regular. You see,
I don't bring over a great quantity — fifteen or twenty kegs is
as much as I can stow away: — and it is a long way safer being
content with a small profit than trying to make a big one."

Cyril parted with regret from the captain, whose departure
had been hastened by a report that war might be declared at
any moment, in which case the Eliza might have been detained
for a considerable time. He had, therefore, been working
almost night and day to get in his cargo, and Cyril had re-
mained on board until the last moment. He had seen the
diamond dealer but once, and hoped that he should not meet
him often, for he felt certain that awkward questions would be
asked him. This man was in the habit of having dealings with
Marner, and had doubtless understood from the captain that
he was in some way connected with his gang ; and were he
to find out the truth he would view him with the reverse of a
friendly eye. He had told him that he was to take his meals
with his clerk, and Cyril hoped, therefore, that he should
seldom see him.

He wandered about the wharf until it became dark. Then
he went in and took supper with the clerk. As the latter

A NARROW ESCAPE. 109

spoke Dutch only, there was no possibility of conversation.
Cyril was thinking of going up to his bed when there was a
ring at the bell. The clerk went to answer it, leaving the door
open as he went out, and Cyril heard a voice ask, in English,
if Herr Schweindorf was in. The clerk said something in
Dutch.

" The fool does not understand English, Robert," the man
said.

" Tell him," he said, in a louder voice, to the clerk, " that
two persons from England — England, you understand — who
have only just arrived, want to see him on particular
business. There, don't be blocking up the door ; just go and
tell your master what I told you."

He pushed his way into the passage, and the clerk, seeing
that there was nothing else to do, went upstairs.

A minute later he came down again, and made a sign for
them to follow him. As they went up Cyril stole out and
looked after them. The fact that they had come from
England, and that one of them was named Robert, and that
they had business with this man, who was in connection with
Marner, had excited his suspicions, but he felt a shiver of
fear run through him as he recognised the figures of Robert
Ash ford and the man who was called Black Dick. He
remembered the expression of hatred with which they had
regarded him in the Court, and felt that his danger would be
great indeed did they hear that he was in Rotterdam. A
moment's thought convinced him that they would almost
certainly learn this at once from his host. The latter would
naturally mention that the captain had left a lad in his
charge who was, as he believed, connected with them. They
would denounce him as an enemy instead of a friend. The
diamond merchant would expel him from his house, terrified
at the thought that he possessed information as to his dealings
with this band in England ; and once beyond the door he
would, in this strange town, be at the mercy of his enemies.
Cyril's first impulse was to run back into the room, seize his

110 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

cap, and fly. He waited, however, until the clerk came down
again; then he put his cap carelessly on his head.

" I am going for a walk," he said, waving his hand vaguely.

The man nodded, went with him to the door, and Cyril
heard him put up the bar after he had gone out. He walked
quietly away, for there was no fear of immediate pursuit.
Black Dick had probably brought over some more jewels to
dispose of, and that business would be transacted, before there
would be any talk of other matters. It might be a quarter
of an hour before they heard that he was an inmate of the
house ; then, when they went downstairs with the dealer,
they would hear that he had gone out for a walk and would
await his return, so that he had two or three hours at least
before there would be any search.

It was early yet. Some of the boats might be discharging
by torchlight. At any rate, he might hear of a ship starting
in the morning. He went down to the wharf. There was
plenty of bustle here; boats were landing fish, and larger
craft were discharging or taking in cargo ; but his inability to
speak Dutch prevented his asking questions. He crossed to
the other side of the road. The houses here were principally
stores or drinking taverns. In the window of one was stuck
up, " English and French Spoken Here." He went inside,
walked up to the bar, and called for a glass of beer in
English.

"You speak English, landlord?" he asked, as the mug
was placed before him,

The latter nodded.

" I want to take passage either to England or to France,"
he said. " I came out here but a few days ago, and I hear
that there is going to be trouble between the two countries.
It will therefore be of no use my going on to Amsterdam.
I wish to get back again, for I am told that if I delay I may
be too late. I cannot speak Dutch, and therefore cannot
inquire if any boat will be sailing in the morning for England
or Dunkirk. I have acquaintances in Dunkirk, and speak

A NARROW ESCAPE. Ill

French, so it makes no difference to me whether I go there or
to England."

" My boy speaks French," the landlord said, " and if you
like he can go along the port with you. Of course, you will
give him something for his trouble 1 "

" Willingly," Cyril said, " and be much obliged to you into
the bargain."

The landlord left the bar and returned in a minute with a
boy twelve years old.

" He does not speak French very well," he said, " but I
daresay it will be enough for your purpose. I have told him
that you want to take ship to England, or that, if you cannot
find one, to Dunkirk. If that will not do, Ostend might suit
you. They speak French there, and there are boats always
going between there and England."

" That would do ; though I should prefer the other."

" There would be no difficulty at any other time in getting
a boat for England, but I don't know whether you will do so
now. They have been clearing off for some days, and I
doubt if you will find an English ship in port now, though
of course there may be those who have been delayed for their
cargo."

Cyril went out with the boy, and after making many
inquiries learnt that there was but one English vessel still in
port. However, Cyril told his guide that he would prefer one
for Dunkirk if they could find one, for if war were declared
before the boat sailed, she might be detained. After some
search they found a coasting scow that would sail in the
morning.

" They will touch at two or three places," the boy said to
Cyril, after a talk with the captain ; " but if you are not in a
hurry, he will take you and land you at Dunkirk for a pound
— that is, if he finds food ; if you find food he will take you
for eight shillings. He will start at daybreak."

"Tell him that I agree to his price. I don't want the
trouble of getting food. As he will be going so early, I will

112 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

come on board at once. I will get my bundle, and will be
back in half an hour."

He went with the boy to one of the sailors' shops near,
bought a rough coat and a thick blanket, had them wrapped
up into a parcel, and then, after paying the boy, went on
board.

As he expected, he found there were no beds or accommoda-
tion for passengers, so he stretched himself on a locker in the
cabin, covered himself with his blanket, and put the coat
under his head for a pillow. His real reason for choosing this
craft in preference to the English ship was that he thought
it probable that, when he did not return to the house,
it would at once be suspected that he had recognised the
visitors, and was not going to return at all. In that case,
they might suspect that he would try to take passage to
England, and would, the first thing in the morning, make a
search for him on board any English vessels that might be in
the port.

It would be easy then for them to get him ashore, for the
diamond merchant might accuse him of theft, and so get him
handed over to him. Rather than run that risk, he would
have started on foot had he not been able to find a native
craft sailing early in the morning. Failing Dunkirk and
Ostend, he would have taken a passage to any other Dutch
port, and run his chance of getting a ship from there. The
great point was to get away from Rotterdam.

The four men forming the crew of the scow returned late,
and by their loud talk Cyril, who kept his eyes closed, judged
that they were in liquor. In a short time they climbed up
into their berths, and all was quiet. At daybreak they were
called up by the captain. Cyril lay quiet until, by the rippling
of the water against the side, he knew that the craft was
under way. He waited a few minutes, and then went up on
deck. The scow, clumsy as she looked, was running along
fast before a brisk wind, and in an hour Rotterdam lay far
behind them.

A. NARROW ESCAPE. 113

The voyage was a pleasant one. They touched at Dordrecht,
at Steenbergen on the mainland, and Flushing, staying a few
hours in each place to take in or discharge cargo. After this,
they made out from the Islands, and ran along the coast,
putting into Ostend and Nieuport, and, four days after start-
ing, entered the port of Dunkirk.

Cyril did not go ashore at any of the places at which they
stopped. It was possible that war might have been declared
with England, and as it might be noticed that he was a
foreigner he would in that case be questioned and arrested.
As soon, therefore, as they neared a quay, he went down to
the cabin and slept until they got under way again. The
food was rough, but wholesome; it consisted entirely of fish
and black bread ; but the sea air gave him a good appetite,
and he was in high spirits at the thought that he had escaped
from danger and was on his way back again. At Dunkirk
he was under the French flag, and half an hour after landing
had engaged a passage to London on a brig that was to sail
on the following day. The voyage was a stormy one, and
he rejoiced in the possession of his great-coat, which he had
only bought in order that he might have a packet to bring
on board the scow, and so avoid exciting any suspicion or
question as to his being entirely unprovded with luggage.

It was three days before the brig dropped anchor in the
Pool. As soon as she did so, Cyril hailed a waterman, and
spent almost his last remaining coin in being taken to shore.
He was glad that it was late in the afternoon and so dark
that his attire would not be noticed. His clothes had suffered
considerably from his capture and confinement on board the
JEliza, and his great-coat was of a rough appearance that
was very much out of character in the streets of London.
He had, however, but a short distance to traverse before he
reached the door of the house. He rang at the bell, and the
door was opened by John Wilkes.

" What is it ? " the latter asked. " The shop is shut for the
night, and I ain't going to open for any one. -At half -past

(948) H

114 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

seven in the morning you can get what you want, but not
before."

" Don't you know me, John ? " Cyril laughed.

The old sailor stepped back as if struck with a blow.

" Eh, what?" he exclaimed. " Is it you, Cyril? Why, we
had all thought you dead ! I did not know you in this dim light
and in that big coat you have got on. Come upstairs, master.
Captain Dave and the ladies will be glad indeed to see you.
They have been mourning for you sadly, I can tell you."

Cyril took off his wrap and hung it on a peg, and then
followed John upstairs.

" There, Captain Dave," the sailor said, as he opened the door
of the sitting-room. " There is a sight for sore eyes ! — a sight
you never thought you would look on again."

For a moment Captain Dave, his wife, and daughter stared
at Cyril as if scarce believing their eyes. Then the Captain
sprang to his feet.

"It's the lad, sure enough. Why, Cyril," he went on,
seizing him by the hand, and shaking it violently, " we had
never thought to see you alive again ; we made sure that
those pirates had knocked you on the head, and that you
were food for fishes by this time. There has been no com-
forting my good wife; and as to Nellie, if it had been a
brother she had lost, she could not have taken it more
hardly."

" They did knock me on the head, and very hard too, Captain
Dave. If my skull hadn't been quite so thick. I should, as you
say, have been food for fishes before now, for that is what
they meant me for, and there is no thanks to them that I am
here at present. I am sorry that you have all been made so
uncomfortable about me."

"We should have been an ungrateful lot indeed if we had
not, considering that in the first place you saved us from being
ruined by those pirates, and that it was, as we thought, owing
to the services you had done us that you had come to your
end."

A NARROW ESCAPE. 115

"But where have you been, Master Cyril?" Nellie broke
in. " What has happened to you ? We have been picturing
all sorts of horrors, mother and I. That evil had befallen
you we were sure, for we knew that you would not go away
of a sudden, in this fashion, without so much as saying good-bye.
We feared all the more when, two days afterwards, the wretches
were so bold as to attack the constables, and to rescue Robert
Ashford and another from their hands. Men who would do
this in broad daylight would surely hesitate at nothing."

" Let him eat his supper without asking further questions,
Nellie," her father said. " It is ill asking one with victuals
before him to begin a tale that may, for aught I know, last
an hour. Let him have his food, lass, and then I will light
my pipe, and John Wilkes shall light his here instead of going
out for it, and we will have the yarn in peace and comfort.
It spoils a good story to hurry it through. Cyril is here, alive
and well; let that content you for a few minutes."

" If I must, I must," Nellie said, with a little pout. " But
you should remember, father, that, while you have been all
your life having adventures of some sort, this is the very first
that I have had ; for though Cyril is the one to whom it befell,
it is all a parcel with the robbery of the house and the
capture of the thieves."

" When does the trial come off, Captain Dave ? "

" It came off yesterday. Marner is to be hung at the end
of the week. He declared that he was but in the lane by
accident when two lads opened the gate. He and the man with
him, seeing that they were laden with goods, would have seized
them, when they themselves were attacked and beaten down.
But this ingenuity did not save him. Tom Frost had been
admitted as King's evidence, and testified that Marner had been
several times at the gate with the fellow that escaped, to receive
the stolen goods. Moreover, there were many articles among
those found at his place that I was able to swear to, besides
the proceeds of over a score of burglaries. The two men taken
in his house will have fifteen years in gaol. The women got

116 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

off scot-free ; there was no proof that they had taken part in
the robberies, though there is little doubt they knew all about
them."

" But how did they prove the men were concerned? "

"They got all the people whose property had been found
there, and four of these, on seeing the men in the yard at
Newgate, were able to swear to them as having been among
those who came into their rooms and frightened them well-nigh
to death. It was just a question whether they should be
hung or not, and there was some wonder that the Judge let
them escape the gallows."

" And what has become of Tom ? "

" They kept Tom in the prison till last night. I saw him
yesterday, and I am sure the boy is mighty sorry for having
been concerned in the matter, being, as I truly believe, terri-
fied into it. I had written down to an old friend of mine who
has set up in. the same way as myself at Plymouth. Of course
I told him all the circumstances, but assured him, that accord-
ing to my belief, the boy was not so much to blame, and that
I was sure the lesson he had had, would last him for life ;
so I asked him to give Tom another chance, and if he did so,
to keep the knowledge of this affair from every one. I got his
answer yesterday morning, telling me to send him down to
him ; he would give him a fair trial, and if he wasn't altogether
satisfied with him, would then get him a berth as ship's boy.
So, last night after dark, he was taken down by John Wilkes,
and put on board a coaster bound for Plymouth. I would
have taken him back here, but after your disappearance I
feared that his life would not be safe ; for although they had
plenty of other cases they could have proved against Marner,
Tom's evidence brought this business home to him."

Captain Dave would not allow Cyril to begin his story until
the table had been cleared and he and John Wilkes had
lighted their pipes. Then Cyril told his adventure, the earlier
part of which elicited many exclamations of pity from Dame
Dowsett and Mistress Nellie, and some angry ejaculations from

A NARROW ESCAPE. 117

the Captain when he heard that Black Dick and Robert Ashford
had got safely off to Holland.

"By St. Anthony, lad," he broke out, when the story was
finished, " you had a narrow escape from those villains at Rotter-
dam. Had it chanced that you were out at the time they came,
I would not have given a groat for your life. By all accounts,
that fellow Black Dick is a desperate villain. They say that
they had got hold of evidence enough against him to hang a
dozen men, and it seems that there is little doubt that he was
concerned in several cases, where, not content with robbing,
the villain had murdered the inmates of lonely houses round
London. He had good cause for hating you. It was through
you that he had been captured, and had lost his share in all
that plunder at Marner's. Well, I trust the villain will never
venture to show his face in London again ; but there is never
any saying. I should like to meet that captain who behaved
so well to you, and I will meet him too, and shake him by the
hand and tell him that any gear he may want for that ketch
of his, he is free to come in here to help himself. There is
another thing to be thought of. I must go round in the
morning to the Guildhall and notify the authorities that you
have come back. There has been a great hue and cry for you.
They have seai-ched the thieves' dens of London from attic to
cellar ; there have been boats out looking for your body ; and
on the day after you were missing they overhauled all the
ships in the port. Of course the search has died out now, but
I must go and tell them, and you will have to give them the
story of the affair."

" I sha'n't say a word that will give them a clue that will
help them to lay hands on the captain. He saved my life,
and no one could have been kinder than he was. I would
rather go away for a time altogether, for I don't see how I
am to tell the story without injuring him."

"No; it is awkward, lad. I see that, even if you would
not give them the name of the craft, they might find out
what vessels went into Ipswich on that morning, and also the

118 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

names of those that sailed from Rotterdam on the day she
left."

" It seems to me, Captain, that the only way will be for me
to say the exact truth, namely, that I gave my word to the
captain that I would say naught of the matter. I could tell
how I was struck down, and how I did not recover conscious-
ness until I found myself in a boat, and was lifted on board a
vessel and put down into the hold, and was there kept until
morning. I could say that when I was let out I found we
were far down the river, that the captain expressed great
regret when he found that I had been hurt so badly, that he
did everything in his power for me, and that after I had been
some days on board the ship he offered to land me in Holland,
and to give me money to pay my fare back here if I would
give him my word of honour not to divulge his name or the
name of the ship, or that of the port at which he landed me. Of
course, they can imprison me for a time if I refuse to tell, but
I would rather stay in gaol for a year than say aught that
might set them upon the track of Captain Madden. It was
not until the day he left me in Holland that I knew his
name, for of course the men always called him captain, and
so did I."

" That is the only way I can see out of it, lad. I don't
think they will imprison you after the service you have done
in enabling them to break up this gang, bring the head of it
to justice, and recover a large amount of property."

So indeed, on their going to the Guildhall next morning,
it turned out. The sitting Alderman threatened Cyril with
committal to prison unless he gave a full account of all that
had happened to him, but Captain Dowsett spoke up for him,
and said boldly that instead of punishment he deserved honour
for the great service he had done to justice, and that, more-
over, if he were punished for refusing to keep the promise
of secrecy he had made, there was little chance in the future of
desperate men sparing the lives of those who fell into their
hands. They would assuredly murder them in self-defence if

A NARROW ESCAPE. 119

they knew that the law would force them to break any promise
of silence they might have made. The Magistrate, after a
consultation with the Chief Constable, finally came round
to this view, and permitted Cyril to leave the Court, after
praising him warmly for the vigilance he had shown in the
protection of his employer's interests. He regretted that he
had not been able to furnish them with the name of a man
who had certainly been, to some extent, an accomplice of
those who had assaulted him, but this was not, however, so
much to be regretted, since the man had done all in his power
to atone for his actions.

" There is no further information you can give us, Master
Cyril ? "

" Only this, your worship : that on the day before I left
Holland, I caught sight of the two persons who had escaped
from the constables. They had just landed."

" I am sorry to hear it," the Alderman said. " I had hoped
that they were still in hiding somewhere in the City, and that
the constables might yet be able to lay hands on them. How-
ever, I expect they will be back again ere long. Your ill-doer
is sure to return here sooner or later, either with the hope of
further gain, or because he cannot keep away from his old
haunts and companions. If they fall into the hands of the City
constables, I will warrant they won't escape again."

He nodded to Cyril, who understood that his business was
over and left the Court with Captain Dave.

" I am not so anxious as the Alderman seemed to be that
Black Dick and Robert Ashford should return to London,
Captain Dave."

" No ; I can understand that, Cyril. And even now that
you know they are abroad, it would be well to take every
precaution, for the others whose business has been sorely
interrupted by the capture of that villain Marner may again
try to do you harm. No doubt other receivers will fill his
place in time, but the loss of a ready market must incommode
them much. Plate they can melt down themselves, and J

120 WEEN LONDON BURNED.

reckon they would have but little difficulty in finding knaves
ready to purchase the products of the melting-pot ; but it is
only a man with premises specially prepared for it who will
buy goods of all kinds, however bulky, without asking questions
about them."

Cyril was now in high favour with Mistress Nellie, and
whenever he was not engaged when she went out he was
invited to escort her.

One day he went with her to hear a famous preacher hold
forth at St. Paul's. Only a portion of the cathedral was
used for religious services ; the rest was utilised as a sort of
public promenade, and here people of all classes met— gallants
of the Court, citizens, their wives and daughters, idlers and
loungers, thieves and mendicants.

As Nellie walked forward to join the throng gathered near
the pulpit, Cyril noticed a young man in a Court suit, standing
among a group who were talking and laughing much louder
than was seemly, take off his plumed hat, and make a deep
bow, to which she replied by a slight inclination of the head,
and passed on with somewhat heightened colour.

Cyril waited until the service was over, when, as he left
the cathedral with her, he asked, —

" Who was that ruffler in gay clothes, who bowed so deeply
to you, Mistress Nellie ? — that is, if there is no indiscretion in
my asking."

" I met him in a throng while you were away," she said,
with an attempt at carelessness which he at once detected.
" There was a great press, and I well-nigh fainted, but he
very courteously came to my assistance, and brought me safely
out of the crowd."

" And doubtless you have seen him since, Mistress ? "

Nellie tossed her head.

" I don't see what right you have to question me, Master
Cyril ? "

" No right at all," Cyril replied good-temperedly, " save
that I am an inmate of your father's house, and have received

A NARROW ESCAPE. 121

great kindness from him, and I doubt if he would be pleased
if he knew that you bowed to a person unknown to him and
unknown, I presume, to yourself, save that he has rendered
you a passing service."

" He is a gentleman of the Court, I would have you know,"
she said angrily.

" I do not know that that is any great recommendation if
the tales one hears about the Court are true," Cyril replied
calmly. " I cannot say I admire either his companions or his
manners, and if he is a gentleman he should know that if
he wishes to speak to an honest citizen's daughter it were
only right that he should first address himself to her father."

" Heigh ho ! " Nellie exclaimed, with her face flushed with
indignation. " Who made you my censor, I should like to
know? I will thank you to attend to your own affairs, and to
leave mine alone."

" The affairs of Captain Dave's daughter are mine so long
as I am abroad with her," Cyril said firmly. " I am sorry to
displease you, but I am only doing what I feel to be my duty.
Methinks that, were John Wilkes here in charge of you, he
would say the same, only probably he would express his opinion
as to yonder gallant more strongly than I do ; " he nodded in
the direction of the man, who had followed them out of the
cathedra], and was now walking on the other side of the street
and evidently trying to attract Nellie's attention.

Nellie bit her lips. She was about to answer him passion-
ately, but restrained herself with a great effort.

" You are mistaken in the gentleman, Cyril," she said, after
a pause ; " he is of a good family, and heir to a fine estate."

" Oh, he has told you as much as that, has he ? Well,
Mistress Nellie, it may be as he says, but surely it is for
your father to inquire into that, when the gentleman comes
forward in due course and presents himself as a suitor. Fine
feathers do not always make fine birds, and a man may ruffle
it at King Charles's Court without ten guineas to shake in
his purse."

122 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

At this moment the young man crossed the street, and,
bowing deeply to Nellie, was about to address her when Cyril
said gravely, —

" Sir, I am not acquainted with your name, nor do I know
more about you save that you are a stranger to this lady's
family. That being so, and as she is at present under my
escort, I must ask you to abstain from addressing her."

" You insolent young varlet ! " the man said furiously. " Had
I a cane instead of a sword I would chastise you for your
insolence."

" That is as it may be," Cyril said quietly. " That sort of
thing may do down at Whitehall, but if you attempt to make
trouble here in Cheapside you will very speedily find yourself
in the hands of the watch."

" For Heaven's sake, sir," Nellie said anxiously, as several
passers-by paused to see what was the matter, " do not cause
trouble. For my sake, if not for your own, pray leave
me."

" I obey you, Mistress," the man said again, lifting his hat
and bowing deeply. " I regret that the officiousness of this
blundering varlet should have mistaken my intentions, which
were but to salute you courteously."

So saying, he replaced his hat, and, with a threatening scowl
at Cyril, pushed his way roughly through those standing round,
and walked rapidly away.

Nellie was very pale, and trembled from head to foot.

" Take me home, Cyril," she murmured.

He offered her his arm, and he made his way along the
street, while his face flushed with anger at some jeering remarks
he heard from one or two of those who looked on at the scene.
It was not long before Nellie's anger gained the upper hand
of her fears.

" A pretty position you have placed me in, with your inter-
ference ! "

"You mean, I suppose, Mistress Nellie, a pretty position
that man placed you in, by his insolence. What would

"FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE, SIR, DO NOT CAUSE TROUBLE."

A NAREOW ESCAPE. 123

Captain Dave say if he heard that his daughter had been
accosted by a Court gallant in the streets ? "

"Are you going to tell him?" she asked, removing her
hand sharply from his arm.

" I have no doubt I ought to do so, and if you will take
my advice you will tell him yourself as soon as you reach
home, for it may be that among those standing round was
some one who is acquainted with both you and your father ;
and you know as well as I do what Captain Dave would say
if it came to his ears in such fashion."

Nellie walked for some time in silence. Her anger rose
still higher against Cyril at the position in which his inter-
ference had placed her, but she could not help seeing that his
advice was sound. She had indeed met this man several
times, and had listened without chiding to his protestations
of admiration and love. Nellie was ambitious. She had been
allowed to have her own way by her mother, whose sole
companion she had been during her father's absence at sea.
She knew that she was remarkably pretty, and saw no reason
why she, like many another citizen's daughter, should not make
a good match. She had readily given the man her promise to
say nothing at home until he gave her leave to do so, and she
had been weak enough to take all that he said for gospel.
Now she felt that, at any rate, she must smooth matters over
and put it so that as few questions as possible should be asked.
After a long pause, then, she said, —

"Perhaps you are right, Cyril. I will myself tell my father
and mother. I can assure you that I had no idea I should
meet him to-day."

This Cyril could readily believe, for certainly she would not
have asked him to accompany her if she had known. How-
ever, he only replied gravely, —

" I am glad to hear that you will tell them, Mistress Nellie,
and trust that you will take them entirely into your confidence."

This Nellie had no idea of doing ; but she said no further
word until they reached home.

124 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

CHAPTER VII.

SAVED FROM A VILLAIN.

" T FIND that I have to give you thanks for yet another

J_ service, Cyril," Captain Dave said heartily, when they
met the next morning. " Nellie tells me a young Court gallant
had the insolence to try to address her yesterday in Cheapside,
on her way back from St. Paul's, that you prevented his
doing so, and that there was quite a scene in the street. If I
knew who he was I would break his sconce for him, were he
Rochester himself. A pretty pass things have come to, when
a citizen's daughter cannot walk home from St. Paul's without
one of these impudent vagabonds of the Court venturing to
address her ! Know you who he was ] "

" No ; I have never seen the fellow before, Captain Dave.
I do know many of the courtiers by sight, having, when we
first came over, often gone down to Whitehall with my father
when he was seeking to obtain an audience with the King ; but
this man's face is altogether strange to me."

" Well, well ! I will take care that Nellie shall not go
abroad again except under her mother's escort or mine. I
know, Cyril, that she would be as safe under your charge as
in ours, but it is better that she should have the presence of
an older person. It is not that I doubt your courage or your
address, lad, but a ruffling gallant of this sort would know
naught of you, save that you are young, and besides, did you
interfere, there might be a scene that would do serious harm
to Nellie's reputation."

" I agree with you thoroughly, Captain Dave," Cyril said
warmly. " It will be far better that you or Mrs. Dowsett
should be by her side as long as there is any fear of further
annoyance from this fellow. I should ask nothing better than
to try a bout with him myself, for I have been right well

SAVED FROM A VILLAIN. 125

taught how to use iny sword ; but, as you say, a brawl in the
street is of all things to be avoided."

Three or four weeks passed quietly. Nellie seldom went
abroad ; when she did so her mother always accompanied her
if it were in the daytime, and her father whenever she went
to the house of any friend after dusk.

Cyril one day caught sight of the gallant in Tower Street,
and although he was on his way to one of his customers, he at
once determined to break his appointment and to find out who
the fellow was. The man sauntered about looking into the
shops for full half an hour, but it was apparent to Cyril
that he paid little attention to their contents, and was really
waiting for some one. When the clock struck three he
started, stamped his foot angrily on the ground, and, walking
away rapidly to the stairs of London Bridge, took a seat in a
boat, and was rowed up the river.

Cyril waited until he had gone a short distance, and then
hailed a wherry rowing two oars.

" You see that boat over there ? " he said. " I don't wish
to overtake it at present. Keep a hundred yards or so behind
it, but row inshore so that it shall not seem that you are
following them."

The men obeyed his instructions until they had passed the
Temple ; then, as the other boat still kept in the middle of the
stream, Cyril had no doubt that it would continue its course to
Westminster.

" Now stretch to your oars," he said to the watermen. " I
want to get to Westminster before the other boat, and to be
well away from the stairs before it comes up."

The rest of the journey was performed at much greater
speed, and Cyril alighted at Westminster while the other boat
was some three or four hundred yards behind. Paying the
watermen, he went up the stairs, walked away fifty or sixty
yards, and waited until he saw the man he was following
appear. The latter walked quietly up towards Whitehall and
entered a tavern freqiiented by young bloods of the Court.

126 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

Cyril pressed his hat down over his eyes. His dress was not the
same as that in which he had escorted Nellie to the Cathedral,
and he had but small fear of being recognised.

When he entered he sat down at a vacant table, and, having
ordered a stoup of wine, looked round. The man had joined
a knot of young fellows like himself, seated at a table. They
were dissipated-looking blades, and were talking loudly and
boisterously.

"Well, Harvey, how goes it? Is the lovely maiden we saw
when we were with you at St. Paul's ready to drop into your
arms ? "

" Things are going on all right," Harvey said, with an air of
consciousness ; " but she is watched by two griffins, her father
and mother. 'Tis fortunate they do not know me by sight,
and I have thus chances of slipping a note in her hand when
I pass her. I think it will not be long before you will have to
congratulate me."

" She is an heiress and only daughter, is she not, honest
John ? " another asked.

" She is an only child, and her father bears the reputation
of doing a good business ; but as to what I shall finally do, I
shall not yet determine. As to that, I shall be guided by
circumstances."

" Of course, of course," the one who had first spoken said.

Cyril had gained the information he required. The man's
name was John Harvey, and Nellie was keeping up a clandes-
tine correspondence with him. Cyril felt that were he to listen
longer he could not restrain his indignation, and, without
touching the wine he had paid for, he hastily left the tavern.

As he walked towards the city, he was unable to decide what
he had better do. Were he to inform Captain Dave of what
he had heard there would be a terrible scene, and there was
no saying what might happen. Still, Nellie must be saved
from falling into the hands of this fellow, and if he abstained
from telling her father he must himself take steps to prevent
the possibility of such a thing taking place. The more he

SAVED FROM A VILLAIN. 127

thought of it the more he felt of the heavy responsibility it
would be. Anxious as he was to save Nellie from the anger
of her father, it was of far greater consequence to save her
from the consequences of her own folly. At last he resolved
to take John Wilkes into his counsels. John was devoted to
his master, and even if his advice were not of much value, his
aid in keeping watch would be of immense service. Accordingly,
that evening, when John went out for his usual pipe after
supper, Cyril, who had to go to a trader in Holborn, followed
him out quickly and overtook him a few yards from the door.

" I want to have a talk with you, John."

"Ay, ay, sir. Where shall it be? Nothing wrong, I hope?
That new apprentice looks to me an honest sort of chap, and
the man we have got in the yard now is an old mate of mine.
He was a ship's boy on board the Dolphin twenty-five years
back, and he sailed under the Captain till he left the sea. I
would trust that chap just as I would myself."

" It is nothing of that sort, John. It is another sort of
business altogether, and yet it is quite as serious as the last.
I have got half an hour before I have to start to do those
books at Master Hopkins'. Where can we have a talk in a
quiet place where there is no chance of our being overheard ? "

" There is a little room behind the bar at the place I go to,
and I have no doubt the landlord will let us have it, seeing as
I am a regular customer."

" At any rate we can see, John. It is too cold for walk-
ing about talking here ; and, besides, I think one can look at a
matter in all lights much better sitting down than one can
walking about."

" That is according to what you are accustomed to," John
said, shaking his head. " It seems to me that I can look
further into the innards of a question when I am walking up
and down the deck on night watch with just enough wind
aloft to take her along cheerful, and not too much of it, than
I can at any other time ; but then, you see, that is just what
one is accustomed to. This is the place."

128 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

He entered a quiet tavern, and, nodding to five or six weather-
beaten-looking men, who were sitting smoking long pipes, each
with a glass of grog before him, went up to the landlord, who
formed one of the party. He had been formerly the master
of a trader, and had come into the possession of the tavern
by marriage with its mistress, who was still the acting head
of the establishment.

" We have got a piece of business we want to overhaul,
Peter. I suppose we can have that cabin in yonder for a
bit ? "

" Ay, ay. There is a good fire burning. You will find pipe s
on the table. You will want a couple of glasses of grog, of
course ? "

John nodded, and then led the way into the little snuggery
at the end of the room. It had a glass door, so that, if
desired, a view could be obtained of the general room, but
there was a curtain to draw across this. There was a large
oak settle on either side of the fire, and there was a table, with
pipes and a jar of tobacco standing between them.

" This is a tidy little crib," John said, as he seated himself
and began to fill a pipe. " There is no fear of being disturbed
here. There has been many a voyage talked over and arranged
in this 'ere room. They say that Blake himself, when the
Fleet was in the river, would drop in here sometimes, with one
of his captains, for a quiet talk."

A minute later a boy entered and placed two steaming
glasses of grog on the table. The door closed after him, and
John said, —

" Now you can get under way, Master Cyril. You have got
a fair course now, and nothing to bring you up."

"It is a serious matter, John. And before I begin, 1 must
tell you that I rely on your keeping absolute silence as to
what I am going tell you."

" That in course," John said, as he lifted his glass to his lips.
" You showed yourself a first-rate pilot in that last job, and
I am content to sail under you this time without asking any

SAVED FROM A VILLAIN. 129

questions as to the ship's course, and to steer according to
orders."

Cyril told the story, interrupted frequently by angry ejacula-
tions on the part of the old bo'swain.

" Dash my wig ! " he exclaimed, when Cyril came to an end.
" But this is a bad business altogether, Master Cyril. One can
engage a pirate and beat him off if the crew is staunch, but
when there is treason on board ship, it makes it an awkward
job for those in command."

" The question is this, John : ought we to tell the Captain,
or shall we try to take the affair into our own hands, and so
to manage it that he shall never know anything about it ? "

The sailor was silent for a minute or two, puffing his pipe
meditatively.

" I see it is an awkward business to decide," he said. " On
one side, it would pretty nigh kill Captain Dave to know that
Mistress Nellie has been steering wild and has got out of hand.
She is just the apple of his eye. Then, on the other hand, if
we undertook the job without telling him, and one fine morning
we was to find out she was gone, we should be in a mighty bad
fix, for the Captain would turn round and say, ' Why didn't
you tell me? If you had done so, I would have locked her
up under hatches, and there she would be, safe now.' "

" That is just what I see, and it is for that reason I come to
you. I could not be always on the watch, but I think that
you and I together would keep so sharp a look-out that we
might feel pretty sure that she could not get away without
our knowledge."

" We could watch sharply enough at night, Master Cyril.
There would be no fear of her getting away then without our
knowing it. But how would it be during the day 1 There am
I in the shop or store from seven in the morning until we lock
up before supper-time. You are out most of your time, and
when you are not away, you are in the office at the books, and
she is free to go in and out of the front door without either
of us being any the wiser."

( 048 ) I

130 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

" I don't think he would venture to carry her off by day-
light," Cyril said. " She never goes out alone now, and could
scarcely steal away unnoticed. Besides, she would know that
she would be missed directly, and a hue and cry set up. I
should think she would certainly choose the evening, when we
are all supposed to be in bed. He would have a chair waiting
somewhere near; and there are so often chairs going about late,
after city entertainments, that they would get off unnoticed.
I should say the most dangerous time is between nine o'clock
and midnight. She generally goes off to bed at nine or soon
after, and she might very well put on her hood and cloak and
steal downstairs at once, knowing that she would not be missed
till morning. Another dangerous time would be when she
goes out to a neighbour's. The Captain always takes her, and
goes to fetch her at nine o'clock, but she might make some
excuse to leave quite early, and go off in that way."

" That would be awkward, Mr. Cyril, for neither you nor I
could be away at supper-time without questions being asked.
It seems to me that I had better take Matthew into the secret.
As he don't live in the house he could very well watch wherever
she is, till I slip round after supper to relieve him, and he could
watch outside here in the evening till either you or I could
steal downstairs and take his place. You can count on him
keeping his mouth shut just as you can on me. The only
thing is, how is he to stop her if he finds her coming out from
a neighbour's before the Captain has come for her ] "

" If he saw her coming straight home he could follow her to
the door without being noticed, John, but if he found her going
some other way he must follow her till he sees some one speak
to her, and must then go straight up and say, ' Mistress
Dowsett, I am ready to escort you home.' If she orders him off,
or the man she meets threatens him, as is like enough, he must
say, 'Unless you come I shall shout for aid, and call upon passers-
by to assist me ' ; and, rather than risk the exposure, she would
most likely return with him. Of course, he would carry
with him a good heavy cudgel, and choose a thoroughfare

SAVED FROM A VILLAIN. 131

where there are people about to speak to her, and not an
unfrequented passage, for you may be sure the fellow would
have no hesitation in running him through if he could do
so without being observed."

" Matthew is a stout fellow," John Wilkes said, " and was
as smart a sailor as any on board till he had his foot smashed
by being jammed by a spare spar that got adrift in a gale, so
that the doctors had to cut off the leg under the knee, and
leave him to stump about on a timber toe for the rest of his
life. I tell you what, Master Cyril : we might make the thing
safer still if I spin the Captain a yarn as how Matthew has
strained his back and ain't fit to work for a bit ; then I can
take on another hand to work in the yard, and we can put
him on watch all day. He might come on duty at nine o'clock
in the morning, and stop until I relieve him as soon as supper
is over. Of course, he would not keep opposite the house, but
might post himself a bit up or down the street, so that he
could manage to keep an eye on the door."

" That would be excellent," Cyril said. " Of course, at the
supper-hour he could go off duty, as she could not possibly
leave the house between that time and nine o'clock. You
always come in about that hour, and I hear you go up to bed.
When you get there, you should at once take off your boots,
slip downstairs again with them, and go quietly out. I often
sit talking with Captain Dave till half -past nine or ten, but
directly I can get away I will come down and join you. I
think in that way we need feel no uneasiness as to harm coming
from our not telling Captain Dave, for it would be impossible
for her to get off unnoticed. Now that is all arranged I must be
going, for I shall be late at my appointment unless I hurry."

" Shall I go round and begin my watch at once, Master
Cyril?"

" No, there is no occasion for that. We know that he missed
her to-day, and therefore can have made no appointment ; and
I am convinced by what he said to the fellows he met, that
matters are not settled yet. However, we will begin to-morrow.

132 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

You can take an opportunity during the day to tell Matthew
about it, and he can pretend to strain his back in the afternoon,
and you can send him away. He can come round again next
morning early, and when the Captain comes down you can tell
him that you find that Matthew will not be able to work for
the present, and ask him to let you take another man on until
he can come back again."

Cyril watched Nellie closely at meal -times and in the evening
for the next few days. He thought that he should be certain
to detect some slight change in her manner, however well she
might play her part, directly she decided on going off with
this man. She would not dream that she was suspected in
any way, and would therefore be the less cautious. Matthew
kept watch during the day, and followed if she went out with
her father to a neighbour's, remaining on guard outside the
house until John Wilkes relieved him as soon as he had
finished his supper. If she remained at home in the evening
John went out silently, after his return at his usual hour, and
was joined by Cyril as soon as Captain Dave said good-night
and went into his bedroom. At midnight they re-entered the
house and stole up to their rooms, leaving their doors open
and listening attentively for another hour before they tried to
get to sleep.

On the sixth morning Cyril noticed that Nellie was silent
and abstracted at breakfast-time. She went out marketing
with her mother afterwards, and at dinner her mood had
changed. She talked and laughed more than usual. There
was a flush of excitement on her cheeks, and he drew the
conclusion that in the morning she had not come to an absolute
decision, but had probably given an answer to the man during
the time she was out with her mother, and that she felt the
die was now cast.

" Pass the word to Matthew to keep an extra sharp watch
this afternoon and to-morrow, John. I think the time is close
at hand," he said, as they went downstairs together after
dinner.

SAVED FROM A VILLAIN. 133

" Do you think so ? Well, the sooner the better. It is
trying work, this here spying, and I don't care how soon it is
over. I only hope it will end by our running down this pirate
and engaging him."

" I hope so too, John. 1 feel it very hard to be sitting at
table with her and Captain Dave and her mother, and to know
that she is deceiving them."

" I can't say a word for her," the old sailor said, shaking
his head. " She has as good parents as a girl could want to
have. They would give their lives for her, either of them,
cheerful, and there she is thinking of running away from
them with a scamp she knows nothing of and has probably
never spoken with for an hour. I knew her head was a bit
turned with young fellows dangling after her, and by being
noticed by some of the Court gallants at the last City ball,
and by being made the toast by many a young fellow in City
taverns — ' Pretty Mistress Nellie Dowsett ' ; but I did not think
her head was so turned that she would act as she is doing.
Well, well, we must hope that this will be a lesson, Master
Cyril, that she will remember all her life."

" I hope so, John, and I trust that we shall be able to
manage it all so that the matter will never come to her
parents' ears."

" I hope so, and I don't see why it should. The fellow
may bluster, but he will say nothing about it because he would
get into trouble for trying to carry off a citizen's daughter."

" And besides that, John, — which would be quite as serious
in the eyes of a fellow of this sort, — he would have the laugh
against him among all his companions for having been out-
witted in the City. So I think when he finds the game is up
he will be glad enough to make off without causing trouble."

" Don't you think we might give him a sound thrashing ?
It would do him a world of good."

" I don't think it would do a man of that sort much good,
John, and he would be sure to shout, and then there would
be trouble, and the watch might come up, and we should all

134 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

get hauled off together. In the morning the whole story
would be known, and Mistress Nellie's name in the mouth of
every apprentice in the City. No, no ; if he is disposed to go
off quietly, by all means let him go."

" I have no doubt that you are right, Master Cyril, but
it goes mightily against the grain to think that a fellow like
that is to get off with a whole skin. However, if one should
fall foul of him some other time, one might take it out of
him."

Captain Dave found Cyril but a bad listener to his stories
that evening, and, soon after nine, said he should turn in.

" I don't know what ails you to-night, Cyril," he said.
" Your wits are wool-gathering, somewhere. I don't believe
that you heard half that last story I was telling you."

"I heard it all, sir; but I do feel a little out of sorts
this evening."

" You do too much writing, lad. My head would be like
to go to pieces if I were to sit half the hours that you do at
a desk."

When Captain Dave went into his room, Cyril walked
upstairs and closed his bedroom door with a bang, himself
remaining outside. Then he took off his boots, and, holding
them in his hand, went noiselessly downstairs to the front
door. The lock had been carefully oiled, and, after putting
on his boots again, he went out.

" You are right, Master Cyril, sure enough," John Wilkes
said when he joined him, fifty yards away from the house.
"It is to-night she is going to try to make off. I thought
I had best keep Matthew at hand, so I bid him stop till I
came out, then sent him round to have a pint of ale at
the tavern, and when he came back told him he had best
cruise about, and look for signs of pirates. He came back ten
minutes ago, and told me that a sedan chair had just been
brought to the other end of the lane. It was set down some
thirty yards from Fenchurch Street. There were the two
chairmen and three fellows wrapped up in cloaks."

SAVED FROM A VILLAIN. 135

" That certainly looks like action, John. Well, I should say
that Matthew had better take up his station at the other end
of the lane, there to remain quiet until he hears an uproar at
the chair ; then he can run up to our help if we need it. We
will post ourselves near the door. No doubt Harvey, and
perhaps one of his friends, will come and wait for her. We
can't interfere with them here, but must follow and come
up with her just before they reach the chair. The further
they are away from the house the better. Then if there is
any trouble Captain Dave will not hear anything of it.'\

"That will be a good plan of operations," John agreed.
" Matthew is just round the next corner. I will send him to
Fenchurch Street at once."

He went away, and rejoined Cyril in two or three minutes.
They then went along towards the house, and took post in
a doorway on the other side of the street, some thirty yards
from the shop. They had scarcely done so, when they heard
footsteps, and presently saw two men come along in the
middle of the street. They stopped and looked round.

" There is not a soul stirring," one said. " We can give
the signal."

So saying, he sang a bar or two of a song popular at the
time, and they then drew back from the road into a doorway
and waited.

Five minutes later, Cyril and his fellow- watcher heard a
very slight sound, and a figure stepped out from Captain
Dowsett's door. The two men crossed at once and joined her.
A few low words were spoken, and they moved away together,
and turned up the lane.

As soon as they disappeared from sight, Cyril and John
Wilkes issued out. The latter had produced some long strips
of cloth, which he wound round both their boots, so as, he
said, to muffle the oars. Their steps, therefore, as they
followed, were almost noiseless. Walking fast, they came
up to the three persons ahead of them just as they reached
the sedan chair. The two chairmen were standing at the

136 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

poles, and a third man was holding the door open with his
hat in his hand.

"Avast heaving, mates ! " John Wilkes said. " It seems to
me as you are running this cargo without proper permits."

Nellie gave a slight scream on hearing the voice, while the
man beside her stepped forward, exclaiming furiously :

" S'death, sir ! who are you, and what are you interfering
about ? "

" I am an honest man I hope, master. My name is John
Wilkes, and, as that young lady will tell you, I am in the
employ of her father."

" Then I tell you, John Wilkes, or John the Devil, or what-
ever your name may be, that if you don't at once take yourself
off, I will let daylight into you," and he drew his sword, as did
his two companions.

John gave a whistle, and the wooden -legged man was heard
hurrying up from Fenchurch Street.

" Cut the scoundrel down, Penrose," Harvey exclaimed,
" while I put the lady into the chair."

The man addressed sprang at Wilkes, but in a moment
his Court sword was shivered by a blow from the latter's cudgel,
which a moment later fell again on his head, sending him
reeling back several paces.

" Stay, sir, or I will run you through," Cyril said, pricking
Harvey sharply in the arm as he was urging Nellie to enter
the chair.

" Oh, it's you, is it ? " the other exclaimed, in a tone of
fury. " My boy of Cheapside ! Well, I can spare a moment
to punish you."

" Oh, do not fight with him, my lord ! " Nellie exclaimed.

" My lord ! " Cyril laughed. " So he has become a
lord, eh?"

Then he changed his tone.

" Mistress Nellie, yon have been deceived. This fellow is
no lord. He is a hanger-on of the Court, one John Harvey, a
disreputable blackguard whom I heard boasting to his boon-

SAVED FROM A VILLAIN. 137

companions of his conquest. I implore you to return home as
quietly as you went. None will know of this."

He broke off suddenly, for, with an oath, Harvey rushed at
him. Their swords clashed, there was a quick thrust and
parry, and then Harvey staggered hack with a sword-wound
through the shoulder, dropping his sword to the ground.

" Your game is up, John Harvey," Cyril said. " Did you
have your deserts I would pass my sword through your body.
Now call your fellows off, or it will be worse for them."

" Oh, it is not true ? Surely it cannot be true 1 " Nellie cried,
addressing Harvey. " You cannot have deceived me ? "

The fellow, smarting with pain, and seeing that the game
was up, replied with a savage curse.

" You may think yourself lucky that you are only disabled,
you villain ! " Cyril said, taking a step towards him with his
sword menacingly raised. " Begone, sir, before my patience is
exhausted, or, by heaven ! it will be your dead body that the
chairmen will have to carry away."

'• Disabled or not," John Wilkes exclaimed, " I will have
a say in the matter ; " and, with a blow with his cudgel, he
stretched Harvey on the ground, and belaboured him furiously
until Cyril dragged him away by force. Harvey rose slowly
to his feet.

" Take yourself off, sir," Cyril said. " One of your brave
companions has long ago bolted ; the other is disarmed, and
has his head broken. You may thank your stars that you
have escaped with nothing worse than a sword-thrust through
your shoulder, and a sound drubbing. Hanging would be a
fit punishment for knaves like you. I warn you, if you ever
address or in any way molest this lady again, you won't get
off so easily."

Then he turned and offered his arm to Nellie, who was
leaning against the wall in a half-fainting state. Not a
word was spoken until they emerged from the lane.

" No one knows of this but ourselves, Mistress Nellie, and
you will never hear of it from us. Glad indeed I am that I

138 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

have saved you from the misery and ruin that must have
resulted from your listening to that plausible scoundrel. Go
quietly upstairs. We will wait here till we are sure that you
have gone safely into your room ; then we will follow. I doubt
not that you are angry with me now, but in time you will
feel that you have been saved from a great danger."

The door was not locked. He lifted the latch silently, and
held the door open for her to pass in. Then he closed it again,
and turned to the two men who followed them.

" This has been a good night's work, John."

" That has it. I don't think that young spark will be
coming after City maidens again. Well, it has been a narrow
escape for her. It would have broken the Captain's heart
if she had gone in that way. What strange things women
are ! I have always thought Mistress Nellie as sensible a girl
as one would want to see. Given a little over-much, perhaps,
to thinking of the fashion of her dress, but that was natural
enough, seeing how pretty she is and how much she is made
of; and yet she is led, by a few soft speeches from a man
she knows nothing of, to run away from home, and leave
father, and mother, and all. Well, Matthew, lad, we sha'n't
want any more watching. You have done a big service to
the master, though he will never know it. I know I can
trust you to keep a stopper on your jaws. Don't you let a
soul know of this — not even your wife."

" You trust me, mate," the man replied. " My wife is a good
soul, but her tongue runs nineteen to the dozen, and you
might as well shout a thing out at Paul's Cross as drop it
into her ear. I think my back will be well enough for me
to come to work again to-morrow," he added, with a laugh.

" All right, mate. I shall be glad to have you again, for
the chap who has been in your place is a landsman, and he
don't know a marling-spike from an anchor. Good-night,
mate."

" Well, Master Cyril," he went on, as the sailor walked
away, " I don't think there ever was such a good wind as

SAVED FROM A VILLAIN. 139

that which blew you here. First of all you saved Captain Dave's
fortune, and now you save his daughter. I look on Captain
Dave as being pretty nigh the same as myself, seeing as I have
been with him man and boy for over thirty years, and I feel
what you have done for him just as if you had done it for
me. I am only a rough sailor-man, and I don't know how
to put it in words, but I feel just full up with a cargo of
thankfulness."

" That is all right," Cyril said, holding out his hand, which
John Wilkes shook with a heartiness that was almost painful.
" Captain Dave offered me a home when I was alone without
a friend in London, and I am glad indeed that I have been
able to render him service in return. I myself have done little
enough, though I ' do not say that the consequences have not
been important. It has been just taking a little trouble and
keeping a few watches — a thing not worth talking about one
way or the other. I hope this will do Mistress Nellie good.
She is a nice girl, but too fond of admiration, and inclined to
think that she is meant for higher things than to marry a
London citizen. I think to-night's work will cure her of that.
This fellow evidently made himself out to her to be a noble-
man of the Court. Now she sees that he is neither a nobleman
nor a gentleman, but a ruffian who took advantage of her vanity
and inexperience, and that she would have done better to have
jumped down the well in the yard than to have put herself
in his power. Now we can go up to bed. There is no more
probability of our waking the Captain than there has been on
other nights ; but mind, if we should do so, you stick to the
story we agreed on, that you thought there was some one by
the gate in the lane again, and so called me to go down with
you to investigate, not thinking it worth while to rouse up the
Captain on what might be a false alarm."

Everything remained perfectly quiet as they made their way
upstairs to their rooms as silently as possible.

" Where is Nellie ? " Captain Dave asked, when they as-
sembled at breakfast.

140 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

" She is not well," his wife replied. " I went to her room
just now and found that she was still a-bed. She said that she
had a bad headache, and I fear that she is going to have a
fever, for her face is pale and her eyes red and swollen, just
as if she had been well-nigh crying them out of her head ; her
hands are hot and her pulse fast. Directly I have had break-
fast I shall make her some camomile tea, and if that does not
do her good I shall send for the doctor."

" Do so, wife, without delay. Why, the girl has never ailed
a day for years ! What can have come to her 1 "

" She says it is only a bad headache — that all she wants is
to be left alone."

" Yes, yes ; that is all very well, but if she does not get better
soon she must be seen to. They say that there were several
cases last week of that plague that has been doing so much
harm in foreign parts, and if that is so it behoves us to be very
careful, and see that any illness is attended to without delay."

" I don't think that there is any cause for alarm," his wife
said quietly. " The child has got a headache and is a little
feverish, but there is no occasion whatever for thinking that it is
anything more. There is nothing unusual in a girl having a
headache, but Nellie has had such good health that if she
had a prick in the finger you would think it was serious."

" By the way, John," Captain Dave said suddenly, " did
you hear any noise in the lane last night ? Your room is
at the back of the house, and you were more likely to have
heard it than I was. I have just seen one of the watch, and
he tells me that there was a fray there last night, for there
is a patch of blood and marks of a scuffle. It was up at the
other end. There is some mystery about it, he thinks, for
he says that one of his mates last night saw a sedan chair
escorted by three men turn into the lane from Fenchurch Street
just before ten o'clock, and one of the neighbours says that
just after that hour he heard a disturbance and a clashing of
swords there. On looking out, he saw something dark that
might have been a chair standing there, and several men

THE CAPTAIN'S YARN. 141

engaged in a scuffle. It seemed soon over, and directly after-
wards three people came down the lane this way. Then he
fancied that some one got into the chair, which was afterwards
carried out into Fenchurch Street."

" I did hear something that sounded like a quarrel or a
fray," John Wilkes said, " but there is nothing unusual about
that. As everything was soon quiet again, I gave no further
thought to it."

" Well, it seems a curious affair, John. However, it is the
business of the City watch and not mine, so we need not bother
ourselves about it. I am glad to see you have got Matthew
at work again this morning. He tells me that he thinks he
has fairly got over that sprain in his back."

CHAPTER VIII.
THE CAPTAIN'S YARN.

MINDFUL of the fact that this affair had added a new
enemy to those he had acquired by the break-up of the
Black Gang, Cyril thought it as well to go round and give
notice to the two traders whose books he attended to in the
evening, that unless they could arrange for him to do them
in the daytime he must give up the work altogether. Both
preferred the former alternative, for they recognised the advan-
tage they had derived from his work, and that at a rate of pay
for which they could not have obtained the services of any
scrivener in the City.

It was three or four days before Nellie Dowsett made her
appearance at the general table.

;' I can't make out what ails the girl," her mother said, on
the previous evening. " The fever speedily left her, as I told
yoxi, but she is weak and languid, and seems indisposed to talk."

" She will soon get over that, my dear," Captain Dave said.

142 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

"Girls are not like men. I have seen them on board ship.
One day they are laughing and fidgeting about like wild things,
the next day they are poor, woebegone creatures. If she gets no
better in a few days, I will see when my old friend, Jim Carroll,
is starting in his brig for Yarmouth, and will run down with
her myself — and of course with you, wife, if you will go — and
stay there a few days while he is unloading and filling up
again. The sea-air will set her up again, I warrant."

"Not at this time of year," Dame Dowsett said firmly.
" With these bitter winds it is no time for a lass to go a-sailing ;
and they say that Yarmouth is a great deal colder than we
are here, being exposed to the east winds."

" Well, well, Dame, then we will content ourselves with a
run in the hoy down to Margate. If we choose well the wind
and tide we can start from here in the morning and maybe
reach there late in the evening, or, if not, the next morning
to breakfast. Or if you think that too far we will stop at
Sheerness, where we can get in two tides easily enough if the
wind be fair."

"That would be better, David; but it were best to see how
she goes on. It may be, as you say, that she will shortly gain
her strength and spirits again."

It was evident, when Nellie entered the room at breakfast-
time the next morning, that her mother's reports had not been
exaggerated. She looked, indeed, as if recovering from a
severe illness, and when she said good-morning to her father
her voice trembled and her eyes filled with tears.

" Tut, tut, lass ! This will never do. I shall soon hardly own
you for my Nellie. We shall have to feed you up on capons
and wine, child, or send you down to one of the baths for a
course of strengthening waters."

She smiled faintly, and then turning, gave her hand to
Cyril. As she did so, a slight flush of colour came into her
cheeks.

" I am heartily glad to see you down again, Mistress Nellie,"
he said, " and wish you a fair and speedy recovery."

THE CAPTAIN'S YARN. 143

"I shall be better presently," she replied, with an effort.
" Good-morning, John."

" Good-morning, Mistress Nellie. Right glad are we to see
you down again, for it makes but a dull table without your
merry laugh to give an edge to our appetites."

She sat down now, and the others, seeing that it was best to
let her alone for a while, chatted gaily together.

"There is no talk in the City but of the. war, Cyril," the
Captain said presently. " They say that the Dutch make sure
of eating us up, but they won't find it as easy a job as they
fancy. The Duke of York is to command the Fleet. They
say that Prince Rupert will be second. To my mind they
ought to have entrusted the whole matter to him. He proved
himself as brave a captain at sea as he was on land, and I
will warrant he would lead his ships into action as gallantly
as he rode at the head of his Cavaliers on many a stricken
field. The ships are fitting out in all haste, and they are
gathering men at every sea -port. I should say they will
have no lack of hands, for there are many ships laid up,
that at other times trade with Holland, and Dantzic, and
Dunkirk, and many a bold young sailor who will be glad to try
whether he can fight as stoutly against the Dutch under
York and Rupert as his father did under Blake."

" For my part," Cyril said, " I cannot understand it ; for it
seems to me that the English and Dutch have been fighting
for the last year. I have been too busy to read the Journal,
and have not been in the way of hearing the talk of the
coffee-houses and taverns ; but, beyond that it is some dispute
about the colonies, I know little of the matter."

"I am not greatly versed in it myself, lad. Nellie here
reads the Journal, and goes abroad more than any of us, and
should be able to tell us something about it. Now, girl, can't
you do something to set us right in this matter, for I like not
to be behind my neighbours, though I am such a stay-at-home,
having, as I thank the Lord,, much happiness here, and no
occasion to go out to seek it."

144 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

" There was much discourse about it, father, the evening
I went to Dame King's. There were several gentlemen there
who had trade with the East, and one of them held shares
in the English Company trading thither. After supper was
over, they discoursed more fully on the matter than was
altogether pleasing to some of us, who would much rather
that, as we had hoped, we might have dancing or singing.
I could see that Dame King herself was somewhat put out
that her husband should have, without her knowing of his
intention, brought in these gentlemen. Still, the matter of their
conversation was new to us, and we became at last so mightily
interested in it that we listened to the discourse without
bemoaning ourselves that we had lost the amusement we
looked for. I know I wished at the time that you had been
there. I say not that I can repeat all that I heard, but
as I had before read some of the matters spoken of in
the Journal, I coxild follow what the gentlemen said more
closely. Soon after the coming of the King to the throne
the friendship between us and the Spaniards, that had been
weakened during the mastership of Cromwell, was renewed,
and they gave our ships many advantages at their ports, while,
on the other hand, they took away the privileges the Dutch
had enjoyed there, and thus our commerce with Spain in-
creased, while that of the Dutch diminished."

" That is certainly true, Nellie," her father said. " We have
three ships sailing through the Mediterranean now to one
that sailed there ten years ago, and doubtless the Dutch must
have suffered by the increase in our trade."

" Then he said that, as we had obtained the Island of
Bombay in the East Indies and the City of Tangier in Africa
as the dowry of the Queen, and had received the Island
of Poleron for our East India Company by the treaty with
Holland, our commerce everywhere increased, and raised their
jealousy higher and higher. There was nothing in this of
which complaint could be made by the Dutch Government,
but nevertheless they gave encouragement to their East and

THE CAPTAIN'S YARN. 145

West India Companies to raise trouble. Their East India
Company refused to hand over the Island, and laid great
limitations as to the places at which our merchants might
trade in India. The other Company acted in the same manner,
and lawlessly took possession of Cape Coast Castle, belonging to
our English Company.

" The Duke of York, who was patron and governor of our
African Company, sent Sir Robert Holmes with four frigates
to Guinea to make reprisals. He captured a place from the
Dutch and named it James's Fort, and then, proceeding to the
River Gambia, he turned out the Dutch traders there and
built a fort. A year ago, as the Dutch still held Cape Coast
Castle, Sir Robert was sent out again with orders to take it
by force, and on the way he overhauled a Dutch ship and
found she carried a letter of secret instructions from the Dutch
Government to the West India Company to take the English
Fort at Gorman tin. Seeing that the Hollanders, although pro-
fessing friendship, were thus treacherously inclined, he judged
himself justified in exceeding the commission he had received,
and on his way south he touched at Cape Verde. There he
first captured two Dutch ships and then attacked their forts
on the Island of Gorse and captured them, together with a
ship lying under their guns.

" In the fort he found a great quantity of goods ready to
be shipped. He loaded his own vessels, and those that he had
captured, with the merchandise, and carried it to Sierra Leone.
Then he attacked the .Dutch fort of St. George del Mena,
the strongest on the coast, but failed there ; but he soon
afterwards captured Cape Coast Castle, though, as the gentle-
men said, a mightily strong place. Then he sailed across to
America, and, as you know, captured the Dutch Settlements
of New Netherlands, and changed the name into that of
New York. He did this not so much out of reprisal for the
misconduct of the Dutch in Africa, but because the land was
ours by right, having been discovered by the Cabots and taken
possession of in the name of King, Henry VII., and our title

(948) K

146 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

always maintained until the Dutch seized it thirty years
ago.

" Then the Dutch sent orders to De Ruyter, who commanded
the fleet which was in the Mediterranean, to sail away
privately and to make reprisals on the Coast of Guinea and
elsewhere. He first captured several of our trading forts,
among them that of Cormantin, taking great quantities of goods
belonging to our Company ; he then sailed to Barbadoes, where
he was beaten off by the forts. Then he captured twenty
of our ships off Newfoundland, and so returned to Holland,
altogether doing damage, as the House of Commons told His
Majesty, to the extent of eight hundred thousand pounds. All
this time the Dutch had been secretly preparing for war, which
they declared in January, which has forced us to do the same,
although we delayed a month in hopes that some accommoda-
tion might be arrived at. I think, father, that is all that
he told us, though there were many details that I do not
remember."

" And very well told, lass, truly. I wonder that your giddy
head should have taken in so much matter. Of course, now
you tell them over, I have heard these things before — the
wrong that the Dutch did our Company by seizing their post
at Cape Coast, and the reprisals that Sir Robert Holmes took
upon them with our Company's ships — but they made no great
mark on my memory, for I was just taking over my father's
work when the first expedition took place. At any rate, none
can say that we have gone into this war unjustly, seeing that
the Dutch began it, altogether without cause, by first attacking
our trading posts."

" It seems to me, Captain Dave," John Wilkes said, " that
it has been mighty like the war that our English buccaneers
waged against the Spaniards in the West Indies, while the
two nations were at peace at home."

" It is curious," Cyril said, " that the trouble begun in
Africa should have shifted to the other side of the Atlantic."

" Ay, lad ; just as that first trouble was at last fought out

THE CAPTAIN'S YARN. 147

in the English Channel, off the coast of France, so this is
likely to be decided in well-nigh the same waters."

" The gentlemen, the other night, were all of opinion,"
Nellie said, " that the matter would never have come to such
a head had it not been that De Witt, who is now the chief
man in Holland, belongs to the French party there, and has
been urged on by King Louis, for his own interest, to make
war with us."

" That may well be, Nellie. In all our English wars France
has ever had a part either openly or by intrigues. France never
seems to be content with attending to her own business, but is
ever meddling with her neighbours', and, if not fighting herself,
trying to set them by the ears against each other. If I were
a bit younger, and had not lost my left flipper, I would
myself volunteer for the service. As for Master Cyril here, I
know he is burning to lay aside the pen and take to the sword."

" That is so, Captain Dave. As you know, I only took up
the pen to keep me until I was old enough to use a sword. I
have been two years at it now, and I suppose it will be as
much longer before I can think of entering the service of one
of the Protestant princes ; but as soon as I am fit to do so, I
shall get an introduction and be off; but I would tenfold
rather fight for my own country, and would gladly sail in the
Fleet, though I went but as a ship's boy."

"That is the right spirit, Master Cyril," John Wilkes
exclaimed. " I would go myself if the Captain could spare me
and they would take such a battered old hulk."

" I couldn't spare you, John," Captain Dave said. " I have
been mighty near making a mess of it, even with you as chief
mate, and I might as well shut up shop altogether if you were
to leave me. I should miss you, too, Cyril," he went on,
stretching his arm across the table to shake hands with the
lad. " You have proved a real friend and a true ; but were
there a chance of your going as an officer, I would not balk
you, even if I could do so. It is but natural that a lad of
spirit should speak and think as you do ; besides, the war may

148 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

not last for long, and when you come back, and the ships are
paid off, you would soon wipe off the arrears of work, and get
the books into ship-shape order. But, work or no work, that
room of yours will always stand ready for you while I live,
and there will always be a plate for you on this table."

" Thank you, Captain Dave. You always overrate my
services, and forget that they are but the consequence of the
kindness that you have shown to me. But T have no inten-
tion of going. It was but a passing thought. I have but one
friend who could procure me a berth as a volunteer, and as it is
to him I must look for an introduction to some foreign prince,
I would not go to him twice for a favour, especially as I have
no sort of claim on his kindness. To go as a cabin boy would
be to go with men under my own condition, and although I
do not shirk hard work and rough usage, I should not care for
them in such fashion. Moreover, I am doing work which, even
without your hospitality, would suffice to keep me comfortably,
and if I went away, though but for a month, I might find
that those for whom I work had engaged other assistance.
Spending naught, I am laying by money for the time when I
shall have to travel at my own expense and to provide myself
necessaries, and, maybe, to keep myself for a while until I can
procure employment. I have the prospect that, by the end
of another two years, I shall have gathered a sufficient store
for all my needs, and I should be wrong to throw myself out
of employment merely to embark on an adventure, and so to
make a break, perhaps a long one, in my plans."

" Don't you worry yourself on that score," Captain Dave said
warmly, and then checked himself. " It will be time to talk
about that when the time comes. But you are right, lad. I
like a man who steadfastly holds on the way he has chosen,
and will not turn to the right or left. There is not much
that a man cannot achieve if he keeps his aim steadily in view.
Why, Cyril, if you said you had made up your mind to be
Lord Mayor of London, I would wager that you would some
day be elected."

THE CAPTAIN'S YARN. 149

Cyril laughed.

" I shall never set my eyes in that direction, nor do I think
the thing I have set myself to do will ever be in my power —
that is, to buy back my father's estate ; but so long as I live
I shall keep that in view."

" More unlikely things have happened, lad. You have got
first to rise to be a General ; then, what with your pay and
your share in the sack of a city or two, and in other ways,
you may come home with a purse full enough even for that.
But it is time for us to be going down below. Matthew will
think that we have forgotten him altogether."

Another fortnight passed. Nellie had, to a considerable
extent, recovered from the shock that she had suffered, but
her manner was still quiet and subdued, her sallies were less
lively, and her father noticed, with some surprise, that she
no longer took any great interest in the gossip he retailed of
the gay doings of the Court.

" I can't think what has come over the girl," he said to his
wife. " She seems well in health again, but she is changed
a good deal, somehow. She is gentler and softer. I think
she is all the better for it, but I miss her merry laugh and
her way of ordering things about, as if her pleasure only were
to be consulted."

" I think she is very much improved," Mrs. Dowsett said
decidedly ; " though I can no more account for it than you
can. She never used to have any care about the household,
and now she assists me in my work, and is in all respects dutiful
and obedient, and is not for ever bent upon gadding about as
she was before. I only hope it will continue so, for, in truth,
I have often sighed over the thought that she would make but
a poor wife for an honest citizen."

" Tut, tut, wife. It has never been as bad as that. Girls
will be girls, and if they are a little vain of their good looks,
that will soften down in time, when they get to have the
charge of a household. You yourself, dame, were not so staid
when I first wooed you, as you are now ; and I think you had

150 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

your own little share of vanity, as was natural enough in the
prettiest girl in Plymouth."

When Nellie was in the room Cyril did his best to save her
from being obliged to take part in the conversation, by inducing
Captain Dave to tell him stories of some of his adventures
at sea.

"You were saying, Captain Dave, that you had had several
engagements with the Tunis Rovers," he said one evening.
"Were they ever near taking you?"

" They did take me once, lad, and that without an engage-
ment ; but, fortunately, I was not very long a prisoner. It
was not a pleasant time though, John, was it ? "

"It was not, Captain Dave. I have been in sore danger
of wreck several times, and in three big sea-fights ; but never
did I feel so out of heart as when I was lying, bound hand and
foot, on the ballast in the hold of that corsair. No true sailor
is afraid of being killed ; but the thought that one might be
all one's life a slave among the cruel heathen was enough to
take the stiffness out of any man's courage."

" But how was it that you were taken without an engage-
ment, Captain Dave ? And how did you make your escape ? "

" Well, lad, it was the carelessness of my first mate that did
it ; but as he paid for his fault with his life let us say naught
against him. He was a handsome, merry young fellow, and
had shipped as second mate, but my first had died of fever
in the Levant, and of course he got the step, though all too
young for the responsibility. We had met with some bad
weather when south of Malta, and had had a heavy gale for
three days, during which time we lost our main topmast, and
badly strained the mizzen. The weather abated when we were
off Pantellaria, which is a bare rock rising like a mountain
peak out of the sea, and with only one place where a landing
can be safely effected. As the gale had blown itself out, and
it was likely we should have a spell of settled weather,
I decided to anchor close in to the Island, and to repair
damages.

THE CAPTAIN'S YARN. 151

" We were hard at work for two days. All hands had had
a stiff time of it, and the second night, having fairly repaired
damages, I thought to give the crew a bit of a rest, and, not
dreaming of danger, ordered that half each watch might remain
below. John Wilkes was acting as my second mate. Pettigrew
took the first watch ; John had the middle watch ; and then
the other came up again. I turned out once or twice, but
everything was quiet — we had not seen a sail all day. There
was a light breeze blowing, but no chance of its increasing,
and as we were well sheltered in the only spot where the
anchorage was good, I own that I did not impress upon
Pettigrew the necessity for any particular vigilance. Anyhow,
just as morning was breaking I was woke by a shout. I ran
out on deck, but as I did so there was a rush of dark figures,
and I was knocked down and bound before I knew what had
happened. As soon as I could think it over, it was clear
enough. The Moor had been coming into the anchorage, and,
catching sight of us in the early light, had run alongside and
boarded us.

" The watch, of course, must have been asleep. There was
not a shot fired nor a drop of blood shed, for those on deck
had been seized and bound before they could spring to their
feet, and the crew had all been caught in their bunks. It
was bitter enough. There was the vessel gone, and the cargo,
and with them my savings of twenty years' hard work, and
the prospect of slavery for life. The men were all brought
aft and laid down side by side. Young Pettigrew was laid
next to me.

" ' I wish to heaven, captain,' he said, ' you had got a pistol
and your hand free, and would blow out my brains for me. Ib
is all my fault, and hanging at the yard-arm is what I deserve.
I never thought there was the slightest risk — not a shadow of
it — and feeling a bit dozy, sat down for five minutes' caulk.
Seeing that, no doubt the men thought they might do the same ;
and this is what has come of it. I must have slept half an
hour at least, for there was no sail in sight when I went off,

152 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

and this Moor must have come round the point and made us
out after that.'

" The corsair was lying alongside of us, her shrouds lashed
to ours. There was a long jabbering among the Moors
when they had taken off our hatches and seen that we were
pretty well full up with cargo ; then, after a bit, we were kicked,
and they made signs for us to get on our feet and to cross over
into their ship. The crew were sent down into the forward hold,
and some men went down with them to tie them up securely.
John Wilkes, Pettigrew, and myself were shoved down into a
bit of a place below the stern cabin. Our legs were tied, as
well as our arms. The trap was shut, and there we were
in the dark. Of course I told Pettigrew that, though he
had failed in his duty, and it had turned out badly, he wasn't
to be blamed as if he had gone to sleep in sight of an
enemy.

" ' T had never given the Moors a thought myself,' I said, ' and
it was not to be expected that you would. But no sailor, still less
an officer, ought to sleep on his watch, even if his ship is anchored
in a friendly harbour, and you are to blame that you gave way
to drowsiness. Still, even if you hadn't, it might have come to
the same thing in the long run, for the corsair is a large one,
and might have taken us even if you had made her out as
she rounded the point.'

" But, in spite of all I could say to cheer him, he took it to
heart badly, and was groaning and muttering to himself when
they left us in the dark, so I said to him, — -

" ' Look here, lad, the best way to retrieve the fault you
have committed is to try and get us out of the scrape. Set
your brains to work, and let us talk over what had best be
done. There is no time to be lost, for with a fair wind they
can run from here to Tunis in four-and-twenty hours, and
once there one may give up all hope. There are all our crew
on board this ship. The Moor carried twice as many men as
we do, but we may reckon they will have put more than half
of them on board our barque ; they don't understand her sails

THE CAPTAIN'S YARN. 153

as well as they do their own, and will therefore want a strong
prize crew on board.'

" ' I am ready to do anything, captain,' the young fellow
said firmly. ' If you were to give me the word, I would get into
their magazine if I could, and blow the ship into the air.'

" ' Well, I don't know that I will give you that order Petti-
grew. To be a heathen's slave is bad, but, at any rate, I would
rather try that life for a bit than strike my colours at once.
Now let us think it over. In the first place we have to
get rid of these ropes ; then we have to work our way for-
ward to the crew ; and then to get on deck and fight for it.
It is a stiff job, look at it which way one will, but at any
rate it will be better to be doing something — even if we find
at last that we can't get out of this dog-kennel — than to lie
here doing nothing.'

"After some talk, we agreed that it was not likely the
Moors would come down to us for a long time, for they might
reckon that we could hold on without food or water easy enough
until they got to Tunis ; having agreed as to that point, we set
to work to get our ropes loose. Wriggling wouldn't do it,
though we tried until the cords cut into our flesh.

" At last Pettigrew said, —

" ' What a fool I am ! I have got my knife hanging from a
lanyard round my neck. It is under my blouse, so they did
not notice it when they turned my pockets out.'

" It was a long job to get at that knife. At last I found the
string behind his neck, and, getting hold of it with my teeth,
pulled till the knife came up to his throat. Then John got it in
his teeth, and the first part of the job was done. The next was
easy enough. John held the handle of the knife in his teeth and
Pettigrew got hold of the blade in his, and between them they
made a shift to open it ; then, after a good deal of trouble, Petti-
grew shifted himself till he managed to get the knife in his
hands. I lay across him and worked myself backwards and
forwards till the blade cut through the rope at my wrist ; then,
in two more minutes, we were free. Then we felt about, and

154 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

found that the boarding between us and the main hold was
old and shaky, and, with the aid of the knife and of our three
shoulders, we made a shift at last to wrench one of the boards
from its place.

" Pettigrew, who was slightest, crawled through, and we
soon got another plank down. The hold was half full of
cargo, which, no doubt, they had taken o\it of some ship or
other. We made our way forward till we got to the bulk-
head, which, like the one we had got through, was but a make-
shift sort of affair, with room to put your fingers between the
planks. So we hailed the men and told them how we had got
free, and that if they didn't want to work all their lives as
slaves they had best do the same. They were ready enough,
you may be sure, and, finding a passage between the planks
wider in one place than the rest, we passed the knife through
to them, and told them how to set about cutting the rope.
They were a deal quicker over it than we had been, for in oiir
place there had been no height where we could stand upright,
but they were able to do so. Two men, standing back to back
and one holding the knife, made quick work of cutting the rope.

" We had plenty of strength now, and were not long in
getting down a couple of planks. The first thing was to make
a regular overhaul of the cargo — as well as we could do it,
without shifting things and making a noise — to look for weapons
or for anything that would come in handy for the fight. Not
a thing could we find, but we came upon a lot of kegs that we
knew, by their feel, were powder. If there had been arms and
we could have got up, we should have done it at once, trusting
to seize the ship before the other could come up to her
help. But without arms it would be madness to try in broad
daylight, and we agreed to wait till night, and to lie down
again where we were before, putting the ropes round our legs
again and our hands behind our backs, so that, if they did look
in, everything should seem secure.

" ' We shall have plenty of time/ one of the sailors said,
'for they have coiled a big hawser down on the hatch.'

THE CAPTAIN'S YARN. 155

" When we got back to our lazaret, we tried the hatch by
which we had been shoved down, but the three of us couldn't
move it any more than if it had been solid stone. We had
a goodish talk over it, and it was clear that the hatchway
of the main hold was our only chance of getting out; and
we might find that a tough job.

" ' If we can't do it in any other way,' Pettigrew said, ' I
should say we had best bring enough bales and things to fill
this place up to within a foot of the top ; then on that we
might put a keg of powder, bore a hole in it, and make a slow
match that would blow the cabin overhead into splinters, while
the bales underneath it would prevent the force of the explosion
blowing her bottom out.'

" We agreed that, if the worst came to the worst, we would
try this, and having settled that, went back to have a look at the
main hatch. Feeling about round it, we found the points of
the staple on which the hatchway bar worked above ; they
were not fastened with nuts as they would have been with
us, but were simply turned over and clinched. We had no
means of straightening them out, but we could cut through
the woodwork round them. Setting to work at that, we took
it by turns till we could see the light through the wood ;
then we left it to finish after dark. All this time we
knew we were under sail by the rippling of the water along
the sides. The men on board were evidently in high delight
at their easy capture, and kicked up so much noise that
there was no fear of their hearing any slight stir we made
below.

" Very carefully we brought packages and bales under the
hatchway, till we built up a sort of platform about four feet
below it. We reckoned that, standing as thick as we could
there, and all lifting together, we could make sure of hoisting
the hatchway up, and could then spring out in a moment.

Pettigrew still stuck to his plan, and talked us into carrying
it out, both under the fore and aft hatches, pointing out that
the two explosions would scare the crew out of their wits,

156 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

that some would be killed, and many jump overboard in their
fright. We came to see that the scheme was really a good
one, so set all the crew to carry out the business, and they,
working with stockinged feet, built up a platform under their
hatch, as well as in our den aft. Then we made holes in two
of the kegs of powder, and, shaking a little out, damped it,
and rubbed it into two strips of cotton. Putting an end
of a slow match into each of the holes, we laid the kegs in their
places and waited.

" We made two other fuses, so that a man could go for-
ward, and another aft, to fire them both together. Two of
the men were told off for this job, and the rest of us gathered
under the main hatch, for we had settled now that if we
heard them making any move to open the hatches we would
fire the powder at once, whatever hour it was. In order to
be ready, we cut deeper into the woodwork round the staple
till there was but the thickness of a card remaining, and we
could tell by this how light it was above.

" It don't take long to tell you, but all this had taken us a
good many hours ; and so baked were we by the heat down
below, and parched by thirst, that it was as much as I could do
to persuade the men to wait until nightfall. At last we saw the
light in the cut fade and darken. Again the men wanted to be
at work, but I pointed out that if we waited till the crew had
laid down on the deck, we might carry it through without
losing a life, but if they were all awake, some of them would
be sure to come at us with their weapons, and, unarmed as we
were, might do us much harm. Still, though I succeeded in
keeping the men quiet, I felt it was hard work to put a
stopper on my own impatience.

" At last even John here spoke up for action.

" • I expect those who mean to sleep are off by this time,'
he said. ' As to reckoning upon them all going off, there ain't
no hope of it ; they will sit and jabber all night. They have
made a good haul, and have taken a stout ship with a full
hold, and five-and- twenty stout slaves, and that without losing

THE CAPTAIN'S YARN. 157

a man. There won't be any sleep for most of them. I reckon
it is two bells now. I do think, Captain, we might as well
begin, for human nature can't stand this heat and thirst much
longer.'

" ' All right, John,' I said, ' Now, lads, remember that when
the fii-st explosion comes — for we can't reckon on the two slow
matches burning just the same time — we all heave together till
we find the hatch lifts ; then, when the second comes, we chuck
it over and leap out. If you see a weapon, catch it up, but
don't waste time looking about, but go at them with your
fists. They will be scared pretty well out of their senses, and
you will not be long before you all get hold of weapons of
some sort. Now, Pettigrew, shove your blade up through the
wood and cut round the staple. Now, Jack Brown, get out
that tinder-box you said you had about you, and get a spark
going.'

" Three or four clicks were heard as the sailor struck his
flint against the steel lid of the tinder-box.

" ' All right, yer honour,' he said, ' I have got the spark.'

" Then the two hands we had given the slow matches to, lit
them at the tinder-box, and went fore and aft, while as many
of the rest of us as could crowded under the hatch.

" ' Are you ready, fore and aft? ' I asked.

" The two men hailed in reply.

" ' Light the matches, then, and come here.'

" I suppose it was not above a minute, but it seemed ten
before there was a tremendous explosion aft. The ship shook
from stem to stern. There was a moment's silence, and then
came yells and screams mixed with the sound of timbers and
wreckage falling on the deck.

" ' Now lift,' I said. ' But not too high. That is enough —
she is free. Wait for the other.'

"There was a rush of feet overhead as the Moors ran
forward. Then came the other explosion.

" ' Off with her, lads ! ' I shouted, and in a moment we flung
the hatch off and leapt out with a cheer. There was no

158 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

fighting to speak of. The officers had been killed by the first
explosion under their cabin, and many of the men had either
been blown overboard or lay crushed under the timber and

" The second explosion had been even more destructive, for it
happened just as the crew, in their terror, had rushed forward.
Many of those unhurt had sprung overboard at once, and as we
rushed up most of the others did the same. There was no
difficulty about arms, for the deck was strewn with weapons.
Few of us, however, stopped to pick one up, but, half mad with
rage and thirst, rushed forward at the Moors. That finished
them ; and before we got to them the last had sprung over-
board. There was a rush on the part of the men to the
scuttle butt.

" ' Take one drink, lads,' I shouted, ' and then to the
buckets.'

" It took us a quarter of an hour's hard work to put out the
flames, and it was lucky the powder had blown so much of
the decks up that we were enabled to get at the fire without
difficulty, and so extinguish it before it got any great hold.

"As soon as we had got it out I called a muster. There
was only one missing ; — it was Pettigrew, he being the first to
leap out and rush aft. There had been but one shot fired by
the Moors. One fellow, as he leapt on to the rail, drew his
pistol from his belt and fired before he sprang overboard. In
the excitement and confusion no one had noticed whether the
shot took effect, for two or three men had stumbled and fallen
over fragments of timber or bodies as we rushed aft. But now
we searched, and soon came on the poor young fellow. The
ball had struck him fair on the forehead, and he had fallen
dead without a word or a cry.

"There was, however, no time to grieve. We had got to
re-capture the barque, which had been but a cable's length
away when we rushed on deck ; while we had been fighting
the fire she had sailed on, regardless of the shrieks and shouts
of the wretches who had sprung overboard from us. But she

THE CAPTAIN'S YARN. 159

was still near us ; both vessels had been running before
the wind, for I had sent John Wilkes to the tiller the moment
that we got possession of the corsair, and the barque was but
about a quarter of a mile ahead.

" The wind was light, and we were running along at four
Knots an hour. The Moors on board the Kate .had, luckily,
been too scared by the explosion to think of getting one of the
guns aft and peppering us while we were engaged in putting
out the fire ; and indeed, they could not have done us much
harm if they had, for the high fo'castle hid us from their
view.

" As soon as we had found Pettigrew's body and laid it on
the hatch we had thrown off, I went aft to John.

" ' Are we gaining on her, John ? '

" ' No ; she has drawn away a little. But this craft is not
doing her best. I expect they wanted to keep close to the
barque, and so kept her sheets in. If you square the sails,
captain, we shall soon be upon her.'

" That was quickly done, and then the first thing was to
see that the men were all armed. We could have got a
gun forward, but I did not want to damage the Kate, and
we could soon see that we were closing on her. We shoved
a bag of musket-balls into each cannon, so as to sweep her
decks as we came alongside, for we knew that her crew was a
good deal stronger than we were. Still, no one had any
doubt as to the result, and it was soon evident that the Moors
had got such a scare from the fate of their comrades that
they had no stomach for fighting.

" ' They are lowering the boats,' John shouted.

"'All the better,' I said. 'They would fight like rats
caught in a trap if we came up to them, and though we are
men enough to capture her, we might lose half our number.'

" As soon as the boats reached the water they were all
pulled up to the starboard side, and then the helm was put
down, and the barque came round till she was broadside
on to us.

160 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

" ' Down with your helm, John Wilkes ! ' I shouted. ' Hard
down, man ! '

"John hesitated, for he had thought that I should have
gone round to the other side of her and so have caught all the
boats ; but, in truth, I was so pleased at the thought of getting
the craft back again that I was willing to let the poor villains go,
since they were of a mind to do so without giving us trouble.
We had punished them enough, and the shrieks and cries of
those left behind to drown were ringing in my ears then. Sc
we brought the corsair up quietly by the side of the Kate, lashed
her there, and then, with a shout of triumph, sprang on board
the old barky.

"Not a Moor was left on board. The boats were four or
five hundred yards away, rowing at the top of their speed.
The men would have run to the guns, but I shouted, —

" ' Let them go, lads. We have punished them heavily
enough; we have taken their ship, and sent half of them to
Eternity. Let them take the tale back to Tunis how a
British merchantman re-captured their ship. Now set to
work to get some of the sail off" both craft, and then, when
we have got things snug, we will splice the main brace and
have a meal.'

" There is no more to tell. We carried the rover into
Gibraltar and sold her and her cargo there. It brought in a
good round sum, and, except for the death of Pettigrew, we had
no cause to regret the corsair having taken us by surprise
that night off Pantellaria."

"That was an exciting business, indeed, Captain Dave,"
Cyril said, when the Captain brought his story to a conclusion.
"If it had not been for your good fortune in finding those
kegs of powder, and Pettigrew's idea of using them as he did,
you and John might now, if you had been alive, have been
working as slaves among the Moors."

" Yes, lad. And not the least lucky thing was that Petti-
grew's knife and Jack Brown's tinder-box had escaped the notice
of the Moors. Jack had it in an inside pocket sewn into his

THE FIRE IN THE SAVOY. 161

shirt so as to keep it dry. It was a lesson to me, and for the
rest of the time I was at sea I always carried a knife, with a
lanyard round my neck, and stowed away in an inside pocket of
my shirt, together with a tinder-box. They are two as useful
things as a sailor can have about him, for, if cast upon a desert
shore after a wreck, a man with a knife and tinder-box may
make shift to live, when, without them, he and his comrades
might freeze to death."

CHAPTER IX.

THE FIKE IN THE SAVOY.

THE next evening John Wilkes returned after an absence
of but half an hour.

" Why, John, you can but have smoked a single pipe ! Did
you not find your cronies there ? ''

" I hurried back, Captain, because a man from one of the
ships in the Pool landed and said there was a great light in
the sky, and that it seemed to him it was either a big fire
in the Temple, or in one of the mansions beyond the walls ; so
methought I would come in and ask Cyril if he would like to
go with me to see what was happening."

" I should like it much, John. I saw a great fire in Holborn
just after I came over from France, and a brave sight it was,
though very terrible ; and I would willingly see one again."

He took his hat and cloak and was about to be off", when
Captain Dave called after him, —

" Buckle on your sword, lad, and leave your purse behind
you. A fire ever attracts thieves and cut-throats, who
flock round in hopes of stealing something in the confusion.
Besides, as I have told you before, you should never go out
after dark without your sword, even were it but to cross the
road."

Cyril ran upstairs to his room, buckled on his weapon, and
ran down again.

( 948 ) L

162 WHEN LONDON BUBNED.

" The Captain is right," John Wilkes said, as he joined him
at the door. " After your two adventures, it would be folly
for you to go out unarmed."

"Oh, I expect they have forgotten about me long ago,"
Cyril laughed lightly.

" I don't know," John Wilkes said seriously. " As to
Marner's gang, I think that there is not much fear from them,
unless that young rascal Robert and the scoundrel who was
with him have returned from Holland ; and that they are not
likely to do for some time to come. But it would not be in
human nature if the man you call John Harvey should take
his defeat without trying to pay you back for that wound you
gave him, for getting Mistress Nellie out of his hands, and
for making him the laughing-stock of his comrades. I tell
you that there is scarce an evening that I have gone out but
some fellow passes me before I have gone twenty yards, and,
as he brushes my sleeve, turns his head to look at me. But
yesternight I said to one who so behaved, ' Look here, mate,
this is not the first time you have run against me. I warn
you that if it happens again I will crack your head with my
cudgel.' The fellow went off, muttering and grumbling, but 1
have no doubt that he and the others, for it certainly was not
always the same man, were watching for you. To-night there
was no one about, or, if there was, he did not come near me,
and it may be that, finding you never leave the house after
nightfall, they have decided to give it up for the present. But
I thought I heard a footfall lower down the street, just as
we came out of the house, and it is like enough that we are
followed now."

" At any rate, they would scarce attack two of us, John, and
I should not mind if they did. It is a stab in the back that
I am afraid of more than an open quarrel."

" You may have a better swordsman to deal with next time.
The fellow himself would scarcely care to cross swords with you
again, but he would have no difficulty in getting half-a-dozen
cut-throats from the purlieus of the Temple or Westminster, pro-

THE FIRE IN THE SAVOY. 163

f essional bullies, who are ready to sell their swords to those who
care to purchase them, and who would cut a throat for a few
crowns, without caring a jot whose throat it was. Some of these
fellows are disbanded soldiers. Some are men who were ruined
in the wars. Some are tavern bullies —broken men, reckless
and quarrelsome gamblers so long as they have a shilling in
their pockets, but equally ready to take to the road or to rob a
house when their pockets are empty."

By this time they had passed the Exchange into Cheapside.
Many people were hurrying in the same direction and wonder-
ing where the fire was. Presently one of the Fire Companies,
with buckets, ladders, and axes, passed them at a run. Even
in Cheapside the glow in the sky ahead could be plainly seen,
but it was not until they passed St. Paul's and stood at the
top of Ludgate Hill that the flames, shooting up high in the
air, were visible. They were almost straight ahead.

" It must be at the other end of Fleet Street," Cyril said, as
they broke into a run.

" Farther than that, lad. It must be one of the mansions
along the Strand. A fire always looks closer than it is. I
have seen a ship in flames that looked scarce a mile away, and
yet, sailing with a brisk wind, it took us over an hour to come
up to it."

The crowd became thicker as they approached Temple Bar.
The upper windows of the houses were all open, and women
were leaning out looking at the sight. From every lane and
alley men poured into the street and swelled the hurrying
current. They passed through the Bar, expecting to find
that the fire was close at hand. They had, however, some
distance farther to go, for the fire was at a mansion in the
Savoy. Another Fire Company came along when they were
within a hundred yards of the spot.

" Join in with them," Cyril said ; and he and John Wilkes
managed to push their way into the ranks, joining in the
shout, " Way there, way ! Make room for the buckets ! "

Aided by some of the City watch the Company made its

164 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

way through the crowd, and hurried down the hill from the
Strand into the Savoy. A party of the King's Guard, who
had just marched up, kept back the crowd, and, when once in
the open space, Cyril and his companion stepped out from the
ranks and joined a group of people who had arrived before
the constables and soldiers had come up.

The mansion from which the fire had originated was in flames
from top to bottom. The roof had fallen in. Volumes of flame
and sparks shot high into the air, threatening the safety of
several other houses standing near. The Fire Companies were
working their hand-pumps, throwing water on to the doors and
woodwork of these houses. Long lines of men were extended
down to the edge of the river and passed the buckets backwards
and forwards. City officials, gentlemen of the Court, and
officers of the troops, moved to and fro shouting directions
and superintending the work. From many of the houses the
inhabitants were bringing out their furniture and goods, aided
by the constables and spectators.

" It is a grand sight," Cyril said, as, with his companion, he
took his place in a quiet corner where a projecting portico
threw a deep shadow.

" It will soon be grander still. The wind is taking the sparks
and flames westwards, and nothing can save that house over
there. Do you see the little jets of flame already bursting
through the roof ? "

" The house seems empty. There is not a window open."

" It looks so, Cyril, but there may be people asleep at the
back. Let us work round and have a look from behind."

They turned down an alley, and in a minute or two came out
behind the house. There was a garden and some high trees, but
it was surrounded by a wall, and they could not see the windows.

" Here, Cyril, I will give you a hoist up. If you stand
on my shoulders, you can reach to the top of the wall and
pull yourself up. Come along here to where that branch
projects over. That's it. Now drop your cloak, and jump
on to my back. That is right. Now get on to my shoulders."

THE FIRE IN THE SAVOY. 165

Cyril managed to get up.

" I can just touch the top, but I can't get my fingers
on to it."

" Put your foot on my head. I will warrant it is strong
enough to bear your weight."

Cyril did as he was told, grasped the top of the wall, and,
after a sharp struggle, seated himself astride on it. Just
as he did so, a window in a wing projecting into the garden
was thrown open, and a female voice uttered a loud scream
for help. There was light enough for Cyril to see that the
lower windows were all barred. He shouted back, —

" Can't you get down the staircase ? "

" No ; the house is full of smoke. There are some children
here. Help ! Help ! " and the voice rose in a loud scream
again.

Cyril dropped down into the roadway by the side of John
Wilkes.

" There are some women and children in there, John. They
can't get out. We must go round to the other side and get
some axes and break down the door."

Snatching up his cloak, he ran at full speed to his former
position, followed by Wilkes. The roof of the house was
now 'in flames. Many of the shutters and window-frames
had also caught fire, from the heat. He ran up to two
gentlemen who seemed to be directing the operations.

" There are some women and children in a room at the
back of that house," he said. " I have just been round there to
see. They are in the second storey, and are crying for help."

" I fear the ladders are too short."

" I can tie two or three of them together," Wilkes said.
" I am an old sailor and can answer for the knots."

The firemen were already dashing water on the lower
windows of the front of the house. A party with axes
were cutting at the door, but this was so massive and solid
that it resisted their efforts. One of the gentlemen went
down to them. At his orders eight or ten men seized

166 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

ladders. Cyril snatched some ropes from a heap that had
been thrown down by the firemen, and the party, with one
of the gentlemen, ran round to the back of the house. Two
ladders were placed against the wall. John Wilkes, running
up one of them, hauled several of the others up, and lowered
them into the garden.

The flames were now issuing from some of the upper
windows. Cyril dropped from the wall into the garden, and,
running close up to the house, shouted to three or four
women, who were screaming loudly, and hanging so far out
that he thought they would fall, that help was at hand, and
that they would be speedily rescued. John Wilkes rapidly
tied three of the short ladders together. These were speedily
raised, but it was found that they just reached the window.
One of the firemen ran up, while John set to work to pre-
pare another long ladder. As there was no sign of life at any
other window he laid it down on the grass when finished.

" If you will put it up at the next window," Cyril said, " I
will mount it. The woman said there were children in the
house, and possibly I may find them. Those women are so
frightened that they don't know what they are doing."

One woman had already been got on to the other ladder,
but instead of coming down, she held on tightly, screaming at
the top of her voice, until the fireman with great difficulty
got up by her side, wrenched her hands from their hold, threw
her across his shoulder, and carried her down.

The room was full of smoke as Cyril leapt into it, but he
found that it was not, as he had supposed, the one in which the
women at the next window were standing. Near the window,
however, an elderly woman was lying on the floor insensible,
and three girls of from eight to fourteen lay across her. Cyril
thrust his head out of the window.

" Come up, John," he shouted. " I want help."

He lifted the youngest of the girls, and as he got her out
of the window, John's head appeared above the sill.

" Take her down quick, John," he said, as he handed the

"TAKE HER DOWN QUICK, JOHN, THERE ARE THREE OTHERS."

THE FIRE IN THE SAVOY. 167

child to him. " There are three others. They are all insensible
from the smoke."

Filling his lungs with fresh air, he turned into the blinding
smoke again, and speedily reappeared at the window with
another of the girls. John was not yet at the bottom; he
placed her with her head outside the window, and was back
with the eldest girl by the time Wilkes was up again. He
handed her to him, and then, taking the other, stepped out on
to the ladder and followed Wilkes down.

" Brave lad ! " the gentleman said, patting him on the
shoulder. " Are there any more of them ? "

" One more — a woman, sir. Do you go up, John. I will
follow, for I doubt whether I can lift her by myself."

He followed Wilkes closely up the ladder. There was a red
glow now in the smoke. Flames were bursting through the
door. John was waiting at the window.

" Which way, lad ? There is no seeing one's hand in the
smoke."

" Just in front, John, not six feet away. Hold your breath."

They dashed forward together, seized the woman between
them, and, dragging her to the window, placed her head and
shoulders on the sill.

" You go first, John. She is too heavy for me," Cyril gasped.

John stumbled out, half suffocated, while Cyril thrust his
head as far as he could outside the window.

" That is it, John ; you take hold of her shoulder, and I will
help you get her on to your back."

Between them they pushed her nearly out, and then, with
Cyril's assistance, John got her across his shoulders. She
was a heavy woman, and the old sailor had great difficulty
in carrying her down. Cyril hung far out of the window till
he saw him put his foot on the ground ; then he seized a rung
of the ladder, swung himself out on to it, and was soon down.

For a time he felt confused and bewildered, and was con-
scious that if he let go the ladder he should fall. He heard
a voice say, " Bring one of those buckets of water," and directly

168 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

afterwards, " Here, lad, put your head into this," and a handful
of water was dashed into his face. It revived him, and, turning
roxmd, he plunged his head into a bucket that a man held up
for him. Then he took a long breath or two, pressed the
water from his hair, and felt himself again. The women at
the other window had by this time been brought down. A
door in the garden wall had been broken down with axes, and
the women and girls were taken away to a neighbouring house.

" There is nothing more to do here," the gentleman said.
" Now, men, you are to enter the houses round about.
Wherever a door is fastened, break it in. Go out on to the
roofs with buckets, put out the sparks as fast as they fall. I
will send some more men to help you at once." He then put
his hand on Cyril's shoulder, and walked back with him to
the open space.

" We have saved them all," he said to the other gentleman
who had now come up, " but it has been a close touch, and it
was only by the gallantry of this young gentleman and another
with him that the lives of three girls and a woman were
rescued. I think all the men that can be spared had better
go round to the houses in that direction. You see, the wind is
setting that way, and the only hope of stopping the progress
of the fire is to get plenty of men with buckets out on the
roofs and at all the upper windows."

The other gentleman gave the necessary orders to an officer.

" Now, young sir, may I ask your name ? " the other said to
Cyril.

" Cyril Shenstone, sir," he replied respectfully ; for he saw
that the two men before him were persons of rank.

" Shenstone ? I know the name well. Are you any relation
of Sir Aubrey Shenstone ? "

" He was my father, sir."

" A brave soldier, and a hearty companion," the other said
warmly. " He rode behind me scores of times into the thick of
the fight. I am Prince Rupert, lad."

Cyril defied his hat in deep respect. His father had always

HOW JOHN WILKES FOUGHT THE DUTCH. 169

spoken of the Prince in terms of boundless admiration, and
had over and over again lamented that he had not been able
to join the Prince in his exploits at sea.

" What has become of my old friend? " the Prince asked.

" He died six months ago, Prince."

" I am sorry to hear it. I did hear that, while I was away,
he had been suing at Court. I asked for him, but could get
no tidings of his whereabouts. But we cannot speak here.
Ask for me to-morrow at Whitehall. Do you know this
gentleman ? "

" No, sir, I have not the honour."

" This is the Duke of Albemarle, my former enemy, but now
my good friend. You will like the lad no worse, my Lord,
because his father more than once rode with me into the heart
of your ranks."

" Certainly not," the Duke said. " It is clear that the son
will be as gallant a gentleman as his father was before him,
and, thank God ! it is not against Englishmen that he will
draw his sword. You may count me as your friend, sir,
henceforth."

Cyril bowed deeply and retired, while Prince Rupert and
the Duke hurried away again to see that the operations they
had directed were properly carried out.

CHAPTER X.

HOW JOHN WILKES FOUGHT THE DUTCH.

AFTER leaving Prince Rupert, Cyril returned to John
Wilkes, who was standing a short distance away.
" John ! John ! " he said eagerly, as he joined him. " Who
do you think those gentlemen are t "

" I don't know, lad. It is easy to see that they are men of
importance by the way they order every one about."

170 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

" The one who went with us to the garden is Prince Rupert ;
the other is the Duke of Albemarle. And the Prince has
told me to call upon him to-morrow at Whitehall."

" That is a stroke of luck, indeed, lad, and right glad am I
that I took it into my head to fetch you out to see the fire.
But more than that, you have to thank yourself, for, indeed,
you behaved right gallantly. You nearly had the Prince for
your helper, for just before I went up the ladder the last
time he stepped forward and said to me, ' You must be well-
nigh spent, man. I will go up this time.' However, I said
that I would finish the work, and so, without more ado, I
shook off the hand he had placed on my arm, and ran up after
you. Well, it is a stroke of good fortune to you, lad, that you
should have shown your courage under his eye — no one is
more able to appreciate a gallant action. This may help you
a long way towards bringing about the aim you were talking
about the other night, and I may live to see you Sir Cyril
Shenstone yet."

" You can see me that now," Cyril said, laughing. " My
father was a baronet, and therefore at his death I came into
the title, though I am not silly enough to go about the City
as Sir Cyril Shenstone when I am but a poor clerk. It will
be time enough to call myself ' Sir ' when I see some chance of
buying back our estate, though, indeed, I have thought of
taking the title again when I embark on foreign service, as
it may help me somewhat in obtaining promotion. But do not
say anything about it at home. I am Cyril Shenstone, and
have been fortunate enough to win the friendship of Captain
Dave, and I should not be so comfortable were there any
change made in my position in the family. A title is an
empty thing, John, unless there are means to support it, and
plain Cyril Shenstone suits my position far better than a title
without a guinea in my purse. Indeed, till you spoke just
now, I had well-nigh forgotten that I have the right to call
myself 'Sir.'"

They waited for two hours longer. At the end of that time

HOW JOHN WILKES FOUGHT THE DUTCH. 171

four mansions had been burnt to the ground, but the further
progress of the flames had been effectually stayed. The crowd
had already begun to scatter, and as they walked eastward
the streets were full of people making their way homeward.
The bell of St. Paul's was striking midnight as they entered.
The Captain and his family had long since gone off to bed.

" This reminds one of that last business," John whispered,
as they went quietly upstairs.

" It does, John. But it has been a pleasanter evening in
every way than those fruitless watches we kept in the street
below."

The next morning the story of the fire was told, and excited
great interest.

" Who were the girls you saved, Cyril ? " Nellie asked.

"I don't know. I did not think of asking to whom the
house belonged, nor, indeed, was there any one to ask. Most
of the people were too busy to talk to, and the rest were spec-
tators who had, like ourselves, managed to make their way
in through the lines of the soldiers and watch."

" Were they ladies ? "

" I really don't know," Cyril laughed. " The smoke was too
thick to see anything about them, and I should not know them
if I met them to-day; and, besides, when you only see a young
person in her nightdress, it is hard to form any opinion as to
her rank."

Nellie joined in the laugh.

" I suppose not, Cyril. It might make a difference to you,
though. Those houses in the Savoy are almost all the property
of noblemen, and you might have gained another powerful
friend if they had been the daughters of one."

" I should not think they were so," Cyril said. " There
seemed to be no one else in the house but three maid servants
and the woman who was in the room with them. I should say
the family were all away and the house left in charge of servants.
The woman may have been a housekeeper, and the girls her
children ; besides, even had it been otherwise, it was merely by

172 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

chance that I helped them out. It was John who tied the lad-
ders together and who carried the girls down, one by one. If I
had been alone I should only have had time to save the youngest,
for I am not accustomed to running up and down ladders, as
he is, and by the time I had got her down it would have been
too late to have saved the others. Indeed, I am not sure that
we did save them ; they were all insensible, and, for aught I
know, may not have recovered from the effects of the smoke.
My eyes are smarting even now."

"And so you are to see Prince Rupert to-day, Cyril?"
Captain Dave said. " I am afraid we shall be losing you, for
he will, I should say, assuredly appoint you to one of his ships
if you ask him."

" That would be good fortune indeed," Cyril said. " I cannot
but think myself that he may do so, though it would be almost
too good to be true. Certainly he spoke very warmly, and,
although he may not himself have the appointment of his
officers, a word from him at the Admiralty would, no doubt, be
sufficient. At any rate, it is a great thing indeed to have so
powerful a friend at Court. It may be that, at the end of
another two years, we may be at war with some other foreign
power, and that I may be able to enter our own army instead
of seeking service abroad. If not, much as I should like to
go to sea to fight against the Dutch, service in this Fleet
would be of no real advantage to me, for the war may last but
for a short time, and as soon as it is over the ships will be laid
up again and the crews disbanded."

" Ay, but if you find the life of a sailor to your liking,
Cyril, you might do worse than go into the merchant service.
I could help you there, and you might soon get the command
of a trader. And, let me tell you, it is a deal better to walk the
decks as captain than it is to be serving on shore with twenty
masters over you ; and there is money to be made, too. A
captain is always allowed to take in a certain amount of cargo
on his own account ; that was the way I scraped together
money enough to buy my own ship at last, and to be master

HOW JOHN WILKES FOUGHT THE DUTCH. 173

as well as owner, and there is no reason why you should not
do the same."

" Thank you, Captain Dave. I will think it over when I
find out whether I like a sea life, but at present it seems to
me that my inclinations turn rather towards the plan that my
father recommended, and that, for the last two years, I have
always had before me. You said, the other day, you had
fought the Dutch, John?"

"Ay, ay, Master Cyril; but, in truth, it was from no wish
or desire on my part that I did so. I had come ashore from
Captain Dave's ship here in the Pool, and had been with some
of my messmates who had friends in Wapping and had got
three days' leave ashore, as the cargo we expected had not
come on board the ship. We had kept it up a bit, and it was
latish when I was making my way down to the stairs. I
expect that I was more intent on making a straight course
down the street than in looking about for pirates, when
suddenly I found myself among a lot of men. One of them
seized me by the arm.

" ' Hands off, mate ! ' says I, and I lifted my fist to let fly at
him, when I got a knock at the back of the head. The next
thing I knew was, I was lying in the hold of a ship, and, as I
made out presently, with a score of others, some of whom were
groaning, and some cursing.

" ' Hullo, mates ! ' says I. ' What port is this we are
brought up in ? '

" ' We are on board the Tartar] one said.

" I knew what that meant, for the Tartar was the receiving
hulk where they took the pressed men.

"The next morning, without question asked, we were
brought up on deck, tumbled into a small sloop, and taken
down to Gravesend, and there put, in batches of four or five,
into the ships of war lying there. It chanced that I was put
on board Monk's flagship the Resolution. And that is how it
was I came to fight the Dutch."

" What year was that in, John ? "

174 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

" '53 — in May it was. Van Tromp, at that time, with ninety-
eight ships of war, and six fire-ships, was in the Downs, and
felt so much Master of the Sea that he sailed in and battered
Dover Castle."

" Then you were in the fight of the 2nd of June ? "

"Ay; and in that of the 31st of July, which was harder
still."

" Tell me all about it, John."

" Lor' bless you, sir, there is nothing to tell as far as I was
concerned. I was at one of the guns on the upper deck, but
I might as well have been down below for anything I saw of
it. It was just load and fire, load and fire. Sometimes,
through the clouds of smoke, one caught a sight of the
Dutchman one was firing at ; more often one didn't. There
was no time for looking about, I can tell you, and if there
had been time there was nothing to see. It was like being
in a big thunderstorm, with thunderbolts falling all round
you, and a smashing and a grinding and a ripping that
would have made your hair stand on end if you had only
had time to think of it. But we hadn't time. It was ' Now
then, my hearties, blaze away ! Keep it up, lads ! The Dutch-
men have pretty near had enough of it ! ' And then, at last,
' They are running, lads. Run in your guns, and tend the
sails.' And then a cheer as loud as we could give — which
wasn't much, I can tell you, for we were spent with labour,
and half choked with powder, and our tongues parched up with
thirst."

" How many ships had you ? "

" We had ninety-five war-ships, and five fire-ships, so the
game was an equal one. They had Tromp and De Ruyter
to command them, and we had Monk and Deane. Both
Admirals were on board our ship, and in the very first
broadside the Dutch fired a chain-shot, and pretty well cut
Admiral Deane in two. I was close to him at the time.
Monk, who was standing by his side, undid his own cloak in
a moment, threw it over his comrade, and held up his hand

HOW JOHN WILKES FOUGHT THE DUTCH. 175

to the few of us that had seen what had happened, to take no
notice of it.

" It was a good thing that Deane and Monk were on board
the same ship. If it had not been so, Deane's flag would have
been hauled down and all the Fleet would have known of his
death, which, at the commencement of the fight, would have
greatly discouraged the men.

" They told me, though I know naught about it, that Rear-
Admiral Lawson charged with the Blue Squadron right through
the Dutch line, and so threw them into confusion. However,
about three o'clock, the fight having begun at eleven, Van
Tromp began to draw off, and we got more sail on the
Resolution and followed them for some hours, they making a
sort of running fight of it, till one of their big ships blew up,
about nine in the evening, when they laid in for shore.
Blake came up in the night with eighteen ships. The Dutch
tried to draw off, but at eight o'clock we came up to them, and,
after fighting for four hours, they hauled off and ran, in great
confusion, for the flats, where we could not follow them, and so
they escaped to Zeeland. We heard that they had six of their
best ships sunk, two blown up and eleven taken, but whether
it was so or not I knew not, for, in truth, I saw nothing what-
ever of the matter.

" We sailed to the Texel, and there blocked in De Ruyter's
squadron of twenty-five large ships, and we thought that there
would be no more fighting, for the Dutch had sent to England
to ask for terms of peace. However, we were wrong, and, to
give the Dutchmen their due, they showed resolution greater
than we gave them credit for, for we were astonished indeed
to hear, towards the end of July, that Yan Tromp had sailed
out again with upwards of ninety ships.

" On the 29th they came in view, and we sailed out to
engage them, but they would not come to close quarters, and
it was seven at night before the Resolution, with some thirty
other ships, came up to them and charged through their line.
By the time we had done that it was quite dark, and we

176 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

missed them altogether and sailed south, thinking Van
Tromp had gone that way; but, instead, he had sailed north,
and in the morning we found he had picked up De Ruyter's
fleet, and was ready to fight. But we had other things to
think of besides fighting that day, for the wind blew so hard
that it was as much as we could do to keep off the shore, and
if the gale had continued a good part of the ships would have
left their bones there. However, by nightfall the gale abated
somewhat, and by the next morning the sea had gone down
sufficient for the main deck ports to be opened. So the
Dutch, having the weather gauge, sailed down to engage us.

" I thought it rough work in the fight two months before,
but it was as nothing to this. To begin with, the Dutch fire-
ships came down before the wind, and it was as much as we
could do to avoid them. They did, indeed, set the Triumph on
fire, and most of the crew jumped overboard ; but those that
remained managed to put out the flames.

" Lawson, with the Blue Squadron, began the fighting, and
that so briskly, that De Ruyter's flagship was completely
disabled and towed out of the fight. However, after I had seen
that, our turn began, and I had no more time to look about.
I only know that ship after ship came up to engage us, seeming
bent upon lowering Monk's flag. Three Dutch Admirals,
Tromp, Evertson, and De Ruyter, as I heard afterwards,
came up in turn. We did not know who they were, but we
knew they were Admirals by their flags, and pounded them
with all our hearts ; and so good was our aim that I myself
saw two of the Admirals' flags brought down, and they say
that all three of them were lowered. But you may guess the
pounding was not all on our side, and we suffered very
heavily.

" Four men were hurt at the gun I worked, and nigh half the
crew were killed or wounded. Two of our masts were shot
away, many of our guns disabled, and towards the end of
the fight, we were towed out of the line. How the day would
have gone if Van Tromp had continued in command of the

HOW JOHN \VILKES FOUGHT THE DUTCH. 177

Dutch, I cannot say, but about noon he was shot through
the body by a musket-ball, and this misfortune greatly dis-
couraged the Dutchmen, who fight well as long as things
seem to be going their way, but lose heart very easily when
they think the matter is going against them.

" By about two o'clock the officers shouted to us that the
Dutch were beginning to draw off, and it was not long before
they began to fly, each for himself, and in no sort of order.
Some of our light frigates, that had suffered less than the line-
of-battle ships, followed them until the one Dutch Admiral
whose flag was left flying, turned and fought them till two or
three of our heavier ships came up and he was sunk.

" We could see but little of the chase, having plenty of
work, for, had a gale come on, our ship, and a good many
others would assuredly have been driven ashore, in the
plight we were in. Anyhow, at night their ships got into the
Texel, and our vessels, which had been following them, anchored
five or six leagues out, being afraid of the sands. Altogether
we had burnt or sunk twenty-six of their ships of war, while
we lost only two frigates, both of which were burnt by their
fire-ships.

" As it was certain that they would not come out for some
time again, and many of our ships being unfit for further
contention until repaired, we returned to England, and I got
my discharge and joined Captain Dave again a fortnight later,
when his ship came up the river.

" Monk is a good fighter, Master Cyril, and should have
the command of the Fleet instead of, as they say, the Duke
of York. Although he is called General, and not Admiral, he
is as good a sea-dog as any of them, and he can think as well
as fight.

<% Among our ships that day were several merchantmen that
bad been taken up for the service at the la*t moment and
had guns slapped on board, with gunners to work them.
Some of them had still their cargoes in the hold, and Monk,
thinking that it was likely the captains would think more

(948) M

178 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

of saving their ships and goods than of fighting the Dutch,
changed the captains all round, so that no man commanded
his own vessel. And the consequence was that, as all admitted,
the merchantmen were as willing to fight as any, and bore
themselves right stoutly.

" Don't you think, Master Cyril, if you go with the Fleet,
that you are going to see much of what goes on. It will be
worse for you than it was for me, for there was I, labouring
and toiling like a dumb beast, with my mind intent upon
working the gun, and paying no heed to the roar and confusion
around, scarce even noticing when one beside me was struck
down. You will be up on the poop, having naught to do
but to stand with your hand on your sword-hilt, and wait-
ing to board an enemy or to drive back one who tries to board
you. You will find that you will be well-nigh dazed and stupid
with the din and uproar."

" It does not sound a very pleasant outlook, John," Cyril
laughed. " However, if I ever do get into an engagement, I
will think of what you have said, and will try and prevent
myself from getting either dazed or stupid ; though, in truth, I
can well imagine that it is enough to shake any one's nerves
to stand inactive in so terrible a scene."

" You will have to take great care of yourself, Cyril," Nellie
said gravely.

Captain Dave and John Wilkes both burst into a laugh.

" How is he to take care of himself, Nellie ? " her father said.
" Do you suppose that a man on deck would be any the safer
were he to stoop down with his head below the rail, or to screw
himself up on the leeward side of a mast ? No, no, lass ; each
man has to take his share of danger, and the most cowardly
runs just as great a risk as the man who fearlessly exposes
himself."

PRINCE RUPERT. 179

CHAPTER XI.

PEINCE RUPERT.

T PHE next day Cyril went down to breakfast in what he had
-L often called, laughingly, his Court suit. This suit he had
had made for him a short time before his father's death, to
replace the one he had when he came over, that being alto-
gether outgrown. He had done so to please Sir Aubrey,
who had repeatedly expressed his anxiety that Cyril should
always be prepared to take advantage of any good fortune that
might befall him. This was the first time he had put it on.

" Well, truly you look a pretty fellow, Cyril," the Captain
said, as he entered. " Don't you think so, Nellie ? "

The girl nodded.

"I don't know that I like him better than in his black
suit, father. But he looks very well."

" Hullo, lass ! This is a change of opinion, truly ! For
myself I care not one jot for the fashion of a man's clothes,
but I had thought that you always inclined to gay attire,
and Cyril now would seem rather to belong to the Court than
to the City."

"If it had been any other morning, father, I might have
thought more of Cyril's appearance ; but what you were tell-
ing us but now of the continuance of the Plague is so sad, that
mourning, rather than Court attire, would seem to be the
proper wear."

" Is the Plague spreading fast, then, Captain Dave ? "

" No ; but it is not decreasing, as we had hoped it would do.
From the beginning of December the deaths rose steadily
until the end of January. While our usual death-rate is
under three hundred it went to four hundred and seventy-four.
Then the weather setting in very severe checked it till the end
of February, and we all hoped that the danger was over, and
that we should be rid of the distemper before the warm

180 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

weather set in ; but for the last fortnight there has been a
rise rather than a fall — not a large one, but sufficient to cause
great alarm that it will continue until warm weather sets in,
and may then grow into terrible proportions. So far, there
has been no case in the City, and it is only in the West that it
has any hold, the deaths being altogether in the parishes of St.
Giles's, St. Andrew's, St. Bride's, and St. James's, Clerkenwell.
Of course, there have been cases now and then for many
years past, and nine years ago it spread to a greater extent
than now, and were we at the beginning of winter instead of
nearing summer there would be no occasion to think much
of the matter ; but, with the hot weather approaching, and the
tales we hear of the badness of the Plague in foreign parts one
cannot but feel anxious."

" And they say, too, that there have been prophecies of
grievous evils in London," Nellie put in.

" We need not trouble about that," her father replied.
" The Anabaptists prophesied all sorts of evils in Elizabeth's
time, but naught came of it. There are always men and
women with disordered minds, who think that they are
prophets, and have power to see further into the future than
other people, but no one minds them or thinks aught of their
wild words save at a time like the present, when there is a
danger of war or pestilence. You remember Bill Yokes,
John 1 "

"I mind him, yer honour. A poor, half-crazed fellow he
was, and yet a good seaman, who would do his duty blow high
or blow low. He sailed six voyages with us, Captain."

" And never one of them without telling the crew that the
ship would never return to port. He had had dreams about
it, and the black cat had mewed when he left home, and
he saw the three magpies in a tree hard by when he stepped
from the door, and many other portents of that kind. The
first time he well-nigh scared some of the crew, but after the
first voyage — from which we came back safely, of, course — they
did but laugh at him ; and as in all other respects he was a

PRINCE RUPERT. 181

good sailor, and a willing fellow, I did not like to discharge
him, for, once the men found out that his prophecies came
to naught, they did no harm, and, indeed, they afforded them
much amusement. Just as it is on board a ship, so it is
elsewhere. If our vessel had gone down that first voyage, any
man who escaped drowning would have said that Bill Vokes
had not been without reason in his warnings, and that it was
nothing less than flying in the face of Providence, to put to sea
when the loss of the ship had been so surely foretold. So, on
shore, the fools or madmen who have dreams and visions are
not heeded when times are good, and men's senses sound,
whereas, in troubled times, men take their ravings to heart.
If all the scatterbrains had a good whipping at the pillory it
would be well, both for them and for the silly people who pay
attention to their ravings."

A few minutes later, Cyril took a boat to the Whitehall
steps, and after some delay was shown up to Prince Rupert's
room.

" None the worse for your exertions yester-even, young
gentleman, I hope 1 " the Prince said, shaking hands with him
warmly.

" None, sir. The exertion was not great, and it was but the
inconvenience of the smoke that troubled me in any way."

" Have you been to inquire after the young ladies who owe
their lives to you ? "

" No, sir ; I know neither their names nor their condition,
nor, had I wished it, could I have made inquiries, for I know
not whither they were taken."

" I sent round early this morning," the Prince said, " and
heard that they were as well as might be expected after the
adventure they went through. And now tell me about your-
self, and what you have been doing. 'Tis one of the saddest
things to me, since I returned to England, that so many good
men who fought by my side have been made beggars in the
King's service, and that I could do naught for them. 'Tis a
grievous business, and yet I see not how it is to be mended.

182 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

The hardest thing is, that those who did most for the King's
service are those who have suffered most deeply. None of
those who were driven to sell their estates at a fraction of
their value, in order to raise money for the King's treasury
or to put men into the field, have received any redress. It
would need a vast sum to buy back all their lands, and
Parliament would not vote money for that purpose ; nor would
it be fair to turn men out of the estates that they bought and
paid for. Do you not think so ? " he asked suddenly, seeing,
by the lad's face, that he was not in agreement with him.

" No, sir ; it does not seem to me that it would be unfair.
These men bought the lands for, as you say, but a fraction of
their value ; they did so in the belief that Parliament would
triumph, and their purchase was but a speculation grounded
on that belief. They have had the enjoyment of the estates for
years, and have drawn from them an income which has, by
this time, brought them in a sum much exceeding that which
they have adventured, and it does not seem to me that there
would be any hardship whatever were they now called upon
to restore them to their owners. 'Tis as when a man risks
his money in a venture at sea. If all goes as he hopes
he will make a great profit on his money. If the ship is
cast away or taken by pirates, it is unfortunate, but he has
no reason to curse his ill-luck if the ship had already made
several voyages which have more than recouped the money he
ventured."

" Well and stoutly argued ! " the Prince said approvingly.
" But you must remember, young sir, that the King, on his
return, was by no means strongly seated on the throne. There
was the Army most evilly affected towards him ; there were
the Puritans, who lamented the upset of the work they or
their fathers had done. All those men who had purchased
the estates of the Royalists had families and friends, and, had
these estates been restored to their rightful owners, there
might have been an outbreak that would have shaken the
throne again. Many would have refused to give up possession,

PRINCE RUPERT. 183

save to force ; and where was the force to come from ? Even
had the King had troops willing to carry out such a measure,
they might have been met by force, and had blood once been
shed, none can say how the trouble might have spread, or
what might have been the end of it. And now, lad, come to
your own fortunes."

Cyril briefly related the story of his life since his return to
London, stating his father's plan that he should some day take
foreign service.

" You have shown that you have a stout heart, young sir,
as well as a brave one, and have done well, indeed, in turning
your mind to earn your living by such talents as you have,
rather than in wasting your time in vain hopes and in ceaseless
importunities for justice. It may be that you have acted wisely
in thinking of taking service on the Continent, seeing that we
have no Army ; and when the time comes, I will further your
wishes to the utmost of my power. But in the meantime
there is opportunity for service at home, and I will gladly
appoint you as a Volunteer in my own ship. There are many
gentlemen going with me in that capacity, and it would be of
advantage to you, if, when I write to some foreign prince on
your behalf, I can say that you have fought under my eye."

"Thank you greatly, Prince. I have been wishing, above
all things, that I could join the Fleet, and it would be, indeed,
an honour to begin my career under the Prince of whom I
heard so often from my father."

Prince Rupert looked at his watch.

" The King will be in the Mall now," he said. " I will take
you across and present you to him. It is useful to have the
entree at Court, though perhaps the less you avail yourself of
it the better."

So saying, he rose, put on his hat, and, throwing his cloak
over his shoulder, went across to the Mall, asking questions
of Cyril as he went, and extracting from him a sketch of the
adventure of his being kidnapped and taken to Holland.

Presently they arrived at the spot where the King, with

184 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

three or four nobles and gentlemen, bad been playing. Charles
was in a good humour, for he had just won a match with the
Earl of Rochester.

" Well, my grave cousin," he said merrily, " what brings you
out of your office so early 1 No fresh demands for money,
I hope?"

" Not at present. And indeed, it is not to you that I should
come on such a quest, but to the Duke of York."

" And he would come to me," said the King; " so it is the
same thing."

" I have come across to present to your Majesty a very
gallant young gentleman, who yesterday evening, at the risk
of his life, saved the three daughters of the Earl of Wisbech
from being burned at the fire in the Savoy, where his Lordship's
mansion was among those that were destroyed. I beg to
present to your Majesty Sir Cyril Shenstone, the son of the
late Sir Aubrey Shenstone, a most gallant gentleman, who rode
under my banner in many a stern fight in the service of your
royal father."

" I knew him well," the King said graciously, " but had not
heard of his death. I am glad to hear that his son inherits
his bravery. I have often regretted deeply that it was out of
my power to requite, in any way, the services Sir Aubrey
rendered, and the sacrifices he made for our House."

His brow clouded a little, and he looked appealingly at
Prince Rupert.

" Sir Cyril Shenstone has no more intention of asking for
favours than I have, Charles," the latter said. " He is going
to accompany me as a Volunteer against the Dutch, and if the
war lasts I shall ask for a better appointment for him."

" That he shall have," the King said warmly. " None have
a better claim to commissions in the Navy and Army than sons
of gentlemen who fought and suffered in the cause of our
royal father. My Lords," he said to the little group of gentle-
men, who had been standing a few paces away while this
conversation had been going on, " I would have you know

"CYRIL RAISED THE KING'S HAND TO HIS LIPS."

PRINCE RUPERT. 185

Sir Cyril Shenstone, the son of a faithful adherent of my
father, and who, yesterday evening, saved the lives of the three
daughters of My Lord of Wisbech in the fire at the Savoy.
He is going as a Volunteer with my cousin Rupert when he
sails against the Dutch."

The gentlemen all returned Cyril's salute courteously.

" He will be fortunate in beginning his career under the
eyes of so brave a Prince," the Earl of Rochester said, bowing
to Prince Rupert.

" It would be well if you all," the latter replied bluntly,
" were to ship in the Fleet for a few months instead of wasting
your time in empty pleasures."

The Earl smiled. Prince Rupert's extreme disapproval of
the Ufe at Court was well known.

" We cannot all be Bayards, Prince, and most of us would,
methinks, be too sick at sea to be of much assistance, were we
to go. But if the Dutchmen come here, which is not likely —
for I doubt not, Prince, that you will soon send them flying
back to their own ports — we shall all be glad to do our best
to meet them when they land."

The Prince made no reply, but, turning to the King, said, —

" We will not detain you longer from your game, Cousin
Charles. I have plenty to do, with all the complaints as to
the state of the ships, and the lack of stores and necessaries."

" Remember, I shall be glad to see you at my levees, Sir
Cyril," the King said, holding out his hand. " Do not wait
for the Prince to bring you, for if you do you will wait
long."

Cyril doffed his hat, raised the King's hand to his lips, then,
with a deep bow and an expression of thanks, followed Prince
Rupert, who was already striding away.

" You might have been better introduced," the Prince said
when he overtook him. " Still it is better to be badly introduced
than to have no introduction at all. I am too old for the
flippancies of the Court. You had better show yourself there
sometimes ; you will make friends that may be useful. By the

186 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

way, I have not your address, and it may be a fortnight or
more before the Henrietta is ready to take her crew on board."
He took out his tablet and wrote down the address. " Come
and see me if there is anything you want to ask me. Do not
let the clerks keep you out with the pretence that I am busy,
but send up your name to me, and tell them that I have
ordered it shall be taken up, however I may be engaged."

Having no occasion for haste, Cyril walked back to the City
after leaving Prince Rupert. A great change had taken place
in his fortunes in the last twenty-four hours. Then he had no
prospects save continuing his work in the City for another two
years, and even after that time he foresaw grave difficulties in
the way of his obtaining a commission in a foreign army ; for
Sir John Parton, even if ready to carry out the promise he
had formerly made him, might not have sufficient influence to
do so. Now he was to embark in Prince Rupert's own ship.
He would be the companion of many other gentlemen going
out as Volunteers, and, at a bound, spring from the position of a
writer in the City to that occupied by his father before he
became involved in the trouble between King and Parliament.
He was already admitted to Court, and Prince Rupert himself
had promised to push his fortunes abroad.

And yet he felt less elated than he would have expected
from his sudden change. The question of money was the
cloud that dulled the brightness of his prospects. As a
Volunteer he would receive no pay, and yet he must make
a fair show among the young noblemen and gentlemen who
would be his companions. Doubtless they would be victualled
on board, but he would have to dress well and probably pay
a share in the expenses that would be incurred for wine
and other things on board. Had it not been for the future
he would have been inclined to regret that he had not
refused the tempting offer ; but the advantages to be gained
by Prince Rupert's patronage were so large that he felt no
sacrifice would be too great to that end — even that of
accepting the assistance that Captain Dave had more than

PRINCE RUPERT. 187

once hinted he should give him. It was just the dinner-hour
when he arrived home.

" Well, Cyril, I see by your face that the Prince has said
nothing in the direction of your wishes," Captain Dave said, as
he entered.

" Then my face is a false witness, Captain Dave, for Prince
Rupert has appointed me a Volunteer on board his own ship."

" I am glad, indeed, lad, heartily glad, though your going
will be a heavy loss to us all. But why were you looking so
grave over it ? "

" I have been wondering whether I have acted wisely in
accepting it," Cyril said. " I am very happy here, I am earn-
ing my living, I have no cares of any sort, and I feel that it is
a very serious matter to make a change. The Prince has a
number of noblemen and gentlemen going with him as
Volunteers, and I feel that I shall be out of my element in
such company. At the same time I have every reason to be
thankful, for Prince Rupert has promised that he will, after
the war is over, give me introductions which will procure me
a commission abroad."

"Well, then, it seems to me that things could not look
better," Captain Dave said heartily. " When do you go on
board ? "

" The Prince says it may be another fortnight ; so that I
shall have time to make my preparations, and warn the
citizens I work for, that I am going to leave them."

" I should say the sooner the better, lad. You will have to
get your outfit and other matters seen to. Moreover, now
that you have been taken under Prince Rupert's protection,
and have become, as it were, an officer on his ship — for gentle-
men Volunteers, although they have no duties in regard to
working the ship, are yet officers — it is hardly seemly that
you should be making up the accounts of bakers and butchers,
ironmongers, and ship's storekeepers."

" The work is honest, and I am in no way ashamed of
it," Cyril said ; " but as I have many things to see about, I

188 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

suppose I had better give them notice at once. Prince Rupert
presented me to the King to-day, and His Majesty requested
me to attend at Court, which I should be loath to do, were
it not that the Prince urged upon me that it was of advantage
that I should make myself known."

" One would think, Master Cyril, that this honour which has
suddenly befallen you is regarded by you as a misfortune,"
Mrs. Dowsett said, laughing. " Most youths would be over-
joyed at such a change in their fortune."

" It would be all very pleasant," Cyril said, " had I the
income of my father's estate at my back ; but I feel that I
shall be in a false position, thus thrusting myself among
men who have more guineas in their pockets than I have
pennies. However, it seems that the matter has been taken
out of my own hands, and that, as things have turned out, so
I must travel. Who would have thought, when John Wilkes
fetched me out last night to go to the fire, it would make an
alteration in my whole life, and that such a little thing as
climbing up a ladder and helping to get three girls out of a
room full of smoke — and John Wilkes did the most difficult
part of the work — was to change all my prospects 1 "

" There was a Providence in it, Cyril," Mrs. Dowsett said
gently. " Why, else, should you have gone up that ladder,
when, to all seeming, there was no one there. The maids
were so frightened, John says, that they would never have
said a word about there being any one in that room, and the
girls would have perished had you not gone up. Now as,
owing to that, everything has turned out according to your
wishes, it would be a sin not to take advantage of it, for you
may be sure that, as the way has thus been suddenly opened to
you, so will all other things follow in due course."

" Thank you, madam," Cyril said simply. " I had not
thought of it in that light, but assuredly you are right, and
I will not suffer myself to be daunted by the difficulties there
may be in my way."

John Wilkes now came in and sat down to the meal. He

PRINCE RUPERT. 189

was vastly pleased when he heard of the good fortune that
had befallen Cyril.

" It seems to me," Cyril said, " that I am but an impostor,
and that at least some share in the good luck ought to have
fallen to you, John, seeing that you carried them all down the
ladder."

" I have carried heavier bales, many a time, much longer
distances than that — though I do not say that the woman was
not a tidy weight, for, indeed, she was ; but I would have
carried down ten of them for the honour I had in being shaken
by the hand by Prince Rupert, as gallant a sailor as ever sailed
a ship. No, no ; what I did was all in a day's work, and no
more than lifting anchors and chains about in the storehouse.
As for honours, I want none of them. I am moored in a snug
port here, and would not leave Captain Dave if they would
make a Duke of me."

Nellie had said no word of congratulation to Cyril, but as
they rose from dinner, she said, in low tones, —

" You know I am pleased, and hope that you will have all
the good fortune you deserve."

Cyril set out at once to make a round of the shops where he
worked. The announcement that he must at once terminate
his connection with them, as he was going on board the Fleet,
was everywhere received with great regret.

" I would gladly pay double," one said, " rather than that
you should go, for, indeed, it has taken a heavy load off my
shoulders, and I know not how I shall get on in the future."

" I should think there would be no difficulty in getting some
other young clerk to do the work," Cyril said.

" Not so easy," the man replied. " I had tried one or two be-
fore, and found they were more trouble than they were worth.
There are not many who write as neatly as you do, and you do
as much in an hour as some would take a day over. However,
I wish you good luck, and if you should come back, and take
tip the work again, or start as a scrivener in the City, I can
promise you that you shall have my books again, and that

190 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

among my friends I can find you as much work as you can
get through."

Something similar was said to him at each of the houses
where he called, and he felt much gratified at finding that his
work had given such satisfaction.

When he came in to supper, Cyril was conscious that some-
thing had occurred of an unusual nature. Nellie's eyes were
swollen with crying; Mrs. Dowsett had also evidently been
in tears ; while Captain Dave was walking up and down the
room restlessly.

The servant was placing the things upon the table, and, just
as they were about to take their seats, the bell of the front
door rang loudly.

" See who it is, John," Captain Dave said. " Whoever it is
seems to be in a mighty hurry."

In a minute or two John returned, followed by a gentleman.
The latter paused at the door, and then said, bowing courteously,
as he advanced, to Mrs. Dowsett, —

"I must ask pardon for intruding on your meal, madam,
but my business is urgent. I am the Earl of Wisbech, and
I have called to see Sir Cyril Shenstone, to offer him my heart-
felt thanks for the service he has rendered me by saving the
lives of my daughters."

All had risen to their feet as he entered, and there was a
slight exclamation of surprise from the Captain, his wife, and
daughter, as the Earl said " Sir Cyril Shenstone."

Cyril stepped forward.

" I am Cyril Shenstone, my Lord," he said, " and had the
good fortune to be able, with the assistance of my friend
here, John Wilkes, to rescue your daughters, though, at the
time, indeed, I was altogether ignorant of their rank. It was
a fortunate occurrence, but I must disclaim any merit in
the action, for it was by mere accident that, mounting to the
window by a ladder, I saw them lying insensible on the
ground."

'; Your modesty does you credit, sir," the Earl said, shaking

PRINCE RUPERT. 191

him warmly by the hand. " But such is not the opinion of
Prince Rupert, who described it to me as a very gallant action ;
and, moreover, he said that it was you who first brought him
the news that there were females in the house, which he and
others had supposed to be empty, and that it was solely owing
to you that the ladders were taken round."

" Will you allow me, my Lord, to introduce to you Captain
Dowsett, his wife, and daughter, who have been to me the
kindest of friends ? "

"A kindness, my Lord," Captain Dave said earnestly, "that
has been repaid a thousandfold by this good youth, of whose
rank we were indeed ignorant until you named it. May I
ask you to honour us by joining in our meal ? "

" That will I right gladly, sir," the Earl said, " for, in truth,
I have scarce broke my fast to-day. I was down at my place
in Kent when I was awoke this morning by one of my grooms,
who had ridden down with the news that my mansion in the
Savoy had been burned, and that my daughters had had a
most narrow escape of their lives. Of course, I mounted at
once and rode to town, where I was happy in finding that
they had well-nigh recovered from the effects of their fright
and the smoke. Neither they nor the nurse who was with
them could give me any account of what had happened, save
that they had, as they supposed, become insensible from the
smoke. When they recovered, they found themselves in
the Earl of Surrey's house, to which it seems they had been
carried. After inquiry, I learned that the Duke of Albemarle
and Prince Rupert had both been on the scene directing opera-
tions. I went to the latter, with whom I have the honour of
being well acquainted, and he told me the whole story, saying
that had it not been for Sir Cyril Shenstone, my daughters
would certainly have perished. He gave credit, too, to Sir
Cyril's companion, who, he said, carried them down the ladder,
and himself entered the burning room the last time, to aid in
bringing out the nurse, who was too heavy for the rescuer of
my daughters to lift. Save a cup of wine and a piece of bread,

192 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

that I took on my first arrival, I have not broken my fast
to-day."

Then he seated himself on a chair that Cyril had placed for
him between Mrs. Dowsett and Nellie.

Captain Dave whispered to John Wilkes, who went out, and
returned in two or three minutes with three or four flasks of
rare Spanish wine which the Captain had brought back on
his last voyage, and kept for drinking on special occasions.
The Dame always kept an excellent table, and although she
made many apologies to the Earl, he assured her that none
were needed, for that he could have supped no better in his
own house.

" I hear," he said presently to Cyril, " that you are going out
as a Volunteer in Prince Rupert's ship. My son is also going
with him, and I hope, in a day or two, to introduce him to you.
He is at present at Cambridge, but, having set his mind on
sailing with the Prince, I have been fain to allow him to give
up his studies. I heard from Prince Rupert that you had
recently been kidnapped and taken to Holland. He gave me
no particulars, nor did I ask them, being desirous of hurrying
off at once to express my gratitude to you. How was it that
such an adventure befell you — for it would hardly seem likely
that you could have provoked the enmity of persons capable of
such an outrage ? "

" It was the result of his services to me, my Lord," Captain
Dave said. " Having been a sea-captain, I am but a poor hand
at accounts ; but, having fallen into this business at the death
of my father, it seemed simple enough for me to get on without
much book-learning. I made but a bad shape at it ; and when
Master Shenstone, as he then called himself, offered to keep
my books for me, it seemed to me an excellent mode of saving
myself worry and trouble. However, when he set himself to
making up the accounts of my stock, he found that I was nigh
eight hundred pounds short; and, setting himself to watch,
discovered that my apprentices were in alliance with a band
of thieves, and were nightly robbing me. We caught them

PRINCE RUPERT. 193

and two of the thieves in the act. One of the latter was the
receiver, and on his premises the proceeds of a great number
of robberies were found, and there was no doubt that he was
the chief of a notorious gang, called the ' Black Gang,' which
had for a long time infested the City and the surrounding
country. It was to prevent Sir Cyril from giving evidence at
the trial that he was kidnapped and sent away. He was
placed in the house of a diamond merchant, to whom the
thieves were in the habit of consigning jewels ; and this might
well have turned out fatal to him, for to the same house came
my elder apprentice and one of the men captured with him —
a notorious ruffian — who had been rescued from the constables
by a gang of their fellows, in open daylight, in the City.
These, doubtless, would have compassed his death had he
not happily seen them enter the house, and made his escape,
taking passage in a coaster bound for Dunkirk, from which
place he took another ship to England. Thus you see, my
Lord, that I am indebted to him for saving me from a further
loss that might well have ruined me."

He paused, and glanced at Nellie, who rose at once, saying
to the Earl, —

" I trust that your Lordship will excuse my mother and
myself. My father has more to tell you ; at least, I should wish
him to do so."

Then, taking her mother's hand, she curtsied deeply, and
they left the room together.

" Such, my Lord, as I have told you, is the service, so far as
I knew till this afternoon, Sir Cyril Shenstone has rendered
me. That was no small thing, but it is very little to what I
know now that I am indebted to him. After he went out
I was speaking with my wife on money matters, desiring much
to be of assistance to him in the matter of the expedition on
which he is going. Suddenly my daughter burst into tears
and left the room. I naturally bade my wife follow her and
learn what ailed her. Then, with many sobs and tears, she
told her mother that we little knew how much we were

(948) N

194 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

indebted to him. She said she had been a wicked girl, having
permitted herself to be accosted several times by a well-dressed
gallant, who told her that he was the Earl of Harwich, who
had professed great love for her, and urged her to marry him
privately.

" He was about to speak to her one day when she was out
under Master Cyril's escort. The latter interfered, and there
was well-nigh a fracas between them. Being afraid that
some of the lookers-on might know her, and bring the matter
to our ears, she mentioned so much to us, and, in con-
sequence, we did not allow her to go out afterwards, save in
the company of her mother. Nevertheless, the man continued
to meet her, and, as he was unknown to her mother, passed
notes into her hand. To these she similarly replied, and at
last consented to fly with him. She did so at night, and was
about to enter a sedan chair in the lane near this house when
they were interrupted by the arrival of Master Shenstone and
my friend John Wilkes. The former, it seems, had his
suspicions, and setting himself to watch, had discovered that
she was corresponding with this man — whom he had found
was not the personage he pretended to be, but a disreputable
hanger-on of the Court, one John Harvey — and had then kept
up an incessant watch, with the aid of John Wilkes, outside
the house at night, until he saw her come out and join the
fellow with two associates, when he followed her to the chair
they had in readiness for her.

"There was, she says, a terrible scene. Swoids were drawn.
John Wilkes knocked down one of the men, and Master
Shenstone ran John Harvey through the shoulder. Appalled
now at seeing how she had been deceived, and how narrowly
she had escaped destruction, she returned with her rescuers
to the house, and no word was ever said on the subject until
she spoke this afternoon. We had noticed that a great change
had come over her, and that she seemed to have lost all
her tastes for shows and finery, but little did we dream of the
cause. She said that she could not have kept the secret much

PRINCE RUPERT. 195

longer in any case, being utterly miserable at the thought of
how she had degraded herself and deceived us.

" It was a sad story to have to hear, my Lord, but we have
fully forgiven her, having, indeed, cause to thank God both
for her preservation and for the good that this seems to have
wrought in her. She had been a spoilt child, and, being well-
favoured, her head had been turned by flattery, and she
indulged in all sorts of foolish dreams. Now she is truly
penitent for her folly. Had you not arrived, my Lord, I should,
when we had finished our supper, have told Master Shenstone
that I knew of this vast service he has rendered us — a service to
which the other was as nothing. That touched my pocket only ;
this my only child's happiness. I have told you the story, my
Lord, by her consent, in order that you might know what sort of
a young fellow this gentleman who has rescued your daughter is.
John, I thank you for your share in this matter," and, with tears
in his eyes, he held out his hand to his faithful companion.

" I thank you deeply, Captain Dowsett, for having told me
this story," the Earl said gravely. " It was a painful one to
tell, and I feel sure that the circumstance will, as you say,
be of lasting benefit to your daughter. It shows that her
heart is a true and loyal one, or she would not have had so
painful a story told to a stranger, simply that the true
character of her preseryer should be known. I need not say
that it has had the effect she desired of raising Sir Cyril
Shenstone highly in my esteem. Prince Rupert spoke of him
very highly and told me how he had been honourably support-
ing himself and his father, until the death of the latter. Now
I see that he possesses unusual discretion and acuteness, as
well as bravery. Now I will take my leave, thanking you
for the good entertainment that you have given me. I am
staying at the house of the Earl of Surrey, Sir Cyril, and I
hope that you will call to-morrow morning, in order that my
daughters may thank you in person."

Captain Dave and Cyril escorted the Earl to the door and
then returned to the chamber above.

196 WIIEN LONDON BURNED.

CHAPTER XII.

NEW FRIENDS.

ON arriving at the room upstairs, Captain Dave placed his
hand on Cyril's shoulder and said :

" How can I thank you, lad, for what you have done for us ? "

" By saying nothing further about it, Captain Dave. I had
hoped that the matter would never have come to your ears,
and yet I rejoice, for her own sake, that Mistress Nellie has
told you all. I thought that she would do so some day, for I,
too, have seen how much she has been changed since then, and
though it becomes me not to speak of one older than myself,
I think that the experience has been for her good, and, above
all, I am rejoiced to find that you have fully forgiven her, for
indeed I am sure that she has been grievously punished."

" Well, well, lad, it shall be as you say, for indeed I am but
a poor hand at talking, but believe me that I feel as grateful
as if I could express myself rightly, and that the Earl of
Wisbech cannot feel one wit more thankful to you for having
saved the lives of his three children than I do for your having
saved my Nellie from the consequences of her own folly. There
is one thing that you must let me do — it is but a small thing, but
at present I have no other way of showing what I feel : you
must let me take upon myself, as if you had been my son, the
expenses of this outfit of yours. I was talking of the matter,
as you may have guessed by what I said to the Earl, when
Nellie burst into tears; and if I contemplated this when I
knew only you had saved me from ruin, how much more do
I feel it now that you have done this greater thing ? I trust
that you will not refuse me and my wife this small opportunity
of showing our gratitude. What say you, John Wilkes ? "

" I say, Captain Dave, that it is well spoken, and 1 am sure
Master Cyril will not refuse your offer."

" I will not, Captain Dave, providing that you let it be as a

NEW FRIENDS. 197

loan that I may perhaps some day be enabled to repay you.
I feel that it would be churlish to refuse so kind an offer, and
it will relieve me of the one difficulty that troubled me when
the prospects in all other respects seemed so fair."

" That is right, lad, and you have taken a load off my mind.
You have not acted quite fairly by us in one respect, Master
Cyril ! "

" How is that ? " Cyril asked in surprise.

" In not telling us that you were Sir Cyril Shenstone, and
in letting us put you up in an attic, and letting you go about
as Nellie's escort, as if you had been but an apprentice."

Cyril laughed.

" I said that my father was Sir Aubrey Shenstone, though
I own that I did not say so until I had been here some time ;
but the fact that he was a Baronet and not a Knight made
little difference. It was a friendless lad whom you took
in and gave shelter to, Captain Dave, and it mattered not
whether he was plain Cyril or Sir Cyril. I had certainly
no thought of taking my title again until I entered a foreign
army, and indeed it would have been a disservice to me
here in London. I should have cut but a poor figure asking
for work and calling myself Sir Cyril Shenstone. I should
have had to enter into all sorts of explanations before anyone
would have believed me, and I don't think that, even with you,
I should have been so comfortable as I have been."

" Well, at any rate, no harm has been done," Captain Dave
said ; " but I think you might have told me."

" If I had, Captain Dave, you would assuredly have told
your wife and Mistress Nellie ; and it was much more pleasant
for me that things should be as they were."

" Well, perhaps you were right, lad. And I own that I
might not have let you work at my books, and worry over
that robbery, had I known that you were of a station above
me."

" That you could never have known," Cyril said warmly.
" We have been poor ever since I can remember. T owed

198 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

my education to the kindness of friends of my mother, and
in no way has my station been equal to that of a London
trader like yourself. As to the title, it was but a matter of
birth, and went but ill with an empty purse and a shabby
doublet. In the future it may be useful, but until now, it
has been naught, and indeed worse than naught, to me."

The next morning when Cyril went into the parlour he
found that Nellie was busy assisting the maid to lay the
table. When the latter had left the room, the girl went up
to Cyril and took his hand.

" I have never thanked you yet," she said. " I could not
bring myself to speak of it, but now that I have told them
I can do so. Ever since that dreadful night I have prayed
for you, morning and evening, and thanked God for sending
you to my rescue. What a wicked girl you must have thought
me — and with reason ! But you could not think of me worse
than I thought of myself. Now that my father and mother
have forgiven me I shall be different altogether. I had
before made up my mind to tell them. Still, it did not seem to
me that I should ever be happy again. But now that I have
had the courage to speak out, and they have been so good to
me, a great weight is lifted off my mind, and I mean to learn
to be a good housewife like my mother, and to try to be
worthy, some day, of an honest man's love."

" I am sure you will be," Cyril said warmly. " And so,
Mistress Nellie, it has all turned out for the best, though it
did not seem so at one time."

At this moment Captain Dave came in.

" I am glad to see you two talking together as of old," he
said. " We had thought that there must be some quarrel
between you, for you had given up rating him, Nellie. Give
her a kiss, Cyril ; she is a good lass, though she has been a
foolish one. Nay, Nellie, do not offer him your cheek — it is
the fashion to do that to every idle acquaintance. Kiss him
heartily, as if you loved him. That is right, lass. Now let
us to breakfast. Where is your mother ? She is late."

NEW FRIENDS. 199

" I told her that I would see after the breakfast in future,
father, and I have begun this morning — partly because it is
my duty to take the work off her hands, and partly because
I wanted a private talk with Sir Cyril."

" I won't be called Sir Cyril under this roof," the lad said,
laughing. "And I warn you that if any one calls me so I
will not answer. I have always been Cyril with you all, and
I intend to remain so to the end, and you must remember
that it is but a few months that I have had the right to the
title, and was never addressed by it until by Prince Rupert.
I was for the moment well nigh as much surprised as you
were last night."

An hour later Cyril again donned his best suit, and
started to pay his visit to the Earl. Had he not seen him
over-night, he would have felt very uncomfortable at the
thought of the visit; but he had found him so pleasant and
friendly, and so entirely free from any air of pride or con-
descension, that it seemed as if he were going to meet a friend.
He was particularly struck with the manner in which he
had placed Captain Dave and his family at their ease, and got
them to talk as freely and naturally with him as if he had
been an acquaintance of long standing. It seemed strange to
him to give his name as Sir Cyril Shenstone to the lackeys
at the door, and he almost expected to see an expression of
amusement on their faces. They had, however, evidently
received instructions respecting him, for he was without ques-
tion at once ushered into the room in which the Earl of Wisbech
and his daughters were sitting.

The Earl shook him warmly by the hand, and then, turning
to his daughters, said, —

" This is the gentleman to whom you owe your lives, girls.
Sir Cyril, these are my daughters — Lady Dorothy, Lady
Bertha, and Lady Beatrice. It seems somewhat strange to
have to introduce you, who have saved their lives, to them ; biit
you have the advantage of them, for you have seen them
before, but they have not until now seen your face."

200 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

Each of the girls as she was named made a deep curtsey,
and then presented her cheek to be kissed, as was the custom
of the times.

" They are somewhat tongue-tied," the Earl said, smiling, as
the eldest of the three cast an appealing glance to him, " and
have begged me to thank you in their names, which I do with
all my heart, and beg you to believe that their gratitude is
none the less deep because they have no words to express it.
They generally have plenty to say, I can assure you, and will
find their tongues when you are a little better acquainted."

" I am most happy to have been of service to you, ladies,"
Cyril said, bowing deeply to them. " I can hardly say that
I have the advantage your father speaks of, for in truth the
smoke was so thick, and my eyes smarted so with it, that I
could scarce see your faces."

"Their attire, too, in no way helped you," the Earl said,
with a laugh, "for, as I hear, their costume was of the
slightest. I believe that Dorothy's chief concern is that she
did not have time to attire herself in a more becoming toilette
before the smoke overpowered her."

" Now, father," the girl protested, with a pretty colour in
her cheeks, " you know I have never said anything of the sort,
though I did say that I wished I had thrown a cloak round me.
It is not pleasant, whatever you may think, to know that one
was handed down a ladder in one's nightdress."

" I don't care about that a bit," Beatrice said ; " but you
did not say, father, that it was a young gentleman, no older
than Sydney, who found us and carried us out. I had expected
to see a great big man."

" I don't think I said anything about his age, Beatrice, but
simply told you that I had found out that it was Sir Cyril
Shenstone that had saved you."

" Is the nurse recovering, my Lord ? "

" She is still in bed, and the doctor says she will be some
time before she quite recovers from the fright and shock.
They were all sleeping in the storey above. It was Dorothy

NEW FRIENDS. 201

who first woke, and, after waking her sisters, ran into the
nurse's room, which was next door, and roused her. The silly
woman was so frightened that she could do nothing but stand
at the window and scream until the girls almost dragged her
away, and forced her to come downstairs. The srnoke, how-
ever, was so thick that they could get no farther than the
next floor ; then, guided by the screams of the other servants,
they opened a door and ran in, but, as you know, it was not the
room into which the women had gone. The nurse fell down
in a faint as soon as she got in. The girls, as it seems,
dragged her as far as they could towards the window, but she
was too heavy for them ; and as they had not shut the door,
the smoke poured in and overpowered them, and they fell
beside her. The rest you know. She is a silly woman, and
she has quite lost my confidence by her folly and cowardice,
but she has been a good servant, and the girls, all of whom
she nursed, were fond of her. Still, it is evident that she
is not to be trusted in an emergency, and it was only
because the girls' governess is away on a visit to her mother
that she happened to be left in charge of them. Now, young
ladies, you can leave us, as I have other matters to talk over
with Sir Cyril."

The three girls curtsied deeply, first to their father, and
then to Cyril, who held the door for them to pass out.

" Now, Sir Cyril," the Earl said, as the door closed behind
them, " we must have a talk together. You may well believe
that, after what has happened, I look upon you almost as part
of my family, and that I consider you have given me the right
to look after your welfare as if you were a near relation of my
own ; and glad I am to have learned yesterday evening that
you are, in all respects, one whom I might be proud indeed to
call a kinsman. Had you been a cousin of mine, with parents
but indifferently off in worldly goods, it would have been my
duty, of course, to push you forward and to aid you in every
way to make a proper figure on this expedition. I think that,
after what has happened, I have equally the right to do so,

202 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

and what would have been my duty, had you been a relation,
is no less a duty, and will certainly be a great gratification
to me to do now. You understand me, do you not ? I wish
to take upon myself all the charges connected with your outfit,
and to make you an allowance, similar to that which I shall
give to my son, for your expenses on board ship. All this is
of course but a slight thing, but, believe me, that when the
expedition is over it will be my pleasure to help you forward
to advancement in any course which you may choose."

" I thank you most heartily, my Lord," Cyril said, " and
would not hesitate to accept your help in the present matter,
did I need it. However, I have saved some little money
during the past two years, and Captain Dowsett has most
generously offered me any sum I may require for my expenses,
and has consented to allow me to take it as a loan to be repaid
at some future time, should it be in my power to do so. Your
offer, however, to aid me in my career afterwards, I most
thankfully accept. My idea has always been to take service
under some foreign prince, and Prince Rupert has most kindly
promised to aid me in that respect ; but after serving for a
time at sea I shall be better enabled to judge than at present
as to whether that course is indeed the best, and I shall be
most thankful for your council in this and all other matters,
and feel myself fortunate indeed to have obtained your good
will and patronage."

" Well, if it must be so, it must," the Earl said. " Your
friend Captain Dowsett seems to me a very worthy man.
You have placed him under an obligation as heavy as my own,
and he has the first claim to do you service. In this matter,
then, I must be content to stand aside, but on your return
from sea it will be my turn, and I shall be hurt and grieved
indeed if you do not allow me an opportunity of proving my
gratitude to you. As to the career you speak of, it is a
precarious one. There are indeed many English and Scotch
officers who have risen to high rank and honour in foreign
service ; but to every one that so succeeds, how many fall

NEW FRIENDS. 203

unnoticed, and lie in unmarked graves, in well nigh every
country in Europe? Were you like so many of your age,
bent merely on adventure and pleasure, the case would be
different, but it is evident that you have a clear head for
business, that you are steady and persevering, and such being
the case, there are many offices under the Crown in which you
might distinguish yourself and do far better than the vast
majority of those who sell their swords to foreign princes,
and become mere soldiers of fortune, fighting for a cause in
which they have no interest, and risking their lives in quarrels
that are neither their own nor their country's.

" However, all this we can talk over when you come back
after having, as I hope, aided in destroying the Dutch Meet.
I expect my son up to-morrow, and trust that you will
accompany him to the King's levee next Monday. Prince
Rupert tells me that he has already presented you to the King,
and that you were well received by him, as indeed you had a right
to be, as the son of a gentleman who had suffered and sacrificed
much in the Royal cause. But I will take the opportunity of
introducing you to several other gentlemen who will sail with
you. On the following day I shall be going down into Kent,
and shall remain there until it is time for Sydney to embark.
If you can get your preparations finished by that time, I
trust that you will give us the pleasure of your company, and
will stay with me until you embark with Sydney. In this
way you will come to know us better, and to feel, as I wish
you to feel, as one of the family."

Cyril gratefully accepted the invitation, and then took his
leave.

Captain Dave was delighted when he heard the issue of
his visit to the Earl.

" I should never have forgiven you, lad, if you had accepted
the Earl's offer to help you in the matter of this expedition.
It is no great thing, and comes well within my compass, and
I should have been sorely hurt had you let him come between
us ; but in the future I can do little, and he much. I have

204 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

spoken to several friends who are better acquainted with
public affairs than I am, and they all speak highly of him.
He holds, for the most part, aloof from Court, which is to his
credit seeing how matters go on there ; but he is spoken of
as a very worthy gentleman and one of merit, who might
take a prominent part in affairs were he so minded. He
has broad estates in Kent and Norfolk, and spends the
greater part of his life at one or other of his country seats.
Doubtless, he will be able to assist you greatly in the future."

"I did not like to refuse his offer to go down with him to
Kent," Cyril said, " though I would far rather have remained
here with you until we sail."

"You did perfectly right, lad. It will cut short your
stay here but a week, and it would be madness to refuse the
opportunity of getting to know him and his family better.
The Countess died three years ago, I hear, and he has shown
no disposition to take another wife, as he might well do,
seeing he is but a year or two past forty, and has as pleasant
a face and manner as I have ever seen. He is not the sort
of man to promise what he will not perform, Cyril, and more
than ever do I think that it was a fortunate thing for you
that John Wilkes fetched you to that fire in the Savoy. And
now, lad, you have no time to lose. You must come with me
at once to Master Woods, the tailor, in Eastcheap, who makes
clothes not only for the citizens but for many of the nobles
and gallants of the Court. In the first place, you will need
a fitting dress for the King's levee; then you will need at
least one more suit similar to that you now wear, and three for
on board ship and for ordinary occasions, made of stout cloth,
but in the fashion ; then you must have helmet, and breast-
and back-pieces for the fighting, and for these we will go to
Master Lawrence, the armourer, in Cheapside. All these we
will order to-day in my name, and put them down in your
account to me. As to arms, you have your sword, and there is
but a brace of pistols to be bought. You will want a few
things such as thick cloaks for sea service; for though I

NEW FRIENDS. 205

suppose that Volunteers do not keep their watch, you may
meet with rains and heavy weather, and you will need some-
thing to keep you dry."

They sallied out at once. So the clothes were ordered, and
the Court suit, with the best of the others promised by the end
of the week ; the armour was fitted on and bought, and a stock
of fine shirts with ruffles, hose, and shoes, was also purchased.
The next day Sidney Oliphant, the Earl's son, called upon
Cyril. He was a frank, pleasant young fellow, about a year
older than Cyril. He was very fond of his sisters, and expressed
in lively terms his gratitude for their rescue.

" This expedition has happened in the nick of time for me,"
he said, when, in accordance with his invitation, Cyril and
he embarked in the Earl's boat in which he had been rowed
to the City, "for I was in bad odour with the authorities,
and was like, ere long, to have been sent home far less pleas-
antly ; and although the Earl, my father, is very indulgent,
he would have been terribly angry with me had it been so.
To tell you the truth, at the University we are divided into
two sets — those who read and those who don't — and on joining
I found myself very soon among the latter. I don't think it
was quite my fault, for I naturally fell in with companions
whom I had known before, and it chanced that some of these
were among the wildest spirits in the University.

" Of course I had my horses, and, being fond of riding, I was
more often in the saddle than in my seat in the college schools.
Then there were constant complaints against us for sitting
up late and disturbing the college with our melodies, and
altogether we stood in bad odour with the Dons; and when
they punished us we took our revenge by playing them pranks,
until lately it became almost open war, and would certainly
have ended before long in a score or more of us being sent
down. I should not have minded that myself, but it would
have grieved the Earl, and I am not one of the new-fashioned
ones who care naught for what their fathers may say. He has
been praising you up to the skies this morning, I can tell you —

206 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

I don't mean only as to the fire but about other things—
and says he hop-?s we shall be great friends, and I am sure
I hope so too, and think so. He had been telling me about
your finding out about their robbing that good old sea-
captain you live with, and how you were kidnapped after-
wards, and sent to Holland ; and how, in another adventure,
although he did not tell me how that came about, you pricked
a ruffling gallant through the shoulder ; so that you have had
a larger share of adventure, by a great deal, than I have. I
had expected to see you a rather solemn personage, for the
Earl told me you had more sense in your little finger than I
had in my whole body, which was not complimentary to me,
though I daresay it is true."

" Now, as a rule, they say that sensible people are very dis-
agreeable ; but I hope I shall not be disagreeable," Cyril
laughed, "and I am certainly not aware that I am particularly
sensible."

"No, I am sure you won't be disagreeable, but I should
have been quite nervous about coming to see you if it had not
been for the girls. Little Beatrice told me she thought you
were a prince in disguise, and had evidently a private idea
that the good fairies had sent you to her rescue. Bertha said
that you were a very proper young gentleman, and that she
was sure you were nice. Dorothy didn't say much, but she
evidently approved of the younger girls' sentiments, so I felt
that you must be all right, for the girls are generally pretty
severe critics, and very few of my friends stand at all high in
their good graces. What amusement are you most fond of ? "

" I am afraid I have had very little time for amusements,"
Cyril said. " I was very fond of fencing when I was in
France, but have had no opportunity of practising since I
came to England. I went to a bull-bait once, but thought it
a cruel sport."

" I suppose you go to a play-house sometimes ? "

" No ; I have never been inside one. A good deal of my
work has been done in the evening, and I don't know that the

NEW FRIENDS. 207

thought ever occurred to me to go. I know nothing of your
English sports, and neither ride nor shoot, except with a
pistol, with which I used to be a good shot when I was in
France."

They rowed down as low as Greenwich, then, as the tide
turned, made their way back ; and by the time Cyril alighted
from the boat at London Bridge stairs the two young fellows
had become quite intimate with each other.

Nellie looked with great approval at Cyril as he came
downstairs in a full Court dress. Since the avowal she had
made of her fault she had recovered much of her brightness.
She bustled about the house, intent upon the duties she had
newly taken up, to the gratification of Mrs. Dowsett, who
protested that her occupation was gone.

" Not at all, mother. It is only that you are now captain
of the ship, and have got to give your orders instead of
carrying them out yourself. Father did not pull up the ropes
or go aloft to furl the sails, while I have no doubt he had
plenty to do in seeing that his orders were carried out. You
will be worse off than he was, for he had John Wilkes, and
others, who knew their duty, while I have got almost every-
thing to learn."

Although her cheerfulness had returned, and she could
again be heard singing snatches of song about the house, her
voice and manner were gentler and softer, and Captain Dave
said to Cyril, —

" It has all turned out for the best, lad. The ship was
very near wrecked, but the lesson has been a useful one,
and there is no fear of her being lost from want of care or
good seamanship in future. I feel, too, that I have been
largely to blame in the matter. I spoilt her as a child, and
I spoilt her all along. Her mother would have kept a firmer
hand upon the helm if I had not always spoken up for the
lass, and said, ' Let her have her head ; don't check the sheets
in too tautly.' I see I was wrong now. Why, lad, what
a blessing it is to us all that it happened when it did ! for if

208 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

that fire had been but a month earlier, you would probably
have gone away with the Earl, and we should have known
nothing of Nellie's peril until we found that she was gone."

" Sir Cyril — no, I really cannot call you Cyril now," Nellie
said, curtseying almost to the ground after taking a survey
of the lad, " your costume becomes you rarely ; and I am
filled with wonder at the thought of my own stupidity in
not seeing all along that you were a prince in disguise. It is
like the fairy tales my old nurse used to tell me of the king's
son who went out to look for a beautiful wife, and who worked
as a scullion in the king's palace without any one suspecting
his rank. I think fortune has been very hard upon me, in
that I was born five years too soon. Had I been but fourteen
instead of nineteen, your Royal Highness might have cast
favourable eyes upon me."

" But then, Mistress Nellie," Cyril said, laughing, " you
would be filled with grief now at the thought that I am going
away to the wars."

The girl's face changed. She dropped her saucy manner and
said earnestly, —

" I am grieved Cyril; and if it would do any good I would
sit down and have a hearty cry. The Dutchmen are brave
fighters, and their fleet will be stronger than ours; and
there will be many who sail away to sea who will never come
back again. I have never had a brother ; but it seems to me
that if I had had one who was wise, and thoughtful, and brave,
I should have loved him as I love you. I think the princess
must always have felt somehow that the scullion was not what
he seemed ; and though I have always laughed at you and
scolded you, I have known all along that you were not
really a clerk. I don't know that I thought you were a
prince ; but I somehow felt a little afraid of you. You never
said that you thought me vain and giddy, but I knew you
did think so, and I used to feel a little malice against you ;
and yet, somehow, I respected and liked you all the more, and
now it seems to me that you are still in disguise, and that,

NEW FRIENDS. 209

though you seem to be but a boy, you are really a man to
whom some good fairy has given a boy's face. Methinks no
boy could be as thoughtful and considerate, and as kind as you
are."

" You are exaggerating altogether," Cyril said ; " and yet,
in what you say about my age, I think you are partly right.
I have lived most of my life alone ; I have had much care
always on my shoulders, and grave responsibility ; thus it is
that I am older in many ways than I should be at my years.
I would it were not so. I have not had any boyhood, as other
boys have, and I think it has been a great misfortune for
me."

" It has not been a misfortune for us, Cyril ; it has been a
blessing indeed to us all that you have not been quite like other
boys, and I think that all your life it will be a satisfaction
for you to know that you have saved one house from ruin,
one woman from misery and disgrace. Now it is time for you
to be going; but although you are leaving us to-morrow,
Cyril, I hope that you are not going quite out of our lives."

" That you may be sure I am not, Nellie. If you have reason
to be grateful to me, truly I have much reason to be grateful
to your father. I have never been so happy as since I have been
in this house, and I shall always return to it as to a home
where I am sure of a welcome — as the place to which I chiefly
owe any good fortune that may ever befall me."

The levee was a brilliant one, and was attended, in addition
to the usual throng of courtiers, by most of the officers and
gentlemen who were going with the Meet. Cyril was glad
indeed that he was with the Earl of Wisbech and his son, for
he would have felt lonely and out of place in the brilliant
throng, in which Prince Rupert's face would have been the
only one with which he was familar. The Earl introduced him
to several of the gentlemen who would be his shipmates, and
by all he was cordially received when the Earl named him as
the gentleman who had rescued his daughters from death.

At times, when the Earl was chatting with his friends

( 948 ) O

210 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

Cyril moved about through the rooms with Sydney, who knew
by appearance a great number of those present, and was able
to point out all the distinguished persons of the Court to him.

" There is the Prince," he said, " talking with the Earl of
Rochester. What a grave face he has now ! It is difficult to
believe that he is the Rupert of the wars, and the headstrong
prince whose very bravery helped to lose well nigh as many
battles as he won. We may be sure that he will take us into
the very thick of the fight, Cyril. Even now his wrist is as
firm, and, I doubt not, his arm as strong as when he led the
Cavaliers. I have seen him in the tennis-court ; there is not
one at the Court, though many are well nigh young enough to
be his sons, who is his match at tennis. There is the Duke of
York. They say he is a Catholic, but I own that makes no
difference to me. He is fond of the sea, and is never so happy
as when he is on board ship, though you would hardly think
it by his grave face. The Bang is fond of it, too. He has a
pleasure vessel that is called a yacht, and so has the Duke of
York, and they have races one against the other ; but the King
generally wins. He is making it a fashionable pastime. Some
day I will have one myself — that is, if I find I like the sea ;
for it must be pleasant to sail about in your own vessel, and
to go wheresoever one may fancy without asking leave from
any man."

When it came to his turn Cyril passed before the King with
the Earl and his son. The Earl presented Sydney, who had
not before been at Court, to the King, mentioning that he
was going out as a Volunteer in Prince Rupert's vessel.

" That is as it should be, my Lord," the King said. " England
need never fear so long as her nobles and gentlemen are ready
themselves to go out to fight her battles, and to set an example
to the seamen. You need not present this young gentleman
to me ; my cousin Rupert has already done so, and told me of
the service he has rendered to your daughters. He, too, sails
with the Prince, and after what happened there can be no
doubt that he can stand fire well. I would that this tiresome

NEW FRIENDS. 211

dignity did not prevent my being of the party. I would gladly,
for once, lay my kingship down and go out as one of the
company to help give the Dutchmen a lesson that will teach
them that, even if caught unexpectedly, the sea-dogs of England
can well hold their own, though they have no longer a Blake
to command them."

" I wonder that the King ventures to use Blake's name,"
Sydney whispered, as they moved away, " considering the
indignities that he allowed the judges to inflict on the body
of the grand old sailor."

" It was scandalous ! " Cyril said warmly ; " and I burned
with indignation when I heard of it in France. They may
call him a traitor because he sided with the Parliament, but
even Royalists should never have forgotten what great deeds
he did for England. However, though they might have
dishonoured his body, they could not touch his fame, and
his name will be known and honoured as long as England is
a nation and when the names of the men who condemned
nim have been long forgotten."

After leaving the levee, Cyril went back to the City, and
the next morning started on horseback, with the Earl and
his son, to the latter's seat, near Sevenoaks, the ladies
having gone down in the Earl's coach on the previous day.
Wholly unaccustomed as Cyril was to riding, he was so stiff
that he had difficulty in dismounting when they rode up to
the mansion. The Earl had provided a quiet and well-
trained horse for his use, and he had therefore found no
difficulty in retaining his seat.

" You must ride every day while you are down here," the
Earl said, " and by the end of the week you will, begin to be
fairly at home in the saddle. A good seat is one of the prime
necessities of a gentleman's education, and if it should be
that you ever carry out your idea of taking service abroad it
will be essential for you, because, in most cases, the officers are
mounted. You can hardly expect ever to become a brilliant
rider. For that it is necessary to begin young ; but if you can

212 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

keep your seat under all circumstances, and be able to use
your sword on horseback, as well as on foot, it will be all
that is needful."

The week passed very pleasantly. Cyril rode and fenced
daily with Sydney, who was surprised to find that he was
fully his match with the sword. He walked in the gardens
with the girls, who had now quite recovered from the effects
of the fire. Bertha and Beatrice, being still children, chatted
with him as freely and familiarly as they did with Sydney.
Of Lady Dorothy he saw less, as she was in charge of her
governante, who always walked beside her, and was occupied
in training her into the habits of preciseness and decorum in
vogue at the time.

" I do believe, Dorothy," Sydney said, one day, " that you
are forgetting how to laugh. You walk like a machine, and
seem afraid to move your hands or your feet except according
to rule. I like you very much better as you were a year
ago, when you did not think yourself too fine for a romp,
and could laugh when you were pleased. That dragon of
yours is spoiling you altogether."

" That is a matter of opinion, Sydney," Dorothy said, with
a deep curtsey. " When you first began to fence, I have
no doubt you were stiff and awkward, and I am sure if you
had always had some one by your side, saying, ' Keep your
head up ! ' ' Don't poke your chin forward ! ' ' Pray do not
swing your arms ! ' and that sort of thing, you would be just
as awkward as I feel. I am sure I would rather run about
with the others; the process of being turned into a young
lady is not a pleasant one. But perhaps some day, when you
see the finished article, you will be pleased to give your Lord-
ship's august approval," and she ended with a merry laugh
that would have shocked her governante if she had heard it.

THE BATTLE OF LOWESTOFT. 213

CHAPTER XIII.

THE BATTLE OP LOWESTOFT.

rilHE Earl returned with his son and Cyril to town, and the
-L latter spent the night in the City.

" I do not know, Cyril," Captain Dave said, as they talked
over his departure, " that you run much greater risk in going
than do we in staying here. The Plague makes progress, and
although it has not invaded the City, we can hardly hope that
it will be long before it appears here. There are many evil
prophesies abroad, and it is the general opinion that a great mis-
fortune hangs over us, and they say that many have prepared
to leave London. I have talked the matter over with my wife.
We have not as yet thought of going, but should the Plague
come heavily, it may be that we shall for a time go away.
There will be no business to be done, for vessels will not come
up the Thames and risk infection, nor, indeed, would they be
admitted into ports, either in England or abroad, after coming
from an infected place. Therefore I could leave without any
loss in the way of trade. It will, of course, depend upon the
heaviness of the malady, but if it becomes widespread we shall
perhaps go for a visit to my wife's cousin, who lives near
Gloucester, and who has many times written to us urging us
to go down with Nellie for a visit to her. Hitherto, business
has prevented my going, but if all trade ceases, it would be a
good occasion for us, and such as may never occur again.
Still, I earnestly desire that it may not arise, for it cannot do
so without sore trouble and pain alighting on the City. Did
the Earl tell you, Cyril, what he has done with regard to
John?"

" No; he did not speak to me on the subject."
" His steward came here three days since with a gold watch
and chain, as a gift from the Earl. The watch has an inscrip-
tion on the case, saying that it is presented to John Wilkes

214 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

from the Earl of Wisbech, as a memorial of his gratitude for the
great services rendered to his daughters. Moreover, he brought
a letter from the Earl saying that if John should at any time
leave my service, owing to my death or retirement from
business, or from John himself wishing, either from age or
other reason, to leave me, he would place at his service a
cottage and garden on his estate, and a pension of twenty
pounds a year, to enable him to live in comfort for the
remainder of his days. John is, as you may suppose, mightily
pleased, for though I would assuredly never part with him
as long as I live, and have by my will made provision that
will keep him from want in case I die before him, it was
mighty pleasant to receive so handsome a letter and offer of
service from the Earl. Nellie wrote for him a letter in
which he thanked the Earl for the kindness of his offer,
for which, although he hoped he should never be forced to
benefit from it, he was none the less obliged and grateful,
seeing that he had done nothing that any other bystander
would not have done, to deserve it."

Early the next morning Sydney Oliphant rode up to the
door, followed by two grooms, one of whom had a led horse,
and the other a sumpter-mule, which was partly laden.
Captain Dave went down with Cyril to the door.

" I pray you to enter, my Lord," he said. " My wife will
not be happy unless you take a cup of posset before you start.
Moreover, she and my daughter desire much to see you, as
you are going to sail with Sir Cyril, whom we regard as a
member of our family."

" I will come up right willingly," the young noble said,
leaping lightly from his horse. " If your good dame's posset
is as good as the wine the Earl, my father, tells me you gave
him, it must be good indeed ; for he told me he believed he had
none in his cellar equal to it."

He remained for a few minutes upstairs, chatting gaily,
vowing that the posset was the best he had ever drank, and
declaring to Nellie that he regarded as a favourable omen for

THE BATTLE OF LOWESTOFT. 215

his expedition that he should have seen so fair a face the last
thing before starting. He shook hands with John Wilkes
heartily when he came up to say that Cyril's valises were all
securely packed on the horses, and then went off, promising to
send Captain Dave a runnet of the finest schiedam from the
Dutch Admiral's ship.

" Truly, I am thankful you came up," Cyril said, as they
mounted and rode off. " Before you came we were all dull,
and the Dame and Mistress Nellie somewhat tearful. Now
we have gone off amidst smiles, which is vastly more
pleasant."

Crossing London Bridge, they rode through Southwark, and
then out into the open country. Each had a light valise
strapped behind the saddle, and the servants had saddle-bags
containing the smaller articles of luggage, while the sumpter-
mule carried two trunks with their clothes and sea necessaries.
It was late in the evening when they arrived at Chatham.
Here they put up at an hotel which was crowded with officers
of the Fleet, and with Volunteers like themselves.

" I should grumble at these quarters, Cyril," Sydney said,
as the landlord, with many apologies, showed them into a tiny
attic, which was the only place he had unoccupied, " were
it not that we are going to sea to-morrow, and I suppose that
our quarters will be even rougher there. However, we may
have elbow-room for a time, for most of the Volunteers will
not join, I hear, until the last thing before the Fleet sails, and
it may be a fortnight yet before all the ships are collected.
I begged my father to let me do the same, but he goes back
again to-day to Sevenoaks, and he liked not the idea of my
staying in town, seeing that the Plague is spreading so rapidly.
I would even have stayed in the country had he let me, but
he was of opinion that I was best on board — in the first place,
because I may not get news down there in time to join the
Fleet before it sails, and in the second, that I might come to
get over this sickness of the sea, and so be fit and able to do
my part when we meet the Dutch. This was so reasonable

216 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

that I could urge nothing against it ; for, in truth, it would be
a horrible business if I were lying like a sick dog, unable to
lift my head, while our men were fighting the Dutch. I have
never been to sea, and know not how I shall bear it. Are you
a good sailor ? "

" Yes ; I used to go out very often in a fishing-boat at Dun-
kirk, and never was ill from the first. Many people are not
ill at all, and it will certainly be of an advantage to you to be
on board for a short time in quiet waters before setting out
for sea."

On going downstairs, Lord Oliphant found several young
men of his acquaintance among those staying in the house.
He introduced Cyril to them. But the room was crowded and
noisy ; many of those present had drunk more than was good
for them, and it was not long before Cyril told his friend that
he should go up to bed.

" I am not accustomed to noisy parties, Sydney, and feel
quite confused with all this talk."

" You will soon get accustomed to it, Cyril. Still, do as
you like. I daresay I shall not be very long before I follow
you."

The next morning after breakfast they went down to the
quay, and took a boat to the ship, which was lying abreast
of the dockyard. The captain, on their giving their names,
consulted the list.

" That is right, gentlemen, though indeed I know not why
you should have come down until we are ready to sail, which
may not be for a week or more, though we shall go out from
here to-morrow and join those lying in the Hope ; for indeed
you can be of no use while we are fitting, and would but do
damage to your clothes and be in the way of the sailors. It
is but little accommodation you will find on board here, though
we will do the best we can for you."

" We do not come about accommodation, captain," Lord
Oliphant laughed, " and we have brought down gear with us
that will not soil, or rather, that cannot be the worse for

THE BATTLE OF LOWESTOFT. 217

soiling. There are three or four others at the inn where we
stopped last night who are coming on board, but I hear that
the rest of the Volunteers will probably join when the fleet
assembles in Yarmouth roads "

" Then they must be fonder of journeying on horseback
than I am," the captain said. " While we are in the Hope,
where, indeed, for aught I know, we may tarry but a day or
two, they could come down by boat conveniently without
trouble, whereas to Yarmouth it is a very long ride, with
the risk of losing their purses to the gentlemen of the road.
Moreover, though the orders are at present that the Fleet
gather at Yarmouth, and many are already there, 'tis like
that it may be changed in a day for Harwich or the Downs.
I pray you get your meals at your inn to-day, for we are, as
you see, full of work taking on board stores. If it please you
to stay and watch what is doing here you are heartily welcome,
but please tell the others that they had best not come off
until late in the evening, by which time I will do what I can
to have a place ready for them to sleep. We shall sail at
the turn of the tide, which will be at three o'clock in the
morning."

Oliphant wrote a few lines to the gentlemen on shore,
telling them that the captain desired that none should come
on board until the evening, and having sent it off by their
boatmen, telling them to return in time to take them back
to dinner, he and Cyril mounted to the poop and surveyed
the scene round them. The ship was surrounded with lighters
and boats from the dockyards, and from these casks and
barrels, boxes and cases, were being swung on board by blocks
from the yards, or rolled in at the port-holes. A large
number of men were engaged at the work, and as fast as
the stores came on board they were seized by the sailors and
carried down into the hold, the provisions piled in tiers of
barrels, the powder-kegs packed in the magazine.

" 'Tis like an ant-hill," Cyril said. " 'Tis just as I have
seen when a nest has been disturbed. Every ant seizes a

218 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

white egg as big as itself, and rushes off with it to the
passage below."

" They work bravely," his companion said. " Every man
seems to know that it is important that the ship should be
filled up by to-night. See ! the other four vessels lying above
us are all alike at work, and may, perhaps, start with us in the
morning. The other ships are busy, too, but not as we are.
I suppose they will take them in hand when they have got rid
of us."

" I am not surprised that the captain does not want idlers
here, for, except ourselves, every man seems to have his
appointed work."

" I feel half inclined to take off my doublet and to go and
help to roll those big casks up the planks."

" I fancy, Sydney, we should be much more in the way there
than here. There is certainly no lack of men, and your
strength and mine together would not equal that of one of
those strong fellows ; besides, we are learning something here.
It is good to see how orderly the work is being carried on, for,
in spite of the number employed, there is no confusion. You
see there are three barges on each side ; the upper tiers of
barrels and bales are being got on board through the port-holes,
while the lower ones are fished up from the bottom by the
ropes from the yards and swung into the waist, and so passed
below; and as fast as one barge is unloaded another drops
alongside to take its place."

They returned to the inn to dinner, after which they paid
a visit to the victualling yard and dockyard, where work was
everywhere going on. After supper they, with the other
gentlemen for Prince Rupert's ship, took boat and went off
together. They had learned that, while they would be victualled
on board, they must take with them wine and other matters
they required over and above the ship's fare. They had had
a consultation with the other gentlemen after dinner, and
concluded that it would be best to take but a small quantity
of things, as they knew not how they would be able to stow

THE BATTLE OF LOWESTOFT. 219

them away, and would have opportunities of getting, at
Gravesend or at Yarmouth, further stores, when they saw
what things were required. They therefore took only a cheese,
some butter, and a case of wine. As soon as they got
on board they were taken below. They found that a curtain
of sail-cloth had been hung across the main deck, and hammocks
slung between the guns. Three or four lanterns were hung
along the middle.

" This is all we can do for you, gentlemen," the officer who
conducted them down said. " Had we been going on a pleasure
trip we could have knocked up separate cabins, but as we
must have room to work the guns, this cannot be done. In
the morning the sailors will take down these hammocks, and
will erect a table along the middle, where you will take your
meals. At present, as you see, we have only slung hammocks
for you, but when you all come on board there will be twenty.
We have, so far, only a list of sixteen, but as the Prince said
that two or three more might come at the last moment we
have railed off space enough for ten hammocks on each side.
We will get the place cleaned for you to-morrow, but the last
barge was emptied but a few minutes since, and we could do
naught but just sweep the deck down. To-morrow everything
shall be scrubbed and put in order."

" It will do excellently well," one of the gentlemen said.
" We have not come on board ship to get luxuries, and had
we to sleep on the bare boards you would hear no grumbling."

" Now, gentlemen, as I have shown you your quarters, will
you come up with me to the captain's cabin 1 He has bade
me say that he will be glad if you will spend an hour with
him there before you retire to rest."

On their entering, the captain shook hands with Lord
Oliphant and Cyril.

"I must apologise, gentlemen, for being short with you
when you came on board this morning ; but my hands were
full, and I had no time to be polite. They say you can
never get a civil answer from a housewife on her washing-day,

220 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

and it is the same thing with an officer on board a ship when
she is taking in her stores. However, that business is over,
and now I am glad to see you all, and will do my best to make
you as comfortable as I can, which indeed will not be much ;
for as we shall, I hope, be going into action in the course
of another ten days, the decks must all be kept clear, and as
we have the Prince on board, we have less cabin room than
we should have were we not an admiral's flagship."

Wine was placed on the table, and they had a pleasant chat.
They learnt that the Fleet was now ready for sea.

"Four ships will sail with ours to-morrow," the captain
said, " and the other five will be off the next morning. They
have all their munitions on board, and will take in the rest of
their provisions to-morrow. The Dutch had thought to take
us by surprise, but from what we hear they are not so
forward as we, for things have been pushed on with great zeal
at all our ports, the war being generally popular with the
nation, and especially with the merchants, whose commerce
has been greatly injured by the pretensions and violence of
the Dutch. The Portsmouth ships, and those from Plymouth,
are already on their way round to the mouth of the Thames,
and in a week we may be at sea. I only hope the Dutch will
not be long before they come out to fight us. However, we are
likely to pick up a great many prizes, and, next to fighting,
you know, sailors like prize-money."

After an hour's talk the five gentlemen went below to their
hammocks, and then to bed, with much laughter at the diffi-
culty they had in mounting into their swinging cots.

It was scarce daylight when they were aroused by a great
stir on board the ship, and, hastily putting on their clothes,
went on deck. Already a crowd of men were aloft loosening
the sails. Others had taken their places in boats in readiness
to tow the ship, for the wind was, as yet, so light that it was
like she would scarce have steerage way, and there were many
sharp angles in the course down the river to be rounded, and
shallows to be avoided. A few minutes later the moorings

THE BATTLE OF LOWESTOFT. 221

were cast off, the sails sheeted home, and the crew gave a
great cheer, which was answered from the dockyard, and from
boats alongside, full of the relations and friends of the sailors,
who stood up and waved their hats and shouted good-bye.

The sails still hung idly, but the tide swept the ship along,
and the men in the boats ahead simply lay on their oars until
the time should come to pull her head round in one direction
or another. They had not long to wait, for, as they reached
the sharp corner at the end of the reach, orders were shouted,
the men bent to their oars, and the vessel was taken round
the curve until her head pointed east. Scarcely had they
got under way when they heard the cheer from the ship
astern of them, and by the time they had reached the next
curve, off the village of Gillingham, the other four ships had
rounded the point behind them, and were following at a distance
of about a hundred yards apart. Soon afterwards the wind
sprang up and the sails bellied out, and the men in the boats
had to row briskly to keep ahead of the ship. The breeze con-
tinued until they passed Sheerness, and presently they dropped
anchor inside the Nore sands. There they remained until the
tide turned, and then sailed up the Thames to the Hope, where
some forty men-of-war were already at anchor.

The next morning some barges arrived from Tilbury, laden
with soldiers, of whom a hundred and fifty came on board,
their quarters being on the main deck on the other side of
the canvas division. A cutter also brought down a number
of impressed men, twenty of whom were put on board the
Henrietta, to complete her crew. Cyril was standing on the
poop watching them come on board, when he started as his
eye fell on two of their number. One was Robert Ashford ;
the other was Black Dick. They had doubtless returned from
Holland when war was declared. Robert Ashford had assumed
the dress of a sailor the better to disguise himself, and the two
had been carried off together from some haunt of sailors at
Wapping. He pointed them out to his friend Sydney.

" So those are the two scamps ? The big one looks a trucu-

222 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

lent ruffian. Well, they can do you no harm here, Cyril. I
should let them stay and do their share of the fighting, and
then, when the voyage is over, if they have not met with a
better death than they deserve at the hands of the Dutch, you
can, if you like, denounce them, and have them handed over to
the City authorities."

" That I will do, as far as the big ruffian they call Black
Dick is concerned. He is a desperate villain, and for aught I
know may have committed many a murder, and if allowed to
go free might commit many more. Besides, I shall never feel
quite safe as long as he is at large. As to Robert Ashford, he
is a knave, but I know no worse of him, and will therefore let
him go his way."

In the evening the other ships from Chatham came up, and
the captain told them later that the Earl of Sandwich, who
was in command, would weigh anchor in the morning, as the
contingent from London, Chatham, and Sheerness, was now
complete. Cyril thought that he had never seen a prettier
sight, as the Fleet, consisting of fifty men-of-war, of various
sizes, and eight merchant vessels that had been bought and
converted into fire-ships, got under weigh and sailed down the
river. That night they anchored off Felixstowe, and the next
day proceeded, with a favourable wind, to Yarmouth, where
already a great number of ships were at anchor. So far the
five Volunteers had taken their meals with the captain, but
as the othei'S would be coming on board, they were now to
mess below, getting fresh meat and vegetables from the shore
as they required them. As to other stores, they resolved to
do nothing till the whole party arrived.

They had not long to wait, for, on the third day after their
arrival, the Duke of York and Prince Rupert, with a great
train of gentlemen, arrived in the town, and early the next
morning embarked on board their respective ships. A council
was held by the Volunteers in their quarters, three of their
number were chosen as caterers, and, a contribution of three
pounds a head being agreed upon, these went ashore in one of

THE BATTLE OP LOWESTOFT. 223

the ship's boats, and returned presently with a barrel or two
of good biscuits, the carcasses of five sheep, two or three score
of ducks and chicken, and several casks of wine, together with
a large quantity of vegetables. The following morning the
signal was hoisted on the mast-head of the Royal Charles, the
Duke of York's flagship, for the Fleet to prepare to weigh
anchor, and they presently got under way in three squadrons,
the red under the special orders of the Duke, the white under
Prince Rupert, and the blue under the Earl of Sandwich.

The Fleet consisted of one hundred and nine men-of-war
and frigates, and twenty-eight fire-ships and ketches, manned
by 21,006 seamen and soldiers. They sailed across to the coast
of Holland, and cruised, for a few days, off Texel, capturing ten
or twelve merchant vessels that tried to run in. So far, the
weather had been very fine, but there were now signs of a
change of weather. The sky became overcast, the wind rose
rapidly, and the signal was made for the Fleet to scatter, so
that each vessel should have more sea-room, and the chance of
collision be avoided. By nightfall the wind had increased to
the force of a gale, and the vessels were soon labouring heavily.
Cyril and two or three of his comrades who, like himself, did
not suffer from sickness, remained on deck; the rest were
prostrate below.

For forty-eight hours the gale continued, and when it abated
and the ships gradually closed up round the three admirals'
flags, it was found that many had suffered sorely in the gale.
Some had lost their upper spars, others had had their sails
blown away, some their bulwarks smashed in, and two or
three had lost their bowsprits. There was a consultation
between the admirals and the principal captains, and it was
agreed that it was best to sail back to England for repairs, as
many of the ships were unfitted to take their place in line of
battle, and as the Dutch Fleet was known to be fully equal to
their own in strength, it would have been hazardous to risk an
engagement. So the ketches and some of the light frigates
were at once sent off to find the ships that had not yet joined,

224 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

and give them orders to make for Yarmouth, Lowestoft,
or Harwich, All vessels uninjured were to gather oft
Lowestoft, while the others were to make for the other
ports, repair their damages as speedily as possible, and then
rejoin at Lowestoft.

No sooner did the Dutch know that the English Fleet had
sailed away than they put their fleet to sea. It consisted of
one hundred and twelve men-of-war, and thirty fire-ships, and
small craft manned by 22,365 soldiers and sailors. It was
commanded by Admiral Obdam, having under him Tromp,
Evertson, and other Dutch admirals. On their nearing
England they fell in with nine ships from Hamburg, with
rich cargoes, and a convoy of a thirty-four gun frigate. These
they captured, to the great loss of the merchants of London.

The Henrietta had suffered but little in the storm, and speedily
repaired her damages without going into port. With so much
haste and energy did the crews of the injured ships set to work
at refitting them, that in four days after the main body had
anchored off Lowestoft, they were rejoined by all the ships that
had made for Harwich and Yarmouth.

At midnight on June 2nd, a fast-sailing fishing-boat brought
in the news that the Dutch Fleet were but a few miles away,
sailing in that direction, having apparently learnt the position
of the English from some ship or fishing-boat they had captured.

The trumpets on the admiral's ship at once sounded, and
Prince Rupert and the Earl of Sandwich immediately rowed
to her. They remained but a few minutes, and on their return
to their respective vessels made the signals for their captains
to come on board. The order, at such an hour, was sufficient to
notify all that news must have been received of the where-
abouts of the Dutch Fleet, and by the time the captains re-
turned to their ships the crews were all up and ready to
execute any order. At two o'clock day had begun to break,
and soon from the mastheads of several of the vessels the look-
out shouted that they could perceive the Dutch Fleet but four
miles away. A mighty cheer rose throughout the Fleet, and

THE BATTLE OF LOWESTOFF. 225

as it subsided a gun from the Royal Charles gave the order to
weigh anchor, and a few minutes later the three squadrons,
in excellent order, sailed out to meet the enemy.

They did not, however, advance directly towards them, but
bore up closely into the wind until they had gained the weather
gauge of the enemy. Having obtained this advantage, the Duke
flew the signal to engage. The Volunteers were all in their
places on the poop, being posted near the rail forwax-d, that
they might be able either to run down the ladder to the waist
and aid to repel boarders, or to spring on to a Dutch ship should
one come alongside, and also that the after part of the poop,
where Prince Rupert and the captain had taken their places
near the wheel, shquld be free. The Prince himself had re-
quested them so to station themselves.

" At other times, gentlemen, you are my good friends and
comrades," he said, " but, from the moment that the first gun
fires, you are soldiers under my orders ; and I pray you take
your station and remain there until I call upon you for action,
for my whole attention must be given to the manoeuvring of
the ship, and any movement or talking near me might distract
my thoughts. I shall strive to lay her alongside of the biggest
Dutchman I can pick out, and as soon as the grapnels are
thrown, and their sides grind together, you will have the post
of honour, and will lead the soldiers aboard her. Once among
the Dutchmen, you will know what to do without my telling
you."

" "Tis a grand sight, truly, Cyril," Sydney said, in a low
tone, as the great fleets met each other.

" A grand sight, truly, Sydney, but a terrible one. I do not
think I shall mind when I am once at it, but at present I feel
that, despite my efforts, I am in a tremor, and that my knees
shake as I never felt them before."

" I am glad you feel like that, Cyril, for I feel much like it
myself, and began to be afraid that 1 had, without knowing it,
been born a coward. There goes the first gun."

As he spoke, a puff of white smoke spouted out from the

( 948 ) P

226 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

bows of one of the Dutch ships, and a moment later the whole
of their leading vessels opened fire. There was a rushing
sound overhead, and a ball passed through the main topsail of
the Henrietta. No reply was made by the English ships until
they passed in between the Dutchmen ; then the Henrietta
poured her broadsides into the enemy on either side of her,
receiving theirs in return. There was a rending of wood, and
a quiver through the ship. One of the upper-deck guns was
knocked off its carriage, crushing two of the men working
it as it fell. Several others were hurt with splinters, and the
sails pierced with holes. Again and again as she passed, did
the Henrietta exchange broadsides with the Dutch vessels,
until — the two fleets having passed through each other — she
bore up, and prepared to repeat the manoeuvre.

" I feel all right now," Cyril said, " but I do wish I had
something to do instead of standing here useless. I quite
envy the men there, stripped to the waist, working the
guns. There is that fellow Black Dick, by the gun forward ;
he is a scoundrel, no doubt, but what strength and power
he has ! I saw him put his shoulder under that gun just
now, and slew it across by sheer strength, so as to bear
upon the stern of the Dutchman. I noticed him and Robert
looking up at me just before the first gun was fired, and
speaking together. I have no doubt he would gladly have
pointed the gun at me instead of at the enemy, for he knows
that, if I denounce him, he will get the due reward of his
crimes."

As soon as the ships were headed round they passed
through the Dutch as before, and this manoauvre was several
times repeated. Up to one o'clock in the day no great
advantage had been gained on either side. Spars had been
carried away ; there were yawning gaps in the bulwarks ;
portholes had been knocked into one, guns dismounted, and
many killed ; but as yet no vessel on either side had been
damaged to an extent that obliged her to strike her flag,
or to fall out of the fighting line. There had been a pause

THE BATTLE OF LOWESTOFT. 227

after each encounter, in which both fleets had occupied them-
selves in repairing damages, as far as possible, reeving fresh
ropes in place of those that had been shot away, clearing the
wreckage of fallen spars and yards, and carrying the wounded
below. Four of the Volunteers had been struck down — two of
them mortally wounded, but after the first passage through
the enemy's fleet, Prince Rupert had ordered them to arm
themselves with muskets from the racks, and to keep up a
fire at the Dutch ships as they passed, aiming specially at the
man at the wheel. The order had been a very welcome one,
for, like Cyril, they had all felt inactivity in such a scene to be
a sore trial. They were now ranged along on both sides of the
poop.

At one o'clock Lord Sandwich signalled to the Blue
Squadron to close up together as they advanced, as before,
against the enemy's line. His position at the time was in
the centre, and his squadron, sailing close together, burst into
the Dutch line before their ~ships could make any similar dis-
position. Having thus broken it in sunder, instead of passing
through it, the squadron separated, and the ships, turning to
port and starboard, each engaged an enemy. The other two
squadrons similarly ranged up among the Dutch, and the
battle now became furious all along the line. Fire-ships
played an important part in the battles of the time, and the
thoughts of the captain of a ship were not confined to struggles
with a foe of equal size, but were still more engrossed by the
need for avoiding any fire-ship that might direct its course
towards him.

Cyril had now no time to give a thought as to what was pass-
ing elsewhere. The Henrietta had ranged up alongside a Dutch
vessel of equal size, and was exchanging broadsides with her.
All round were vessels engaged in an equally furious encounter.
The roar of the guns and the shouts of the seamen on both
sides were deafening. One moment the vessel reeled from the
recoil of her own guns, the next she quivered as the balls of
the enemy crashed through her sides.

228 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

Suddenly, above the din, Cyril heard the voice of Prince
Hupert sound like a trumpet.

" Hatchets and pikes on the starboard quarter ! Draw in
the guns and keep off this fire-ship."

Laying their muskets against the bulwarks, he and Sydney
sprang to the mizzen-mast, and each seized a hatchet from
those ranged against it. They then rushed to the starboard
side, just as a small ship came out through the cloud of smoke
that hung thickly around them.

There was a shock as she struck the Henrietta, and then, as
she glided alongside, a dozen grapnels were thrown by men
on her yards. The instant they had done so, the men dis-
appeared, sliding down the ropes and running aft to their
boat. Before the last leaped in he stooped. A flash of fire
ran along the deck, there was a series of sharp explosions,
and then a bright flame sprang up from the hatchways, ran up
the shrouds and ropes, that had been soaked with oil and tar,
and in a moment the sails were on fire. In spite of the flames,
a score of men sprang on to the rigging of the Henrietta and
cut the ropes of the grapnels, which, as yet — so quickly had the
explosion followed their throwing — had scarce begun to check
the way the fire-ship had on her as she came up.

Cyril, having cast over a grapnel that had fallen on the
poop, looked down on the fire-ship as she drifted along. The
deck, which, like everything else, had been smeared with tar,
was in a blaze, but the combustible had not been carried as far
as the helm, where doubtless the captain had stood to direct
her course. A sudden thought struck him. He ran along the
poop until opposite the stern of the fire-ship, climbed over the
bulwark and leapt down on to the deck, some fifteen feet
below him. Then he seized the helm and jammed it hard
down. The fire-ship had still steerage way on her, and he
saw her head at once begin to turn away from the Henrietta ;
the movement was aided by the latter's crew, who, with poles
and oars, pushed her off.

The heat was terrific, but Cyril's helmet and breast-piece

THE BATTLE OF LOWESTOFT. 229

sheltered him somewhat ; yet though he shielded his face with
his arm, he felt that it would speedily become unbearable.
His eye fell upon a coil of rope at his feet. Snatching it up, he
fastened it to the tiller and then round a belaying-pin in the
bulwark, caught up a bucket with a rope attached, threw it
over the side and soused its contents over the tiller-rope, then,
unbuckling the straps of his breast- and back-pieces, he threw
them off, cast his helmet on the deck, blistering his hands as
he did so, and leapt overboard. It was with a delicious sense
of coolness that he rose to the surface and looked round.
Hitherto he had been so scorched by the flame and smothered
by the smoke that it was with difficulty he had kept his
attention upon what he was doing, and would doubtless, in
another minute, have fallen senseless. The plunge into the
sea seemed to restore his faculties, and as he came up he
looked eagerly to see how far success had attended his efforts.

He saw with delight that the bow of the fire-ship was thirty
or forty feet distant from the side of the Henrietta, and her
stern half that distance. Two or three of the sails of the
man-of-war had caught fire, but a crowd of seamen were
beating the flames out of two of them while another, upon
which the fire had got a better hold, was being cut away
from its yard. As he turned to swim to the side of the
Henrietta, three or four ropes fell close to him. He twisted
one of these round his body, and, a minute later, was hauled
up into the waist. He was saluted with a tremendous cheer,
and was caught up by three or four strong fellows, who, in
spite of his remonstrances, carried him up on to the poop.
Prince Rupert was standing on the top of the ladder.

"Nobly done, Sir Cyril!" he exclaimed. "You have
assuredly saved the Henrietta and all our lives. A minute later,
and we should have been on fire beyond remedy. But I will
speak more to you when we have finished with the Dutchman
on the other side."

230 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

CHAPTER XIV.

HONOURABLE SCARS.

DURING the time that the greater part of the crew of the
Henrietta, had been occupied with the fire-ship, the enemy
had redoubled their efforts, and as the sailors returned to their
guns, the mizzen-mast fell with a crash. A minute later, a
Dutch man-of-war ran alongside, fired a broadside, and
grappled. Then her crew, springing over the bulwarks, poured
on to the deck of the Henrietta. They were met boldly by the
soldiers, who had hitherto borne no part in the fight, and who,
enraged at the loss they had been compelled to suffer, fell upon
the enemy with fury. For a moment, however, the weight of
numbers of the Dutchmen bore them back, but the sailors,
who had at first been taken by surprise, snatched up their
boarding pikes and axes.

Prince Rupert, with the other officers and Volunteers, dashed
into the thick of the fray, and, step by step, the Dutchmen
were driven back, until they suddenly gave way and rushed
back to their own ship. The English would have followed
them, but the Dutch who remained on board their ship,
seeing that the fight was going against their friends, cut the
ropes of the grapnels, and the ships drifted apart, some of
the last to leave the deck of the Henrietta being forced to jump
into the sea. The cannonade was at once renewed on both
sides, but the Dutch had had enough of it — having lost very
heavily in men — and drew off from the action.

Cyril had joined in the fray. He had risen to his feet
and drawn his sword, but be found himself strangely weak.
His hands were blistered and swollen, his face was already so
puffed that he could scarce see out of his eyes ; still, he had
staggered down the steps to the waist, and, recovering his
strength from the excitement, threw himself into the fray.

Scarce had he done so, when a sailor next to him fell heavily

"A DUTCH MAN-OF-WAR KAN ALONGSIDE AND FIRED A BROADSIDE.

HONOURABLE SCARS. 231

against him, shot through the head by one of the Dutch
soldiers. Cyril staggered, and before he could recover himself,
a Dutch sailor struck at his head. He threw up his sword to
guard the blow, but the guard was beaten down as if it had
been a reed. It sufficed, however, slightly to turn the blow,
which fell first on the side of the head, and then, glancing
down, inflicted a terrible wound on the shoulder.

He fell at once, unconscious, and, when he recovered his
senses, found himself laid out on the poop, where Sydney,
assisted by two of the other gentlemen, had carried him. His
head and shoulder had already been bandaged, the Prince
having sent for his doctor to come up from below to attend
upon him.

The battle was raging with undiminished fury all round,
but, for the moment, the Henrietta was not engaged, and her
crew were occupied in cutting away the wreckage of the mizzen-
mast, and trying to repair the more important of the damages
that she had suffered. Carpenters were lowered over the
side, and were nailing pieces of wood over the shot-holes near
the water-line. Men swarmed aloft knotting and splicing ropes
and fishing damaged spars.

Sydney, who was standing a short distance away, at once
came up to him.

" How are you, Cyril ? "

" My head sings, and my shoulder aches, but I shall do well
enough. Please get me lifted up on to that seat by the
bulwark, so that I can look over and see what is going on."

" I don't think you are strong enough to sit up, Cyril."

" Oh yes I am ; besides, I can lean against the bulwark."

Cyril was placed in the position he wanted, and, leaning his
arm on the bulwark and resting his head on it, was able to
see what was passing.

Suddenly a tremendous explosion was heard a quarter of a
mile away.

" The Dutch admiral's ship has blown up," one of the men
aloft shouted, and a loud cheer broke from the crew.

232 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

It was true. The Duke of York in the Royal Charles, of eighty
guns, and the Eendracht, of eighty -four, the flagship of Admiral
Obdam, had met and engaged each other fiercely. For a time
the Dutchmen had the best of it. A single shot killed the
Earl of Falmouth, Lord Muskerry, and Mr. Boyle, three gentle-
men Volunteers, who at the moment were standing close to
the Duke, and the Royal Charles suffered heavily until a shot
from one of her guns struck the Dutchman's magazine, and
the Eendracht blew up, only five men being rescued out of the
five hundred that were on board of her.

This accident in no small degree decided the issue of the
engagement, for the Dutch at once fell into confusion. Four
of their ships, a few hundred yards from the Henrietta, fell
foul of each other, and while the crews were engaged in trying
to separate them an English fire-ship sailed boldly up and laid
herself alongside. A moment later the flames shot up high, and
the boat with the crew of the fire-ship rowed to the Henrietta.
The flames instantly spread to the Dutch men-of-war, and the
sailors were seen jumping over in great numbers. Prince
Rupert ordered the boats to be lowered, but only one was
found to be uninjured. This was manned and pushed off at
once, and, with others from British vessels near, rescued a
good many of the Dutch sailors.

Still the fight was raging all round ; but a short time after-
wards three other of the finest ships in the Dutch fleet ran
into each other. Another of the English fire-ships hovering
near observed the opportunity, and was laid alongside, with
the same success as her consort, the three men-of-war being all
destroyed.

This took place at some distance from the Henrietta, but the
English vessels near them succeeded in saving, in their boats, a
portion of the crews. The Dutch ship Orange, of seventy-five
guns, was disabled after a sharp fight with the Mary, and
was likewise burnt. Two Dutch vice-admirals were killed,
and a panic spread through the Dutch fleet. About eight
o'clock in the evening between thirty and forty of their ships

HONOURABLE SCARS. 233

made off in a body, and the rest speedily followed. During
the fight and the chase eighteen Dutch ships were taken,
though some of these afterwards escaped, as the vessels to
which they had struck joined the rest in the chase. Fourteen
were sunk, besides those burnt and blown up. Only one
English ship, the Charity, had struck, having, at the beginning
of the fight been attacked by three Dutch vessels, and lost the
greater part of her men, and was then compelled to surrender
to a Dutch vessel of considerably greater strength that came
up and joined the others. The English loss was, considering
the duration of the fight, extremely small, amounting to but
250 killed, and 340 wounded. Among the killed were the
Earl of Marlborough, the Earl of Portland, who was present
as a Volunteer, Rear-Admiral Sampson, and Vice-Admiral
Lawson, the latter of whom died after the fight, from his
wounds.

The pursuit of the Dutch was continued for some hours,
and then terminated abruptly, owing to a Member of Parlia-
ment named Brounker, who was in the suite of the Duke of
York, giving the captain of the Royal Charles orders, which
he falsely stated emanated from the Duke, for the pursuit
to be abandoned. For this he was afterwards expelled the
House of Commons, and was ordered to be impeached, but after
a time the matter was suffered to drop.

As soon as the battle was over Cyril was taken down to
a hammock below. He was just dosing off to sleep when
Sydney came to him.

" I am sorry to disturb you, Cyril, but an officer tells me
that a man who is mortally wounded wishes to speak to you ;
and from his description I think it is the fellow you call Black
Dick. I thought it right to tell you, but I don't think you
are fit to go to see him."

" I will go," Cyril said, " if you will lend me your arm.
I should like to hear what the poor wretch has to say."

"He lies just below; the hatchway is but a few yards
distant."

234 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

There had been no attempt to remove Cyril's clothes, and,
by the aid of Lord Oliphant and of a sailor he called to his
aid, he made his way below, and was led through the line of
wounded, until a doctor, turning round, said, —

" This is the man who wishes to see you, Sir Cyril."

Although a line of lanterns hung from the beams, so
nearly blind was he that Cyril could scarce distinguish the
man's features.

" I have sent for you," the latter said faintly, " to tell you
that if it hadn't been for your jumping down on to that fire-
ship you would not have lived through this day's fight. I saw
that you recognised me, and knew that, as soon as we went
back, you would hand us over to the constables. So I made
up my mind that I would run you through in the melee if we got
hand to hand with the Dutchmen, or would put a musket-ball
into you while the firing was going on. But when I saw you
standing there with the flames round you, giving your life, as
it seemed, to save the ship, I felt that, even if I must be hung
for it, I could not bring myself to hurt so brave a lad ; so
there is an end of that business. Robert Ashford was killed
by a gun that was knocked from its carriage, so you have got
rid of us both. I thought I should like to tell you before I
went that the brave action you did saved your life, and that,
bad as I am, I had yet heart enough to feel that I would
rather take hanging than kill you."

The last words had been spoken in a scarcely audible
whisper. The man closed his eyes ; and the doctor, laying his
hand on Cyril's arm, said, —

"You had better go back to your hammock now, Sir Cyril.
He will never speak again. In a few minutes the end will
come."

Cyril spent a restless night. The wind was blowing strongly
from the north, and the crews had hard work to keep the
vessels off" the shore. His wounds did not pain him much, but
his hands, arms, face, and legs, smarted intolerably, for his
clothes had been almost burnt off him, and, refreshing as

HONOURABLE SCARS. 235

the sea-bath had been at the moment, it now added to the
smarting of the wounds.

In the morning Prince Rupert came down to see him.

" It was madness of you to have joined in that melee, lad, in
the state in which you were. I take the blame on myself
in not ordering you to remain behind ; but when the Dutchmen
poured on board I had no thought of aught but driving them
back again. It would have marred our pleasure in the victory
we have won had you fallen, for to you we all owe our lives
and the safety of the ship. No braver deed was performed
yesterday than yours. I fear it will be some time before
you are able to fight by my side again ; but, at least, you
have done your share, and more, were the war to last a
lifetime."

Cyril was in less pain now, for the doctor had poured oil
over his burns, and had wrapped up his hands in soft bandages.

"It was the thought of a moment, Prince," he said. "I
saw the fire-ship had steerage way on her, and if the helm
were put down she would drive away from our side, so without
stopping to think about it one way or the other, I ran along
to the stern, and jumped down to her tiller."

"Yes, lad, it was but a moment's thought, no doubt, but it
is one thing to think, and another to execute, and none but
the bravest would have ventured that leap on to the fire-ship.
By to-morrow morning we shall be anchored in the river.
Would you like to be placed in the hospital at Sheerness, or
to be taken up to London?"

" I would rather go to London, if I may," Cyril said. " I
know that I shall be well nursed at Captain Dave's, and hope,
ere long, to be able to rejoin."

" Not for some time, lad — not for some time. Your burns
will doubtless heal apace, but the wound in your shoulder is
serious. The doctor says that the Dutchman's sword has cleft
right through your shoulder-bone. Tis well that it is youi
left, for it may be that you will never have its full rise again.
You are not afraid of the Plague, nro you? for on the day

236 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

we left town there was a rumour that it had at last entered
the City."

" I am not afraid of it," Cyril said ; " and if it should come
to Captain Dowsett's house, I would rather be there, that
I may do what I can to help those who were so kind to
me."

" Just as you like, lad. Do not hurry to rejoin. It is not
likely there will be any fighting for some time, for it will be
long before the Dutch are ready to take the sea again after
the hammering we have given them, and all there will be to do
will be to blockade their coast and to pick up their ships from
foreign ports as prizes."

The next morning Cyril was placed on board a little yacht,
called the Fan Fan, belonging to the Prince, and sailed up
the river, the ship's company mustering at the side and giving
him a hearty cheer. The wind was favourable, and they
arrived that afternoon in town. According to the Prince's
instructions, the sailors at once placed Cyril on a litter that
had been brought for the pm-pose, and carried him up to
Captain Dowsett's.

The City was in a state of agitation. The news of the
victory had arrived but a few hours before, and the church
bells were all ringing, flags were flying, the shops closed, and
the people in the streets. John Wilkes came down in answer
to the summons of the bell.

" Hullo ! " he said ; " whom have we here? "

" Don't you know me, John? " Cyril said.

John gave a start of astonishment.

" By St. Anthony, it is Master Cyril ! At least, it is his
voice, though it is little I can see of him, and what I see in
no way resembles him."

" It is Sir Cyril Shenstone," the captain of the Fan Fan,
who had come with the party, said sternly, feeling ruffled at
the familiarity with which this rough-looking servitor of a City
trader spoke of the gentleman in his charge. " It is Sir Cyril
Shenstone, as brave a gentleman as ever drew sword, and who,

HONOURABLE SCARS. 237

as I hear, saved Prince Rupert's ship from being burnt by the
Dutchmen."

" He knows me," John Wilkes said bluntly, " and he knows
no offence is meant. The Captain and his dame, and Mistress
Nellie are all out, Sir Cyril, but I will look after you till they
return. Bring him up, lads. I am an old sailor myself, and
fought the Dutch under Blake and Monk more than once."

He led the way upstairs into the best of the spare rooms.
Here Cyril was laid on a bed. He thanked the sailors heartily
for the care they had taken of him, and the captain handed
a letter to John, saying, —

" The young Lord Oliphant asked me to give this to Captain
Dowsett, but as he is not at home I pray you to give it him
when he returns."

As soon as they had gone, John returned to the bed.

" This is terrible, Master Cyril. What have they been doing
to you ? I can see but little of your face for those bandages,
but your eyes look mere slits, your flesh is all red and swollen,
your eyebrows have gone, your arms and legs are all swathed
up in bandages Have you been blown up with gun-
powder ? — for surely no wound could have so disfigured you."

" I have not been blown up John, but I was burnt by the
flumes of a Dutch fire-ship that came alongside. It is a
matter that a fortnight will set right, though I doubt not
that I am an unpleasant-looking object at present, and it
will be some time before my hair grows again."

"And you are not hurt otherwise, Master?" John asked
anxiously.

" Yes ; I am hurt gravely enough, though not so as to imperil
my life. I have a wound on the side of my head, and the
same blow, as the doctor says, cleft through my shoulder-
bone."

" I had best go and get a surgeon at once," John said;
" though it will be no easy matter, for all the world is agog
in the streets."

" Leave it for the present, John. There is no need whatever

238 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

for haste. In that trunk of mine is a bottle of oils for the
burns, though most of the sore places are already beginning
to heal over, and the doctor said that I need not apply it any
more, unless I found that they smarted too much for bearing.
As for the other wounds, they are strapped up and bandaged,
and he said that unless they inflamed badly, they would be
best let alone for a time. So sit down quietly, and let me
hear the news."

"The news is bad enough, though the Plague has not yet
entered the City."

"The Prince told me that there was a report, before he
came on board at Lowestoft, that it had done so."

"No, it is not yet come; but people are as frightened as
if it was raging here. For the last fortnight they have been
leaving in crowds from the West End, and many of the
citizens are also beginning to move. They frighten them-
selves like a parcel of children. The comet seemed to many
a sign of great disaster."

Cyril laughed.

" If it could be seen only in London there might be some-
thing in it, but as it can be seen all over Europe, it is
hard to say why it should augur evil to London especially.
It was shining in the sky three nights ago when we were
chasing the Dutch, and they had quite as good reason for
thinking it was a sign of misfortune to them as have the
Londoners."

" That is true enough," John Wilkes agreed ; " though, in
truth, I like not to see the thing in the sky myself. Then
people have troubled their heads greatly because, in Master
Lilly's Almanack, and other books of prediction, a great
pestilence is foretold."

" It needed no great wisdom for that," Cyril said, " seeing
that the Plague has been for some time busy in foreign parts,
and that it was here, though not so very bad, in the winter,
when these books would have been written."

" Then," John Wilkes went on, " there is a man going

HONOURABLE SCARS. . 239

through the streets, night and day. He speaks to no one, but
cries out continually, ' Oh ! the great and dreadful God ! ' This
troubles many men's hearts greatly."

" It is a pity, John, that the poor fellow is not taken and
shut up in some place where madmen are kept. Doubtless, it
is some poor coward whose brain has been turned by fright.
People who are frightened by such a thing as that must be
poor-witted creatures indeed."

" That may be, Master Cyril, but methinks it is as they say,
one fool makes many. People get together and bemoan them-
selves till their hearts fail them altogether. And yet, methinks
they are not altogether without reason, for if the pestilence is
so heavy without the walls, where the streets are wider and
the people less crowded than here, it may well be that we
shall have a terrible time of it in the City when it once
passes the walls."

" That may well be, John, but cowardly fear will not make
things any better. We knew, when we sailed out against the
Dutch the other day, that very many would not see the setting
sun, yet I believe there was not one man throughout the
Fleet who behaved like a coward."

" No doubt, Master Cyril ; but there is a difference. One can
fight against men, but one cannot fight against the pestilence,
and I do not believe that if the citizens knew that a great
Dutch army was marching on London, and that they would
have to withstand a dreadful siege, they would be moved with
fear as they are now."

" That may be so," Cyril agreed. " Now, John, I think
that I could sleep for a bit."

" Do so, Master, and I will go into the kitchen and see
what I can do to make you a basin of broth when you awake ;
for the girl has gone out too. She wanted to see what was
going on in the streets ; and as I had sooner stay quietly at
home I offered to take her place, as the shop was shut and I
had nothing to do. Maybe by the time you wake again
Captain Dave and the others will be back from their cruise."

240 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

It was dark when Cyril woke at the sound of the bell. He
heard voices and movements without, and then the door was
quietly opened.

" I am awake," he said. " You see, I have taken you at
your word, and come back to be patched up."

" You are heartily welcome," Mrs. Dowsett said. " Nellie,
bring the light. Cyril is awake. We were sorry indeed when
John told us that you had come in our absence. It was but
a cold welcome for you to find that we were all out."

" There was nothing I needed, madam. Had there been,
John would have done it for me."

Nellie now appeared at the door with the light, and gave
an exclamation of horror as she approached the bedside.

" It is not so bad as it looks, Nellie," Cyril said. " Not that
I know how it looks, for I have not seen myself in a glass
since I left here ; but I can guess that I am an unpleasant
object to look at."

Mrs. Dowsett made a sign to Nellie to be silent.

"John told us that you were badly burned and were all
wrapped up in bandages, but we did not expect to find you so
changed. However, that will soon pass off, I hope."

" I expect I shall be all right in another week, save for
this wound in my shoulder. As for that on my head, it is
but of slight consequence. My skull was thick enough to save
my brain."

"Well, Master Cyril," Captain Dave said heartily, as he
entered the room with a basin of broth in his hand, and then
stopped abruptly.

" Well, Captain Dave, here I am, battered out of all shape,
you see, but not seriously damaged in my timbers. There, you
see, though I have only been a fortnight at sea, I am getting
quite nautical."

" That is right, lad — that is right," Captain Dave said, a
little unsteadily. " My dame and Nellie will soon put you
into ship-shape trim again. So you got burnt, I hear, by one
of those rascally Dutch fire-ships ? and John tells me that the

HONOURABLE SCARS. 241

captain of the sailors who carried you here said that you had
gained mighty credit for yourself."

" I did my best, as every one did, Captain Dave. There was
not a man on board the Fleet who did not do his duty, or we
should never have beaten the Dutchmen so soundly."

" You had better not talk any more," Mrs. Dowsett said.
" You are in my charge now, and my first order is that you
must keep very quiet, or else you will be having fever
come on. You had best take a little of this broth now.
Nellie will sit with you while I go out to prepare you a
cooling drink."

"I will take a few spoonfuls of the soup since John has
taken the trouble to prepare it for me," Cyril said ; " though,
indeed, my lips are so parched and swollen that the cooling
drink will be much more to my taste."

" I think it were best first, dame," the Captain said, " that
John and I should get him comfortably into bed, instead of
lying there wrapped up in the blanket in which they brought
him ashore. The broth will be none the worse for cooling
a bit."

" That will be best," his wife agreed. " I will fetch some
more pillows, so that we can prop him up. He can swallow
more comfortably so, and will sleep all the better when he lies
down again."

As soon as Cyril was comfortably settled John Wilkes was
sent to call in a doctor, who, after examining him, said that
the burns were doing well, and that he would send in some
cooling lotion to be applied to them frequently. As to the
wounds, he said they had been so skilfully bandaged that it
were best to leave them alone, unless great pain set in.

Another four days, and Cyril's face had so far recovered its
usual condition that the swelling was almost abated, and the
bandages could be removed. The peak of the helmet had
sheltered it a good deal, and it had suffered less than his hands
and arms. Captain Dave and John had sat up with him by
turns at night, while the Dame and her daughter had taken

( 948 ) Q

242 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

care of him during the day. He had slept a great deal and
had not been allowed to talk at all. This prohibition was
now removed, as the doctor said that the burns were now all
healing fast, and that he no longer had any fear of fever
setting in.

" By the way, Captain," John Wilkes said, that day, at dinner,
"I have just bethought me of this letter, that was given me
by the sailor who brought Cyril here. It is for you, from
young Lord Oliphant. It has clean gone out of my mind till
now. I put it in the pocket of my doublet, and have forgotten
it ever since."

"No harm can have come of the delay, John," Captain
Dave said. " It was thoughtful of the lad. He must have
been sure that Cyril would not be in a condition to tell us aught
of the battle, and he may have sent us some details of it, for
the Gazette tells us little enough, beyond the ships taken and
the names of gentlemen and officers killed. Here, Nellie, do
you read it. It seems a long epistle, and my eyes are not as
good as they were."

Nellie took the letter and read aloud : —

" ' DEAR AND WORTHY SIR, — I did not think when I was so
pleasantly entertained at your house that it would befall me
to become your correspondent, but so it has happened, for, Sir
Cyril being sorely hurt, and in no state to tell you how the
matter befell him — if indeed his modesty would allow him,
which I greatly doubt — it is right that you should know how the
business came about, and what great credit Sir Cyril has gained
for himself. In the heat of the fight, when we were briskly
engaged in exchanging broadsides with a Dutchman of our own
size, one of their fire-ships, coming unnoticed through the
smoke, slipped alongside of us, and, the flames breaking out,
would speedily have destroyed us, as indeed they went near
doing. The grapnels were briskly thrown over, but she had
already touched our sides, and the flames were blowing across
us when Sir Cyril, perceiving that she had still some way on

HONOURABLE SCARS. 243

her, sprang down on to her deck and put over the helm. She
was then a pillar of flame, and the decks, which were plentifully
besmeared with pitch, were all in a blaze, save just round the
tiller where her captain had stood to steer her. It was verily
a furnace, and it seemed impossible that one could stand there
for only half a minute and live. Every one on board was filled
with astonishment, and the Prince called out loudly that he
had never seen a braver deed. As the fire-ship drew away
from us, we saw Sir Cyril fasten the helm down with a rope,
and then, lowering a bucket over, throw water on to it ; then
he threw off his helmet and armour — his clothes being, by this
time, all in a flame — and sprang into the sea, the fire-ship being
now well nigh her own length from us. She had sheered off
none too soon, for some of our sails were on fire, and it was
with great difficulty that we succeeded in cutting them from
the yards and so saving the ship.

" ' All, from the Prince down, say that no finer action was
ever performed, and acknowledge that we all owe our lives,
and His Majesty owes his ship, to it. Then, soon after we had
hauled Sir Cyril on board, the Dutchmen boarded us, and
there was a stiff fight, all hands doing their best to beat them
back, in which we succeeded.

" ' Sir Cyril, though scarce able to stand, joined in the fray,
unnoticed by us all, who in the confusion had not thought
of him, and being, indeed, scarce able to hold his sword, received
a heavy wound, of which, however, the doctor has all hopes
that he will make a good recovery.

" ' It would have done you good to hear how the whole crew
cheered Sir Cyril as we dragged him on board. The Prince
is mightily taken with him, and is sending him to London
in his own yacht, where I feel sure that your good dame and
fair daughter will do all that they can to restore him to
health. As soon as I get leave — though I do not know when
that will be, for we cannot say as yet how matters will turn
out, or what ships will keep the sea — I shall do myself the
honour of waiting upon you. I pray you give my respectful

244 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

compliments to Mrs. Dowsett and Mistress Nellie, who are,
I hope, enjoying good health.

" ' Your servant to command,

" ' SYDNEY OLIPHANT. ' '

The tears were standing in Nellie's eyes, and her voice
trembled as she read. When she finished she burst out crying.

" There ! " John Wilkes exclaimed, bringing his fist down
upon the table. " I knew, by what that skipper said, the lad
had been doing something quite out of the way, but when I
spoke to him about it before you came in he only said that
he had tried his best to do his duty, just as every other man
in the Fleet had done. Who would have thought, Captain
Dave, that that quiet young chap, who used to sit down below
making out your accounts, was going to turn out a hero ? "

" Who, indeed ? " the Captain said, wiping his eyes with the
back of his hands. " Why, he wasn't more than fifteen then,
and, as you say, such a quiet fellow. He used to sit there and
write, and never speak unless I spoke to him. Tis scarce two
years ago, and look what he has done ! Who would have thought
it ? I can't finish my breakfast," he went on, getting up from
his seat, " till I have gone in and shaken him by the hand."

"You had better not, David," Mrs. Dowsett said gently.
" We had best say but little to him about it now. We can let
him know we have heard how he came by his burns from Lord
Oliphant, but do not let us make much of it. Had he wished
it he would have told us himself."

Captain Dave sat down again.

" Perhaps you are right, my dear. At any rate, till he is
getting strong we will not tell him what we think of him.
Anyhow, it can't do any harm to tell him we know it, and may
do him good, for it is clear he does not like telling it himself,
and may be dreading our questioning about the affair."

Mrs. Dowsett and Nellie went into Cyril's room as soon as
they had finished breakfast. Captain Dave followed them a
few minutes later.

HONOURABLE SCARS. 245

" We have been hearing how you got burnt," he began.
" Your friend, Lord Oliphant, sent a letter about it by the
skipper of his yacht. That stupid fellow, John, has been carry-
ing it about ever since, and only remembered it just now, when
we were at breakfast. It was a plucky thing to do, lad."

" It turned out a very lucky one," Cyril said hastily, " for it
was the means of saving my life."

" Saving your life, lad ! What do you mean ? "

Cyril then told how Robert Ashford and Black Dick had
been brought on board as impressed men, how the former had
been killed, and the confession that Black Dick had made to
him before dying.

" He said he had made up his mind to kill me during the
fight, but that, after I had risked my life to save the Henrietta,
he was ashamed to kill me, and that, rather than do so, he
had resolved to take his chance of my denouncing him when
he returned to land."

" There was some good in the knave, then," Captain Dave
said. " Yes, it was a fortunate as well as a brave action, as it
turned out."

" Fortunate in one respect, but not in another," Cyril put in,
anxious to prevent the conversation reverting to the question
of his bravery. " I put down this wound in my shoulder to it,
for if I had been myself I don't think I should have got hurt.
I guarded the blow, but I was so shaky that he broke my
guard down as if I had been a child, though I think that
it did turn the blow a little, and saved it from falling fair on
my skull. Besides, I should have had my helmet and armour
on if it had not been for my having to take a swim. So, you see,
Captain Dave, things were pretty equally balanced, and there
is no occasion to say anything more about them."

" We have one piece of bad news to tell you, Cyril," Mrs.
Dowsett remarked, in order to give the conversation the turn
which she saw he wished for. " We heard this morning that
the Plague has come at last into the City. Dr. Burnet was
attacked yesterday."

246 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

" That is bad news indeed, Dame, though it was not to be
expected that it would spare the City. If you will take my advice,
you will go away at once, before matters get worse, for if the
Plague gets a hold here the country people will have nothing
to do with Londoners, fearing that they will bring the infec-
tion among them."

" We shall not go until you are fit to go with us, Cyril,"
Nellie said indignantly.

" Then you will worry me into a fever," Cyril replied. " I
am getting on well now, and as you said, when you were
talking of it before, you should leave John in charge of the
house and shop, he will be able to do everything that is
necessary for me. If you stay here, and the Plague increases,
I shall keep on worrying myself at the thought that you are
risking your lives needlessly for me, and if it should come
into the house, and any of you die, I shall charge myself
all my life with having been the cause of your death. I
pray you, for my sake as well as your own, to lose no time
in going to the sister Captain Dave spoke of, down near
Gloucester."

" Do not agitate yourself," Mrs. Dowsett said gently,
pressing him quietly back on to the pillows from which he had
risen in his excitement. " We will talk it over, and see what
is for the best. It is but a solitary case yet, and may spread
no further. In a few days we shall see how matters go. Things
have not come to a bad pass yet."

Cyril, however, was not to be consoled. Hitherto he had
given comparatively small thought to the Plague, but now
that it was in the City, and he felt that his presence alone
prevented the family from leaving, he worried incessantly
over it.

" Your patient is not so well," the doctor said to Mrs.
Dowsett, next morning. " Yesterday he was quite free from
fever — his hands were cool ; now they are dry and hard. If
this goes on, I fear that we shall have great trouble."

" He is worrying himself because we do not go out of town.

HONOURABLE SCARS. 247

We had, indeed, made up our minds to do so, but we could not
leave him here."

" Your nursing would be valuable certainly, but if he goes
on as he is he will soon be in a high fever ; his wounds will
grow angry and fester. While yesterday he seemed in a fait- way
to recovery, I should be sorry to give any favourable opinion
as to what may happen if this goes on. Is there no one who
could take care of him if you went ? "

" John Wilkes will remain behind, and could certainly be
trusted to do everything that you directed ; but that is not like
women, doctor."

" No, I am well aware of that ; but if things go on well he
will really not need nursing, while, if fever sets in badly, the
best nursing may not save him. Moreover, wounds and all
other ailments of this sort do badly at present ; the Plague in
the air seems to affect all other maladies. If you will take
my advice, Dame, you will carry out your intention, and leave
at once. I hear there are several new cases of the Plague
to-day in the City, and those who can go should lose no
time in doing so ; but, even if not for your own sakes, I should
say go for that of your patient."

" Will you speak to my husband, doctor ? I am ready to
do whatever is best for your patient, whom we love dearly,
and regard almost as a son."

" If he were a son I should give the same advice. Yes,
I will see Captain Dowsett."

Half an hour later, Cyril was told what the doctor's advice
had been, and, seeing that he was bent on it, and that if they
stayed they would do him more harm than good, they
resolved to start the next day for Gloucestershire.

248 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

CHAPTER XV.

THE PLAQUE.

T) ELTJCTANT as they were to leave Cyril, Mrs. Dowsett
-LX and her daughter speedily saw that the doctor's advice
was good. Cyril did not say much, but an expression of
restful satisfaction came over his face, and it was not long
before he fell into a quiet sleep that contrasted strongly with
the restless and fretful state in which he had passed the night.

" You see I was right, madam," the doctor said that evening.
" The fever has not quite left him, but he is a different man
to what he was this morning ; another quiet night's rest, and
he will regain the ground he has lost. I think you can go in
perfect comfort so far as he is concerned. Another week and
he will be up, if nothing occurs to throw him back again ; but
of course it will be weeks before he can use his arm."

John Wilkes had been sent off as soon as it was settled that
they would go, and had bought, at Epping, a waggon and a pair
of strong horses. It had a tilt, and the ladies were to sleep in
it on the journey, as it was certain that, until they were far
away from London, they would be unable to obtain lodging?.
A man was engaged to drive them down, and a sail and two
or three poles were packed in the waggon to make a tent for
him and Captain Dowsett. A store of provisions was cooked,
and a cask of beer, another of water, and a case of wine, were
also placed in. Mattresses were laid down for the ladies to sit
on during the day and to sleep on at night ; so they would
be practically independent during the journey. Early next
morning they started.

" It seems heartless to leave you, Cyril," Nellie said, as they
came in to say good-bye.

" Not heartless at all," Cyril replied. " I know that you are
going because I wish it."

" It is more than wishing, you tiresome boy. We are going

THE PLAGUE. 249

because you have made up your mind that you will be ill if
we don't. You are too weak to quarrel with now, but when
we meet again, tremble, for I warn you I shall scold you
terribly then."

" You shall scold me as much as you please, Nellie ; I shall
take it all quite patiently."

Nellie and her mother went away in tears, and Captain
Dave himself was a good deal upset. They had thought
the going away from home on such a long journey would be
a great trial, but this was now quite lost sight of in their
regret at what they considered deserting Cyril, and many
were the injunctions that were given to John Wilkes before
the waggon drove off. They were somewhat consoled by
seeing that Cyril was undoubtedly better and brighter. He
had slept all night without waking, his hands were cool, and
the flush had entirely left his cheek.

" If they were starting on a voyage to the Indies they could
not be in a greater taking," John Wilkes said, on returning to
Cyril's bedside. " Why, I have seen the Captain go off on a six
months' voyage and less said about it."

" I am heartily glad they are gone, John. If the Plague
grows there will be a terrible time here. Is the shop shut ? "

" Ay ; the man went away two days ago, and we sent off
the two 'prentices yesterday. There is naught doing. Yester-
day half the vessels in the Pool cleared out on the news of the
Plague having got into the City, and I reckon that, before
long, there won't be a ship in the port. We shall have a quiet
time of it, you and I ; we shall be like men in charge of an
old hulk."

Another week, and Cyril was up. All his bandages, except
those on the shoulder and head, had been thrown aside, and the
dcctor said that, ere long, the former would be dispensed with.
John had wanted to sit up with him, but as Cyril would not
hear of this he had moved his bed into the same room, so that
he could be up in a moment if anything was wanted. He
went out every day to bring in the news.

250 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

" There is little enough to tell, Master Cyril," he said one
day. " So far, the Plague grows but slowly in the City, though,
indeed, it is no fault of the people that it does not spread
rapidly. Most of them seem scared out of their wits; they
gather together and talk, with white faces, and one man tells
of a dream that his wife has had, and another of a voice that
he says he has heard ; and some have seen ghosts. Yesterday
I came upon a woman with a crowd round her ; she was staring
up at a white cloud, and swore that she could plainly see an
angel with a white sword, and some of the others cried that
they saw it too. I should like to have been a gunner's mate
with a stout rattan, and to have laid it over their shoulders,
to give them something else to think about for a few hours.
It is downright pitiful to see such cowards. At the corner of
one street there was a quack, vending pills and perfumes that
he warranted to keep away the Plague, and the people ran
up and bought his nostrums by the score ; I hear there are a
dozen such in the City, making a fortune out of the people's
fears. I went into the tavern I always use, and had a glass
of Hollands and a talk with the landlord. He says that he
does as good a trade as ever, though in a different way. There
are no sailors there now, but neighbours come in and drink down
a glass of strong waters, which many think is the best thing
against the Plague, and then hurry off again. I saw the
Gazette there, and it was half full of advertisements of people
who said they were doctors from foreign parts, and all well
accustomed to cure the Plague. They say the magistrates are
going to issue notices about shutting up houses, as they do at
St. Giles's, and to have watchmen at the doors to see none
come in or go out, and that they are going to appoint
examiners in every parish to go from house to house to search
for infected persons."

" I suppose these are proper steps to take," Cyril said, " but
it will be a difficult thing to keep people shut up in houses
where one is infected. No doubt it would be a good thing at
the commencement of the illness, but when it has once spread

THE PLAGUE. 251

itself, and the very air become infected, it seems to me that it
will do but little good, while it will assuredly cause great dis-
tress and trouble. I long to be able to get up myself, and to
see about things."

" The streets have quite an empty aspect, so many have gone
away ; and what with that, and most of the shops being closed,
and the dismal aspect of the people, there is little pleasure in
being out, Master Cyril."

" I daresay, John. Still, it will be a change, and, as soon as
I am strong enough, I shall sally out with you."

Another fortnight, and Cyril was able to do so. The Plague
had still spread, but so slowly that people began to hope that
the City would be spared any great calamity, for they were
well on in July, and in another six weeks the heat of summer
would be passed. Some of those who had gone into the
country returned, more shops had been opened, and the panic
had somewhat subsided.

" What do you mean to do, Master Cyril ? " John Wilkes
asked that evening. " Of course you cannot join the Fleet
again, for it will be, as the doctor says, another two months
before your shoulder-bone will have knit strongly enough
for you to use your arm, and at sea it is a matter of more
consequence than on land for a man to have the use of both
arms. The ship may give a sudden lurch, and one may have
to make a clutch at whatever is nearest to prevent one from
rolling into the lee scuppers ; and such a wrench as that would
take from a weak arm all the good a three months' nursing
had done it, and might spoil the job of getting the bone to
grow straight again altogether. I don't say you are fit to travel
yet, but you should be able before long to start on a journey,
and might travel down into Gloucestershire, where, be sure,
you will be gladly welcomed by the Captain, his dame, and
Mistress Nellie. Or, should you not care for that, you might
go aboard a ship. There are hundreds of them lying idle in the
river, and many families have taken up their homes there, so as to
be free from all risks of meeting infected persons in the streets."

252 WHEN LONDON BUBNED.

" I think I shall stay here, John, and keep you company.
If the Plague dies away, well and good. If it gets bad, we
can shut ourselves up. You say that the Captain has laid in
a great store of provisions, so that you could live without
laying out a penny for a year, and it is as sure as anything
can be, that when the cold weather comes on it will die out.
Besides, John, neither you nor I are afraid of the Plague,
and it is certain that it is fear that makes most people take
it. If it becomes bad, there will be terrible reed for help,
and maybe we shall be able to do some good. ] f we are not
afraid of facing death in battle, why should we fear it by
the Plague. It is as noble a death to die helping one's
fellow-countrymen in their sore distress as in fighting for
one's country."

" That is true enough, Master Cyril, if folks did but see
it so. I do not see what we could do, but if there be aught,
you can depend on me. I was in a ship in the Levant when
we had a fever, which, it seems to me, was akin to this Plague,
though not like it in all its symptoms. Half the crew died,
and, as you say, I verily believe that it was partly from the
lowness of spirits into which they fell from fear. I used to
help nurse the sick, and throw overboard the dead, and it
never touched me. I don't say that I was braver than others,
but it seemed to me as it was just as easy to take things
comfortable as it was to fret over them."

Towards the end of the month the Plague spread rapidly,
and all work ceased in the parishes most affected. But, just as
it had raged for weeks in the Western parishes outside the City,
so it seemed restricted by certain invisible lines, after it had
made its entry within the walls, and while it raged in some
parts others were entirely unaffected, and here shops were
open, and the streets still retained something of their usual
appearance. There had been great want among the poorer
classes, owing to the cessation of work, especially along the
riverside. The Lord Mayor, some of the Aldermen, and
most other rich citizens, had hastened to leave the City.

THE PLAGUE. 253

While many of the clergy were deserting their flocks, and many
doctors their patients, others remained firmly at their posts,
and worked incessantly, and did all that was possible in order
to check the spread of the Plague and to relieve the distress
of the poor.

Numbers of the women were engaged as nurses. Examiners
were appointed in each parish, and these, with their assistants,
paid house-to-house visitations, in order to discover any who
were infected ; and as soon as the case was discovered the house
was closed, and none suffered to go in or out, a watchman
being placed before the door day and night. Two men there-
fore were needed to each infected house, and this afforded
employment for numbers of poor. Others were engaged in
digging graves, or in going round at night, with carts, collecting
the dead.

So great was the dread of the people at the thought of being
shut up in their houses, without communication with the
world, that every means was used for concealing the fact that
one of the inmates was smitten down. This was the more
easy because the early stages of the disease were without pain,
and people were generally ignorant that they had been attacked
until within a few hours, and sometimes within a few minutes,
of their death ; consequently, when the Plague had once spread,
all the precautions taken to prevent its increase were useless,
while they caused great misery and suffering, and doubtless
very much greater loss of life. For, owing to so many being
shut up in the houses with those affected, and there being no
escape from the infection, whole families, with the servants
and apprentices, sickened and died together.

Cyril frequently went up to view the infected districts. He
was not moved by curiosity, but by a desire to see if there
were no way of being of use. There was not a street but
many of the houses were marked with the red cross. In
front of these the watchmen sat on stools or chairs lent by
the inmates, or borrowed from some house whence the in-
habitants had all fled. The air rang with pitiful cries.

254 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

Sometimes women, distraught with terror or grief, screamed
wildly through open windows. Sometimes people talked from
the upper stories to their neighbours on either hand, or
opposite, prisoners like themselves, each telling their lament-
able tale of misery, of how many had died and how many
remained.

It was by no means uncommon to see on the pavement men
and women who, in the excess of despair or pain, had thrown
themselves headlong down. While such sounds and sights filled
Cyril with horror, they aroused still more his feelings of pity and
desire to be of some use. Very frequently he went on errands
for people who called down from above to him. Money was
lowered in a tin dish, or other vessel, in which it lay covered with
vinegar as a disinfectant. Taking it out, he would go and buy
the required articles, generally food or medicine, and, returning,
place them in a basket that was again lowered.

The watchmen mostly executed these commissions, but
many of them were surly fellows, and, as they were often
abused and cursed by those whom they held prisoners, would do
but little for them. They had, moreover, an excuse for refusing
to leave the door, because, as often happened, it might be opened
in their absence and the inmates escape. It was true that
the watchmen had the keys, but the screws were often drawn
from the locks inside ; and so frequently was this done that
at last chains with padlocks were fastened to all the doors as
soon as the watch was set over them. But even this did not
avail. Many of the houses had communications at the backs
into other streets, and so eluded the vigilance of the watch ;
while, in other cases, communications were broken through
the walls into other houses, empty either by desertion or death,
and the escape could thus be made under the very eye of the
watchman.

Very frequently Cyril went into a church when he saw the
door open. Here very small congregations would be gathered,
for there was a fear on the part of all of meeting with strangers,
for these might, unknown to themselves, be already stricken

THE PLAGUE. 255

with the pest, and all public meetings of any kind were, for
this reason, strictly forbidden. One day, he was passing a
church that had hitherto been always closed, its incumbent
being one of those who had fled at the outbreak of the Plague.
Upon enteiing he saw a larger congregation than usual, some
twenty or thirty people being present.

The minister had just mounted the pulpit, and was be-
ginning his address as Cyril entered. The latter was struck
with his appearance. He was a man of some thirty years
of age, with a strangely earnest face. His voice was deep, but
soft and flexible, and in the stillness of the almost empty
church its lowest tones seemed to come with impressive power,
and Cyril thought that he had never heard such preaching
before. The very text seemed strange at such a time : " Re-
joice ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." From most
of the discourses he had heard Cyril had gone out depressed
rather than inspirited. They had been pitched in one tone.
The terrible scourge that raged round them was held up as a
punishment sent by the wrath of God upon a sinful people,
and the congregation were warned to prepare themselves for
the fate, that might at any moment be theirs, by repentance
and humiliation. The preacher to whom Cyril was now
listening spoke in an altogether different strain.

" You are all soldiers of Christ," he said, " and now is an
opportunity given to you to show that you are worthy soldiers.
When the troops of a worldly monarch go in to battle they
do so with head erect, with proud and resolute bearing, with
flashing eye, and with high courage, determined to bear aloft
his banner and to crown it with victory, even though it cost
them their lives. Such is the mien that soldiers of Christ
should bear in the mortal strife now raging round us. Let
them show the same fearlessness of death, the same high
courage, the same unlimited confidence in their Leader. What
matter if they die in His service ? He has told them what
their work should be. He has bidden them visit the sick and
comfort the sorrowing. What if there be danger in the work 1

256 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

Did He shrink from the Gross which was to end His work of
love, and is it for His followers to do so ? ' Though you go down
into the pit,' He has said, ' I am there also ' ; and with His
companionship one must be craven indeed to tremble. This
is a noble opportunity for holding high the banner of Christ.
There is work to be done for all, and as the work is done, men
should see by the calm courage, the cheerfulness, and the
patience of those that do it, that they know that they are
doing His work, and that they are content to leave the issue,
whatever it be, in His hands."

Such was the tone in which, for half an hour, he spoke.
When he had finished he offered up a prayer, gave the blessing,
and then came down from the pulpit and spoke to several of
the congregation. He was evidently personally known to most
of them. One by one, after a few words, they left the church.
. Cyril remained to the last.

" I am willing to work, sir," he said, as the preacher came
up, " but, so far, no work has come in my way."

" Have you father or mother, or any dependent on you ? "

" No one, sir."

" Then come along with me ; I lodge close by. I have eaten
nothing to-day, and must keep up my strength, and I have a
long round of calls to make."

" This is the first time I have seen the church open," Cyril
said, as they went out.

" It is not my church, sir, nor do I belong to the Church
of England ; I am an Independent. But as many of the pastors
have fled and left their sheep untended, so have we — for there
are others besides myself who have done so — taken possession of
their empty pulpits, none gainsaying us, and are doing what
good we can. You have been in the war, I see," he went on,
glancing at Cyril's arm, which was carried in a sling.

" Yes ; I was at the battle of Lowestoft, and having been
wounded there, came to London to stay in a friend's house till
I was cured. He and his family have left, but I am living
with a trusty foreman who is in charge of the house. I have

THE PLAGUE. 257

a great desire to be useful. I myself have little fear of the
plague."

" That is the best of all preservatives from its ravages,
although not a sure one ; for many doctors who have laboured
fearlessly have yet died. Have you thought of any way of
being useful ? "

"No, sir; that is what is troubling me. As you see, I have
but the use of one arm, and I have not got back my full
strength by a long way."

" Every one can be useful if he chooses," the minister said.
"There is need everywhere among this stricken, frightened,
helpless people, of men of calm courage and cool heads. Nine
out of ten are so scared out of their senses, when once the
Plague enters the houses, as to be well nigh useless, and yet
the law hinders those who would help if they could. I am
compelled to labour, not among those who are sick, but among
those who are well. When one enters a house with the red
cross on the door, he may leave it no more until he is either
borne out to the dead-cart, or the Plague has wholly dis-
appeared within it, and a month has elapsed. The sole excep-
tion are the doctors ; they are no more exempt from spreading
the infection than other men, but as they must do their work
so far as they can they have free passage ; and yet, so few is
their number and so heavy already their losses, that not one
in a hundred of those that are smitten can have their aid.
Here is one coming now, one of the best — Dr. Hodges. If you
are indeed willing so to risk your life, I will speak to him.
But I know not your name ? "

" My name is Cyril Shenstone."

The clergyman looked at him suddenly, and would have
spoken, but the doctor was now close to them.

" Ah ! Mr. Wallace," he said, " I am glad to see you, and
to know that, so far, you have not taken the disease, although
constantly going into the worst neighbourhoods."

" Like yourself, Dr. Hodges, I have no fear of it."

" I do not say I have no fear," the doctor replied. " I do my

(948) R

258 WHEN LONDON BUKNED.

duty so far as I can, but I do not doubt that, sooner or later,
I shall catch the malady, as many of us have done already.
I take such precautions as I can, but the distemper seems to
baffle all precautions. My only grief is that our skill avails so
little. So far we have found nothing that seems to be of any
real use. Perhaps if we could attack it in the earlier stages
we might be more successful. The strange nature of the disease,
and the way in which it does its work well-nigh to the end,
before the patient is himself aware of it, puts it out of our
power to combat it. In many cases I am not sent for until
the patient is at the point of death, and by the time I reach
his door I am met with the news that he is dead. But I must
be going."

" One moment, Dr. Hodges. This young gentleman has been
expressing to me his desire to be of use. I know nothing of
him save that he was one of my congregation this morning,
but, as he fears not the Plague, and is moved by a desire to
help his fellows in distress, I take it that he is a good youth.
He was wounded in the battle of Lowestoft, and, being as
ready to encounter the Plague as he was the Dutch, would now
fight in the cause of humanity. Would you take him as an
assistant? I doubt if he knows anything of medicine, but I
think he is one that would see your orders carried out. He
has no relations or friends, and therefore considers himself
free to venture his life."

The doctor looked earnestly at Cyril and then raised his hat.

" Young sir," he said, " since you are willing so to venture
your life, I will gladly accept your help. There are few enough
clear heads in this city, God knows. As for the nurses, they are
Jezebels. They have the choice of starving or nursing, and
they nurse ; but they neglect their patients, they rob them,
and there is little doubt that in many cases they murder them,
so that at the end of their first nursing they may have enough
money to live on without going to another house. But I am
pressed for time. Here is my card. Call on me this evening
at six, and we will talk further on the matter."

THE PLAGUE. 259

Shaking hands with the minister he hurried away.

" Come as far as my lodgings," Mr. Wallace said to Cyril,
" and stay with me while I eat my meal. "Tis a diversion to
one's mind to turn for a moment from the one topic that all
men are speaking of.

"Your name is Shenstone. I come from Norfolk. There
was a family of that name formerly had estates near my
native place. One Sir Aubrey Shenstone was at its head — a
brave gentleman. I well remember seeing him when I was
a boy, but he took the side of the King against the Parliament,
and, as we heard, passed over with Charles to France when his
cause was lost. I have not heard of him since."

"Sir Aubrey was my father," Cyril said quietly; " he died
a year ago. I am his only son."

"And therefore Sir Cyril," the minister said, " though you
did not so name yourself."

" It was needless," Cyril said. " I have no estates to support
my title, and though it is true that, when at sea with Prince
Rupert, I was called Sir Cyril, it was because the Prince had
known my father, and knew that I, at his death, inherited the
title, though I inherited nothing else."

They now reached the door of Mr. Wallace's lodging, and
went up to his room on the first floor.

" Neglect no precaution," the minister said. " No one
should throw away his life. I myself, although not a smoker,
nor accustomed to take suuff, use it now, and would, as the
doctors advise, chew a piece of tobacco, but 'tis too nasty, and
when I tried it, T was so ill that I thought even the risk of
the Plague preferable. But I carry camphor in my pockets,
and when I return from preaching among people of whom
some may well have the infection, I bathe my face and hands
with vinegar, and, pouring some on to a hot iron, fill the room
with its vapour. My life is useful, I hope, and I would fain
keep it, as long as it is the Lord's will, to work in His service.
As a rule, I take wine and bread before I go out in the morning,
though to-day I was pressed for time, and neglected it. I

260 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

should advise you always to do so. I am convinced that a
full man has less chance of catching the infection than a fasting
one, and that it is the weakness many men suffer from their
fears, and from their loss of appetite from grief, that causes
them to take it so easily. When the fever was so bad in
St. Giles's, I heard that in many instances, where whole
families were carried away, the nurses shut up with them
were untouched with the infection, and I believe that this
was because they had become hardened to the work, and
ate and drank heartily, and troubled not themselves at all at
the grief of those around them. They say that many of these
harpies have grown wealthy, loading themselves with every-
thing valuable they could lay hands on in the houses of those
they attended."

After the meal, in which he insisted upon Cyril joining him,
was concluded, Mr. Wallace uttered a short prayer that
Cyril might safely pass through the work he had undertaken.

" I trust," he said, " that you will come here frequently ? I
generally have a few friends here of an evening. We try to
be cheerful, and to strengthen each other, and I am sure we
all have comfort at these meetings."

" Thank you, I will come sometimes, sir ; but as a rule I
must return home, for my friend, John Wilkes, would sorely
miss my company, and is so good and faithful a fellow that
I would not seem to desert him on any account."

" Do as you think right, lad, but remember there will always
be a welcome for you here when you choose to come."

John Wilkes was dismayed when he heard of Cyril's
intention.

" Well, Master Cyril," he said, after smoking his pipe in
silence for some time, "it is not for me to hinder you in
what you have made up your mind to do. I don't say that
if I wasn't on duty here that I mightn't go and do what I could
for these poor creatures. But I don't know. It is one thing
to face a deadly fever like this Plague if it comes on board
your own ship, for there is no getting out of it ; and as you

THE PLAGUE. 261

have got to face it, why, says I, do it as a man ; but as for
going out of your way to put yourself in the middle of it,
that is going a bit beyond me."

" Well, John, you didn't think it foolish when I went as a
Volunteer to fight the Dutch. It was just the same thing, you
know."

" I suppose it was," John said reluctantly, after a pause.
" But then, you see, you were fighting for your country."

" Well, but in the present case I shall be fighting for my
countrymen and countrywomen, John. It is awful to think
of the misery that people are suffering, and it seems to me
that, having nothing else to do here, it is specially my duty to
put my hand to the work of helping as far as I can. The risk
may, at present, be greater than it would be if I stayed at
home, but if the Plague spreads — and it looks as if all the City
would presently be affected — all will have to run the risk of
contagion. There are thousands of women now who voluntarily
enter the houses as nurses for a small rate of pay. Even
robbers, they say, will enter and ransack the houses of the
dead in search of plunder. It will be a shame indeed then if
one should shrink from, doing so when possibly one might do
good."

" I will say nothing more against it, Master Cyril. Still,
I do not see exactly what you are going to do ; with one arm
you could scarce hold down a raving man."

" I am not going to be a nurse, certainly, John," Cyril said,
with a laugh. "I expect that the doctor wants certain cases
watched. Either he may doubt the nurses, or he may want to
see how some particular drug works. Nothing, so far, seems
of use, but that may be partly because the doctors are all so
busy that they cannot watch the patients and see, from hour
to hour, how medicines act."

" When I was in the Levant, and the pest was bad there,"
John Wilkes said, " I heard that the Turks, when seized with
the distemper, sometimes wrapped themselves up in a great
number of clothes, so that they sweated heavily, and that this

262 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

seemed, in some cases, to draw off the fever, and so the patient
recovered."

" That seems a sensible sort of treatment, John, and worth
trying with this Plague."

On calling on Dr. Hodges that afternoon, Cyril found that
he had rightly guessed the nature of the work that the doctor
wished him to perform.

" I can never rely upon the nurses," he said. " I give
instructions with medicines, but in most cases I am sure that
the instructions are never carried out. The relations and
friends are too frightened to think or act calmly, too full of
grief for the sick, and anxiety for those who have not yet
taken the illness, to watch the changes in the patient. As to
the nurses, they are often drunk the whole time they are in
the house. Sometimes they fear to go near the sick man or
woman ; sometimes, undoubtedly, they hasten death. In most
cases it matters little, for we are generally called in too late to
be of any service. The poor people view us almost as enemies ;
they hide their malady from us in every way. Half our time,
too, is wasted uselessly, for many are there who frighten them-
selves into the belief that they are ill, and send for us in all
haste. So far, we feel that we are working altogether in the
dark; none of us can see that any sort of drug avails even
in the slightest degree when the malady has once got a hold.
One in twenty cases may live, but why we know not. Still
the fact that some do live shows that the illness is not neces-
sarily mortal, and that, could the right remedy be found, we
might yet overcome it. The first thing, however, is to try to
prevent its spread. Here we have ten or more people shut
up in a house with one sick person. It is a terrible necessity,
for it is a sentence of death to many, if not to all. We give
the nurses instructions to fumigate the room by evaporating
vinegar upon hot irons, by burning spices and drugs, by
sprinkling perfumes. So far, I cannot see that these measures
have been of any service, but I cannot say how thoroughly
they have been carried out, and I sorely need an assistant to

THE PLAGUE. 263

see that the system is fairly tried. It is not necessary that he
should be a doctor, but he must have influence and power over
those in the house. He must be calm and firm, and he must
be regarded by the people as a doctor. If you will undertake
this, you must put on a wig, for you know that that is looked
upon as a necessary part of a doctor's outfit by people in general.
I shall introduce you as my assistant, and say that you are to
be obeyed as implicitly as if I myself were present. There is
another reason why you must pass as a doctor, for you would
otherwise be a prisoner and unable to pass in and out. You
had best wear a black suit. I will lend you one of my canes
and a snuff-box, and should advise you to take snuff, even if it
is not your habit, for I believe that it is good against infection,
and one of the experiments I wish to try is as to what its
result may be if burnt freely in the house. Are you ready to
undertake this work ? "

" Quite ready, sir."

" Then come round here at eight in the morning. I shall
have heard by that hour from the examiners of this parish of
any fresh ca*e they have found. They begin their rounds at
five o'clock."

The next day Cyril presented himself at the doctor's, dressed
in black, with white ruffles to his shirt, and a flowing wig he
had purchased the night before.

" Here are the cane and snuff-box," Dr. Hodges said. " Now
you will pass muster very well as my assistant. Let us be off
at once, for I have a long list of cases."

Cyril remained outside while Doctor Hodges went into three
or four houses. Presently he came down to the door, and
said to him, —

"This is a case where things are favourable for a first
trial. It is a boy who is taken ill, and the parents, though
in deep grief, seem to have some sense left."

He turned to the watchman, who had already been placed at
the door. The man, who evidently knew him, had saluted
respectfully when he entered the house.

264 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

" This gentleman is my assistant," he said, " and you will
allow him to pass in and out just as you would myself. He is
going to take this case entirely in hand, and you will regard
him as being in charge here."

He then re-entered the house with Cyril, and led him to the
room where the parents of the boy, and two elder sisters, were
assembled.

" This is my assistant," he said, " and he has consented to
take entire charge of the case, though I myself shall look in
and consult with him every morning. In the first place, your
son must be taken to the top storey of the house. You say
that you are ready to nurse him yourselves, and do not wish
that a paid nurse should be had in. I commend your deter-
mination, for the nurses are, for the most part, worse than
useless, and carry the infection all over the house. But only
one of you must go into the room, and whoever goes in must
stay there. It is madness for all to be going in and out and
exposing themselves to the infection when no good can be done.
When this is the case, one or other is sure to take the malady,
and then it spreads to all. Which of you will undertake the
duty ? "

All four at once offered themselves, and there was an earnest
contest between them for the dangerous post. Dr. Hodges
listened for a minute or two, and then decided upon the elder
of the two sisters — a quiet, resolute-looking girl with a healthy
face.

" This young lady shall be nurse," he said. " I feel that I
can have confidence in her. She looks healthy and strong,
and would, methinks, best resist the malady, should she take it.
I am leaving my assistant here for a time to see to the
fumigation of the house. You will please see that his orders
are carried out in every respect. I have every hope that if
this is done the Plague will not spread further ; but much
must depend upon yourselves. Do not give way to grief,
but encourage each other, and go about with calm minds.
I see," he said, pointing to a Bible on the table, " that you

THE PLAGUE. 265

know where to go for comfort and strength. The first thing
is to carry the boy up to the room that we chose for him."

" I will do that," the father said.

" He had better be left in the blankets in which he is lying.
Cover him completely over with them, for, above all, it is
necessary that you should not inhale his breath. You had
better take the head and your daughter the feet. But first see
that the room upstairs is prepared."

In a few minutes the lad was transferred to the upper
room, the doctor warning the others not to enter that from
which he had been carried until it had been fumigated and
sprinkled with vinegar.

"Now," he said to the girl who was to remain with the patient,
" keep the window wide open ; as there is no fireplace, keep a
brazier of charcoal burning near the window. Keep the door
shut, and open it only when you have need for something.
Give him a portion of this medicine every half hour. Do not
lean over him — remember that his breath is a fatal poison.
Put a pinch of these powdered spices into the fire every few
minutes. Pour this perfume over your handkerchief, and put
it over your mouth and nose whenever you approach the bed.
He is in a stupor now, poor lad, and I fear that his chance
of recovery is very slight ; but you must remember that your
own life is of value to your parents, and that it behoves you to
do all in your power to preserve it, and that if you take the
contagion it may spread through the house. We shall hang
a sheet, soaked in vinegar, outside the door."

" We could not have a better case for a trial," he said, as
he went downstairs and joined Cyril, whom he had bidden
wait below. " The , people are all calm and sensible, and if
we succeed not here, there is small chance of our succeeding
elsewhere."

The doctor then gave detailed orders as to fumigating the
house, and left. Cyril saw at once that a brazier of char-
coal was lighted and carried upstairs, and he called to the
girl to come out and fetch it in. As soon as she had done so

266 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

the sheet was hung over the door. Then he took another
brazier, placed it in the room from which the boy had been
carried, laid several lumps of sulphur upon it, and then
left the room. All the doors of the other rooms were then
thrown open, and a quantity of tobacco, spices, and herbs,
were burnt on a red-hot iron at the foot of the stairs, until
the house was filled with a dense smoke. Half an hour later
all the windows were opened.

CHAPTER XVI.

FATHER AND SON.

THE process of fumigation had well nigh suffocated the wife
and daughter of the trader, but, as soon as the smoke
cleared away, Cyril set them all to work to carry up articles of
furniture to another bedroom on the top floor.

"When your daughter is released from nursing, madam,"
he said, " she must at once come into this room, and remain
there secluded for a few days. Therefore, it will be well to
make it as comfortable as possible for her. Her food must be
taken up and put outside the door, so that she can take it in
there without any of you going near her."

The occupation was a useful one, as it distracted the thoughts
of those engaged in it from the sick room.

Cyril did not enter there. He had told the girl to call him
should there be any necessity, but said, —

" Do not call me unless absolutely needful, if, for instance,
he becomes violent, in which case we must fasten the sheets
across him so as to restrain him. But it is of no use your
remaining shut up there if I go in and out of the room to
carry the infection to the others."

" You have hurt your arm, doctor ? " the mother said, when

FATHER AND SON. 267

the arrangements were all made, and they had returned to the
room below.

"Yes," he said; " I met with an accident, and must, for a
short time, keep my arm in a sling."

" You look young, sir, to be running these fearful perils."

" I am young," Cyril said, " and have not yet completed all
my studies; but Dr. Hodges judged that I was sufficiently
advanced to be able to be of service to him, not so much in
prescribing as by seeing that his orders were carried out."

Every half hour he went upstairs, and inquired, through the
door, as to the state of the boy.

Late in the afternoon he heard the girl crying bitterly
within. He knocked, and she cried out, —

" He is dead, sir ; he has just expired."

" Then you must think of yourself and the others," he said.
"The small packet I placed on the chair contains sulphur.
Close the window, then place the packet on the fire, and leave
the room at once and go into the next room, which is all ready
for you. There, I pray you, undress, and sponge yourself with
vinegar, then make your clothes into a bundle and put them
outside the door. There will be a bowl of hot broth in readiness
for you there ; drink that, and then go to bed at once, and keep
the blankets over you and try to sleep."

He went part of the way downstairs, and, in a minute or
two, heard a door open and shut, then another door shut.
Knowing that the order had been carried out, he went down-
stairs.

" Madam," he said, " God has taken your boy. The doctor
had but little hope for him. For the sake of yourself and those
around you, I pray you all to bear up against the sorrow."

The mother burst into tears, and, leaving her with her
husband and daughter, Cyril went into the kitchen, where the
maid and an apprentice were sitting with pale faces, and bade
the servant at once warm up the broth, that had already been
prepared. As soon as it was ready, he carried a basin up-
stairs. The bundle of clothes had already been placed outside

268 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

the girl's room. He took this down and put it on the kitchen
fire.

" Now," he said, " take four basins up to the parlour, and do
you and the boy each make a hearty meal. I think there is
little fear of the Plague spreading, and your best chance
of avoiding it is by keeping up your spirits and not fretting
about it."

As soon as the broth had been taken into the parlour, he
went in and persuaded them to eat and to take a glass of
wine with it, while he himself sat down with them.

" You are all weak," he said, " for, doubtless, you have
eaten nothing to-day, and you need strength as well as
courage. I trust that your daughter will presently go off into
a sound sleep. The last thing before you go to bed, take up
with you a basin of good posset with a glass of wine in it ;
knock gently at her door; if she is awake, tell her to come
out and take it in as soon as you have gone, but if she does
not reply, do not rouse her. I can be of no further use
to-night, but will return in the morning, when I hope to find
all is well."

The father accompanied him to the door.

" You will of course bring the poor boy down to-night.
It were best that you made some excuse to sleep in another
room. Let your daughter sleep with her mother. When
you go in to fetch him, be careful that you do not enter
at once, for the fumes of the sulphur will scarcely have
abated. As you go in, place a wet handkerchief to your
mouth, and make to the window and throw it open, closing
the door behind you. Sit at the window till the air is
tolerable, then wrap the blankets round him and carry him
downstairs when you hear the bell. After he has gone tell
the servant to have a brazier lighted, and to keep up the
kitchen fire. As soon as he is gone, burn on the brazier
at the foot of the stairs, tobacco and spices, as we did
before ; then take off your clothes and burn them on the
kitchen fire, and then go up to bed. You can leave the doors

FATHER AND SON. 269

and windows of the rooms that are not in use open, so that
the smoke may escape."

" God bless you, sir ! " the man said. " You have been a
comfort indeed to us, and I have good hopes that the Plague
will spread no further among us."

Cyril went first to the doctor's, and reported what had taken
place.

" I will go round in the morning and see how they are," he
concluded, " and bring you round word before you start on your
rounds."

" You have done very well indeed," the doctor said. " If
people everywhere would be as calm, and obey orders as well
as those you have been with, I should have good hopes that
we might check the spread of the Plague ; but you will find
that they are quite the exception."

This, indeed, proved to be the case. In many instances, the
people were so distracted with grief and fear that they ran
about the house like mad persons, crying and screaming,
running in and out of the sick chamber, or sitting there
crying helplessly, and refusing to leave the body until it was
carried out to the dead-cart. But with such cases Cyril had
nothing to do, as the doctor would only send him to the houses
where he saw that his instructions would be carried out.

To his great satisfaction, Cyril found that the precautions
taken in the first case proved successful. Regularly, every
morning, he inquired at the door, and received the answer,
"All are well."

In August the Plague greatly increased in violence, the
deaths rising to ten thousand a week. A dull despair had
now seized the population. It seemed that all were to be
swept«away. Many went out of their minds. The quacks
no longer drove a flourishing trade in their pretended
nostrums; these were now utterly discredited, for nothing
seemed of the slightest avail. Some went to. the opposite
extreme, and affected to defy fate. The taverns were filled
again, and boisterous shouts and songs seemed to mock the

270 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

dismal cries from the houses with the red cross on the door.
Robberies were rife. Regardless of the danger of the pest,
robbers broke into the houses where all the inmates had
perished by the Plague, and rifled them of their valuables.
The nurses plundered the dying. All natural affection seemed
at an end. Those stricken were often deserted by all their
relatives, and left alone to perish.

Bands of reckless young fellows went through the streets
singing, and, dressing up in masks, performed the dance of
death. The dead were too many to be carried away in carts
at night to the great pits prepared for them, but the dismal
tones of the bell, and the cries of " Bring out your dead ! "
sounded in the streets all day. It was no longer possible to
watch the whole of the infected houses. Sometimes Plague-
stricken men would escape from their beds and run through
the streets until they dropped dead. One such man, in the
height of his delirium, sprang into the river, and, after
swimming about for some time, returned to the shore, marvel-
lously cured of his malady by the shock.

Cyril went occasionally in the evening to the lodgings of
Mr. Wallace. At first he met several people gathered there,
but the number became fewer every time he went. He had
told the minister that he thought that it would be better for
him to stay away, exposed as he was to infection, but Mr.
Wallace would take no excuses on this score.

" We are all in the hands of God," he said. " The streets
are full of infected people, and I myself frequently go to pray
with my friends in the earliest stages of the malady. There
is no longer any use in precautions. We can but all go on
doing our duty until we are called away, and even among the
few who gather here of an evening there may be one or more
who are already smitten, though unconscious yet that their
summons has come."

Among others Cyril was introduced to a Mr. and Mrs.
Harvey, who were, the minister told him, from the country, but
were staying in town on account of a painful family business.

FATHER AND SON. 271

" I have tried to persuade them to return home and to stay
there until the Plague ceases, but they conceive it their duty
to remain. They are, like myself, Independents, and are not
easily to be turned from a resolution they have taken."

Cyril could easily understand that Mr. Harvey was exactly
what he, from the description he had heard of them, had
pictured to himself that a Roundhead soldier would be. He
had a stern face, eyes deeply sunk in his head, high cheek-
bones, a firm mouth, and a square jaw. He wore his hair
cut close. His figure was bony, and he must, as a young man,
have been very powerful. He spoke in a slow, deliberate way,
that struck Cyril as being the result of long effort, for a
certain restless action of the fingers and the quick movement
of the eye, told of a naturally impulsive and fiery disposition.
He constantly used scriptural texts in the course of his speech.
His wife was gentle and quiet, but it was evident that there
was a very strong sympathy between them, and Cyril found,
after meeting them once or twice, that he liked them far
better than he thought he should do on their first introduction.
This was, no doubt, partly due to the fact that Mr. Harvey
frequently entered into conversation with him, and appeared
to interest himself in him. He was, too, a type that was
altogether new to the lad. From his father, and his father's
companions, he had heard nothing good of the Puritans,
but the evident earnestness of this man's nature was, to some
extent, in accordance with his own disposition, and he felt
that, widely as he might differ from him on all points of
politics, he could not but respect him. The evenings were
pleasant. As if by common consent, the conversation never
turned on the Plague, but they talked of other passing
events, of the trials of their friends, and of the laws that
were being put in force against Nonconformists.

" What think you of these persecutions, young sir ] " Mr.
Harvey abruptly asked Cyril, one evening, breaking off in the
midst of a general conversation.

Cyril was a little confused at the unexpected question.

272 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

" I think all persecutions for conscience' sake are wrong,"
he said, after a moment's pause, " and generally recoil upon the
persecutors. Spain lost Holland owing to her persecution of
the people. France lost great numbers of her best citizens
by her lawSv against the Protestants. I agree with you
thoroughly, that the persecution of the Nonconformists at
present is a grievous error, and a cruel injustice ; but, at the
same time, if you will excuse my saying so, it is the natural
consequence of the persecution by the Nonconformists, when
they were in power, of the ministers of the Church of England.
My tutor in France was an English clergyman, who had been
driven from his living, like thousands of other ministers,
because he would not give up his opinions. Therefore, you
see, I very early was imbued with a hatred of persecution in
any form. I trust that I have not spoken too boldly ; but
you asked for my opinion, and I was forced to give it."

" At any rate, young sir, you have spoken manfully, and I
like you none the worse for it. Nor can I altogether gain-
say your words. But you must remember that we had before
been oppressed, and that we have been engaged in a desperate
struggle for liberty of conscience."

" Which, having won for ourselves, we proceeded to deny to
others," Mr. Wallace said, with a smile. " Cyril has us fairly,
Mr. Harvey. We are reaping what our fathers sowed. They
thought that the power they had gained was to be theirs to
hold always, and they used it tyrannously, being thereby false
to all their principles. It is ever the persecuted, when he
attains power, who becomes the persecutor, and, hard as is
the pressure of the laws now, we should never forget that
we have, in our time, been persecutors, and that in defiance
of the rights of conscience we had fought to achieve. Man's
nature is, I fear, unchangeable. The slave longs, above all
things, for freedom, but when he rises successfully against his
master he, in turn, becomes a tyrant, and not infrequently
a cruel and bloodthirsty one. Still, we must hope. It may
be in the good days that are to come, we may reach a

FATHER AND SON. 273

point when each will be free to worship in his own fashion,
without any fear or hindrance, recognising the fact that each
has a right to follow his own path to Heaven, without its
being a subject of offence to those who walk in other ways."

One or two of the other visitors were on the point of
speaking, when Mr. Wallace put a stop to further argument
by fetching a Bible from his closet, and preparing for the
short service of prayer with which the evening always closed.

One evening, Mr. Harvey and his wife were absent from
the usual gathering.

" I feel anxious about them," Mr. Wallace said ; " they have
never, since they arrived in town, missed coming here at seven
o'clock. The bells are ueually striking the hour as they come.
I fear that one or other of them may have been seized by
the Plague."

" With your permission, sir, I will run round and see," Cyril
said. " I know their lodging, for I have accompanied them to
the door several times. It is but five minutes' walk from here.
If one or other is ill I will run round to Dr. Hodges, and I
am sure, at my request, he will go round at once to see them."

Cyril walked fast towards the lodging occupied by the
Harveys. It was at the house of a mercer, but he and his
family had, three weeks before, gone away, having gladly
permitted his lodgers to remain, as their presence acted as a
guard to the house. They had brought up an old servant
with them, and were therefore able to dispense with other
attendants. Cyril hurried along, trying, as usual, to pay as little
heed as he could to the doleful cries that arose from many
of the houses. Although it was still broad daylight there was
scarce a soul in the streets, and those he met were, like himself,
walking fast, keeping as far as possible from any one they
met, so as to avoid contact.

As he neared the house he heard a woman scream. A moment
later a casement was thrown open, and Mrs. Harvey's head
appeared. She gave another piercing cry for help, and was
then suddenly dragged back, and the casement was violently

( 948 ) 8

274 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

closed. Cyril had so frequently heard similar cries that he
would have paid no attention to it had it come from a stranger,
but he felt that Mrs. Harvey was not one to give way to wild
despair, even had her husband been suddenly attacked with
the Plague. Her sudden disappearance, and the closing of the
casement, too, were unaccountable, unless, indeed, her husband
were in a state of violent delirium. He ran to the door and
flung himself against it.

"Help me to force it down," he cried, to a man who was
passing.

" You are mad," the man replied. " Do you not see that
they have got the Plague? You may hear hundreds of such
cries every day."

Cyril drew his sword, which he always carried when he
went out of an evening — for, owing to the deaths among
the City watch, deeds of lawlessness and violence were con-
stantly perpetrated — and struck, with all his strength, with
the hilt upon the fastening of the casement next the door.
Several of the small panes of glass fell in, and the whole
window shook. Again and again he struck upon the same spot,
when the fastening gave way, and the window flew open. He
sprang in at once, ran through the shop into the passage, and
then upstairs. The door was open, and he nearly fell over the
body of a man. As he ran into the room he heard the words, —

" For the last time : Will you sign the deed ? You think
I will not do this, but I am desperate."

As the words left his mouth, Cyril sprang forward between
the man and Mr. Harvey, who was standing with his arms
folded, looking steadfastly at his opponent, who was menacing
him with a drawn sword. The man, with a terrible oath,
turned to defend himself, repeating the oath when he saw who
was his assailant.

" I let you off last time lightly, you scoundrel ! " Cyril
exclaimed. " This time it is your life or mine."

The man made a furious lunge at him. Cyril parried it, and
would at the next moment have run him through had not

"FOR THE LAST TIME: WILL YOU SIGN THE DEED?"

FATHER AND SON. 275

Mr. Harvey suddenly thrown himself between them, hurling
Cyril's antagonist to the ground.

" Put up your sword," he said to Cyril. " This man is my
son ; scoundrel and villain, yet still my son, even though
he has raised his hand against me. Leave him to God."

Cyril had stepped a pace back in his surprise. At first he
thought that Mr. Harvey's trouble had turned his brain ; then
it flashed across him that this ruffian's name was indeed John
Harvey. The man was about to rise from the floor when
Cyril again sprang forward.

" Drop that sword," he exclaimed, " or I will run you
through. Now, sir," he said to Mr. Harvey, " will you draw
out that pistol, whose butt projects from his pocket, or your
son may do one of us mischief yet ? "

That such had been the man's intention was evident from
the glance of baffled rage he threw at Cyril.

" Now, sir, go," his father said sternly. " Remember that,
henceforth, you are no son of mine. Did I do my duty I
should hand you over to the watch — not for your threats to
me, but for the sword-thrust you have given to Joseph Edmonds,
who has many times carried you on his shoulder when a child.
You may compass my death, but be assured that not one
farthing will you gain thereby. 'Vengeance is mine, saith
the Lord.' I leave it to Him to pay it. Now go."

John Harvey rose to his feet, and walked to the door. Then
he turned and shook his fist at Cyril.

" Curse you ! " he said. " I will be even with you yet."

Cyril now had time to look round. His eye fell upon the
figure of Mrs. Harvey, who had fallen insensible. He made
a step towards her, but her husband said, " She has but fainted.
This is more pressing," and he turned to the old servant.
Cyril aided him in lifting the old man up and laying him
on the couch.

" He breathes," said he.

" He is wounded to death," Mr. Harvey said sadly ; " and
my son hath done it."

276 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

Cyril opened the servant's coat.

" Here is the wound, high up on the left side. It may not
touch a vital part. It bleeds freely, and I have heard that
that is a good sign."

" It is so," Mr. Harvey said excitedly. " Perhaps he may yet
recover. I would give all that I am worth that it might be so,
and that, bad as he may be, the sin of this murder should not
rest on my son's soul."

" I will run for the doctor, sir, but before I go let me help
you to lift your wife. She will doubtless come round shortly,
and will aid you to stanch the wound till the doctor comes."

Mrs. Harvey was indeed already showing signs of returning
animation. She was placed on a couch, and water sprinkled
on her face. As soon as he saw her eyes open Cyril caught
up his hat and ran to Dr. Hodges. The doctor had just
finished his supper, and was on the point of going out again to
see some of his patients. On hearing from Cyril that a servant
of some friends of his had been wounded by a robber, he put
some lint and bandages in his pocket, and started with him.

" These robberies are becoming more and more frequent,"
he said ; " and so bold and reckless are the criminals that they
seem to care not a jot whether they add murder to their other
crimes. Where do you say the wound is ? "

Cyril pointed below his own shoulder.

" It is just about there, doctor."

" Then it may be above the upper edge of the lung. If so,
we may save the man. Half an inch higher or lower will make
all the difference between life and death. As you say that it
was bleeding freely, it is probable that the sword has missed
the lung, for had it pierced it, the bleeding would have been
chiefly internal, and the hope of saving him would have been
slight indeed."

When they reached the house Cyril found that Mrs. Harvey
had quite recovered. They had cut open the man's clothes and
her husband was pressing a handkerchief, closely folded, upon
the wound.

FATHER AND SON. 277

"It is serious, but, I think, not vital," Dr. Hodges said,
after examining it. "I feel sure that the sword has missed
the lung."

After cutting off the rest of the man's upper garments, he
poured, from a phial he had brought with him, a few drops of
a powerful styptic into the wound, placed a thick pad of lint
over it, and bandaged it securely. Then, giving directions
that a small quantity of spirits and water should be given to
the patient from time to time, and, above all things, that he
should be kept perfectly quiet, he hurried away.

" Is there anything more I can do, sir ? " Cyril asked
Mr. Harvey.

" Nothing more. You will understand, sir, what our feelings
are, and that our hearts are too full of grief and emotion for
us to speak. We shall watch together to-night, and lay our
case before the Lord."

" Then I will come early in the morning and see if there is
aught I can do, sir. I am going back now to Mr. Wallace,
who was uneasy at your absence. I suppose you would wish
me to say only that I found that there was a robber in the
place who, having wounded your servant, was on the point of
attacking you when I entered, and that he fled almost
immediately."

" That will do. Say to him that for to-night we shall be
busy nursing, and that my wife is greatly shaken ; therefore I
would not that he should come round, but I pray him to call
here in the morning."

" I will do so, sir."

Cyril went downstairs, closed the shutters of the window
into which he had broken, and put up the bars, and then
went out at the door, taking special pains to close it firmly
behind him.

He was glad to be out of the house. He had seen many
sad scenes during the last few weeks, but it seemed to him
that this was the saddest of all. Better, a thousand times, to
see a son stricken by the Plague than this. He walked slowly

278 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

back to the minister's. He met Mr. Wallace at the door of his
house.

" I was coming round." the latter said. " Of course one or
other of them are stricken 1 "

" No, sir ; it was another cause that prevented their coming.
Just as I reached the house I heard a scream, and Mrs.
Harvey appeared at the casement calling for help. I forced
open a window and ran up. I found that a robber had
entered the house. He had seriously wounded the old servant,
and was on the point of attacking Mr. Harvey when I entered.
Taken by surprise, the man fled almost immediately. Mrs.
Harvey had fainted. At first, we thought the servant was
killed, but, finding that he lived, I ran oft7 and fetched Dr.
Hodges, who has dressed the wound, and thinks that the man
has a good chance of recovery. As Mrs. Harvey had now
come round, and was capable of assisting her husband, they
did not accept my offer to stay and do anything I could. I
said I was coming to you, and Mr. Harvey asked me to say
that, although they were too much shaken to see you this
evening, they should be glad if you would go round to them
the first thing in the morning."

" Then the robber got away unharmed ? " Mr. Wallace
asked.

" He was unharmed, sir. I would rather that you did not
question me on the subject. Mr. Harvey will doubtless enter
fully into the matter with you in the morning. We did not
exchange many words, for he was greatly disturbed in spirit
at the wounding of his old servant, and the scene he had gone
through ; and, seeing that he and his wife would rather be
alone with their patient, I left almost directly after Dr.
Hodges went away. However, I may say that I believe that
there are private matters in the affair, which he will probably
himself communicate to you."

" Then I will ask no more questions, Cyril. I am well
content to know that it is not as I feared, and that the Plague
has not attacked them."

FATHER AND SON. 279

" I said that I would call round in the morning, sir ; but I
have been thinking of it as I came along, and consider that,
as you will be there, it is as well that I should not do so.
I will come round here at ten o'clock, and should you not have
returned, will wait until you do. I do not know that I can
be of any use whatever, and do not wish to intrude there.
Will you kindly say this to them, but add that should they
really wish me to go, I will of course do so 1 "

Mr. Wallace looked a little puzzled.

" I will do as you ask me, but it seems to me that they will
naturally wish to see you, seeing that, had it not been for your
arrival, they might have been robbed and perhaps murdered."

" You will understand better when you have seen Mr.
Harvey, sir. Now I will be making for home ; it is about my
usual hour, and John Wilkes will be beginning to wonder and
worry about me."

To John, Cyril told the same story as to Mr. Wallace.

"But how was it that you let the villain escape, Master
Cyril ? Why did you not run him through the body ? "

" I had other things to think of, John. There was Mrs.
Harvey lying insensible, and the servant desperately wounded,
and I thought more of these than of the robber, and was glad
enough, when he ran out, to be able to turn my attention to
them."

" Ay, ay, that was natural enough, lad ; but 'tis a pity the
villain got off scot-free. Truly it is not safe for two old people
to be in an empty house by themselves in these times, specially
as, maybe, the houses on either side are also untenanted, and
robbers can get into them and make their way along the roof,
and so enter any house they like by the windows there. It
was a mercy you chanced to come along. Men are so accustomed
now to hear screams and calls for aid, that none trouble them-
selves as to such sounds. And you still feel quite well ? "

" Never better, John, except for occasional twitches in my
shoulder."

" It does not knit so fast as it should do," John said. " In

280 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

the first place, you are always on the move ; then no one can
go about into infected houses without his spirits being disturbed,
and of all things a calm and easy disposition is essential for
the proper healing of wounds. Lastly, it is certain that when
there is poison in the air wounds do not heal so quickly as at
other times."

" It is going on well enough, John ; indeed, I could not desire
it to do better. As soon as it is fairly healed I ought to join
Prince Rupert again ; but in truth I do not wish to go, for I
would fain see this terrible Plague come to an end before I
leave ; for never since the days of the Black Death, hundreds of
years ago, was there so strange and terrible a malady in this
country."

Mr. Wallace had returned to his house when Cyril called
the next morning.

" Thinking over what you said last night, Cyril, I arrived
at a pretty correct conclusion as to what had happened, though
I thought not that it could be as bad as it was. I knew the
object with which Mr. Harvey and his wife had come up to
London, at a time when most men were fleeing from it. Their
son has, ever since he came up three years ago, been a source of
grievous trouble to them, as he was, indeed, for a long time
previously. Some natures seem naturally to turn to evil, and
this boy's was one of them. It may be that the life at home
was too rigid and severe, and that he revolted against it.
Certain it is that he took to evil courses and consorted with
bad companions. Severity was unavailing. He would break
out of the house at night and be away for days. He was
drunken and dissolute.

''• At last, just after a considerable sum of money had come
into the house from the tenants' rents, he stole it, and went up
to London. His name was not mentioned at home, though
his father learnt from correspondents here that he had become
a hanger-on of the Court, where, his father being a man of
condition, he found friends without difficulty. He was a gambler
and a brawler, and bore a bad reputation even among the riff-

FATHER AND SON. 281

raff of the Court. His father learnt that he had disappeared
from sight at the time the Court went to Oxford early in June,
and his correspondent found that he was reported to have
joined a band a abandoned ruffians, whose least crimes were
those of robbery.

" When the Plague spread rapidly, Mr. Harvey and his wife
determined to come up to London, to make one more effort to
draw him from his evil courses. The only thing that they
have been able to learn for certain was, that he was one of
the performers in that wicked mockery the dance of death,
but their efforts to trace him have otherwise failed.

" They had intended, if they had found him, and he would
have made promises of amendment, to have given him money
that would have enabled him to go over to America and begin
a new life there, promising him a regular allowance to main-
tain him in comfort. As they have many friends over there,
some of whom went abroad to settle before the Civil War
broke out here, they would be able to have news how he
was going on ; and if they found he was living a decent life,
and truly repented his past course, they would in five years
have had him back again, and reinstated him as their heir.

" I knew their intentions in the matter, and have done my
best to gain them news of him. I did not believe in the
reformation of one who had shown himself to be of such evil
spirit ; but God is all-powerful, and might have led him out
from the slough into which he had fallen.

"Yesterday evening, half an hour before you went there, his
father and mother were astonished at his suddenly entering.
He saluted them at first with ironical politeness, and said that
having heard from one from the same part of the country that
he had seen them in London, he had had the streets there-
abouts watched, and having found where they lodged, had
come to pay his respects.

" There was a reckless bravado in his manner that alarmed
his mother, and it was not long before the purpose of his
visit came out. He demanded that his father should at once

282 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

sign a deed which he had brought drawn out in readiness,
assigning to him at once half his property.

" ' You have,' he said, ' far more than you can require. Living
as you do, you must save three-quarters of your income, and it
would be at once an act of charity, and save you the trouble of
dealing with money that is of no use to you.'

" His father indignantly refused to take any such step, and
then told him the plans he had himself formed for him. At
this he laughed scoffingly.

" ' You have the choice,' he said, ' of giving me half, or
of my taking everything.' And then he swore with terrible
oaths that unless his father signed the paper, that day should
be his last. ' You are in my power,' he said, ' and I am
desperate. Do you think that if three dead bodies are found
in a house now any will trouble to inquire how they came
to their end ? They will be tossed into the plague-cart, and
none will make inquiry about them.'

" Hearing voices raised in anger, the old servant ran in.
At once the villain drew and ran at him, passing his sword
through his body. Then, as if transported at the sight of the
blood he had shed, he turned upon his father. It was at
this moment that his mother ran to the window and called
for help. He dragged her back, and as she fell fainting with
horror and fear he again turned upon his father ; his passion
grew hotter and hotter as the latter, upbraiding him with the
deed he had done, refused to sign ; and there is no doubt that
he would have taken his life had you not luckily ran in at
this moment.

" It has truly been a terrible night for them. They have
passed it in prayer, and when I went this morning were both
calm and composed, though it was easy to see by their faces
how they had suffered, and how much the blow has told upon
them. They have determined to save their son from any
further temptation to enrich himself by their deaths. I fetched
a lawyer for them ; and when I left Mr. Harvey was giving
him instructions for drawing up his will, by which every

FATHER AND SON. 283

farthing is left away from him. They request me to go to
them this evening with two or three of our friends to witness
it, as it is necessary in a time like this that a will should be
witnessed by as many as possible, as some may be carried off by
the Plague ; and should all the witnesses be dead, the will
might be disputed as a forgery. So the lawyer will bring his
clerks with him, and I shall take four or five of our friends.

" They will return to the country as soon as their servant can
be moved. Dr. Hodges came when I was there, and gives
hopes that the cure will be a speedy one. We are going to
place some men in the house. I have among my poorer friends
two men who will be glad to establish themselves there with
their wives, seeing that they will pay no rent, and will receive
wages as long as Mr. Harvey remains there. There will thus
be no fear of any repetition of the attempt. Mr. Harvey, on
my advice, will also draw up and sign a paper giving a full
account of the occurrence of last evening, and will leave this
in the hands of the lawyer.

" This will be a protection to him should his son follow him
into the country, as he will then be able to assure him that
if he proceeds to violence suspicion will at once fall upon him,
and he will be arrested for his murder. But, indeed, the poor
gentleman holds but little to his life ; and it was only on my
representing to him that this document might be the means
of averting the commission of the most terrible of all sins from
the head of his son, that he agreed to sign it. I gave him
your message, and he prays me to say that, deeply grateful as
he and his wife are to you, not so much for the saving of their
Lives, as for preventing their son's soul being stained by the
crime, they would indeed rather that you did not call for
a time, for they are so sorely shaken that they do not feel
equal to seeing you. You will not, I hope, take this amiss."

" By no means," Cyril replied ; " it is but a natural feeling ;
and, in truth, I myself am relieved that such is their decision,
for it would be well-nigh as painful to me as to them to see
them again, and to talk over the subject."

284 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

" By the way, Cyril, Mr. Harvey said that when you saw
his son you cried out his name, and that by the manner in
which he turned upon you it was clear that he had some cause
for hating you. Is this so, or was it merely his fancy ? "

" It was no fancy, sir. It is not long since I thwarted
his attempt to carry off the daughter of a city merchant, to
whom he had represented himself as a nobleman. He was in
the act of doing so, with the aid of some friends, when, accom-
panied by John Wilkes, I came up. There was a fray, in the
course of which I ran him through the shoulder. The young
lady returned home with us, and has since heartily repented
of her folly. I had not seen the man since that time till I
met him yesterday ; but certainly the house was watched for
some time, as I believe, by his associates, who would probably
have done me an ill turn had I gone out after nightfall."

"That explains it, Cyril. I will tell Mr. Harvey, whose
mind has been much puzzled by your recognition of his son."

CHAPTER XVII.

SMITTEN DOWN.

days later, Cyril started at his usual hour to go to Dr.
JL Hodges' ; but he had proceeded but a few yards when a man,
who was leaning against the wall, suddenly lurched forward
and caught him round the neck. Thinking that the fellow
had been drinking, Cyril angrily tried to shake him off. As he
did so the man's hat, which had been pressed down over his
eyes, fell off, and, to his astonishment, Cyril recognised John
Harvey.

'• You villain ! What are you doing here ? " he exclaimed,
as he freed himself from the embrace, sending his assailant
staggering back against the wall.

SMITTEN DOWN. 285

The man's face lit up with a look of savage exaltation.

" I told you you should hear from me again," he said, " and
I have kept my word. I knew the hour you went out, and I
have been waiting for you. You are a doomed man. I have
the Plague, and I have breathed in your face. Before twenty-
four hours have passed you will be, as I am, a dying man.
That is a good piece of vengeance. You may be a better
swordsman than I am, but you can't fight with the Plague."

Cyril drew back in horror. As he did so, a change came over
John Harvey's face, he muttered a few words incoherently,
swayed backwards and forwards, and then slid to the ground
in a heap. A rush of blood poured from his mouth, and he
fell over dead.

Cyril had seen more than one similar death in the streets,
but the horrible malignity of this man, and his sudden death,
gave him a terrible shock. He felt for the moment completely
unmanned, and, conscious that he was too unhinged for work,
he turned and went back to the house.

"You look pale, lad," John Wilkes said, as Cyril went
upstairs. " What brings you back so soon ? "

" I have had rather a shock, John." And he told him of
what had happened.

" That was enough to startle you, lad. I should say the
best thing you could do would be to take a good strong
tumbler of grog, and then lay down."

" That I will do, and will take a dose of the medicine Dr.
Hodges makes every one take when the infection first shows
itself in a house. As you know, I have never had any fear
of the Plague hitherto. I don't say that I am afraid of it now,
but I have run a far greater risk of catching it than I have
ever done before, for until now I have never been in actual
contact with any one with the disease."

After a sleep Cyril rose, and feeling himself again, went
to call upon Mr. Wallace.

" I shall not come again for a few days," he said, after
telling him what had happened, but without mentioning the

286 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

name of John Harvey, "but I will send you a note every
other day by John Wilkes. If he does not come, you will
know that I have taken the malady, and in that case, Mr.
Wallace, I know that I shall have your prayers for my
recovery. I am sure that I shall be well cared for by John
Wilkes."

"Of my prayers you may be sure, Cyril; and, indeed, I
have every faith that, should you catch the malady, you will
recover from it. You have neither well-nigh frightened
yourself to death, nor have you dosed yourself with drugs
until nature was exhausted before the struggle began. You
will. I am sure, be calm and composed, and above all you
have faith in God, and the knowledge that you have done
your part to carry out His orders, and to visit the sick and
aid those in sorrow."

The next day Cyril was conscious of no change except that
he felt a disinclination to exert himself. The next morning
he had a feeling of nausea.

" I think that I am in for it, John," he said. " But at
any rate it can do no harm to try that remedy you spoke of
that is used in the East. First of all, let us fumigate the
room. As far as I have seen, the smoke of tobacco is the
best preservative against the Plague. Now do you, John, keep
a bit of tobacco in your mouth."

" That I mostly do, lad."

" Well, keep a bigger bit than usual, John, and smoke
steadily. Still, that will not be enough. Keep the fire
burning, and an iron plate heated to redness over it. Bring
that into my room from time to time, and burn tobacco on it.
Keep the room full of smoke."

" I will do that," John said, " but you must not have too
much of it. I am an old hand, and have many times sat in a
fo'castle so full of smoke that one could scarce see one's hands,
but you are not accustomed to it, and it may like enough make
you sick."

" There will be no harm in that, John, so that one does not

SMITTEN DOWN. 287

push it too far. Now, how are you going to set about this
sweating process 1 "

" While you undress and get into bed I will get a blanket
ready. It is to be dipped in boiling water, and then wrung
out until it is as dry as we can get it. Then you are wrapped
in that, and then rolled in five or six dry blankets to keep in
the heat. You will keep in that until you feel almost weak
with sweating ; then I take you out and sponge you with
warmish water, and then wrap you in another dry blanket."

" You had better sponge me with vinegar, John."

Cyril undressed. When he had done so he carefully
examined himself, and his eye soon fell on a black spot on the
inside of his leg, just above the knee. It was the well-known
sign of the Plague.

" I have got it, John," he said, when the latter entered with
a pile of blankets.

" Well, then, we have got to fight it, Master Cyril, and we
will beat it if it is to be beaten. Now, lad, for the hot blanket."

" Lay it down on the bed, and I will wrap myself in it, and
the same with the others. Now I warn you, you are not to
come nearer to me than you can help, and above all you are
not to lean over me. If you do, I will turn you out of the
room and lock the door, and fight it out by myself. Now puff
away at that pipe, and the moment you wrap me up get the
room full of smoke."

John nodded.

" Don't you bother about me," he growled. " I reckon the
Plague ain't going to touch such a tough old bit of seasoned
mahogany as I am. Still, I will do as you tell me."

In a few minutes Cyril was in a profuse perspiration, in
which even his head, which was above the blankets, shared.

" That is grand," John said complacently.

The cloud of tobacco, with which the room was soon filled,
was not long in having the effect that John had predicted, and
Cyril was soon violently sick, which had the effect of further
increasing the perspiration.

288 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

" You must open the window and let the smoke out a bit,
John," he gasped. " I can't stand any more of it."

This was done, and for another hour Cyril lay between the
blankets.

" I shall faint if I lie here any longer," he said at last.
" Now, John, do you go out of the room, and don't come back
again until I call you. I see you have put the vinegar handy.
It is certain that if this is doing me any good the blankets will
be infected. You say you have got a big fire in the kitchen.
Well, I shall take them myself, and hang them up in front of
it, and you are not to go into the room till they are perfectly
dry again. You had better light another fire at once in the
parlour, and you can do any cooking there. I will keep the
kitchen for my blankets."

John nodded and left the room, and Cyril at once proceeded
to unroll the blankets. As he came to the last he was conscious
of a strong fetid odour, similar to that he had more than once
perceived in houses infected by the Plague.

" I believe it is drawing it out of me," he said to himself.
" I will give it another trial presently."

He first sponged himself with vinegar, and felt much re-
freshed. He then wrapped himself up and lay down for a few
minutes, for he felt strangely weak. Then he got up and
carried the blankets into the kitchen, where a huge fire had
been made up by John. Hs threw the one that had been
next to him into a tub, and poured boiling water on it, and
the others he hung on chairs round it. Then he went back
to his room, and lay down and slept for half an hour. He
returned to the kitchen and rearranged the blankets. When
John saw him go back to his room he followed him.

" I have got some strong broth ready," he said. " Do you
think that you could take a cupful ? "

"Ay, and a good-sized one, John. I feel sure that the sweat-
ing has done me good, and I will have another turn at it soon.
You must go at once and report that I have got it, or when
the examiners come round, and find that the Plague is in the

SMITTEN DOWN. 289

house, you will be fined, or perhaps imprisoned. Before you
go there, please leave word at Dr. Hodges' that I am ill, and
you might also call at Mr. Wallace's and leave the same
message. Tell them, in both cases, that 1 have everything
that I want, and trust that I shall make a good recovery."

" Ay, ay, sir ; I will be off as soon as I have brought you
in your broth, and will be back here in half an hour."

Cyril drank the broth, and then dozed again until John
returned. When he heard his step he called out to him to
bring the hot iron, and he filled the room with tobacco smoke
before allowing him to enter.

"Now, John, the blankets are dry, and can be handled
again, and I am ready for another cooking."

Four times that day did Cyril undergo the sweating process.
By the evening he was as weak as a child, but his skin was
soft and cool, and he was free from all feeling of pain or
uneasiness. Dr. Hodges called half an hour after he had
taken it for the last time, having only received his message
when he returned late from a terrible day's work. Cyril had
just turned in for the night.

" Well, lad, how are you feeling ? I am so sorry that I did
not get your message before."

" I am feeling very well, doctor."

" Your hand is moist and cool," Dr. Hodges said in surprise.
" You must have been mistaken. I see no signs whatever of
the Plague."

" There was no mistake, doctor ; there were the black marks
on my thighs, but I think I have pretty well sweated it out
of me."

He then described the process he had followed, and said
that John Wilkes had told him that it was practised in the
Levant.

" Sweating is greatly used here, and I have tried it very
repeatedly among my patients, and in some cases, where I had
notice of the disease early, have saved them. Some bleed before
sweating, but I have not heard of one who did so who recovered.

( 948 ) T

290 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

In many cases the patient, from terror or from weakness of
body, cannot get up the heat required, and even if they arrive
at it, have not the strength to support it. In your case you
lost no time ; you had vital heat in plenty, and you had
strength to keep up the heat in full force until you washed, as
it were, the malady out of you. Henceforth I shall order that
treatment with confidence when patients come to me whom
I suspect to have the Plague, although it may not have as yet
fully declared itself. What have you done with the blankets ? "

" I would not suffer John to touch them, but carried them
myself into the kitchen. The blankets next to me I throw
into a tub and pour boiling water over them ; the others I
hang up before a huge fire, so as to be dry for the next
operation. I take care that John does not enter the kitchen."

" How often have you done this? "

" Four times, and lay each time for an hour in the
blankets. I feel very weak, and must have lost very many
pounds in weight, but my head is clear, and I suffer no pain
whatever. The marks on my legs have not spread, and seem
to me less dark in colour than they were."

" Your case is the most hopeful that I have seen," Dr.
Hodges said. " The system has had every advantage, and to
this it owes its success. In the first place, you began it as
soon as you felt unwell. Most people would have gone on
for another twelve hours before they paid much attention to
the first symptoms, and might not have noticed the Plague
marks even when they went to bed. In the second place,
you are cool and collected, and voluntarily delivered yourself
to the treatment. And in the third place, which is the most
important perhaps of all, you were in good health generally.
You had not weakened yourself by swallowing every nostrum
advertised, or wearing yourself out by vain terrors. Ninety-
nine cases out of a hundred would be probably beyond the
reach of help before they were conscious of illness, and be too
weak to stand so severe a strain on the system as that you
have undergone. Another thing is that the remedy could

SMITTEN DOWN. 291

hardly be attempted in a house full of frightened people. There
would sure to be carelessness in the matter of the blankets,
which, unless treated as you have done, would be a certain
means of spreading the infection over the house. At any
rate, I would continue the sweating as long as you can
possibly stand it. Take nourishment in the shape of broth
frequently, but in small quantity. I would do it again at
midnight ; 'tis well not to let the virus have time to gather
strength again. I see you have faith in tobacco."

" Yes, doctor. I never let John Wilkes into the room after
I have taken a bath until it is full of tobacco smoke. I have
twice made myself ill with it to-day."

" Don't carry it too far, lad ; for although I also believe in
the virtue of the weed, 'tis a powerful poison, and you do not
want to weaken yourself. Well, I see I can do nothing for
you. You and your man seein to me to have treated the
attack far more successfully than I should have done ; for,
indeed, this month very few of those attacked have recovered,
whatever the treatment has been. I shall come round early
to-morrow morning to see how you are going on. At present
nothing can be better. Since the first outbreak, I have not
seen a single case in which the patient was in so fair a way
towards recovery in so short a time after the discovery of the
infection."

John Wilkes at this moment came in with a basin of broth.

" This is my good friend, John Wilkes, doctor."

" You ought to be called Dr. John Wilkes," the doctor, who
was one of the most famous of his time, said, with a smile, as
he shook hands with him. "Your treatment seems to be
doing wonders."

" It seems to me he is doing well, doctor, but I am afraid
he is carrying it too far ; he is so weak he can hardly stand."

" Never mind that," the doctor said ; " it will be easy enough
to build him up when we have once got the Plague out of him.
I have told him to have another turn in the blankets at
twelve o'clock to-night ; it will not do to let the malady get a

292 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

fresh hold of him. But don't push it too far, lad. If you begin
to feel faint, stop it, even if you have not been a quarter of an
hour in the blankets. Do not cover yourself up too warmly
when you have done ; let nature have a rest. I shall be round
between eight and nine, and no doubt you will have had
another bath before I come. Do not sleep in the room, Wilkes ;
he is sure to go off soundly to sleep, and there is no use your
running any needless risk. Let his window stand open ;
indeed, it should always be open, except when he gets out of
his blankets, or is fumigating the room. Let him have a chair
by the open window, so as to get as much fresh air as possible ;
but be sure that he is warmly wrapped up with blankets, so
as to avoid getting a chill. You might place a hand-bell by
the side of his bed to-night, so that he can summons you
should he have occasion."

When the doctor came next morning he nodded approvingly
as soon as he felt Cyril's hand.

" Nothing could be better," he said ; " your pulse is even
quieter than last night. Now let me look at those spots."

" They are fainter," Cyril said.

" A great deal," Dr. Hodges said, in a tone of the greatest
pleasure. " Thank God, my lad, it is dying out. Not above
three or four times since the Plague began have I been able to
say so. I shall go about my work with a lighter heart to-day,
and shall order your treatment in every case where I see the
least chance of its being carried out, but I cannot hope that it
will often prove as successful as it has with you. You have had
everything in your favour — youth, a good constitution, a tran-
quil mind, an absence of fear, and a faith in God."

" And a good attendant, doctor — don't forget that."

" No, that goes for a great deal, lad — for a great deal. Not
one nurse out of a hundred would carry out my instructions
carefully ; not one patient in a thousand would be able to see
that they were carried out. Of course you will keep on with the
treatment, but do not push it to extremes; you have pulled
yourself down prodigiously, and must not go too far. Do you

SMITTEN DOWN. 293

perceive any change in the odour when you take off the
blankets?"

" Yes, doctor, a great change ; I could scarcely distinguish it
this morning, and indeed allowed John Wilkes to carry them
out, as I don't think I myself could have walked as far as the
kitchen, though it is but ten or twelve paces away. I told
him to smoke furiously all the time, and to come out of the
kitchen as soon as he had hung them up."

Cyril took three more baths in the course of the day, but
was only able to sustain them for twenty minutes each, as by
the end of that time he nearly fainted. The doctor came in
late in the evening.

" The spots are gone, doctor," Cyril said.

" Then I think you may consider yourself cured, lad. Do not
take the treatment again to-night ; you can take it once in
the morning ; and then if I find the spots have not reappeared
by the time I come, I shall pronounce the cure as complete,
and shall begin to build you up again."

The doctor was able to give this opinion in the morning.

" I shall not come again, lad, unless you send for me, for every
moment of my time is very precious, and I shall leave you
in the hands of Doctor Wilkes. All you want now is nourish-
ment ; but take it carefully at first, and not too much at a time ;
stick to broths for the next two or three days, and when you
do begin with solids do so very sparingly."

" There was a gentleman here yesterday asking about you,"
John Wilkes said, as Cyril, propped up in bed, sipped his
broth. " It was Mr. Harvey. He rang at the bell, and I
went down to the lower window and talked to him through
that, for of course the watchman would not let me go out and
speak to him. I had heard you speak of him as one of the
gentlemen you met at the minister's, and he seemed muchly
interested in you. He said that you had done him a great
service, and of course I knew it was by frightening that robber
away. I never saw a man more pleased than he was when I
told him that the doctor thought you were as good as cured,

294 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

and he thanked God very piously for the same. After he had
done that, he asked me first whether you had said anything
to me about him. I said that you had told me you had met
him and his wife at the minister's, and that you said you had
disturbed a robber you found at his house. He said, quite
sharp, ' Nothing more ? ' ' No, not as I can think of. He is
always doing good to somebody,' says I, ' and never a word
would he say about it, if it did not get found out somehow.
Why, he saved Prince Rupert's ship from being blown up by
a fire-vessel, and never should we have known of it if young
Lord Oliphant had not written to the Captain telling him all
about it, and saying that it was the gallantest feat done in
the battle.' Then there were other things, but they were of
the nature of private affairs.' ' You can tell me about them,
my good man,' he said ; ' I am no vain babbler ; and as you may
well believe, from what he did for me, and for other reasons,
I would fain know as much as I can of him.' So then I told
him about how you found out about the robbery and saved
master from being ruined, and how you prevented Miss Nellie
from going off with a rascal who pretended he was an earl."

" Then you did very wrong, John," Cyril said angrily. " I
say naught about your speaking about the robbery, for that
was told in open Court, but you ought not, on any account, to
have said a word about Mistress Nellie's affairs."

" Well, your honour, I doubt not Mistress Nellie herself
would have told the gentleman had she been in my place.
I am sure he can be trusted not to let it go further. I took
care to tell him what good it had done Mistress Nellie, and
that good had come out of evil."

" Well, you ought not to have said anything about it, John.
It may be that Mistress Nellie out of her goodness of heart
might herself have told, but that is no reason why any one else
should do so. I charge you in future never to open your lips
about that to any one, no matter who. I say not that any
harm will come of it in this case, for Mr. Harvey is indeed a
sober and God-fearing man, and assuredly asked only because

SMITTEN DOWN. 295

he felt an interest in me, and from no idle curiosity. Still,
I would rather that he had not known of a matter touching
the honour of Mistress Nellie."

" Mum's the word in future, Master Cyril. I will keep the
hatches fast down on my tongue. Now I will push your bed
up near the window as the doctor ordered, and then I hope
you will get a good long sleep."

The Plague and the process by which it had been expelled
had left Cyril so weak that it was some days before he could
walk across the room. Every morning he inquired anxiously
of John how he felt, and the answer was always satisfactory.
John had never been better in his life ; therefore, by the time
Cyril was able to walk to his easy-chair by the window, he
began to hope that John had escaped the infection, which
generally declared itself within a day or two, and often within
a few hours, of the first outbreak in a house.

A week later the doctor, who paid him a flying visit every
two or three days, gave him the welcome news that he had
ordered the red cross to be removed from the door, and the
watchmen to cease their attendance, as the house might now
be considered altogether free from infection.

The Plague continued its ravages with but slight abatement,
moving gradually eastward, and Aldgate and the district lying
east of the walls were now suffering terribly. It was nearly the
end of September before Cyril was strong enough to go out for his
first walk. Since the beginning of August some fifty thousand
people had been carried off, so that the streets were now almost
entirely deserted, and in many places the grass was shooting
up thickly in the road. In some streets every house bore the
sign of a red cross, and the tolling of the bells of the dead-
carts and piteous cries and lamentations were the only sounds
that broke the strange silence.

The scene was so disheartening that Cyril did not leave the
house again for another fortnight. His first visit was to Mr.
Wallace. The sight of a watchman at the door gave him quite
a shock, and he was grieved indeed when he heard from the

296 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

man that the brave minister had died a fortnight before.
Then he went to Mr. Harvey's. There was no mark on the
door, but his repeated knockings met with no response, and a
woman, looking out from a window opposite, called to him
that the house had been empty for well-nigh a month, and the
people that were in it had gone off in a cart, she supposed into
the country.

" There was a gentleman and lady," she said, " who seemed
well enough, and their servant, who was carried down and
placed in the cart. It could not have been the Plague, though
the man looked as if he had been sorely ill."

The next day he called on Dr. Hodges, who had not been
near him for the last month. There was no watchman at the
door, and his man opened it.

" Can I see the doctor ? "

" Ay, you can see him," he said ; " he is cured now, and
will soon be about again."

" Has he had the Plague, then ? "

" That he has, but it is a week now since the watchman
left."

Cyril went upstairs. The doctor was sitting, looking pale
and thin, by the window.

" I am grieved indeed to hear that you have been ill, doctor,"
Cyril said ; " had I known it I should have come a fortnight
since, for I was strong enough to walk this distance then.
I did indeed go out, but the streets had so sad an aspect that
I shrank from stirring out again."

" Yes, I have had it," the doctor said. " Directly I felt it
come on I followed your system exactly, but it had gone further
with me than it had with you, and it was a week before I fairly
drove the enemy out. I ordered sweating in every case, but,
as you know, they seldom sent for me until too late, and it is
rare that the system got a fair chance. However, in my case
it was a complete success. Two of my servants died ; they were
taken when I was at my worst. Both were dead before I was
told of it. The man you saw was the one who waited on me,

SMITTEN DOWN. 297

and as I adopted all the same precautions you had taken with
your man, he did not catch it, and it was only when he went
downstairs one day and found the other two servants lying
dead in the kitchen that he knew they had heen ill."

" Mr. Wallace has gone, you will he sorry to hear, sir."

" I am sorry," the doctor said ; " but no one was more fitted
to die. He was a brave man and a true Christian, but he ran
too many risks, and your news does not surprise me."

" The only other friends I have, Mr. Harvey and his wife,
went out of town a month ago, taking with them their
servant."

" Yes ; I saw them the day before I was taken ill," the doctor
said, " and told them that the man was so far out of danger that
he might safely be moved. They seemed very interested in
you, and were very pleased when I told them that I had
now given up attending you, and that you were able to walk
across the room, and would, ere long, be yourself again. I hope
we are getting to the end of it now, lad. As the Plague travels
East it abates in the West, and the returns for the last week
show a distinct fall in the rate of mortality. There is no
further East for it to go now, and I hope that in another few
weeks it will have worn itself out. We are half through
October, and may look for cold weather before long."

" I should think that I am strong enough to be useful again
now, sir."

" I don't think you are strong enough, and I am sure I shall
not give you leave to do so," the doctor said. " I can hardly
say how far a first attack is a protection against a second, for
the recoveries have been so few that we have scarce means of
knowing, but there certainly have been cases where persons
have recovered from a first attack and died from a second.
Your treatment is too severe to be gone through twice, and it
is, therefore, more essential that you should run no risk of infec-
tion than it was before. I can see that you are still very far
from strong, and your duty now is, in the first place, to regain
your health. J should ?ay get on board a hoy and go to

298 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

Yarmouth. A week in the bracing air there would do you
more good than six months here. But it is useless to give you
that advice, because, in the first place, no shipping comes up the
river, and, even if you could get down to Yarmouth by road,
no one would receive you. Still, that is what I should do myself
as soon as I could get away, were it not that, in my case, I
have my duties here."

" But, doctor, what you said to me surely applies to your-
self also ? " Cyril said, with a smile.

" I know that," the doctor said good-humouredly, " and
expected it, but it is not for a doctor to choose. He is not
free, like other men ; he has adopted a vocation in which it
is his first duty to go among the sick, whatever their ailment
may be, to do all that he can for them, and if, as in the
present case, he can do practically nothing else, to set them
an example of calmness and fearlessness. Still, for a time,
at any rate, I shall be able to go no more into houses where
the Plague is raging. 'Tis more than a month since you were
cured, yet you are still a mere shadow of what you were. I
had a much harder fight with the enemy, and cannot walk
across the room yet without William's help. Therefore, it
will be a fortnight or three weeks yet before I can see patients,
and much longer before I shall have strength to visit them
in their houses. By that time I trust that the Plague will
have very greatly abated. Thus, you see, I shall not be called
upon to stand face to face with it for some time. Those who
call upon me here are seldom Plague-stricken. They come
for other ailments, or because they feel unwell, and are
nervous lest it should be the beginning of an attack ; but of
late I have had very few come here. My patients are mostly
of the middle class, and these have either fled or fallen victims
to the Plague, or have shut themselves up in their houses like
fortresses, and nothing would tempt them to issue abroad.
Therefore, I expect that I shall have naught to do but to gain
strength again. Come here when you will, lad, and the oftener
the better. Conversation is the best medicine for both of us,

SMITTEN DOWN. 299

and as soon as I can I will visit you. I doubt not that John
Wilkes has many a story of the sea that will take our
thoughts away from this sad city. Bring him with you some-
times ; he is an honest fellow, and the talk of sailors so smacks
of the sea that it seems almost to act as a tonic."

Cyril stayed for an hour, and promised to return on the
following evening. He said, however, that he was sure John
Wilkes would not accompany him.

" He never leaves the house unless I am in it. He considers
himself on duty ; and although, as I tell him, there is little
fear of any one breaking in, seeing how many houses with
much more valuable and more portable goods are empty and
deserted, he holds to his purpose, saying that, even with the
house altogether empty, it would be just as much his duty to
remain in charge."

" Well, come yourself, Cyril. If we cannot get this old watch-
dog out I must wait until I can go to him."

" I shall be very glad to come, doctor, for time hangs
heavily on my hands. John Wilkes spends hours every day
in washing and scrubbing decks, as he calls it, and there are
but few books in the house."

" As to that, I can furnish you, and will do so gladly. Go
across to the shelves there, and choose for yourself."

" Thank you very much indeed, sir. But will you kindly
choose for me ? I have read but few English books, for of course
in France my reading was entirely French."

" Then take Shakespeare. I hold his writings to be the finest
in our tongue. I know them nearly by heart, for there is scarce
an evening when I do not take him down for an hour, and
reading him I forget the worries and cares of my day's work,
which would otherwise often keep me from sleep. 'Tis a bulky
volume, but do not let that discourage you ; it is full of wit and
wisdom, and of such romance that you will often find it hard
to lay it down. Stay — I have two editions, and can well spare
one of them, so take the one on that upper shelf, and keep
it when you have read it. There is but little difference

300 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

between them, but I generally use the other, and have come
to look upon it as a friend."

" Nay, sir, I will take it as a loan."

" You will do nothing of the sort. I owe you a fee, and a
bumping one."

Henceforth Cyril did not find his time hang heavy on his
hands. It seemed to him, as he sat at the window and read, that
a new world opened to him. His life had been an eminently
practical one. He had studied hard in France, and when he
laid his books aside his time had been spent in the open air.
It was only since he had been with Captain Dave that he had
ever read for amusement, and the Captain's library consisted
only of a few books of travels and voyages. He had never so
much as dreamt of a book like this, and for the next few days
he devoured its pages.

" You are not looking so well, Cyril," Dr. Hodges said to
him abruptly one day.

" I am doing nothing but reading Shakespeare, doctor."

" Then you are doing wrong, lad. You will never build
yourself up unless you take exercise."

" The streets are so melancholy, doctor, and whenever I go
out I return sick at heart and in low spirits."

" That I can understand, lad. But we must think of some-
thing," and he sat for a minute or two in silence. Then he said
suddenly, " Do you understand the management of a boat ? "

" Yes, doctor ; it was my greatest pleasure at Dunkirk to be
out with the fishermen."

' ' That will do, then. Go down at once to the riverside. There
are hundreds of boats lying idle there, for there are no
passengers and no trade, and half of their owners are dead.
You are sure to see some men there ; having nothing else to do,
some will be hanging about. Say you want to hire a boat for
a couple of months or to buy one. You will probably get one
for a few shillings. Get one with a sail as well as oars. Go
out the first thing after breakfast, and go up or down the
river as the tide or wind may suit. Take some bread and meat

SMITTEN DOWN. 301

with you, and don't return till supper-time. Then you can
spend your evenings with Shakespeare. Maybe I myself will
come down and take a sail with you sometimes. That will
bring the colour back into your cheeks, and make a new man
of you. Would that I had thought of it before ! "

Cyril was delighted with the idea, and, going down to
Blackfriars, bought a wherry with a sail for a pound. Its
owner was dead, but he learned where the widow lived, and
effected the bargain without difficulty, for she was almost
starving.

" I have bought it," he said, " because it may be that I may
get it damaged or sunk ; but I only need it for six weeks or
two months, and at the end of that time I will give it you back
again. As soon as the Plague is over there will be work for
boats, and you will be able to let it, or to sell it at a fair price."

John Wilkes was greatly pleased when Cyril came back and
told him what he had done.

" That is the very thing for you," he said. " I have been
a thick-head not to think of it. I have been worrying for
the last week at seeing you sit there and do nothing but
read, and yet there seemed nothing else for you to do, for ten
minutes out in the streets is enough to give one the heartache.
Maybe I will go out for a sail with you myself sometimes, for
there is no fear of the house being broken into by daylight."

" Not in the slightest, John. I hope that you will come
out with me always. I should soon find it dull by myself,
and besides, I don't think that I am strong enough yet to
manage a pair of sculls for long, and one must reckon
occasionally on having to row against the tide. Even if the
worst happened, and any one did break in and carry off a few
things, I am sure Captain Dave would not grumble at the loss
when he knew that I had wanted you to come out and help
me to manage the boat, which I was ordered to use for my
health's sake."

"That he wouldn't," John said heartily; "not if they
stripped the house and shop of everything there was in them."

302 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

CHAPTER XVIII.

A STROKE OF GOOD FORTUNE.

HAVING finally disposed of John Wilkes's scruples as to
leaving the house during the daytime, Cyril thenceforth
went out with him every day. If the tide was in flood they
rowed far up the river, and came down on the ebb. If it was
running out they went down as far as it would take them.
Whenever the wind was favourable they hoisted the sail ; at
other times, they rowed. The fresh air, and the exercise, soon
did their work. Cyril at first could only take one scull, and
that only for a short time, but at the end of a fortnight was
able to manage both for a time, or to row with one for hours.
The feeling of lassitude which had oppressed him passed away
speedily, the colour came back to his cheeks, his muscles
strengthened, and he began to put on flesh.

They were now in November, and needed warm garments
when on the water, and John insisted on completely muffling
him up whenever they hoisted the sail ; but the colder weather
braced him up, and he was often inclined to shout with
pleasure as the wind drove the boat along before it.

It was cheering to know that others were benefiting by the
change. In the week ending October 3rd the deaths officially
given were 4,328, though at least another thousand must be
added to this, for great numbers of deaths from the Plague
were put down to other causes, and very many, especially
those of infants, were never counted at all. It was said that
as many people were infected as ever, but that the virulence
of the disease was abated, and that, whereas in August scarce
one of those attacked recovered, in October but one out of
every three died of the malady.

In the second week of October, the number of deaths by
the Plague was but 2,665, and only 1,250 in the third week,

A STROKE OF GOOD FORTUNE. 303

though great numbers were still attacked. People, however,
grew careless, and ran unnecessary risks, and, in consequence,
in the first week of November the number of deaths rose by
400. After this it decreased rapidly, and the people who had
fled began to come back again — the more so because it had
now spread to other large cities, and it seemed that there was
less danger in London, where it had spent its force, than
in places where it had but lately broken out. The shops
began to open again, and the streets to reassume their former
appearance.

Cyril had written several times to Captain Dowsett, telling
him how matters were going on, and in November, hearing
that they were thinking of returning, he wrote begging them
not to do so.

" Many of those who have returned have fallen sick, and
died," he said. " It seems to me but a useless risk of life,
after taking so much pains to avoid infection, to hurry back
before the danger has altogether passed. In your case, Captain
Dave, there is the less reason for it, since there is no likelihood
of the shipping trade being renewed for the present. All
the ports of Europe are closed to our ships, and it is like
to be a long time before they lose fear of us. Even the
coasting trade is lost for the present. Therefore, my advice is
very strongly against your returning for some weeks. All is
going on well here. I am getting quite strong again, and,
by the orders of the doctor, go out with John daily for a long
row, and have gained much benefit from it. John sends his
respects. He says that everything is ship-shape above and
below, and the craft holding well on her way. He also prays
you not to think of returning at present, and says that it
would be as bad seamanship, as for a captain who has made
a good offing in a gale, and has plenty of sea-room, to run
down close to a rocky shore under the lee, before the storm has
altogether blown itself out."

Captain Dave took the advice, and only returned with his
wife and Nellie a week before Christmas.

304 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

" I am glad indeed to be back," he said, after the first
greetings were over. " 'Twas well enough for the women,
who used to help in the dairy, and to feed the fowls, and
gather the eggs, and make the butter, but for me there was
nothing to do, and it seemed as if the days would never come
to an end."

" It was not so bad as that, father," Nellie said. " First of
all, you had your pipe to smoke. Then, once a week you used
to go over with the market-cart to Gloucester and to look at
the shipping there, and talk with the masters and sailors.
Then, on a Sunday, of course, there was church. So there were
only five days each week to get through ; and you know you
took a good deal of interest in the horses and cows and pigs."

" I tried to take an interest in them, Nellie ; but it was
very hard work."

" Well, father, that is just what you were saying you
wanted, and I am sure you spent hours every day walking
about with the children, or telling them stories."

" Well, perhaps, when I think of it, it was not so very
bad after all," Captain Dave admitted. " At any rate, I am
heartily glad I am back here again. We will open the
shop to-morrow morning, John."

" That we will, master. We sha'n't do much trade at
present. Still, a few coasters have come in, and I hope that
every day things will get better. Besides, all the vessels that
have been lying in the Pool since June will want painting up
and getting into trim again before they sail out of the river,
so things may not be so slack after all. You will find every-
thing in order in the store. I have had little to do but to
polish up brass work and keep the metal from rusting. When
do the apprentices come back again ? "

" I shall write for them as soon as I find that there is
something for them to do. You are not thinking of running
away as soon as we come back I hope, Cyril ? You said, when
you last wrote, that you were fit for sea again."

" I am not thinking of going for some little time, if you

A STROKE 0? GOOD FORTUNE. 305

keep me, Captain Dave. There is no news of the Fleet
fitting out at present, and they will not want us on board
till they are just ready to start. They say that Albemarle
is to command this time instead of the Duke, at which I am
right glad, for he has fought the Dutch at sea many times,
and although not bred up to the trade, he has shown that he
can fight as steadily on sea as on land. All say the Duke
showed courage and kept a firm countenance at Lowestoft,
but there was certainly great slackness in the pursuit, though
this, 'tis said, was not so much his fault as that of those
who were over-careful of his safety. Still, as he is the heir to
the throne, it is but right that he should be kept out of the
fighting."

" It is like to be stern work next time, Cyril, if what I hear
be true. Owing partly to all men's minds being occupied by
the Plague, and partly to the great sums wasted by the King
in his pleasures, nothing whatever has been done for the
Fleet. Of course, the squadron at sea has taken great numbers
of prizes ; but the rest of the Fleet is laid up, and no new ships
are being built, while they say that the Dutch are busy in all
their ship-yards, and will send out a much stronger fleet this
spring than that which fought us at Lowestoft. I suppose you
have not heard of any of your grand friends ? "

" No. I should have written to Sydney Oliphant, but I knew
not whether he was at sea or at home, and, moreover, I read
that most folks in the country are afraid of letters from
London, thin king that they might carry contagion. Many
noblemen have now returned to the West End, and when 1 hear
that the Earl has also come back with his family it will, of
course, be my duty to wait upon him, and on Prince Rupert
also. But I hope the Prince will not be back yet, for he will be
wanting me to go to Court again, and for this, in truth, I have
no inclination, and, moreover, it cannot be done without much
expense for clothes, and I have no intention to go into
expenses on follies or gew-gaws, or to trench upon the store of
money that I had from you, Captain Dave."

(948) U

306 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

They had just finished breakfast on the day before Christ-
mas, when one of the apprentices came up from the shop and
said that one Master Goldsworthy, a lawyer in the Temple,
desired to speak to Sir Cyril Shenstone. Cyril was about to
go down when Captain Dave said, —

" Show the gentleman up, Susan. We will leave you here
to him, Cyril."

" By no means," Cyril said. " I do not know him, and he
can assuredly have no private business with me that you may
not hear."

Mrs. Dowsett and her daughter, however, left the room.
The lawyer, a grave-looking gentleman of some fifty years of
age, glanced at Cyril and the Captain as he entered the room,
and then advanced towards the former.

" My name is unknown to you, Sir Cyril," he said, " but it
has been said that a bearer of good news needs no introduction,
and I come in that capacity. I bring you, sir, a Christmas-
box," and he took from a bag he carried a bundle of some size,
and a letter. " Before you open it, sir, I will explain the
character of its contents, which would take you some time to
decipher and understand, while I can explain them in a very
few words. I may tell you that I am the legal adviser of
Mr. Ebenezer Harvey, of Upmead Court, Norfolk. You are,
I presume, familiar with the name ? "

Cyril started. Upmead Court was the name of his father's
place, but with the name of its present owner he was not
f amiliar. Doubtless, he might sometimes have heard it from his
father, but the latter, when he spoke of the present possessor
of the Court, generally did so as "that Roundhead dog," or
" that canting Puritan."

" The Court I know, sir," he said gravely, " as having once
been my father's, but I do not recall the name of its present
owner, though it may be that in my childhood my father men-
tioned it in my hearing."

" Nevertheless, sir, you know the gentleman himself, having
met him, as he tells me, frequently at the house of Mr.

A STROKE OF GOOD FORTUNE. 307

Wallace, who was minister of the chapel at which he
worshipped, and who came up to London to minister to those
sorely afflicted and needing comfort. Not only did you meet
with Mr. Harvey and his wife, hut you rendered to them very
material service."

" I was certainly unaware," Cyril said, " that Mr. Harvey
was the possessor of what had been my father's estate, but,
had I known it, it would have made no difference in my
feeling towards him. I found him a kind and godly gentleman
whom, more than others there, was good enough to converse
frequently with me, and to whom I was pleased to be of
service."

" The service was of a most important nature," the lawyer
said, " being nothing less than the saving of his life, and
probably that of his wife. He sent for me the next morn-
ing, and then drew out his will. By that will he left to you
the estates which he had purchased from your father."

Cyril gave a start of surprise, and would have spoken, but
Master Goldsworthy held up his hand, and said, —

" Please let me continue my story to the end. This act was
not the consequence of the service that you had rendered him.
He had previously consulted me on the subject, and stated his
intentions to me. He had met you at Mr. Wallace's, and at
once recognised your name, and learnt from Mr. Wallace that
you were the son of Sir Aubrey Shenstone. He studied your
character, had an interview with Dr. Hodges, and learnt how
fearlessly you were devoting yourself to the work of aiding
those stricken with the Plague. With his own son he had
reason for being profoundly dissatisfied. The young man had
thrown off his authority, had become a notorious reprobate,
and had, he believed, sunk down to become a companion of
thieves and highwaymen. He had come up to London solely
to make a last effort to save him from his evil courses and to
give him a chance of reformation by sending him out to New
England.

"Mr. Harvey is possessed of considerable property in addition

308 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

to the estates purchased of your father, for, previous to that
purchase he had been the owner of large tanneries at Norwich,
which he has ever since maintained, not so much for the sake
of the income he derived from them as because they afforded
a li velihood to a large number of workmen. He had, therefore,
ample means to leave to his son, should the latter accept his
offer and reform his life, without the estates of Upmead.
When he saw you, he told me his conscience was moved. He
had, of course, a legal right to the estates, but he had pur-
chased them for a sum not exceeeding a fifth of their value,
and he considered that in the twenty years he had held them
he had drawn from them sums amply sufficient to repay
him for the price he had given for them, and had received a
large interest on the money in addition. He questioned, there-
fore, strongly whether he had any right longer to retain them.

" When he consulted me on the subject, he alluded to the
fact that, by the laws of the Bible, persons who bought lands
were bound to return the land to its former possessors, at the
end of seven times seven years. He had already, then, made up
his mind to leave that portion of his property to you, when
you rendered him that great service, and at the same time
it became, alas ! but too evident to him that his son was
hopelessly bad, and that any money whatever left to him
would assuredly be spent in evil courses, and would do evil
rather than good. Therefore, when I came in the morning
to him he said, —

" ' My will must be made immediately. Not one penny is
to go to my son. I may be carried off to-morrow by the
Plague, or my son may renew his attempt with success. So
I must will it away from him at once. For the moment,
therefore, make a short will bequeathing the estate of Upmead
to Sir Cyril Shenstone, all my other possessions to my wife
for her lifetime, and at her death also to Sir Cyril Shenstone.

" ' I may alter this later on,' he said, ' but for the present
I desire chiefly to place them beyond my son's reach. Please
draw up the document at once, for no one can say what half

A STROKE OF GOOD FORTUNE. 309

an hour may bring forth to either of us. Get the document
in form by this evening, when some friends will be here to
witness it. Pray bring your two clerks also 1 '

" A few days later he called upon me again.

" ' I have been making further inquiries about Sir Cyril
Shenstone,' he said, 'and have learnt much concerning him
from a man who is in the employment of the trader with
whom he lives. What I have learnt more than confirms me
in my impression of him. He came over from France, three
years ago, a boy of scarce fourteen. He was clever at figures,
and supported his reprobate father for the last two years of
his life by keeping the books of small traders in the City.
So much was he esteemed that, at his father's death, Captain
Dowsett offered him a home in his house. He rewarded the
kindness by making the discovery that the trader was being
foully robbed, and brought about the arrest of the thieves,
which incidentally led to the breaking-up of one of the worst
gangs of robbers in London. Later on he found that his
employer's daughter was in communication with a hanger-on
of the Court, who told her that he was a nobleman. The
young fellow set a watch upon her, came upon her at the
moment she was about to elope with this villain, ran him
through the shoulder, and took her back to her home, and so
far respected her secret that her parents would never have
known of it had she not, some time afterwards, confessed it
to them. That villain, Mr. Goldsworthy,' he said, ' was my
son ! Just after that Sir Cyril obtained the good will of the
Earl of Wisbech, whose three daughters he saved from being
burnt to death at a fire in the Savoy. Thus, you see, this
youth is in every way worthy of good fortune, and can be
trusted to administer the estate of his fathers worthily and
well. I wish you to draw out, at once, a deed conveying to
him these estates, and rehearsing that, having obtained them
at a small price, and having enjoyed them for a time long
enough to return to me the money I paid for them with ample
interest thereon, I now return them to him, confident that

310 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

they will be in good hands, and that their revenues will be
worthily spent.'

" In this parcel is the deed in question, duly signed and
witnessed, together with the parchments, deeds, and titles
of which he became possessed at his purchase of the estate.
I may say, Sir Cyril, that I have never carried out a legal
transfer with greater pleasure to myself, considering, as I
do, that the transaction is alike just and honourable on his
part and most creditable to yourself. He begged me to hand
the deeds to you myself. They were completed two months
since, but he himself suggested that I should bring them to
you on Christmas Eve, when it is the custom for many to give
to their friends tokens of their regard and good will. I con-
gratulate you heartily, sir, and rejoice that, for once, merit
has met with a due reward."

" I do not know, sir," Cyril replied, " how I can express my
feelings of deep pleasure and gratitude at the wonderful tidings
you have brought me. I had set it before me as the great
object of my life, that, some day, should I live to be an old man,
I might be enabled to repurchase the estate of my father's. I
knew how improbable it was that I should ever be able to do
so, and I can scarce credit that what seemed presumptuous even
as a hope should have thus been so strangely and unexpectedly
realised. I certainly do not feel that it is in any way due
to what you are good enough to call my merits, for in all
these matters that you have spoken of there has been nothing
out of the way, or, so far as I can see, in any way praiseworthy,
in what I have done. It would seem, indeed, that in all these
matters, and in the saving of my life from the Plague, things
have arranged themselves so as to fall out for my benefit."

" That is what Mr. Harvey feels very strongly, Sir Cyril.
He has told me, over and over again, that it seemed to him
that the finger of God was specially manifest in thus bringing
you together, and in placing you in a position to save his life.
And now I will take my leave. I may say that in all legal
matters connected with the estate I have acted for Mr.

A STROKE OF GOOD FORTUNE. 311

Harvey, and should be naturally glad if you will continue to
entrust such matters to me. I have some special facilities in
the matter, as Mr. Popham, a lawyer of Norwich, is married
to my daughter, and we therefore act together in all business
connected with the estate, he performing what may be called
the local business, while I am advised by him as to matters
requiring attention here in London."

" I shall be glad indeed if you and Mr. Popham will
continue to act in the same capacity for me," Cyril said
warmly. " I am, as you see, very young, and know nothing
of the management of an estate, and shall be grateful if
you will, in all matters, act for me until I am of an age to
assume the duties of the owner of Upmead."

" I thank you, Sir Cyril, and we shall, I trust, afford you
satisfaction. The deed, you will observe, is dated the 29th
of September, the day on which it was signed, though there
have been other matters to settle. The tenants have already
been notified that from that date they are to regard you as
their landlord. Now that you authorise us to act for you,
my son-in-law will at once proceed to collect the rents for this
quarter. I may eay that, roughly, they amount to seventeen
hundred pounds a year, and as it may be a convenience to you
to draw at once, if it so please you I will place, on Monday
next, the sum of four hundred pounds to your credit with
Messrs. Murchison and Graham, who are my bankers, or with
any other firm you may prefer."

" With the bankers you name, by all means," Cyril said ;
"and I thank you heartily for so doing, for as I shall shortly
rejoin the Fleet, a portion, at least, of the money will be very
useful to me."

Mr. Goldsworthy took his hat.

" There is one thing further I have forgotten. Mr. Harvey
requested me to say that he wished for no thanks in this
matter. He regards it as an act of rightful restitution, and,
although you will doubtless write to him, he would be pleased
if you will abstain altogether from treating it as a gift."

312 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

" I will try to obey his wishes," Cyril said, " but it does not
seem to me that it will be possible for me to abstain from any
expression of gratitude for his noble act."

Cyril accompanied the lawyer to the door, and then returned
upstairs.

"Now I can speak," Captain Dowsett said. "I have had
hard work to keep a stopper on my tongue all this time, for
I have been well nigh bursting to congratulate you. I wish
you joy, my lad," and he wrung Cyril's hand heartily, " and a
pleasant voyage through life. I am as glad, ay, and a deal
more glad than if such a fortune had come in my way, for it
would have been of little use to me, seeing I have all that the
heart of man could desire."

He ran to the door and shouted loudly for his wife and
daughter.

" I have news for you both," he said, as they came in.
" What do you think ? Cyril, like the King, has come to his
own again, and he is now Sir Cyril Shenstone, the owner of
the estate of Upmead."

Both broke into exclamations of surprise and pleasure.

" How has the wonder come about ? " Nellie asked, after the
first congratulations were over. " What good fairy has brought
this round?"

"The good fairy was the Mr. Harvey whose name Cyril
once mentioned casually, and whose life, as it now appears, he
saved, though he has said nothing to us about it. That gentle-
man was, most strangely, the man who bought the estate from
his father. He, it seems, is a wealthy man, and his conscience
has for some time been pricked with the thought that he had
benefited too largely from the necessities of Sir Aubrey, and
that, having received back from the rents all the money he
paid, and goodly interest thereon, he ought to restore the
estate to its former owner. Possibly he might never have
acted on this thought, but he considered the circumstance
that he had so strangely met Cyril here at the time of the
Plague, and still more strangely that Cyril had saved his life,

A STROKE OF GOOD FORTUNE. 313

was a matter of more than chance, and was a direct and mani-
fest interposition of Providence; and he has therefore made
restitution, and that parcel on the table contains a deed of
gift to Cyril of all his father's estates."

"He has done quite rightly," Mrs. Dowsett said warmly,
" though, indeed, it is not every one who would see matters in
that light. If men always acted in that spirit it would be a
better world."

"Ay, ay, wife. There are not many men who, having got the
best of a bargain, voluntarily resign the profits they have made.
It is pleasant to come across one who so acts, more especially
when one's best friend is the gainer. Ah ! Nellie, what a pity
some good fairy did not tell you of what was coming ! What
a chance you have lost, girl ! See what might have happened
if you had set your cap at Cyril ! "

" Indeed, it is terrible to think of," Nellie laughed. " It
was hard on me that he was not five or six years older. Then
I might have done it, even if my good fairy had not whispered
in my ear about this fortune. Never mind. I shall console
myself by looking forward to dance at his wedding — that is,
if he will send me an invitation."

" Like as not you will be getting past your dancing days by
the time that comes off, Nellie. I hope that, years before then,
I shall have danced at your wedding — that is to say," he said,
imitating her, "if you will send me an invitation."

" What are you going to do next, Cyril ? " Captain Dave
asked, when the laugh had subsided.

" I don't know, I am sure," Cyril replied. " I have not really
woke up to it all yet. It will be some time before I realise that
I am not a penniless young baronet, and that I can spend a
pound without looking at it a dozen times. I shall have to
get accustomed to the thought before I can make any plans.
I suppose that one of the first things to do will be to go down
to Oxford to see Prince Rupert — who, I suppose, is with the
Court, though this I can doubtless learn at the offices of the
Admiralty — and to tell him that I am ready to rejoin his ship

314 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

as soon as he puts to sea again. Then I shall find out where
Sydney Oliphant is, and how his family have fared in the
Plague. I would fain find out what has become of the
Partons, to whom, and especially to Lady Parton, I owe much.
I suppose, too, I shall have to go down to Norfolk, but that I
shall put off as long as I can, for it will be strange and very
unpleasant at first to go down as master to a place I have
never seen. I shall have to get you to come down with me,
Captain Dave, to keep me in countenance.

" Not I, my lad. You will want a better introducer. I expect
that the lawyer who was here will give you a letter to his
son-in-law, who will, of course, place himself at your service,
establishing you in your house and taking you round to your
tenants."

" Oh yes," Nellie said, clapping her hands. " And there will
be fine doings, and bonfires, and arches, and all sorts of
festivities. I do begin to feel how much I have missed the
want of that good fairy."

"It will be all very disagreeable," Cyril said seriously;
whereat the others laughed.

Cyril then went downstairs with Captain Dave, and told
John Wilkes of the good fortune that had befallen him, at
which he was as much delighted as the others had been.

Ten days later Cyril rode to Oxford, and found that Prince
Rupert was at present there. The Prince received him with
much warmth.

" I have wondered many times what had become of you, Sir
Cyril," he said. " From the hour when I saw you leave us in
the Fan Fan I have lost sight of you altogether. I have not
been in London since, for the Plague had set in badly before
the ships were laid up, and as I had naught particular to do
there I kept away from it. Albemarle has stayed through it,
and he and Mr. Pepys were able to do all there was to do, but
I have thought of you often and wondered how you fared, and
hoped to see you here, seeing that there was, as it seemed to
me, nothing to keep you in London after your wounds had

A STROKE OF GOOD FORTUNE. 315

healed. I have spoken often to the King of the brave deed by
which you saved us all, and he declared that, had it not been
that you were already a baronet, he would knight you as soon
as you appeared, as many of the captains and others have
already received that honour ; and he agreed with me that none
deserved it better than yourself. Now, what has become of
you all this time?"

Cyril related how he had stayed in London, had had the
Plague, and had recovered from it.

" I must see about getting you a commission at once in the
Navy," the Prince said, " though I fear you will have to wait
until we fit out again. There will be no difficulty then, for of
course there were many officers killed in the action."

Cyril expressed his thanks, adding, —

" There is no further occasion for me to take a commission,
Prince, for, strangely enough, the owner of my father's
property has just made it over to me. He is a good man,
and, considering that he has already reaped large benefits
by his purchase, and has been repaid his money with good
interest, his conscience will no longer suffer him to re-
tain it."

"Then he is a Prince of Roundheads," the Prince said,
" and I most heartily congratulate you ; and I believe that the
King will be as pleased as I am. He said but the other day,
when I was speaking to him of you, that it grieved him sorely
that he was powerless to do anything for so many that had
suffered in his cause, and that, after the bravery you had
shown, he was determined to do something, and would insist
with his ministers that some office should be found for you, —
though it is not an easy matter, when each of them has special
friends of his own among whom to divide any good things that
fall vacant. He holds a Court this evening, and I will take
you with me."

The King was most gracious when the Prince again presented
Cyril to him and told him of the good fortune that had befallen
him.

316 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

" By my faith, Sir Cyril, you were born under a lucky star.
First of all you saved my Lord of Wisbech's daughters ; then,
as Prince Rupert tells me, you saved him and all on board his
ship from being burned ; and now a miracle has well-nigh
happened in your favour. I see, too, that you have the use
of your arm, which the Prince doubted would ever altogether
recover."

" More still, Your Majesty," the Prince said. " He had the
Plague in August and recovered from it."

" I shall have to keep you about me, Sir Cyril," the King
said, " as a sort of amulet to guard me against ill luck."

" I am going to take him to sea first," Prince Rupert broke
in, seeing that Cyril was about to disclaim the idea of coming
to Court. " I may want him to save my ship again, and I
suppose he will be going down to visit his estate till I want
him. You have never seen it, have you, Sir Cyril ? "

" No, sir ; at least not to have any remembrance of it.
I naturally long to see Upmead, of which I have heard much
from my father. I should have gone down at once, but I
thought it my duty to come hither and report myself to you
as being ready to sail again as soon as you put to sea."

" Duty first and pleasure afterwards," the King said. " I
am afraid that is a little beyond me — eh, Rupert 1 "

" Very much so, I should say, Cousin Charles," the Prince
replied, with a smile. "However, I have no doubt Sir Cyril will
not grudge us a few days before he leaves. There are several
of the gentlemen who were his comrades on the Henrietta here,
and they will be glad to renew their acquaintance with him,
knowing, as they all do, that they owe their lives to him."

As Cyril was walking down the High Street, he saw a
student coming along whose face seemed familiar to him. He
looked hard at him.

" Surely you must be Harry Parton ? " he said.

"That is my name, sir; though I cannot recall where I
have met you. Yet there seems something familiar in your
face, and still more in your voice."

A STROKE OF GOOD FORTUNE. 317

" I am Cyril Shenstone."

" Why, what has become of you, Cyril ? " Harry said,
shaking him warmly by the hand. " I searched for you a
year ago when I was in London, but could obtain no tidings
whatever of you, save that you had lost your father. We are
alike there, for my father died a few months after yours did."

" I am sorry indeed, Harry. I had not heard of it before.
I was not, indeed, in the way of doing so, as I was working in
the City and knew nothing of what was passing elsewhere."

" This is my college, Cyril. Come up to my room ; there we
can talk comfortably, and we have much to tell each other.
How is it that you have never been near us ? " he went on,
when they were seated in front of a blazing fire in his room.
"I know that there was some quarrel between our fathers, but
when we heard of Sir Aubrey's death, both my father and
mother thought that you would come to see us or would have
written — for indeed it was not until after my father's death
that we paid a visit to London. It was then my mother asked
me to search for you ; and after great difficulty I found the
quarter in which you had lived, and then from the parish
register learned where your father had died. Going there,
I learned that you had left the lodging directly after his death,
but more than that the people could not tell me."

"I should have come to see your mother and Sir John,
Harry. I know how deeply I am indebted to them, and as
long as I live shall never cease to be grateful for Lady
Parton's kindness to me. But I had received so much kindness
that I shrank from seeming to wish to presume upon it
further. I had, of course, to work for my living, and I wanted,
before I recalled myself to them, to be able to say that I had
not come as a beggar for further favours, but that I was
making my way independently. Sooner or later I should have
come, for your father once promised me that if I followed
out what you remember was my plan, of entering foreign
service, he would give me letters of introduction that would
be useful to me. Had I that favour still to ask I could

318 WHEN LONDON BURNEP.

do it without shame. But more than that I would not have
asked, even had I wanted bread, which, thank God ! was never
the case."

"I can understand your feeling, Cyril, but my mother
assuredly would always have been pleased to see you. You
know you were a favourite of hers."

" Had you been near town, Harry, I should certainly have
come to see her and you as soon as I had fairly established myself,
but I heard from my father that you had all gone away into the
country soon after the unfortunate quarrel he had with Sir John,
and therefore delayed taking any step for the time, and indeed
did not know in what part of the country your father's estates
lay. I know that he recovered them as soon as he returned."

" They had never been forfeited," Harry said. " My father
retired from the struggle after Naseby, and as he had
influential friends among the Puritans, there was no forfeiture
of his estates, and we were therefore able, as you know, to live
in comfort at Dunkirk, his steward sending over such monies
as were required. And now about yourself. Your brains must
have served you rarely somehow, for you are dressed in the
latest fashion, and indeed I took you for a Court gallant when
you accosted me."

" I have been truly fortunate, Harry, and indeed everything
has turned out as if specially designed for my good, and, in a
most strange and unlooked-for manner, I have just come into
my father's estates again."

" I am glad indeed to hear it, Cyril. Tell me how it has
all come about."

Cyril told the story of his life since he had come to London.

" You have, indeed, had strange adventures, Cyril, and,
though you say little about it, you must have done something
special to have gained Prince Rupert's patronage and intro-
duction to Court ; but I shall worm all that out of you some
day, or get it from other lips. What a contrast your life
has been to mine ! Here have you been earning your living
bravely, fighting in the great battle against the Dutch, going

TAKING POSSESSION. 319

through that terrible Plague, and winning your way back to
fortune, while I have been living the life of a school-boy.
Our estates lie in Shropshire, and as soon as we went down there
my father placed me at school at Shrewsbury. There I remained
till his death, and then, as was his spacial wish, entered here.
I have still a year of my course to complete. I only came up
into residence last week. When the summer comes I hope that
you will come down to Ardleigh and stay with us ; it will give
my mother great pleasure to see you again, for I never see her
but she speaks of you, and wonders what has become of you,
and if you are still alive."

" Assuredly I will come, and that with the greatest
pleasure," Cyril said, " providing only that I am not then at
sea, which is, I fear, likely, as I rejoin the ship as soon as
Prince Rupert takes the sea against the Dutch. However,
directly we return I will write to you."

" If you do so, let it be to Ardleigh, near Shrewsbury,
Shropshire. Should I be here when your letter arrives, my
mother will forward it to me."

CHAPTER XIX.

TAKING POSSESSION.

/^YRIL stayed a week at Oxford. He greatly enjoyed the
\J visit; and not only was he most warmly received by his
former comrades on board the Henrietta, but Prince Rupert
spoke so strongly in his favour to other gentlemen to whom
he introduced him that he no longer felt a stranger at Court.
Much of his spare time he spent with Harry Parton, and in
his rooms saw something of college life, which seemed to him
a very pleasant and merry one. He had ascertained, as soon
as he arrived, that the Earl of Wisbech and his family
were down at his estate, near the place from which he took

320 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

his title, and had at once written to Sydney, from whom he
received an answer on the last day of his stay at Oxford. It
contained a warm invitation for him to come down to
Wisbech.

" You say you will be going to Norwich to take possession
of your estate. If you ride direct from Oxford, our place will
be but little out of your way, therefore we shall take no
excuse for your not coming to see us, and shall look for
you within a week or so from the date of this. We were
all delighted to get your missive, for although what you say
about infection carried by letters is true enough, and, indeed
there was no post out of London for months, we had
begun to fear that the worst must have befallen you when
no letter arrived from you in December. Still, we thought
that you might not know where we were, and so hoped that
you might be waiting until you could find that out. My
father bids me say that he will take no refusal. Since my
return he more than ever regards you as being the good
genius of the family, and it is certainly passing strange that,
after saving my sisters' lives from fire you should, though in
so different a way, have saved me from a similar death. So
set off as soon as you get this — that is, if you can tear yourself
away from the gaieties of Oxford."

Cyril had, indeed, been specially waiting for Sydney's answer,
having told him that he should remain at Oxford until he
received it, and on the following morning he packed his valise
and rode for Wisbech, where he arrived three days later. His
welcome at the Earl's was a most cordial one. He spent a
week there, at the end of which time Sydney, at his earnest
request, started for Norwich with him. The Earl had insisted
on Cyril's accepting a splendid horse, and behind him, on his
other animal, rode a young fellow, the son of a small tenant on
the Earl's estate, whom he had engaged as a servant. He had
written, three days before, to Mr. Popham, telling him that
he would shortly arrive, and begging him to order the two
old servants of his father, whom he had, at his request,

TAKING POSSESSION. 321

engaged to take care of the house, to get two or three chambers
in readiness for him, which could doubtless be easily done,
as he had learnt from the deed that the furniture and all
contents of the house had been included in the gift. After
putting up at the inn, he went to the lawyer's. Mr. Popham,
he found, had had a room prepared in readiness for him at
his house, but Cyril, while thanking him for so doing, said
that, as Lord Oliphant was with him, he would stay at the
inn for the night.

The next morning they rode over with Mr. Popham to
Upmead, which was six miles distant from the town.

" That is the house," the lawyer said, as a fine old mansion
came in sight. " There are larger residences in the county,
but few more handsome. Indeed, it is almost too large for
the estate, but, as perhaps you know, that was at one time a
good deal larger than it is at present, for it was diminished
by one of your ancestors in the days of Elizabeth."

At the gate where they turned into the Park an arch of
evergreens had been erected.

" You don't mean to say you let them know that I was
coming home?" Cyril said, in a tone of such alarm that
Lord Oliphant laughed and Mr. Popbam said apologetically, —

" I certainly wrote to the tenants, sir, when I received your
letter, and sent off a message saying that you would be here
this morning. Most of them or their fathers were here in
the old time, for Mr. Harvey made no changes, and I am sure
they would have been very disappointed if they had not had
notice that Sir Aubrey's son was coming home."

" Of course it was quite right for you to do so, Mr. Popham,
but you see I am quite unaccustomed to such things, and
would personally have been much more pleased to have
come home quietly. Still, as you say, it is only right that
the tenants should have been informed, and at any rate it
will be a satisfaction to get it all over at once."

There were indeed quite a large number of men and women
assembled in front of the house — all the tenants, with their

( 948 ) X

322 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

wives and families, having gathered to greet their young
landlord — and loud bursts of cheering arose as he rode up,
Sydney and Mr. Popham reining back their horses a little
to allow him to precede them. Cyril took off his hat, and
bowed repeatedly in reply to the acclamations that greeted
him. The tenants crowded round, many of the older men
pressing forward to shake him by the hand.

" Welcome back to your own again, Sir Cyril ! "

" I fought under your father, sir, and a good landlord he
was to us all."

Such were the exclamations that rose around him until he
reached the door of the mansion, and, dismounting, took his
place at the top of the steps. Then he took off his hat again,
and when there was silence he said, —

" I thank you heartily, one and all, good friends, for the
welcome that you have given me. Glad indeed I am to come
down to my father's home, and to be so greeted by those who
knew him, and especially by those who followed him in the field
in the evil days which have, we may hope, passed away for ever.
You all know, perhaps, that I owe my return here as master
to the noble generosity of Mr. Harvey, your late landlord, who
restored me the estates, not being bound in any way to do so,
but solely because he considered that he had already been
repaid the money he gave for them. This may be true, but,
nevertheless, there is not one man in a hundred thousand
who would so despoil himself of the benefits of a bargain
lawfully made, and I beg you therefore to give three cheers,
as hearty as those with which you greeted me, for Mr. Harvey."

Three cheers, as long and loud as those that had before
risen, responded to the appeal.

"Such a man," Cyril went on, when they subsided, "must
have been a just and good landlord to you all, and I shall do
my best to give you no cause for regret at the change that has
come about."

He paused for a moment to speak to Mr. Popham, who
stood beside him, and then went on, —

"WELCOME BACK TO YOUR OWN AGAIN, SIR CYRIL!"

TAKING POSSESSION. 323

" I did not know whether I could ask you to drink to my
health, but I learn from Mr. Popham that the cellars have
been left well filled ; therefore, my first orders on coming to
the house of my fathers will be that a cask of wine shall be
speedily broached, and that you shall be enabled to drink
my health. While that is being done, Mr. Popham will intro-
duce you to me one by one."

Another loud cheer arose, and then the tenants came forward
with their wives and families.

Cyril shook hands with them all, and said a few words to
each. The elder men had all ridden by his father in battle,
and most of the younger ones said, as he shook hands with
them, —

" My father fell, under Sir Aubrey, at Naseby," or " at
Worcester," or in other battles.

By the time all had been introduced, a great cask of wine
had been broached, and after the tenants had drunk to his
health, and he had, in turn, pledged them, Cyril entered the
house with Sydney and Mr. Popham, and proceeded to examine
it under the guidance of the old man who had been his father's
butler, and whose wife had also been a servant in Sir Aubrey's
time.

" Everything is just as it was then, Sir Cyril. A few fresh
articles of furniture have been added, but Mr. Harvey would
have no general change made. The family pictures hang just
where they did, and your father himself would scarce notice
the changes."

" It is indeed a fine old mansion, Cyril," Lord Oliphant said,
when they had made a tour of the house ; " and now that I see
it and its furniture I am even more inclined than before to
admire the man who could voluntarily resign them. I shall
have to modify my ideas of the Puritans. They have shown
themselves ready to leave the country and cross the ocean to
America, and begin life anew for conscience' sake — that is
to say, to escape persecution — and they fought very doughtily,
and we must own, very successfully, for the same reason, but

324 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

this is the first time I have ever heard of one of them relin-
quishing a fine estate for conscience' sake."

" Mr. Harvey is indeed a most worthy gentleman," Mr.
Popham said, " and has the esteem and respect of all, even of
those who are of wholly different politics. Still, it may be
that although he would in any case, I believe, have left this
property to Sir Cyril, he might not have handed it over to
him in his lifetime, had not he received so great a service at
his hands."

"Why, what is this, Cyril?" Sydney said, turning upon
him. "You have told us nothing whatever of any services
rendered. I never saw such a fellow as you are for helping
other people."

" There was nothing worth speaking of," Cyril said, much
vexed.

Mr. Popham smiled.

" Most people would think it was a very great service, Lord
Oliphant. However, I may not tell you what it was, although
I have heard all the details from my father-in-law, Mr.
Goldsworthy. They were told in confidence, and in order to
enlighten me as to the relations between Mr. Harvey and
Sir Cyril, and as they relate to painful family matters I am
bound to preserve an absolute silence."

" I will be content to wait, Cyril, till I get you to myself.
It is a peculiarity of Sir Cyril Shenstone, Mr. Popham, that
he goes through life doing all sorts of services for all sorts
of people. You may not know that he saved the lives of
my three sisters in a fire at our mansion in the Savoy; he
also performed the trifling service of saving Prince Rupert's
ship and the lives of all on board, among whom was myself,
from a Dutch fire-ship, in the battle of Lowestoft. These are
insignificant affairs, that he would not think it worth while
to allude to, even if you knew him for twenty years."

" You do not know Lord Oliphant, Mr. Popham," Cyril
laughed, " or you would be aware that his custom is to make
mountains out of molehills. But let us sit down to dinner.

TAKING POSSESSION. 325

I suppose it is your forethought, Mr. Popham, that I have to
thank for having warned them to make this provision ? I had
thought that we should be lucky if the resources of the
establishment sufficed to furnish us with a meal of bread and
cheese."

" I sent on a few things with my messenger yesterday
evening, Sir Cyril, but for the hare and those wild ducks
methinks you have to thank your tenants, who doubtless
guessed that an addition to the larder would be welcome. I
have no doubt that, good landlord as Mr. Harvey was, they
are really delighted to have you among them again. As you
know, these eastern counties were the stronghold of Puritanism,
and that feeling is still held by the majority. It is only among
the tenants of many gentlemen who, like your father, were
devoted Royalists, that there is any very strong feeling the
other way. As you heard from their lips, most of your older
tenants fought under Sir Aubrey, while the fathers of the
younger ones fell under his banner. Consequently, it was
galling to them that one of altogether opposite politics should
be their landlord, and although in every other respect they
had reason to like him, he was, as it were, a symbol of their
defeat, and I suppose they viewed him a good deal as the
Saxons of old times regarded their Norman lords."

" I can quite understand that, Mr. Popham."

" Another feeling has worked in your favour, Sir Cyril," the
lawyer went on. " It may perhaps be a relic of feudalism, but
there can be no doubt that there exists, in the minds of
English country folks, a feeling of respect and of something
like aftection for their landlords when men of old family, and
that feeling is never transferred to new men who may take
their place. Mr. Harvey was, in their eyes, a new man — a
wealthy one, no doubt, but owing his wealth to his own
exertions — and he would never have excited among them the
same feeling as they gave to the family who had, for several
hundred years, been owners of the soil."

Cyril remained for a fortnight at Upmead, calling on all

326 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

the tenants, and interesting himself in them and their families.
The day after his arrival he rode into Norwich, and paid a
visit to Mr. Harvey. He had, in compliance to his wishes,
written but a short letter of acknowledgment of the restitution
of the estate, but he now expressed the deep feeling of
gratitude that he entertained.

" I have only done what is right," Mr. Harvey said quietly,
" and would rather not be thanked for it ; but your feelings
are natural, and I have therefore not checked your words.
It was assuredly God's doing in so strangely bringing us
together, and making you an instrument in saving our
lives, and so awakening an uneasy conscience into activity. I
have had but small pleasure from Upmead. I have a house
here which is more than sufficient for all my wants, and I
have, I hope, the respect of my townsfellows, and the affec-
tion of my workmen. At Upmead I was always uncomfortable.
Such of the county gentlemen who retained their estates
looked askance at me. The tenants, I knew, though they
doffed their hats as I passed them, regarded me as a usurper.
I had no taste for the sports and pleasures of country life,
being born and bred a townsman. The ill-doing of my son
cast a gloom over my life of late. I have lived chiefly here
with the society of friends of my own religious and political
feeling. Therefore, I have made no sacrifice in resigning my
tenancy of Upmead, and I pray you say no further word
of your gratitude. I have heard, from one who was there
yesterday, how generously you spoke of me to your tenants,
and I thank you for so doing, for it is pleasant for me to
stand well in the thoughts of those whose welfare I have had
at heart."

" I trust that Mrs. Harvey is in good health ? " Cyril said.

" She is far from well, Cyril. The events of that night in
London have told heavily upon her, as is not wonderful, for she
has suffered much sorrow for years, and this last blow has broken
Tier sorely. She mourns, as David mourned over the death of
Absalom, over the wickedness of her son, but she is quite as

TAKING POSSESSION. 327

one with me in the measures that I have taken concerning
him, save that, at her earnest prayer, I have made a provision
for him which will keep him from absolute want, and will
leave him no excuse to urge that he was driven by poverty
into crime. Mr. Goldsworthy has not yet discovered means of
communicating with him, but when he does so he will notify
him that he has my instructions to pay to him fifteen pounds
on the first of every month, and that the offer of assistance to
pay his passage to America is still open to him, and that on
arriving there he will receive for three years the same allow-
ance as here. Then if a favourable report of his conduct
is forthcoming from the magistrates and deacons of the town
where he takes up his residence, a correspondent of Mr
Goldsworthy's will be authorised to expend four thousand
pounds on the purchase of an estate for him, and to hand to
him another thousand for the due working and maintenance
of the same. For these purposes I have already made pro-
visions in my will, with proviso that if, at the end of five
years after my death, no news of him shall be obtained, the
money set aside for these purposes shall revert to the main
provisions of the will. It may be that he died of the Plague.
It may be that he has fallen, or will fall, a victim to his own
evil courses and evil passions. But I am convinced that, should
he be alive, Mr. Goldsworthy will be able to obtain tidings
of him long before the five years have expired, And now," he
said, abruptly changing the subject, " what are you thinking
of doing, Sir Cyril ? "

"In the first place, sir, I am going to sea again with the
Fleet very shortly. I entered as a Volunteer for the war, and
could not well, even if I wished it, draw back."

" They are a stiff-necked people," Mr. Harvey said. " That
the Sovereigns of Europe should have viewed with displeasure
the overthrow of the monarchy here was natural enough ; but
in Holland, if anywhere, we might have looked for sympathy,
seeing that as they had battled for freedom of conscience, so had
we done here ; and yet they were our worst enemies, and

328 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

again and again had Blake to sail forth to chastise them.
They say that Monk is to command this time ? "

" I believe so, sir."

'*Monk is the bruised reed that pierced our hand, but he
is a good fighter. And after the war is over, Sir Cyril, you
will not, I trust, waste your life in the Court of the profligate
King?"

" Certainly not," Cyril said earnestly. " As soon as the war
is over I shall return to Upmead and take up my residence
there. I have lived too hard a life to care for the gaieties
of Court, still less of a Court like that of King Charles.
I shall travel for a while in Europe if there is a genuine peace.
I have lost the opportunity of completing my education, and
am too old now to go to either of the Universities. Not too
old perhaps ; but I have seen too much of the hard side of
life to care to pass three years among those who, no older than
myself, are still as boys in their feelings. The next best thing,
therefore, as it seems to me, would be to travel, and perhaps
to spend a year or two in one of the great Universities abroad."

"The matter is worth thinking over," Mr. Harvey said.
"You are assuredly young yet to settle down alone at Upmead,
and will reap much advantage from speaking French which is
everywhere current, and may greatly aid you in making your
travels useful to you. I have no fear of your falling into
Popish error, Sir Cyril; but if my wishes have any weight
with you I would pray you to choose the schools of Leyden
or Haarlem, should you enter a foreign University, for they
turn out learned men and good divines."

" Certainly your wishes have weight with me, Mr. Harvey,
and should events so turn out that I can enter one of the
foreign Universities, it shall be one of those you name — that
is, should we, after this war is ended, come into peaceful
relations with the Dutch."

Before leaving the Earl's, Cyril had promised faithfully that
he would return thither with Sydney, and accordingly, at the
end of the fortnight, he rode back with him there, and, three

TAKING POSSESSION. 329

weeks later, journeyed up to London with the Earl and his
family.

It was the middle of March when they reached London
The Court had come up a day or two before, and the Fleet was,
as Cyril learnt, being fitted out in great haste. The French
had now, after hesitating all through the winter, declared war
against us, and it was certain that we should have their fleet as
well as that of the Dutch to cope with. Calling upon Prince
Rupert on the day he arrived, Cyril learnt that the Fleet
would assuredly put to sea in a month's time.

"Would you rather join at once, or wait until I go on
board ? " the Prince asked.

" I would rather join at once, sir. I have no business to do
in London, and it would be of no use for me to take an apart-
ment when I am to leave so soon ; therefore, if I can be of
any use, I would gladly join at once."

" You would be of no use on board," the Prince said, " but
assuredly you could be of use in carrying messages, and
letting me know frequently, from your own report, how matters
are going on. I heard yesterday that the Fan Fan is now
fitted out. You shall take the command of her. I will give
you a letter to the boatswain, who is at present in charge,
saying that I have placed her wholly under your orders.
You will, of course, live on board. You will be chiefly at
Chatham and Sheerness. If you call early to-morrow I will
have a letter prepared for you, addressed to all captains
holding commands in the White Squadron, bidding them to
acquaint you, whensoever you go on board, with all particulars
of how matters have been pushed forward, and to give
you a list of all things lacking. Then, twice a week you
will sail up to town, and report to me, or, should there be
any special news at other times, send it to me by a mounted
messenger. Mr. Pepys, the secretary, is a diligent and hard-
working man, but he cannot see to everything, and Albemarle
so pushes him that I think the White Squadron does not
get a fair share of attention ; but if I can go to him with

330 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

your reports in hand, I may succeed in getting what is
necessary done."

Bidding farewell to the Earl and his family, and thanking
him for his kindness, Cyril stopped that night at Captain
Dave's, and told him of all that had happened since they met.
The next morning he went early to Prince Rupert's, received
the two letters, and rode down to Chatham. Then, sending
the horses back by his servant, who was to take them to
the Earl's stable, where they would be cared for until his
return, Cyril went on board the Fan Fan. For the next
month he was occupied early and late with his duties. The
cabin was small, but very comfortable. The crew was a strong
one, for the yacht rowed twelve oars, with which she could
make good progress even without her sails. He was waited
on by his servant, who returned as soon as he had left the
horses in the Earl's stables ; his cooking was done for him in
the yacht's galley. On occasions, as the tide suited, he either
sailed up to London in the afternoon, gave his report to the
Prince late in the evening, and was back at Sheerness by
daybreak, or he sailed up at night, saw the Prince as soon
as he rose, and returned at once.

The Prince highly commended his diligence, and told him
that his reports were of great use to him, as, with them in his
hand, he could not be put off at the Admiralty with vague
assurances. Every day one or more ships went out to join the
Fleet that was gathering in the Downs, and on April 20th
Cyril sailed in the Fan Fan, in company with the last vessel
of the White Squadron, and there again took up his quarters
on board the Henrietta, the Fan Fan being anchored hard
by in charge of the boatswain.

On the 23rd, the Prince, with the Duke of Albemarle, and
a great company of noblemen and gentlemen, arrived at Deal,
and came on board the Fleet, which, on May 1st, weighed
anchor.

Lord Oliphant was among the volunteers who came down
with the Prince, and, as many of the other gentlemen had

TAKING POSSESSION. 331

also been on board during the first voyage, Cyril felt that he
was among friends, and had none of the feeling of strangeness
and isolation he had before experienced.

The party was indeed a merry one. For upwards of a year
the fear of the Plague had weighed on all England. At the
time it increased so terribly in London, that all thought
it would, like the Black Death, spread over England, and
that, once again, half the population of the country might be
swept away. Great as the mortality had been, it had been
confined almost entirely to London and some of the great
towns, and now that it had died away even in these,
there was great relief in men's minds, and all felt that
they had personally escaped from a terrible and imminent
danger. That they were about to face peril even greater
than that from which they had escaped did not weigh on the
spirits of the gentlemen on board Prince Rupert's ship. To
be killed fighting for their country was an honourable death
that none feared, while there had been, in the minds of even
the bravest, a horror of death by the Plague, with all its
ghastly accompaniments. Sailing out to sea to the Downs,
then, they felt that the past year's events lay behind them
as an evil dream, and laughed and jested and sang with
light-hearted mirth.

As yet, the Dutch had not put out from port, and for three
weeks the Fleet cruised off their coast. Then, finding that the
enemy could not be tempted to come out, they sailed back to
the Downs. The day after they arrived there, a messenger
came down from London with orders to Prince Rupert to sail
at once with the White Squadron to engage the French Fleet,
which was reported to be on the point of putting to sea. The
Prince had very little belief that the French really intended
to fight. Hitherto, although they had been liberal in their
promises to the Dutch, they had done nothing whatever to aid
them, and the general opinion was that France rejoiced at
seeing her rivals damage each other, but had no idea of
risking her ships or men in the struggle.

332 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

" I believe, gentlemen," Prince Rupert said to his officers,
" that this is but a ruse on the part of Louis to aid his Dutch
allies by getting part of our fleet out of the way. Still, I
have nothing to do but to obey orders, though I fear it is but
a fool's errand on which we are sent."

The wind was from the north-east, and was blowing a
fresh gale. The Prince prepared to put to sea. While the
men were heaving at the anchors a message came to Cyril that
Prince Rupert wished to speak to him in his cabin.

" Sir Cyril, I am going to restore you to your command.
The wind is so strong and the sea will be so heavy that I
would not risk my yacht and the lives of the men by sending
her down the Channel. I do not think there is any chance of
our meeting the French, and believe that it is here that the
battle will be fought, for with this wind the Dutch can be
here in a few hours, and I doubt not that as soon as they
learn that one of our squadrons has sailed away they will
be out. The Fan Fan will sail with us, but will run into
Dover as we pass. Here is a letter that I have written order-
ing you to do so, and authorising you to put out and join the
Admiral's Fleet, should the Dutch attack before my return.
If you like to have young Lord Oliphant with you he can go,
but he must go as a Volunteer under you. You are the
captain of the Fan Fan, and have been so for the last two
months ; therefore, although your friend is older than you are,
he must, if he choose to go, be content to serve under you.
Stay, I will put it to him myself."

He touched the bell, and ordered Sydney to be sent for.

" Lord Oliphant," he said, " I know that you and Sir
Cyril are great friends. I do not consider that the Fan Fan,
of which he has for some time been commander, is fit to keep
the sea in a gale like this, and I have therefore ordered him
to take her into Dover. If the Dutch come out to fight the
Admiral, as I think they will, he will join the Fleet, and
although the Fan Fan can take but small share in the
fighting, she may be useful in carrying me.^i-ages from the

TAKING POSSESSION. 333

Duke while the battle is going on. It seems to me that, as
the Fan Fan is more likely to see fighting than my ships,
you, as a Volunteer, might prefer to transfer yourself to her
until she again joins us. Sir Cyril is younger than you
are, but if you go, you must necessarily be under his command
seeing that he is captain of the yacht. It is for you to choose
whether you will remain here or go with him."

" I should like to go with him, sir. He has had a good deal
of experience of the sea, while I have never set foot on board
ship till last year. And after what he did at Lowestof t I should
say that any gentleman would be glad to serve under him."

" That is the right feeling," Prince Rupert said warmly.
" Then get your things transferred to the yacht. If you join
Albemarle's Fleet, Sir Cyril, you will of course report yourself
to him, and say that I directed you to place yourself under
his orders."

Five minutes later Cyril and his friend were on board the
Fan Fan, Scarcely had they reached her, when a gun was
fired from Prince Rupert's ship as a signal, and the ships of
the White Squadron shook out their sails, and, with the wind
free, raced down towards the South Foreland.

" We are to put into Dover," Cyril said to the boatswain,
a weatherbeaten old sailor.

" The Lord be praised for that, sir ! She is a tight little
craft, but there will be a heavy sea on as soon we are beyond
shelter of the sands, and with these two guns on board of her
she will make bad weather. Besides, in a wind like this, it
ain't pleasant being in a little craft in the middle of a lot of
big ones, for if we were not swamped by the sea, we might
very well be run down. We had better keep her close to the
Point, yer honour, and then run along, under shelter of the
cliffs, into Dover. The water will be pretty smooth in there,
though we had best carry as little sail as we can, for the
gusts will come down from above fit to take the mast out
of her."

" I am awfully glad you came with me, Sydney," Cyril said,

334 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

as he took his place with his friend near the helmsman, " but
I wish the Prince had put you in command. Of course, it is
only a nominal thing, for the boatswain is really the captain
in everything that concerns making sail and giving orders to
the crew. Still, it would have been much nicer the other way."

" I don't see that it would, Cyril," Sydney laughed, " for you
know as much more about handling a boat like this than I do,
as the boatswain does than yourself. You have been on board
her night and day for more than a month, and even if you
knew nothing about her at all, Prince Rupert would have been
right to choose you as a recognition of your great services last
time. Don't think anything about it. We are friends, and it
does not matter a fig which is the nominal commander. I was
delighted to come, not only to be with you, but because it will
be a very great deal pleasanter being our own masters on
board this pretty little yacht than being officers on board the
Henrietta where we would have been only in the way except
when we went into action."

As soon as they rounded the Point most of the sail was
taken off the Fan Fan, but even under the small canvas she
carried she lay over until her lee rail was almost under
water when the heavy squalls swooped down on her from the
cliffs. The rest of the squadron was keeping some distance out,
presenting a fine sight as the ships lay over, sending the spray
flying high into the air from their bluff bows, and plunging
deeply into the waves.

" Yes, it is very distinctly better being where we are," Lord
Oliphant said, as he gazed at them. " I was beginning to feel
qualmish before we got under shelter of the Point, and by this
time, if I had been on board the Henrietta, I should have been
prostrate, and should have had I know not how long misery
before me."

A quarter of an hour later they were snugly moored in
Dover Harbour. For twenty-four hours the gale continued ;
the wind then fell somewhat, but continued to blow strongly
from the same quarter. Two days later it veered round to the

THE FIGHT OFF DUNKIRK. 335

south-west, and shortly afterwards the English fleet could be
seen coming out past the Point. As soon as they did so they
headed eastward.

" They are going out to meet the Dutch," Sydney said,
as they watched the ships from the cliffs. " The news must
have arrived that their fleet has put out to sea."

" Then we may as well be off after them, Sydney ; they will
sail faster than we shall in this wind, for it is blowing too
strongly for us to carry much sail."

They hurried on board. A quarter of an hour later the
Fan Fan put out from the harbour. The change of wind had
caused an ugly cross sea and the yacht made bad weather of
it, the waves constantly washing over her decks, but before
they were off Calais she had overtaken some of the slower sailers
of the Fleet. The sea was less violent as they held on, for
they were now, to some extent, sheltered by the coast. In a
short time Cyril ran down into the cabin where Sydney was
lying ill.

"The Admiral has given the signal to anchor, and the
leading ships are already bringing up. We will choose a berth
as near the shore as we can ; with our light draught we can
lie well inside of the others, and shall be in comparatively
smooth water."

Before dusk the Fleet was at anchor, with the exception
of two or three of the fastest frigates, which were sent on to
endeavour to obtain some news of the enemy.

CHAPTER XX.

THE FIGHT OFF DUNKIRK.

AS soon as the Fan Fan had been brought to an anchor
the boat was lowered, and Cyril was rowed on board the
Admiral's ship.

336 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

Albemarle was on the poop, and Cyril made his report to
him.

" Very well, sir," the Duke said, " I daresay I shall be
able to make you of some use. Keep your craft close to us
when we sail. I seem to know your face."

"I am Sir Cyril Shenstone, my Lord Duke. I had the
honour of meeting you first at the fire in the Savoy, and
Prince Rupert afterwards was good enough to present me
to you."

" Yes, yes, I remember. And it was you who saved the
Henrietta from the fire-ship at Lowestoft. You have begun
well indeed, young sir, and are like to have further oppor-
tunities of showing your bravery."

Cyril bowed, and then, going down the side to his boat,
returned to the Fan Fan. She was lying in almost smooth
water, and Sydney had come up on deck again.

" You heard no news of the Dutch, I suppose, Cyril ? "

"No; I asked a young officer as I left the ship, and he
said that, so far as he knew, nothing had been heard of them,
but news had come in, before the Admiral sailed from the
Downs, that everything was ready for sea, and that orders
were expected every hour for them to put out."

" It is rather to be hoped that they won't put out for
another two days," Sydney said. " That will give the Prince
time to rejoin with his squadron. The wind is favourable
now for his return, and I should think, as soon as they hear
in London that the Dutch are on the point of putting out,
and Albemarle has sailed, they will send him orders to join
us at once. We have only about sixty sail, while they say
that the Dutch have over ninety, which is too heavy odds
against us to be pleasant."

" I should think the Duke will not fight till the Prince
comes up."

" I don't think he will wait for him if he finds the Dutch
near. All say that he is over-confident, and apt to despise
the Dutch too much. Anyhow, he is as brave as a lion, aud,

THE FIGHT OFF DUNKIRK. 337

though he might not attack unless the Dutch begin it, I feel
sure he will not run away from them."

The next morning early, the Bristol frigate was seen return-
ing from the east. She had to beat her way back in the teeth
of the wind, but, when still some miles away, a puff of white
smoke was seen to dart out from her side, and presently the
boom of a heavy gun was heard. Again and again she fired,
and the signal was understood to be a notification that she
had seen the Dutch. The signal for the captains of the men-
of-war to come on board was at once run up to the mast-head
of the flagship, followed by another for the Fleet to be
prepared to weigh anchor. Captain Bacon, of the Bristol,
went on board as soon as his ship came up. In a short time
the boats were seen to put off, and as the captains reached
their respective ships the signal to weigh anchor was hoisted.

This was hailed with a burst of cheering throughout the
Fleet, and all felt that it signified that they would soon meet
the Dutch. The Fan Fan was under sail long before the
men-of-war had got up their heavy anchors, and, sailing out,
tacked backwards and forwards until the Fleet were under sail,
when Cyril told the boatswain to place her within a few cables'
length of the flagship on her weather quarter. After two
hours' sail the Dutch Fleet were made out, anchored off
Dunkirk. The Blue Squadron, under Sir William Berkley,
led the way, the Red Squadron, under the Duke, following.

" I will put a man in the chains with the lead," the boat-
swain said to Cyril. " There are very bad sands off Dunkirk,
and though we might get over them in safety, the big ships
would take ground, and if they did so we should be in a bad
plight indeed."

" In that case, we had best slack out the sheet a little, and
take up our post on the weather bow of the Admiral, so that
we can signal to him if we find water failing."

The topsail was hoisted, and the Fan Fan, which was a
very fast craft in comparatively smooth water, ran past the
Admiral's flagship.

(948) Y

338 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

" Shall I order him back, your Grace ? " the Captain asked
angrily.

Albemarle looked at the Fan Fan attentively.

" They have got a man sounding," he said. " It is a wise
precaution. The young fellow in command knows what he
is doing. We ought to have been taking the same care.
See ! he is taking down his topsail again. Set an officer to
watch the yacht, and if they signal, go about at once."

The soundings continued for a short time at six fathoms,
when suddenly the man at the lead called out sharply, —

" Three fathoms ! "

Cyril ran to the flagstaff, and as the next cry came — " Two
fathoms ! " — hauled down the flag and stood waving his cap,
while the boatswain, who had gone to the tiller, at once
pushed it over to starboard, and brought the yacht up into
the wind. Cyril heard orders shouted on board the flagship,
and saw her stern sweeping round. A moment later her sails
were aback, but the men, who already clustered round the
guns, were not quick enough in hauling the yards across, and,
to his dismay, he saw the main topmast bend, and then go
over the side with a crash. All was confusion on board, and
for a time it seemed as if the other topmast would also go.

" Run her alongside within hailing distance," Cyril said to
the boatswain. " They will want to question us."

As they came alongside the flagship the Duke himself
leant over the side.

" What water had you when you came about, sir ? "

" We went suddenly from six fathoms to three, your Grace,"
Cyril shouted, " and a moment after we found but two."

"Very well, sir," the Duke called back. "In that case you
have certainly saved our ship. I thought perhaps that you
had been over-hasty, and had thus cost us our topmast, but I
see it was not so, and thank you. Our pilot assured us there
was plenty of water on the course we were taking."

The ships of the Red Squadron had all changed their course
on seeing the flagship come about so suddenly, and consider-

THE FIGHT OFF DUNKIRK. 339

able delay and confusion was caused before they again formed
in order, and, in obedience to the Duke's signal, followed in
support of the Blue Squadron. This had already dashed into
the midst of the Dutch Fleet, who were themselves in some
confusion ; for, so sudden had been the attack, that they had
been forced to cut their cables, having no time to get up their
anchors.

The British ships poured in their broadsides as they ap-
proached, while the Dutch opened a tremendous cannonade.
Besides their great inferiority in numbers, the British were
under a serious disadvantage. They had the weather gauge,
and the wind was so strong that it heeled them over, so that
they were unable to open their lower ports, and were therefore
deprived of the use of their heaviest guns.

Four of the ships of the Red Squadron remained by the
flag ship, to protect her if attacked, and to keep off fire-ships,
while her crew laboured to get up another topmast. More than
three hours were occupied in this operation, but so busily
did the rest of the Fleet keep the Dutch at work that they
were unable to detach sufficient ships to attack her.

As soon as the topmast was in place and the sails hoisted,
the flagship and her consorts hastened to join their hard-
pressed comrades.

The fight was indeed a desperate one. Sir William Berkley
and his ship, the Swiftsure, a second-rate, was taken, as was
the Essex, a third-rate.

The Henry, commanded by Sir John Harman, was sur-
rounded by foes. Her sails and rigging were shot to pieces,
so she was completely disabled, and the Dutch Admiral,
Cornelius Evertz, summoned Sir John Harman to surrender.

" It has not come to that yet," Sir John shouted back, and
continued to pour such heavy broadsides into the Dutch that
several of their ships were greatly damaged, and Evertz himself
killed.

The Dutch captains drew off their vessels, and launched
three fire-ships at the Henry, The first one, coming up on

340 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

her starboard quarter, grappled with her. The dense volumes
of smoke rising from her prevented the sailors from dis-
covering where the grapnels were fixed, and the flames were
spreading to her when her boatswain gallantly leapt on
board the fire-ship, and, by the light of its flames, discovered
the grapnels and threw them overboard, and succeeded in
regaining his ship.

A moment later, the second fire-ship came up on the port
side, and so great a body of flames swept across the Henry
that her chaplain and fifty men sprang overboard. Sir John,
however, drew his sword, and threatened to cut down the first
man who refused to obey orders, and the rest of the crew,
setting manfully to work, succeeded in extinguishing the
flames, and in getting free of the fire-ship. The halliards of
the main yard, were, however, burnt through, and the spar fell,
striking Sir John Harman to the deck and breaking his leg.

The third fire-ship was received with the fire of four
cannon loaded with chain shot. These brought her mast
down, and she drifted by, clear of the Henry, which was
brought safely into Harwich.

The fight continued the whole day, and did not terminate
until ten o'clock in the evening. The night was spent in
repairing damages, and in the morning the English recom-
menced the battle. It was again obstinately contested. Ad-
miral Van Tromp threw himself into the midst of the British
line, and suffered so heavily that he was only saved by the
arrival of Admiral de Ruyter. He, in his turn, was in a most
perilous position, and his ship disabled, when fresh reinforce-
ments arrived. And so the battle raged, until, in the afternoon,
as if by mutual consent, the Fleets drew off" from each other,
and the battle ceased. The fighting had been extraordinarily
obstinate and determined on both sides, many ships had been
sunk, several burnt, and some captured. The sea was dotted
with wreckage, masts, and spars, fragments of boats and debris
of all kinds. Both fleets presented a pitiable appearance ;
the hulls, but forty-eight hours ago so trim and smooth, were

THE FIGHT OFF DUNKIRK. 341

splintered and jagged, port-holes were knocked into one, bul-
warks carried away, and stern galleries gone. The sails were
riddled with shot-holes, many of the ships had lost one or more
masts, while the light spars had been, in most cases, carried
away, and many of the yards had come down owing to the
destruction of the running gear.

In so tremendous a conflict the little Fan Fan could bear
but a small part. Cyril and Lord Oliphant agreed, at the
commencement of the first day's fight, that it would be useless
for them to attempt to fire their two little guns, but that their
efforts should be entirely directed against the enemy's fire-ships.
During each day's battle, then, they hovered round the flagship,
getting out of the way whenever she was engaged, as she often
was, on both broadsides, and although once or twice struck by
stray shots, the Fan Fan received no serious damage. In this
encounter of giants, the little yacht was entirely overlooked, and
none of the great ships wasted a shot upon her. Two or three
times each day, when the Admiral's ship had beaten off her
foes, a fire-ship directed its course against her. Then came the
Fan Fan's turn for action. Under the pressure of her twelve
oars she sped towards the fire-ship, and on reaching her a
grapnel was thrown over the end of the bowsprit, and by the
efforts of the rowers her course was changed, so that she swept
harmlessly past the flagship.

Twice when the vessels were coming down before the wind
at a rate of speed that rendered it evident that the efforts of
the men at the oars would be insufficient to turn her course,
the Fan Fan was steered alongside, grapnels were thrown, and,
headed by Lord Oliphant and Cyril, the crew sprang on board,
cut down or drove overboard the few men who were in
charge of her. Then, taking the helm and trimming the sails,
they directed her against one of the Dutch men-of-war, threw
the grapnels on board, lighted the train, leapt back into
the Fan Fan, rowed away, and took up their place near the
Admiral, the little craft being greeted with hearty cheers by
the whole ship's company.

342 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

The afternoon was spent in repairing damages as far as
practicable, but even the Duke saw it was impossible to continue
the fight. The Dutch had received a reinforcement while the
fighting was going on that morning, and although the English
had inflicted terrible damage upon the Dutch Fleet, their own
loss in ships was greater than that which they had caused their
adversaries. A considerable portion of their vessels were not
in a condition to renew the battle, and the carpenters had hard
work to save them from sinking outright. Albemarle himself
embarked on the Fan Fan, and sailed from ship to ship, ascer-
taining the condition of each, and the losses its crew had
suffered . As soon as night fell, the vessels most disabled were
ordered to sail for England as they best could. The crew of
three which were totally dismasted and could hardly be kept
afloat, were taken out and divided between the twenty-eight
vessels which alone remained in a condition to renew the fight.

These three battered hulks were, early the next morning,
set on fire, and the rest of the Fleet, in good order and
prepared to give battle, followed their companions that had
sailed on the previous evening. The Dutch followed, but at
a distance, thinking to repair their damages still farther before
they again engaged. In the afternoon the sails of a squadron
were seen ahead, and a loud cheer ran from ship to ship, for
all knew that this was Prince Rupert coming up with the
White Squadron. A serious loss, however, occurred a few
minutes afterwards. The Royal Prince, the largest and most
powerful vessel in the Fleet, which was somewhat in rear of
the line, struck on the sands. The tide being with them and the
wind light, the rest of the Fleet tried in vain to return to
her assistance, and as the Dutch Fleet were fast coming up,
and some of the fire-ships making for the Royal Prince, they
were forced to give up the attempt to succour her, and Sir
George Ayscue, her captain, was obliged to haul down his flag
and surrender.

As soon as the White Squadron joined the remnant of the
Fleet the whole advanced against the Dutch, drums beating

THE FIGHT OFF DUNKIRK. 343

and trumpets sounding, and twice made their way through
the enemy's line. But it was now growing dark, and the third
day's battle came to an end. The next morning it was seen
that the Dutch, although considerably stronger than the English,
were almost out of sight. The latter at once hoisted sail and
pursued, and, at eight o'clock, came up with them.

The Dutch finding the combat inevitable, the terrible fight
was renewed, and raged, without intermission, until seven
in the evening. Five times the British passed through the
line of the Dutch. On both sides many ships fell out of the
fighting line wholly disabled. Several were sunk, and some on
both sides forced to surrender, being so battered as to be
unable to withdraw from the struggle. Prince Rupert's ship
was wholly disabled, and that of Albemarle almost as severely
damaged, and the battle, like those of the preceding days, ended
without any decided advantage on either side. Both nations
claimed the victory, but equally without reason. The Dutch
historians compute our loss at sixteen men-of-war, of which
ten were sunk and six taken, while we admitted only a loss of
nine ships, and claimed that the Dutch lost fifteen men-of-war.
Both parties acknowledged that it was the most terrible battle
fought in this, or any other modern war.

De Witte, who at that time was at the head of the Dutch
Republic, and who was a bitter enemy of the English, owned,
some time afterwards, to Sir William Temple, " that the English
got more glory to their nation through the invincible courage
of their seamen during those engagements than by the two
victories of this war, and that he was sure that his own fleet
could not have been brought on to fight the fifth day, after
the disadvantages of the fourth, and he believed that no other
nation was capable of it but the English."

Cyril took no part in the last day's engagement, for Prince
Rupert, when the Fan Fan came near him on his arrival on
the previous evening, returned his salute from the poop, and
shouted to him that on no account was he to adventure into
the fight with the Fan Fan,

344 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

On the morning after the battle ended, Lord Oliphant and
Cyril rowed on board Prince Rupert's ship, where every un-
wounded man was hard at work getting up a jury-mast or
patching up the holes in the hull.

"Well, Sir Cyril, I see that you have been getting my
yacht knocked about," he said, as they came up to him.

"There is not much damage done, sir. She has but two
shot-holes in her hull."

" And my new mainsail spoiled. Do you know, sir, that I
got a severe rating from the Duke yesterday evening, on your
account ? "

Cyril looked surprised.

" I trust, sir, that I have not in any way disobeyed orders ? "

" No, it was not that. He asked after the Fan Fan, and
said that he had seen nothing of her during the day's fighting,
and I said I had strictly ordered you not to come into the
battle. He replied, 'Then you did wrong, Prince, for that
little yacht of yours did yeomen's service during the first two
days' fighting. I told Sir Cyril to keep her near me, thinking
that she would be useful in carrying orders, and during
those two days she kept close to us, save when we were
surrounded by the enemy. Five times in those three days did
she avert fire-ships from us. We were so damaged that we
could sail but slowly, and, thinking us altogether unmanageable,
the Dutch launched their fire-ships. The Fan Fan rowed to
meet them. Three of them were diverted from their course
by a rope being thrown over the bowsprit, and the crew
rowing so as to turn her head. On the second day there was
more wind, and the fire-ships could have held on their course
in spite of the efforts of the men on board the Fan Fan. Twice
during the day the little boat was boldly laid alongside them,
while the crew boarded and captured them, and then, directing
them towards the Dutch ships, grappled and set them on fire.
One of the Dutchmen was burned, the other managed to throw
off the grapnels. It was all done under our eyes, and five
times in the two days did my crew cheer your little yacht as

THE FIGHT OFF DUNKIRK. 345

she came alongside. So you see, Prince, by ordering her out of
the fight you deprived us of the assistance of as boldly handled
a little craft as ever sailed.'

" ' I am quite proud of my little yacht, gentlemen, and I
thank you for having given her so good a christening under
fire.' But I must stay no longer talking. Here is the
despatch I have written of my share of the engagement. You,
Sir Cyril, will deliver this. You will now row to the Duke's
ship, and he will give you his despatches, which you, Lord
Oliphant, will deliver. I need not say that you are to make
all haste to the Thames. We have no ship to spare except
the Fan Fan, for we must keep the few that are still able to
manoeuvre, in case the Dutch should come out again before we
have got the crippled ones in a state to make sail."

Taking leave of the Prince, they were at once rowed to
the Duke's flagship. They had a short interview with the
Admiral, who praised them highly for the service they had
rendered.

" You will have to tell the story of the fighting," he said,
"for the Prince and myself have written but few lines; we
have too many matters on our minds to do scribe's work.
They will have heard, ere now, of the first two days' fighting,
for some of the ships that were sent back will have arrived at
Harwich before this. By to-morrow morning I hope to have
the Fleet so far refitted as to be able to follow you."

Five minutes later, the Fan Fan, with every stitch of sail
set, was on her way to the Thames. As a brisk wind was
blowing, they arrived in London twenty-four hours later, and
at once proceeded to the Admiralty, the despatches being
addressed to the Duke of York. They were immediately
ushered in to him. Without a word he seized the despatches,
tore them open, and ran his eye down them.

" God be praised ! " he exclaimed, when he finished them.
" We had feared even worse intelligence, and have been in a
terrible state of anxiety since yesterday, when we heard
from Harwich that one of the ships had come in with

346 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

the news that more than half the Fleet was crippled or
destroyed, and that twenty-eight only remained capable of
continuing the battle. The only hope was that the White
Squadron might arrive in time, and it seems that it has done
so. The account of our losses is indeed a terrible one, but at
least we have suffered no defeat, and as the Dutch have
retreated, they must have suffered well-nigh as much as we
have done. Come along with me at once, gentlemen ; I must
go to the King to inform him of this great news, which is
vastly beyond what we could have hoped for. The Duke,
in his despatch, tells me that the bearers of it, Lord Oliphant
and Sir Cyril Shenstone, have done very great service, having,
in Prince Rupert's little yacht, saved his flagship no less
than five times from the attacks of the Dutch fire-ships."

The Duke had ordered his carriage to be in readiness as
soon as he learnt that the bearers of despatches from the Fleet
had arrived. It was already at the door, and, taking his seat
in it, with Lord Oliphant and Cyril opposite to him, he
was driven to the Palace, learning by the way such details
as they could give him of the last two days' fighting. He
led them at once to the King's dressing-room. Charles was
already attired, for he had passed a sleepless night, and had
risen early.

" What news, James ? " he asked eagerly.

" Good news, brother. After two more days' fighting — and
terrible fighting, on both sides — the Dutch Fleet has returned
to its ports."

"A victory ! " the King exclaimed, in delight.

"A dearly-bought one with the lives of so many brave
men, but a victory nevertheless. Here are the despatches
from Albemarle and Rupert. They have been brought by
these ' gentlemen, with whom you are already acquainted, in
Rupert's yacht. Albemarle speaks very highly of their conduct."

The King took the despatches, and read them eagerly.

" It has indeed been a dearly-bought victory," he said,
" but it is marvellous indeed how our captains and men bore

"WHAT NEWS, JAMES?" THE KING ASKED EAGERLY.

THE FIGHT OFF DUNKIRK. 347

themselves. Never have they shown greater courage and en-
durance. Well may Monk say that, after four days of incessant
fighting and four nights spent in the labour of repairing
damages, the strength of all has well nigh come to an end,
and that he himself can write but a few lines to tell me of
what has happened, leaving all details for further occasion.
I thank you both, gentlemen, for the speed with which you
have brought me this welcome news, and for the services of
which the Duke of Albemarle speaks so warmly. This is the
second time, Sir Cyril, that my admirals have had occasion to
speak of great and honourable service rendered by you. Lord
Oliphant, the Earl, your father, will have reason to be proud
when he hears you so highly praised. Now, gentlemen, tell
me more fully than is done in these despatches as to the incidents
of the fighting. I have heard something of what took place
in the first two days from an officer who posted up from
Harwich yesterday."

Lord Oliphant related the events of the first two days, and
then went on.

" Of the last two I can say less, Your Majesty, for we took
no part in, having Prince Rupert's orders, given as he came up,
that we should not adventure into the fight. Therefore, we were
but spectators, though we kept on the edge of the fight and, if
opportunity had offered, and we had seen one of our ships too
hard pressed, and threatened by fire-ships, we should have
ventured so far to transgress orders as to bear in and do what
we could on her behalf ; but indeed, the smoke was so great
that we could see but little.

" It was a strange sight, when, on the Prince's arrival, his
ships and those of the Duke's, battered as they were, bore down
on the Dutch line ; the drums beating, the trumpets sounding,
and the crews cheering loudly. We saw them disappear into
the Dutch line ; then the smoke shut all out from view, and
for hours there was but a thick cloud of smoke and a
continuous roar of the guns. Sometimes a vessel would come
out from the curtain of smoke torn and disabled. Sometimes

348 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

it was a Dutchman, sometimes one of our own ships. If the
latter, we rowed up to them and did our best with planks and
nails to stop the yawning holes close to the water-line, while
the crew knotted ropes and got up the spars and yards, and
then sailed back into the fight.

" The first day's fighting was comparatively slight, for the
Dutch seemed to be afraid to close with the Duke's ships,
and hung behind at a distance. It was not till the White
Squadron came up, and the Duke turned, with Prince Eupert,
and fell upon his pursuers like a wounded boar upon the
dogs, that the battle commenced in earnest; but the last
day it went on for nigh twelve hours without intermission ;
and when at last the roar of the guns ceased, and the smoke
slowly cleared off, it was truly a pitiful sight, so torn and
disabled were the ships.

"As the two fleets separated, drifting apart as it would
almost seem, so few were the sails now set, we rowed up
among them, and for hours were occupied in picking up men
clinging to broken spars and wreckage, for but few of the
ships had so much as a single boat left. We were fortunate
enough to save well-nigh a hundred, of whom more than
seventy were our own men, the remainder Dutch. From
these last we learnt that the ships of Van Tromp and Ruyter
had both been so disabled that they had been forced to fall out
of battle, and had been towed away to port. They said that
their Admirals Cornelius Evertz and Van der Hulst had both
been killed, while on our side we learnt that Admiral Sir
Christopher Mings had fallen."

" Did the Dutch Fleet appear to be as much injured as our
own ? "

"No, Your Majesty. Judging by the sail set when the
battle was over, theirs must have been in better condition
than ours, which is not surprising, seeing how superior they
were in force, and for the most part bigger ships, and carrying
more guns."

" Then you will have your hands full, James, or they will

THE FIGHT OFF DUNKIRK. 349

be ready to take to sea again before we are. Next time I
hope that we shall meet them with more equal numbers."

" I will do the best I can, brother," the Duke replied.
" Though we have so many ships sorely disabled there have
been but few lost, and we can supply their places with the
vessels that have been building with all haste. If the Dutch
will give us but two months' time I warrant that we shall
be able to meet them in good force."

As soon as the audience was over, Cyril and his friend
returned to the Fan Fan, and after giving the crew a few
hours for sleep, sailed down to Sheerness, where, shortly after-
wards, Prince Rupert arrived with a portion of the Fleet, the
rest having been ordered to Harwich, Portsmouth, and other
ports, so that they could be more speedily refitted.

Although the work went on almost without intermission
day and night, the repairs were not completed before the
news arrived that the Dutch Fleet had again put to sea.
Two days later they arrived off our coast, where, finding no
fleet ready to meet them, they sailed away to France, where
they hoped to be joined by their French allies.

Two days later, however, our ships began to assemble at
the mouth of the Thames, and on June 24th the whole Fleet
was ready to take to sea. It consisted of eighty men-of-war,
large and small, and nineteen fire-ships. Prince Rupert was
in command of the Red Squadron, and the Duke of Albemarle
sailed with him, on board the same ship. Sir Thomas Allen
was Admiral of the White, and Sir Jeremiah Smith of the
Blue Squadron. Cyril remained on board the Fan Fan,
Lord Oliphant returning to his duties on board the flagship.
Marvels had been effected by the zeal and energy of the crews
and dockyard men. But three weeks back, the English ships
had, for the most part, been crippled seemingly almost beyond
repair, but now, with their holes patched, with new spars,
and in the glory of fresh paint and new canvas, they made as
brave a show as when they had sailed out from the Downs a
month previously.

350 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

They were anchored oft' the Nore when, late in the evening,
the news came out from Sheerness that a mounted messenger
had just ridden in from Dover, and that the Dutch Fleet had,
in the afternoon, passed the town, and had rounded the South
Foreland, steering north.

Orders were at once issued that the Fleet should sail at
daybreak, and at three o'clock the next morning they were
on their way down the river. At ten o'clock the Dutch Fleet
was seen off the North Foreland. According to their own
accounts they numbered eighty-eight men-of-war, with twenty-
five fire-ships, and were also divided into three squadrons,
under De Ruyter, John Evertz, and Van Tromp.

The engagement began at noon by an attack by the White
Squadron upon that commanded by Evertz. An hour later,
Prince Rupert and the Duke, with the Red Squadron, fell upon
De Ruyter, while that of Van Tromp, which was at some
distance from the others, was engaged by Sir Jeremiah Smith
with the Blue Squadron. Sir Thomas Allen completely
defeated his opponents, killing Evertz, his vice- and rear-
admirals, capturing the vice-admiral of Zeeland, who was
with him, and burning a ship of fifty guns.

The Red Squadron was evenly matched by that of De
Ruyter, and each vessel laid itself alongside an adversary.
Although De Ruyter himself and his vice-admiral, Van Nes,
fought obstinately, their ships in general, commanded, for
the most part, by men chosen for their family influence rather
than for either seamanship or courage, behaved but badly,
and all but seven gradually withdrew from the fight, and
went off" under all sail ; and De Ruyter, finding himself thus
deserted, was forced also to draw off. During this time, Van
Tromp, whose squadron was the strongest of the three
Dutch divisions, was so furiously engaged by the Blue
Squadron, which was the weakest of the English divisions, that
he was unable to come to the assistance of his consorts ; when,
however, he saw the defeat of the rest of the Dutch Fleet, he,
too, was obliged to draw off, lest he should have the whole of

LONDON IN FLAMES. 351

the English down upon him, and was able the more easily to
do so as darkness was closing in when the battle ended.

The Dutch continued their retreat during the night,
followed at a distance by the Red Squadron, which was,
next morning, on the point of overtaking them, when the
Dutch sought refuge by steering into the shallows, which
their light draught enabled them to cross, while the deeper
English ships were unable to follow. Great was the wrath
and disappointment of the English when they saw themselves
thus baulked of reaping the full benefit of the victory. Prince
Rupert shouted to Cyril, who, in the Fan Fan, had taken but
small share in the engagement, as the fire-ships had not played
any conspicious part in it.

" Sir Cyril, we can go no farther, but do you pursue De
Ruyter and show him in what contempt we hold him."

Cyril lifted his hat to show that he heard and understood the
order. Then he ordered his men to get out their oars, for the
wind was very light, and, amidst loud cheering, mingled with
laughter, from the crews of the vessels that were near enough
to hear Prince Rupert's order, the Fan Fan rowed out from
the English line in pursuit of the Dutch.

CHAPTER XXI.

LONDON IN FLAMES.

THE sailors laughed and joked as they rowed away from the
Fleet, but the old boatswain shook his head.
"We shall have to be careful, Sir Cyril," he said. "It is
like a small cur barking at the heels of a bull — it is good fun
enough for a bit, but when the bull turns, perchance the dog
will find himself thrown high in the air."

352 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

Cyril nodded. He himself considered Prince Rupert's order
to be beyond all reason, and given only in the heat of his
anger at De Ruyter having thus escaped him, and felt that it
was very likely to cost the lives of all on board the Fan Fan.
However, there was nothing to do but to carry it out. It
seemed to him that the boatswain's simile was a very apt
one, and that, although the spectacle of the Fan Fan worrying
the great Dutch battle-ship might be an amusing one to the
English spectators, it was likely to be a very serious adventure
for her.

De Ruyter's ship, which was in the rear of all the other
Dutch vessels, was but a mile distant when the Fan Fan
started, and as the wind was so light that it scarce filled her
sails, the yacht approached her rapidly.

" We are within half a mile now, your honour," the boat-
swain said. " I should say we had better go no nearer if we
don't want to be blown out of the water."

" Yes ; I think we may as well stop rowing now, and get the
guns to work. There are only those two cannon in her stern
ports which can touch us here. She will scarcely come up in the
wind to give us a broadside. She is moving so slowly through
the water that it would take her a long time to come round,
and De Ruyter would feel ashamed to bring his great flag-
ship round to crush such a tiny foe."

The boatswain went forward to the guns, round which the
men, after laying in their oars, clustered in great glee.

" Now," he said, " you have got to make those two guns in the
stern your mark. Try and send your shots through the port-
holes. It will be a waste to fire them at the hull, for the balls
would not penetrate the thick timber that she is built of.
Remember, the straighter you aim the more chance there is that
the Dutch won't hit us. Men don't stop to aim very straight
when they are expecting a shot among them every second.
We will fire alternately, and one gun is not to fire until the
other is loaded again. I will lay the first gun myself."

It was a good shot, and the crew cheered as they saw the

LONDON IN FLAMES. 353

splinters fly at the edge of the port-hole. Shot after shot was
fired with varying success.

The Dutch made no reply, and seemed to ignore the presence
of their tiny foe. The crew were, for the most part, busy
aloft repairing damages, and .after half an hour's firing,
without eliciting a reply, the boatswain went aft to Cyril, and
suggested that they should now aim at the spars.

" A lucky shot might do a good deal of damage, sir," he said.
" The weather is fine enough at present, but there is no saying
when a change may come, and if we could weaken one of the
main spars it might be the means of her being blown ashore,
should the wind spring up in the right direction."

Cyril assented, and fire was now directed at the masts. A
few ropes were cut away, but no serious damage was effected
until a shot struck one of the halliard blocks of the spanker,
and the sail at once ran down.

" It has taken a big bit out of the mast, too," the boatswain
called exultingly to Cyril. " I think that will rouse the
Dutchmen up."

A minute later it was evident that the shot had at least
had that effect. Two puffs of smoke spirted out from the stern
of the Dutch flagship, and, simultaneously with the roar of
the guns, came the hum of two heavy shot flying overhead.
Delighted at having excited the Dutchmen's wrath at last, the
crew of the Fan Fan took off their hats and gave a loud cheer,
and then, more earnestly than before, settled down to work ;
their guns aimed now, as at first, at the port-holes. Four
or five shots were discharged from each of the little guns
before the Dutch were ready again. Then came the thundering
reports. The Fan Fan's topmast was carried away by one
of the shot, but the other went wide. Two or three men
were told to cut away the wreckage, and the rest continued
their fire. One of the next shots of the enemy was better
directed. It struck the deck close to the foot of the mast,
committed great havoc in Cyril's cabin, and passed out
through the stern below the water-line. Cyril leapt down

354 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

the companion as he heard the crash, shouting to the boatswain
to follow him. The water was coming through the hole in a
great jet. Cyril seized a pillow and stuffed it into the shot-
hole, being drenched from head to foot in the operation. One
of the sailors had followed the boatswain, and Cyril called him
to his assistance.

"Get out the oars at once," he said to the boatswain.
" Another shot like this and she will go down. Get a piece
cut off a spar and make a plug. There is no holding this
pillow in its place, and the water comes in fast still."

The sailor took Cyril's post while he ran up on deck and
assisted in cutting the plug ; this was roughly shaped to the
size of the hole, and then driven in. It stopped the rush of
the water, but a good deal still leaked through.

By the time this was done the Fan Fan had considerably
increased her distance from De Ruyter. Four or five more
shots were fired from the Dutch ship. The last of these
struck the mast ten feet above the deck, bringing it down with
a crash. Fortunately, none of the crew were hurt, and,
dropping the oars, they hauled the mast alongside, cut the
sail from its fastening to the hoops and gaff, and then severed
the shrouds and allowed the mast to drift away, while they
again settled themselves to the oars. Although every man
rowed his hardest, the Fan Fan was half full of water before
she reached the Fleet, which was two miles astern of them
when they first began to row.

" Well done, Fan Fan \ " Prince Rupert shouted, as the little
craft came alongside. " Have you suffered any damage besides
your spars? I see you are low in the water."

" We were shot through our stern, sir ; we put in a plug,
but the water comes in still. Will you send a carpenter on
board ? For I don't think she will float many minutes longer
unless we get the hole better stopped."

The Prince gave some orders to an officer standing by him.
The latter called two or three sailors and bade them bring
some short lengths of thick hawser, while a strong party were

LONDON IN FLAMES. 355

set to reeve tackle to the main yard. As soon as the hawsers,
each thirty feet in length, were brought, they were dropped
on to the deck of the Fan Fan, and the officer told the crew
to pass them under her, one near each end, and to knot the
hawsers. By the time this was done, two strong tackles were
lowered and fixed to the hawsers, and the crew ordered to
come up on to the ship. The tackles were then manned and
hauled on by strong parties, and the Fan Fan was gradually
raised. The boatswain went below again and knocked out
the plug, and, as the little yacht was hoisted up, the water
ran out of it. As soon as the hole was above the water-level,
the tackle at the bow was gradually slackened off until she
lay with her fore-part in the water, which came some distance
up her deck. The carpenter then slung himself over the stern,
and nailed, first a piece of tarred canvas, and then a square of
plank, over the hole. Then the stern tackle was eased off, and
the Fan Fan floated on a level keel. Her crew went down to
her again, and, in half an hour, pumped her free of water.

By this time, the results of the victory were known. On
the English side, the Resolution was the only ship lost, she
having been burnt by a Dutch fire-ship ; three English captains,
and about three hundred men were killed. On the other
hand, the Dutch lost twenty ships, four admirals, a great
many of their captains, and some four thousand men. It was,
indeed, the greatest and most complete victory gained through-
out the war. Many of the British ships had suffered a good
deal, that which carried the Duke's flag most of all, for it
had been so battered in the fight with De Ruyter that the
Duke and Prince Rupert had been obliged to leave her, and to
hoist their flags upon another man-of-war.

The next morning the Fleet sailed to Schonevelt, which was
the usual rendezvous of the Dutch Fleet, and there remained
some time, altogether undisturbed by the enemy. The Fan
Fan was here thoroughly repaired.

On July 29th they sailed for Ulic, where they arrived on
August 7th, the wind being contrary.

356 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

Learning that there was a large fleet of merchantmen
lying between the islands of Ulic and Schelling, guarded by
but two men-of-war, and that there were rich magazines of
goods on these islands, it was determined to attack them.
Four small frigates, of a slight draught of water, and five
fire-ships, were selected for the attack, together with the boats
of the Fleet, manned by nine hundred men.

On the evening of the 8th, Cyril was ordered to go, in the
Fan Fan, to reconnoitre the position of the Dutch. He did
not sail until after nightfall, and, on reaching the passage
between the islands, he lowered his sails, got out his oars,
and drifted with the tide silently down through the Dutch
merchant fleet, where no watch seemed to be kept, and in the
morning carried the news to Sir Robert Holmes, the com-
mander of the expedition, who had anchored a league from
the entrance.

Cyril had sounded the passage as he went through, and it
was found that two of the frigates could not enter it. These
were left at the anchorage, and, on arriving at the mouth of
the harbour, the Tiger, Sir Robert Holmes's flagship, was also
obliged to anchor, and he came on board the fan Fan, on
which he hoisted his flag. The captains of the other ships
came on board, and it was arranged that the Pembroke, which
had but a small draft of water, should enter at once with the
five fire-ships.

The attack was completely successful. Two of the fire-ships
grappled with the men-of-war and burnt them, while three
great merchantmen were destroyed by the others. Then the
boats dashed into the fleet, and, with the exception of four or
five merchantmen and four privateers, who took refuge in a
creek, defended by a battery, the whole of the hundred and
seventy merchantmen, the smallest of which was not less than
200 tons burden, and all heavily laden, were burned.

The next day, Sir Robert Holmes landed eleven companies
of troops on the Island of Schonevelt and burnt Bandaris, its
principal town, with its magazines and store-houses, causing a

LONDON IN FLAMES. 357

loss to the Dutch, according to their own admission, of six
million guilders. This, and the loss of the great Fleet, inflicted
a very heavy blow upon the commerce of Holland. The Fan Fan
had been hit again by a shot from one of the batteries, and, on
her rejoining the Fleet, Prince Rupert determined to send her
to England so that she could be thoroughly repaired and fitted
out again. Cyril's orders were to take her to Chatham, and to
hand her over to the dockyard authorities.

" I do not think the Dutch will come out and fight us again
this autumn, Sir Cyril, so you can take your ease in London
as it pleases you. We are now halfway through August, and
it will probably be at least a month after your arrival before
the Fan Fan is fit for sea again. It may be a good deal
longer than that, for they are busy upon the repairs of the
ships sent home after the battle, and will hardly take any
hands off these to put on to the Fan Fan. In October we shall
all be coming home again, so that, until next spring, it is
hardly likely that there will be aught doing."

Cyril accordingly returned to London. The wind was con-
trary, and it was not until the last day of August that he
dropped anchor in the Medway. After spending a night at
Chatham, he posted up to London the next morning, and,
finding convenient chambers in the Savoy, he installed him-
self there, and then proceeded to the house of the Earl of
Wisbech, to whom he was the bearer of a letter from his son.
Finding that the Earl and his family were down at his place
near Sevenoaks, he went into the City, and spent the evening
at Captain Dave's, having ordered his servant to pack a
small valise, and bring it with the two horses in the morning.
He had gone to bed but an hour when he was awoke by John
Wilkes knocking at his door.

" There is a great fire burning not far off, Sir Cyril. A
man who ran past told me it was in Pudding Lane, at the top
of Fish Street. The Captain is getting up, and is going out
to see it ; for, with such dry weather as we have been having,
there is no saying how far it may go."

358 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

Cyril sprang out of his bed and dressed. Captain Dave,
accustomed to slip on his clothes in a hurry, was waiting for
him, and, with John Wilkes, they sallied out. There was a
broad glare of light in the sky, and the bells of many of the
churches were ringing out the fire-alarm. As they passed,
many people put their heads out from windows and asked
where the fire was. In five minutes they approached the scene.
A dozen houses were blazing fiercely, while, from those near, the
inhabitants were busily removing their valuables. The Fire
Companies, with their buckets, were already at work, and lines
of men were formed down to the river and were passing along
buckets from hand to hand. Well nigh half the water was
spilt, however, before it arrived at the fire, and, in the face
of such a body of flame, it seemed to make no impression
whatever.

"They might as well attempt to pump out a leaky ship
with a child's squirt," the Captain said. " The fire will burn
itself out, and we must pray heaven that the wind drops
altogether ; 'tis not strong, but it will suffice to carry the flames
across these narrow streets. 'Tis lucky that it is from the
east, so there is little fear that it will travel in our direction."

They learnt that the fire had begun in the house of Faryner,
the King's baker, though none knew how it had got alight.
It was not long before the flames leapt across the lane, five
or six houses catching fire almost at the same moment. A cry
of dismay broke from the crowd, and the fright of the neigh-
bours increased. Half -clad women hurried from their houses,
carrying their babes, and dragging their younger children out.
Men staggered along with trunks of clothing and valuables.
Many wrung their hands helplessly, while the City Watch
guarded the streets leading to Pudding Lane, so as to prevent
thieves and vagabonds from taking advantage of the confusion
to plunder.

With great rapidity the flames spread from house to house.
A portion of Fish Street was already invaded, and the Church
of St. Magnus in danger. The fears of the people increased

LONDON IN FLAMES. 359

in proportion to the advance of the conflagration. The whole
neighbourhood was now alarmed, and, in all the streets
round, people were beginning to remove their goods. The
river seemrd to be regarded by all as the safest place of
refuge. The boats from the various landing-places had
already come up, and these were doing a thriving trade by
taking the frightened people, with what goods they carried, to
lighters and ships moored in the river.

The lines of men passing buckets had long since broken up,
it being too evident that their efforts were not of the
slightest avail. The wind had, in the last two hours, rapidly
increased in strength, and was carrying the burning embers
far and wide.

Cyril and his companions had, after satisfying their first
curiosity, set to work to assist the fugitives, by aiding them to
carry down their goods to the waterside. Cyril was now be-
tween eighteen and nineteen, and had grown into a powerful,
young fellow, having, since he recovered from the Plague,
grown fast and widened out greatly. He was able to shoulder
heavy trunks, and to carry them down without difficulty.

By six o'clock, however, all were exhausted by their labours,
and Captain Dave's proposal, that they should go bock and get
breakfast and have a wash, was at once agreed to.

At this time the greater part of Fish Street was in flames,
the Church of St. Magnus had fallen, and the flames had
spread to many of the streets and alleys running west. The
houses on the Bridge were blazing.

" Well, father, what is the news ? " Nellie exclaimed, as
they entered. " What have you been doing ? You are all
blackened, like the men who carry out the coals from the ships.
I never saw such figures."

" We have been helping people to carry their goods down to
the water, Nellie. The news is bad. The fire is a terrible one."

" That we can see, father. Mother and I were at the window
for hours after you left, and the whole sky seemed ablaze. Do
you think that there is any danger of its coming here?"

360 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

" The wind is taking the flames the other way, NeUie, but
in spite of that I think that there is danger. The heat is so
great that the houses catch on this side, and we saw, as we
came back, that it had travelled eastwards. Truly, I believe
that if the wind keeps on as it is at present, the whole City
will be destroyed. However, we will have a wash first and
then some breakfast, of which we are sorely in need. Then
we can talk over what had best be done."

Little was said during breakfast. The apprentices had
already been out, and so excited were they at the scenes they
had witnessed that they had difficulty in preserving their
usual quiet and submissive demeanour. Captain Dave was
wearied with his unwonted exertions. Mrs. Dowsett and
Nellie both looked pale and anxious, and Cyril and John
Wilkes were oppressed by the terrible scene of destruction and
the widespread misery they had witnessed.

When breakfast was over, Captain Dave ordered the
apprentices on no account to leave the premises. They were
to put up the shutters at once, and then to await orders.

" What do you think we had better do, Cyril ? " he said,
when the boys had left the room.

" I should say that you had certainly better go on board
a ship, Captain Dave. There is time to move now quietly, and
to get many things taken on board, but if there were a swift
change of wind the flames would come down so suddenly that
you would have no time to save anything. Do you know of
a captain who would receive you ? "

" Certainly ; I know of half a dozen."

" Then the first thing is to secure a boat before they are all
taken up."

" I will go down to the stairs at once."

" Then I should say, John, you had better go off with Captain
Dave, and, as soon as he has arranged with one of the captains,
come back to shore. Let the waterman lie off in the stream,
for if the flames come this way there will be a rush for boats,
and people will not stop to ask to whom they belong. It will

LONDON IN FLAMES. 361

be better still to take one of the apprentices with yon, leave
him at the stairs till you return, and then tie up to a ship
till we hail him.

" That will be the best plan," Captain Dave said. " Now,
wife, you and Nellie and the maid had best set to work at
once packing up all your best clothes and such other things
as you may think most valuable. We shall have time, I hope,
to make many trips."

" While you are away, I will go along the street and see
whether the fire is making any way in this direction," Cyril
said. " Of course if it's coming slowly you will have time to
take away a great many things. And we may even hope that
it may not come here at all."

Taking one of the apprentices, Captain Dave and John at
once started for the waterside, while Cyril made his way
westward.

Already, people were bringing down their goods from most
of the houses. Some acted as if they believed that if they took
the goods out of the houses they would be safe, and great piles
of articles of all kinds almost blocked the road. Weeping
women and frightened children sat on these piles as if to
guard them. Some stood at their doors wringing their hands
helplessly ; others were already starting eastward laden with
bundles and boxes, occasionally looking round as if to bid
farewell to their homes. Many of the men seemed even more
confused and frightened than the women, running hither
and thither without purpose, shouting, gesticulating, and
seeming almost distraught with fear and grief.

Cyril had not gone far when he saw that the houses on
both sides of the street, at the further end, were already in
flames. He was obliged to advance with great caution, for
many people were recklessly throwing goods of all kinds from
the windows, regardless of whom they might fall upon, and
without thought of how they were to be carried away. He
went on until close to the fire, and stood for a time watching.
The noise was bewildering. Mingled with the roar of the

362 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

flames, the crackling of woodwork, and the heavy crashes that
told of the fall of roofs or walls, was the clang of the alarm-
bells, shouts, cries, and screams. The fire spread steadily,
but with none of the rapidity with which he had seen it fly
along from house to house on the other side of the conflagra-
tion. The houses, however, were largely composed of wood.
The balconies generally caught first, and the fire crept along
under the roofs, and sometimes a shower of tiles, and a
burst of flames, showed that it had advanced there, while the
lower portion of the house was still intact.

" Is it coming, Cyril ? " Mrs. Dowsett asked, when he
returned.

" It is coming steadily," he said, " and can be stopped by
nothing short of a miracle. Can I help you in any way ? "

" No," she said ; " we have packed as many things as can
possibly be carried. It is well that your things are all at
your lodging, Cyril, and beyond the risk of this danger."

" It would have mattered little about them," he said. " I
could have replaced them easily enough. That is but a question
of money. And now, in the first place, I will get the trunks
and bundles you have packed downstairs. That will save time."

Assisted by the apprentice and Nellie, Cyril got all the
things downstairs.

" How long have we, do you think ? " Nellie asked.

" I should say that in three hours the fire will be here," he
said, " It may be checked a little at the cross lanes ; but I fear
that three hours is all we can hope for."

Just as they had finished taking down the trunks, Captain
Dave and John Wilkes arrived.

" I have arranged the affair," the former said. " My old
friend, Dick Watson, will take us in his ship ; she lies but a
hundred yards from the stairs. Now, get on your mantle and
hood, Nellie, and bring your mother and maid down."

The three women were soon at the foot of the stairs, and
Mrs. Dowsett's face showed signs of tears ; but, though pale,
she was quiet and calm, and the servant, a stout wench, had

LONDON IN FLAMES. 363

gained confidence from her mistress's example. As soon as
they were ready, the three men each shouldered a trunk. The
servant and the apprentice carried one between them. Mrs.
Dowsett and her daughter took as many bundles as they
could carry. It was but five minutes' walk down to the stairs.
The boat was lying twenty yards out in the stream, fastened up
to a lighter, with the apprentice and waterman on board. It
came at once alongside, and in five minutes they reached the
Good Venture. As soon as the women had ascended the accom-
modation ladder, some sailors ran down and helped to carry
up the trunks.

" Empty them all out in the cabin," Captain Dave said, to
his wife ; " we will take them back with us."

As soon as he had seen the ladies into the cabin, Captain
Watson called his son Frank, who was his chief mate, and half
a dozen of his men. These carried the boxes, as fast as they
were emptied, down into the boat.

" We will all go ashore together," he said to Captain Dave.
" I was a fool not to think of it before. We will soon make
light work of it."

As soon as they reached the house, some of the sailors were
sent off with the remaining trunks and bundles, while the
others carried upstairs those they had brought, and quickly
emptied into them the remaining contents of the drawers and
linen press. So quickly and steadily did the work go on, that
no less than six trips were made to the Good Venture in the
next three hours, and at the end of that time almost every-
thing portable had been carried away, including several pieces
of valuable furniture, and a large number of objects brought
home by Captain Dave from his various voyages. The last
journey, indeed, was devoted to saving some of the most valuable
contents of the store. Captain Dave, delighted at having
saved so much, would not have thought of taking more, but
Captain Watson would not hear of this.

" There is time for one more trip, old friend," he said, " and
there are many things in your store that are worth more

364 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

than their weight in silver. I will take my other two hands
this time, and, with the eight men and our five selves, we shall
be able to bring a good load."

The trunks were therefore this time packed with ship's
instruments, and brass fittings of all kinds, to the full weight
that could be carried. All hands then set to work, and, in
a very short time, a great proportion of the portable goods
were carried from the store- house into an arched cellar beneath
it. By the time that they were ready to start there were but
six houses between them and the fire.

" I wish we had another three hours before us," Captain
Watson said. " It goes to one's heart to leave all this new rope
and sail cloth, good blocks, and other things, to be burnt."

" There have been better things than that burnt to-day,
Watson. Few men have saved as much as I have, thanks to
your assistance and that of these stout sailors of yours. Why,
the contents of these twelve boxes are worth as much as the
whole of the goods remaining."

The sailors' loads were so heavy that they had to help each
other to get them upon their shoulders, and the other five
were scarcely less weighted ; and, short as was the distance, all
had to rest several times on the way to the stairs, setting their
burdens upon window-sills, or upon boxes scattered in the
streets. One of the ship's boats had, after the first trip, taken
the place of the light wherry, but even this was weighted
down to the gunwale when the men and the goods were all on
board. After the first two trips, the contents of the boxes had
been emptied on deck, and by the time the last arrived the
three women had packed away in the empty cabins all the
clothing, linen, and other articles, that had been taken below.
Captain Watson ordei-ed a stiff glass of grog to be given to each
of the sailors, and then went down with the others into the
main cabin, where the steward had already laid the table for
a meal, and poured out five tumblers of wine.

" I have not had so tough a job since I was before the mast,"
he said. "What say you, Captain Dave? "

LONDON IN FLAMES. 365

" It has been a hard morning's work, indeed, Watson, and,
in truth, I feel fairly spent. But though weary in body I am
cheerful in heart. It seemed to me at breakfast-time that
we should save little beyond what we stood in, and now I have
rescued well-nigh everything valuable that I have. I should
have grieved greatly had I lost all those mementos that it
took me nigh thirty years to gather, and those pieces of
furniture that belonged to my father I would not have lost
for any money. Truly, it has been a noble salvage."

Mrs. Dowsett and Nellie now joined them. They had quite
recovered their spirits, and were delighted at the unexpected
rescue of so many things precious to them, and Captain
Watson was overwhelmed by their thanks for what he
had done.

After the meal was over they sat quietly talking for a
time, and then Cyril proposed that they should row up the
river and see what progress the fire was making above
the Bridge. Mrs. Dowsett, however, was too much fatigued
by her sleepless night and the troubles and emotions of the
morning to care about going. Captain Dave said that he was
too stiff to do anything but sit quiet and smoke a pipe, and
that he would superintend the getting of their things on deck
a little ship-shape. Nellie embraced the offer eagerly, and
young Watson, who was a well-built and handsome fellow, with
a pleasant face and manner, said that he would go, and would
take a couple of hands to row. The tide had just turned to
run up when they set out. Cyril asked the first mate to steer,
and he sat on one side of him and Nellie on the other.

"You will have to mind your oars, lads," Frank Watson
said. " The river is crowded with boats."

They crossed over to the Southwark side, as it would have
been dangerous to pass under the arches above which the
houses were burning. The flames, however, had not spread
right across the bridge, for the houses were built only over the
piers, and the openings at the arches had checked the flames,
and at these points numbers of men were drawing water in

366 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

buckets and throwing it over the fronts of the houses, or
passing them, by ropes, to other men on the roofs, which were
kept deluged with water. Hundreds of willing hands were
engaged in the work, for the sight of the tremendous fire on
the opposite bank filled people with terror lest the flames
should cross the bridge and spread to the south side of the
river. The warehouses and wharves on the bank were black
with spectators, who looked with astonishment and awe at
the terrible scene of destruction.

It was not until they passed under the bridge that the
full extent of the conflagration was visible. The fire had
made its way some distance along Thames Street, and had
spread far up into the City. Gracechurch Street and Lombard
Street were in flames, and indeed the fire seemed to have
extended a long distance further ; but the smoke was so dense
that it was difficult to make out the precise point that it had
reached. The river was a wonderful sight. It was crowded
with boats and lighters, all piled up with goods, while along
the quays from Dowgate to the Temple, crowds of people
were engaged in placing what goods they had saved on
board lighters and other craft. Many of those in the boats
seemed altogether helpless and undecided as to what had best
be done, and drifted along with the tide, but the best part
were making either for the marshes at Lambeth or the fields
at Millbank, there to land their goods, the owners of the
boats refusing to keep them long on board, as they desired to
return by the next tide to fetch away other cargoes, being able
to obtain any price they chose to demand for their services.

Among the boats were floating goods and wreckage of all
kinds, charred timber that had fallen from the houses on the
bridge, and from the warehouses by the quays, bales of
goods, articles of furniture, bedding, and other matters. At
times, a sudden change of wind drove a dense smoke across the
water, flakes of burning embers and papers causing great
confusion among the boats, and threatening to set the piles
of goods on fire.

LONDON IN FLAMES. 367

At Frank Watson's suggestion, they landed at the Temple,
after having been some two hours on the river. Going up
into Fleet Street, they found a stream of carts and other
vehicles proceeding westward, all piled with furniture and
goods, mostly of a valuable kind. The pavements were
well-nigh blocked with people, all journeying in the same
direction, laden with their belongings. With difficulty they
made their way East as far as St. Paul's. The farther end of
Cheapside was already in flames, and they learnt that the fire
had extended as far as Moorfields. It was said that efforts
had been made to pull down houses and so check its progress,
but that there was no order or method, and that no benefit
was gained by the work.

After looking on at the scene for some time, they returned
to Fleet Street. Frank Watson went down with Nellie to the
boat, while Cyril went to his lodgings in the Savoy. Here he
found his servant anxiously awaiting him.

" I did not bring the horses this morning, sir," he said. " I
heard that there was a great fire, and went on foot as far as
I could get, but, finding that I could not pass, I thought it best
to come back here and await your return."

" Quite right, Reuben ; you could not have got the horses to
me unless you had ridden round the walls and come in at
Aldgate, and they would have been useless had you brought
them. The house at which I stayed last night is already
burnt to the ground. You had better stay here for the present,
I think. There is no fear of the fire extending beyond the
City. Should you find that it does so, pack my clothes in the
valises, take the horses down to Sevenoaks, and remain at the
Earl's until you hear from me."

Having arranged this, Cyril went down to the Savoy stairs,
where he found the boat waiting for him, and then they rowed
back to London Bridge, where, the force of the tide being now
abated, they were able to row through and get to the Good
Venture.

They had but little sleep that night. Gradually the fire

368 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

worked its way eastward until it was abreast of them.
The roaring and crackling of the flames was prodigious.
Here and there the glare was diversified by columns of a
deeper red glow, showing where warehouses, filled with pitch,
tar, and oil, were in flames. The heavy crashes of falling build-
ings were almost incessant. Occasionally they saw a church
tower or steeple, that had stood for a time black against the
glowing sky, become suddenly wreathed in flames, and, after
burning for a time, fall with a crash that could be plainly
heard above the general roar.

" Surely such a fire was never seen before ! " Captain Dave
said.

" Not since Rome was burnt, I should think," Cyril replied.

" How long was that ago, Cyril ? I don't remember hearing
about it."

" 'Tis fifteen hundred years or so since then, Captain Dave;
but the greater part of the city was destroyed, and Rome was
then many times bigger than London. It burnt for three
days."

" Well, this is bad enough," Captain Watson said. " Even
here the heat is well-nigh too great to face. Frank, you had
better call the crew up and get all the sails off the yards. Were
a burning flake to fall on them we might find it difficult to
extinguish them. When they have done that, let the men get
all the buckets filled with water and ranged on the deck ; and
it will be as well to get a couple of hands in the boat and let
them chuck water against this side. We shall have all the
paint blistered off before morning."

So the night passed. Occasionally they went below for a
short time, but they found it impossible to sleep, and were soon
up again, and felt it a relief when the morning began to break.

AFTER THE FIRE. 369

CHAPTER XXII.

AFTER THE FIRE.

T\ AYLIGHT brought little alleviation to the horrors of the
J_7 scene. The flames were less vivid, but a dense pall of
smoke overhung the sky. As soon as they had breakfasted,
Captain Watson, his son, Captain Dowsett, Nellie, and Cyril,
took their places in the boat, and were rowed up the river.
An exclamation burst from them all as they saw how fast
the flames had travelled since the previous evening.

" St. Paul's is on fire ! " Cyril exclaimed. " See ! there are
flames bursting through its roof. I think, Captain Watson,
if you will put me ashore at the Temple, I will make my
way to Whitehall, and report myself there. I may be of
use."

" I will do that," Captain Watson said. " Then I will row
back to the ship again. We must leave a couple of hands on
board, in case some of these burning flakes should set anything
alight. We will land with the rest, and do what we can to
help these poor women and children."

" I will stay on board and take command, if you like,
Watson," Captain Dave said. " You ought to have some one
there, and I have not recovered from yesterday's work, and
should be of little use ashore."

" Very well, Dowsett. That will certainly be best ; but I
think it will be prudent, before we leave, to run out a kedge
with forty or fifty fathoms of cable towards the middle of the
stream, and then veer out the cable on her anchor so as to let
her ride thirty fathoms or so farther out. We left six men
sluicing her side and deck, but it certainly would be prudent
to get her out a bit farther. Even here, the heat is as much
as we can stand."

As soon as Cyril had landed, he hurried up into Fleet Street.
He had just reached Temple Bar when he saw a party of

( 948 ) 2 A

370 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

horsemen making their way through the carts. A hearty
cheer greeted them from the crowd, who hoped that the
presence of the Bang — for it was Charles who rode in front —
was a sign that vigorous steps were about to be taken to check
the progress of the flames. Beside the King rode the Duke
of Albemarle, and following were a number of other gentlemen
and officers. Cyril made his way through the crowd to the side
of the Duke's horse.

" Can I be of any possible use, my Lord Duke ? " he asked,
doffing his hat.

" Ah, Sir Cyril, it is you, is it ? I have not se.en you since
you bearded De Ruyter in the Fan Fan. Yes, you can be of
use. We have five hundred sailors and dockyard men behind ;
they have just arrived from Chatham, and a thousand more
have landed below the Bridge to fight the flames on that side.
Keep by me now, and, when we decide where to set to work,
I will put you under the orders of Captain Warncliffe, who
has charge of them."

When they reached the bottom of Fleet Street, the fire was
halfway down Ludgate Hill, and it was decided to begin
operations along the bottom of the Fleet Yalley. The dock-
yard men and sailors were brought up, and following them
were some carts laden with kegs of powder.

" Warncliffe," Lord Albemarle said, as the officer came up
at the head of them, " Sir Cyril Shenstone is anxious to
help. You know him by repute, and you can trust him in
any dangerous business. You had better tell off twenty men
under him. You have only to tell him what you want done,
and you can rely upon its being done thoroughly."

The sailors were soon at work along the line of the Fleet
Ditch. All carried axes, and with these they chopped down the
principal beams of the small houses clustered by the Ditch, and
so weakened them that a small charge of powder easily brought
them down. In many places they met with fierce opposition
from the owners, who. still clinging to the faint hope that some-
thing might occur to stop the progress of the fire before it

AFTER THE FIRE. 371

reached their abodes, raised vain protestations against the
destruction of their houses. All day the men worked unceas-
ingly, but in vain. Driven by the fierce wind, the flames swept
down the opposite slope, leapt over the space strewn with
rubbish and beams, and began to climb Fleet Street and
Holborn Hill and the dense mass of houses between them.

The fight was renewed higher up. Beer, and bread and
cheese were obtained from the taverns, and served out to the
workmen, and these kept at their task all night. Towards
morning the wind had fallen somewhat. The open spaces
of the Temple favoured the defenders ; the houses to east of
it were blown up, and, late in the afternoon, the progress
of the flames at this spot was checked. As soon as it was
felt that there was no longer any fear of its further advance
here, the exhausted men, who had, for twenty-four hours,
laboured, half suffocated by the blinding smoke and by the
dust made by their own work, threw themselves down on the
grass of the Temple Gardens and slept. At midnight they
were roused by their officers, and proceeded to assist their
comrades, who had been battling with the flames on the other
side of Fleet Street. They found that these too had been
successful ; the flames had swept up to Fetter Lane, but the
houses on the west side had been demolished, and although, at
one or two points, the fallen beams caught fire, they were
speedily extinguished. Halfway up Fetter Lane the houses
stood on both sides uninjured, for a large open space round
St. Andrew's, Holborn, had aided the defenders in their efforts
to check the flames. North of Holborn the fire had spread but
little, and that only among the poorer houses in Fleet Valley.

Ascending the hill, they found that, while the flames had
overleapt the City wall from Ludgate to Newgate in its
progress west, the wall had proved an effective barrier from
the sharp corner behind Ohristchurch up to Aldersgate and
thence up to Cripplegate, which was the farthest limit reached
by the fire to the north. To the east, the City had fared
better. By the river, indeed, the destruction was complete as

372 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

far as the Towei-. Mark Lane, however, stood, and north
of this the line of destruction swept westward to Leaden Hall,
a massive structure at the entrance to the street that took its
name from it, and proved a bulwark against the flames. From
this point, the line of devastated ground swept round by the
eastern end of Throgmorton Street to the northern end of
Basinghall Street.

Cyril remained with the sailors for two days longer, during
which time they were kept at work beating out the embers
of the fire. In this they were aided by a heavy fall of rain,
which put an end to all fear of the flames springing up again.

"There can be no need for you to remain longer with us,
Sir Cyril," Captain Warncliffe said, at the end of the second
day. " I shall have pleasure in reporting to the Duke of
Albemarle the good services that you have rendered. Doubtless
we shall remain on duty here for some time, for we may have,
for aught I know, to aid in the clearing away of some of
the ruins ; but, at any rate, there can be no occasion for you
to stay longer with us.

Cyril afterwards learnt that the sailors and dockyard men
were, on the following day, sent back to Chatham. The fire
had rendered so great a number of men homeless and without
means of subsistence, that there was an abundant force on
hand for the clearing away of ruins. Great numbers were
employed by the authorities, while many of the merchants
and traders engaged parties to clear away the ruins of their
dwellings, in order to get at the cellars below, in which they
had, as soon as the danger from fire was perceived, stowed
away the main bulk of their goods. As soon as he was
released from duty, Cyril made his way to the Tower, and,
hiring a boat, was rowed to the Good Venture.

The shipping presented a singular appearance, their sides
being blistered, and in many places completely stripped of
their paint, while in some cases the spars were scorched, and
the sails burnt away. There was lively satisfaction at his
appearance, as he stepped on to the deck of the Good Venture,

AFTER THE FIRE. 373

for, until he did so, he had been unrecognised, so begrimed with
smoke and dust was he.

" We have been wondering about you," Captain Dave said,
as he shook him by the hand, " but I can scarce say we had
become uneasy. We learnt that a large body of seamen and
others were at work blowing up houses, and as you had gone
to offer your services we doubted not that you were employed
with them. Truly you must have been having a rough time
of it, for not only are you dirtier than any scavenger, but
you look utterly worn out and fatigued."

" It was up-hill work the first twenty-four hours, for we
worked unceasingly, and worked hard, too, I can assure you,
and that well-nigh smothered with smoke and dust. Since
then, our work has been more easy, but no less dirty. In the
three days I have not had twelve hours' sleep altogether."

"I will get a tub of hot water placed in your cabin,"
Captain Watson said, " and should advise you, when you
get out from it, to turn into your bunk at once. No one
shall go near you in the morning until you wake of your
own accord."

Cyril was, however, down to breakfast.

" Now tell us all about the fire," Nellie said, when they had
finished the meal.

" I have nothing to tell you, for I know nothing," Cyril
replied. " Our work was simply pulling down and blowing up
houses. I had scarce time so much as to look at the fire.
However, as I have since been working all round its course, I
can tell you exactly how far it spread."

When he brought his story to a conclusion he said, —

" And now, Captain Dave, what are you thinking of doing ? "

" In the first place, I am going ashore to look at the old
house. As soon as I get can men, I shall clear the ground, and
begin to rebuild it. I have enough laid by to start me again.
I should be like a fish out of water with nothing to see to. I
have the most valuable part of my stock still on hand here on
deck, and if the cellar has proved staunch my loss in goods

374 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

will be small indeed, for the anchors and chains in the yard
will have suffered no damage. But even if the cellar has
caved in, and its contents are destroyed, and if, when I have
rebuilt my house, I find I have not enough left to replenish
my stock, I am sure that I can get credit from the rope- and
sail-makers, and iron-masters with whom I deal."

" Do not trouble yourself about that, Captain Dave," Cyril
said. " You came to my help last time, and it will be my turn
this time. I am sure that I shall have no difficulty in getting
any monies that may be required from Mr. Goldsworthy, and
there is nothing that will give me more pleasure than to see
you established again in the place that was the first where
I ever felt I had a home."

" I hope that it will not be needed, lad," Captain Dave said,
shaking his hand warmly, " but if it should, I will not hesitate
to accept your offer in the spirit in which it is made, and thus
add one more to the obligations that I am under to you."

Cyril went ashore with Captain Dave and John Wilkes.
The wall of the yard was, of course, uninjured, but the gate
was burnt down. The store-house, which was of wood, had
entirely disappeared, and the back wall of the house had
fallen over it and the yard. The entrance to the cellar,
therefore, could not be seen, and, as yet, the heat from the
fallen bricks was too great to attempt to clear them away
to get at it.

That night, however, it rained heavily, and in the morning
Captain Watson took a party of sailors ashore, and these
succeeded in clearing away the rubbish sufficiently to get to the
entrance of the cellar. The door was covered by an iron plate,
and although the wood behind this was charred it had not
caught fire, and on getting it open it was found that the
contents of the cellar were uninjured.

In order to prevent marauders from getting at it before
preparations could be made for rebuilding, the rubbish was
again thrown in so as to completely conceal the entrance.
On returning on board there was a consultation on the future,

AFTER THE FIRE. 375

held in the cabin. Captain Dave at once said that he and
John( Wilkes must remain in town to make arrangements
for the rebuilding and to watch the performance of the work.
Cyril warmly pressed Mrs. Dowsett and Nellie to come down
with him to Norfolk until the house was ready to receive
them, but both were in favour of remaining in London,
and it was settled that, next day, they should go down to
Stepney, hire a house and store-room there, and remove
thither their goods on board the ship, and the contents of
the cellar.

There was some little difficulty in getting a house, as so
many were seeking for lodgings, but at last they came upon
a widow who was willing to let a house, upon the proviso that
she was allowed to retain one room for her own occupation.
This being settled, Cyril that evening returned to his lodging,
and the next day rode down to Norfolk. There he remained
until the middle of May, when he received a letter from
Captain Dave, saying that his house was finished, and that
they should move into it in a fortnight, and that they all
earnestly hoped he would be present. As he had already been
thinking of going up to London for a time, he decided to
accept the invitation.

By this time he had made the acquaintance of all the
surrounding gentry, and felt perfectly at home at Upmead.
He rode frequently into Norwich, and, whenever he did so,
paid a visit to Mr. Harvey, whose wife had died in January,
never having completely recovered from the shock that she
had received in London. Mr. Harvey himself had aged much ;
he still took a great interest in the welfare of the tenants of
Upmead, and in Cyril's proposals for the improvement of their
homes, and was pleased to see how earnestly he had taken up
the duties of his new life. He spoke occasionally of his son,
of whose death he felt convinced.

"I have never been able to obtain any news of him," he
often said, " and assuredly I should have heard of him had he
been alive.

376 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

" It would ease my mind to know the truth," he said, one
day. " It troubles me to think that, if alive, he is assuredly
pursuing evil courses, and that he will probably end his days
on a gallows. That he will repent, and turn to better courses, I
have now no hope whatever. Unless he be li ving by roguery, he
would, long ere this, have written, professing repentance, even
if he did not feel it, and begging for assistance. It troubles
me much that I can find out nothing for certain of him."

" Would it be a relief to you to know surely that he was
dead ? " Cyril asked.

" I would rather know that he was dead than feel, as I do,
that if alive, he is going on sinning. One can mourn for the
dead as David mourned for Absalom, and trust that their sins
may be forgiven them ; but, uncertain as I am of his death, I
cannot so mourn, since it may be that he still lives."

" Then, sir, I am in a position to set your mind at rest. I
have known for a long time that he died of the Plague, but
I have kept it from you, thinking that it was best you should
still think that he might be living. He fell dead beside me on
the very day that I sickened of the Plague, and, indeed, it
was from him that I took it."

Mr. Harvey remained silent for a minute or two.

" 'Tis better so," he said solemnly. " The sins of youth may
be forgiven, but, had he lived, his whole course might have
been wicked. How know you that it was he who gave you
the Plague?"

" I met him in the street. He was tottering in his walk,
and, as he came up, he stumbled, and grasped me to save
himself. I held him for a moment, and then he slipped from
my arms and fell on the pavement, and died."

Mr. Harvey looked keenly at Cyril, and was about to ask a
question, but checked himself.

" He is dead," he said. " God rest his soul, and forgive him
his sins ! Henceforth I shall strive to forget that he ever
lived to manhood, and seek to remember him as he was when
a child."

AFTER THE FIRE. 377

Then he held out his hand to Cyril, to signify that he would
fain be alone.

On arriving in London, Cyril took up his abode at his
former lodgings, and the next day at twelve o'clock, the hour
appointed in a letter he found awaiting him on his arrival, he
arrived in Tower Street, having ridden through the City. An
army of workmen, who had come up from all parts of the
country, were engaged in rebuilding the town. In the main
thoroughfares many of the houses were already finished, and
the shops re-opened. In other parts less progress had been
made, as the traders were naturally most anxious to resume
their business, and most able to pay for speed.

Captain Dave's was one of the first houses completed in
Tower Street, but there were many others far advanced in
progress. The front differed materially from that of the old
house, in which each story had projected beyond the one below
it. Inside, however, there was but little change in its ap-
pearance, except that the rooms were somewhat more lofty,
and that there were no heavy beams across the ceilings.
Captain Dave and his family had moved in that morning.

" It does not look quite like the old place," Mrs. Dowsett
said, after the first greetings.

" Not quite," Cyril agreed. " The new furniture, of course,
gives it a different appearance as yet ; but one will soon get
accustomed to that, and you will quickly make it home-like
again. I see you have the bits of furniture you saved in their
old corners."

" Yes ; and it will make a great difference when they get
all my curiosities up in their places again," Captain Dave
put in. " We pulled them down anyhow, and some of them
will want glueing up a bit. And so your fighting is over,
Cyril?"

"Yes, it looks like it. The Dutch have evidently had
enough of it. They asked for peace, and as both parties
consented to the King of Sweden being mediator, and our
representatives and those of Holland are now settling affairs

378 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

at Breda, peace may be considered as finally settled. We
have only two small squadrons now afloat ; the rest are all
snugly laid up. I trust that there is no chance of another
war between the two nations for years to come."

" I hope not, Cyril. But De Witte is a crafty knave, and
is ever in close alliance with Louis. Were it not for French
influence the Prince of Orange would soon oust him from the
head of affairs."

" I should think he would not have any power for mischief
in the future," Cyril said. " It was he who brought on the
last war, and, although it has cost us much, it has cost the
Dutch very much more, and the loss of her commerce has well-
nigh brought Holland to ruin. Besides, the last victory we
won must have lowered their national pride greatly."

" You have not heard the reports that are about, then ? "

" No, I have heard no news whatever. It takes a long
time for it to travel down to Norwich, and I have seen no one
since I came up to town last night."

" Well, there is a report that a Dutch fleet of eighty sail
has put to sea. It may be that 'tis but bravado to show that,
though they have begged for peace, 'tis not because they are
in no condition to fight. I know not how this may be, but
it is certain that for the last three days the Naval people
have been very busy, and that powder is being sent down
to Chatham. As for the Fleet, small as it is, it is doubtful
whether it would fight, for the men are in a veritable state
of mutiny, having received no pay for many months. More-
over, several ships were but yesterday bought by Government,
for what purpose it is not known, but it is conjectured they
are meant for fire-ships."

" I cannot but think that it is, as you say, a mere piece of
bravado on the part of the Dutch, Captain Dave. They could
never be so treacherous as to attack us when peace is well-
nigh concluded, but, hurt as their pride must be by the defeat
we gave them, it is not unnatural they should wish to
show that they can still put a brave fleet on the seas, and

AFTER THE FIRE. 379

are not driven to make peace because they could not, if need
be, continue the war." »

" And now I have a piece of news for you. We are going
to have a wedding here before long."

" I am right glad to hear it," Cyril said heartily. " And
who is the happy man, Nellie ? " he asked, turning towards
where she had been standing the moment before. But Nellie
had fled the moment her father had opened his lips.

" It is Frank Watson," her father said. " A right good lad ;
and her mother and I are well pleased with her choice."

" I thought that he was very attentive the few days we
were on board his father's ship," Cyril said. " I am not
surprised to hear the news."

" They have been two voyages since then, and while the
Good Venture was in the Pool, Master Frank spent most of his
time down at Stepney, and it was settled a fortnight since.
My old friend Watson is as pleased as I am. And the best
part of the business is that Frank is going to give up the sea
and become my partner. His father owns the Good Venture,
and, being a careful man, has laid by a round sum, and he
settled to give him fifteen hundred pounds, which he will put
into the business."

"That is a capital plan, Captain Dave. It will be an
excellent thing for you to have so young and active a partner."

" Watson has bought the house down at Stepney that we
have been living in, and Frank and Nellie are going to settle
there, and Watson will make it his headquarters when his
ship is in port, and will, I have no doubt, take up his
moorings there, when he gives up the sea. The wedding is to
be in a fortnight's time, for Watson has set his heart on seeing
them spliced before he sails again, and I see no reason for delay.
You must come to the wedding, of course, Cyril. Indeed,
I don't think Nellie would consent to be married if you were
not there. The girl has often spoken of you lately. You see,
now that she really knows what love is, and has a quiet,
happy life to look forward to, she feels more than ever the

380 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

service you did her, and the escape she had. She told the
whole story to Frank before she* said yes, when he asked her
to be his wife, and, of course, he liked her no less for it, though
I think it would go hard with that fellow if he ever met him."

" The fellow died of the Plague, Captain Dave. His last
action was to try and revenge himself on me by giving me
the infection, for, meeting me in the streets, he threw his
arms round me and exclaimed, ' I have given you the Plague ! "
They were the last words he ever spoke, for he gave a hideous
laugh, and then dropped down dead. However, he spoke
truly, for that night I sickened of it."

" Then your kindness to Nellie well-nigh cost you your life,"
Mrs. Dowsett said, laying her hand on his shoulder, while the
tears stood in her eyes. " And you never told us this before ! "

" There was nothing to tell," Cyril replied. " If I had not
caught it from him, I should have, doubtless, taken it from
some one else, for I was constantly in the way of it, and could
hardly have hoped to escape an attack. Now, Captain Dave,
let us go downstairs, and see the store."

" John Wilkes and the two boys are at work there," the
Captain said, as he went downstairs, " and we open our doors
to-morrow. I have hurried on the house as fast as possible,
and as no others in my business have yet opened, I look
to do a thriving trade at once. Watson will send all his
friends here, and as there is scarce a captain who goes in or
out of port but knows Frank, I consider that our new partner
will greatly extend the business."

Captain Watson and Frank came in at supper-time, and,
after spending a pleasant evening, Cyril returned to his
lodgings in the Strand. The next day he was walking near
Whitehall when a carriage dashed out at full speed, and, as
it came along, he caught sight of the Duke of Albemarle, who
looked in a state of strange confusion. His wig was awry, his
coat was off, and his face was flushed and excited. As his
eye fell on Cyril, he shouted out to the postillions to stop.
As they pulled up, he shouted, —

AFTER THE FIRE. 381

" Jump in, Sir Cyril ! Jump in, for your life."

Astonished at this address, Cyril ran to the door, opened
it, and jumped in, and the Duke shouted to the postillions
to go on.

" What do you think, sir ? — what do you thiuk ? " roared the
Duke. " Those treacherous scoundrels, the Dutch, have
appeared with a great Fleet of seventy men-of-war, besides
fire-ships, off Sheerness, this morning at daybreak, and have
taken the place, and Chatham lies open to them. We have
been bamboozled and tricked. While the villains were pre-
tending they were all for peace, they have been secretly
fitting out, and there they are at Sheerness. A mounted
messenger brought in the news, but ten minutes ago.

" Have they taken Sheerness, sir ? "

" Yes ; there were but six guns mounted on the fort, and no
preparations made. The ships that were there did nothing.
The rascals are in mutiny — and small wonder, when they can
get no pay, the money voted for them being wasted by the
Court. It is enough to drive one wild with vexation, and, had
I my will, there are a dozen men, whose names are the foremost
in the country, whom I would hang up with my own hands.
The wind is from the east, and if they go straight up the
Medway they may be there this afternoon, and have the whole
of our ships at their mercy. It is enough to make Blake turn
in his grave that such an indignity should be offered us, though
it be but the outcome of treachery on the part of the Dutch, and
of gross negligence on ours. But if they give us a day or two
to prepare, we will, at least, give them something to do before
they can carry out their design, and, if one could but rely on
the sailors, we might even beat them off; but it is doubtful
whether the knaves will fight. The forts are unfinished,
though the money was voted for them three years since.
And all this is not the worst of it, for, after they have
taken Chatham, there is naught to prevent their coming up
to London. We have had plague and we have had fire, and
to be bombarded by the Dutchmen would be the crowning

382 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

blow, and it would be like to bring about another revolution
in England."

They posted down to Chatham as fast as the horses could
gallop. The instant the news had arrived, the Duke had sent
off a man, on horseback, to order horses to be in readiness to
change at each posting station. Not a minute, therefore, was
lost. In a little over two hours from the time of leaving
Whitehall, they drove into the dockyard.

" Where is Sir Edward Spragge 1 " the Duke shouted, as he
leapt from the carriage.

" He has gone down to the new forts, your Grace," an
officer replied.

" Have a gig prepared at once, without the loss of a moment,"
the Duke said. " What is being done 1 " he asked another
officer, as the first ran off.

" Sir Edward has taken four frigates down to the narrow
part of the river, sir, and preparations have been made for
placing a great chain there. Several of the ships are being towed
out into the river, and are to be sunk in the passage."

"Any news of the Dutch having left Sheerness? "

" No, sir ; a shallop rowed up at noon, but was chased back
again by one of our pinnaces."

" That is better than I had hoped. Come, come, we shall
make a fight for it yet," and he strode away towards the
landing.

" Shall I accompany you, sir ? " Cyril asked.

" Yes. There is nothing for you to do until we see exactly
how things stand. I shall use you as my staff officer — that is,
if you are willing, Sir Cyril. I have carried you off without
asking whether you consented or no ; but, knowing your spirit
and quickness, I felt sure you would be of use."

" I am at your service altogether," Cyril said, " and am
glad indeed that your Grace encountered me, for I should have
been truly sorry to have been idle at such a time."

An eight-oared gig was already at the stairs, and they were
rowed rapidly down the river. They stopped at Upnor Castle,

AFTER THE FIRE. 383

and found that Major Scott, who was in command there, was
hard at work mounting cannon and putting the place in a
posture of defence.

" You will have more men from London by to-morrow night,
at the latest," the Duke said, " and powder and shot in abund-
ance was sent off yesterday. We passed a train on our way
down, and I told them to push on with all speed. As the
Dutch have not moved yet, they cannot be here until the
afternoon of to-morrow, and, like enough, will not attack until
next day, for they must come slowly, or they will lose some of
their ships on the sands. We will try to get up a battery
opposite, so as to aid you with a cross fire. I am going down
to see Sir Edward Spragge now."

Taking their places in the boat again, they rowed round
the horseshoe curve down to Gillingham, and then along to
the spot where the frigates were moored. At the sharp bend
lower down here the Duke found the Admiral, and they held
a long consultation together. It was agreed that the chain
should be placed somewhat higher up, where a lightly-armed
battery on either side would afford some assistance, that
behind the chain the three ships, the Matthias, the Unity, and
the Charles V., all prizes taken from the Dutch, should be
moored, and that the Jonathan and Fort of Honinggen — also
a Dutch prize — should be also posted there.

Having arranged this, the Duke was rowed back to Chatham,
there to see about getting some of the great ships removed
from their moorings off Gillingham, up the river. To his fury,
he found that, of all the eighteen hundred men employed in the
yard, not more than half a dozen had remained at their work,
the rest being, like all the townsmen, occupied in removing
their goods in great haste. Even the frigates that were armed
had but a third, at most, of their crews on board, so many
having deserted owing to the backwardness of their pay.

That night, Sir W. Coventry, Sir W. Penn, Lord Brounker,
and other officers and officials of the Admiralty, came down
from London. Some of these, especially Lord Brounker, had

384 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

a hot time of it with the Duke, who rated them roundly for
the state of things which prevailed, telling the latter that he
was the main cause of all the misfortunes that might occur,
owing to his having dismantled and disarmed all the great
ships. In spite of the efforts of all these officers, but little
could be done, owing to the want of hands, and to the refusal
of the dockyard men, and most of the sailors, to do anything.
A small battery of sandbags was, however, erected opposite
Upnor, and a few guns placed in position there.

Several ships were sunk in the channel above Upnor, and
a few of those lying off Gillingham were towed up. Little
help was sent down from London, for the efforts of the
authorities were directed wholly to the defence of the Thames.
The train-bands were all under arms, fire-ships were being
fitted out and sent down to Gravesend, and batteries erected
there and at Tilbury, while several ships were sunk in the
channel.

The Dutch remained at Sheerness from the 7th to the 12th,
and had it not been for the misconduct of the men, Chatham
could have been put into a good state for defence. As it was,
but little could be effected ; and when, on the 12th, the Dutch
Fleet were seen coming up the river, the chances of successful
resistance were small.

The fight commenced by a Dutch frigate, commanded by
Captain Brakell, advancing against the chain. Carried up by
a strong tide and east wind the ship struck it with such force
that it at once gave way. The English frigates, but weakly
manned, could offer but slight resistance, and the Jonathan
was boarded and captured by Brakell. Following his frigate
were a host of fire-ships, which at once grappled with the
defenders. The Matthias, Unity, Charles V,, and Fort of
Honinggen were speedily in flames. The light batteries on
the shore were silenced by the guns of the Fleet, which then
anchored. The next day, six of their men-of-war, with five
fire-ships, advanced, exchanged broadsides, as they went along,
with the Royal Oak and presently engaged Upnor. They

AFTER THE FIRE. 385

were received with so hot a fire from the Castle, and from the
battery opposite, where Sir Edward Spragge had stationed
himself, that, after a time, they gave up the design of ascending
to the dockyard, which at that time occupied a position
higher up the river than at present.

The tide was beginning to slacken, and they doubtless feared
that a number of fire-barges might be launched at them did
they venture higher up. On the way back, they launched a
fire-ship at the Royal Oak, which was commanded by Captain
Douglas. The flames speedily communicated to the ship, and
the crew took to the boats and rowed ashore. Captain Douglas
refused to leave his vessel, and perished in the flames. The
report given by the six men-of-war decided the Dutch not
to attempt anything further against Chatham. On the 14th,
they set fire to the hulks, the Loyal London and the Great
James, and carried off the hulk of the Royal Charles, after the
English had twice tried to destroy her by fire. As this was the
ship in which the Duke of Albemarle, then General Monk, had
brought the King over to England from Holland, her capture
was considered a special triumph for the Dutch and a special
dishonour to us.

The Duke of Albemarle had left Chatham before the
Dutch came up. As the want of crews prevented his being
of any use there, and he saw that Sir Edward Spragge
would do all that was possible in defence of the place, he
posted back to London, where his presence was urgently re-
quired, a complete panic reigning. Crowds assembled at
Whitehall, and insulted the King and his ministers as the
cause of the present misfortunes, while at Deptford and
Wapping, the sailors and their wives paraded the streets,
shouting that the ill-treatment of our sailors had brought
these things about, and so hostile were their manifestations
that the officials of the Admiralty scarce dared show them-
selves in the streets.

Cyril had remained at Chatham, the Duke having recom-
mended him to Sir Edward Spragge, and he, with some other

( 948 ) 2 B

386 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

gentlemen and a few sailors, had manned the battery opposite
Upnor.

The great proportion of the Dutch ships were still at the
Nore, as it would have been dangerous to have hazarded so
great a fleet in the narrow water of the Medway. As it was,
two of their men-of-war, on the way back from Chatham, ran
ashore, and had to be burnt. They had also six fire-ships
burnt, and lost over a hundred and fifty men.

Leaving Admiral Van Ness with part of the Fleet in the
mouth of the Thames, De Ruyter sailed first for Harwich,
where he attempted to land with sixteen hundred men in boats,
supported by the guns of the Fleet. The boats, however, failed
to effect a landing, being beaten off, with considerable loss, by
the county Militia ; and Ruyter then sailed for Portsmouth,
where he also failed. He then went west to Torbay, where he
was likewise repulsed, and then returned to the mouth of the
Thames.

On July 23rd, Van Ness, with twenty-five men-of-war, sailed
up the Hope, where Sir Edward Spragge had now hoisted
his flag on board a squadron of eighteen ships, of whom five
were frigates and the rest fire-ships. A sharp engagement
ensued, but the wind was very light, and the English, by
towing their fire-ships, managed to lay them alongside the
Dutch fire-ships, and destroyed twelve of these with a loss of
only six English ships. But, the wind then rising, Sir Edward
retired from the Hope to Gravesend, where he was protected
by the guns at Tilbury.

The next day, being joined by Sir Joseph Jordan, with a few
small ships, he took the offensive, and destroyed the last fire-
ship that the Dutch had left, and compelled the men-of-war
to retire. Sir Edward followed them with his little squadron,
and Van Ness, as he retired down the river, was met by five
frigates and fourteen fire-ships from: Harwich. These boldly
attacked him. Two of the Dutch men-of-war narrowly escaped
being burnt, another was forced ashore and greatly damaged,
and the whole of the Dutch Fleet was compelled to bear away.

AFTER THE FIRE. 387

While these events had been happening in the Thames, the
negotiations at Breda had continued, and, just as the Dutch
retreated, the news came that Peace had been signed. The
Dutch, on their side, were satisfied with the success with which
they had closed the war, while England was, at the moment,
unable to continue it, and the King, seeing the intense
unpopularity that had been excited against him by the affair
at Chatham, was glad to ratify the Peace, especially as we
thereby retained possession of several islands we had taken in
the West Indies from the Dutch, and it was manifest that
Spain was preparing to join the coalition of France and Holland
against us.

A Peace concluded under such circumstances was naturally
but a short one. When the war was renewed, three years
later, the French were in alliance with us, and, after several
more desperate battles, in which no great advantages were
gained on either side, the Dutch were so exhausted and im-
poverished by the loss of trade, that a final Peace was arranged
on terms far more advantageous to us than those secured by
the Treaty of 1667. The De Wittes, the authors of the previous
wars, had both been killed in a popular tumult. The Prince
of Orange was at the head of the State, and the fact that
France and Spain were both hostile to Holland had re-
awakened the feeling of England in favour of the Protestant
Republic, and the friendship between the two nations has
never since been broken.

Cyril took no part in the last war against the Dutch. He,
like the majority of the nation, was opposed to it, and, although
willing to give his life in defence of his country when attacked,
felt it by no means his duty to do so when we were aiding the
designs of France in crushing a brave enemy. Such was in
fact the result of the war ; for although peace was made on
even terms, the wars of Holland with England and the ruin
caused to her trade thereby, inflicted a blow upon the
Republic from which she never recovered. From being the
great rival of England, both on the sea and in her foreign

388 WHEN LONDON BURNED.

commerce, her prosperity and power dwindled until she ceased
altogether to be a factor in European affairs.

After the Peace of Breda was signed, Cyril went down to
Upmead, where, for the next four years, he devoted himself to
the management of his estate. His friendship with Mr.
Harvey grew closer and warmer, until the latter came to con-
sider him in really the light of a son ; and when he died, in
1681, it was found that his will was unaltered, and that, with
the exception of legacies to many of his old employes at his
factory, the whole of his property was left to Cyril. The
latter received a good offer for the tanyard, and, upon an
estate next to his own coming shortly afterwards into the
market, he purchased it, and thus the Upmead estates became
as extensive as they had been before the time of his ancestor, who
had so seriously diminished them during the reign of Elizabeth.

His friendship with the family of the Earl of Wisbech had
remained unaltered, and he had every year paid them a visit,
either at Wisbech or at Sevenoaks. A year after Mr. Harvey's
death, he married Dorothy, who had previously refused several
flattering offers.

Captain Dave and his wife lived to a good old age. The
business had largely increased, owing to the energy of their
son-in-law, who had, with his wife and children, taken up his
abode in the next house to theirs, which had been bought to
meet the extension of their business. John Wilkes, at the
death of Captain Dave, declined CyrD's pressing offer to make
his home with him.

" It would never do, Sir Cyril," he said. " I should be miser-
able out of the sight of ships, and without a place where I
could meet seafaring men, and smoke my pipe, and listen to
their yarns."

He therefore remained with Frank Watson, nominally in
charge of the stores, but doing, in fact, as little as he chose until,
long past the allotted age of man, he passed quietly away.

THE END.

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The Dash fOP KhaPtOUm : A Tale of the Nile Expedition.
By G. A. HENTY. With 10 page Illustrations by J. SCHONBERG and
J. NASH, and 4 Plans. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 6s.

" It is literally true that the narrative never flags a moment ; for the incidents
which fall to be recorded after the dash for Khartoum has been made and failed
are quite as interesting as those which precede it."-- Academy.

The Lion Of St. Mark: A Tale of Venice in the Fourteenth
Century. By G. A. HENTY. With 10 page Illustrations by GORDON
BROWNE. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 6*.
" Every boy should read The Lion of St. Mark. Mr. Henty has never produced
any story more delightful, more wholesome, or more vivacious. From first to
last it will be read with keen enjoyment."— The Saturday Review.

By England's Aid : The Freeing of the Netherlands (1585-
1604). By G. A. HENTY. With 10 page Illustrations by ALFRED
PEARSE, and 4 Maps. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 6s.
"The story is told with great animation, and the historical material is most

effectively combined with a most excellent plot."— Saturday Review.

With Lee in Virginia: A Story of the American Civil
War. By G. A. HENTY. With 10 page Illustrations by GORDON
BROWNE, and 6 Maps. Crown Svo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 6s.

" The story is a capital one and full of variety, and presents us with many
picturesque scenes of Southern life. Young Wingfleld, who is conscientious,
spirited, and ' hard as nails', would have been a man after the very heart of
Stonewall Jackson." — Times.

By Pike and Dyke: A Tale of the Eise of the Dutch Re-
public. By G. A. HENTY. With 10 page Illustrations by MAYNARD
BROWN, and 4 Maps. Crown Svo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 6s.
"The mission of Ned to deliver letters from William the Silent to his adherents

at Brussels, the flght of the Good Venture with the Spanish man-of-war, the battle

on the ice at Amsterdam, the siege of Haarlem, are all told with a vividness and

skill which are worthy of Mr. Henty at his best." — Academy.

BLACKIE cfc SOX'S BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.

BY G. A. HENTY.

'Surely Mr. Henty should understand boys' tastes better than any man living."

— The Times.

Reduced Illustration from "St. Bartholomew's Eve".

St. Bartholomew's Eve: A Tale of the Huguenot Wars.
By G. A. HENTY. With 12 page Illustrations by H. J. DRAPER,
and a Map. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 6s.

"A really noble story, which adult readers will find to the full as satisfying as
the boys. Lucky boys! to have such a caterer as Mr. G. A. Henty."— Black and
White.

With Clive in India: Or, The Beginnings of an Empire.
By G. A. HKNTY. With 12 page Illustrations by GORDON BROWNE.
Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 6s.

"Among writers of stories of adventure for boys Mr. Henty stands in the very
first rank. Those who know something about India will be the most ready to
thank Mr. Henty for giving them this instructive volume to place in the hands
of their children." — Academy.

BLACKIE & SON'S BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.

BY G. A. HENTY.

" Among writers of stories of adventure for boys Mr. Henty stands in the very
first rank. " — Academy.

Under Drake's Flag: A Tale of the Spanish Main. By
G. A. HENTY. Illustrated by 12 page Pictures by GORDON BROWNE.
Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 6s.

"There is not a dull chapter, nor, indeed, a dull page in the book; but the
author has so carefully worked up his subject that the exciting deeds of his
heroes are never incongruous or absurd."— Observer.

Bonnie Prince Charlie : A Tale of Fontenoy and Culloden.
By G. A. HENTY. With 12 page Illustrations by GORDON BROWNE.
Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 6s.

"Ronald, the hero, is very like the hero of Quentin Dunvard. The lad's
journey across France with his faithful attendant Malcolm, and his hairbreadth
escapes from the machinations of his father's enemies, make up as good a
narrative of the kind as we have ever read. For freshness of treatment and
variety of incident, Mr. Henty has here surpassed himself."— Spectator.

For the Temple: A Tale of the Fall of Jerusalem. By
G. A. HENTY. With 10 page Illustrations by S. J. SOLOMON, and
a Coloured Map. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 6s.

" Mr. Henty's graphic prose pictures of the hopeless Jewish resistance to Roman
sway adds another leaf to his record of the famous wars of the world. The book
is one of Mr. Henty's cleverest efforts."— Graphic.

True tO the Old Flag: A Tale of the American War of
Independence. By G. A. HENTY. With 12 page Illustrations by
GORDON BROWNE. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 6s.

"Does justice to the pluck and determination of the British soldiers. The son
of an American loyalist, who remains true to our flag, falls among the hostile red-
skins in that very Huron country which has been endeared to us by the exploits
of Hawkeye and Chingachgook."— The Times.

The Lion Of the North : A Tale of Gustavus Adolphus and
the Wars of Religion. By G. A. HENTY. With 12 page Pictures
by J. SCHONBERG. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 6s.

"A praiseworthy attempt to interest British youth in the great deeds of the
Scotch Brigade in the wars of Gustavus Adolphus. Mackay, Hepburn, and Munro
live again in Mr. Henty's pages, as those deserve to live whose disciplined bands
formed really the germ of the modern British army." — Athenaeum.

The Young Carthaginian: A story of the Times of

Hannibal. By G. A. HENTY. With 12 page Illustrations by C. J.
STANILAND, R.I. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 6s.

"The effect of an interesting story, well constructed and vividly told, is en-
hanced by the picturesque quality of the scenic background. From first to last
nothing stays the interest of the narrative. It bears us along as on a stream,
whose current varies in direction, but never loses its force." — Saturday Revieiv.

BLACKIE & SON'S BOOKS FOR YOUNG- PEOPLE.

BY G. A. HENTY.

'Mr. Henty is the king of story-tellers for boys."— Sword and Trowel.

Reduced Illustration from Hmty's "Redskin and Cow-boy*.

Redskin and COW-bOy : A Tale of the Western Plains. By
G. A. HENTY. With 12 page Illustrations by ALFRED PEARSE.
Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 6s.

" It has a good plot ; it abounds in action ; the scenes are equally spirited and
realistic, and we can only say we have read it with much pleasure from first to
last. The pictures of life on a cattle ranche are most graphically painted, as are
the manners of the reckless but jovial cow-boys." — Times.

In Freedom's Cause : A Story of Wallace and Bruce. By
Gr. A. HENTV. With 12 page Illustrations by GORDON BROWNE.
Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 6s.

"Mr. Henty has broken new ground as an historical novelist. His tale of the
days of Wallace and Bruce is full of stirring action, and will commend itself to
boys. "— A thenceum.

6 BLACKIK & SOX'S BOOKS FOR YOUSG PEOPLE.

BY G. A. HENTY.

" Mr. Henty is one of our most successful writers of historical tales." — Scotsman.

By Right Of Conquest : Or, With Cortez in Mexico. By
G. A. HENTY. With 10 page Illustrations by W. S. STAGEY, and
2 Maps. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 6s.

"By Right of Conquest is the nearest approach to a perfectly successful histori-
cal tale that Mr. Henty has yet published." — Academy.

In Greek Waters: A Story of the Grecian War of Inde-
pendence (1821-1827). By G. A. HENTY. With 12 page Illus-
trations by W. S. STAGEY, and a Map. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant,
olivine edges, 6s.

"There are adventures of all kinds for the hero and his friends, whose pluck
and ingenuity in extricating themselves from awkward fixes are always equal to
the occasion. It is an excellent story, and if the proportion of history is smaller
than usual, the whole result leaves nothing to he desired."— Journal of Education.

Through the Fray: A Story of the Luddite Riots. By
G. A. HENTY. With 12 page Illustrations by H. M. PAGET. Crown
8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 6s.

" Mr. Henty inspires a love and admiration for straightforwardness, truth, and
courage. This is one of the best of the many good hooks Mr. Henty has produced,
and deserves to be classed with his Facing Death."— Standard.

Captain Bayley'S Heir: A Tale of the Gold Fields of Cali-
fornia. By G. A. HENTY. With 12 page Illustrations by H. M.
PAGET. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 6s.

"A Westminster hoy who makes his way in the world by hard work, good
temper, and unfailing courage. The descriptions given of life are just what a
healthy intelligent lad should delight in." — St. James's Gazette.

In the Heart Of the Rockies: A Story of Adventure in

Colorado. By G. A. HENTY. With 8 page Illustrations by G. C.

HINDLEY. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 5s.

From first to last this is a story of splendid hazard. The hero, Tom

Wade, goes out to his uncle in Colorado, who is a hunter and gold-digger.

Going in quest of a gold mine the little band is spied by Indians, chased

across the Bad Lands, and overwhelmed by a snow-storm in the mountains,

where they camp all winter. They build two canoes and paddle down the

terrible gorges of the Rocky Mountains, with many an upset on the way

and the instant danger of bloodthirsty Indians shooting from the banks.

After many perils they reach Fort Mojarve and safety, and the reader

finds that the record of this most daring journey has closed all too soon.

One Of the 28th : A Tale of Waterloo. By G. A. HENTY.

With 8 page Illustrations by W. H. OVEEEND, and 2 Maps. Crown

8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 5s.

" Written with Homeric vigour and heroic inspiration. It is graphic, pictur-
esque, and dramatically effective . . . shows us Mr. Henty at his best and
brightest. The adventures will hold a boy of a winter's night enthralled as he
rushes through them with breathless interest 'from cover to cover '."— Observer.

BLACKIE tfc SOy'S BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.

BY G. A. HENTY.

"No more interesting boys' books are written than Mr. Henty's stories."—

Daily Chronicle.

The Cat Of BubasteS: A Story of Ancient Egypt. By
G. A. HENTY. With 8 page Illustrations by J. R. WEGUELIN.
Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 5s.

"The story, from the critical moment of the killing of the sacred cat to the
perilous exodus into Asia with which it closes, is very skilfully constructed and
full of exciting adventures. It is admirably illustrated."— Saturday Review.

Maori and Settler: A Story of the New Zealand War. By
G. A. HENTY. With 8 page Illustrations by ALFRED PEARSE, and
a Map. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 5s.

"It is a book which all young people, but especially boys, will read with
avidity." — Athenaeum.

" A first-rate book for boys, brimful of adventure, of humorous and interesting
conversation, and of vivid pictures of colonial life." — Schoolmaster.

St. George for England: A Tale of Cressy and Poitiers.
By G. A. HENTY. With 8 full-page Illustrations by GORDON
BROWNE. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 5s.

" A story of very great interest for boys. In his own forcible style the author
has endeavoured to show that determination and enthusiasm can accomplish mar-
vellous results; and that courage is generally accompanied by magnanimity and
gentleness." — Pall Mall Gazette.

The Bravest Of the Brave : With Peterborough in Spain.
By G. A. HENTY. With 8 full-page Pictures by H. M. PAGET.
Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 5s.

" Mr. Henty never loses sight of the moral purpose of his work— to enforce the
doctrine of courage and truth, mercy and lovingkindness, as indispensable to the
making of an English gentleman. British lads will read The Bravest of the
Brave with pleasure and profit; of that we are quite sure."— -Daily Telegraph.

For Name and Fame: Or, Through Afghan Passes. By
G. A. HENTY. With 8 full-page Illustrations by GORDON BROWNE.
Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 5s.

"Not only a rousing story, replete with all the varied forms of excitement of a
campaign, but, what is still more useful, an account of a territory and its inhabi-
tants which must for a long time possess a supreme interest for Englishmen, as
being the key to our Indian Empire."— Glasgou' Herald.

A JaCObite Exile : Being the Adventures of a Young English-
man in the Service of Charles XII. of Sweden. By G. A. HENTY.
With 8 page Illustrations by PAUL HARDY, and a Map. Crown
8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 5s.

" Incident succeeds incident, and adventure is piled upon adventure, and at the
end the reader, be he boy or man, will have experienced breathless enjoyment
in a romantic story that must have taught him much at its close." — Army and
Navy Gazette.

8 BLACKIE <k SON'S BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.

BY G. A. HENTY.

"Ask for Henty, and see that you get him."— Punch.

Condemned as a Nihilist : A Story of Escape from Siberia.

By G. A. HKNTY. With 8 page Illustrations by WALTER PAGET.

Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 5s.

"The best of this year's Henty. His narrative is more interesting than many
of the tales with which the public is familiar, of escape from Siberia, Despite
their superior claim to authenticity these tales are without doubt no less fic-
titious than Mr.- Henty 's, aiid he beats them hollow in the matter of sensations."
— National Observer.

Orange and Green: A Tale of the Boyue and Limerick.
By G. A. HENTY. With 8 full -page Illustrations by GORDON
BROWNE. Crown Svo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 5*.

"The narrative is free from the vice of prejudice, ami ripples with life as
vivacious as if what is being described were really passing before the eye. ...
Should be in the hands of every young student of Irish history."— Belfast News.

Held Fast for England: A Tale of the Siege of Gibraltar.
By G. A. HENTY. With 8 page Illustrations by GORDON BROWNE.
Crown Svo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, ,5s.

"Among them we would place first in interest and wholesome educational
value the story of the siege of Gibraltar. . . . There is no cessation of exciting
incident throughout the story."— Athenceum.

In the Reign Of Terror : The Adventures of a Westminster
Boy. By G. A. HENTY. With 8 full -page Illustrations by J.
SCHO'NBERG. Crown Svo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 5s.
" Harry Sandwith, the Westminster boy, may fairly be said to beat Mr. Henty's

record. His adventures will delight boys by the audacity and peril they depict.

The story is one of Mr. Henty's best."— Saturday Review.

By Sheer PlUCk: A Tale of the Ashaiiti War. By G. A.

HENTY. With 8 full-page Pictures by GORDON BROWNE. Crown

Svo, 'cloth elegant, olivine edges, 5s.

"Morally, the book is everything that could be desired, setting before the boys
a bright and bracing ideal of the English gentleman."— Christian Leader.

The Dragon and the Raven: Or, The Days of King

Alfred. By G. A HENTY. With 8 page Illustrations by C. J.

STANILAND, R.I. Crown Svo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 5s.
" A story that may justly be styled remarkable. Boys, in reading it, will be
surprised to find how Alfred persevered, through years of bloodshed and times
of peace, to rescue his people from the thraldom of the Danes. We hope the
book will soon be widely known in all our schools."— Schoolmaster.

A Final Reckoning: A Tale of Bush Life in Australia.

By G. A. HENTY. With 8 page Illustrations by W. B. WOLLEN.

Crown Svo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 5s.

" AU- lx>ys will read this story with eager and unflagging interest. The episodes
are iu Mr, Henty's very best vein — graphic, exciting, realistic; and, as in all Mr.
Henty's books, the tendency is to the formation of an honourable, manly, and
even heroic character."— Birmingham Post.

BLACKIB cfc SON'S BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.

BY G. A. HENTY.

"Mr. Henty's books are always alive with moving incident."— Review of Reviews.

Facing Death : Or, The Hero of the Vaughan Pit. A Tale of
the Coal Mines. By
G. A. HENTY. With
8 page Pictures by
GOKDON BROWNE.
Crown 8vo, cloth
elegant, olivine edges,
Us.

" If any father, godfather,
clergyman, or schoolmaster is
on the look-out for a good
book to give as a present to a
boy who is worth his salt, this
is the book we would recom-
mend. "—Standard.

A Chapter of Ad-
ventures : Or,

Through the Bom-
bardment of Alex-
andria. By G. A.
HENTY. With 6 page
Illustrations by W.
H. OVBKEND. Crown
8vo, cloth elegant,
3s. 6d,

"Jack Robsou aud his two
companions have their fill of
excitement, and their chapter
of adventures is so brisk and
entertaining we could have
wished it longer than it is." —
Saturday Review.

TWO Thousand Years AgO: Or, The Adventures of a Roman
Boy. By Professor A. J. CHURCH. With 12 page Illustrations by
ADRIEN MARIE. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 6s.

"Adventures well worth the telling. The book is extremely entertaining as
well as useful, and there is a wouderful freshness in the Roman scenes and
characters." — The Times.

Reduced Illustration from " The Clever
Miss Follett "

The Clever Miss Follett. By J. K. H. DENNY. With

12 page Illustrations by GERTRUDE D. HAMMOND. Crown 8vo,
cloth elegant, olivine edges, 6s.

"Just the book to give to girls, who will delight both in the letterpress and
the illustrations. Miss Hammond has never done better work."— Review of
Reviews.

10 BLACKIE it- SOU'S BOOKS FOR YOUSG PEOPLE.

BY ROSA MULHOLLAND.

Banshee Castle. By ROSA MULHOLLAND. With 12 page
Illustrations by JOHN H. BACON. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant,
olivine edges, 6s.

This story deals with the adventures of three girls who, with an old
governess, migrate from Kensington to the West of Ireland. Belonging
as they do to "the ould family" at the castle, the three girls are made
heartily walcome in the cabins of the peasantry, where they learn many
weird and curious tales from the folk-lore of the district. There is also
an interesting plot running through the narrative, but it is by reason of
its happy mingling of Irish humour and pathos that this story holds the
reader charmed to the end.

Giannetta : A Girl's Story of Herself. By ROSA MULHOLLAND.
With 8 page Illustrations by LOCKHABT BOGLE. Crown 8vo, cloth
elegant, olivine edges, 5s.

" Giannetta is a true heroine— warm-hearted, self-sacrificing, and, as all good
women nowadays are, largely touched with the enthusiasm of humanity. One
of the most attractive gift-books of the season."— The Academy.

A Fair Claimant: Being a Story for Girls. By FRANCES
ARMSTRONG. With 8 page Illustrations by GERTRUDE D. HAMMOND.
Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 5s.

" As a gift-book for big girls it is among the best new books of the kind. The
story is interesting and natural, from first to last." — Westminster Gazette.

The Heiress Of Courtleroy. By ANNE BEALE. Witli 8
page Illustrations by T. C. H. CASTLE. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant,
olivine edges, 5s.

"We can speak highly of the grace with which Miss Beale relates how the
young ' Heiress of Courtleroy ' had such good influence over her uncle as to win
him from his intensely selfish ways." — Guardian.

The White Conquerors of Mexico : A Tale of Toitec and

Aztec. By KIRK MUNROE. With 8 page Illustrations by W. S.
STACEY. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 5s.

" Mr. Munroe gives most vivid pictures of the religious and civil polity of the
Aztecs, and of everyday life, as he imagines it, in the streets and market-places
of the magnificent capital of Montezuma."— The Times.

Highways and High Seas: Cyril Barley's Adventures on
both. By F. FRANKFORT MOORE. With 8 page Illustrations by
ALFRED PEARSE. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 5s.

"This is one of the best stories Mr. Moore has written, perhaps the very best.
The exciting adventures are sure to attract boys."— Spectator.

BLACK IE ,0 SON'S BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE. H

BY GEORGE MAC DONALD.

A Rough Shaking1. By GEORGE MAC DONALD. With
12 page Illustrations by W. PARKINSON. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant,
olivine edges, 6s.

"One of the very best
books for boys that has been
written. It is full of mate-
rial peculiarly well adapted
for the young, containing
in a marked degree the
elements of all that is neces-
sary to make up a perfect
boys' book." — Teachers' Aid.

At the Back of
the North
Wind. By GEO.

MAC DONALD. With
75 Illustrations by
ARTHUR HUGHES.
Crown 8 vo, cloth ele-
gant, olivine edges,
5s.

"The story is thoroughly
original, full of fancy and
pathos. . . . We stand
with one foot in fairyland
and one on common earth."
— The Times.

Ranald Banner-
man's Boy-
hood. By GEO.

MAC DONALD. With Reduced Illustration from "A Rough Shaking".

36 Illustrations by

ARTHUR HUGHES. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 5s.

"The sympathy with boy-nature in Ranald Bannennan's Boyhood is perfect.
It is a beautiful picture of childhood, teaching by its impressions and suggestions
all noble things." — British Quarterly Review.

The Princess and the Goblin. By GEORGE MAC DONALD.
With 32 Illustrations. Crown 8vo, cloth extra, 3s. 6d.

"Little of what is written for children has the lightness of touch and play of
fancy which are characteristic of George Mac Donald's fairy tales. Mr. Arthur
Hughes's illustrations are all that illustrations should be."— Manchester Guardian.

The Princess and Curdle. By GEORGE MAC DONALD.
With 8 page Illustrations. Crown 8vo, cloth extra, 3s. 6rf.

" There is the finest and rarest genius in this brilliant story. Upgrown people
would do wisely occasionally to lay aside their newspapers and magazines to
spend an hour with Ctirdie and the Princess."— Sheffield Independent.

12 BLACKIE & SON'S BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.

BY HARRY COLLINGWOOD.

The Pirate Island: A Story of the South Pacific. By
HAKRY COLLINGWOOD. With 8 page Pictures by C. J. STANILAND
and J. B. WELLS. Crown. 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 5s.

" A capital story of the sea ; indeed in our opiniou the author is superior in some
respects as a marine novelist to the better known Mr. Clark Russell."— The Times.

The Log Of the "Flying Fish": A Story of Aerial and
Submarine Adventure. By HARRY COLLINGWOOD. With 6 page
Illustrations by GORDON BROWSE. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, 3s. 6d.

"The Flying Fink actually surpasses all Jules Verne's creations; with incred-
ible speed she flies through the air, skims over the surface of the water, and darts
along the oceau bed. We strongly recommend our school-boy friends to possess
themselves of l»er log."— Atheiiamin.

For other Books by Harry Colling wood, see pages 21 and 22.

BY GEORGE MANV1LLLE FENN.

" Mr. Feiin stands in the foremost rank of writers in this department." — Daily
News.

Quicksilver: Or, A Boy with no Skid to his Wheel. By

GEORGE MANVILLE FENN. With 10 page Illustrations by FRANK
DADD. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 6s.

" Quicksilver is little short of an inspiration. In it that prince of story-writers
for boys — George Manville Keim — has surpassed himself. It is an ideal book for
a boy's library." — Practical Teacher.

Dick O' the FenS: A Romance of the Great East Swamp. By
G. MANVILLE FENN. With 12 page Illustrations by FRANK DADD.
Crown 8vo, cloth, elegant, olivine edges, 6s.

"We conscientiously believe that boys will find it capital reading. It is full
of incident and mystery, and the mystery is kept up to the last moment It is
rich in effective local colouring; and it has a historical interest"— Times.

Devon BoyS: A Tale of the North Shore. By G. MANVILLE

FENN. With 12 page Illustrations by GORDON BROWNE. Crown
8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 6s.

"An admirable story, as remarkable for the individuality of its young heroes
as for the excellent descriptions of coast scenery and life in North Devon. It is
one of the best books we have seen this season." — A thenceum.

The Golden Magnet : A Tale of the Land of the Incas. By
G. MANVILLE FENN. Illustrated by 12 page Pictures by GORDON
BROWNE. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 6s.

"There could be no more welcome present for a boy. There is not a dull page
in th« book, and many will be read with breathless interest. ' The Golden Mag-
net ' is, of course, the same one that attracted Raleigh and the heroes of West-
ward Ho .'"—Journal of Education.

BLACKIE <t SON'S BOOKS FOR YOITXG PEOPLE. 13

BY GEORGE MANVILLE FENN.

" No one can find his way to the hearts of lads more readily than Mr. Feun." —
Nottingham Guardian.

In the King's Name: Or, The Cruise of the Kestrel. By
G. MANVILLE FENN. Illustrated by 12 page Pictures by GORDON
BROWNE. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 6s.

"The best of all Mr. Fenn's productions in this field. It has the great quality
of always 'moving ou', adventure following adventure in constant succession."—
Daily News.

Nat the Naturalist: A Boy's Adventures in the Eastern
Seas. By G. MANVILLE FENN. With 8 page Pictures. Crown 8vo,
cloth elegant, olivine edges, 5s.

"This sort of book encourages independence of character, develops resource,
and teaches a boy to keep his eyes open." — Saturday Review.

Bunyip Land: The Story of a Wild Journey in New Guinea.

By G. MANVILLE FENN. With 6 page Illustrations by GORDON

BROWNE. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, 4s.

" Mr. Fenn deserves the thanks of everybody for Bunyip Land, and we may ven-
ture to promise that a quiet week may be reckoned on whilst the youngsters have
such fascinating literature provided for their evenings' amusement." — Spectator.

BrOWnsmith'S Boy. By G. MANVILLE FENN. With 6 page
Illustrations. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, 3s. &d.

" Mr. Fenn's books are among the best, if not altogether the best, of the stories
for boys. Mr. Fenn is at his best in Brownsmith's Boy." — Pictorial World.

For other Books by G. MANVILLE FENN, see pages 21 and 22.
BY ASCOTT R. HOPE.

Young Travellers' Tales. By ASCOTT R. HOPE. With

6 Illustrations by H. J. DRAPER. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, 3s. 6d.
These lively records of haphazard experience are drawn from various
parts of the world. There is a thrilling adventure in the Austrian Tirol,
a mischance in Norway, an exciting escapade in Africa, a tale of shooting
in India, a cyclist's laughable exploit in France, a runaway experience in
Switzerland, an encounter with a Corsican bandit, and other stories of a
like entertaining character. All are presented in a crisp and engaging
style.

The Seven Wise Scholars. By ASCOTT R. HOPE. With

nearly 100 Illustrations by GORDON BROWNE. Cloth elegant, 5s.

"As full of fun as a volume of Punch; with illustrations, more laughter-
provoking than most we have seen since Leech died." — Sheffield Independent.

Stories Of Old Renown: Tales of Knights and Heroes.
By ASCOTT K.. HOPE. With 100 Illustrations by GORDON BROWNE.
Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, 3s. Qd.

" A really fascinating book worthy of its telling title. There is, we venture to
say, not a dull page in the book, not a story which will not bear a second read-
ing. "—Guard ian.

14 BLACK1E & SOX'S BOOKS FOR YOUXG PEOPLE.

The Universe : Or The Infinitely Great and the Infinitely Little.
A Sketch of Contrasts in Creation, and Marvels revealed and
explained by Natural Science. By F. A. POUCHET, M.D. With
272 Engravings on wood, of which 55 are full-page size, and a
Coloured Frontispiece. Eleventh Edition, medium 8vo, cloth ele-
gant, gilt edges, 7s. 6d. ; also morocco antique, 16*.

"We can honestly commend Professor Pouchet's book, which is admirably, as
it is copiously illustrated." — The Times.

" Scarcely any book in French or in English is so likely to stimulate in the
youug an interest in the physical phenomena."— Fortnightly Review.

BY ROBERT LEIGHTON.

Olaf the GloriOUS. By ROBERT LEIGHTON. With 8 page
Illustrations by RALPH PEACOCK, and a Map. Crown 8 TO, cloth
elegant, olivine edges, 5*.

This story of Olaf the Glorious, King of Norway, opens with the incident
of his being found by his uncle living as a bond-slave in Esthonia, and it
follows him through his romantic youth in the court of King Valdemar of
Russia. Then come his adventures as a Viking and his raids upon the
coasts of Scotland and England, his victorious battle against the English
at Maldon in Essex, and his conversion to Christianity. He then returns
to pagan Norway, is accepted as king, and converts his people to the
Christian faith. The story closes with the great battle of Svold, when
Olaf, defeated, jumps overboard, and is last seen with the sunlight shining
on the glittering cross upon his shield.

The Wreck of "The Golden Fleece": The story of a

North Sea Fisher-boy. By ROBERT LEIGHTON. With 8 page
Illustrations by FRANK BRANGWYN. Crown Svo, cloth elegant,
olivine edges, 5s.

" This story should add considerably to Mr. Leighton's high reputation. Ex-
cellent in every respect, it contains every variety of incident. The plot is very
cleverly devised, and the types of the North Sea sailors are capital."— The Times.

The PilOtS Of Pomona: A Story of the Orkney Islands.
By ROBERT LEIGHTON. With 8 page Illustrations by JOHN LEIGH-
TON, and a Map. Crown Svo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 5s.

" A story which is quite as good in its way as Treasure Island, and is full of
adventure of a stirring yet most natural kind. Although it is primarily a boys'
book, it is a real godsend to the elderly reader." — Glasgow Evening Times.

The Thirsty Sword: A Story of the Norse Invasion of
Scotland (1262-63). By ROBERT LEIGHTON. With 8 page Illus-
trations by ALFRED PEARSE, and a Map. Crown Svo, cloth ele-
gant, olivine edges, 5s.

" This is one of the most fascinating stories for boys that it has ever been our
pleasure to read. From first to last the interest never flags. Boys will worship
Kenric, who is a hero in every sense of the word."— Schoolmaster.

BLACKIE cfr SON'S BOOKS FOR VOUNG PEOPLE.

15

BY DR. GORDON STABLES.

TO Greenland and the Pole. By GORDON STABLES, M.D.
With 8 page Illustrations by Gr. C. HINDLEY, and a Map. Crown
8vo, cloth elegant, oli-
vine edges, 5s.

The unfailing fascination
of Arctic venturing is pre-
sented in this story with
new vividness. The author
is himself an old Arctic
voyager, and he is thus
enabled to make excellent
use of the recent exploits of
Nansen in Greenland, and
the splendid daring of that
explorer's present expedi-
tion. The story deals with
slnlubidng in the north of
Scotland, deer-hunting in
Norway, sealing in the Arc-
tic Seas, bear-stalking on
the ice-floes, the hardships
of a journey across Green-
land, and a successful
voyage to the back of the
North Pole. This is, in-
deed, a real sea-yarn by a
real sailor, and the tone
is as bright and whole-
some as the adventures are
numerous.

Reduced Illustration from "Grettir the Outlaw".

Westward With Columbus. By GORDON STABLES, M.D.,
c.M. With 8 page Illustrations by ALFRED PEARSE. Crown 8vo,
cloth elegant, olivine edges, 5s.

"We must place Westward with Columbus among those books that all boys
ought to read.*— The Spectator.

'Twixt School and College : A Tale of Self-reliance. By
GORDON STABLES, C.M., M.D., R.N. With 8 page Illustrations by
W. PAEKINSON. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 5s.

" One of the best of a prolific writer's books for boys, being full of practical
instructions as to keeping pets, and inculcates in a way which a little recalls Miss
Edgeworth's ' Frank' the virtue of self-reliance."— Athenaeum.

BLACKIE & SON'S BOOKS FOR YOJTNQ PEOPLE.

BY G. NORWAY.

A Prisoner Of War: A Story of the Time of Napoleon
Bonaparte. By G. NORWAY. With 6 page Illustrations by E.OBT.
BARNES, A.R.W.S. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, 3s. 6d.

When Napoleon Bonaparte suddenly broke the treaty of Amiens and
declared war against England, many peaceful Englishmen who had ven-
tured to reside upon the Continent were made prisoners. Among these
was Captain Wynter, who was arrested at Helvoetsluys in Holland, and
from thence carried into France. His family escaped across the Channel,
but his son, a young lad, determined to return, trace out his father, and
assist him to escape. Disguised as a packman he searched France from
fortress to fortress. After many a mischance and many a hair-breadth
escape he finds his father, contrives his escape, and brings him safely to
England. It is a romantic narrative, with the additional merit of being
true.

A True Cornish Maid. By G. NORWAY. With 6 page
Illustrations by J. FINNEMORE. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, 3s. 6rf.

" There is some excellent reading. . . . Mrs. Norway brings before the eyes
of her readers the good Cornish folk, their speech, their manners, and their ways.
A True Cornish Maid deserves to be popular." — Athenaeum.

"Among girls' books the success of the year has fallen, we think, to Mrs. Norway,
whose True Cornish Maid is really an admirable piece of work. . . . The book
is full of vivid and accurate local colour; it contains, too, some very clever
character studies."— Review of Reviews.

Hussein the Hostage : Or, A Boy's Adventures in Persia.

By G. NORWAY. With 8 page Illustrations by JOHN SCHONBERG.
Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 5s.

" Hussein the Hostage is full of originality and vigour. The characters are life-
like, there is plenty of stirring incident, the interest is sustained throughout, and
every boy will enjoy following the fortunes of the hero." — Journal of Education.

The LOSS Of John Humble: What Led to It, and What
Came of It. By G. NORWAY. With 8 page Illustrations by JOHN
SCHONBERG. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 5s.

" This story will place the author at once in the front rank. It is full of life
and adventure. He is equally at home in his descriptions of life in Sweden and
in the more stirring passages of wreck and disaster, and the interest of the story
is sustained without a break from first to last."— Standard.

Under False Colours: A Story from Two Girls' Lives.
By SARAH DOUDNEY. With 6 page Illustrations by G. G. KIL-
BURNE. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, 4s.

" Sarah Doudney has no superior as a writer of high-toned stories— pure in
style, original in conception, and with skilfully \vrought-out plots; but we have
seen nothing from her pen equal in dramatic energy to this book." — Christian
Leader.

BLACK1E & SON'S BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE. 17

With the Sea Kings: A Story of the Days of Lord Nelson.
By F. H. WINDER. With 6 page Illustrations by W. S. STACEY.
Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, 4s.

"Just the book to put into a boy's hands. Every chapter contains boardings,
cuttings out, fighting pirates, escapesof thrilling audacity, and captures by corsairs,
sufficient to turn the quietest boy's head. The story culminates in a vigorous
account of the battle of Trafalgar. Happy boys ! "—The Academy.

Grettir the Outlaw : A Story of Iceland. By S. BARING-
GOULD. With 6 page Illustrations by M. ZENO DIEMER, and a
Coloured Map. New Edition. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, 4s.

" Is the boys' book of its year. That is, of course, as much as to say that it
will do for men grown as well as juniors. It is told in simple, straightforward
English, as all stones should be, and it has a freshness, a freedom, a sense of sun
and wind and the open air, which make it irresistible."— National Observer.

Gold, Gold, in CaribOO : A Story of Adventure in British
Columbia. By CLIVE PHILLIPPS-WOLLEY. With 6 page Illustra-
tions by G. C. HINDLEY. Crown 8vo, cloth extra, 3s. 6d.

" It would be difficult to say too much in favour of Gold, Gold, in Cariboo. We
have seldom read a more exciting tale of wild mining adventure in a singularly
inaccessible country. There is a capital plot, and the interest is sustained to the
last page." — The Times.

A Champion Of the Faith: A Tale of Prince Hal and the
Lollards. By J. M. CALLWELL. With 6 page Illustrations by
HERBERT J. DRAPER. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, 4s.

" Will not be less enjoyed than Mr. Henty s books. Sir John Oldcastle's pathetic
story, and the history of his brave young squire, will make every boy enjoy this
lively story." — London Quarterly.

BY ALICE CORKRAN.

Meg'S Friend. By ALICE CORKRAN. With 6 page Illustra-
tions by ROBERT FOWLER. Crown 8vo, cloth extra, 3s. 6rf.

"One of Miss Corkran's charming books for girls, narrated in that simple
and picturesque style which marks the authoress as one of the first amongst
writers for young people." — The Spectator.

Margery Merton'S Girlhood. By ALICE CORKRAN. With
6 page Pictures by GORDON BROWNE. Cr. 8vo, cloth extra, 3s. 6rf.

"Another book for girls we can warmly commend. There is a delightful
piquancy in the experiences and trials of a young English girl who studies
painting in Paris." — Saturday Review.

Down the SnOW Stairs: Or, From Good-night to Good-
morning. By ALICE CORKRAN. \Vith 60 Illustrations by GORDON
BROWNE. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, 3s. 6rf.

"A gem of the first water, bearing upon every page the mark of genius. It is
indeed a Little Pilgrim's Progress. "—Christian Leader. ^

18 BLACKIE <fc SON'S BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.

Sou'wester and Sword. By HUGH ST. LEGER. With 6
page Illustrations by HAL HURST. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, 4s.

This is the book for a lad who loves a sea-yarn. The fun no less than the
dangers of a sailor's life are faithfully depicted. Shark fishing, mast-
heading, galley-ranging, mutiny, tropical gales, death at sea, and the
final shipwreck, are incidents in a tale which is one continuous adventure.
The hero and several of the crew are saved from the wreck, and with the
harum-scarum recklessness of seamen they join the English expedition
against the Mahdi, taking part in the terrible fighting around Suakim.

BY EDGAR PICKERING.

In Press-Gang" Days. By EDGAR PICKERING. With 6
Illustrations by W. S. STACEY. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, 3s. 6d.

In this story Harry Waring is caught by the Press-gang and carried on
board His Majesty's ship Sand/trick. He takes part in the mutiny of the
Nore, and shares in some hard fighting on board the frigate Phoenix. He
is with Nelson, also, at the storming of Santa Cruz, and the battle of the
Nile. His career is like to end in a French prison, but he, with some
companions, manage to escape, seize a French schooner, fight their way
out of the harbour, and so return home with a prize.

An Old-Time Yarn: Wherein is set forth divers desperate
mischances which befell Anthony Ingram and his shipmates in the
West Indies and Mexico with Hawkins and Drake. By EDGAR
PICKERING. Illustrated with 6 page Pictures drawn by ALFRED
PEARSE. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, 3s. 6d.

" And a very good yarn it is, with not a dull page from first to last. There is
a flavour of Westward Ho! in this attractive book."— Educational lleview.

Silas Verney : A Tale of the Time of Charles II. By EDGAR
PICKERING. With 6 page Illustrations by ALFRED PEARSE. Crown
8vo, cloth elegant, 3s. 6rf.
"Wonderful as the adventures of Silas are, it must be admitted that they are

very naturally worked out and very plausibly presented. Altogether this is an

excellent story for boys."— Saturday llemew.

BY ANNIE E. ARMSTRONG.

Three Bright GirlS: A Story of Chance and Mischance.
By ANNIE E. ARMSTRONG. With 6 page Illustrations by W. PAR-
KINSON. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, 3s. 6rf.

"Among many good stories for girls this is undoubtedly one of the very best.
The three girls whose portraits are so admirably painted are girls of earnest,
practical, and business-like mood. Ever bright and cheerful, they influence other
lives, and at last they come out of their trials and difficulties with honour to
themselves and benefits to all about them." — Teachers' Aid.

A Very Odd Girl: or, Life at the Gabled Farm. By ANNIE
E. ARMSTRONG. With 6 page Illustrations by S. T. DADD. Crown
8vo, cloth elegant, 3s. 6rf.
"The book is one we can heartily recommend, for it is not only bright and

interesting, but also pure and healthy in tone and teaching."— The Lady.

BLACKIE & SON'S BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE. 19

BY C. J. HYNE.

The Captured Cruiser: or, Two Years from Land. By
C. J. HYNE. With 6 page Illustrations by FRANK BRANGWYN.
Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, 3s. 6d.

"The two lads and the two skippers are admirably drawn. Mr. Hyne has
now secured a position in the first rank of writers of fiction for boys."— Spectator.

Afloat at Last : A Sailor Boy's Log of his Life at Sea. By
JOHN C. HUTCHESON. With 6 page Illustrations by W. H.
OVEREND. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, 3s. 6d.

"As healthy and breezy a book as one could wish to put into the hands of
a boy." — Academy.

Picked Up at Sea : Or, The Gold Miners of Minturne Creek.
By J. C. HUTCHESON. With 6 page Pictures. Cloth extra, 3s. 6rf.

" The author's success with this book is so marked that it may well encourage him
to further efforts. The description of mining life in the Far West is tme and accu-
rate . " — Standard.

Cousin Geoffrey and I. By CAROLINE AUSTIN. With 6

page Illustrations by W. PARKINSON. Crown 8vo, cloth extra, 3s. 6d.

"Miss Austin's story is bright, clever, and well developed."— Saturday Review.

Brother and Sister: Or, The Trials of the Moore Family.
By ELIZABETH J. LYSAGHT. With 6 page Illustrations. Crown
8vo, cloth elegant, 3s. 6rf.

" A pretty story, and well told. The plot is cleverly constructed, and the moral
is excellent." — Athenceum.

The Search for the Talisman: A story of Labrador.

By HENRY FRITH. With 6 page Illustrations by J. SCHONBERG.
Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, 3s. 6d.

" Mr. Frith's volume will be among those most read and highest valued. The
adventures among seals, whales, and icebergs in Labrador will delight many a
young reader." — Pall Mall Gazette.

Reefer and Rifleman: A Tale of the Two Services. By
Lieut.-Col. PERCY -GROVES. With 6 page Illustrations by JOHN
SCHONBERG. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, 3s. 6d.

" A good, old-fashioned, amphibious story of our fighting with the Frenchmen in
the beginning of our century, with a fair sprinkling of fun and frolic."— Times.

Dora: Or, A Girl without a Home. By Mrs. R H. BEAD. With
6 page Illustrations. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, 3s. 6d.

"It is no slight thing, in an age of rubbish, to get a story so pure and healthy
as this." — The Academy.

20 BLACKIE & SON'S BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.

Life's Daily Ministry: A Story of Everyday Service for
Others. By Mrs. E. R. PITMAN. With 4 page Illustrations. Crown
8vo, cloth extra, 3«. 6d.

"Shows exquisite touches of a master hand. She depicts in graphic outliv
the characteristics of the beautiful and the good in lite."— Christian Union.

Storied Holidays: A Cycle of Red-letter Days. By E. S.

BROOKS. With 12 page Illustrations by HOWARD PYLE. Crown
8vo, cloth elegant, 3s. 6d.

" It is a downright good book for a senior boy, and is eminently readable from
first to last." — Schoolmaster.

Days: Stories of Courtesy and Courage iu the
Olden Times. By E. S. BROOKS. With 20 Illustrations by
GORDON BROWNE and other Artists. Crown 8vo, cloth extra, 3s. 6d.

"We have seldom come across a prettier collection of tales. These charming
stories of boys and girls of olden days are no mere fictitious or imaginary sketches,
but are real and actual records of their sayings and doings. "—Literary World.

Historic BoyS' Their Endeavours, their Achievements, and
their Times. By E. S. BROOKS. With 12 page Illustrations by
B. B. BIRCH and JOHN SCHONBERG. Crown 8vo, cloth extra, 3s. 6d.

" A wholesome book, manly in tone, its character sketches enlivened by brisk
dialogue and high-class illustrations; altogether one that should incite boys to
further acquaintance with those rulers of men whose careers are narrated. We
advise teachers to put it on their list of prizes."— Knowledge.

Dr. Jolliffe'S Boys: A Tale of Weston School. By LEWIS
HOUGH. With 6 page Pictures. Crown 8vo, cloth extra, 3s. 6d.

" Young people who appreciate Tom Brown's School-dayf will find this story a
worthy companion to that fascinating book. There is the game manliness of tore,
truthfulness of outline, avoidance of exaggeration and caricature, and healthy
morality as characterized the masterpiece of Mr. Hughes." — KewcaMe Jownal.

The Bubbling1 Teapot. A Wonder Story. By Mrs. L. W.
CHAMPNEY. With 12 page Pictures by WALTER SATTERLEE.
Crown 8vo, cloth extra, 3s. 6d.

"Very literally a 'wonder story', and a wild and fanciful one. Nevertheless
it is made realistic enough, and there is a good deal of information to be gained
from it."— The Times.

BY JENNETT HUMPHREYS.

Laugh and Learn: The Easiest Book of Nursery Lessons
and Nursery Games. By JENNETT HUMPHREYS. Profusely Illus-
trated. Square 8vo, cloth extra, 3s. 6rf.

"One of the best books of the kind imaginable, full of practical teaching in
word and picture, and helping the little ones pleasantly along a right royal road
to learning." — Graphic.

BLACK1E & SON'S BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE. 21

Thorndyke Manor: A Tale of Jacobite Times. By MARY
C. ROWSELL. With 6 page Illustrations by L. LESLIE BROOKE.
Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, 3s. 6d.

"Miss Ro\Tsell has never written a more attractive book than Thomdyke
3fanor. "— Belfast News- Letter.

TraitOP Or Patriot? A Tale of the Rye-House Plot. By
MARY C. ROWSELL. With 6 page Pictures by C. O. MURRAY and
C. J. STANILAND, R.I. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, 3s. 6d.

" Here the Rye-House Plot serves as the groundwork for a romantic love epi-
sode, whose true characters are lifelike beings." — Graphic.

BLACKIE'S NEW THREE-SHILLING SERIES.

Beautifully Illustrated and Handsomely Bound.

NEW VOLUMES.

Under Hatches : or, Ned Woodthorpe's Adventures. By F.
FRANKFORT MOORE. With 6 page Illustrations by A. FORESTIER.
New Edition. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, 3s.

"The story as a story is one that will just suit boys all the world over. The
characters are well drawn and consistent; Patsy, the Irish steward, will be found
especially amusing." — Schoolmaster.

The Congo Rovers: A Story of the Slave Squadron. By
HARRY COLLINGWOOD. With 6 page Illustrations by J. SCHONBERG.
New Edition. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, 3s.

"No better sea story has lately been written than the Congo Rovers. It is as
original as any boy could desire." — Morning Post.

MenhardOC: A Story of Cornish Nets and Mines. By G.
MANVILLE FENN. With 6 page Illustrations by C. J. STANILAND,
R.I. Crown 8vo, cloth extra, 3s.

" They are real living boys, with their virtues and faults. The Cornish fisher-
men are drawn from life, and stand out from the pages in their jerseys and
sea-boots all sprinkled with silvery pilchard scales."— Spectator.

YuSSUf the Guide : or, The Mountain Bandits. A Story of
Strange Adventure in Asia Minor. By G. MANVILLE FENN. With
6 page Illustrations by J. SCHONBERG. Crown 8vo, cloth extra, 3s.

"Told with such real freshness and vigour that the reader feels he is actually
one of the party, sharing in the fuu and facing the dangers."— Pall Mall Gazette.

Robinson CrUSOe. With 100 Illustrations by GORDON
BROWNE. Crown 8vo, cloth extra, 3s.

' ' One of the best issues, if not absolutely the best, of Defoe's work which has
ever appeared."— The Standard.

22 BLACK1E & SOU'S BOOKS FOR YOUXG PEOPLE.

THREE SHILLING SERIES-Continued.

Gulliver's Travels. With 100 Illustrations by GORDON
BROWNE. Crown 8vo, cloth extra, 3s.

" Mr. Gordon Browne is, to my thinking, incomparably the most artistic,
spirited, and brilliant of our illustrators of books for boys, and one of the most
humorous also, as his illustrations of 'Gulliver' amply testify." — Truth.

Patience Wins : or, War in the Works. By GEORGE MAN-
VILLE FENN. With 6 page Illustrations. Cr. 8vo, cloth extra, 3s.

" Mr. Fenn has never hit upon a happier plan than in writing this story of
Yorkshire factory life. The whole book is all aglow with life."— Pall Hall Gazette.

Mother Carey's Chicken: Her Voyage to the Unknown
Isle. By G. MANVILLE FENN. With 6 page Illustrations by A.
FORESTIER. Crown 8vo, cloth extra, 3s.

" Undoubtedly one of the best Mr. Fenn has written. The incidents are of
thrilling interest, while the characters are drawn with a care and completeness
rarely found in a boys' book." — Literary World.

The Missing" Merchantman. By HAURY COLLINGWOOD.
With 6 page Illustrations by W. H. OVEREND. Cloth extra, 3s.

" One of the author's best sea stories. The hero is as heroic as any boy could
desire, and the ending is extremely happy." — British Weekly.

The Rover's Secret: A Tale of the Pirate Cays and Lagoons
of Cuba. By HARRY COLLINGWOOD. With 6 page Illustrations by
W. C. SYMONS. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, 3s.

" The Rover's Secret is by far the best sea story we have read for years, and is
certain to give unalloyed pleasure to boys."— Sat urday Review.

The Wigwam and the War-path: stories of the Red

Indians. By ASCOTT R. HOPE. With 6 page Illustrations. Crown
Svo, cloth elegant, 3s.

"Ts notably good. It gives a very vivid picture of life among the Indians,
which will delight the heart of many a schoolboy." — Spectator.

Perseverance Island: or, The Robinson Crusoe of the 19th
Century. By DOUGLAS FRAZAR. With 6 page Illustrations.
Crown Svo, cloth extra, 3s.

"This is an interesting story, written with studied simplicity of style, much in
Defoe's vein of apparent sincerity and scrupulous veracity; while for practical
instruction it is even better than Robinson Crusoe." — Illustrated London Neies.

Girl Neighbours : or, The Old Fashion and the New. By
SARAH TYTLER. With 6 page Illustrations by C. T. GARLAND.
Crown Svo, cloth elegant, 3s.

" One of the most effective and quietly humorous of Miss Sarah Tytler's stories.
It is very healthy, very agreeable, and very well written." — The Spectator.

BLACKIE & SON'S BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.

BY BEATRICE HARRADEN.

Things Will Take a Turn. By BEATRICE HARRADEN.

A New Edition, with 34 Illustrations by JOHN H. BACON. Crown

Svo, cloth elegant, 2s. 6d.

A happy creation this by the author of " Ships that Pass in the Night".
One cannot help loving the sunny-hearted child who assists her grand-dad
in his dusty second-hand book-shop, she is so gay, so engaging, so natural.
And to love Rosebud is to love all her friends, and enter sympathetically
into the good fortune she brought them. The charm of this tale, as of all
Miss Harraden's work, is a delicate, wistful sympathy.

The Whispering1 Winds, and the Tales that they Told. By
MARY H. DEBENHAM. With 25 Illustrations by PAUL HARDY.
Crown Svo, cloth elegant, 2s. 6rf.

Every wind whispered a story. The South Wind came from Italy and
told a bright little fairy tale about Baby Benedetta. The North Wind
brought a weird story of the spiteful fairy-folk from a Scottish glen ; the
laughing West Wind from Devonshire told of the King of the Mist, and the
delights of clotted cream ; and the East Wind spoke of the brave sea-king's
daughter in Norway over the sea. And all the tales were passing good.

BLACKIE'S HALF-CROWN SERIES.

Illustrated by eminent Artists. In crown Svo, cloth elegant.

Hammond's Hard Lines. By SKELTON KUPPORD. Illus-
trated by HAROLD COPPING.

Tom Hammond was a pupil at a public school, and, boy-like, was much
given to grumbling and discontent with the "powers that be". He wished
oh ! so many things. At length in a most curious and unexpected way he
received the offer of Three Wishes, which he joyfully accepted. The rela-
tion of the adventures that ensue forms a graphically diverting narrative
of the freshest interest.

Duleie King": A Story for Girls. By M. CORBET-SEYMOUR.

Illustrated by GERTRUDE D. HAMMOND.

A bright, happy-going story in which the heroine is taken from
her modest home and adopted by a rich relative. Duleie King is not
dazzled, however, by her new and sumptuous surroundings, and the native
goodness of her heart helps her to resist all temptations to dispossess the
rightful heir. Duleie King is a girl whom one cannot help loving.

Hug-h Herbert's Inheritance. By CAROLINE AUSTIN.

With 4 page Illustrations by C. T. GARLAND. New Edition.
Crown Svo, cloth elegant, 2s. 6rf.

" Will please by its simplicity, its tenderness, and its healthy interesting
motive. It is admirably written."— Scotsman.

NlCOla: The Career of a Girl Musician. By M. CORBET-SEY-
MOUR. Illustrated by GERTRUDE D. HAMMOND.

" There is a great deal of quiet force and strength about the story. I can thor-
oughly and heartily recommend Nicola as a present for girls." — Winter't Weekly.

24 BLACKIE <fc SON'S BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.

HALF-CROWN SERIES— Continued.

A Little Handful. By HARRIET J. SCRIPPS.

" A very charming picture of a bright, lovable, mischievous boy, who hails from
the New World." — School Guardian.

A Golden Age : A Story of Four Merry Children. By ISMAY

THORN. Illustrated by GORDON BROWNE.
" Ought to have a place of honour on the nursery shelf." — The Atheiueum.

A Rough Road : or, How the Boy Made a Man of Himself.

By Mrs. G. LINN.EUS BANKS.

"Told with much simple force and that charm which belongs to one who has
known herself what a rough road is, and how to traverse it."— Winter's Weekly.

The TWO Dorothys. By Mrs. HERBERT MARTIN.

"A book that will interest and please all girls."— The Lady.

Penelope and the Others. By AMY WALTON.

" This is a charming book for children. Miss Walton proves herself a perfect
adept in understanding of school-room joys and sorrows." — Christian Leader.

A Cruise in ClOUdland. By HENRY FRITH.

"A thoroughly interesting story." — St. James's Gazette.

Marian and Dorothy. By ANNIE E. ARMSTRONG.

" This is distinctively a book for girls. A bright wholesome story."— Academy.

StimSOn'S Reef: A Tale of Adventure. By C. J. HYNE.
"It may almost vie with Mr. R. L. Stevenson's Treasure Island."— Guardian.

Gladys Anstruther. By LOUISA THOMPSON.

" It is a clever book : novel and striking in the highest degree. "—Schoolmistress.

The Secret Of the Old House. By E. EVERETT-GREEN.

"Tim, the little Jacobite, is a charming creation."— A cademy.

Hal Hungerford. By J. E. HUTCHINSON, B.A.

" Altogether, Hal Hungerford is a distinct literary success."— Spectator.

The Golden Weathercock. By JULIA GODDARD.

"A cleverly conceived quaint story, ingeniously written."— Saturday Review.

White Lilac: or, The Queen of the May. By AMY WALTON.
" Every rural parish ought to add White Lilac to its library. "—A cademy.

Miriam's Ambition. By EVELYN EVERETT-GREEN.

" Miss Green's children are real British boys and girls." Liverpool Mercury.

The Brig "AudaciOUS". By ALAN COLE.
" Fresh and wholesome as a breath of sea air."— Court Jounial.

BLACKIE & SON'S BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE. '25

HALF-CROWN SERIES— Continued.

The Saucy May. By HENRY FRITH.

" Mr. Frith gives a new picture of life on the ocean wave."— Sheffield Independent.

Jasper's Conquest. By ELIZABETH J. LYSAGHT.

"One of the best boys' books of the season." — Schoolmaster.

Little Lady Clare. By EVELYN EVERETT-GREEN.

"Reminds us in its quaintness of Mrs. Swing's delightful tales."— Liter. World.

The Eversley Secrets. By EVELYN EVERETT-GREEN.

" Roy Eversley is a very touching picture of liigli principle." — Quantum.

The Hermit Hunter of the Wilds. By G. STABLES, R.N.

" Will gladden the heart of many a bright boy."— Methodist Recorder.

Sturdy and Strong-. By G. A. HBNTY.

" A hero who stands as a good instance of chivalry in domestic life. " — The Empire.

Gutta Percha Willie. By GEORGE MAC DONALD.

" Get it for your boys and girls to read for themselves."— Practical Teacher.

The War Of the Axe : Or, Adventures in South Africa. By

J. PERCY-GROVES.
"The story is well and brilliantly Mil."— Literary World.

The Lads of Little Clayton. BY E. STEAD.

"A capital book for boys." — Schoolmaster.

Ten Boys who lived on the Road from Long Ago to Now.

By JANE ANDREWS. With 20 Illustrations.
" The idea is a very happy one, and admirably carried out."— Practical Teacher.

A Waif Of the Sea: Or, The Lost Found. By KATE WOOD.

"Written with tenderness and grace."— Morning Advertiser.

Winnie's Secret. By KATE WOOD.

" One of the best story-books we have read." — Schoolmaster.

Miss WillOWburn's Offer. By SARAH DOUDNEY.

"Patience Willowburn is one of Miss Doudney's best creations."— Spectator.

A Garland for Girls. By LOUISA M. ALCOTT.

" These little tales are the beau ideal of girls' stories." — Christian World.

Hetty Gray: Or, Nobody's Bairn. By ROSA MULHOLLAND.

"Hetty is a delightful creature— piquant, tender, and true." — World.

Brothers in Arms: A Story of the Crusades. By F. BAY-
FORD HARRISON.

" Sure to prove interesting to young people of both sexes."— Guardian.

MiSS Fenwick's Failures. By ESME STUART.

"A girl true to real life, who will put no nonsense into young heads."— Graphic.

Gytha'S Message. By EMMA LESLIE.
" This is the sort of book that all girls like."— Journal of Education.

26 BLACKIE «t SON'S BOOKS FOR YOUA'G PEOPLE.

HALF-CROWN SERIES-Continued.

Jack 0' Lanthom : A Tale of Adventure. By HENRY FRITH.

"The narrative is crushed full of stirring incident."— Christian Leader.

The Family Failing1. By DARLEY DALE.

"A capital lesson on the value of conteiiteAness."— Aberdeen Journal.

My Mistress the Queen. By M. A. PAULL.

" The style is pure and graceful, and the story full of interest." — Scotsman.

The Stories of Wasa and Menzikoff.
Stories of the Sea in Former Days.
Tales of Captivity and Exile.
Famous Discoveries by Sea and Land.
Stirring Events of History.
Adventures in Field, Flood, and Forest.

"It would be difficult to place in the hands of young people books which
combine interest and instruction in a higher degree."— Manchester Courier.

BLACKIE'S TWO-SHILLING SERIES.

Illustrated by eminent Artists. In crown 8vo, cloth elegant.

NEW VOLUMES.

The Organist's Baby: A Story for Boys and Gii-k By
KATHLEEN KNOX. Illustrated by JOHN H. BACON.

School-Days in France. By AN OLD GIRL. Illustrated
by W. PARKINSON.

The Ravensworth Scholarship: A High School story

for Girls. By Mrs. HENRY CLARKE, M.A. Illustrated by JOHN H.
BACON.

Queen Of the Daffodils : A Story of High School Life. By
LESLIE LAING.

Raff's Ranche : A Story of Adventure among Cow-boys and
Indians. By F. M. HOLMES.

An Unexpected Hero. By ELIZ. J. LYSAGHT.

The Bushranger's Secret. By Mrs. HENRY CLARKE, M.A.

The White Squall. By JOHN C. HUTCHESON.

The Wreck of the "Nancy Bell". By J. c. HUTCHESON.
The Lonely Pyramid. By J. H. YOXALL.

Bab : or, The Triumph of Unselfishness. By ISMAY THORN.
Climbing1 the Hill, and other Stories. By ANNIE S. SWAN.

BLACKIE <fc SOX'S BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.

27

TWO-SHILLING SERIES-Continued.

Brave and True, and other Stories. By GREGSON Gow.
The Light Princess. By GEORGE MAC DONALD.

Nutbrown Roger and I. By j. H. YOXALL.

Warner's Chase: Or, The Gentle Heart. By ANNIE S. SWAN.

Reduced Illustration from " The Queen of the Daffodils".

Sam Silvan's Sacrifice. By JESSE. COLMAN.

Insect Ways On Summer Days in Garden, Forest, Field,
and Stream. By JENNETT HUMPHREYS. With 70 Illustrations.

Susan. By AMY WALTON.

A Pair Of ClOgS. By AMY WALTON.

The Hawthorns. By AMY WALTON.

Dorothy's Dilemma. By CAROLINE AUSTIN.

28 BLACKLB & SOX'S BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.

TWO-SHILLING SERIES— Continued.

Marie's Home. By CAROLINE AUSTIN.
A Warrior King. By J. EVELYN.

Aboard the "Atalanta". By HENRY FRITH.
The Penang Pirate. By JOHN C. HUTCHESON.
Teddy: The Story of a " Little Pickle ". By JOHN C. HUTCHESON.
A Rash Promise. By CECILIA SELBY LOWNDES.
Linda and the Boys. By CECILIA SELBY LOWNDES.

SWISS Stories for Children. From the German of MADAM
JOHANNA SPYRI. By LUCY WHEELOCK.

The Squire's Grandson. By j. M. CALLWELL.

Magna Charta Stories. Edited by ARTHUR GILMAN, A.M.

The WingS Of Courage; AND THE CLOUD - SPINNER.
Translated from the French of GEORGE SAND, by Mra. CORKRAN.

Chirp and Chatter: Or, LESSONS FROM FIELD AND TREE.
By ALICE BANKS. With 54 Illustrations by GORDON BROWNE.

Four Little Mischiefs. By EOSA MULHOLLAND.

New Light through Old Windows. By GREGSON Gow.

Little Tottie, and Two Other Stories. By THOMAS ARCHER.
Naughty Miss Bunny. By CLARA MULHOLLAND.
Adventures Of Mrs. Wishing-tO-be. By ALICE CORKRAN.
The JoyOUS Story Of TotO. By LAURA E. RICHARDS.
Our Dolly: Her Words and Ways. By MRS. R. H. READ. 2s.
Fairy Fancy : What she Heard and Saw. By MRS. READ. 2s.

BLACKIE'S EIGHTEENPENNY SERIES.

With Illustrations. In crown 8vo, cloth elegant.

NEW VOLUMES.
Olive and Robin: or, A Journey to Nowhere. By the Author of

" Two Dorothys ".

Mona's Trust : A Story for Girls. By PENELOPE LESLIE.
Little Jimmy: A Story of Adventure. By Rev. D. RICE-JONES, M.A.
Pleasures and Pranks. By ISABELLA PEARSON.
In a Stranger's Garden: A Story for Boys and Girls. By

CONSTANCE CUMING.

BLACKIE <fc SON'S BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPL

29

EIGHTEENPENNY SERIES— Continued.

A Soldier's Son : The Story of a Boy
who Succeeded. By ANNETTE LYS-
TER.

Mischief and Merry-making. By

ISABELLA PEARSON.
Littlebourne Lock. By

F. BAYFORD HARRISON.

Wild Meg and Wee
Dickie. By MARY E.

ROPES.

Grannie. By ELIZABETH
J. LYSAOHT.

The Seed She Sowed.
By EMMA LESLIE.

Unlucky: A Fragment of a
Girl's Life. By CARO-
LINE AUSTIN.

Everybody's Business:

or a Friend in Need.

By ISMAY THORN.
Tales of Daring and

Danger. By G. A.

HENTY.
The Seven Golden Keys.

By JAMES E. ARNOLD.
The Story of a Queen.

By MARY C. ROWSELL.
Edwy: Or, Was he a

Coward? By ANNETTE

LYSTER.

The Battlefield Trea-
sure. By F. BAYFORD

HARRISON.

Joan's Adventures at
the North Pole. By

ALICE CORKRAN.

Filled with Gold. By J.

PERRETT.
Our General: A Story for

Girls. By ELIZABETH

J. LYSAGHT.

Aunt Hesba's Charge
By ELIZABETH J. LY-
SAGHT.

By Order of Queen Maude: A story
of Home Life. By LOUISA CROW.

The Late Miss Hollingford. By

ROSA MULHOLLAND.

Our Frank. By AMY WALTON.
A Terrible Coward. By G. MAN-
VILLE FENN.

Yarns on the Beach. By G. A.
HENTY.

Tom Finch's Monkey. By J. C.
HUTCHESON.

Miss Grantley's Girls, andtheStories
she told them. By THOS. ARCHER.

The Pedlar and his Dog. By MARY
C. ROWSELL.

By

Town Mice in the Country.

M. E. FRANCIS.
Phil and his Father. By ISMAY

THORN.
Prim's Story. By L. E. TIDDEMAN.

duced Specimen of the Illustrations.

Down and Up Again.
Gow.

Madge's Mistake.

ARMSTRONG.

By GREGSON
By ANNIE E.

The Troubles and Triumphs of
Little Tim. By GREGSON Gow.

The Happy Lad: A Story of Peasant
Life in Norway. By B. BJORNSON.

Into the Haven. By ANNIE S. SWAN.

A Box of Stories. Packed for Young
Folk by HORACE HAPPYMAN.

The Patriot Martyr, and other Nar-
ratives of Female Heroism.

30

B LA OKIE «(• SON'S BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.

LIBRARY OF FAMOUS BOOKS FOR
BOYS AND GIRLS.

In Crown 8vo. Illustrated. Cloth extra, 1.?. 6d. each.
Miss Mitford's Our Village.

Waterton's Wanderings in S.
America.

Anson's Voyage Round the World.

Autobiography of Benjamin
Franklin.

Lamb's Tales from Shakspeare.
Southey's Life of Nelson.

Dana's Two Years before the
Mast.

Marryat's Children of the New
Forest.

Scott's The Talisman.
The Basket of Flowers.

[Others in preparation.

THE SHILLING SERIES OF JUVENILES.

Square 16mo, Illustrated, and neatly hound in cloth extra.

NEW VOLUMES.

Only a Shilling. By M. CORBET
SEYMOUR.

Sparkles. By HARRIET J. SCRIPPS.

Just Like a Girl. By PENELOPE
LESLIE.

Daisy and her Friends. By L. E.

TlDDEMAN.

Brave Dorette. By JULIA GODDARD.
Piecrust Promises. By W. L.

ROOPER.

Summer Fun and Frolic. By ISA-
BELLA PEARSON.

Little Aunt Dorothy. By JENNIE
CHAPPELL.

The Lost Dog. By ASCOTT R. HOPE.

The Rambles of Three Children.
By GERALDINE MOCKLER.

A Council of Courtiers. By CORA
LANGTON.

A Parliament of Pickles. By CORA

LANGTON.

Sharp Tommy. By E. .1. LYSAGHT.
Adventures of Nell, Eddie, and

Toby. By GERALDINE MOCKLER.

Freda's Folly. By M. S. HAYCRAFT.

Philip Danford : A Story of School
Life. By JULIA GODDARD.

The Youngest Princess. By JENNIE
CHAPPELL.

Arthur's Temptation. By EMMA
LESLIE.

A Change for the Worse.
HARRIET M. CAPES.

By M.

Our Two Starlings. By C. REDFORP.
Mr. Lipscombe's Apples. By .IULIA

GODIIARD.

Gladys. By E. O'BYRNE.

A Gypsy against Her Will. By
EMMA LESLIE.

How the Strike Began. Do
The Castle on the Shore. By ISA-
BEL HORNIBROOK.

An Emigrant Boy's Story. By

ASCOTT R. HOPE.
Jock and his Friend. By CORA

LANGTON.

John a' Dale. By MARY C. ROWSKLL.
In the Summer Holidays. By JEN-

NETT HUMPHREYS.
Tales from the Russian of Madame

Kabalensky. By G. JENNER.
Cinderella's Cousin. By PENELOPE.
Their New Home. By A. S. FENN.
Janie's Holiday. By C. REDFORD.
A Boy Musician: or, The Young Days

of Mozart..

Hatto's Tower. By M. C. ROWSELL.
Fairy Lovebairn's Favourites.
Alf Jetsam. By Mrs. GEO. CUPPLES.
The Redfords. By Mrs. G. CUPPLES.
Missy. By F. BAYFORD HARRISON.
Hidden Seed. By EMMA LESLIE.
Tom Watkin's Mistake. Do.

BLACKIE <t SON'S ROOKS FOR CHILDREN.

31

SHILLING SERIES— Continued.

Ursula's Aunt. By ANNIE S. FENN. .

Jack's Two Sovereigns. By ANNIE ;
S. FKNN.

A Little Adventurer. By G. Gow.
Olive Mount. By ANNIE S. FENN.
The Children of Haycombe. Do.
Three Little Ones. By C. LANOTON.

Two Little Brothers. By M. HAR-
RIET M. CAPES.

The New Boy at Merriton.
JULIA GODDARD.

By

The Cruise of the "Petrel". By

F. M. HOLMES. •

The Wise Princess. By Jr. HARRIET

M. CAPES.

The Blind Boy of Dresden.
Jon of Iceland.
Stories from Shakespeare.
Every Man in his Place.
Fireside Fairies and Fancies.
To the Sea in Ships.
Jack's Victory: Stories about Dogs.
Story of a King.
Prince Alexis: or, Old Russia.
Little Daniel : A Story of the Rhine.
Sasha the Serf: Stories of Russia.
True Stories of Foreign History.

THE NINEPENNY SERIES FOR CHILDREN.

F'cap 8vo, Illustrated, and neatly bound in cloth extra.

NEW VOLUMES.

Toby. By L. E. TIDDEMAN.
He, She, It By A. DE V. DAWSON.
The Carved Box. By NORLEY
CHESTER.

Darby and Joan. By ETHEL PEN-
ROSE.

A Little English Gentleman. By
JANE DEAKIN.

The Doctor's Lass. By L. E. TID-
DEMAN.

Spark and I. By ANNIE ARMSTRONG.

What Hilda Saw. By PENELOPE

LESLIE.
Little Miss Masterful. By L. E.

TIDDEMAN.

A Sprig of Honeysuckle. By
GEOROINA M. SQUIRE.

An Australian Childhood. By ELLEN
CAMPBELL.

Kitty Carroll. By L. E. TIDDEMAN.
A Joke for a Picnic. By W. L.

ROOPER.

Cross Purposes, and The Shadows.
By GEORGE MAC DONALD.

Patty's Ideas. By L. E. TIDDEMAN.
Daphne. By E. O'BYRNE.

Lily and Rose in One. By CECILIA
S. LOWNDES.

Crowded Out. By M. B. MANWELL.
Tom in a Tangle. By T. SPARROW.

Things will Take a Turn. By
BEATRICE HARRADEN.

Max or Baby. By ISMAY THORN.

The Lost Thimble. By Mrs. Mus-
GRAVE.

Jack-a-Dandy. By E. 3. LYSAGHT.
A Day of Adventures. By CHAR-
LOTTE WYATT.

The Golden Plums. By F. CLARE.
The Queen of Squats. By ISABEL

HORNIBROOK.

Little Troublesome. Do.
Shucks. By EMMA LESLIE.
Sylvia Brooke. By M. H. M. CAPES.
The Little Cousin. By A. S. FENN.
In Cloud land. By Mrs. MUSGRAVE.

Jack and the Gypsies. By KATE
WOOD.

Hans the Painter. By MARY C.
Rows ELL.

Sepperl the Drummer Boy. Do.

Fisherman Grim. Do.

My Lady May: and One Other Story.

By HARRIET BOULTWOOD.
A Little Hero. By Mrs. MUSGRAA-E.
Prince Jon's Pilgrimage.
Harold's Ambition : or, A Dream of

Fame. By JENNIE PERRETT.
Aboard the Mersey. By Mrs.

GEORGE CUPPLES.

A Blind Pupil. By ANNIE S. FENN.
Lost and Found. By Mrs. CARL

ROT HER.

32

BLACK1E & SON'S BOOKS FOR CHILDREN.

SOMETHING FOR THE

Illustrated. 64 pp. .cloth. 6d. each.

Tales Easy and Small.

Old Dick Grey and Aunt Kate's Way.

Maud's Doll and Her Walk.

In Holiday Time.

Whisk and Buzz.

VERY LITTLE ONES.
Little Tales for Little Folk.

By Miss W. L. ROOPER. 2d. each.
FRED'S RUN.
NORA'S DARK LOOK.
ELLA'S FALL.
PATTY'S WALK.
HONEST DOLLY.
LITTLE QUEEN PET.

THE SIXPENNY SERIES FOR CHILDREN.

Neatly bound in cloth extra. Each contains 64 pages and an Illustration.

NEW VOLUMES.

Nobody's Pet. By A. DE V. DAWSON.
Daisy's Visit to Uncle Jack.
Lady Patience. By F. S. HOLLINGS.
Vertaand Jaunette. By Mrs. THOKP.

Mrs. Holland's Peaches.
Marjory's White Rat.
Grandmother's Forget-me-nots.
From over the Sea.
The Kitchen Cat. By AMY WALTON.
The Royal Eagle. By L. THOMPSON.
Two Little Mice. By Mrs. GARLICK.
A Little Man of War.
Lady Daisy. By CAROLINE STEWART.
Dew. By H. MARY WILSON.
Chris's Old Violin. By J. LOCKHART.
Mischievous Jack. By A. CORKRAN.
The Twins. By L. E. TIDDEMAN.
Pet's Project. By CORA LANQTON.
The Chosen Treat. By C. WYAJT.
Little Neighbours. By A. S. FENN.
Jim : A Story of Child Life.
Little Curiosity. By J. M. CALLWELL.
Sara the Wool-gatherer.

i Fairy Stories : told by PENELOPE.
| A New Year's Tale. By M. A. CURRIE.
j Little Mop. By Airs. CHARLES BRAY.
| The Tree Cake, and other Stories.
j Nurse Peggy, and Little Dog Trip.
I Fanny's King. By DARLEY DALE.

Wild Marsh Marigolds. By D. DALE.

Kitty's Cousin.

Cleared at Last.

Little Dolly Forbes.

A Year with Nellie. By A. S. FENN.

The Little Brown Bird.

The Maid of Domremy.

Little Eric : a Story of Honesty.

Uncle Ben the Whaler

The Palace of Luxury.

The Charcoal Burner.

Willy Black: A Story of Doing Right.

The Horse and his Ways.

The Shoemaker's Present.

Lights to Walk by.

The Little Merchant.

Nicholina : A Story about an Iceberg.

SERIES OF FOURPENNY REWARD BOOKS.

Each 64 pages. 18mo, Illustrated, in Picture Boards.

A Start in Life. By J. LOCKHART.

Happy Childhood.

Dorothy's Clock.

Toddy. By L. E. TIDDEMAN.

Stories about my Dolls.

Stories about my Cat Timothy.

Delia's Boots. By W. L. ROOPER.

Climbing the Hill. By ANNIE S.

SWAN.

A Year at Coverley. By Do.
Phil Foster. By J. LOCKHART.

Papa's Birthday. By W. L. ROOPER.
The Charm Fairy. By PENELOPE.
Little Tales for Little Children.
Brave and True. By GREGSON Gow.
Johnnie Tupper's Temptation. Do.
Maudie and Bertie.
The Children and the Water-Lily.

By JULIA GODDARD.

Poor Tom 01 liver. Do.
Fritz's Experiment.
Lucy's Christmas-Box.

BLACKIE & SON, LIMITED., LONDON, GLASGOW, AND DUBLIN.

PR

4785

H55W5

Henty, George Alfred
When London burned

PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE
CARDS OR SLIPS FROM THIS POCKET

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO LIBRARY