Making, therefore, that short which was originally long, we shall only say that all the servants, roused from their beds, beat the woods in every direction, searching vainly for the young knight and Richard Heartley, who, as we have seen, contrived to evade their pursuit. Not such, however, was the fate of poor Jekin Groby, who, running straight forward up one of the avenues, was soon seen and overtaken by a party of servants, who taking it for granted that he would resist most violently, beat him unmercifully out of mere expectation.
Roaring and grumbling, the unfortunate clothier was brought back to the manor, and underwent Sir Payan's objurgation with but an ill grace. "You are a villain! you are!" cried Jekin. "You had better let me alone, you had! You'll burn your fingers if you meddle with me. You've stolen my bags already. But the king and Lord Darby shall hear of it; ay, and the cardinal to boot, and a deal more too. Did not I hear you promise to murder him, you black-hearted vagabond?"
"Tie him hand and foot," said Sir Payan, "and bring him back again into the strong room. Bring him along, I would fain see how they reached the window." And followed by the servants, hauling on poor Jekin, who ever and anon muttered something about Lord Darby, and the king, and his bags, he proceeded to the chamber where the young knight had been imprisoned. There the settle and the rope gave evidence of the manner in which the escape had been effected, and were instantly removed by order of the knight, to prevent the honest clothier, though now bound hand and foot, from making the attempt again. "This man's evidence would damn me," thought Sir Payan.
"Fool that I was to forget that he was here, and not look in that straw closet, before I committed myself with the other! But he must be taken care of, and never see England again. What is that?" continued he aloud, pointing to the scroll which caught his eye on the ground. "Give it me. Ha! All fair! Can old Sir Cesar have aided in this trick: we will see." And with hasty strides he proceeded to the high chamber where he had left the astrologer. He slackened his pace, however, with some feelings of awe, for as he approached he heard a voice speaking high. "In the name of God most high," it cried, "answer! Shall his head be raised so high for good or for evil? Ha! thou fleetest away! Let be! let be!"
At this moment Sir Payan threw open the door, and found the old man with his hair standing almost erect, his eye protruded, and his arms extended, as if still adjuring some invisible being. "It is gone!" cried he, as the other entered. "It is gone!" And he sank back exhausted in his chair.
Notwithstanding the fund of dauntless resolution which Sir Payan held, his heart seemed to grow faint as he entered the apartment, in which there was a strange sickly odour of incense and foreign gums, and a thin blue smoke, that diffusing itself from a chafing-dish on the table, rendered the various objects flickering and indistinct. Nor could he help persuading himself that something rushed by him as he opened the door, like a sudden gust of cold wind, that made him give an involuntary shudder.
When he had left the room below, he had determined to tax the old knight boldly with having aided in the prisoners' escape; but his feelings were greatly changed when he entered, and accosting him with a mixture of awe and respect, he asked how it was that people discovered any characters written in a certain sort of ink he had heard of, which was quite pure and white till the person who had the secret submitted it to some other process.
"Hold the paper to the fire!" said Sir Cesar, feebly.
Sir Payan immediately extended the parchment over the chafing-dish, but in vain; no trace of any kind appeared, and vexed and disappointed he let it drop into the flame.
"Know ye that my prisoner has escaped," said he, "and I am again insecure?"