nd," he said, "but what can we do?
That very faithfulness would lead them to traverse our purposes did we
not shut them up closely out of reach of meddling, and there is no
other place where it can be done."

"And what are these same purposes?" asked Humfrey, as, having fulfilled
his commission, the two young men strolled out into the garden and
threw themselves on the grass, close to a large mulberry-tree, whose
luscious fruit dropped round, and hung within easy reach.

"To trace out all the coils of as villainous and bloodthirsty a plot as
ever was hatched in a traitor's brain," said Will; "but they little
knew that we overlooked their designs the whole time. Thou wast
mystified in London, honest Humfrey, I saw it plainly; but I might not
then speak out," he added, with all his official self-importance.

"And poor Tony hath brought himself within compass of the law?"

"Verily you may say so. But Tony Babington always was a fool, and a
wrong-headed fool, who was sure to ruin himself sooner or later. You
remember the decoy for the wild-fowl? Well, never was silly duck or
goose so ready to swim into the nets as was he!"

"He always loved this Queen, yea, and the old faith."

"He sucked in the poison with his mother's milk, you may say. Mrs.
Babington was naught but a concealed Papist, and, coming from her, it
cost nothing to this Queen to beguile him when he was a mere lad, and
make him do her errands, as you know full well. Then what must my Lord
Earl do but send him to that bitter Puritan at Cambridge, who turned
him all the more that way, out of very contradiction. My Lord thought
him cured of his Popish inclinations, and never guessed they had only
led him among those who taught him to dissemble."

"And that not over well," said Humfrey. "My father never trusted him."

"And would not give him your sister. Yea, but the counterfeit was good
enough for my Lord who sees nothing but what is before his nose, and
for my mother who sees nothing but what she _will_ see. Well, he had
fallen in with those who deem this same Mary our only lawful Queen, and
would fain set her on the throne to bring back fire and faggot by the
Spanish sword among us."

"I deemed him well-nigh demented with brooding over her troubles and
those of his church."

"Demented in verity. His folly was surpassing. He put his faith in a
recusant priest--one John Ballard--who goes ruffling about as Captain
Fortescue in velvet hose and