Part 18 (1/2)

”'Ah! wilth, power, and ivirythin',' sez he, and he smoiled loike the divil

”'Ah! Bradley, thoy toime is drawin' short Whin Oi till Richard the part that thou hast takin aginst him methinks Oi see thoy head upon the block, whare Rivers', Grey's and Vaughan's soon shall be'

”Lord, sor, Oi did have the divil's own toime to kape from killin' thetalk he started off, and had his sarvant git his horse ridy, and he sits out fer soh the divil hissilf was at his hales--and its moysilf that am thinkin' he's in the varmint's heart

”Oi thin waited with fear and trimblin' fer yer honour to return, and as soon as Oi saw thee coht warn thee not to trust that knave, who is full, intoirely, of all that belongs to Hill, as is plainly seen by his mane lookin' face”

When Michael had finished his soht hear, both Harleston and I sat for soth I addressed Michael ”Thou hast done better than I could have wished for, and indeed thine inforreatest use to me I cannot thank thee, nor repay thee, sufficiently for this service; but if I fall not into the snares of this scheht that is in iven thanks that Oi do not desarve; for Oi have but done my dooty toshould go ah that spalpeen, Oi hare take moine oath that Oi'll have the loife o' that varmint fer it”

CHAPTER XVI

MY DANGEROUS POSITION

”Well, Harleston,” said I, after Michael had left us, ”here is the position in which I now find ree with htness of the sun

”The Queen hath fled froe in a Sanctuary for reason of her fear of Gloucester The young King, her son, is in the power of the man from whom she hath fled Catesby, who is evidently in the service of Richard, hath good reason for his belief that I warned the Queen and thus have been the cause of her taking refuge Richard hath some scheme in hand, the object of which we know not The death of Rivers, Grey and Vaughan, is evidently decided upon merely because they are friends to the Queen Gloucester is bent on gaining possession of the King's little brother, for what purpose we know not What chance then have I of escaping the tusks of the boar?”

asked I, when I had finished this soloomy list of facts

”My dear friend,” replied Harleston, ”however strange it ht to fear fro to Richard the part thou hast played in connection with the Queen's flight”

”Why?” I asked in surprise

”For this reason,” replied my friend, ”Catesby was evidently instructed to prevent anythe Queen, else why should he so question Michael, and, when speaking to hiive hiht?”

”Well?” I asked, ”and what hath that to do with reer from me?”

”This,” replied my friend in his quiet yet most impressive manner

”Thinkest thou that Catesby would dare to tell Gloucester that he did pere unto the Queen, when he should have prevented it? No,” said he answering his own question, ”it isto Dorset, over whom he could have no control, and therefore could not be bla him to warn the Queen”

”That may be so,” I cried ”And if it be, why then I still may wearin the back of my neck which tells me it then must needs be severed”

”However,” said Harleston, ”thou art not by any er

Remember this,” he continued; ”soest that thou wert the er is as great as ever!” I cried in disappoint as bad as Michael, with thy surprises and disappointain to earth and crush the?” This I said with a forced smile; for I tried to accept the inevitable with a philosophy that I was far frorave face, ”I think thy danger is not great; for though Catesbythe cause of the Queen's flight, he cannot prove it without showing neglect of duty on his part”

”Thou art right, rasped his hand and shook it warmly ”Truly, I know not what I could do without thine advice

”But tell me this,” I said, as I remembered the incident in the Council roos that made the Chancellor frown on us?”