A RESCUE 51

“Yesterday morning there was an examination of your
father, Charlie, or rather an examination of the testimony
against him. First the two letters that were discovered
were putin. Without having got them word for word, my
informer was able to give me the substance of them. Both
were unsigned, and professed to. have been written in
France. ‘The first is dated three months back. It alludes
to a conversation that somebody is supposed to have had
with Sir Marmaduke, and states that the agent who had
visited him, and who is spoken of as Mr. H. » had as-
sured them that your father was perfectly ready to join in
any well-conceived design for putting a stop to the suffer-
ings that afflicted the country through the wars into which
the foreign intruder had plunged it, even though the plan
entailed the removal of the usurper. The writer assured
Sir Marmaduke of the satisfaction that such an agreement
on his part had caused at Saint Germains, and had height-
ened the high esteem in which Sir Marmaduke was held
for his long fidelity to the cause of his majesty. It then
went on to state that a plan had been already formed, and
that several gentlemen in the south were deeply pledged to
carry it out, but that it was thought specially advisable that
some from the north should also take part in it, as from
their persons being unknown near the court they could act
with more surety and safety. They would, therefore, be
glad if he would take counsel with the friends he had men-
tioned as to what might seem to them the best course of
proceeding. ‘There was no occasion for any great haste,
and indeed some weeks must elapse before the blow was
struck, in order that preparations should be made in
France for taking instant advantage of it.

“The rest of the letter was to the same purpose, but was
really a repetition of it. The second letter was dated
some time later, and was as before an answer to one the
knight was supposed to have written. It highly approved