ivalrously
unwilling that his wife should be in any way privy to business that
involved such risks as this.

One sunny morning in August he came into her room early just as she was
finishing her prayers, and announced the arrival of an emissary from
abroad.

"Sweetheart," he said, "will you prepare the east chamber for a young man
whom we will call Mr. Stewart, if you please, who will arrive to-night.
He hopes to be with us until after dusk to-morrow when he will leave; and
I shall be obliged if you will---- No, no, my dear. I will order the
horses myself."

The old man then bustled off to the stableyard and ordered a saddle-horse
to be taken at once to Cuckfield, accompanied by a groom on another
horse. These were to arrive at the inn and await orders from a stranger
"whom you will call Mr. Stewart, if you please." Mr. Stewart was to
change horses there, and ride on to Maxwell Hall, and Sir Nicholas
further ordered the same two horses and the same groom to be ready the
following evening at about nine o'clock, and to be at "Mr. Stewart's"
orders again as before.

This behaviour of Sir Nicholas' was of course most culpably indiscreet. A
child could not but have suspected something, and the grooms, who were of
course Catholics, winked merrily at one another when the conspirator's
back was turned, and he had hastened in a transport of zeal and
preoccupation back again to the house to interrupt his wife in her
preparations for the guest.

That evening "Mr. Stewart" arrived according to arrangements. He was a
slim red-haired man, not above thirty years of age, the kind of man his
enemies would call foxy, with a very courteous and deliberate manner, and
he spoke with a slight Scotch accent. He had the air of doing everything
on purpose. He let his riding-whip fall as he greeted Lady Maxwell in the
entrance hall; but picked it up with such a dignified grace that you
would have sworn he had let it fall for some wise reason of his own. He
had a couple of saddle-bags with him, which he did not let out of his
sight for a moment; even keeping his eye upon them as he met the ladies
and saluted them. They were carried up to the east chamber directly,
their owner following; where supper had been prepared. There was no real
reason, since he arrived with such publicity, why he should not have
supped downstairs, but Sir Nicholas had been peremptory. It was by his
directions also that the arrival had been accomplished in the manner