A RESCUE : 59

behind them a woman came out with a candle from an
inner room.

“Tam glad to see you safe, Mr. Jervoise,” a man said.
“My wife and I were beginning to be anxious, fearing that
you might have fallen into the hands of your enemies.”

“No, all has gone well, Herries; but it is a long ride
from the hills here, and we walked the last three miles, as
we wanted to get the horses back again before daylight.
We are deeply grateful to you for giving us shelter.”

““T would be ready to do more than that,” the man said,
“for the sake of the good cause. My wife’s father and
mine both fell at Naseby, and we are as loyal to the Stuarts
as they were. You are heartily welcome, sir, and as we
keep no servant there will be none to gossip. You can
either remain in the house, in which case none will know
of your presence here; or if you wish to go abroad in the
town I will accompany you, and will introduce you to any
acquaintance I may meet as a cousin of my wife, who with
his two sons has come over from Preston to pay us a visit.
I don’t think that anyone would know you in that attire.”

“T will run no more risks than are necessary, Herries.
Those I wish to see will visit me here, and if I go out at
all it will not be until after dark.”

For a fortnight they remained at the house. After dark
each day a man paid Mr, Jervoise a visit. He was the
magistrates’ clerk, and had an apartment in the castle.
From him they learned that a messenger had been de-
spatched to London with an account of the evidence taken
in Sir Marmaduke’s case, and that at the end of twelve
days he had returned with orders that all prisoners and wit-
nesses were to be sent to town, where they would be exam-
ined in the first place by his majesty’s council, and where
Sir Marmaduke’s trial for high treason would take place.
They were to be escorted by a party of twelve troopers,
under the command of a lieutenant.