Holt himself was a prisoner, implicated in
Sir John Fenwick's conspiracy, and locked up at Hexton first, whence he
was transferred to the Tower; leaving the poor lord viscount, who was not
aware of the others being taken, in daily apprehension of his return, when
(as my Lord Castlewood declared, calling God to witness, and with tears in
his dying eyes) it had been his intention at once to give up his estate
and his title to their proper owner, and to retire to his own house at
Walcote with his family. "And would to God I had done it," the poor lord
said; "I would not be here now, wounded to death, a miserable, stricken
man!"

My lord waited day after day, and, as may be supposed, no messenger came;
but at a month's end Holt got means to convey to him a message out of the
Tower, which was to this effect: that he should consider all unsaid that
had been said, and that things were as they were.

"I had a sore temptation," said my poor lord. "Since I had come into this
cursed title of Castlewood, which hath never prospered with me, I have
spent far more than the income of that estate and my paternal one, too. I
calculated all my means down to the last shilling, and found I never could
pay you back, my poor Harry, whose fortune I had had for twelve years. My
wife and children must have gone out of the house dishonoured, and
beggars. God knows, it hath been a miserable one for me and mine. Like a
coward, I clung to that respite which Holt gave me. I kept the truth from
Rachel and you. I tried to win money of Mohun, and only plunged deeper
into debt; I scarce dared look thee in the face when I saw thee. This
sword hath been hanging over my head these two years. I swear I felt happy
when Mohun's blade entered my side."

After lying ten months in the Tower, Holt, against whom nothing could be
found except that he was a Jesuit priest, known to be in King James's
interest, was put on shipboard by the incorrigible forgiveness of King
William, who promised him, however, a hanging if ever he should again set
foot on English shore. More than once, whilst he was in prison himself,
Esmond had thought where those papers could be, which the Jesuit had shown
to his patron, and which had such an interest for himself. They were not
found on Mr. Holt's person when that father was apprehended, for had such
been the case my lords of the council had seen them, and this family
history had long since been made public. However, Esmond cared not to