‘See to the gates, Charles,’ he cried, almost springing, spite of his unwieldiness, from his chair.  ’Tell Casper to keep the powder-mill going night and day.  Would to God my boy Ned were here!  His majesty hath wronged me, but throned or prisoned he is my king still—­the church must come down, Charles.  The dead are for the living, and will not cry out.’  For in St. Cadocus’ church lay the tombs of his ancestors.

On deliberation it was resolved, however, that only the tower, which commanded some portions of the castle, should fall.  To Dorothy it was like taking down the standard of the Lord.  She went with some of the ladies to look a last look at the ancient structure, and saw mass after mass fall silent from the top to clash hideous at the foot amidst the broken tomb-stones.  It was sad enough! but the destruction of the cottages around it, that the enemy might not have shelter there, was sadder still.  The women wept and wailed; the men growled, and said what was Raglan to them that their houses should be pulled from over their heads.  The marquis offered compensation and shelter.  All took the money, but few accepted the shelter, for the prospect of a siege was not attractive to any but such as were fond of fighting, of whom some would rather attack than defend.

The next day they heard that sir Trevor Williams was at Usk with a strong body of men.  They knew colonel Birch was besieging Gutbridge castle.  Two days passed, and then colonel Kirk appeared to the north, and approached within two miles.  The ladies began to look pale as often as they saw two persons talking together:  there might be fresh news.  His father and his wife were not the only persons in the castle who kept sighing for Glamorgan.  Every soul in it felt as if, not to say fancied that, his presence would have made it impregnable.

But a strange excitement seized upon Dorothy, which arose from a sense of trust and delegation, outwardly unauthorised.  She had not the presumption to give it form in words, even to Caspar, but she felt as if they two were the special servants of the absent power.  Ceaselessly therefore she kept open eyes, and saw and spoke and reminded and remedied where she could, so noiselessly, so unobtrusively, that none were offended, and all took heed of the things she brought before them.  Indeed what she said came at length to be listened to almost as if it had been a message from Glamorgan.  But her chief business was still the fire-engine, whose machinery she anxiously watched—­for if anything should happen to Caspar and then to the engine, what would become of them when driven into the tower?

Discipline, which of late had got very drowsy, was stirred up to fresh life.  Watch grew strict.  The garrison was drilled more regularly and carefully, and the guard and sentinels relieved to the minute.  The armoury was entirely overhauled, and every smith set to work to get the poor remainder of its contents into good condition.