"Canyou,then,explainhowitcomesthatthatwrapperhasbeensuppressed？Canyoutellushow—thematterbeingasyoustateit—inveryself—defenceagainstthedangersofkeepingsuchaletter,yourbrotherdidnotalsokeepthatwrapper？"
　　Hereyesfellawayfromhisface,theyturnedtoAlbemarle,whosatscowlingagain,andfromhimtheyflickeredunsteadilytoPhelipsandLuttrell,andlastly,toRichard,who,verywhiteandwithsetteeth,stoodlisteningtotheworkingofhisruin。
　　"I……Idonotknow,"shefalteredatlast。
　　"Ah！"saidTrenchard,drawingadeepbreath。HeturnedtotheBench。
　　"NeedIsuggestwhatwastheneed—theurgentneed—forsuppressingthatwrapper？"quothhe。"NeedIsaywhatnamewasinscribeduponit？
　　Ithinknot。YourGrace'skeeninsight,andyours,gentlemen,willdeterminewhatwasprobable。"
　　SirRowlandnowstoodforward,addressingAlbemarle。"WillYourGracepermitmetooffermyexplanationofthis？"
　　Albemarlebangedthetable。Hispatiencewasatanend,sincehecamenowtobelieve—asTrenchardhadearliersuggested—thathehadbeenplayeduponbyRuth。
　　"ToomanyexplanationshaveIheardalready,sir,"heanswered。Heturnedtooneofhissecretaries。Inhissuddenaccessofcholerheforgothiscolleaguesaltogether。"Theprisonersarecommittedfortrial,"saidheharshly,andTrenchardbreathedfreelyatlast。Butthenextinstanthecaughthisbreathagain,foraringingvoicewasheardwithoutdemandingtoseeHisGraceofAlbemarleatonce,andthevoicewasthevoiceofAnthonyWilding。
　　CHAPTERXI
　　THEMARPLOT
　　Mr。Wilding'sappearanceproducedasmanydifferentemotionsastherewereindividualspresent。HemadethecompanyasweepingbowonhisadmissionbyAlbemarle'sorders,abowwhichwasreturnedbyastarefromoneandall。Dianaeyedhiminamazement,Ruthinhope;Richardavertedhisglancefromthatofhisbrother—in—law,whilstSirRowlandmetitwithascowlofenmity—theyhadnotcomefacetofacesincetheoccasionofthatencounterinwhichSirRowland'sself—lovehadbeensorudelyhandled。Albemarle'sfaceexpressedasortofsatisfaction,whichwasreflectedonthecountenancesofPhelipsandLuttrell;whilstTrenchardneverthoughtofattemptingtodissemblehisprofounddismay。Andthisdismaywasshared,thoughnotinsodeepameasure,byWildinghimself。Trenchard'spresencegavehimpause;
　　forhehadbeenfar,indeed,fromdreamingthathisfriendhadahandinthisaffair。AtsightofhimallwasmadecleartoMr。Wilding。
　　AtoncehesawtherolewhichTrenchardhadassumedonthisoccasion,sawtothebottomofthemotivesthathadinspiredhimtotakethebullbythehornsandlevelagainstRichardandBlakethisaccusationbeforetheyhadleisuretolevelitagainsthimself。
　　HisquickwitshavingfathomedTrenchard'smotive,Mr。Wildingwasdeeplytouchedbythisproofoffriendship,andforasecond,asdeeplynonplussed,atlossnowhowtodischargethetaskonwhichhecame。
　　"Youareverychoicelycome,Mr。Wilding,"saidAlbemarle。"Youwillbeabletoresolvemecertaindoubtswhichhavebeensetonfootbythesetraitors。"
　　"That,"saidMr。Wilding,"isthepurposeforwhichIamhere。Newsreachedmeofthearrestthathadbeenmade。MayIbegthatYourGracewillplacemeinpossessionofthefactsthathavesofartranspired。"
　　Itwasoneofhissecretarieswho,atAlbemarle'sbidding,gaveWildingtheinformationthathecraved。Helistenedgravely;then,beforeAlbemarlehadtimetoquestionhimonthescoreofthenamethatmighthavebeenupontheenfoldingwrapperoftheletter,hebeggedthathemightconferapartamomentwithMr。Trenchard。
　　"ButMr。Wilding,"saidColonelLuttrell,surprisednottoheartheimmediatedenialoftheimputationtheyhadexpected,"weshouldfirstliketohear……"
　　"Byyourleave,sirs,"Wildinginterrupted,"IshouldpreferthatyouaskmenothinguntilIhaveconsultedwithMr。Trenchard。"HesawLuttrell'sfrown,observedSirEdwardshifthiswigtoscratchhisheadinsheerperplexity,andcaughtthefore—shadowingofdenialontheDuke'sface。So,withoutgivinganyofthemtimetosayhimnay,headdedquicklyandveryseriously,"Iambeggingthisintheinterestsofjustice。YourGracehastoldmethatsomelingeringdoubtstillhauntsyourminduponthesubjectofthisletter—theotherchargescanmatterlittle,apartfromthattreasonabledocument。Itlieswithinmypowertoresolvesuchdoubtsmostclearlyandfinally。ButIwarnyou,sirs,thatnotonewordwillIutterinthisconnectionuntilIhavehadspeechwithMr。Trenchard。"
　　TherewasabouthismienandvoiceafirmnessthatforewarnedAlbemarlethattoinsistwouldbeworsethanidle。Aslightpausefollowedhiswords,andLuttrellleanedacrosstowhisperinHisGrace'sear;fromtheDuke'sothersideSirEdwardbenthisheadforwardtillitalmosttouchedthoseofhiscompanions。Blakewatched,andwasmostfoolishlyimpatient。
　　"YourGracewillneverallowthis！"hecried。
　　"Eh？"saidAlbemarle,scowlingathim。
　　"Ifyouallowthosetwovillainstoconsorttogetherweareallundone,"
　　thebaronetprotested,andruinedwhatchancetherewasofAlbemarle'snotconsenting。
　　ItwastheonethingneededtodetermineAlbemarIe。Likethestubbornmanhewas,therewasnaughthedetestedsomuchastohavehiscoursedictatedtohim。Morethanthat,inSirRowland'sanxietythatWildingandTrenchardshouldnotbeallowedtoconferapart,hesmokedafearonSirRowland'spart,baseduponthebaronet'sconsciousnessofhisownguilt。Heturnedfromhimwithasneeringsmile,andwithoutsomuchasconsultinghisassociatesheglancedatWildingandwavedhishandtowardsthedoor。
　　"Praydoasyousuggest,Mr。Wilding,"saidhe。"ButIdependuponyounottotaxourpatience。"
　　"IshallnotkeepMr。Trenchardamomentlongerthanisnecessary,"
　　saidWilding,givingnohintofthesecondmeaninginhiswords。
　　Hesteppedtothedoor,openedithimself,andsignedtoTrenchardtopassout。Theoldplayerobeyedhimreadily,ifinsilence。Anusherclosedthedoorafterthem,andinsilencetheywalkedtogethertotheendofthepassage。
　　"Whereisyourhorse,Nick？"quothWildingabruptly。
　　"Whataplaguedoyoumean,whereismyhorse？"flashedTrenchard。
　　"Whatmidsummerfrenzyisthis？Damnyouforamarplot,Anthony！
　　Whatapoxareyouthinkingoftothrustyourselfinhereatsuchatime？"
　　"Ihadnoknowledgeyouwereintheaffair,"saidWilding。"Youshouldhavetoldme。"Hismannerwasbrisktothepointofdryness。
　　"However,thereisstilltimetogetyououtofit。Whereisyourhorse？"
　　"Damnmyhorse！"answeredTrenchardinapassion。"Youhavespoiledeverything！"
　　"Onthecontrary,"saidMr。Wildingtartly,"itseemsyouhaddonethatverythoroughlybeforeIarrived。WhilstIamtouchedbytheregardformewhichhasmisledyouintoturningthetablesonBlakeandWestmacott,yetIdoblameyouforthisbetrayaloftheCause。"
　　"Therewasnohelpforit。"
　　"Why,no;andthatiswhyyoushouldhaveleftmatterswheretheystood。"
　　Trenchardstampedhisfoot;indeed,healmostdancedintheexcessofhisvexation。"Leftthemwheretheystood！"heechoed。"Bodyo'me！
　　Whereareyourwits？Leftthemwheretheystood！AndatanymomentyoumighthavebeentakenunawaresasaconsequenceofthisaccusationbeinglodgedagainstyoubyRichardorbyBlake。ThentheCausewouldhavebeenbetrayed,indeed。"
　　"Notmoresothanitisnow。
　　"Notless,atleast,"snappedtheplayer。"Yougivemecreditfornomorewitthanyourself。DoyouthinkthatIamthemantodothingsbyhalves？IhavebetrayedtheplottoAlbemarle;butdoyouimagineIhavemadenoprovisionforwhatmustfollow？"
　　"Provision？"echoedWilding,staring。
　　"Aye,provision。Godlack！WhatdoyousupposeAlbemarlewilldo？"
　　"DispatchamessengertoWhitehallwiththeletterwithinanhour。"
　　"Youperceiveit,doyou？AndwheretheplaguedoyouthinkNickTrenchard'l1bewhattimethatmessengerrides？"
　　Mr。Wildingunderstood。"Aye,youmaystare,"sneeredTrenchard。
　　"Aletterthathasoncebeenstolenmaybestolenagain。ThecouriermustgobywayofWalford。Ihadinmymindarrangedthespot,closebytheford,whereIshouldfalluponhim,robhimofhisdispatches,andtakehim—boundhandandfootifnecessary—toVallancey's,wholivescloseby;andthereI'dleavehimuntilwordcamethattheDukehadlanded。"
　　"ThattheDukehadlanded？"criedWilding。"Youtalkasthoughthethingwereimminent。"
　　"Andimminentitis。ForaughtweknowhemaybeinEnglandalready。"
　　Mr。Wildinglaughedimpatiently。"Youmustforeverbebuildingonthesecrack—brainedrumours,Nick,"saidhe。
　　"Rumours！"roaredtheother。"Rumours？Ha！"Hecheckedhiswildscorn,andproceededinadifferentkey。"Iwasforgetting。YoudonotknowtheContentsofthatstolenletter。"
　　Wildingstarted。Underlyinghisdisbeliefinthetalkofthecountryside,andeveninthemilitarymeasureswhichbytheKing'sorderswerebeingtakenintheWest,wasanuneasydreadlesttheyshouldprovetobewellfounded,lestArgyle'soperationsinScotlandshouldbebuttheforerunnerofarashandprematureinvasionbyMonmouth。HeknewtheDukewassurroundedbysuchreckless,foolhardycounsellorsasGreyandFerguson—andyethecouldnotthinktheDukewouldruinallbycomingbeforehehaddefinitewordthathisfriendswereready。HelookedatTrenchardnowwithanxiouseyes。
　　"Haveyouseentheletter,Nick？"heasked,andalmostdreadedthereply。
　　"Albemarleshoweditmeanhourago,"saidTrenchard。
　　"Anditcontains？"
　　"Thenewswefear。ItisintheDuke'sownhand,andintimatesthathewillfollowitinafewdays—inafewdays,maninperson。"
　　Mr。Wildingclenchedteethandhands。"Godhelpusall,then！"hemutteredgrimly。
　　"Meanwhile,"quothTrenchard,bringinghimbacktothepoint,"thereisthispreciousbusinesshere。Ihadaschoiceaplanascouldhavebeendevised,anditmusthavesucceeded,hadyounotcomeblunderingintoittomaritallatthelastmoment。ThatfatfoolAlbemarlehadswallowedmyimpeachmentlikeadraughtofmuscadine。Doyouhearme？"
　　heendedsharply,forMr。Wildingstoodbemused,histhoughtsplainlywandering。
　　HelethishandfalluponTrenchard'sshoulder。"No,"saidhe,"I
　　wasn'tlistening。Nomatter;forevenhadIknownthefullextentofyourschemeIstillmusthaveinterfered。"
　　"ForthesakeofMistressWestmacott'sblueeyes,nodoubt,"sneeredTrenchard。"Pah！Whereverthere'sawomanthere'sthelossofaman。"
　　"ForthesakeofMistressWilding'sblueeyes,"hisfriendcorrectedhim。"I'llallownobrotherofherstohanginmyplace。"
　　"Itwillbeinterestingtoseehowyouwillrescuehim。"
　　"BytellingthetruthtoAlbemarle。"
　　"He'llnotbelieveit。"
　　"Ishallproveit,"saidWildingquietly。Trenchardswungrounduponhiminmingledangerandalarmforhim。"Youshallnotdoit！"hesnarled。"ItisnothingshortoftreasontotheDuketogetyourselflaidbytheheelsatsuchatimeasthis。"
　　"Ihopetoavoidit,"answeredWildingconfidently。
　　"Avoidit？How？"
　　"Notbystayinglongerhereintalk。Thatwillruinall。Awaywithyou,Trenchard！"
　　"Bymysoul,no！"answeredTrenchard。"I'llnotleaveyou。IfIhavegotyouintothis,I'llhelptogetyououtagain,orstayinitwithyou。"
　　"BethinkyouofMonmouth？"Wildingadmonishedhim。
　　"DamnMonmouth！"wastheviciousanswer。"Iamhere,andhereIstay。"
　　"Gettohorse,youfool,andridetoWalfordasyouproposed,theretoambushthemessenger。TheletterwillgotoWhitehallnonethelessinspiteofwhatIshalltellAlbemarle。Ifthingsgowellwithme,IshalljoinyouatVallancey'sbeforelong。"
　　"Why,ifthatisyourintention,"saidTrenchard,"Ihadbetterstay,andwecanridetogether。Itwillmakeitlessuncertainforyou。"
　　"Butlesscertainforyou。"
　　"ThemorereasonwhyIshouldremain。"
　　Thedoorofthehallwassuddenlyflungopenatthefarendofthecorridor,andAlbemarle'sboomingvoice,impatientlyraised,reachedthemwheretheystood。
　　"Inanycase,"addedTrenchard,"itseemsthereisnohelpforitnow。"
　　Mr。Wildingshruggedhisshoulders,butotherwisedissembledhisvexation。Upthepassagefloatedtheconstable'svoicecallingthem。
　　Sidebysidetheymoveddown,andsidebysidetheysteppedoncemoreintothepresenceofChristopherMonkandhisassociates。
　　"Sirs,youhavenotbeeninhaste,"wastheDuke'sill—humouredgreeting。
　　"Wehavetarriedalittlethatwemightmakeanendthesooner,"
　　answeredTrencharddryly,andthiswasthefirstindicationhegaveMr。Wildingofhownaturally—liketheinimitableactorthathewas—
　　hehadslippedintohisnewrole。
　　Albemarlewavedthefrivolousrejoinderaside。"Come,Mr。Wilding,"saidhe,"letushearwhatyoumayhavetosay。Youarenot,Itakeit,abouttourgeanyreasonswhytheseroguesshouldnotbecommitted？"
　　"Indeed,YourGrace,"saidWilding,"thatiswhatIamabouttourge。"
　　BlakeandRichardlookedathimsuddenly,andfromhimtoTrenchard;
　　butitwasonlyRuthwhoseeyeswereshrewdenoughtoobservethealtereddemeanourofthelatter。Herhopesrose,foundeduponthisoddlyassortedpair。AlreadyinanticipationshewasstirredbygratitudetowardsWilding,anditwasinimpatientandalmostwonderingawethatshewaitedforhimtoproceed。
　　"Itakeit,sir,"hesaid,withoutwaitingforAlbemarIetoexpressanyofthefreshastonishmenthiscountenancemanifested,"thattheaccusationagainstthesegentlemenrestsentirelyupontheletterwhichyouhavebeenledtobelievewasaddressedtoMr。Westmacott。"
　　TheDukescowledamomentbeforereplying。"Why,"saidhe,"ifitcouldbeshown—irrefutablyshown—thattheletterwasnotaddressedtoeitherofthem,thatwouldnodoubtestablishthetruthofwhattheysay—thattheypossessedthemselvesoftheletterintheinterestsofHisMajesty。"HeturnedtoLuttrellandPhelips,andtheynoddedtheirconcurrencewithhisviewofthematter。"But,"hecontinued,"ifyouareproposingtoproveanysuchthing,Ithinkyouwillfinditdifficult。"
　　Mr。Wildingdrewacrumpledpaperfromhispocket。"Whenthecourierwhomtheyrobbed,astheyhavecorrectlyinformedyou,"saidhequietly,"suspectedtheirdesignuponthecontentsofhiswallet,hebethoughthimofremovingthewrapperfromtheletter,sothatincasetheletterwereseizedbythemitshouldprovenothingagainstanymaninparticular。Hestuffedthewrapperintotheliningofhishat,preservingitasaproofofhisgoodfaithagainstthetimewhenheshouldbringthelettertoitsdestination,orcometoconfessthatithadbeentakenfromhim。Thatwrapperthecourierbroughttome,andIhaveithere。Theevidenceitwillgiveshouldbemorethansufficienttowarrantyourrestoringtheseunjustlyaccusedgentlementheirliberty。"
　　"Thecouriertookittoyou？"echoedAlbemarle,stupefactioninhisglance。"Butwhytoyou？"
　　"Because,"saidWilding,andwithhislefthandheplacedthewrapperbeforeAlbemarle,whilsthisrightdroppedagaintohispocket,"theletter,asyoumaysee,wasaddressedtome。
　　Thequietmannerinwhichhemadetheannouncementconveyedalmostasgreatashockastheannouncementitself。
　　Albemarletookupthewrapper;LuttrellandPhelipscranedforwardtojoinhiminhisscrutinyofit。Theycomparedthetwo,paperwithpaper,writingwithwriting。ThenMonkflungoneandtheotherdowninfrontofhim。
　　"WhatlieshaveIbeenhearing,then？"hedemandedfuriouslyofTrenchard。
　　"`SlifeI'llmakeanexampleofyou。Arrestmethatrogue—arrestthemboth,"andhehalfrosefromhisseat,histremblinghandpointingtoWildingandTrenchard。
　　Twoofthetything—menstirredtodohisbidding,butinthesameinstantAlbemarlefoundhimselflookingintotheroundnozzleofapistol。
　　"If,"saidMr。Wilding,"afingerislaiduponMr。TrenchardormeI
　　shallhavetheextrememortificationofbeingcompelledtoshootYourGrace。"
　　HispleasantlymodulatedvoicewasasdeliberateandcalmasifhewereofferingtheBenchapinchofsnuff。Albemarle'sdarkvisagecrimsoned;
　　hiseyesbecameatoncewickedandafraid。SirEdward'scheeksturnedpale,hisglancegrewstartled。Luttrellalone,vigilantanddangerous,preservedhiscalm。Butthesituationbaffledevenhim。
　　Behindthetwofriendsthetything—menhadcometoaterror—strickenhalt。DianahadrisenfromherchairintheexcitementofthemomentandhaddrawnclosetoRuth,wholookedonwithpartedlipsandbosomthatroseandfell。EvenBlakecouldnotstiflehisadmirationofMr。Wilding'scoolnessandaddress。Richard,ontheotherhand,wasconcernedonlywiththoughtsforhimself,wonderinghowitwouldfarewithhimifWildingandTrenchardsucceededingettingaway。
　　"Nick,"saidMr。Wilding,"willyoudesirethosecatchpollsbehindustostandaside？IfYourGraceraisesyourvoicetocallforhelp,if,indeed,anymeasuresaretakencalculatedtoleadtoourcapture,IcanpromiseYourGrace—notwithstandingmyprofoundreluctancetouseviolence—thattheywillbethelastmeasuresyouwilltakeinlife。Begoodenoughtoopenthedoor,Nick,andtoseethatthekeyisontheoutside。"
　　Trenchard,whowasbywayofenjoyinghimselfnow,steppedbrisklydownthehalltodoashisfriendbadehim,withawaryeyeonthetything—men。Butneversomuchasafingerdidtheydaretolift。Mr。
　　Wilding'scalmwastoodeadly;theyhadseenamaninearnestbeforethis,andtheyknewhisappearancenow。FromthedoorwayTrenchardcalledMr。Wilding。
　　"Imustbegoing,YourGrace,"saidthelatterverycourteously,"butIshallnotbesowantingindeferencetoHisMajesty'saugustrepresentativesastoturnmybackuponyou。"Sayingwhich,hewalkedbackwards,holdinghispistollevel,untilhehadreachedTrenchardandthedoor。Therehepausedandmadethemadeepbow,hismannerthemoremockinginthattherewasnotingeofmockeryperceptible。"Yourveryobedientservant,"saidhe,andsteppedoutside。Trenchardturnedthekey,withdrewitfromthelock,and,standingontiptoe,thrustitupontheledgeofthelintel。
　　Instantlyaclamourarosewithinthechamber。Butthetwofriendsneverstayedtolisten。Downthepassagetheyspedatthedouble,andoutintothecourtyard。HereRuth'sgroom,mountedhimself,waswalkinghismistress'sandDiana'shorsesupanddownwhilsthewaited;yonderoneofSirEdward'sstable—boyswasholdingMr。Wilding'sroan。TwoorthreemenoftheSomersetmilitia,intheirredandyellowliveries,loungedbythegates,andturneduninterestedeyesuponthesenewcomers。
　　Wildingapproachedhiswife'sgroom。"Getdown,"hesaid,"Ineedyourhorse—ontheKing'sbusiness。Getdown,Isay,"headdedimpatiently,uponnotingthefellow'sstare,and,seizinghisleg,hehelpedhimtodismountbyalmostdragginghimfromthesaddle。"Upwithyou,Nick,"
　　saidhe,andNickverypromptlymounted。"Yourmistresswillbeherepresently,"Wildingtoldthegroom,and,turningonhisheel,strodetohisownmare。AmomentlaterTrenchardandhevanishedthroughthegatewaywithatremendousclatter,justastheLord—Lieutenant,ColonelLuttrell,SirEdwardPhelips,theconstable,thetything—men,SirRowland,Richard,andtheladiesmadetheirappearance。
　　Ruthpushedherwayquicklytothefront。Shefearedlestherhorseandhercousin'sbeingathandmightbeusedforthepursuit;sourgingDianatodothesame,shesnatchedherreinsfromthehandsofthedumbfoundedgroomandleaptnimblytothesaddle。
　　"Afterthem！"roaredAlbemarle,andtheconstablewithtwoofhismenmadeadashforthegatewaytoraisethehueandcry,whilstthemilitiamenwatchedtheminstupid,inactivewonder。"Damnation,mistress！"thunderedtheDukeinever—increasingpassion,"holdyournag！Holdyournag,woman！"ForRuth'shorsehadbecomeunmanageable,andwascaracolingabouttheyardbetweenthemenandthegatewayinsuchamannerthattheydarednotattempttowinpasther。
　　"Youhavescaredhimwithyourbellowing,"shepanted,tuggingatthebridle,andallbutbackedintotheconstablewhohadbeenendeavouringtogetroundbehindher。Thebeastcontinueditswildprancing,andtheDukeabatednothinginhisfuriousprofanity,untilsuddenlythegroom,havingrelinquishedtoDianathereinsoftheotherhorse,sprangtoRuth'sassistanceandcaughtherbridleinafirmgraspwhichbroughttheanimaltoastandstill。
　　"Youfool！"shehissedathim,andhalfraisedherwhiptostrike,butcheckedontheimpulse,bethinkingherintimethat,afterall,whatthepoorladhaddonehehaddonethinkingherdistressed。
　　Theconstableandacoupleofhisfellowswonthrough;otherswererousingthestableandgettingtohorse,andinthecourtyardallwasbustleandcommotion。Meanwhile,however,Mr。WildingandTrenchardhadmadethemostoftheirstart,andwerethunderingthroughthetown。
　　CHAPTERXII
　　ATTHEFORD
　　AsMr。WildingandNickTrenchardrodehell—to—leatherthroughTauntonstreetstheynevernoticedahorsemanatthedooroftheRedLionInn。
　　Butthehorsemannoticedthem。Helookedupatthesoundoftheirwildapproach,starteduponrecognizingthem,andturnedinhissaddleastheysweptpasthimtocalluponthemexcitedlytostop。
　　"Hi！"heshouted。"NickTrenchard！Hi！Wilding！"Then,seeingthattheyeitherdidnothearordidnotheedhim,heloosedavolleyofoaths,wheeledhishorseabout,drovehomethespurs,andstartedinpursuit。OutofthetownhefollowedthemandalongtheroadtowardsWalford,shoutingandclamouringatfirst,afterwardsinagrimandangrysilence。
　　Now,despitetheirnaturalanxietyfortheirownsafety,WildingandTrenchardhadbynomeansabandonedtheirprojectoftakingcoverbythefordtoawaitthemessengerwhomAlbemarleandtheotherswouldnodoubtbesendingtoWhitehall;andthismadfellowthunderingafterthemseemedinafairwaytomartheirplan。Astheyreluctantlypassedthespottheyhadmarkedoutfortheirambush,splashedthroughthefordandbreastedtherisinggroundbeyond,theytookcounsel。Theydeterminedtostandandmeetthisrashpursuer。
　　Trenchardcalmlyopinedthatifnecessarytheymustshoothim;hewas,Ifear,abloody—mindedfellowatbottom,although,itistruehejustifiedhimselfnowbypointingoutthatthiswasnotimetohesitateattrifles。Partlybecausetheytalkedandpartlybecausethegradientwassteepandtheirhorsesneededbreathing,theyslackenedrein,andthehorsemanbehindthemcametearingthroughthewaterofthefordandlessenedthedistanceconsiderablyinthenextfewminutes。
　　Hebethoughthimofusinghislungsoncemore。"Hi,Wilding！Hold,damnyou！"
　　"Hecursesyouinamostintimatemanner,"quothTrenchard。
　　Wildingreinedinandturnedinthesaddle。"Hisvoicehasafamiliarsound,"saidhe。Heshadedhiseyeswithhishand,andlookeddowntheslopeatthepursuer,whocameoncrouchinglowuponthewithersofhisgoadedbeast。
　　"Wait！"thefellowshouted。"Ihavenews—newsforyou！"
　　"It'sVallancey！"criedWildingsuddenly。
　　Trenchardtoohaddrawnreinandwaslookingbehindhim。Insteadofexpresingreliefatthediscoverythatthiswasnotanenemy,hesworeatthetroubletowhichtheyhadsoneedlesslyputthemselves,andhewasstillathisvituperationswhenVallanceycameupwiththem,redinthefaceandveryangry,cursingthemroundlyforthefollyoftheirmadcareer,andfornothavingstoppedwhenhebadethem。
　　"Itwasnodoubtdiscourteous,"saidMr。Wilding"butwetookyouforsomefriendoftheLord—Lieutenant's。"
　　"Aretheyafteryou？"quothVallancey,hisfaceofasuddenverystartled。
　　"Likeenough,"saidTrenchard,"iftheyhavefoundtheirhorsesyet。"
　　"Forward,then,"Vallanceyurgedtheminexcitement,andhepickeduphisreinsagain。"Youshallhearmynewsasweride。"
　　"Notso,"saidTrenchard。"Wehavebusinessheredownyonderattheford。"