making merry over Tom Rookwood's satirical account of
Aubrey's discomfiture. For his company they cared little, and the only
object they had for cultivating it was the consideration that he might
be useful some day. Their conversation was all the freer without him,
since all the rest were Papists.

Something, at that moment, was taking place elsewhere, with which the
company at the Duck, and even Aubrey Louvaine, were not unconcerned.
Lord Monteagle was entertaining friends to supper at his house at
Hoxton, where he had not resided for some time previously. Just before
the company sat down to table, a young footman left the house on an
errand, returning a few minutes later. As he passed towards his
master's door, a man of "indifferent stature," muffled in a cloak, and
his face hidden by a slouched hat drawn down over the brow, suddenly
presented himself from amongst the trees.

"Is your Lord within, and may a man have speech of him?" asked the
apparition.

"His Lordship is now sitting down to supper," was the answer.

The stranger held out a letter.

"I pray you, deliver this into your Lord's own hand," said he, "seeing
it holdeth matter of import."

The young man took the letter, and returned to the house. Lord
Monteagle was just crossing the hall to the dining-room, when his
servant delivered the letter. Grace having been said, and the business
of supper begun, he unfolded the missive. His Lordship found it
difficult to read, which implies that his education was not of the most
perfect order, for the writing is not at all hard to make out. But
gentlemen were much less versed in the three R's at that date than at
the present time [Note 2], and Lord Monteagle, calling one of his
servants, named Thomas Ward, desired him to read the letter.

Now, Mr Thomas Ward was in the confidence of the conspirators,--a fact
of which there is no doubt: and that Lord Monteagle was the same may not
inaptly be described as a fact of which there is doubt--an extremely
strong probability, which has been called in question without any
disproof [see Appendix]. Both these gentlemen, however, conducted
themselves with perfect decorum, and as if the subject were entirely new
to them.

This was what Mr Ward read:--

"My Lord out of the loue i beare you [this word was crossed out, and
instead of it was written] some of youere trends i haue a caer of youer
preseruacion. Therfor i would aduyse yowe as yowe tender youer lyf to
d