Hayslope Grange | Page 3

he said, sadly.
"Then put yourself in the right place," said Maud, quickly, without in the least knowing to what he referred.
"By my faith, I cannot," he said, huskily.
"Cannot?" she uttered. "Cannot do right? Be truthful and just--true to yourself. Harry, you cannot mean you are afraid to do this?"
She thought she knew what was passing in his mind. He had been away from home for several weeks, in London and in the North, and she thought he longed to serve his King by taking up arms and joining actively in the fray. Her spirit stirred and swelled within her, as she almost wished that she, too, was a man, that she might follow him to the field and fight by his side.
"Harry, you will do it," she said; "you will be brave and true, and tell your father all that is passing in your mind."
Harry looked at her astonished, almost bewildered. "By my troth, Maud, this is more wonderful than anything else," he said.
"Marry, that I should tell you to be true to yourself and your own conscience," said Maud, in a deeply injured tone.
"Nay, but I did not mean to grieve you, dearest Maud," said Harry; "but I did not think--I dared not hope--you would see matters as I do."
"But I do see, that, whatever the cost may be----"
"Maud, the cost will not be half so great as I thought it half an hour since. I have your sympathy," interrupted Harry.
"But is your father sure to oppose your wishes in this?" said Maud.
Harry looked at her in some perplexity. "Can you ask it?" he said, "when he----"
"Yes, I know he refuses to take any public part in----" At this moment Maud was in her turn interrupted by Bessie rushing up to them with the announcement that a visitor had just arrived from London who desired to see Harry.
"It is a friend to whom I have spoken of the things we have been talking about," he said in a lower tone, to Maud; and finding Bessie was inclined to take his place by her side, he left them, and returned at once to the house.
"Has Harry been telling you about Prince Rupert?" asked Bessie, when they were left alone.
"No, dear," answered Maud; and then she relapsed into silence, for her thoughts were busy about Harry, and she wondered why he could be so afraid of mentioning his wish to become a soldier to his father.
Bessie waited a few minutes, and then she said,--"Has Harry told you anything about Prince Rupert, to-day, Maud?"
Maud smiled. "We have so often talked about Prince Rupert, you know, Bessie, that I think we have heard all Harry can tell us about his winning the King's battles for him," she said.
"Marry, but we have not, though," said Bessie, earnestly. "Harry told Bertie this morning that he was a fierce, cruel man, one of the greatest robbers that ever lived; and that he justly deserved the title the King's enemies had given him, 'Prince of Plunderers.'"
Maud looked down at the eager upturned face, feeling somewhat puzzled, but she thought Harry might have heard something that seemed to him very cruel--something that the great Prince had been obliged to do to save the King, perhaps, which yet had roused Harry's anger, feeling so keenly as he did for everybody's distress. At all events, Harry was right, and Prince Rupert was right too, she had no doubt, if things could only be explained; and in this way she contrived to silence Bessie, if she did not convince her; and the little girl went to tell Bertie that Maud did not think his soldier-hero a bad man after all; while Maud pursued her walk through the fields, indulging in very happy thoughts, in spite of the danger she was anticipating for Harry when he should join the King's army.

CHAPTER II.
HARRY'S ANNOUNCEMENT.
Gilbert Clayton, Harry's friend, was a stranger to the rest of the family; but Master Drury no sooner heard of his arrival than he invited him to stay as long as he pleased, or as long as his business would permit; and this was so warmly seconded by Harry, that young Clayton could not but remain. He was the more willing to do this, as he had been ordered by the doctors to leave London and reside in the country before joining the army again, for he had received a dangerous wound the previous summer in the battle of Chalgrove, where his kinsman, the brave and pious John Hampden, was mortally wounded. It was by talking of John Hampden that Harry first became acquainted with Gilbert Clayton, and now he wanted to hear more of him and the gentle Sir Bevil Granville, who had so bravely led on his pikemen at the battle of Lansdowne.
The talks about these heroes generally