l did not keep his promise. To Barter's surprise, there
were no soldiers at the tryst on Salisbury Plain on the following
Tuesday; and he was suffered to lead Dunne and the two men with him the
short, corpulent Mr. Hicks and the long, lean Nelthorp--to Moyle's Court
without interference.

The rich reward that Dunne had promised him amounted in actual fact
to five shillings, that he had from Nelthorpe at parting. Puzzled by
Colonel Penruddock's failure to do his part, Barter went off at once
to the colonel's house to inform him that the pair were now at Lady
Lisle's.

"Why, that is very well," said the colonel, his smile more sinister than
ever. "Trouble not yourself about that."

And Barter, the unreasoning instrument of Fate, was not to know that
the apprehending of a couple of traitorous Jack Presbyters was of small
account to Colonel Penruddock by comparison with the satisfaction of the
blood-feud between himself and the House of Lisle.

Meanwhile the fugitives were being entertained at Moyle's Court, and
whilst they sat at supper in a room above-stairs, Dunne being still of
the party, my lady came in person to see that they had all that they
required, and stayed a little while in talk with them. There was some
mention of Monmouth and the battle of Sedgemoor, which was natural, that
being the topic of the hour.

My lady asked no questions at the time regarding Hicks's long, lean
companion. But it occurred to her later that perhaps she should know
more about him. Early next morning, therefore, she sent for Hicks as he
was in the act of sitting down to breakfast, and by her direct questions
elicited from him that this companion was that Richard Nelthorp outlawed
for his share in the Rye House Plot. Not only was the information
alarming, but it gave her a sense that she had not been dealt with
fairly, as indeed she told him.

"You will see, sir," she concluded, "that you cannot bide here. So long
as I thought it was on the score of Nonconformity alone that you were
suffering persecution, I was willing to take some risk in hiding you.
But since your friend is what he is, the risk is greater than I should
be asked to face, for my own sake and for that of my daughters. Nor
can I say that I have ever held plottings and civil war in anything but
abhorrence--as much in the old days as now. I am a loyal woman, and as
a loyal woman I must bid you take your friend hence as soon as your fast
is broken."

The corpulent an