Chapter XLIV: "hero"

I had kept my vow, for though I was again within the park of Devereux, and in sight of the grand old mansion, my father was by my side. A splendid constitution had saved him from the very jaws of death, and he had recovered to find his country ringing with his name, and himself a hero. Our journey had been like a triumphal progress. Distinguished men, amongst whom old General Luxton, had met us at London to welcome my father back to his country, and all the way down we had been besieged by newspaper reporters, and little knots of people were gathered on the platform at every station, to gaze at us and shout a welcome; and at the little wayside station such crowds of the country folk were gathered together that progress along the narrow winding lane was almost an impossibility. And now we were at the last sweep of the drive, surrounded by lines of shouting tenants and servants, who stood uncovered as we approached, and made the air vibrate with lusty Yorkshire cheers.

It was one of those days which a man may live to be a hundred years old, and never forget; and yet it would dwell in his mind less by its actual events than by the effect which it left. I remember a noble-looking, grey-haired old man standing out in the sunlight, with outstretched hands and a great joy in his face, and I remember a deep hush falling upon the assembled crowd as father and son met after so many years--a hush which lasted until they stood there, hand grasping hand, and the first words were spoken--then it gave place to a shout which seemed to shake the air.

And I remember Maud's greeting--how could I ever forget it? Cold she was at first, cold but kind--after the manner of the days when I was Hugh Arbuthnot, a presumptuous boy. But when I told her of my interview with her father on the night before the battle, when I took her into my arms with words of passionate love, and bade her recall our last parting, then she yielded and became my Maud, and mine she has been ever since.

* * * * *

Had I told this story of mine as a professed story-writer, there are many things now omitted which would in their proper place have been recounted. I should have said more of Marian, the happiest of young wives, and of the joy with which she welcomed us home. I should have told of Lady Olive's brilliant marriage to the Earl of ----, and of Francis Devereux's reformation and success at the Bar, and of Burton Leigh's extraordinary reappearance in the world after having long been mourned as dead, and of my father's joy at meeting again his old companion. There are other things, too, which should have been told, but let them pass! One more incident alone shall I relate.

* * * * *

Again I stood in the grand old picture gallery of the Court, amongst the shades of many generations of Devereux. We three were there--Sir Francis, my father, and I; Sir Francis out of sight, my father and I bending over a curious piece of armour.

Suddenly we both looked up. Out of the dark shades of the lower end of the chamber my grandfather was coming towards us, walking steadily down between the long rows of pictures, with measured military tramp and head thrown back. But we could see by his fixed gaze, and the strange rapt look on his face, that something was wrong, and almost simultaneously we sprang forward to him.

We were just in time. Suddenly he threw up his arms over his head, and cried out with a loud voice: "It was a lie! It was a lie! Thank God, Herbert, my son! Hugh, my boy. God bless you both."

He sank back into my arms. And the moon-light, streaming in upon his face, showed it gentle and peaceful as a child's. Death struggle there was none. With a calm, satisfied smile of perfect happiness the life seemed to glide away from him, and with his last breath we heard him murmur softly--

"Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace--in peace."

THE END

WARD, LOCK & CO., LTD., LONDON.

* * * * *

BY THE SAME AUTHOR.

THE GREAT AWAKENING
THE SURVIVOR
A MILLIONAIRE OF YESTERDAY
AS A MAN LIVES
MYSTERIOUS MR. SABIN
THE MAN AND HIS KINGDOM
A MONK OF CRUTA
A DAUGHTER OK THE MARIONIS
THE WORLD'S GREAT SNARE
THE MYSTERY OF MR. BERNARD BROWN
THE TRAITORS
A PRINCE OF SINNERS
THE YELLOW CRAYON
ANNA, THE ADVENTURESS
THE BETRAYAL
THE MASTER MUMMER
MR. WINGRAVE, MILLIONAIRE
A LOST LEADER
THE SECRET
CONSPIRATORS
A MAKER OF HISTORY
THE MISSIONER
THE GOVERNORS
THE LONG ARM
JEANNE OF THE MARSHES
MR. MARX'S SECRET
BERENICE
THE PEER AND THE WOMAN
THE POSTMASTER OF MARKET DEIGNTON

* * * * *

Ward, Lock & Co.'s
POPULAR FICTION.

A. E. W. MASON

LAWRENCE CLAVERING

STANLEY WEYMAN

MY LADY ROTHA
A Romance of the Thirty Years' War.

SIR A. CONAN DOYLE

A STUDY IN SCARLET
With a note on Sherlock Holmes by Dr. Joseph Bell.
Illustrations by George Hutchinson.

ANTHONY HOPE

COMEDIES OF COURTSHIP
HALF A HERO
MR. WITT'S WIDOW

EDEN PHILLPOTTS

THE MOTHER

H. RIDER HAGGARD

AYESHA
The Sequel to "She." Thirty-two full-page illustrations.

S. R. CROCKETT

JOAN OF THE SWORD HAND
STRONG MAC
LITTLE ESSON

MAX PEMBERTON

PRO PATRIA
CHRISTINE OF THE HILLS
A GENTLEMAN'S GENTLEMAN
THE GOLD WOLF
THE LODESTAR
WHITE WALLS

ROBERT BARR

YOUNG LORD STRANLEIGH

JUSTUS MILES FORMAN

BIANCA'S DAUGHTER
JOURNEYS' END
MONSIGNY
THE GARDEN OF LIES
TOMMY CARTERET
BUCHANAN'S WIFE
A MODERN ULYSSES
THE QUEST

E. PHILLIPS OPPENHEIM

THE PEER AND THE WOMAN
BERENICE
MR. MARX'S SECRET
JEANNE OF THE MARSHES
THE LONG ARM
THE GOVERNORS
THE MISSIONER
CONSPIRATORS
THE SECRET
A MAKER OF HISTORY
THE MASTER MUMMER
THE BETRAYAL
ANNA, THE ADVENTURESS
THE YELLOW CRAYON
A PRINCE OF SINNERS
THE TRAITORS
A LOST LEADER
MR. WINGRAVE, MILLIONAIRE
AS A MAN LIVES
A DAUGHTER OF THE MARIONIS
MR. BERNARD BROWN
THE MAN AND HIS KINGDOM
THE WORLD'S GREAT SNARE
A MONK OF CRUTA
MYSTERIOUS MR. SABIN
A MILLIONAIRE OF YESTERDAY
THE SURVIVOR
THE GREAT AWAKENING

FRED M. WHITE

THE FIVE KNOTS
THE SUNDIAL
THE CRIMSON BLIND
THE CARDINAL MOTH
THE CORNER HOUSE
THE WEIGHT OF THE CROWN
THE SLAVE OF SILENCE
A FATAL DOSE
CRAVEN FORTUNE
THE LAW OF THE LAND
A CRIME ON CANVAS
NETTA
THE SCALES OF JUSTICE

LOUIS TRACY

THE STOWAWAY
A FATAL LEGACY
RAINBOW ISLAND
THE ALBERT GATE AFFAIR
THE PILLAR OF LIGHT
HEART'S DELIGHT
THE WHEEL O' FORTUNE
FENNELLS' TOWER
THE SILENT BARRIER
THE MESSAGE

HAROLD BINDLOSS

THE LIBERATIONIST
HAWTREY'S DEPUTY
THE IMPOSTOR

HEADON HILL

THE HIDDEN VICTIM
RADFORD SHONE
HER SPLENDID SIN
A TRAITOR'S WOOING
FOES OF JUSTICE

J. C. SNAITH

FIERCEHEART, THE SOLDIER
MISTRESS DOROTHY MARVIN
LADY BARBARITY

GUY BOOTHBY

THE RACE OF LIFE
FOR LOVE OF HER
THE CRIME OF THE UNDER SEAS
A BID FOR FREEDOM
A TWO-FOLD INHERITANCE
CONNIE BURT
THE KIDNAPPED PRESIDENT
MY STRANGEST CASE
FAREWELL, NIKOLA
MY INDIAN QUEEN
LONG LIVE THE KING
A PRINCE OF SWINDLERS
A MAKER OF NATIONS
THE RED RAT'S DAUGHTER
LOVE MADE MANIFEST
PHAROS THE EGYPTIAN
ACROSS THE WORLD FOR A WIFE
THE LUST OF HATE
THE FASCINATION OF THE KING
DR. NIKOLA
THE BEAUTIFUL WHITE DEVIL
A BID FOR FORTUNE
IN STRANGE COMPANY
THE MARRIAGE OF ESTHER
BUSHIGRAMS
SHEILAH McLEOD
DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT
THE MAN OF THE CRAG

ARTHUR W. MARCHMONT

WHEN I WAS CZAR
BY SNARE OF LOVE
THE QUEEN'S ADVOCATE
A COURIER OF FORTUNE
BY WIT OF WOMAN
IN THE CAUSE OF FREEDOM
THE LITTLE ANARCHIST
AN IMPERIAL MARRIAGE

JOSEPH HOCKING

THE PRINCE OF THIS WORLD
ROGER TREWINION
THE COMING OF THE KING
ESAU
GREATER LOVE
LEST WE FORGET
AND SHALL TRELAWNEY DIE?
JABEZ EASTERBROOK
THE WEAPONS OF MYSTERY
ZILLAH: A ROMANCE
THE MONK OF MAR-SABA
THE PURPLE ROBE
THE SCARLET WOMAN
ALL MEN ARE LIARS
ISHMAEL PENGELLY: AN OUTCAST
THE STORY OF ANDREW FAIRFAX
THE BIRTHRIGHT
MISTRESS NANCY MOLESWORTH
FIELDS OF FAIR RENOWN

MARIE CONNOR LEIGHTON

CONVICT 413L
JOAN MAR, DETECTIVE
SEALED LIPS
PUT YOURSELF IN HER PLACE
MONEY
AN EYE FOR AN EYE
DEEP WATERS

CHARLES G. D. ROBERTS

NATURE BOOKS

THE HOUSE IN THE WATER
THE BACKWOODSMEN
KINGS IN EXILE
NEIGHBOURS UNKNOWN

L. G. MOBERLY

IN THE BALANCE
JOY
THAT PREPOSTEROUS WILL
HOPE, MY WIFE
DIANA
DAN--AND ANOTHER
A TANGLED WEB
ANGELA'S MARRIAGE
THE SIN OF ALISON DERING
A VERY DOUBTFUL EXPERIMENT
A WOMAN AGAINST THE WORLD