xtinguished in the
brighter glories of Elizabeth the Catholic. Bring her up in the
Catholic faith, and wed her to a Catholic Prince, and I will lay mine
head to pawn that she shall make a right royal queen, and the star of
England's glory shall suffer no tarnish in her hands. I have seen the
little maid, and a bright, brave, bonnie lass she is."

"How old?" asked Robert Winter.

"Nine years. Just the right age. Old enough to queen it, and take a
pleasure therein; and not old enough to have drunk in much heresy--no
more than Fathers Garnet and Gerard can soon distil out again."

"Nay! Too old, Mr Catesby," said Thomas Winter. "At five years, the
little Duke might be so: but not his sister at nine. She'll have
learned heresy enough by then; and women are more perverse than men.
They ever hold error tighter, and truth likewise."

"Well, have the little Duke, if you can win him," replied Catesby. "I
doubt thereof."

"Trust me for that," cried Percy.

"I'll trust you to break your neck in the attempt," said Catesby with a
grim smile.

"But how look you to secure the Lady Elizabeth? My Lord Harrington's an
old fox, and none so easy to beguile. He shall smell a rat, be sure,
before you have half your words out, and then you may whistle for the
rest of your hopes--and are like enough to do it in the Fleet or
Newgate."

"Kit Wright," said Percy, addressing the last speaker, who was his
wife's brother, "all the wit in the world is sure not in thine head.
Thinkest we shall march up to the door at Combe, and sweetly demand of
my Lord Harrington that he give us up the Lady Elizabeth? Why, man, we
must compass the matter that he shall wit nought till all be done."

"You might make a hunting-party," suggested Fawkes.

"Say you so, Mr Fawkes? You have eyes in your head. We'll send Sir
Everard Digby down to see to that business."

"How went your business, Mr Catesby?" asked Grant.

"Why, right well, Mr Grant. I gathered together a goodly number of
friends to assist the Archduke Albert in Flanders: bought horses, and
laid in powder. All shall be ready when the Archduke hath need of
them."

The laugh went round.

"That was a jolly fantasy of yours, to levy troops for the Archduke,"
said Robert Winter. "Truly, these heretics are easy to beguile. Not
one, methinks, hath the least suspicion."

"It were soon up with us if they had," added his brother.

"Look out for yourself, Tom, and smoke not too many p