ear.

So soon as we were within the closet, the page, having again shut the
door carefully behind me came forward to where I stood.

"Sit down, Mr. Mallock," said he, in a low voice, but very kindly.

I could see that his face was very pale and that he seemed greatly
agitated. When I was seated, he sat himself down at his table a little
way off.

"This is a terrible affair," he said, "and I do not know--"

"For God's sake," I whispered suddenly, "tell me what I am charged
with."

He looked up at me sharply.

"You do not know, Mr. Mallock?"

"Before God," I said, "I have no more idea what the pother is about
than--"

"Well, shortly," he said, "it is treason."

"Treason! Why--"

He leaned forward and took up a pen, to play with as be talked.

"I will tell you the whole thing from the beginning," he said. "You
must have patience. An hour ago a clerk came to me here from the Board
of the Green Cloth to tell me that the magistrates desired my presence
there immediately on a matter of the highest importance. I went there
directly and found three or four of them there, with Sir George Jeffreys
whom they had sent for, it seemed, as they did not know what course to
pursue, and had thought perhaps that I might throw some light upon it.
They were very grave indeed, and presently mentioned your name, saying
that a charge had been laid against you before one of the Westminster
magistrates, of having been privy to the Ryehouse Plot."

"Why--" cried I, with sudden relief.

He held up his hand.

"Wait," he said, "I too laughed when I heard that; and gave them to
understand on what side you had been throughout that matter, and how you
had been in His Majesty's service and that I myself was privy to every
detail of the affair. They looked more easy at that; and I thought that
all was over. But they asked me to look at papers they had of yours--"

"Papers! Of mine!" I cried.

"Yes, Mr. Mallock. Papers of yours. I will tell you presently how they
came by them. Well; there were about a dozen, I suppose, altogether; and
some of them I knew all about, and said so. These were notes and reports
that you had shewed to me: and there were three or four more which,
though I had not seen them I could answer for. But there was one, Mr.
Mallock, that I could not understand at all."

He paused and looked at me; and I could see that he was uneasy.

Now it may appear incredible; but even then I could not think of what
paper he me