Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-04-11

4-tL TIS Stt BONI iNtSs bpHIty ySIttttHt of us to stand at the bottom of tho shaft, knocked in the fashion prescribed. rhc sound of loud voices which had already detected. ceased on a sudden, and heard a shufflins on tho other side of tho boards. This was followed by silence, and then the door was flung open, and blinded | for the moment by blaze of light l | walked mechanically forward into a room. l made out as l advanced a group of men standing round rude table, their figures thrown into dark relief by flares stuck in sconces on tho walls behind them. Some | had weapons In their hands, and others | had partly risen from their seats and stood in pastures of surprise What do you seeki" cried threatening voice from among them.
 Lace. l answered.
 What laceF''
 French lace.'
 Then you are wslcoms-heartily wei come!" was the answer, given in a tone of relief But who comes with you'' | Master Richard Bertie of Lincoln shire, " I answered promptly, and at that 1 moment he emerged from the shaft.
 A still moro hearty murmur of welcome hailed his name and appearance, and we | were borne forward to the table amid chorus of voices, tho greeting given to Master Bertie being that of men who joy fully hail unlocked for help. The room, from it's vaulted ceiling and stone floor and the trans of casks which lay hero and there or near the table serving for seats, appeared to be a cellar. Its dark, gloomy recesses, the Ilaring lights and the weapons on the table seemed meet and fitting sur roundings for the anxious faces which were gathered about the board, for there was something in the air which was not so much secrecy as a thing more unpleas ant-Suspicion and mistrust. Almost at i the moment of our entrance it showed it. solf. One of the men, before the door had well closed behind us, went toward 1t, as If to go out. The leader-he who had questioned me-called sharply to him, bid ding him come back. And he came back, but reluctantly, us 1t seemed to me.
 I barely noticed this, for Master Bertie, who was known personally to many and
 by name to all, was introducing me to two who were apparently the leaders-Slr Thomas Penruddocke, a fair man as tall nS myself. loose limbed and untidily dressed, with a reckless eye and loud tongue; and Master Walter Kingston, a younger
 brother, was told, of that Sir Anthony
 Kingston who had suffered death the year
 before for conspiracy against the queen
 the same in which Lord Devon had showed
 the white feather Kingston was young man of moderate height and slender, of a
 brown compleIio ion and delicate, almost wo- [ manish beauty, his sleepy dark eyes and . dainty mustache suggesting a temper rather amiable than firm. But the spirit of revenge had entered into him, and ' soon learned that not even Penruddocke l a Cornish knight of longer lineage than r purse. was so vehement plotter or so de 3 voted to the cause. Looking at the others
 my heart sank. It needed no greater ex . perience than mine to discern that except t threo or four whom identified as stout 8 professors of religion. they were men rath
 CT of desperate fortunes than good estate
 learned on the instant that conspiracy makes strange bedfelIows and that 1t ii
 impossible to do dirty work even with th' 1 purest intentions-in good company , Master Bertie's facO indicated to one wh' . knew him As well Ss did something Q