第9章

"Canyou,then,explainhowitcomesthatthatwrapperhasbeensuppressed？Canyoutellushow—thematterbeingasyoustateit—inveryself—defenceagainstthedangersofkeepingsuchaletter,yourbrotherdidnotalsokeepthatwrapper？"

Hereyesfellawayfromhisface,theyturnedtoAlbemarle,whosatscowlingagain,andfromhimtheyflickeredunsteadilytoPhelipsandLuttrell,andlastly,toRichard,who,verywhiteandwithsetteeth,stoodlisteningtotheworkingofhisruin。

"I……Idonotknow,"shefalteredatlast。

"Ah！"saidTrenchard,drawingadeepbreath。HeturnedtotheBench。

"NeedIsuggestwhatwastheneed—theurgentneed—forsuppressingthatwrapper？"quothhe。"NeedIsaywhatnamewasinscribeduponit？

Ithinknot。YourGrace"skeeninsight,andyours,gentlemen,willdeterminewhatwasprobable。"

SirRowlandnowstoodforward,addressingAlbemarle。"WillYourGracepermitmetooffermyexplanationofthis？"

Albemarlebangedthetable。Hispatiencewasatanend,sincehecamenowtobelieve—asTrenchardhadearliersuggested—thathehadbeenplayeduponbyRuth。

"ToomanyexplanationshaveIheardalready,sir,"heanswered。Heturnedtooneofhissecretaries。Inhissuddenaccessofcholerheforgothiscolleaguesaltogether。"Theprisonersarecommittedfortrial,"saidheharshly,andTrenchardbreathedfreelyatlast。Butthenextinstanthecaughthisbreathagain,foraringingvoicewasheardwithoutdemandingtoseeHisGraceofAlbemarleatonce,andthevoicewasthevoiceofAnthonyWilding。

CHAPTERXI

THEMARPLOT

Mr。Wilding"sappearanceproducedasmanydifferentemotionsastherewereindividualspresent。HemadethecompanyasweepingbowonhisadmissionbyAlbemarle"sorders,abowwhichwasreturnedbyastarefromoneandall。Dianaeyedhiminamazement,Ruthinhope;Richardavertedhisglancefromthatofhisbrother—in—law,whilstSirRowlandmetitwithascowlofenmity—theyhadnotcomefacetofacesincetheoccasionofthatencounterinwhichSirRowland"sself—lovehadbeensorudelyhandled。Albemarle"sfaceexpressedasortofsatisfaction,whichwasreflectedonthecountenancesofPhelipsandLuttrell;whilstTrenchardneverthoughtofattemptingtodissemblehisprofounddismay。Andthisdismaywasshared,thoughnotinsodeepameasure,byWildinghimself。Trenchard"spresencegavehimpause;

forhehadbeenfar,indeed,fromdreamingthathisfriendhadahandinthisaffair。AtsightofhimallwasmadecleartoMr。Wilding。

AtoncehesawtherolewhichTrenchardhadassumedonthisoccasion,sawtothebottomofthemotivesthathadinspiredhimtotakethebullbythehornsandlevelagainstRichardandBlakethisaccusationbeforetheyhadleisuretolevelitagainsthimself。

HisquickwitshavingfathomedTrenchard"smotive,Mr。Wildingwasdeeplytouchedbythisproofoffriendship,andforasecond,asdeeplynonplussed,atlossnowhowtodischargethetaskonwhichhecame。

"Youareverychoicelycome,Mr。Wilding,"saidAlbemarle。"Youwillbeabletoresolvemecertaindoubtswhichhavebeensetonfootbythesetraitors。"

"That,"saidMr。Wilding,"isthepurposeforwhichIamhere。Newsreachedmeofthearrestthathadbeenmade。MayIbegthatYourGracewillplacemeinpossessionofthefactsthathavesofartranspired。"

Itwasoneofhissecretarieswho,atAlbemarle"sbidding,gaveWildingtheinformationthathecraved。Helistenedgravely;then,beforeAlbemarlehadtimetoquestionhimonthescoreofthenamethatmighthavebeenupontheenfoldingwrapperoftheletter,hebeggedthathemightconferapartamomentwithMr。Trenchard。

"ButMr。Wilding,"saidColonelLuttrell,surprisednottoheartheimmediatedenialoftheimputationtheyhadexpected,"weshouldfirstliketohear……"

"Byyourleave,sirs,"Wildinginterrupted,"IshouldpreferthatyouaskmenothinguntilIhaveconsultedwithMr。Trenchard。"HesawLuttrell"sfrown,observedSirEdwardshifthiswigtoscratchhisheadinsheerperplexity,andcaughtthefore—shadowingofdenialontheDuke"sface。So,withoutgivinganyofthemtimetosayhimnay,headdedquicklyandveryseriously,"Iambeggingthisintheinterestsofjustice。YourGracehastoldmethatsomelingeringdoubtstillhauntsyourminduponthesubjectofthisletter—theotherchargescanmatterlittle,apartfromthattreasonabledocument。Itlieswithinmypowertoresolvesuchdoubtsmostclearlyandfinally。ButIwarnyou,sirs,thatnotonewordwillIutterinthisconnectionuntilIhavehadspeechwithMr。Trenchard。"

TherewasabouthismienandvoiceafirmnessthatforewarnedAlbemarlethattoinsistwouldbeworsethanidle。Aslightpausefollowedhiswords,andLuttrellleanedacrosstowhisperinHisGrace"sear;fromtheDuke"sothersideSirEdwardbenthisheadforwardtillitalmosttouchedthoseofhiscompanions。Blakewatched,andwasmostfoolishlyimpatient。

"YourGracewillneverallowthis！"hecried。

"Eh？"saidAlbemarle,scowlingathim。

"Ifyouallowthosetwovillainstoconsorttogetherweareallundone,"

thebaronetprotested,andruinedwhatchancetherewasofAlbemarle"snotconsenting。

ItwastheonethingneededtodetermineAlbemarIe。Likethestubbornmanhewas,therewasnaughthedetestedsomuchastohavehiscoursedictatedtohim。Morethanthat,inSirRowland"sanxietythatWildingandTrenchardshouldnotbeallowedtoconferapart,hesmokedafearonSirRowland"spart,baseduponthebaronet"sconsciousnessofhisownguilt。Heturnedfromhimwithasneeringsmile,andwithoutsomuchasconsultinghisassociatesheglancedatWildingandwavedhishandtowardsthedoor。

"Praydoasyousuggest,Mr。Wilding,"saidhe。"ButIdependuponyounottotaxourpatience。"

"IshallnotkeepMr。Trenchardamomentlongerthanisnecessary,"

saidWilding,givingnohintofthesecondmeaninginhiswords。

Hesteppedtothedoor,openedithimself,andsignedtoTrenchardtopassout。Theoldplayerobeyedhimreadily,ifinsilence。Anusherclosedthedoorafterthem,andinsilencetheywalkedtogethertotheendofthepassage。

"Whereisyourhorse,Nick？"quothWildingabruptly。

"Whataplaguedoyoumean,whereismyhorse？"flashedTrenchard。

"Whatmidsummerfrenzyisthis？Damnyouforamarplot,Anthony！

Whatapoxareyouthinkingoftothrustyourselfinhereatsuchatime？"

"Ihadnoknowledgeyouwereintheaffair,"saidWilding。"Youshouldhavetoldme。"Hismannerwasbrisktothepointofdryness。

"However,thereisstilltimetogetyououtofit。Whereisyourhorse？"

"Damnmyhorse！"answeredTrenchardinapassion。"Youhavespoiledeverything！"

"Onthecontrary,"saidMr。Wildingtartly,"itseemsyouhaddonethatverythoroughlybeforeIarrived。WhilstIamtouchedbytheregardformewhichhasmisledyouintoturningthetablesonBlakeandWestmacott,yetIdoblameyouforthisbetrayaloftheCause。"

"Therewasnohelpforit。"

"Why,no;andthatiswhyyoushouldhaveleftmatterswheretheystood。"

Trenchardstampedhisfoot;indeed,healmostdancedintheexcessofhisvexation。"Leftthemwheretheystood！"heechoed。"Bodyo"me！

Whereareyourwits？Leftthemwheretheystood！AndatanymomentyoumighthavebeentakenunawaresasaconsequenceofthisaccusationbeinglodgedagainstyoubyRichardorbyBlake。ThentheCausewouldhavebeenbetrayed,indeed。"

"Notmoresothanitisnow。

"Notless,atleast,"snappedtheplayer。"Yougivemecreditfornomorewitthanyourself。DoyouthinkthatIamthemantodothingsbyhalves？IhavebetrayedtheplottoAlbemarle;butdoyouimagineIhavemadenoprovisionforwhatmustfollow？"

"Provision？"echoedWilding,staring。

"Aye,provision。Godlack！WhatdoyousupposeAlbemarlewilldo？"

"DispatchamessengertoWhitehallwiththeletterwithinanhour。"

"Youperceiveit,doyou？AndwheretheplaguedoyouthinkNickTrenchard"l1bewhattimethatmessengerrides？"

Mr。Wildingunderstood。"Aye,youmaystare,"sneeredTrenchard。

"Aletterthathasoncebeenstolenmaybestolenagain。ThecouriermustgobywayofWalford。Ihadinmymindarrangedthespot,closebytheford,whereIshouldfalluponhim,robhimofhisdispatches,andtakehim—boundhandandfootifnecessary—toVallancey"s,wholivescloseby;andthereI"dleavehimuntilwordcamethattheDukehadlanded。"

"ThattheDukehadlanded？"criedWilding。"Youtalkasthoughthethingwereimminent。"

"Andimminentitis。ForaughtweknowhemaybeinEnglandalready。"

Mr。Wildinglaughedimpatiently。"Youmustforeverbebuildingonthesecrack—brainedrumours,Nick,"saidhe。

"Rumours！"roaredtheother。"Rumours？Ha！"Hecheckedhiswildscorn,andproceededinadifferentkey。"Iwasforgetting。YoudonotknowtheContentsofthatstolenletter。"

Wildingstarted。Underlyinghisdisbeliefinthetalkofthecountryside,andeveninthemilitarymeasureswhichbytheKing"sorderswerebeingtakenintheWest,wasanuneasydreadlesttheyshouldprovetobewellfounded,lestArgyle"soperationsinScotlandshouldbebuttheforerunnerofarashandprematureinvasionbyMonmouth。HeknewtheDukewassurroundedbysuchreckless,foolhardycounsellorsasGreyandFerguson—andyethecouldnotthinktheDukewouldruinallbycomingbeforehehaddefinitewordthathisfriendswereready。HelookedatTrenchardnowwithanxiouseyes。

"Haveyouseentheletter,Nick？"heasked,andalmostdreadedthereply。

"Albemarleshoweditmeanhourago,"saidTrenchard。

"Anditcontains？"

"Thenewswefear。ItisintheDuke"sownhand,andintimatesthathewillfollowitinafewdays—inafewdays,maninperson。"

Mr。Wildingclenchedteethandhands。"Godhelpusall,then！"hemutteredgrimly。

"Meanwhile,"quothTrenchard,bringinghimbacktothepoint,"thereisthispreciousbusinesshere。Ihadaschoiceaplanascouldhavebeendevised,anditmusthavesucceeded,hadyounotcomeblunderingintoittomaritallatthelastmoment。ThatfatfoolAlbemarlehadswallowedmyimpeachmentlikeadraughtofmuscadine。Doyouhearme？"

heendedsharply,forMr。Wildingstoodbemused,histhoughtsplainlywandering。

HelethishandfalluponTrenchard"sshoulder。"No,"saidhe,"I

wasn"tlistening。Nomatter;forevenhadIknownthefullextentofyourschemeIstillmusthaveinterfered。"

"ForthesakeofMistressWestmacott"sblueeyes,nodoubt,"sneeredTrenchard。"Pah！Whereverthere"sawomanthere"sthelossofaman。"

"ForthesakeofMistressWilding"sblueeyes,"hisfriendcorrectedhim。"I"llallownobrotherofherstohanginmyplace。"

"Itwillbeinterestingtoseehowyouwillrescuehim。"

"BytellingthetruthtoAlbemarle。"

"He"llnotbelieveit。"

"Ishallproveit,"saidWildingquietly。Trenchardswungrounduponhiminmingledangerandalarmforhim。"Youshallnotdoit！"hesnarled。"ItisnothingshortoftreasontotheDuketogetyourselflaidbytheheelsatsuchatimeasthis。"

"Ihopetoavoidit,"answeredWildingconfidently。

"Avoidit？How？"

"Notbystayinglongerhereintalk。Thatwillruinall。Awaywithyou,Trenchard！"

"Bymysoul,no！"answeredTrenchard。"I"llnotleaveyou。IfIhavegotyouintothis,I"llhelptogetyououtagain,orstayinitwithyou。"

"BethinkyouofMonmouth？"Wildingadmonishedhim。

"DamnMonmouth！"wastheviciousanswer。"Iamhere,andhereIstay。"

"Gettohorse,youfool,andridetoWalfordasyouproposed,theretoambushthemessenger。TheletterwillgotoWhitehallnonethelessinspiteofwhatIshalltellAlbemarle。Ifthingsgowellwithme,IshalljoinyouatVallancey"sbeforelong。"

"Why,ifthatisyourintention,"saidTrenchard,"Ihadbetterstay,andwecanridetogether。Itwillmakeitlessuncertainforyou。"

"Butlesscertainforyou。"

"ThemorereasonwhyIshouldremain。"

Thedoorofthehallwassuddenlyflungopenatthefarendofthecorridor,andAlbemarle"sboomingvoice,impatientlyraised,reachedthemwheretheystood。

"Inanycase,"addedTrenchard,"itseemsthereisnohelpforitnow。"

Mr。Wildingshruggedhisshoulders,butotherwisedissembledhisvexation。Upthepassagefloatedtheconstable"svoicecallingthem。

Sidebysidetheymoveddown,andsidebysidetheysteppedoncemoreintothepresenceofChristopherMonkandhisassociates。

"Sirs,youhavenotbeeninhaste,"wastheDuke"sill—humouredgreeting。

"Wehavetarriedalittlethatwemightmakeanendthesooner,"

answeredTrencharddryly,andthiswasthefirstindicationhegaveMr。Wildingofhownaturally—liketheinimitableactorthathewas—

hehadslippedintohisnewrole。

Albemarlewavedthefrivolousrejoinderaside。"Come,Mr。Wilding,"saidhe,"letushearwhatyoumayhavetosay。Youarenot,Itakeit,abouttourgeanyreasonswhytheseroguesshouldnotbecommitted？"

"Indeed,YourGrace,"saidWilding,"thatiswhatIamabouttourge。"

BlakeandRichardlookedathimsuddenly,andfromhimtoTrenchard;

butitwasonlyRuthwhoseeyeswereshrewdenoughtoobservethealtereddemeanourofthelatter。Herhopesrose,foundeduponthisoddlyassortedpair。AlreadyinanticipationshewasstirredbygratitudetowardsWilding,anditwasinimpatientandalmostwonderingawethatshewaitedforhimtoproceed。

"Itakeit,sir,"hesaid,withoutwaitingforAlbemarIetoexpressanyofthefreshastonishmenthiscountenancemanifested,"thattheaccusationagainstthesegentlemenrestsentirelyupontheletterwhichyouhavebeenledtobelievewasaddressedtoMr。Westmacott。"

TheDukescowledamomentbeforereplying。"Why,"saidhe,"ifitcouldbeshown—irrefutablyshown—thattheletterwasnotaddressedtoeitherofthem,thatwouldnodoubtestablishthetruthofwhattheysay—thattheypossessedthemselvesoftheletterintheinterestsofHisMajesty。"HeturnedtoLuttrellandPhelips,andtheynoddedtheirconcurrencewithhisviewofthematter。"But,"hecontinued,"ifyouareproposingtoproveanysuchthing,Ithinkyouwillfinditdifficult。"

Mr。Wildingdrewacrumpledpaperfromhispocket。"Whenthecourierwhomtheyrobbed,astheyhavecorrectlyinformedyou,"saidhequietly,"suspectedtheirdesignuponthecontentsofhiswallet,hebethoughthimofremovingthewrapperfromtheletter,sothatincasetheletterwereseizedbythemitshouldprovenothingagainstanymaninparticular。Hestuffedthewrapperintotheliningofhishat,preservingitasaproofofhisgoodfaithagainstthetimewhenheshouldbringthelettertoitsdestination,orcometoconfessthatithadbeentakenfromhim。Thatwrapperthecourierbroughttome,andIhaveithere。Theevidenceitwillgiveshouldbemorethansufficienttowarrantyourrestoringtheseunjustlyaccusedgentlementheirliberty。"

"Thecouriertookittoyou？"echoedAlbemarle,stupefactioninhisglance。"Butwhytoyou？"

"Because,"saidWilding,andwithhislefthandheplacedthewrapperbeforeAlbemarle,whilsthisrightdroppedagaintohispocket,"theletter,asyoumaysee,wasaddressedtome。

Thequietmannerinwhichhemadetheannouncementconveyedalmostasgreatashockastheannouncementitself。

Albemarletookupthewrapper;LuttrellandPhelipscranedforwardtojoinhiminhisscrutinyofit。Theycomparedthetwo,paperwithpaper,writingwithwriting。ThenMonkflungoneandtheotherdowninfrontofhim。

"WhatlieshaveIbeenhearing,then？"hedemandedfuriouslyofTrenchard。

"`SlifeI"llmakeanexampleofyou。Arrestmethatrogue—arrestthemboth,"andhehalfrosefromhisseat,histremblinghandpointingtoWildingandTrenchard。

Twoofthetything—menstirredtodohisbidding,butinthesameinstantAlbemarlefoundhimselflookingintotheroundnozzleofapistol。

"If,"saidMr。Wilding,"afingerislaiduponMr。TrenchardormeI

shallhavetheextrememortificationofbeingcompelledtoshootYourGrace。"

HispleasantlymodulatedvoicewasasdeliberateandcalmasifhewereofferingtheBenchapinchofsnuff。Albemarle"sdarkvisagecrimsoned;

hiseyesbecameatoncewickedandafraid。SirEdward"scheeksturnedpale,hisglancegrewstartled。Luttrellalone,vigilantanddangerous,preservedhiscalm。Butthesituationbaffledevenhim。

Behindthetwofriendsthetything—menhadcometoaterror—strickenhalt。DianahadrisenfromherchairintheexcitementofthemomentandhaddrawnclosetoRuth,wholookedonwithpartedlipsandbosomthatroseandfell。EvenBlakecouldnotstiflehisadmirationofMr。Wilding"scoolnessandaddress。Richard,ontheotherhand,wasconcernedonlywiththoughtsforhimself,wonderinghowitwouldfarewithhimifWildingandTrenchardsucceededingettingaway。

"Nick,"saidMr。Wilding,"willyoudesirethosecatchpollsbehindustostandaside？IfYourGraceraisesyourvoicetocallforhelp,if,indeed,anymeasuresaretakencalculatedtoleadtoourcapture,IcanpromiseYourGrace—notwithstandingmyprofoundreluctancetouseviolence—thattheywillbethelastmeasuresyouwilltakeinlife。Begoodenoughtoopenthedoor,Nick,andtoseethatthekeyisontheoutside。"

Trenchard,whowasbywayofenjoyinghimselfnow,steppedbrisklydownthehalltodoashisfriendbadehim,withawaryeyeonthetything—men。Butneversomuchasafingerdidtheydaretolift。Mr。

Wilding"scalmwastoodeadly;theyhadseenamaninearnestbeforethis,andtheyknewhisappearancenow。FromthedoorwayTrenchardcalledMr。Wilding。

"Imustbegoing,YourGrace,"saidthelatterverycourteously,"butIshallnotbesowantingindeferencetoHisMajesty"saugustrepresentativesastoturnmybackuponyou。"Sayingwhich,hewalkedbackwards,holdinghispistollevel,untilhehadreachedTrenchardandthedoor。Therehepausedandmadethemadeepbow,hismannerthemoremockinginthattherewasnotingeofmockeryperceptible。"Yourveryobedientservant,"saidhe,andsteppedoutside。Trenchardturnedthekey,withdrewitfromthelock,and,standingontiptoe,thrustitupontheledgeofthelintel。

Instantlyaclamourarosewithinthechamber。Butthetwofriendsneverstayedtolisten。Downthepassagetheyspedatthedouble,andoutintothecourtyard。HereRuth"sgroom,mountedhimself,waswalkinghismistress"sandDiana"shorsesupanddownwhilsthewaited;yonderoneofSirEdward"sstable—boyswasholdingMr。Wilding"sroan。TwoorthreemenoftheSomersetmilitia,intheirredandyellowliveries,loungedbythegates,andturneduninterestedeyesuponthesenewcomers。

Wildingapproachedhiswife"sgroom。"Getdown,"hesaid,"Ineedyourhorse—ontheKing"sbusiness。Getdown,Isay,"headdedimpatiently,uponnotingthefellow"sstare,and,seizinghisleg,hehelpedhimtodismountbyalmostdragginghimfromthesaddle。"Upwithyou,Nick,"

saidhe,andNickverypromptlymounted。"Yourmistresswillbeherepresently,"Wildingtoldthegroom,and,turningonhisheel,strodetohisownmare。AmomentlaterTrenchardandhevanishedthroughthegatewaywithatremendousclatter,justastheLord—Lieutenant,ColonelLuttrell,SirEdwardPhelips,theconstable,thetything—men,SirRowland,Richard,andtheladiesmadetheirappearance。

Ruthpushedherwayquicklytothefront。Shefearedlestherhorseandhercousin"sbeingathandmightbeusedforthepursuit;sourgingDianatodothesame,shesnatchedherreinsfromthehandsofthedumbfoundedgroomandleaptnimblytothesaddle。

"Afterthem！"roaredAlbemarle,andtheconstablewithtwoofhismenmadeadashforthegatewaytoraisethehueandcry,whilstthemilitiamenwatchedtheminstupid,inactivewonder。"Damnation,mistress！"thunderedtheDukeinever—increasingpassion,"holdyournag！Holdyournag,woman！"ForRuth"shorsehadbecomeunmanageable,andwascaracolingabouttheyardbetweenthemenandthegatewayinsuchamannerthattheydarednotattempttowinpasther。

"Youhavescaredhimwithyourbellowing,"shepanted,tuggingatthebridle,andallbutbackedintotheconstablewhohadbeenendeavouringtogetroundbehindher。Thebeastcontinueditswildprancing,andtheDukeabatednothinginhisfuriousprofanity,untilsuddenlythegroom,havingrelinquishedtoDianathereinsoftheotherhorse,sprangtoRuth"sassistanceandcaughtherbridleinafirmgraspwhichbroughttheanimaltoastandstill。

"Youfool！"shehissedathim,andhalfraisedherwhiptostrike,butcheckedontheimpulse,bethinkingherintimethat,afterall,whatthepoorladhaddonehehaddonethinkingherdistressed。

Theconstableandacoupleofhisfellowswonthrough;otherswererousingthestableandgettingtohorse,andinthecourtyardallwasbustleandcommotion。Meanwhile,however,Mr。WildingandTrenchardhadmadethemostoftheirstart,andwerethunderingthroughthetown。

CHAPTERXII

ATTHEFORD

AsMr。WildingandNickTrenchardrodehell—to—leatherthroughTauntonstreetstheynevernoticedahorsemanatthedooroftheRedLionInn。

Butthehorsemannoticedthem。Helookedupatthesoundoftheirwildapproach,starteduponrecognizingthem,andturnedinhissaddleastheysweptpasthimtocalluponthemexcitedlytostop。

"Hi！"heshouted。"NickTrenchard！Hi！Wilding！"Then,seeingthattheyeitherdidnothearordidnotheedhim,heloosedavolleyofoaths,wheeledhishorseabout,drovehomethespurs,andstartedinpursuit。OutofthetownhefollowedthemandalongtheroadtowardsWalford,shoutingandclamouringatfirst,afterwardsinagrimandangrysilence。

Now,despitetheirnaturalanxietyfortheirownsafety,WildingandTrenchardhadbynomeansabandonedtheirprojectoftakingcoverbythefordtoawaitthemessengerwhomAlbemarleandtheotherswouldnodoubtbesendingtoWhitehall;andthismadfellowthunderingafterthemseemedinafairwaytomartheirplan。Astheyreluctantlypassedthespottheyhadmarkedoutfortheirambush,splashedthroughthefordandbreastedtherisinggroundbeyond,theytookcounsel。Theydeterminedtostandandmeetthisrashpursuer。

Trenchardcalmlyopinedthatifnecessarytheymustshoothim;hewas,Ifear,abloody—mindedfellowatbottom,although,itistruehejustifiedhimselfnowbypointingoutthatthiswasnotimetohesitateattrifles。Partlybecausetheytalkedandpartlybecausethegradientwassteepandtheirhorsesneededbreathing,theyslackenedrein,andthehorsemanbehindthemcametearingthroughthewaterofthefordandlessenedthedistanceconsiderablyinthenextfewminutes。

Hebethoughthimofusinghislungsoncemore。"Hi,Wilding！Hold,damnyou！"

"Hecursesyouinamostintimatemanner,"quothTrenchard。

Wildingreinedinandturnedinthesaddle。"Hisvoicehasafamiliarsound,"saidhe。Heshadedhiseyeswithhishand,andlookeddowntheslopeatthepursuer,whocameoncrouchinglowuponthewithersofhisgoadedbeast。

"Wait！"thefellowshouted。"Ihavenews—newsforyou！"

"It"sVallancey！"criedWildingsuddenly。

Trenchardtoohaddrawnreinandwaslookingbehindhim。Insteadofexpresingreliefatthediscoverythatthiswasnotanenemy,hesworeatthetroubletowhichtheyhadsoneedlesslyputthemselves,andhewasstillathisvituperationswhenVallanceycameupwiththem,redinthefaceandveryangry,cursingthemroundlyforthefollyoftheirmadcareer,andfornothavingstoppedwhenhebadethem。

"Itwasnodoubtdiscourteous,"saidMr。Wilding"butwetookyouforsomefriendoftheLord—Lieutenant"s。"

"Aretheyafteryou？"quothVallancey,hisfaceofasuddenverystartled。

"Likeenough,"saidTrenchard,"iftheyhavefoundtheirhorsesyet。"

"Forward,then,"Vallanceyurgedtheminexcitement,andhepickeduphisreinsagain。"Youshallhearmynewsasweride。"

"Notso,"saidTrenchard。"Wehavebusinessheredownyonderattheford。"