ut her father's
willingness to give her liberty excited her suspicions. She knew he would
permit her to leave the Hall only that he might watch her, and, if
possible, entrap her and John. Therefore, she rode out only with Madge and
me, and sought no opportunity to see her lover. It may be that her
passiveness was partly due to the fact that she knew her next meeting with
John would mean farewell to Haddon Hall. She well knew she was void of
resistance when in John's hands. And his letter had told her frankly what
he would expect from her when next they should meet. She was eager to go
to him; but the old habit of love for home and its sweet associations and
her returning affection for her father, now that he was kind to her, were
strong cords entwining her tender heart, which she could not break
suddenly even for the sake of the greater joy.

One day Dorothy received from John a letter telling her he would on the
following morning start for the Scottish border with the purpose of
meeting the queen of Scotland. A plan had been formed among Mary's friends
in Scotland to rescue her from Lochleven Castle, where she was a prisoner,
and to bring her incognito to Rutland. John had been chosen to escort her
from the English border to his father's castle. From thence, when the
opportunity should arise, she was to escape to France, or make her peace
with Elizabeth. The adventure was full of peril both for her Scottish and
English friends. The Scottish regent Murray surely would hang all the
conspirators whom he might capture, and Elizabeth would probably inflict
summary punishment upon any of her subjects whom she could convict of
complicity in the plot.

In connection with this scheme to rescue Mary it was said there was also
another conspiracy. There appeared to be a plot within a plot which had
for its end the enthronement of Mary in Elizabeth's stead.

The Rutlands knew nothing of this subplot.

Elizabeth had once or twice expressed sympathy with her Scottish cousin.
She had said in John's presence that while she could not for reasons of
state _invite_ Mary to seek refuge in England, still if Mary would come
uninvited she would be welcomed. Therefore, John thought he was acting in
accord with the English queen's secret wish when he went to Rutland with
the purpose of being in readiness to meet Mary at the Scottish border.

There were two elements in Elizabeth's character on which John had not
counted. One was her royal pr