第87章 THE BLACK DEATH(4)

More and more distinctly she heard their movements about the room as they burst open her caskets and appropriated her jewels, but it was not until silence was restored that the gathering powers of life asserted themselves;then with a sudden rush the blood seemed to course through her veins, her eyes opened, and her tongue was loosed, and with a scream she sprang up and stood by the side of her bed.

Sustained as by a supernatural power she hurried into the next room.A pool of blood on the floor showed her that what she had heard had not been a dream or the fiction of a disordered brain.Snatching up a cloak of her husband's which lay on a couch, she wrapped it round her, and with hurried steps made her way along the passages until she reached the apartment occupied by Ralph.The latter sprang up in bed with a cry of astonishment.

He had heard but an hour before from Walter that all hope was gone, and thought for an instant that the appearance was an apparition from the dead.

The ghastly pallor of the face, the eyes burning with a strange light, the flowing hair, and disordered appearance of the girl might well have alarmed one living in even less superstitious times, and Ralph began to cross himself hastily and to mutter a prayer when recalled to himself by the sound of Edith's voice.

"Quick, Ralph!" she said, "arise and clothe yourself.Hasten, for your life.My lord's enemies have fallen upon him and wounded him grievously, even if they have not slain him, and have carried him away.They would have slain me also had they not thought I was already dead.Arise and mount, summon everyone still alive in the village, and follow these murderers.Iwill pull the alarm-bell of the castle."

Ralph sprang from his bed as Edith left.He had heard the sound of many footsteps in the knight's apartments, but had deemed them those of the priest and his acolytes come to administer the last rites of the church to his dying mistress.Rage and anxiety for his master gave strength to his limbs.He threw on a few clothes and rushed down to the stables, where the horses stood with great piles of forage and pails of water before them, placed there two days before, by Walter when their last attendant died.

Without waiting to saddle it, Ralph sprang upon the back of one of the animals, and taking the halters of four others started at a gallop down to the village.

His news spread like wild fire, for the ringing of the alarm-bell of the castle had drawn all to their doors and prepared them for something strange.Some of the men had already taken their arms and were making their way up to the castle when they met Ralph.There were but five men in the village who had altogether escaped the pestilence; others had survived its attacks, but were still weak.Horses there were in plenty.The five men mounted at once, with three others who, though still weak, were able to ride.

So great was the excitement that seven women who had escaped the disease armed themselves with their husbands' swords and leaped on horseback, declaring that, women though they were, they would strike a blow for their beloved lord, who had been as an angel in the village during the plague.

Thus it was scarcely more than ten minutes after the marauders had left the castle before a motley band, fifteen strong, headed by Ralph, rode off in pursuit, while some of the women of the village hurried up to the castle to comfort Edith with the tidings that the pursuit had already commenced.

Fortunately a lad in the fields had noticed the five men ride away from the castle, and was able to point out the direction they had taken.

At a furious gallop Ralph and his companions tore across the country.Mile after mile was passed.Once or twice they gained news from labourers in the field of the passage of those before them, and knew that they were on the right track.They had now entered a wild and sparsely inhabited country.

It was broken and much undulated, so that although they knew that the band they were pursuing were but a short distance ahead they had not yet caught sight of them, and they hoped that, having no reason to dread any immediate pursuit, these would soon slacken their pace.This expectation was realized, for on coming over a brow they saw the party halted at a turf-burner's cottage in the hollow below.Three of the men had dismounted;two of them were examining the hoof of one of the horses, which had apparently cast a shoe or trodden upon a stone.Ralph had warned his party to make no sound when they came upon the fugitives.The sound of the horses' hoofs was deadened by the turf, and they were within a hundred yards of the marauders before they were perceived; then Ralph uttered a shout and brandishing their swords the party rode down at a headlong gallop.

The dismounted men leaped to their saddles and galloped off at full speed, but their pursuers were now close upon them.Ralph and two of his companions, who were mounted upon Walter's best horses, gained upon them at every stride.Two of them were overtaken and run through.

The man who bore Walter before him, finding himself being rapidly overtaken, threw his burden on to the ground just as the leader of the party had checked his horse and was about to deliver a sweeping blow at the insensible body.

With a curse at his follower for ridding himself of it, he again galloped on.The man's act was unavailing to save himself, for he was overtaken and cut down before he had ridden many strides; then Ralph and his party instantly reined up to examine the state of Walter, and the two survivors of the band of murderers continued their flight unmolested.