lord, he was of those whose
love of self suffers the rivalry of no weak emotion.

"Your news, Sir Richard," she besought him, her dove-like glance upon
his florid face--less florid now than was its wont.

He leaned against the table, his back to the window. "Why, it is briefly
this," said he. "My lord..." And then he checked, and fell into a
listening attitude.

"What was that? Did you hear anything, my lady?"

"No. What is it?" Her face betrayed alarm, her anxiety mounting under so
much mystery.

"Sh! Stay you here," he enjoined. "If we are spied upon..." He left the
sentence there. Already he was moving quickly, stealthily, towards the
door. He paused before opening it. "Stay where you are, my lady," he
enjoined again, so gravely that she could have no thought of disobeying
him. "I will return at once."

He stepped out, closed the door, and crossed to the stairs. There he
stopped. From his pouch he had drawn a fine length of whipcord, attached
at one end to a tiny bodkin of needle sharpness. That bodkin he drove
into the edge of one of the panels of the wainscot, in line with the
topmost step; drawing the cord taut at a height of a foot or so
above this step, he made fast its other end to the newel-post at
the stair-head. He had so rehearsed the thing in his mind that the
performance of it occupied but a few seconds. Such dim light of
that autumn afternoon as reached the spot would leave that fine cord
invisible.

Sir Richard went back to her ladyship. She had not moved in his absence,
so brief as scarcely to have left her time in which to resolve upon
disobeying his injunction.

"We move in secret like conspirators," said he, "and so we are easily
affrighted.. I should have known it could be none but my lord himself...
here?"

"My lord!" she interrupted, coming excitedly to her feet. "Lord Robert?"

"To be sure, my lady. It was he had need to visit you in secret--for did
the Queen have knowledge of his coming here, it would mean the Tower for
him. You cannot think what, out of love for you, his lordship suffers.
The Queen...

"But do you say that he is here, man," her voice shrilled up in
excitement.

"He is below, my lady. Such is his peril that he dared not set foot in
Cumnor until he was certain beyond doubt that you are here alone."

"He is below!" she cried, and a flush dyed her pale cheeks, a light
of gladness quickened her sad eyes. Already she had gathered from his
cunning words a new and c