Chapter 27. Ardshiel To The Rescue

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_ CHAPTER XXVII. ARDSHIEL TO THE RESCUE

Wild indeed was the excitement when the facts of that terrible night were known; when the Duke of Ardshiel himself, who was to give away the prizes--the beautiful prizes with his Grace's crest--arrived on the scene and found no Hollyhock, but a distracted head-mistress and a lot of miserable-looking girls.

Now, as it happened, Ardshiel loved Hollyhock as he had never loved a girl since Viola Cameron, long ago, had disappointed him. He was often at another great castle of his, close to the Palace of the Kings, and on these occasions he frequently saw his little kinswoman riding on Lightning Speed beside her father, who looked very noble himself on his great black charger, which he called Ardshiel, after the Duke.

The Duke used to nod civilly enough to Lennox; but his eyes and his thoughts were all for Hollyhock, the black-eyed lass who rode so superbly. When she was with her father he never spoke to her; but on the occasions when she happened to be alone, he invariably drew up and had a 'crack' with the lass, admiring her sparkling eyes, her smart appearance, her wonderful life and love and bravery, all of which shone in her face. The Duke, alas! had no children, and whenever he saw Hollyhock he sighed at the thought of the joy which would have been his had he possessed so fine a lass.

Hollyhock had that sort of nature which thought nothing at all of rank for rank's sake, but she admired the dear old man, as she called the Duke, and flashed her bright, sparkling, naughty eyes into his face, and talked nonsense to him, which filled his Grace with delight. Little did Miss Delacour guess or Mrs Macintyre conceive that it was because of this brave lassie, and because of her alone, that the great Palace of the Kings had been turned into a school.

The Duke came to Ardshiel on this occasion with his heart beating a trifle loud for so old a man. He cared little or nothing for the other girls; but he would see his favourite, and secretly he had resolved that the diamonds in the locket which she was sure to win should be larger, finer, more brilliant than those which were presented to the other girls.

But, alack and alas, what horrible news met him! The head-mistress, Mrs Macintyre, came out with tears in her eyes to tell him what had occurred in the watches of the night. The Duke, a white-haired old man, looked very solemn as he listened. His heart was sick within him.

'Now, listen,' he said when he could find his voice. 'Is there danger of her life?'

'We don't know; we are not sure,' said Mrs Macintyre. 'She is at present in a very high fever, and the doctor has been to see her, your Grace.'

'I tell you, madam, that I 'll send, at my own expense, for the best doctors in Edinburgh, even in London. That lassie's life has got to be saved, and my pocket is wide open for the purpose. I wonder, now, if I could peep at her. I 'd very much like to.'

'I greatly fear not to-day, your Grace. She has to be kept very quiet.'

'Ah, well! The bravery of the girl! Who else but herself would ride Lightning Speed with the moon at the full? Here's her locket. I chose it a little finer than the others, because she 's a finer lass, and I guessed her deed of daring would be a deed of daring, truly. Keep it for her, madam, and send for the specialists.'

The Duke abruptly left the house, and Mrs Macintyre, with her eyes full of tears, put Hollyhock's special locket aside without even opening it, and gave orders in the Duke's name that the greatest doctors be summoned to the bedside of the sick girl. Then she called her most esteemed English teacher to her side.

'You must do it, my dear,' she said.

'Do what, dear Mrs Macintyre?'

'Why, I'm nearly as much broken down as the Duke. The poor lassie! You have read the essays, and know the deeds of daring, and have gone through the different subjects very carefully, Miss Graham. Then, will you now give the lockets to the girls you think most deserving? The locket given for valour is Hollyhock's by every right. The Duke desires that she shall have it, and I 'll put it away for her until she is well enough to receive it.'

The Duke, who hated motor-cars, and still kept to the old-fashioned magnificent carriage with its pair of spirited horses, was driving down the avenue. He was nearly heart-broken with grief. If that girlie died, he felt that his gray hairs would go down with sorrow to the grave. He had come up that avenue so full of hope, he was driving down equally full of despair. He was not content to trust wholly to Mrs Macintyre. He himself would telephone immediately to the best doctors in the land. On his way down the avenue he was startled by hearing the bitter sobbing of a girl. The sobbing was so terrible in its intensity that he could not forbear from drawing the check-string, pushing his snowy head through the open window of the great carriage, and calling out, 'Who 's there? Who's making that noise?'

Immediately a very frightened and plain little girl stepped into view. It was Leucha Villiers. All things possible had been tried to win her stubborn heart, but it was melted at last. It was she--she felt it was she--who had been the means of destroying Hollyhock.

'What ails you, girl?' asked the Duke. 'I'm Ardshiel, and I am in a hurry. What makes you weep such bitter tears?'

He looked her up and down with some contempt.

'Oh, your Grace, it was really my fault. I 'm sure it was.'

'What--what?' said the Duke. 'Speak out, lass.'

'I've always been unkind to Hollyhock, although she was so good to me--oh! so good; but I--I was jealous of her; and now she is going to be taken away, and last evening she came to my room and asked me for one kiss, and I refused--I refused. Oh! my heart is broken. Oh! I am a bad girl. There never was Hollyhock's like in the school.'

'Keep your broken heart, lass,' said the Duke. 'I cannot waste time with you now. I'm off for the doctors.'

Leucha crawled back toward the house, and the Duke went immediately to his own stately palace and telephoned to the cleverest medical men he knew: 'Come at once to Constable's, a place they call The Paddock or the Annex. There's a lass there like to die. She's a near relative of mine, and I 'll save her if it costs me half of my fortune.'

A couple of famous specialists accepted the Duke's command; and, having so far relieved his soul, he went to Mrs Constable and begged to be allowed to remain at The Paddock until the arrival of the physicians.

During this long time of waiting he had an interview with Jasper, who gave him a vivid and most modest account of what had occurred the night before.

'You are a brave lad,' said the Duke. 'I 'll never forget it--never. And that fine horse--that bonnie beastie--if she doesn't ride him again, no one else shall. He 'll browse in my grounds, and live happy till his dying day.'

'Oh, but he 'd die!' cried Jasper. 'Dear Duke of Ardshiel, I think, down deep in my heart, that Hollyhock will recover.'

Meanwhile, in the sickroom, the girl who had gone through so much raved and moaned, and went over and over again the terrible feat she had achieved, and over and over again one special name came to her lips. 'Leuchy, you might have kissed me. I do think you might have kissed me. I 'm wondering if she 'd kiss me now, before I go away.'

Hollyhock kept up this fearful moaning until both the great doctors arrived. They saw that Hollyhock was quite delirious, and they listened to her wild and rambling words. Of course, George Lennox was in the child's room, his heart in truth nearly broken; but Hollyhock did not know that he was there. She was thinking more of that kiss which had been refused than of anything else just then.

Ah! why was Leuchy so hard--harder than a rock?'

The doctors noticed the constant repetition of the girl's remark, and having spoken very gravely of the case to Mrs Constable, and to the poor stricken father, went down to interview the Duke.

'Well, your Grace,' Sir Alexander Macalister said, 'we have no good news for you. The lassie is ill--very ill. She's fretting over and over for a girl she calls Leucha. We think that if, perhaps, she saw Leucha, it might do her good, and calm her, and tend to bring down her fever. It runs very high at present. She talks of a girl who refuses to kiss her.'

'My word!' said Ardshiel; 'and you think she ought to see that creature?'

'It might be wise,' said Sir Alexander Macalister. 'It might be the means of saving her life.'

'Then run, my lad, run for your bare life, and bring that girl to her. I met the girl in the avenue crying like anything. I gave her no sort of comfort; but if the doctors think that she may save brave Hollyhock, she shall come. Go at once, laddie; go at once. You know who she is.'

'Oh yes, I know,' said Jasper. 'She's a horrid, detestable girl.'

'There, you hear him,' said the Duke. 'I thought so myself; but if a poor worm can help to pull her round, why, that worm shall come and do her duty. Bring her along with you, Jasper, my boy.'

Thus it happened, to the astonishment of the unhappy school, that young Jasper Constable arrived on the scene, took Leucha roughly by the hand, gave her a look of the most unutterable contempt, and told her to come away at once.

Nobody interfered, for nobody was doing her ordinary work that day in the school; and on their way between the Palace of the Kings and The Paddock, Jasper had the pleasure of giving Leucha a piece of his mind. He did it with all his boyish wrath.

'She asked to kiss you, and you refused. She wonders now on her deathbed whether you 'll still refuse.'

'Oh Jasper, have pity on me--have pity! I 'm in agony,' said Leucha; but neither Jasper nor the Duke of Ardshiel had any pity to spare for Leucha. She was, however, by order of the doctors, who remained to see the effect, allowed to enter the spacious sickroom where Hollyhock was lying.

Hollyhock felt confused. She did not recognise her father or Jasper or Aunt Cecilia, and she was not in the least put out by the great doctors; but when Leucha entered, a quick and quieting change came over her face.

'Well, Leuchy, perhaps you'll kiss me now,' she muttered; and Leucha knelt down by her bedside and kissed her softly, gently, tears pouring from her eyes.

'Oh Holly, Holly, I love you, I love you,' sobbed Leuchy; 'I love you!'

'Gently, gently; that's enough, my lass,' said Sir Alexander. 'Don't cry, or make a fuss, but sit softly by her, and if she asks for another kiss, why, give it; but no tears, mind.'

So Leucha, the hopelessly naughty one, was established in the sickroom. Oh, how happy she felt again; how glad, how more than glad, that Hollyhock should have called out to her in her illness and trouble! _

Read next: Chapter 28. What Love Can Do

Read previous: Chapter 26. Hollyhock's Deed Of Valour

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