He struggled, and cried loudly for
assistance; but they bundled him in and sprang in after him; a third
man closed the door, and got up by the side of the coachman. He drove
off, avoiding the village, soon got upon a broad road, and bowled along
at a great rate, the carriage being light, and drawn by two powerful
horses.
So cleverly and rapidly was it done that, but for a woman's quick ear,
the deed might not have been discovered for hours; but Mary Wells heard
the cry for help through an open window, recognized Sir Charles's
voice, and ran screaming downstairs to Lady Bassett: she ran wildly
out, with Mr. Angelo, to look for Sir Charles. He was nowhere to be
found. Then she ordered every horse in the stables to be saddled; and
she ran with Mary to the place where the cry had been heard.
For some time no intelligence whatever could be gleaned; but at last an
old man was found who said he had heard somebody cry out, and soon
after that a carriage had come tearing by him, and gone round the
corner: but this direction was of little value, on account of the many
roads, any one of which it might have taken.
However, it left no doubt that Sir Charles had been taken away from the
place by force.
Terror-stricken, and pale as death, Lady Bassett never lost her head
for a moment.
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