s
honour, his character, and his reputation, are tenfold greater
traitors than those who have stripped him of his crown. There is but
one excuse for your conduct, that you have acted with mistaken zeal
rather than criminal intent. But you have aggravated the guilt of
your plans by concealing them till the last moment, not only from
your King, but from your Commander-in-chief. All here who hold
commissions, or at least all but one or two, hold them under my hand
as generalissimo of my father's forces. Those commissions authorize
you to raise men for the service of your lawful sovereign, and to
kill or take prisoner his enemies arrayed in arms against you, but to
assassinate no man; and I feel heartily ashamed that any person
leagued in this great cause with me, should not be able to
distinguish between war and murder. However, on these subjects let us
speak no more at present, for there are matters even more important
to be thought of I heard of this but yesterday morning, and at the
imminent peril of my life have come to England to stop such deeds. I
sought you in London, Sir George Barkley, and have followed you
hither; and from what I have heard, I have to tell you that your
coming to England has been discovered, and that for the last four or
five days a warrant has been out against you, without your knowing
it. This I learned, beyond all doubt, from my Lady Middleton. There
is reason, also, to believe that your whole designs are known, sirs,
though it would seem all your names have not yet been obtained. My
advice, therefore, is, that you instantly disperse to different parts
of the country, or effect your escape to France. For you, Sir George,
there is no chance but to retire to France at once, as the warrant is
out."
"It most fortunately happens," said Sir George Barkley, "that a ship
is on the point of sailing, and lies in the river here, under Dutch
colours. Your grace will, of course, go back in her?"
"No, sir," replied the Duke--"I shall go as I came, in an open boat.
But you have no time to lose, for I know that suspicion is attached
to this spot. In the first place, however, tell me, what you have
here. What new outrage is this that I have just seen attempted? If I
had not entered at the very moment, cold and cowardly bloodshed would
have taken place five minutes ago."
The Duke's eyes were fixed upon Wilton as he spoke; and that
gentleman, now seeing and understanding whom he had to deal with, put
back the pistol into his belt, and advanced,