d us
touching the saving of persons were you and Mr Keyes, who would fain
have saved his master, my Lord Mordaunt; all other were consenting to
the general issue that the Catholic Lords should be counselled to tarry
away on account of the new statutes."

"I never writ nor sent that letter, on my honour!" cried Tresham.

Did he speak the truth? No man knows to this day.

On the Saturday, the conspirators had another scare. In Lincoln's Inn
Walks, Thomas Winter met Tresham, who told him in a terrified whisper
that Lord Salisbury had been to the King, and, there was grave reason to
fear, had shown him the fatal letter. Winter hastened away to Catesby,
to whom he communicated the news. For the first time Gatesby's heart
failed him.

"I will be gone!" said he. "Yet--nay, I will stay till Mr Percy come,
without whose consent will I do nothing."

But money was wanted; and one of the moneyed men, who had been drawn
into the conspiracy for that purpose, could alone supply it. Tresham,
that one who was at hand, took Winter to his apartments in Clerkenwell
[Note 2], where he counted out a hundred pounds.

The same night a letter was brought to Salisbury which had been found
dropped in the street. A few words of it were in cipher. It purported
to be written by E.F. Mak to Richard Bankes: and in it these words
occurred:--"The gallery with the passage thereto yieldeth the best of
assurance, and a safety of the actors themselves."

"I hope to behold the tyrannous heretic defeated in his cruel
pleasures." These mysterious hints, coming so quickly after the
Monteagle letter, still further alarmed and excited the Council.

The conspirators gathered on Sunday night in the house behind Saint
Clement's--Fawkes, Catesby, Thomas Winter, and the two Wrights. They
were shortly joined by Percy. It was late when they parted--parted, to
meet all together in this world never any more. Catesby had made up his
mind to go down into the country the next day; Percy and the Wrights
were preparing to follow; all were ready to escape the moment the
necessity should arise, except Fawkes, who was to fire the powder, and
Thomas Winter, who said he would tarry and see the end. Some had
already departed--Sir Everard Digby to Coughton, the house of Mr
Throckmorton, which he had borrowed--where Garnet already was.

Percy spent the Monday in a visit to the Earl of Northumberland at Syon;
Christopher Wright and Thomas Winter in buying article