erving-girl slipped in at the back,
showed him a scared face, held out a scrap of paper and, when he had
taken it, fled in a panic and without a spoken word.

He hid the paper about him and read it later. The message was in
Flavia's hand; he had seen her write more than once. But if he had not,
he knew that neither James nor the O'Beirnes were capable of penning a
grammatical sentence. Colonel John's spirits rose as he read the note.

"_Be at the old Tower an hour after sunset. You must not be
followed._"

"That is more easily said than done," he commented.

Nor, if he were followed through the day as closely as on previous
days, did he see how it was to be done. He stood, cudgelling his brains
to evolve a plan that would enable him to give the slip to the three
men and to the servants who replaced them when they were called away.
But he found none that might not, by awakening James's suspicions, make
matters worse; indeed, it seemed to him that James was already
suspicious. He had at last to let things take their course, in the hope
that when the time came they would shape themselves favourably.

They did. For before noon he gathered that James wanted to go fishing.
The O'Beirnes also wanted to go fishing, and for the general
convenience it became him to go with them. He said neither No nor Yes;
but he dallied with the idea until it was time to start and they had
made up their minds that he was coming. Then he declined.

James swore, the O'Beirnes scowled at him and grumbled. Presently the
three went outside and held a conference. His hopes rose as he sat
smiling to himself, for their next step was to call Darby. Evidently
they gave him orders and left him in charge, for a few minutes later
they went off, spending their anger on one another, and on the barefoot
gossoons who carried the tackle.

Late in the afternoon Colonel John took up his position on the
horse-block by the entrance-gates, where the June sun fell on him;
there he affected to be busy plaiting horse-hair lines. Every two or
three minutes Darby showed himself at the door: once in a quarter of an
hour the old man found occasion to cross the court to count the ducks
or rout a trespassing beggar. Towards sunset, however, he came less
often, having to busy himself with the evening meal. The Colonel smiled
and waited, and presently the butler came again, found him still seated
there, and withdrew--this time with an air of finality. "He's
satis