The Buccaneer - A Tale

"Ay, sure, and have secreted the invoices you spoke of, for the good

merchant beyond St. Paul's, who ordered the rich velvets, counting,

perhaps, upon a coronation."

"I hope he has a better chance of selling them than that affords. Noll

will hardly dare it; his name--Protector--gives as much power, and 'tis

as a fencing-master's guard, ever at hand to turn aside the sneers

against his ambition. Thought'st thou of the pearls for my Lord

Fauconberg's rich jeweller?"

"Ay, master, they are safe; those I will myself deliver; though, from

what the journals say, his Lordship has small need of new trimming.

'Twas the public talk, when you made me act the respectable character of

spy in Sir Willmott Burrell's service--at the court, sir, they talked of

nothing else--how the King of France, with his own hands, made him a

present of a gold box, inlaid with diamonds, that had upon the lid, on

the outside, the arms of France, composed of three large jewels, and, in

the inside, the monarch's own picture;--the Cardinal Mazarine, too, gave

him a dozen pieces of the richest Genoese velvet; and then his Lordship,

not to be outdone, made him a gift of equal value;--and then, I forget

me what was the next--and the next--and the next--and the next; but it

was mighty fine trafficking, that I know."

"Ay, Robin, 'nothing for nothing' is the statesman's motto. Now, give

you good speed and success! You can send to me almost from any part of

the kingdom in a few hours. Spare no efforts for his freedom--Jack

Roupall's confession proves but too truly, that Sir Willmott is sworn

against his life; and, till that ruffian is done for, or quieted, there

is no safety for Walter. I have sent Jack on private work to the West;

so he is out of the way--that's one comfort. Great interest have I in

the boy; next to my own child, there is nothing I love so much. And now,

Robin, farewell!"

When Robin bade adieu to his mother, she began to weep and wail, after

the natural custom of mothers, high and low. "Ah! you are ever on the

rove; ever on the wander! You will be on your ranges, some of these odd

days, when I depart this life; and then you'll never know what I have to

tell you."

"If it were any thing worth telling, you would have told it long ago;

for a woman cannot keep a secret, that we all know."

"Ah, boy! boy! God bless you, and good-by! I wonder will that wench,

Barbara, think to send me a bit of the bride-cake? I warrant I have a

sweet tooth in my head still, albeit I have but two." And after some

more idle talk, and much caressing, they parted.