too great a coward to be trusted in the fight; so I gave
him a safe task, and yet in that he failed me-failed me because he had
betrayed and sold me."

"He had not. I tell you he had not," she insisted. "I swear it."

He stared at her. "There was no one else for it," he made answer, and
bade her harshly stand aside.

Diana, huddled together, watched and waited in horror for the end of
these consequences of her work.

Blake made a sudden movement to win past Ruth. Richard staggered to his
feet intent on defending himself; but he was swordless; retreat to the
door suggested itself, and he had half turned to attempt to gain it,
when Ruth's next words arrested him, petrified him.

"There was some one else for it, Sir Rowland," she cried. "It was not
Richard who betrayed you. It... it was I."

"You?" The fierceness seemed all to drop away from him, whelmed in the
immensity of his astonishment. "You?" Then he laughed loud in scornful
disbelief. "You think to save him," he said.

"Should I lie?" she asked him, calm and brave.

He stared at her stupidly; he passed a hand across his brow, and looked
at Diana. "Oh, it is impossible!" he said at last.

"You shall hear," she answered, and told him how at the last moment she
had learnt not only that her husband was in Bridgwater, but that he was
to sup at Newlington's with the Duke's party.

"I had no thought of betraying you or of saving the Duke," she said.
"I knew how justifiable was what you intended. But I could not let Mr.
Wilding go to his death. I sought to detain him, warning him only when
I thought it would be too late for him to warn others. But you delayed
overlong, and..."

A hoarse inarticulate cry from him came to interrupt her at that point.
One glimpse of his face she had and of the hand half raised with sword
pointing towards her, and she closed her eyes, thinking that her sands
were run. And, indeed, Blake's intention was just then to kill her. That
he should owe his betrayal to her was in itself cause enough to
enrage him, but that her motive should have been her desire to save
Wilding--Wilding of all men!--that was the last straw.

Had he been forewarned that Wilding was to be one of Monmouth's party at
Mr. Newlington's, his pulses would have throbbed with joy, and he would
have flung himself into his murderous task with twice the zest he had
carried to it. And now he learnt that not only had she thwarted his
schemes against Monmouth, but had depr