The Children of the New Forest | Page 6

remain outside the door."
Agatha, with this injunction, bounced out of the room, slamming-to the
door so as to make Miss Judith start from her seat.
"Ill-mannered girl!" exclaimed Miss Judith. "Now, Jacob Armitage,
you may proceed."
Jacob then entered into the detail of what he had overheard that
morning, when he fell in with the troopers, concluding with the
information, that the mansion would be burned down that very night.
He then pointed out the necessity of immediately abandoning the house,
as it would be impossible to oppose the troopers.
"And where am I to go to, Jacob?" said Miss Judith, calmly.
"I hardly know, madam; there is my cottage; it is but a poor place, and
not fit for one like you."
"So I should presume, Jacob Armitage, neither shall I accept your offer.
It would ill befit the dignity of a Villiers to be frightened out of her
abode by a party of rude soldiers. Happen what will, I shall not stir
from this--no, not even from this chair. Neither do I consider the danger
so great as you suppose. Let Benjamin saddle, and be prepared to ride
over to Lymington immediately. I will give him a letter to the
magistrate there, who will send us protection."

"But, madam, the children can not remain here. I will not leave them
here. I promised the colonel--"
"Will the children be in more danger than I shall be, Jacob Armitage?"
replied the old lady, stiffly. "They dare not ill-treat me--they may force
the buttery and drink the ale--they may make merry with that and the
venison which you have brought with you, I presume, but they will
hardly venture to insult a lady of the House of Villiers."
"I fear they will venture any thing, madam. At all events, they will
frighten the children, and for one night they will be better in my
cottage."
"Well, then, be it so; take them to your cottage, and take Martha to
attend upon the Miss Beverleys. Go down now. and desire Agatha to
come to me, and Benjamin to saddle as fast as he can."
Jacob left the room, satisfied with the permission to remove the
children. He knew that it was useless to argue with Miss Judith, who
was immovable when once she had declared her intentions. He was
debating in his own mind whether he should acquaint the servants with
the threatened danger; but he had no occasion to do so, for Agatha had
remained at the door while Jacob was communicating the intelligence,
and as soon as he had arrived at that portion of it by which she learned
that the mansion was to be burned down that night, had run off to the
kitchen to communicate the intelligence to the other servants.
"I'll not stay to be burned to death," exclaimed the cook, as Jacob came
in. "Well, Mr. Armitage, this is pretty news you have brought. What
does my lady say!"
"She desires that Benjamin saddles immediately, to carry a letter to
Lymington; and you, Agatha, are to go up stairs to her."
"But what does she mean to do? Where are we to go?" exclaimed
Agatha.
"Miss Judith intends to remain where she is."

"Then she will remain alone, for me," exclaimed the housemaid, who
was admired by Benjamin. "Its bad enough to have little victuals and
no wages, but as for being burned to death--Benjamin, put a pillion
behind your saddle, and I'll go to Lymington with you. I won't be long
in getting my bundle."
Benjamin, who was in the kitchen with the maids at the time that Jacob
entered, made a sign significant of consent, and went away to the stable.
Agatha went up to her mistress in a state of great perturbation, and the
cook also hurried away to her bedroom.
"They'll all leave her," thought Jacob; "well, my duty is plain; I'll not
leave the children in the house." Jacob then went in search of them, and
found them playing in the garden. He called the two boys to him, and
told them to follow him.
"Now, Mr. Edward," said he, "you must prove yourself your father's
own son. We must leave this house immediately; come up with me to
your rooms, and help me to pack up yours and your sisters' clothes, for
we must go to my cottage this night. There is no time to be lost."
"But why, Jacob; I must know why?"
"Because the Parliamentary troopers will burn it down this night."
"Burn it down! Why, the house is mine, is it not? Who dares to burn
down this house?"
"They will dare it, and will do it."
"But we will fight them, Jacob; we can bolt and bar; I can fire a gun,
and hit too, as