ildly. "You don't understand. It was Drew
Forbes who went--my mother's cloak and veil."

"What! And your mother is safe at home?"

"Yes, yes," cried Frank. "Don't you see?"

The captain burst into a wild, strange laugh, and stood with his face
white from agony and his hand pressed upon his side.

"Run," he whispered; "I am crippled. I can go no farther. Tell her at
once. They will get him out of the country safely now. Oh, Frank boy,
what glorious news!"

Frank hardly heard the last words, but dashed off to where he found his
mother kneeling by the couch in the darkened room, her face buried in
her hands.

But she heard his step, and sprang up, her face so ghastly that it
frightened him as he shouted aloud:

"Safe, mother!--escaped!"

"Ah!" she cried, in a low, deep sigh full of thankfulness; and she fell
upon her knees with her hands clasped together and her head bent low
upon her breast, just as the clouds that had been hanging heavily all
the day opened out; and where the shutters were partly thrown back a
broad band of golden light shot into the room and bathed the kneeling
figure offering up her prayer of thankfulness for her husband's life,
while Frank knelt there by her side.

It was about an hour later, when mother and son were seated together,
calm and pale after the terrible excitement, talking of their future--of
what was to happen next, and what would be their punishment and that of
the brave, high-spirited lad who was now a prisoner--that Berry tapped
softly at the door.

"A letter, my lady," she said, "for Master Frank;" and as she came
timidly forward, the old woman's eyes looked red and swollen with
weeping.

"For me, Berry?" cried Frank wonderingly. "Why, nurse, you've been
crying."

"I'm heart-broken, Master Frank, to see all this trouble."

"Then go and mend it," cried the lad excitedly. "The trouble's over.
It's all right now."

"Ah! and may I bring your ladyship a dish of tay?"

"Yes, and quickly," said Frank tearing open the letter. "Mother!" he
cried excitedly, "it's from Drew."

It was badly written, and in a wild strain of forced mirth.

"Just a line, countryman," he wrote. "This is to be delivered when
all's over, and dear old Sir Robert is safe away. Tell my dear Lady
Gowan I'm doing this as I would have done it for my own mother, and did
not tell you because you're such a jealous old chap, and would have
wanted to go yourself. I say, don't tell her this.