theological treatises which he had been writing against the English
divines. "And now," said he, "Henry, my son, you may testify, with a
safe conscience, that you saw me burning Latin sermons the last time I
was here before I went away to London; and it will be daybreak directly,
and I must be away before Lockwood is stirring."

"Will not Lockwood let you out, sir?" Esmond asked. Holt laughed; he
was never more gay or good-humored than when in the midst of action or
danger.

"Lockwood knows nothing of my being here, mind you," he said; "nor would
you, you little wretch! had you slept better. You must forget that I
have been here; and now farewell. Close the door, and go to your own
room, and don't come out till--stay, why should you not know one secret
more? I know you will never betray me."

In the Chaplain's room were two windows; the one looking into the court
facing westwards to the fountain; the other, a small casement strongly
barred, and looking on to the green in front of the Hall. This window
was too high to reach from the ground; but, mounting on a buffet which
stood beneath it, Father Holt showed me how, by pressing on the base
of the window, the whole framework of lead, glass, and iron stanchions
descended into a cavity worked below, from which it could be drawn and
restored to its usual place from without; a broken pane being purposely
open to admit the hand which was to work upon the spring of the machine.

"When I am gone," Father Holt said, "you may push away the buffet, so
that no one may fancy that an exit has been made that way; lock the
door; place the key--where shall we put the key?--under 'Chrysostom' on
the book-shelf; and if any ask for it, say I keep it there, and told you
where to find it, if you had need to go to my room. The descent is easy
down the wall into the ditch; and so, once more farewell, until I see
thee again, my dear son." And with this the intrepid Father mounted
the buffet with great agility and briskness, stepped across the window,
lifting up the bars and framework again from the other side, and only
leaving room for Harry Esmond to stand on tiptoe and kiss his hand
before the casement closed, the bars fixing as firmly as ever,
seemingly, in the stone arch overhead. When Father Holt next arrived at
Castlewood, it was by the public gate on horseback; and he never so much
as alluded to the existence of the private issue to Harry, except when
he had need of a private messenge