Round the Fire Stories

Now I had looked at it as I passed, and it had crossed my mind, as suchthoughts will, that it was a very easy house to get into with that greatrow of ground windows and glass doors. I had put the thought away fromme, and now here was this landlord bringing it back with his talk aboutthe riches within. I said nothing, but I listened, and as luck wouldhave it, he would always come back to this one subject.

“He was a miser young, so you can think what he is now in his age,” saidhe. “Well, he’s had some good out of his money.”

“What good can he have had if he does not spend it?” said I.

“Well, it bought him the prettiest wife in England, and that was somegood that he got out of it. She thought she would have the spending ofit, but she knows the difference now.”

“Who was she then?” I asked, just for the sake of something to say.

“She was nobody at all until the old Lord made her his Lady,” said he.“She came from up London way, and some said that she had been on thestage there, but nobody knew. The old Lord was away for a year, and whenhe came home he brought a young wife back with him, and there she hasbeen ever since. Stephens, the butler, did tell me once that she was thelight of the house when fust she came, but what with her husband’s meanand aggravatin’ way, and what with her loneliness—for he hates to see avisitor within his doors; and what with his bitter words—for he has atongue like a hornet’s sting, her life all went out of her, and shebecame a white, silent creature, moping about the country lanes. Somesay that she loved another man, and that it was just the riches of theold Lord which tempted her to be false to her lover, and that now she iseating her heart out because she has lost the one without being anynearer to the other, for she might be the poorest woman in the parishfor all the money that she has the handling of.”

Well, sir, you can imagine that it did not interest me very much to hearabout the quarrels between a Lord and a Lady. What did it matter to meif she hated the sound of his voice, or if he put every indignity uponher in the hope of breaking her spirit, and spoke to her as he wouldnever have dared to speak to one of his servants? The landlord told meof these things, and of many more like them, but they passed out of mymind, for they were no concern of mine. But what I did want to hear wasthe form in which Lord Mannering kept his riches. Title-deeds and stockcertificates are but paper, and more danger than profit to the man whotakes them. But metal and stones are worth a risk. And then, as if hewere answering my very thoughts, the landlord told me of LordMannering’s great collection of gold medals, that it was the mostvaluable in the world, and that it was reckoned that if they were putinto a sack the strongest man in the parish would not be able to raisethem. Then his wife called him, and he and I went to our beds.

I am not arguing to make out a case for myself, but I beg you, sir, tobear all the facts in your mind, and to ask yourself whether a man couldbe more sorely tempted than I was. I make bold to say that there are fewwho could have held out against it. There I lay on my bed that night, adesperate man without hope or work, and with my last shilling in mypocket. I had tried to be honest, and honest folk had turned their backsupon me. They taunted me for theft; and yet they pushed me towards it. Iwas caught in the stream and could not get out. And then it was such achance: the great house all lined with windows, the golden medals whichcould so easily be melted down. It was like putting a loaf before astarving man and expecting him not to eat it. I fought against it for atime, but it was no use. At last I sat up on the side of my bed, and Iswore that that night I should either be a rich man and able to give upcrime for ever, or that the irons should be on my wrists once more. ThenI slipped on my clothes, and, having put a shilling on the table—for thelandlord had treated me well, and I did not wish to cheat him—I passedout through the window into the garden of the inn.

There was a high wall round this garden, and I had a job to get over it,but once on the other s

ide it was all plain sailing. I did not meet asoul upon the road, and the iron gate of the avenue was open. No one wasmoving at the lodge. The moon was shining, and I could see the greathouse glimmering white through an archway of trees. I walked up it for aquarter of a mile or so, until I was at the edge of the drive, where itended in a broad, gravelled space before the main door. There I stood inthe shadow and looked at the long building, with a full moon shining inevery window and silvering the high stone front. I crouched there forsome time, and I wondered where I should find the easiest entrance. Thecorner window of the side seemed to be the one which was leastoverlooked, and a screen of ivy hung heavily over it. My best chance wasevidently there. I worked my way under the trees to the back of thehouse, and then crept along in the black shadow of the building. A dogbarked and rattled his chain, but I stood waiting until he was quiet,and then I stole on once more until I came to the window which I hadchosen.

It is astonishing how careless they are in the country, in places farremoved from large towns, where the thought of burglars never enterstheir heads. I call it setting temptation in a poor man’s way when heputs his hand, meaning no harm, upon a door, and finds it swing openbefore him. In this case it was not so bad as that, but the window wasmerely fastened with the ordinary catch, which I opened with a push fromthe blade of my knife. I pulled up the window as quickly as possible,and then I thrust the knife through the slit in the shutter and prizedit open. They were folding shutters, and I shoved them before me andwalked into the room.

“Good evening, sir! You are very welcome!” said a voice.

I’ve had some starts in my life, but never one to come up to that one.There, in the opening of the shutters, within reach of my arm, wasstanding a woman with a small coil of wax taper burning in her hand. Shewas tall and straight and slender, with a beautiful white face thatmight have been cut out of clear marble, but her hair and eyes were asblack as night. She was dressed in some sort of white dressing-gownwhich flowed down to her feet, and what with this robe and what with herface, it seemed as if a spirit from above was standing in front of me.My knees knocked together, and I held on to the shutter with one hand togive me support. I should have turned and run away if I had had thestrength, but I could only just stand and stare at her.

She soon brought me back to myself once more.

“Don’t be frightened!” said she, and they were strange words for themistress of a house to have to use to a burglar. “I saw you out of mybedroom window when you were hiding under those trees, so I slippeddownstairs, and then I heard you at the window. I should have opened itfor you if you had waited, but you managed it yourself just as I cameup.”

I still held in my hand the long clasp-knife with which I had opened theshutter. I was unshaven and grimed from a week on the roads. Altogether,there are few people who would have cared to face me alone at one in themorning; but this woman, if I had been her lover meeting her byappointment, could not have looked upon me with a more welcoming eye.She laid her hand upon my sleeve and drew me into the room.

“What’s the meaning of this, ma’am? Don’t get trying any little gamesupon me,” said I, in my roughest way—and I can put it on rough when Ilike. “It’ll be the worse for you if you play me any trick,” I added,showing her my knife.

“I will play you no trick,” said she. “On the contrary, I am yourfriend, and I wish to help you.”

“Excuse me, ma’am, but I find it hard to believe that,” said I. “Whyshould you wish to help me?”

“I have my own reasons,” said she; and then suddenly, with those blackeyes blazing out of her white face: “It’s because I hate him, hate him,hate him! Now you understand.”

I remembered what the landlord had told me, and I did understand. Ilooked at her Ladyship’s face, and I knew that I could trust her. Shewanted to revenge herself upon her husband. She wanted to hit him whereit would hurt him most—upon the pocket. She hated him so that she wouldeven lower her pride to take such a man as me into her confidence if shecould gain her end by doing so. I’ve hated some folk in my time, but Idon’t think I ever understood what hate was until I saw that woman’sface in the light of the taper.

“You’ll trust me now?” said she, with another coaxing touch upon mysleeve.

“Yes, your Ladyship.”

“You know me, then?”

“I can guess who you are.”

“I daresay my wrongs are the talk of the county. But what does he carefor that? He only cares for one thing in the whole world, and that youcan take from him this night. Have you a bag?”

“No, your Ladyship.”

“Shut the shutter behind you. Then no one can see the light. You arequite safe. The servants all sleep in the other wing. I can show youwhere all the most valuable things are. You cannot carry them all, so wemust pick the best.”

The room in which I found myself was long and low, with many rugs andskins scattered about on a polished wood floor. Small cases stood hereand there, and the walls were decorated with spears and swords andpaddles, and other things which find their way into museums. There weresome queer clothes, too, which had been brought from savage countries,and the lady took down a large leather sack-bag from among them.

“This sleeping-sack will do,” said she. “Now come with me and I willshow you where the medals are.”