Page 334 - A Jacobite Exile

say that I shall go out, early in the spring, to take command of the army;
and that, if you present yourselves to me before I leave, I shall be glad to

appoint you on my personal staff, with the same rank you now hold.

"You can now leave the country without any farther trouble. As to the affair
of the man Dormay, a messenger has been sent off, this afternoon, with an
order to the magistrates at Lancaster, to arrest him on the charge of

suborning false evidence, by which the lives of some of her majesty's
subjects were endangered; and of forging letters whereby such evil designs

might be furthered. I do not suppose I shall see you again before you sail,
for tomorrow we go down to our country place, and may remain there some
weeks. I may say that it was the desire to get your affair finished, before we

left town, that conduced somewhat to the speed with which it has been
carried through."

After again thanking the duke most warmly for his kindness, and saying
that they would lay his offer before their fathers, and that their own

inclinations were altogether in favour of accepting it, the young men took
their leave.

"It is unfortunate about Dormay."

"Most unfortunate," Harry said.

"I think, if we start tomorrow morning, Harry, we shall be in time. There is
no reason why the messenger should travel at any extraordinary speed, and,
as he may be detained at Lancaster, and some delay may arise before

officers are sent up to Lynnwood to make the arrest, we may be in time.

"We must take a note of the date. It is one we shall remember all our lives.
It is the 25th of November, and we will keep it up as a day of festivity and
rejoicing, as long as we live."

"That will we," Harry agreed. "It shall be the occasion of an annual

gathering of those who got into trouble from those suppers at Sir
Marmaduke's. I fancy the others are all in France, but their friends will