s, when she was walking in the Park
at Richmond with only her women and Sir Christopher Hatton, who is
better at dancing than at fighting. Not a sign did she give, but she
kept him in check with her royal eye, so that he durst not so much as
draw his pistol from his cloak; but she owned afterwards to my Lady
Norris that she could have kissed you when you came between, and all
the more, when you caught her meaning and followed her bidding
silently. You will hear of it again, Humps."

"However that may be, it is a noble thing to have seen such courage in
a woman and a queen. But how could they let it go so near? I could
shudder now to think of the risk to her person!"

"There goes more to policy than you yet wot of," said Will, in his
patronising tone. "In truth, Barnwell had started off unknown to his
comrades, hoping to have the glory of the achievement all to himself by
forestalling them, or else Mr. Secretary would have been warned in time
to secure the Queen."

"But wherefore leave these traitors at large to work mischief?"

"See you not, you simple Humfrey, that, as I said methinks some time
since, it is well sometimes to give a rogue rope enough and he will
hang himself? Close the trap too soon, and you miss the biggest rat of
all. So we waited until the prey seemed shy and about to escape.
Babington had, it seems, suspected Maude or Langston, or whatever you
call him, and had ridden out of town, hiding in St. John's Wood with
some of his fellows, till they were starved out, and trying to creep
into some outbuildings at Harrow, were there taken, and brought into
London the morning we came away. Ballard, the blackest villain of all,
is likewise in ward, and here we are to complete our evidence."

"Nay, throughout all you have said, I have heard nothing to explain
this morning's work."

Will laughed outright. "And so you think all this would have been done
without a word from their liege lady, the princess they all wanted to
deliver from captivity! No, no, sir! 'Twas thus. There's an honest
man at Burton, a brewer, who sends beer week by week for this house,
and very good ale it is, as I can testify. I wish I had a tankard of
it here to qualify these mulberries. This same brewer is instructed by
Gifford, whose uncle lives in these parts, to fit a false bottom to one
of his barrels, wherein is a box fitted for the receipt of letters and
parcels. Then by some means, through Langston I believe, Babi