two alone, he got
into the post-chaise, and bade the postilion drive him back into
London, for it must be recollected that Beaufort House was out of the
town. This was easily accomplished, as the reader may imagine; and
having dressed himself, and removed the traces of blood and travel
from his face, he hastened to the house of Lord Byerdale, to give
him an account of the success of his expedition.
The Earl had not been long up; but he had already gone to his cabinet
to write letters, and take his chocolate at the same time. On
entering, Wilton, without any surprise, found Arden, the Messenger,
in the presence of the Earl; for the man, knowing that the situation
in which he stood was a somewhat perilous one, was of course anxious
to make the best of his story before the young gentleman appeared.
What did very much surprise Wilton, however, was the gracious and
even affectionate manner in which the Earl received him. He rose
from his chair, advanced two or three steps to meet him, and shaking
him warmly by the hand, exclaimed, "Welcome back, my dear Wilton. So
you have been fully and gallantly successful, I find. But what is all
this that Arden is telling me? He is making a terrible accusation
against you here, of letting off Sir George Barkley, one of the most
notorious Jacobites in Europe--a very dangerous person, indeed."
"My lord," replied Wilton, "Mr. Arden is repeating to you a falsehood
which he devised last night. It is quite true, indeed, that if he had
not been a most notorious coward, and run away at the first
appearance of danger, there might have been a chance, though a very
remote one, of our securing Sir George Barkley."
"Indeed!" exclaimed the Earl: "then you did meet with him?"
"Amongst the persons whom I had to encounter," replied Wilton, "there
was a gentleman whom they called Sir George, and who, from his
height, his age, and a deep scar upon his cheek, I have no earthly
doubt, is Sir George Barkley: but he had been gone for an hour before
this mighty brave gentleman, having collected forty or fifty people
to keep his own head from harm, thought fit to come back and seek for
me. The person who was with me when he did return was a tall
fine-looking young man of five or six and twenty."
"Indeed!" said the Earl. "Who could that be?"
"He called himself Captain Churchill," replied Wilton. "I do not
mean to say, my lord, that I believe such was his real name; for I do
not: but I never saw Captain Churchill at all; and I never saw this