Old Swan, and found George in his printing
shop awaiting us. I remained in the old tapestried room, leaving Frances
and George to say their farewells. In the course of a few minutes he
called me in. He had donned his Quaker disguise, and on the floor near
him was a small bundle of linen. Frances was weeping, and George's voice
was choked with emotion.

"Well, at last, Baron Ned, you are to be rid of me," he said, glancing
toward the bundle at his feet.

"What are your plans of escape?" I asked.

"I shall work my way down to Sheerness, where I hope to find a boat
for The Hague or the French coast. Lilly, who seems to know everything,
past, present and future, came last night to tell me that the king has
fifty men seeking me in various parts of England, especially the
seaports, and has offered a reward of two hundred pounds for me, dead
or alive, preferably dead, I suppose. If I go direct to Sheerness and try
to take a boat, I am sure to be examined, and I'm not prepared for the
ordeal. So I intend to preach my way down the river and induce the king's
officers to send me abroad by force."

"How are you off for money, George?" I asked.

"I borrowed ten guineas from Lilly," he answered.

"I thought you might be in need of money, so I brought fifty guineas from
the strong box under my bed," I said, offering him the little bag of
gold.

He hesitated, saying: "If I take the money, you may never again see a
farthing of it."

"In that case, I'll take my pay in abusing you," I replied.

"Do you believe he would, Frances?" asked George, turning to my cousin.
Then continuing thoughtfully:

"It is strange that I should have found such a friend at the bottom of a
quarrel, all because I allowed him to abuse me. Truly forbearance is a
profitable virtue. The 'other cheek' is the better of the two."

Upon my insistence, he accepted the gold and gave me the ten guineas he
had borrowed from Lilly, asking me to return them.

Frances was making an entire failure of her effort to hold herself in
check, and George was having difficulty in restraining himself, so, to
bring the interview to an end, he gave me his hand, saying:--

"Thank you, Ned, and good-by. I wish I could hope ever to see you again,
but if Le Grand fails me, I shall go to the new world and lose myself in
the Canadian woods."

"No, no!" cried Frances, imploringly.

"I hope not," began George, but he could not finish, so he took Frances
in his arms for a momen