hat's up, can you tell us?"

The man addressed stopped. He had been up to the cordon, and had been
turned back by them.

"Why, there's a plot discovered," he answered: "one of the worst ever
was heard. The Parliament House should have been blown up this very
morning, and you should have been in danger of your lives."

"Lord, have mercy!" cried Rachel.

"Thanks be, that 'tis found out!" said Charity. "Be the rogues catched,
think you?"

"One of 'em--he that should have fired the mine. They have learned
nought of the rest as yet."

"Well, for sure! Happen [perhaps] he'll tell o' t'others."

"They'll make him, never fear," said the man, as he passed on.

"Why, my maids! are you both so warm this November morrow, that you
stand at the street door?" said Edith's voice behind them. "Prithee
shut it, Charity; my mother comes anon."

Charity obeyed, while Rachel hastily poured the astonishing news into
Edith's ears. The latter grew a shade paler.

"What be these traitors?" she said.

"They're Papists, for sure!" said Rachel, decidedly. "Nobry else'd
think of nought so wicked."

"Ah, I reckon they are," added Charity, clinching the nail. "They're
right naught [Note 3], the whole boilin' of 'em."

The news was broken to Lady Louvaine more gently than it had been to
Edith; but she clasped her hands with a faint cry of--"Aubrey! If these
be they with whom he hath consorted, God keep the lad!"

"I trust, Mother dear, God will keep him," responded Edith, softly.
"Would you have him hither?"

"Truly, I know not what to say, daughter. Maybe he is the safest with
my Lady of Oxford. Nay, I think not."

Now came Temperance with her market-basket, and she had to be told. Her
first thought was of a practical nature, but it was not Aubrey.

"Dear heart, you say not so? How ever am I to get to market? Lancaster
and Derby! but I would those Papist companions were swept clean away out
of the realm. I don't believe there's a loyal man amongst 'em!"

"Nay, Temperance, we know not yet if they be Papists."

"Know not if they be! Why, of course they are!" was the immediate
decision of Temperance. "What else can they be? There's none other
sort ill enough to hammer such naughty work out of their fantasy.
`Don't know,' indeed! don't tell _me_!"

And Temperance and her basket marched away in dudgeon.

The previous evening had been spent by Christopher Wright, Rookwood, and
Keyes at the Duck; and they were th