eet in uncontrollable
excitement. What was happening? Again the door opened, and the men made
room as Mistress Margaret came out, and the door shut.

She came swiftly across, with her little air of dignity and confidence,
towards Anthony, who was standing forward.

"Why, Master Anthony," she said, "dear lad; I did not know they had kept
you," and she took his hand.

"What is it, what is it?" he whispered sharply.

"Hush," she said; and the two stood together in silence.

The moments passed; Anthony could hear the quick thumping beat of his own
heart, and the breathing of Mistress Margaret; but the hall was perfectly
quiet, where the magistrate with the prisoner and his men stood in an
irregular dark group with the candle behind them; and no sound came from
the room beyond.

Then the handle turned, and a crack of light showed; but no further
sound; then the door opened wide, a flood of light poured out and Sir
Nicholas tottered into the hall.

"Margaret, Margaret," he cried. "Where are you? Go to her."

There was a strange moaning sound from the brightly lighted room. The old
lady dropped Anthony's hand and moved swiftly and unfalteringly across,
and once more the door closed behind her.

There was a sharp word of command from the magistrate, and the sentries
from every door left their posts, and joined the group which, with Sir
Nicholas and his guest and Mr. Boyd in the centre, now passed out through
the garden door.

The magistrate paused as he saw Anthony standing there alone.

"I can trust you, young gentleman," he said, "not to give the alarm till
we are gone?"

Anthony nodded, and the magistrate passed briskly out on to the terrace,
shutting the door behind him; there was a rush of footsteps and a murmur
of voices and the hall was filled with the watching servants.

As the chorus of exclamations and inquiries broke out, Anthony ran
straight through the crowd to the garden door, and on to the terrace.
They had gone to the left, he supposed, but he hesitated a moment to
listen; then he heard the stamp of horses' feet and the jingle of
saddlery, and saw the glare of torches through the yew hedge; and he
turned quickly and ran along the terrace, past the flood of light that
poured out from the supper room, and down the path that led to the
side-door opposite the Rectory. It was very dark, and he stumbled once or
twice; then he came to the two or three stairs that led down to the door
in the wall, and tu