Our Radicals. A tale of love and politics ... Edited, with preface, by ... J. Percival Hughes

Preface

. DV His Private Secretary, J. PERCIVAL HUGHES. IN TWO VOLUMES.— VOL. II. LONDON : RICHARD BENTLEY AND SON, Publishers in ©rbinarg to Jttajtstu the (Qnicn. 1886. [AU Rights Reservel, ]

Chapter I. Ll

the Members of the Cabinet assembled at the council-meeting held in the Foreign Office. The Prime Minister, accompanied by Lord O'Hagan Harton and Lord Hartigig, were the first to arrive. Mr. Buttertongue and Sir Charles Able, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, had later on put in an appearance. Sir Charles was the only man in the Cabinet who was re spected by friends and foes alike. From his singular talents and undoubted veracity, vol. n. he ought certainly to have been Prime Minister. An advanced Radical, he was yet a patriot in the truest sense of the word, and it bitterly mortified him to feel that the party to which he belonged had carried out policies at home and abroad so utterly contrary to his own ideas. However, much as he was opposed to the principles of his colleagues, he would not give in his resigna tion, lest he should be the first to break up the party.

He could have been a member of the Coalition Government had he wished, but, sore as the temptation had been, he had nevertheless stood firm to his side. ' I think we are all assembled,' observed the Prime Minister, looking round. ' Let me see, Mr. Steadyfile and Lord Camber well are not here.' Ina few minutes the Earl of Camberwell and Mr. Steadyfile entered the room. ' Capital !' said Mr. Cumbermore ; ' and now to business.' Later on the Prime Minister said : ' It would be fatal to our party to dissolve at the present time.' ' There can be no doubt about that,' said Mr. Steadyfile. 'We must remain in office at all hazards,' said Sir Poplar Burlyman. ' Now with reference to Lord Cromer,' said the Prime Minister. ' You have heard the reports, which are unfortun ately too well founded. Here is a copy of the speech he is said to have made, and it justifies me in having his lordship arrested on a charge of high treason.' ' Certainly,' said Sir Poplar Burlyman ; ' but who is to arrest him?

His position is strong.' i ' Metrale will see that it is done,' answered Mr. Cumbermore, 'and I am sure that you are all agreed as to the advisability of the thing.' 17 — No dissenting voice being heard, the Prime Minister continued : ' Our troops have again been defeated in Ireland ; we must remember that it will be impossible to conceal that fact from the public many more hours. When it is an nounced, there will be terrible excitement in the City and throughout the country.' ' Have you full particulars ?' said Sir Poplar Burlyman. ' The details at present are as follow : Lord Saxborough, in whom we placed im plicit confidence, encountered the rebels near Tallaght. Saxborough's despatch says that all went well at the commencement of the engagement ; but after a time two of his Irish regiments, that had been sent to support an attack on the enemy's left, suddenly deserted.

Seeing this, he des patched two cavalry regiments with orders to attack the American contingent from the rear, as their General had neglected to support his left wing. Our cavalry had nearly succeeded in effecting this move ment, when they were assailed by an over poweringnumber of the rebels, andprevented from carrying out their orders. The day would have been ours, had Lord Sax borough had one more regiment at his command ; but the loss of the 21st Dragoon Guards turned the scale in the Fenians' favour, and he had to retire, leaving Dublin in the possession of the rebel forces. He has entrenched himself at the mouth of the Tunnel, and if we can only supply him with reinforcements he is confident of ultimate success. Our losses are heavy, but the actual number is unknown at present. The enemy suffered terribly, but their force is still great in numbers.

At present,' continued the Prime Minister, ' Lord Saxborough must remain quiet, for every man I can rely upon will be re quired to defend London should Lord Cromer advance.' ' Do not let any more go at present,' said Lord O'Hagan Harton ; 'we must be protected.' ' If it were not for the strong public feel ing in England, I should say let the United States annex Ireland,' remarked Sir Poplar Burlyman. ' That is all very well,' said Mr. Steadyfile ; ' but what a cry there would be from people who have property there !' ' Property be d d !' said Sir Poplar Burlyman. ' So it is nearly,' said Lord Camberwell. ' What is this trickling from the ceiling ?' said the Lord Chancellor, as some liquid fell upon his hand ; ' it is not water !' He shook the drops from his hand into the fire, and it was at once clear that the liquid was of an inflammable nature.

Going to the door, he called to one of the Under-Secretaries who should have been near at hand. To his surprise there was no one there ; but a fearful scream reached his ear, and rushing to the adjacent room, from whence the cry emanated, he found an unfortunate man in flames. From the ceiling of this room, too, an in flammable liquid was steadily dropping, and the corridor beyond was filled with dense clouds of smoke. It was evident that the building was on fire. Lord O'Hagan Harton would have made his escape at once, had not the only means of retreat, viz. the corridor, been cut off. Returning to the council chamber, he in formed his colleagues of the state of affairs. All was confusion and consternation. Each man looked anxiously at his neighbour, as they realized the gravity of the situation.

Sir Charles Able was the only man who retained his presence of mind, and at once proceeded to the corridor to ascertain what means ofegressitoffered. Returning.hesaid: ' The corridor is a mass of flames ; all hope must be abandoned in that direction.' As he spoke, a crash was heard in the distance. ' The staircase has fallen !' said Lord O'Hagan Harton, wringing his hands ; ' what are we to do ?' Mr. Cumbermore opened the door, and a vast volume of smoke entered through the aperture. ' We must keep the door closed,' said Sir Charles Able. ' The balcony is our only chance of escape.' Opening the window, Sir Charles Able walked on to the little parapet, followed by the other Members of the Cabinet. There was not much room for them to stand on the small enclosure, and they were eighty feet from the ground.

A shout of encouragement arose from the crowd, as they saw the inmates of the building crowd upon the balcony, and it was renewed as a fire-escape arrived upon the scene. It was placed against the building, but it was immediately seen that at least forty feet intervened between its summit and the balcony. Another ladder was attached, but still it was im possible for the prisoners to descend, and the strain of a third would have been too great. At this point Captain Sandford arrived, and at once grasped the situation. ' It is useless trying to reach them at that altitude,' he observed. Arthur Belper had been looking up at the balcony with a view to proposing some means of escape, when he discovered that the people on the parapet were the Members of the Cabinet. The populace had hitherto not recognised the familiar faces of Mr. Cumbermore's minority ; but immediately the news spread, a revulsion of feeling took place. ' Let them burn !' shouted a number of voices ; but the majority, actuated by better feelings, though cherishing the same political hatred towards the sufferers, cried down the inhuman mob.

It was a very critical moment. The floor of the corridor had already given way, and forked tongues of fire were forcing themselves through the lower windows of the building. The heat was overpowering from below ; and from above some molten lead was falling from the roof, some of which had dropped down the neck of the Lord Chancellor, who, yelling with agony and paralyzed with fear, had doubled himself up in one corner of the balcony. The only man unconcerned for his own personal safety was Sir Charles Able, who, perfectly alive to the dangerous situation, was nevertheless disposed to take the matter philosophically. He had tried everything in life, and had been successful in most of his undertakings. He had, on account of his position — not on account of his abilities — been flattered and fawned upon by women in all sorts and conditions of life.

Though he had never loved, he had many times been enslaved, and indeed would never have been in his present pitiable plight, but for the ambitious promptings of a clever woman. To sum his character up in a few words, he was a splendid animal ; and, looking upon life as a comedy, and the world the stage upon which it was performed, he had begun to tire of the performance, and would have been glad to experience a future existence, were it only for the sake of trying something new, and escaping from the thralls that bound him to a party absolutely opposed to his innate ideas of justice and order. By his side stood Mr. Buttertongue, the religious enthusiast, who, with a text in his mouth that nearly choked him, trembled and quaked at his approaching doom. Another crash was heard behind them, and it was seen that the floor of the council chamber had partly fallen through, and the flames from beneath were rushing upwards and nearly touching the windows, which cracked from the ex cessive heat.

Everyone, except Sir Charles Able, moved farther from the window to the edge of the balustrade, thereby doubling the strain on the balcony. The Lord Chancellor, eager to change places with the Prime Minister — who had gained a temporary advantage over his friend — would have upset all the rest of the members in his efforts, had he not been restrained by the strong arms of Sir Charles Able. ' If you struggle so, the balcony will give way,' said Mr. Buttertongue, ' and we shall be lost.' ' Keep him back ! — keep him back !' shrieked the Prime Minister and Sir Poplar Burlyman. 'Be courageous,' said the Prime Minister a moment afterwards, assuming a virtue he did not possess, as he saw Lord Beckons bury, the late Prime Minister, in the court yard below. Lord Beckonsbury had been passing the Foreign Office in his carriage, when the conflagration was reaching its height, and Belper, who was in command of one engine, had ordered the police to let his lordship pass through the crowd.

On Belper informing him of the state of affairs, his lordship had expressed a hope that some means of escape would be found for them. Meanwhile, seeing that any other means of rescuing the unfortunate men was out of the question, Captain Sandford had despatched some mounted policemen to procure some strong netting, which he proposed to suspend from the ladders, for the unfortunate Ministers to leap into. The only fear was that the messengers would not return in time to save them. The heat was becoming unbearable on the balcony. Mr. Buttertongue and Sir Poplar Burlyman had fainted, and Sir Charles Able, who was near to the window, knew that the moment the glass fell out of the frames there was nothing to keep the flames from reaching them. A deafening cheer arose at that moment from the multitude below.

The policemen were returning at full gallop, bearing what appeared to be several gigantic fishing nets. Sandford had already placed four fire-escapes in the form of a square under the building, and in another mo ment the more active men of his force were seen climbing the ladders, bearing the corners of the nets in their hands. ' The strain will be tremendous,' the chief had said ; ' attach the nets with every 1 care. The sufferers in the window at once discovered Sandford's design — his last words even had reached their ears, as the chief shouted his orders. They looked at each other with dismay depicted on their countenances. It seemed a terrible alternative — for at least fifty feet divided them from their only chance of deliverance. The people in the court-yard below were breathless with excitement. ' One at a time !' shouted the chief, at the top of his voice ; ' one at a time !

Jump for your lives !' The moments were precious, and an ominous crack was heard from the windows at their back, which, in spite of the volumes of water that were being poured into the back of the building to quench the flames, would inevitably give way in a few minutes. ' Mr. Buttertongue and Sir Poplar Burlyman are insensible,' said Sir Charles Able ; ' they must be thrown over first.' Raising these gentlemen by their shoulders and legs, their colleagues lifted them to a level with the balustrade. ' Over with them !' shouted the chief I whose voice was distinctly heard in the pain ful silence which had fallen on the crowd. The quick eye of Captain Sandford had discovered a stream of molten lead gradually making its way down the roof of the building. In another five minutes it would be falling in a cascade of fire upon the heads of the unfortunate sufferers.

The determined way in which Sandford repeated his commands had a due effect. Swinging them in the air, and ultimately releasing their hold, the insensible men fell with lightning rapidity into the net — Sir Poplar Burlyman first, and after him Mr. Buttertongue. Firemen were waiting on the rungs of the ladder to release the victims from their position, and with great speed the two Ministers were taken from the net, which had given slightly in the fall, and were being borne down the steps to the excited crowd. iS VOL. The next to fall was the Prime Minister, who lost his balance, on gaining the top of the balustrade, and nearly paid for it with his life. He was, however, taken out in sensible, but unhurt. The others, seeing the good fortune of their colleagues, hastened to follow their example.

The last to jump was Sir Charles, who was able to descend the ladder without even the assistance of the firemen. ' They have to thank you for their lives,' said Lord Beckonsbury to the Chief of the Fire Brigade, offering his congratula tions. ' I am glad they are safe,' answered Captain Sandford. ' Yes,' replied Lord Beckonsbury ; ' it will be time enough for them to ex perience that sort of punishment in the next world.'

Chapter II

§5^nggHE morning sun gilded the turjwfj iK3| rets of Cromer Castle. The lord of the mansion had recovered' from the effects of the narcotics administered to him by Metrale's agents. A cry for speedy vengeance had been raised by many of his adherents, and some had gone so far as to entreat his lordship to assemble a court-martial to try, and inflict summary punishment upon, the two detectives. One of the prisoners was Mr. Jumbletonr and when Sir Richard Digby had spoken to him, his fear of never seeing Mrs. Jumbleton again so worked upon his mind 18—2 that he consented to give Lord Cromer any information he might want, if his lordship would only spare his life. He had already informed Sir Richard Digby ot the Prime Minister's complicity in the plot, and remembering that Captain Belper was Sir Richard's most intimate friend, and that Belper had been to the office several times about Eugene, he thought that he might perhaps influence the Baronet to speak on his behalf, by unfolding what he knew of the mystery attaching to the boy, and the reasons which induced Metrale to be so reticent on this subject to those interested in the lad's parentage.

He had already hinted that he knew more about this matter than he cared to tell, and at length, on Sir Richard's promising to intercede with his uncle, he divulged what he knew of Eugene's antecedents. 'You remember, sir,' said Jumbleton, ' on the first occasion Captain Belper came to the chief's office, he brought a letter of introduction from you ?' ' Well ?' ' Mr. Metrale at once set me and my wife, who is uncommonly clever in these matters, to ferret the matter out. She went straight to Paris, and ingratiated her self with some of the F"enian brotherhood, and eventually learned that the boy was not French by birth, but English ; and, moreover, heir to a large property in Eng land.

His uncle, in fact, was a peer, and no less a person than Lord Cromer.' ' What do you say ?' said Sir Richard Digby, with astonishment. ' Lord Cromer has no nephew but myself, and I have no children, therefore your statement has no truth in it whatever ; your wife must have been misinformed.' ' I am sure you will be convinced she l was right,' said Jumbleton ; ' my wife is a shrewd woman, and she discovered that the original idea of the Fenians was to keep the child in their custody, he being the heir to the estate, and in time, if Lord Cromer in any way interfered with their plans, to inform him of the existence of the child, and threaten to kill him if his lordship refused to act upon their instruc tions.' ' But Lord Cromer had only two brothers,' said Sir Richard Digby ; ' one who died at twenty-six years of age, un married, and my own father, who had but one son. ' How do you know that Lord Cromer's brother was unmarried ?' ' It was never supposed that he married.' ' But it was a fact,' answered the detective. ' Lord Cromer himself knows very well that his brother contracted a mesalliance with a French actress.

He is also aware that a child was born of that union, and that shortly after his birth the child disappeared. All this Lord Cromer knows as well as I do ; but as he believes the child to be dead, and as you are his heir, he has never thought it well to mention the matter to you. The Fenians have constantly corresponded with his lordship, but he has refused to see the child, and affects to disbelieve the whole story. One of these letters from Moonlight Barry, the Fenian chief, contained the information that unless Lord Cromer ceased to denounce the Irish agitators the child would be destroyed by drowning. His lordship ignored the threat, and but for Captain Belper the boy would be to-day in " kingdom come." ' Why then did Metrale not inform Captain Belper at once of this state of things ?' ' For the best of reasons,' replied the detective. ' He had informed Mr. Cumbermore instead, and the Prime Minister for State purposes preferred to be the sole person aware of the existence of Lord Cromer's heir.

He knew that the child was in safe keeping, and thought that some day he might obtain an advantage over Lord Cromer by telling him that he could point out the real heir to the estates, and supplant the only person his lordship cares one jot or tittle, about in the world — that is, yourself.' ' I can hardly believe it,' said the Baronet thoughtfully. ' If you doubt my statement, ask Lord Cromer himself ; you will find, if he speaks the truth, that my words will be corrobo rated.' Sir Richard Digby, on leaving Jumbleton, went straight to Lord Cromer's apartments. The General was alone with Sir Edward Righton, and they were comparing notes over a map stretched out on the table before them. ' Ah, it is you, Dick,' said Lord Cromer, as he heard his nephew's footsteps. ' We are making our final arrangements.

If it had not been for those two scoundrels, I should have marched upon London three or four days ago.' ' What news have you from town ?' said Sir Richard ; ' anything satisfactory ?'. ' Quite,' said his lordship. ' The people are becoming more dissatisfied every day with the Government ; Downing Street has been set on fire, and Cumbermore and his colleagues nearly perished in the flames.' ' That was undoubtedly the work of the Fenians,' said Sir Edward Righton. ' Yes, they may have had a finger in the fire,' said Lord Cromer, his face darkening the while. ' These scoundrels are capable of any atrocity.' ' The Prime Minister escaped, then ?' said Digby. ' Yes : here is the account — read it. I see a friend of yours, Captain Belper, distin guished himself.' o Sir Richard Digby sat down to read the account of the fire, while the two Generals continued studying the map. ' The effect of marching from four dif ferent points on the City will be to com pletely paralyze the action of our opponents.

My spies tell me that Metrale's plan is to march out of London and invite an attack, hoping that the Volunteers, of whose courage he has but a rjoor opinion, will be awed by the sight of his myrmidons of the law. He will be powerless when he hears we are marching from four points, and he will have to divide his force if he wishes to keep us out of London.' ' The troops in Ireland have been de feated again, I see,' said Sir Richard Digby. ' They have fallen back on their original position at the mouth of the Tunnel.' ' Ten thousand more Volunteers are on their way to join us,' observed Sir Edward Righton. ' Yes,' said Lord Cromer ; ' I expect to have a force of nearly 80,000 men with me when I begin my march.' Shortly after this Sir Edward Righton It ft the Castle, to inspect the arrangements made for the reception of the expected corps of Volunteers, and Lord Cromer was left alone with his nephew.

Sir Richard had only affected an interest in the paper he was holding before him ; in reality, his mind was engrossed with the revelations the detective had made to him. ' You are looking ill, Dick,' said Lord Cromer anxiously. ' I am fairly well,' replied Sir Richard ; ' but I have just had some information im parted to me by one of the prisoners, and it has quite upset me.' ' What about ?' ' About the child who was lost in Paris, some thirteen years ago, but who now, it appears, is alive and well.' Lord Cromer started at this sudden announcement, and turned pale. The con versation had taken a turn he had not anticipated. ' I wish to be frank with you,' continued Sir Richard, looking his uncle steadfastly in the face. ' Is the story true or false ? Had my uncle Henry a son ?' Lord Cromer hesitated a moment, then, seeing that his nephew was determined to have an answer, he spoke : ' It is a pity that all the scandal Henry created in the family could not have been buried with him ; but you ask a plain question, and I will not conceal facts from you.

My brother Henry's wife had a child — whether he was Henry's son or not, God only knows ; anyhow, my brother did not deny his paternity.' ' And the boy disappeared ?' ' Yes, suddenly one evening, when out with his nurse on the Boulevards. Woman and child disappeared, and I had hoped never to return, for my affections were always set upon you, and I wished you to be my heir.' Lord Cromer rang the bell, and ordered the detective to be brought be fore him. Mr. Jumbleton repeated his statement ; and even assured Lord Cromer that the account of the child's abduction, the name of the woman who had abducted him, and every fact connected with the case, was registered in a book in Mr. Metrale's possession. Nothing more could be learnt from the prisoner, and, ordering him back to his cell, Lord Cromer was once more alone with his nephew. ' And so your friend Belper saved the boy's life ?' ' Yes ; and the lad is still with him.' ' It cannot be true — it cannot be true !' said Lord Cromer ; ' there must be some treachery at work.

If the worst comes to the worst,' he continued, ' and Henry's ill begotten son is to be heir to Cromer Castle, not one farthing of my funded money shall he have ; and every tree that grows on this land shall be cut down, and turned into money for you.' The peer took his nephew's hand affectionately, and, sinking into a chair, covered his face with his hands. Digby saw that Lord Cromer wished to remain undisturbed, and, with one com passionate glance, he turned and left the room.

Chapter III

' $f^fl$^0 they are really not much the worse after the fire,' said Laura Tryington to Captain Belper ; ' and you behaved so nobly ! Do you know, Captain Belper, you are my ideal of a hero !' ' Really, Miss Tryington ; then I should recommend you to elevate the standard of your ideals. But where is your cousin this morning ?' ' I suppose, as she dwells in a Hermit age,' said Laura Tryington contemptuously, ' she wishes to be considered a recluse.' Hermitage was a picturesque residence at Wimbledon that Lady Tryington had taken for a short time. It was an old fashioned building — probably of the time of Queen Anne — and the large grounds surrounding it were thickly planted with fine old oaks. Blanche, whose health was still very indifferent, had felt the benefit of the change ; and Dr. Planselle, who attended her, opined that with time and rest she would become convalescent.

Arthur Belper was a frequent visitor at the Hermitage. He would ride over to Wimbledon, and spend two or three hours with Lady Tryington and her nieces, entertaining them with military and political news, which he had derived from official sources. In return, Laura would play her favourite pieces to him, upon a fine Erard ; and Blanche would sing, with a feeling that could not fail to touch the listener, VOL. II. some quaint old English and German ballads. Here, then, was a grand field for Lady Tryington to exercise her talents as a match-maker. Belper, however, divided his attentions so fairly between her two nieces, that it was very difficult to say for which of the two he had a predilection. One day she thought Laura was the favoured one, because he talked more to her than to her cousin ; but the care and the reverence which he threw into the most trifling attention paid to Blanche left it in Lady Tryington's mind a perfectly open question.

Laura was greatly piqued at the conduct of the young officer ; and Lady Tryington herself was becoming indignant at what she considered to be trifling with the affec tions of her nieces. Would it not be prudent to discourage his presence at the Hermitage ? This she would undoubtedly have done, but for the fact that in a few days he would be leaving Wimbledon, and perhaps in that time he might declare his intentions. Arthur Belper was absolutely ignorant of Sir Richard Digby's movements — no news having reached London of the Baronet's adherence to Lord Cromer. In fact, Belper, urged thereto by the Prime Minister and other influential gentlemen, had almost committed himself to use his services against the proposed invasion.

Mr. Cumbermore, who had learned from private sources that the idea of placing nets to release the Cabinet Ministers from their perilous position on the night of the fire had emanated from the fertile brain of the young Captain of Dragoons and not from Mr. Sandford's, had lost no opportunity of 19 — showing Belper how much he appreciated his services. ' Will Mr. Metrale's police ever make good soldiers ?' inquired Laura Tryington. ' They are splendid men to look at ; but will you be able to teach them to hit a target ?' ' That is the difficulty,' replied Arthur. ' As you saw yesterday when we rode over to the butts, they are very indifferent marksmen.' ' I am a fair shot myself,' said Laura, ' and would certainly enlist under your banner, Captain Belper.' ' She certainly is a good sportsman,' said Lady Tryington, joining them as they sat by the piano. ' She used to go out salmon fishing every morning last year, and very well she looked in her Highland costume.' And Lady Tryington cast an approving glance at her niece. ' I hope Digby will ask us again to his property in Scotland,' continued Laura Tryington, addressing Captain Belper. ' I never enjoyed myself so much anywhere, except on the yacht after you came.' ' Lady Tryington, will you allow me to take places for you and your nieces to morrow at a field-day at Wimbledon ?

Metrale is going to parade his entire force, in number about 18,000.' ' I suppose Mr. Cumbermore will be there ?' said Lady Tryington evasively. ' Yes,' answered Captain Belper ; ' and all the Cabinet Ministers.' ' Here is Blanche,' said Lady Tryington. * If she is well enough to accompany us, I shall be delighted.' To Laura Tryington's great annoyance, Blanche accepted the invitation, and it was arranged that the two young ladies should ride to the common about three o'clock on the next day, and that Lady Tryington should witness the march past from her carnage. ' I had no idea you cared about reviews,' said Laura, sarcastically, to her cousin. ' I have never seen one,' was the reply, ' and I am curious to see what it is like.' ' Have you heard from Digby lately ?' said Arthur, after a pause. ' It is two or three weeks since he was in town.' A servant entered before Lady Trying ton could reply, with a letter for Captain Belper. ' It is from the very man I was speaking of,' said Arthur, glancing at the hand writing. ' Open it,' said Lady Tryington. ' It may contain some interesting news for us all."