ond sight; and
'twas he who went to help her swing the thick-slabbed oak.

What passed between them I did not hear, nor want to hear. But when the
door was swung to and locked again I knew we were not free to go
abroad.

Richard came back to me in the inner vault bearing gifts; the better
part of a boiled ham with bread to match, a jug of water from the well,
and more candles.

"We are not to starve, but that is our best news, thus far," he said.
"Of all the houses on our side of the river, Lord Cornwallis must needs
pitch upon this manor of Appleby for his rallying headquarters. Madge
can not guess when he and the army will be gone, and she is frighted
stiff for our sakes."

This was sober news, indeed, but we could do naught but make the best of
it. As for me, I was most anxious to know if the good priest were at
Appleby, and what of my chance for seeing him; but of this I could say
no word to Richard.

So, when we had done full justice to my lady's bounty, we stowed the
horses in the deepest of the vaults and stripped more of the bottle
coverings for them. But having only the jug of water, we could do no
more than swab their mouths out with a wetted kerchief in lieu of giving
them a drink.

When all was done we sat ourselves down to wait as we must; and when the
silence and solitude had wrought their perfect work, we fell to talking
in low tones to match the place and circumstance; and I do think in
those quiet hours, walled in as we were from all the disturbments of the
outer world, we came closer than we had come for many months.

And while we sat and talked the long day wore on to evening and a storm
came on, as we could determine, though no otherwise than by the muffled
rolling of the thunder which, since we could not see the lightning nor
hear the rain, we took at first for the booming of distant cannon.

I can not tell you all we spoke of in that day-long immurement. There
was some talk of the great struggle for independence, now, though we
knew it not, drawing near to its close; and there was much of
reminiscence, harking back to the exciting and tragic scenes in which we
two had had our entrances and our exits. Also, there was a tribute paid
to the memory of our true old friend and trusted comrade in arms,
Ephraim Yeates, so lately gone to his own place. 'Twas at this time I
learned what of the old man's gifts and peculiarities I have
hereinbefore set down; for Richard had known him long and well.