bad a sailor; besides, he is grown so
superstitious, swears the devil came to him one night I placed him a
watch on yon cliff. I must leave him ashore with you, Robin, and tell
you what to do with the scapegrace, if I am not back by a particular
day. I must also give you a letter to take to Sir Robert Cecil,
postponing an appointment I had made with him."

"You had better give the letter to that gentleman," exclaimed Robin,
pointing with his thumb over his shoulder to where the Cavalier sat; "he
would do an errand to Cecil Place, especially if it were to the Lady
Constance, right gladly."

"Indeed!" exclaimed Dalton, fixing his quick eye on the youth's
countenance, that betrayed uneasiness but not displeasure. "Sits the
wind in that quarter? But tell us, Robin, how was it?"

"There is nothing to tell, Captain," interrupted Walter, "except that
Robin accompanied me to the Place, as it is called, to show me some
alterations, and point out the excellent order in which the trees are
kept; and in the grounds we encountered Mistress Cecil, and, as I am
informed, the Lady Cromwell."

"I wish you would keep close here though," muttered Dalton; "you'll be
meeting the villain Burrell before----"

"I would fain encounter Sir Willmott Burrell once again, and make him
pay the traitor's forfeit."

"Peace--peace! give Burrell rope enough to hang himself. He'll swing as
high as Haman ere long. Robin told me of the coward's treachery."

"I wish Robin had not accompanied him to London," exclaimed Walter; "I
hate people to carry two faces. But my wonder is that Burrell would
trust him."

"Just because he could not help himself," retorted Robin. "He wanted a
clever lad who had understanding. His own valet was in France on some
business or another mighty mysterious; and a gentleman like him, who has
a good character and a foul conscience, a good head and a bad heart, has
need of a man of talent, not a loon, about his person. To do full
justice, however, to his discretion, he treated me to as few of his
secrets as he could, and I endeavoured to save him trouble by finding
them all out."

The Buccaneer laughed aloud, but the high-souled Cavalier looked
serious.

"Ah! ah!" said Dalton, "you never did relish machinations, and it is
well you are not left to yourself in this plan of mine: honour is not
the coin to take to a villain's market."

"'Tis the only coin I will ever deal in, Captain; and I told you before
I left Cologne, t