Page:Artabanzanus (Ferrar, 1896).djvu/294

286 'When I recovered my self-possession, I asked the tavern-keeper to call his wife, and as the demeanour of that worthy had undergone a considerable change, he obeyed, and I placed the forlorn pair in her charge, slipping some money into her hand at the same time. Then promising to come and see them the next day, we took our leave and went home.

'My good mother, when she heard that I had found Mrs. St. Clair and Helen, was overjoyed. She had loved them both with true affection, and her love, in all the changing years which had intervened since our last meeting, had not died out. She immediately appealed to my father for his consent to offer them a home. He hesitated, saying it might be imprudent and dangerous; they belonged to the party of the hated Cavaliers. St. Clair himself might be hiding in the city, and if so would certainly find means of communication with his wife and child. He entertained no vindictive feelings towards St. Clair, but feared future complications. Taking another serious view, he had four young men living in the house, and Helen was an attractive girl. He looked at me keenly, with a quiet smile, and asked me if I would like to fight a duel with Banwell Reginald. But my mother carried her point by her affectionate pertinacity, and I was despatched the next day to bring them to our house.

'The joy of Mrs. St. Clair and Helen, when they found themselves again in the arms of my kind mother, was indescribable. They were installed in a nicely-furnished room, and everything the house contained was placed at their disposal. It soon became known to us that Helen's mother was a widow. Her husband had been killed in a violent skirmish with some soldiers of the Parliament, and she and her daughter had been burnt out of their house soon afterwards. For some time they had managed to live amongst the neighbours, who were very kind to them.