40 A JACOBITE EXILE

that he would not do for you. But you had best stop no
longer. Should they find out that I am not in the house
they will guess that I have come to warn you, and may send
out a party to search.”

Charlie at once mounted and rode back to Mr. Jervoise’s.

“T expected you back,” that gentleman said as he
entered. “Bad news travels apace, and an hour since a
man brought in the news that Sir Marmaduke had been seen
riding, evidently a prisoner, surrounded by soldiers, on the
road towards Lancaster. So that villain we chased last
night must have learnt something. I suppose they will be
here to-morrow, but I do not see what serious charge they
can have against us. We have neither collected arms nor
taken any steps towards a rising. We have talked over
what we might do if there were a landing made from France,
but as there may be no landing that is a very vague charge.”

“Unfortunately that is not the charge against my father.
It is a much more serious business.” And Charlie repeated
the substance of what Banks had told him, interrupted
occasionally by indignant ejaculations from Mr. Jervoise.

“Tt is an infamous plot,” he said, when the lad had con-
cluded his story. “Infamous! There was never a word
said of such a scheme, and no one who knows your father
would believe it for an instant.”

“Yes, sir, but the judges who do not know him may
believe it. No doubt those who put those papers there will
bring forward evidence to back it up.”

“Tam afraid that will be the case. It is serious for us
all,” Mr. Jervoise said thoughtfully. “That man will be
prepared to swear that he heard the plot discussed by us all.
They seized your father to-day as being the principal and
most important of those concerned in it, but we may all
find ourselves in the same case to-morrow. I must think it
over. It is well that your tian warned you. You had best
not stay here to-night, for the house may be surrounded at