o be captured. The idea seems monstrous, and
yet, as you put it, I do not see why it might not succeed."

"I hardly think that it could fail," Desmond said quietly. "De
Tulle managed to carry off the Baron de Pointdexter's daughter
from the court of Versailles, and did so without any hitch or
difficulty. Surely three Irishmen could arrange an affair of this
sort as well as a French vicomte."

"If it is to be done," O'Sullivan said, "I think the second plan
is best. You might fail in making the chair men drunk, or at any
rate sufficiently drunk to allow them to be despoiled of their
clothes; whereas you could have no difficulty in silencing a
couple of chair men by a sudden attack--a sharp rap on the head
with these bludgeons ought to settle that affair."

"Quite so," Desmond agreed; "and while Mike and one of us were so
employed, the other two might throw open the doors of the chair,
and gag Godolphin before he was conscious of what was happening."

"It all seems simple enough, Kennedy, and, if it were a citizen,
one would think nothing of the undertaking. But it is nothing
short of high treason for us thus to make free with the person of
the chief minister of England."

"That is a matter that does not concern me at all, O'Neil. If we
were captured now, we should be executed for high treason with the
others; and if we carried off Anne herself, they could not do much
more to us.

"Now, it seems to me that if you are both agreed that we should
carry out the plan, the first thing to be done is to arrange for
horses; or, better still, for a light cart to carry the four of
us. I should think that Mike would, among his acquaintances, be
able to hear of a man with a couple of fast horses and such a cart
as we require, who would agree to drive us to the coast, arranging
a change of horses on the way. He could offer ten louis, which
would be a sum that a man of that kind would be well satisfied
with."

"I will see to that, your honour. I have no doubt that I can find
such a man without difficulty. When would you want him?"

"Tonight, certainly, with the arrangement that, if we do not come
to the appointed spot, we shall be there tomorrow night. Recollect
ten louis is all we can afford, but if he wants any more, he must
have it.

"Well, we will leave that to you."

Then he went on to the others:

"We had better go down to Saint James's. Mike can go out and buy
us three shock wigs, with which we can cover our hair