Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-03-24

! ..What ts tl.tsa'' crted Henry.
 cape rather than by an order for his release. The citizens are greatly aroused over the alarming frequency of such occurrences, and as many of the offenders have lately escaped pun ishment by reason of court interfer- ence fear this man Brandon will have to bear the brunt, in the London mind, of all these unpunished crimes It will be next to impossible to Mberate him except by arranging privately with the keeper for his escape. He could go down into the country and wait in secluston until it is all blown over or until London has new victim, and then an order can be made pardon ing him, and he can return"
 "Pardening him! What are you talk ing of, my lord? He has done nothing to be pardoned for. He should be and shall be rewarded" Mary spoke inn petuously, but caught herself and tried to remedy her blunder. "That is, if I have heard the straight of it. have been told that the killing was done in the defense of two-women." Think of this poor, unconscious girl, so full of grief and trouble, talking thus to Buckingham, who knew so much more about the affair than even she who had taken so active part in it
 "Who told you of it?" asked the duke.
 Mary saw she had made a mistake and, after hesitating for a moment, answered: "Sir Edwin Caskoden. He had it from Master Brandon, I SUD- pose." Rather adroit this was, but l equidistant from both truth and ef- fectiveness.
 T will go at once to London and ar range for Brandon's escape" said Buckingham, preparing to leave. "But | you must not divulge the fact that do 1t. It would cost me all the favor enjoy with the people of London, though would willingly lose that fa- | vor a thousand times over for smile from you"
 She gave the smile, and as he left | followed his retiring figure with her eyes and thought, "After all, he has a kind heart"
 1 She breathed a sigh of relief, too, for she felt she had accomplished Bran don's release and still retained her dan- 1 gerous secret, the divulging of which I she feared would harden Henry's heart against her blandishments and strand her upon the throne of France. But she was not entirely satisfied | with the arrangement. She knew that her obligation to Brandon was such as to demand of her that she should not leave the matter of his release to any other person, much less to an enemy such as Buckingham. Yet the cost of his freedom by direct act of her own 1 would be so great that she was tempt ed to take whatever risk there might be in the way that had opened itself to her. Not that she would not have | made the sacrifice willingly or would not have told Henry all if that were the only chance to save Brandon's life, but the other way, the one she had talk en by Buckingham's help, seemed safe, and, though not entirely satisfying, she could not see how it could miscarry. Buckingham was notably jealous of his knightly word, and she had un- bounded faith in her influence over him. In short, like many another per- son, she was as wrong as possible just
 
 entirely right, and when the cost of mistake was at its maximum.
 She recoiled also from the thought of Brandon's escape" and 1t hurt her that he should be fugitive from the justice that should reward him, yet she quieted these disturbing sugges- tions with the thought that it would be only for short time, and Brandon, she knew, would be only too glad to make the sacrifice if it purchased for her freedom from the worse than dan,- nation that lurked in the French mar riage.
 All this ran quickly through Mary's mind and brought relief, but it did not cure the uneasy sense, weighing like lead upon her heart, that she should take no chance with this mans life and should put no further weight of sacrir flee upon him, but should go to the king and tell him straightforward story, let it hurt where 1t would. With little meditation, however, came thought which decided the question and absolutely made everything bright again for her, so great was her capa- bility for distilling light. She would  go at once to Windsor with Jane and would dispatch note to Brandon at Newgate telling him upon his escape to come to her. He might remain in hiding in the neighborhood of Wind- sor, and she could see him every day. The time had come to Mary when to 'see him every day. would turn Plu- tonian shades into monday brightness and weave sunbeams out of utter dark ness. With Mary, to resolve was to act; so the note was soon dispatched by page, and one hour later the girls were on their road to Windsor.
 Buckingham went to Newgate, ex- pecting to make a virtue with Mary, out of the necessity imposed by the kings command in freeing Brandon. He had hoped to induce Brandon to leave London stealthiiy and immediate ly by representing to him the evil con- sequences of a break between the citi- zens and the king, liable to grow out of his release, and relied on Brandon's