great severity the laws of repression, and the banishment of the
Jesuits. Many of the latter had sought refuge in the houses of the
more zealous Papists, and among them Henry Garnet, Superior of the
Order of Jesus in England, an accomplished scholar, and a man of mild
demeanor, though an uncompromising adherent to his faith. 'Twas to
Garnet, that Catesby, troubled in spirit and, perhaps, uncertain of
the undertaking which lay before him, had resolved to turn, that the
advice of the wily Jesuit might strengthen his purpose, or check for a
time, his zeal in the desperate venture which at present filled his
mind.

Some two hours after leaving his companions, Catesby, mounted upon a
powerful chestnut mare and wrapped closely about with a fur lined
cloak, cantered slowly through the streets of London which led to the
outskirts of the city facing the northwest. The storm of the previous
night had ceased, and the country side lay wrapped in a mantle of
white, broken here and there by the gray wall of some silent
habitation from whose chimneys the first blue smoke was rising in
circling clouds through the crisp morning air.

Having reached the open country, the rider set his horse into a
gallop, for his destination lay many leagues away, and it was his
purpose to reach it ere nightfall. Hendlip House stood near the middle
of a spacious park thickly studded with trees; the structure itself
was surrounded by shrubbery, and contained within its walls many
secret hiding places, trap doors and double wainscotings. It had been
constructed by one Thomas Abington, a devoted recusant of the reign of
Queen Elizabeth, and the dwelling was a famous resort for those whose
desire it was to conceal themselves from the authorities. 'Twas there,
the Superior of the Jesuits, together with a clerk of that Order,
Oldcorne by name, and Owen, a servant, had been taken by certain of
the Catholic gentry, among whom were Lord Rookwood and Sir Everard
Digsby.

That precaution had been observed to guard against surprise was shown
by the presence of a watchman, who, on the arrival of Catesby outside
the manor grounds, stepped from his lodge that he might hold converse
with the new comer, and if an officer, or one attached to the
Parliament, might give warning to those within the house.

Upon perceiving, however, that it was Sir Robert Catesby who came thus
unexpectedly to Hendlip, the man doffed his cap, returning a civil
greeting to the rider's rema