of the road, to
see who these men are, and what they look like; and we will ride on
slowly. When they have passed, he will come out and take the road we
should have taken, and he then will turn off to the right too before he
reaches Ash; and by trotting he will easily come up with us at this
corner," and he pointed to it on the map--"and so he will tell us what
kind of men they are; and they will never know that they have been spied
upon; for, by this plan, he will not have to pass them. Is that a good
plot?" and he smiled at her.

Isabel assented, feeling dazed and overwhelmed. She could hardly bring
her thoughts to a focus, for the fears that had hovered about her ever
since they had left Lancashire and come down to the treacherous south,
had now darted upon her, tearing her heart with terror and blinding her
eyes, and bewildering her with the beating of their wings.

Anthony quietly called up Robert, and explained the plan. He was a lad of
a Catholic family at Great Keynes, perfectly fearless and perfectly
devoted to the Church and to the priest he served. He nodded his head
briskly with approval as the plan was explained.

"Of course it may all be nothing," ended Anthony, "and then you will
think me a poor fool?"

The lad grinned cheerfully.

"No, sir," he said.

All this while they had been riding slowly on together, and now the wood
showed signs of coming to an end; so Anthony told the groom to ride fifty
yards into the undergrowth at once, to bandage his horse's eyes, and to
tie him to a tree; and then to creep back himself near the road, so as to
see without being seen. The men who seemed to be following were at least
half a mile behind, so he would have plenty of time.

Then they all rode on together again, leaving Robert to find his way into
the wood. As they went, Isabel began to question her brother, and Anthony
gave her his views.

"They have not come up with us, because they know we are four men to
three--if, as I think, they are not more than three--that is one reason;
and another is that they love to track us home before they take us; and
thus take our hosts too as priests' harbourers. Now plainly these men do
not know where we are bound, or they would not follow us so closely. Best
of all, too, they love to catch us at mass for then they have no trouble
in proving their case. I think then that they will not try to take us
till we reach the Manor Lodge; and we must do our best to shake them off