Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-08-07

his riding days are over Hark you. Mr..
Ferguson" he continued turning to the
PROSTATE man. who. groveing before usI
had taken the precaution of tying his
hands with my garter-acknowledged his
attention by a hollow moan, II am no
thief taker, and / shall not soil my hands
with YOU But within an hour the mes
sengers will be here. and IL they find you.
look to yourself, for / think in that case
You will Individually hang. In the mean
time l will take your pistol" Then to me.
Come; my man." he said. 'if you wish to
60 with me-"
Il do" I cried.
wen. owe you more than that" he
salo kindly: And need you besides. Mr..
proved yourself a more foolish man than
1 thought you. A worse you could not
me pest l can now wish you is that you
may never see my face again"
Chapter XIII.
MY lord, I found. had a coach, without
arms or insignia, waiting for him at the
great turnstile in Holborn, where IL per-
sons recognized him as he alighted he
would be taken to have business with the
lawyers in Lincoln's Inn, or at my Lord
Soners In the Fields. Following him to 1t
on loot, 1 never saw a man walk in more
deep or anxious thought. He took no heed
Oh me, after bidding me by gesture to at
teno MIN; but twice he stood in. doubt, and
once ne made as If he would return whence
we had come, and once as If he would cross
the Fieids|I think to Fowls house In
the eno' however, he went on, and arriving
at the coach, the door of which a footmau
In plain livery held open for him. he bade
me by sign to follow him into 1t. This
was not for doing, thinking 1t too great
an honor. but on him crying impatientlr.
Man, how do you think 1 am to talk to
you II you ride outsider" 1 FASTENED to
enter IN equal confusion and humility
Nevertheiess some time elapsed. and we
mad Travelled the length of Holborn before
ne spoke Then rousing himself on a sud
oen from his preoccupation. he looked at
said he =
NO. your grace" answered.
Sir George Barclay?'
NO. your grace
Or Porter? Or Charnock? Or King?"
NO. your grace"
Umph!' said he, seeming to he 5isan
pointed, and for a time he looked out of
the window. Presently, however he glanced
at me again. and so closely that dropped
my eyes out of respect Il have seen you
somewhere before!' he said, at last.
surprised beyond measure that he remem-
bered me, so many years had ella psed, con-
| iess S with emotion that he had.
"Where?" he asked. plainly II see manv
DRY, my friend.'
l told him. your grace NAV mot re-
member It, I said. greatly moved, but
| many years ago at Abbot's Stanstead. at
Sir Baldwin Winston's-"
What?' he exclaimed, cutting me short.
with flicker of laughter in his grave eyes.
ana ne looked me over. did / flesh my
maiden justice sword on you? Were YOU the
lad who ran away?'
Yes, my lord-the lad whose life Won
| saved. l answered.
| wei. then. we are quits" he had the
kindness to answer. looking at me with
| serious kindness; and asked me how I had
| lived since those days.
told him, naming Mr.. Timothy Bronze
ana saying that he would give me char
acter The mention of the newswrfter.
however, had different effect from that /
expected: his grace conceiving a hasty idea
| trat ne also was concerned with Ferguson
| ana crying out under this impression that
| II such men were turning 1t was vain to
light against the stream. l FASTENED to dis
abuse him of the notion by explaining how
l came to fan into Ferguson's hands, On
| Whicn ne asked me what I had done for
the plotter, and how he had employed me.
he would send me on errands," l an
swered, "and to fetch papers from the
printers, and to carry his messages
To coffee houses?"
often, your grace"
DID he ever send you to Covent Gar
den?" he asked, looking fixedly at me.
| res your grace, to gentleman with a
pocket" MS
"Ha?' he exclaimed, and with an eager
| light In his face, he babe me tell him all
knew OF that man: This giving me the
cue detailed what had seen and heard
| at the Seven Stars the evening before. The
| toast OF the squeezing of the rotten orange
| the hints which had escaped the drunken
| eonspirator and particularly his references
to the hunting party and the date-Satur-
| day or Saturday week. Adding also what
| ! had learned from the GIRL but mention
! ing for this no authority. To all my lord
| listened attentively, nodding from moment
to moment. and last &c
| not lying this time he said drawing a
| deep breath. Il feared-but here we are
| Follow me, my friend. and keep close to
me-"
Engrossed in my story, and the attention
| that was due to his rank and kindness. I
| paid no heed either to the way we had
come or to our gradual passage from the
| smoke and babble of London to country
| air and stiffness. vague notion that we
! were still travelling the Oxford road was
| all retained. and this was rudely shaken
| when, recalled to the present by his words
| looked out and discovered that the coach
| was bowling along an avenue Of lofty trees
| with park-like pastures stretching on
either hand. l had no more than time to
| note so much, and that the horses were
| slackening their pace, before we rumbled
| under an archway and drew I'D in a spa-
| cious courtyard. shut in on four sides Nv
| warm-looking red brick buildings, whereof
| that wing under which we had driven was
| surmounted by quantity shaped bell tur-
ret.
Ignorant where my lord lived, and little
acquainted with the villages which lie
round London, I supposed that he had
| brought me to this house. The sight of a
| couple of sentries who walked with arms
ported before wide, low fight of steps,
| which led to the principal entrance from
| the courtyard, should have enlightened me,
but flock of pigeons that, disturbed by
our entrance, were now settling down
again and beginning to strut the gravel
| with the most absurd air of possession.
| caught my attention and diverted me from
| this mark of state. Nor did a knot of ser
wants. lounging silently under a portico or
| two or three sedans which I espied, watt
ing little apart, go far to 6etract from
| the general air of peace and quietude which
prevailed in the place. Other observations
| 1 had no time 70 make. for my lord,
mounting the step. bade me somewhat inn
patiently to follow him.
I did SO. across a spacious hall doored
with shining wood laid in strange patterns
Here were three or four servants, who
stood at attention, but did not approach,
and his grace. passing them without no.
tee, had reached the foot of a wide and
handsome staircase before a person dress
ed plainly in black, and carrying tall,
slender wand, advanced, and, with q low
bow, interposed himself.
Your grace's pardon!' he said ''The
council has broken up."
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