ctor. "She tried to be
discreet, but it was the reason her mother--"

"Well, go on," interrupted poor Sir Philip, too unhappy to remember
manners or listen to the defence; "what was it? when was it?"

Anne was allowed then to proceed. "It was the morning I went to
London. I went out to gather some mouse-ear."

"Mouse-ear! mouse-ear!" growled he. "Some one else's ear."

"It was for Lady Oglethorpe."

"It was," said her uncle, "a specific, it seems, for whooping-cough.
I saw the letter, and knew--"

"Umph! let us hear," said Sir Philip, evidently with the idea of a
tryst in his mind. "No wonder mischief comes of maidens running
about at such hours. What next?"

The poor girl struggled on: "I saw Peregrine coming, and hoping he
would not see me, I ran into the keep, meaning to get home by the
battlements out of his sight, but when I looked down he and Mr.
Archfield were fighting. I screamed, but I don't think they heard
me, and I ran down; but I had fastened all the doors, and I was a
long time getting out, and by that time Mr. Archfield had dragged
him to the vault and thrown him in. He was like one distracted, and
said it must be hidden, or it would be the death of his wife and his
mother, and what could I do?"

"Is that all the truth?" said Sir Philip sternly. "What brought
them there--either of them?"

"Mr. Archfield came to bring me a pattern of sarcenet to match for
poor young Madam in London."

No doubt Sir Philip recollected the petulant anger that this had
been forgotten, but he was hardly appeased. "And the other fellow?
Why, he was brawling with my nephew Sedley about you the day
before!"

"I do not think she was to blame there," said Dr. Woodford. "The
unhappy youth was set against marrying Mistress Browning, and had
talked wildly to my sister and me about wedding my niece."

"But why should she run away as if he had the plague, and set the
foolish lads to fight?"

"Sir, I must tell you," Anne owned, "he had beset me, and talked so
desperately that I was afraid of what he might do in that lonely
place and at such an hour in the morning. I hoped he had not seen
me."

"Umph!" said Sir Philip, much as if he thought a silly girl's
imagination had caused all the mischief.

"When did he thus speak to you, Anne?" asked her uncle, not
unkindly.

"At the inn at Portsmouth, sir," said Anne. "He came while you were
with Mr. Stanbury and the rest, and wanted me to marry him and flee
to