Evening star., 1924-04-22

| the information that he craved. He
| listened gravely; then, before Abe
marie had time to question him on
been upon the enfolding wrapper of
| the letter. he begged that he might
! confer apart moment with Mr..
"Rut Mr.. wilding," said Col. Lut-
trell, surprised not to hear the imme-
d.a.c denial of the imputation they
had expected, I'VE should first like to
by your leave, sirs," Wilding in
terrupted. - should nrefe- +"a+ "
ask me nothing until have consulted
with Mr.. Trenchard.' i,e s.-, -u
trelfs frown, observed Sir Edward
shift his wig to scratch his head in
sheer perplexity, and caught the fore
| shadowing of denial on the dukes
face. So, without giving any of them
time to say him nay, he added quickly
and very seriously, Il am begging
this in the interests of justice Your
Grace has told me that some linger-
ing doubt still haunts your mind upon
| the subject of this letter--the other
charges can matter little. apart from
| that reasonable document 1t lies
within my power to resolve such
doubts most clearly and finally. But
/ warn you, sirs, that not one word
| VIII | utter in this connection until
| have had speech with Mr.. Trench
ard"
There was about his mien and voice
a firmness that forewarned Albemarle
that to insist would be worse than
idle. \ slight pause followed his
words, and Luttrell leaned across to
whisper in His Graces ear; from the
dukes other side Sir Edward bent his
head forward till 1t almost touched
| those of his companions. Blake
watched and was most foolishly i'm
patient.
Your Grace will never allow this!-
he cried.
"Eh?" said Albemarle, scovline at
him.
IF you allow those two villains to
consort together we are all undone,"
the baronet protested, and ruined
what chance there was of Albemarle's
not conSenting.
1t was the one thing needed to de-
termine Albemarle. Like the stubborn
man he was. there was naught he de-
tested SO much as to have his course
dictated to him. More than that, in
Sir Rowland's part, based upon the
| and Trenchard should not be allowed
to confer apart, he smoked fear on
Sir Rooland's part, based upon the
| baronet's consciousness of his own
guilt He turned from him with a
| Sn ""r'r~ SMILE and without so much
As consulting his associates he glanced
a, wl..'liS ana waved his hand toward
the door
Pray do as you suggest, Mr.. wild
ing said he. But l depend upon
you not to tax our patience
no1nslt II shall not not keep Mr.; Trenchard a
sad Widine He giving hne no hint Of the
second meaning in his words
He stepped TO the door. opened il
himself and signed to Trenchard to
| pass out The old player obeyed him
| readily, if in silence. An usher closed
the door after them, and in silence
they walked together to the end of
the passage.
| Where is your horse, Nick?" uuoth
Wilding abruptly.
What plague do you mean.
| where is my hOrse?" flashed Trench
ard. What midsummer frenzy is
this? Damn YOU for a marplot, An
thony. What pox are you thinking
of to thrust yourself in here at such
a time?"
II had no knowledge you were in
the affair" said Wildine. You should
have told me-" His manner was
brisk to the point of dryness. How
ever, there is still time to get you out
of il. Where is your horse?'
Damn my horse!"e answered Tren-
| everything.'
"On the contrary said Mr.. wildfng
tarty, 1T seems you had done that
very thoroughly before I arrived
for me which has Tnisled you into
turning the tables on Blake and West
macott, Yet | do blame you for this
betrayal of the cause"
I lHSTS W DIS ITO HGlp IO[ II.
why, no; and that is why YOU
should have left matters where they
Trenchard stamped his foot; indeed,
vexation. Left them where they
stood" he echoed. Body O. me,
| Where are your wits? Left them
| where they stood And at any mo-
| ment you might have been taken un-
awares as consequence of this accu-
| Sation being lodged against you by
Richard or by Blake. Then the cause
would have been betrayed, indeed"
Not more so than it is now"
"Not less, at least" snapped the
player. You give me credit for
| more wit than yourself. Do you think
that | am the man to do things by
halves? ] have betrayed the plot to
Albemarle; but do you imagine ] have
made no provision for what must
follow?"
"Provision?" echoed Wilding, star
ing.
aye, provision God lack. What
do yor suppose Albemarle will dor"
dispatch a messenger to Whitehall
with the letter within an hour
You perceive it, do you? And where
| Trenchard1l be what time that mes
senger rides?"
Mr.. Wilding understood. AYE, you
may stare" sneered Trenchard. A
letter that has once been stolen may
be stolen again. The courier must go
by way of Walford had in my
mind arranged the spot close by the
ford, where l should fall upon him
rob him of his dispatches, and take
him-bound hand and foot if neces.
sary-to Vallancey's. who lives close
by. and there I'd leave him until word
came % that the duke had landed"
| THAT the duke had landed?" cried
| Wilding. You talk as though the
thing were imminent"
"And imminent it is For aught we
know he may be in England already.
Mr.. Wilding laughed impauently.
these crack-brained rumors, Nick"
said he.
"Rumors!" roared the other "Ru-
mors? Ha." He checked his wild
key. II was forgetting. You do not
know the contents of that stolen let
| ter"
Wilding started Underlying his
disbelief in the talk of the country
side, and even in the military meas
ures which by the king'Sorders were
being taken in the west, was an un-
easy dread lest they should prove to
be well founded, lest Argyle's opera
tions in Scotland should be but the
forerunner of a rash and premature
| invasion by Monmouth. He knew the
duke was surrounded by such reck-
less, foolhardy counselors as Grey
and Ferguson-and yet he could not
think the duke would ruin all by com
ing before he had definite word that
his friends were ready. He looked at
Trenchard now with anxious eyes
Have you seen the letter, Nick?"
he asked, and almost dreaded the
reply.
"Albemarle showed it to me an hour
ago" said Trenchard.
And it contains?"
The news we fear. 1t is in the
dukes own hand, and intimates that
he will follow in a few days-in a
few days, man-in person."