"You are not going to leave that wretch in the room with me," cried my
lady, pointing to the soldier.

"What can I do, madam? Somebody you must have to smooth your pillow and
bring your medicine--permit me----"

"Sir!" screamed out my lady--

"Madam, if you are too ill to leave the bed," the captain then said,
rather sternly, "I must have in four of my men to lift you off in the
sheet: I must examine this bed, in a word; papers may be hidden in a bed
as elsewhere; we know that very well and----"

Here it was her ladyship's turn to shriek, for the captain, with his fist
shaking the pillows and bolsters, at last came to "burn", as they say in
the play of forfeits, and wrenching away one of the pillows, said, "Look,
did not I tell you so? Here is a pillow stuffed with paper."

"Some villain has betrayed us," cried out my lady, sitting up in the bed,
showing herself full dressed under her night-rail.

"And now your ladyship can move, I am sure; permit me to give you my hand
to rise. You will have to travel for some distance, as far as Hexton
Castle to-night. Will you have your coach? Your woman shall attend you if
you like--and the japan-box?"

"Sir! you don't strike a _man_ when he is down," said my lady, with some
dignity: "can you not spare a woman?"

"Your ladyship must please to rise and let me search the bed," said the
captain; "there is no more time to lose in bandying talk."

And, without more ado, the gaunt old woman got up. Harry Esmond
recollected to the end of his life that figure, with the brocade dress and
the white night-rail, and the gold-clocked red stockings, and white
red-heeled shoes sitting up in the bed, and stepping down from it. The
trunks were ready packed for departure in her ante-room, and the horses
ready harnessed in the stable: about all which the captain seemed to know,
by information got from some quarter or other; and, whence, Esmond could
make a pretty shrewd guess in after-times, when Dr. Tusher complained that
King William's Government had basely treated him for services done in that
cause.

And here he may relate, though he was then too young to know all that was
happening, what the papers contained, of which Captain Westbury had made a
seizure, and which papers had been transferred from the japan-box to the
bed when the officers arrived.

There was a list, of gentlemen of the county in Father Holt's
handwriting--Mr. Freeman's (King James's) friends--a similar paper being