ton. "No, Amelia, if you _must_ bring me into it--not busy.
Uneasy in my mind on the subject of the soup."

"I don't know that your mind makes much difference," Amelia resumed.
"What it comes to is this--it was I, and not you, who went into the
kitchen-garden for the vegetables."

"Not by _my_ wish, Heaven knows!" persisted the cook.

"Leave the room!" said Mrs. Bowmore. Even her patience had given way at
last.

The cook looked as if she declined to believe her own ears. Mrs. Bowmore
pointed to the door. The cook said "Oh?"--accenting it as a question.
Mrs. Bowmore's finger still pointed. The cook, in solemn silence,
yielded to circumstances, and banged the door.

"I was getting the vegetables, ma'am," Amelia proceeded, "when I heard
voices on the other side of the paling. The wood is so old that one can
see through the cracks easy enough. I saw my master, and Mr. Linwood,
and Captain Bervie. The Captain seemed to have stopped the other two on
the pathway that leads to the field; he stood, as it might be, between
them and the back way to the house--and he spoke severely, that he did!"

"What did Captain Bervie say?"

"He said these words, ma'am: 'For the last time, Mr. Bowmore,' says he,
'will you understand that you are in danger, and that Mr. Linwood is
in danger, unless you both leave this neighborhood to-night?' My master
made light of it. 'For the last time,' says he, 'will you refer us to
a proof of what you say, and allow us to judge for ourselves?' 'I have
told you already,' says the Captain, 'I am bound by my duty toward
another person to keep what I know a secret.' 'Very well,' says my
master, '_I_ am bound by my duty to my country. And I tell you this,'
says he, in his high and mighty way, 'neither Government, nor the spies
of Government, dare touch a hair of my head: they know it, sir, for the
head of the people's friend!'"

"That's quite true," said Mrs. Bowmore, still believing in her husband
as firmly as ever.

Amelia went on:

"Captain Bervie didn't seem to think so," she said. "He lost his temper.
'What stuff!' says he; 'there's a Government spy in your house at this
moment, disguised as your footman.' My master looked at Mr. Linwood,
and burst out laughing. 'You won't beat that, Captain,' says he, 'if you
talk till doomsday.' He turned about without a word more, and went home.
The Captain caught Mr. Linwood by the arm, as soon as they were alone.
'For God's sake,' says he, 'don't follow tha