country's salvation. Wilding himself was appalled at the
news for Monmouth was indeed going further than men had been given to
understand. Nevertheless, for his own sake, in very self-defence now,
if out of no motives of loyalty to the Duke, he must urge forward the
fortunes of this man. He had high words with Danvers, and the two might
have quarrelled before long but for the sudden arrest of Disney, which
threw Danvers into such a panic that he fled incontinently, abandoning
in body, as he already appeared to have abandoned in spirit, the
Monmouth Cause.

The arrest of Disney struck a chill into Wilding. From his lodging at
Covent Garden he had communicated cautiously with Sunderland a few days
after his arrival, building upon certain information he had received
from the Duke at parting as to Sunderland's attachment to the Cause. He
had carefully chosen his moment for making this communication, having
a certain innate mistrust of a man who so obviously as Sunderland was
running with the hare and hunting with the hounds. He had sent a letter
to the Secretary of State when London was agog with the Axminster
affair, and the tale--of which Sir Edward Phelips wrote to Colonel
Berkeley as "the shamefullest story that you ever heard"--of how
Albemarle's forces and the Somerset militia had run before Monmouth in
spite of their own overwhelming numbers. This promised ill for James,
particularly when it was perceived as perceived it was--that this
running away was not all cowardice, not all "the shamefullest story"
that Phelips accounted it. It was an expression of good-will towards
Monmouth on the part of the militia of the West, and it was confidently
expected that the next news would be that these men who had decamped
before him would presently be found to have ranged themselves under his
banner.

Sunderland had given no sign that he had received Wilding's
communication. And Wilding drew his own contemptuous conclusions of the
Secretary of State's cautious policy. It was a fortnight later--when
London was settling down again from the diversion of excitement created
by the news of Argyle's defeat in Scotland--before Mr. Wilding attempted
to approach Sunderland again. He awaited a favourable opportunity, and
this he had when London was thrown into consternation by the alarming
news of the Duke of Somerset's urgent demand for reinforcements. Unless
he had them, he declared, the whole country was lost, as he could not
get the