314 A JACOBITE EXILE

by their ruin, especially by that of my father. In order
to bring this about he recommended this fellow we are in
search of to my father, who happened at the time to be in
want of a servant.

“The fellow undoubtedly acted as a spy, for I once
caught him at it. But spying alone would have been of no
use, for there was nothing at any time said that would have
brought harm upon them. They simply discussed what
thousands of other people have discussed, the measures that
should be taken on behalf of the Stuarts if one of them
came over from France supported by a French force. The
fellow, however, swore that the object of these meetings was
to arrange for an assassination of William. He gave full de-
tails of the supposed plot, and in order to give substance to
his statements he hid ina cabinet of my father’s a number of
compromising papers, professing to be letters from abroad.

“These were found by the officers sent to arrest my
father. He and his five friends managed to escape, but
their estates were forfeited. Of course, what we want to
prove is the connection between this spy ard his employer,
who, for his services jn bringing this supposed plot to light,
received as a.reward my father’s estates. There is no way
of doing this unless this man can be brought to confess his
own villainy in the matter of the letters, and to denounce
the scoundrel whose agent he was. Probably by this time
he has got nearly all he can expect from his employer, and
will at least feel no scruples in exposing him if by so doing
he can save his own neck. Now, we have not only dis-
covered the man, but have found out that he is a notorious
highwayman and the leader of a gang; but more, I have
found out the day and hour on which he proposes to stop
and rob the North coach.”

“Well, Mr. Carstairs, if you have done that,” the man
said, “you have done marvels. That you should find the
man might be a piece of good luck, but that you should have
learned all this about him seems to me wonderful.”