lved from charity and justice towards Elizabeth as a woman. I have
consulted theologians on the very point; and--"

Then Anthony sprang up.

"See here, Robin; we must talk this out." He flicked his fingers
sharply. "See--we will talk of it as two friends."

"You had better take back those words," said the priest gravely.

"Why?"

"It would be my duty to lay an information! I understood you spoke to me
as to a priest, though not in confession."

"You would!" blazed the other.

"I should do so in conscience," said the priest. "But you have not yet
told me as a friend, and--"

"You mean--"

"I mean that so long as you choose to speak to me of it, now and here,
it remains that I choose to regard it as _sub sigillo_ in effect. But
you must not come to me to-morrow, as if I knew it all in a plain way. I
do not. I know it as a priest only."

There was silence for a moment. Then Anthony stood up.

"I understand," he said. "But you would refuse me absolution in any
case?"

"I could not give you absolution so long as you intended to kill her
Grace."

Anthony made an impatient gesture.

"See here," he said. "Let me tell you the whole matter from the
beginning. Now listen."

He settled himself again in his chair, and began.

* * * * *

"Robin," he said, "you remember when I spoke to you in the inn on the
way to Matstead; it must be seven or eight years gone now? Well, that
was when the beginning was. There was no design then, such as we have
to-day; but the general purpose was there. I had spoken with man after
man; I had been to France, and seen Mr. Morgan there, Queen Mary's man,
and my lord of Glasgow; and all that I spoke with seemed of one
mind--except my lord of Glasgow, who did not say much to me on the
matter. But all at least were agreed that there would be no peace in
England so long as Elizabeth sat on the throne.

"Well: it was after that that I fell in with Ballard, who was over here
on some other affair; and I found him a man of the same mind as myself;
he was all agog for Mary, and seemed afraid of nothing. Well; nothing
was done for a great while. He wrote to me from France; I wrote back to
him again, telling him the names of some of my friends. I went to see
him in France two or three times; and I saw him here, when you yourself
came over with him. But we did not know whom to trust. Neither had we
any special design. Her Grace of the Scots went hither and thith