to swim away before Esmond's eyes as
he read the paper; all that was written on it was:--"Beatrix Esmond is sent
away to prison, to Castlewood, where she will pray for happier days."

"Can you guess where he is?" says Castlewood.

"Yes," says Colonel Esmond. He knew full well, Frank knew full well: our
instinct told whither that traitor had fled.

He had courage to turn to the company and say, "Gentlemen, I fear very
much that Mr. George will not be here to-day; something hath
happened--and--and--I very much fear some accident may befall him, which must
keep him out of the way. Having had your noon's draught, you had best pay
the reckoning and go home; there can be no game where there is no one to
play it."

Some of the gentlemen went away without a word, others called to pay their
duty to her Majesty and ask for her health. The little army disappeared
into the darkness out of which it had been called; there had been no
writings, no paper to implicate any man. Some few officers and members of
Parliament had been invited overnight to breakfast at the "King's Arms",
at Kensington; and they had called for their bill and gone home.

Chapter XIII. August 1st, 1714

"Does my mistress know of this?" Esmond asked of Frank, as they walked
along.

"My mother found the letter in the book, on the toilet-table. She had writ
it ere she had left home," Frank said. "Mother met her on the stairs, with
her hand upon the door, trying to enter, and never left her after that
till she went away. He did not think of looking at it there, nor had
Martin the chance of telling him. I believe the poor devil meant no harm,
though I half killed him; he thought 'twas to Beatrix's brother he was
bringing the letter."

Frank never said a word of reproach to me, for having brought the villain
amongst us. As we knocked at the door I said; "When will the horses be
ready?" Frank pointed with his cane, they were turning the street that
moment.

We went up and bade adieu to our mistress; she was in a dreadful state of
agitation by this time, and that bishop was with her whose company she was
so fond of.

"Did you tell him, my lord," says Esmond, "that Beatrix was at
Castlewood?" The bishop blushed and stammered:

"Well," says he, "I----"

"You served the villain right," broke out Mr. Esmond, "and he has lost a
crown by what you told him."

My mistress turned quite white. "Henry, Henry," says she, "do not kill
him."

"It may not be t