Evening star., 1924-05-02
Continued from Yesterdays starr

Tt is in that particular" said Blake
complacently. that i shall differ from
hem" He turned to Ruth, eager TO
engage her in the conversation, to
latter her by including her III the
secret knowing the loyaliSt princi-
nlcs she entertained, he had no reason
10 fear that his plans could other than
meet her approval. What do you
say, Mistress Ruth?" Presuming upon
nis friendship with her brother, he
rad taken to calling her by that name
II preference to the other which he
.ould not bring himself TO give her
lis it not an object worthy OF gen
tlcman'S endCaVor""
"If you can save 50 many poor
people from encompaSsing their ruin
he Duke of Monmouth, You will in
Iced be doing a worthy deed
Blake rose and made her leg
Madam. said he, had aught been
wanting TO cement my resolve, your
words would supply it to me. My
nlan is simplicity itself. | propose TO
capture Monmouth and his principal
agents and deliver them over TO the
king. And that is all
"A mere nothing" croahed Richard
Gould more be needed?' quoth
Stake Once the rebel army is de-
prived of its leaders it will melt and
dissolve of itself. Once the duke is
n the hands of his enemies there will
shrewd?"
You arc telling US the object rather
than the plan" Ruth reminded him.
If the plan is as good as the OBJ
"As Cood?" he echoed, chuckling
You shall judge" And briefly he
sk etched for her the springs he was
setting with the help of Mr.. New
I1ugton. "NeWlington is fich; the
luke is in straits for money. New
-, fFrf hit1Nt
Y thousand pounds, and the duke is
- do him the honor Of SuppinC at his
house tomorrow night to fetch the
money. 1T is a reasonable request TOR
Nr. NeWlington to make under the
circumstances and the duke cannot
dare not refuse II.
But how will that advance your
project" Ruth inquired, for Blake
had paused again. thinking that the
rest must be obvious.
In Mr.. Newlington's orchard pro-
pose 10 post a score or SO of men,
well armed. oh, | shall run no risk
Of betrayal by engaging Bridgwater
folk. Ill get the fellows l need from
Gen. Fcversham. We take Monmouth
ut supper as quietly as may be, with
what gentlemen happen TO have ac-
rompanicd him. We bind and gag
Tho duke and we convey him with
all speed and quiet out Of BrIdg-
water. t'cyersham shall send troop
% await me Il Itlll' OF 50 from lilt
town on the road TO Weston Zoyland.
we shall join them with our captive,
and thus convey him to the royalSt
general. Could aught be simpler or
more infalliblc?"
Richard had slipped from the table.
fIe had changed his mind on the sub
jrct Of tho Importance of the business
Blake had in view. Excited by ii, he
ci3pped his friend on the back ap-
proVinEiy.
- grsat plan he cried. rs it
1t should be the means IT saving
hundreds, perhaps thousands OF ives"
said she, and 50 1t deserves to pros
per. But what of the officers who
may be with the dukc"' she inquired.
There arc not lik ely to be many
half a dozen, say. We shall have 10
make short work Of them. lest they
should raise an alarm" lie saw her
glance clouding. THAT is the ugly part of
self assuming a look Of sadness. lie
sighed " hat help IS theTe?" he
asked. Better that those few should
suffer than that. as YOU yourself have
aid, there should be some thousands
of lives lost before this rebellion is
put down. Besides" he continued,
Monmouth's officers arc far seeing,
ambitious men, who have entered into
this affair to promote their own l,er-
Eona1 fortunes. They are gamesterS
who have set their lives upon the
board against 4 great prize, ana they
know it. But these other poor mis-
guided people who have gone out to
tight for liberty and relfgion--it is
these whom | am striking to rescue.
Ills words sounded fervent, his sen
timents almost heroic. Ruth locked
a. him an wondered had she mis-
Judged him i'll the past She sighed.
Then she thought Of Wilding. He was
IN the other side, but where was he?
Rumor ran that he was dead. that he
md Grey had quarreled at Lyme, and
that Wilding had been killed AS 4 re-
suit Had it not been for Diana, who
Strcnuously bade her attach no credit
to these reports, she would readily
have believed them. AS it was she
waited, wondering, thinking of him
always as she had seen him on that
day at Walford when he had taken
hls leave of her, and more than Cnce,
when she pondered the words he had
said, the look that had invested his
cropping eyes, she found herself with
tcarS in her own. They Welled up
VOW and she rose hastily to her feet.
She looked Il moment at Blake who
Was watching her keenly, Speculating
betrayed some sign, and wondering
her, for, as we have seen, he had ar
raved a deed of excessive meanness,
:. deed worthy, almost, of the Iscariot,
in the panoply of heroic achievement.
7 think she said, that you are
setting your hand to a very worthy
and glorious enterprise, and / hope,