re's somewhat come over Mistress Gertrude," said Tabitha, as she
re-entered her own house. "Never saw her so meek-spoken in all my life.
She's not one to be cowed by peril, neither. Friswith, where on earth
hast set that big poker? Hast forgot that I keep it handy for Father
Bastian and the catchpoll, whichever of 'em lacks it first? Good lack,
but I cannot away with that going astray! Fetch it hither this minute.
Up in the chamber! Bless me, what could the maid be thinking on?
There, set it down in the chimney-corner to keep warm; it'll not take so
long to heat then. Well! I trust they'll win away all safe; but I'd as
lief not be in their shoon."

A faint sound came from the outside. Jack had spied his friends, and
was expressing his supreme delight at having succeeded in once more
piecing together the scattered fragments of his treasure.

CHAPTER THIRTY.

PUZZLED.

Old Margery Danby, the housekeeper at Primrose Croft, was more
thoroughly trustworthy than Mr Roberts had supposed, not only in will--
for which he gave her full credit--but in capacity, which he had
doubted. Born in the first year of Henry the Seventh, Margery had heard
stirring tales in her childhood from parents who had lived through the
Wars of the Roses, and she too well remembered Kett's rebellion and the
enclosure riots in King Edward's days, not to know that "speech is
silvern, but silence is golden." The quiet, observant old woman knew
perfectly well that something was "in the wind." It was not her
master's wont to look back, and say, "Farewell, Margery!" before he
mounted his horse on a Tuesday morning for his weekly visit to the
cloth-works; and it was still less usual for Gertrude to remark,
"Good-morrow, good Margery!" before she went out for a walk with Jack.
Mistress Grena, too, had called her into her own room the night before,
and told her she had thought for some time of making her a little
present, as a recognition of her long care and fidelity, and had given
her two royals--the older name for half-sovereigns. Margery silently
"put two and two together," and the result was to convince her that
something was about to happen. Nor did she suffer from any serious
doubts as to what it was. She superintended the preparation of supper
on that eventful day with a settled conviction that nobody would be at
home to eat it; and when the hours passed away, and nobody returned, the
excitement of Cicely the chamber-maid, and Dick