s
the worst state of all. The Duke said nothing to me, either at the table
or before he went out with Mr. Bedingfeld--or Mr. Mumford as he was
usually called: he appeared to consider me too young to be of any
importance, and to tolerate me only because the King wished it. I handed
to Mr. Chiffinch the reports of what folks had said to me in taverns and
elsewhere: and went away.

The days went by; and nothing of any importance appeared further. I
still frequented the company of the Jesuit Fathers, and the taverns as
before; but no more was heard, until a few days before the end of
September. On that day I was passing through the Court of Whitehall to
see if there were anything for me at Mr. Chiffinch's--for the King was
at Windsor again--when I saw Father Whitbread and Father Ireland, coming
swiftly out from the way that led to the Duke's lodgings--for he stayed
here a good deal during these days. They were talking together, and did
not see me till I was close upon them. When I greeted them, they stopped
all of a sudden.

"The very man!" said Mr. Whitbread.

Then he asked me whether I would come with them to the lodgings of Mr.
Fenwick, for they had something to say to me; and I went with them very
willingly, for it appeared to me that perhaps they had heard of the
matter which I had found so hard to keep from them. We said nothing at
all on the way; and when we got within, Mr. Whitbread told Mr. Grove to
stand at the foot of the stairs that no one might come up without his
knowledge. They bolted the door also, when we were within the chamber.
Then we all sat down.

"Now, Mr. Mallock," said Father Whitbread, "we know all that you know;
and why you have been with us so much; and we thank you for your
trouble."

I said nothing; but I bowed to them a little. But I knew that I had been
of little service as yet.

"It is all out," said the priest, "or will be in a day or two. Mr. Oates
hath been to Sir Edmund Berry Godfrey, the Westminster magistrate, with
the whole of his pretended information--his forty-three heads to which
he hath added now thirty-eight more, and he will be had before the
Council to-morrow. Sir Edmund hath told Mr. Coleman his friend, and the
Duke's agent, all that hath been sworn to before him; Mr. Coleman hath
told the Duke and hath fled from town to-night; and the Duke has
prevailed with the King to have the whole affair before the Council. I
think that His Majesty's way with it would have been t