t and knee breeches of the
cavalier, with silk stockings.

"Good day, good people," he said, squeezing his fat little hands
together. "I hope you will excuse this visit, for I--I--heard that the
brother of my--of the pretty maid had come home, and hastened to
congratulate him."

Robert gazed for a moment on the contemptible little fellow, the chief
cause of his arrest and banishment and, turning to his mother, asked:

"Do you allow him to come here?"

"We must," she whispered.

"Why?"

"Hush, son; you don't understand it all. I will explain it to you
soon."

"You may; but I think I shall change matters, if he is to be a visitor."

"He is the governor's secretary."

"I care not if he be governor himself; he has no business here."

The little fellow, whose face had grown alternately white and purple,
stood squeezing his palms and ejaculating:

"Oh, dear me!--oh, dear!--this is very extraordinary--what can this
mean?"

"Why do you dare enter this house?" demanded Robert, fiercely.

"Oh, dear, I don't know--I am only a small fellow, you know."

At this moment Mrs. Price and her daughter interposed and begged Robert,
for the peace of the family, to make no further remonstrance. He was
informed that Giles Peram was the favorite of the governor and Hugh
Price, and to insult him would be insulting those high functionaries.

"Why is he here? Whom does he come to see?"

"Perhaps it is Mr. Price!" the mother stammered, casting a glance at
Peram, who quickly answered:

"Yes--yes, it is Mr. Price. Will you show me up to him? I have a very
important message from the governor."

He was trembling in every limb, for he expected to be hurled from the
house.

Robert went into the street in a sort of maze.

He felt a strange foreboding that all was not right, and that Giles
Peram had some deep scheme on foot.

"I will kill the knave, if the governor should hang me for it the next
moment," he said in a fit of anger.

It was not long before Robert was at the house of Mr. Lawrence, where he
met his friends Drummond and Cheeseman. The three were engaged in a
close consultation as if discussing a matter of vital importance. They
did not at first recognize Robert, who had grown to manhood; but as soon
as he made himself known, they welcomed him back among them, and
warm-hearted Cheeseman said:

"I know full well you can be relied upon in this great crisis."

"What is the crisis?" Robert asked.

"We seem on the v