Page 37 - A Jacobite Exile

but it was certainly singular your happening to be there, and I fancy some
of our friends thought that you had gone round to listen, yourself. One

hinted as much; but I said that was absurd, for you were completely in my
confidence, and that, whatever peril and danger there might be in the

enterprise, you would share them with me."

"It is not pleasant that they should have thought so, father, but that is better

than that the truth should be known. This is how it happened;" and he
repeated what Ciceley had told him in the garden.

"So the worthy Master John Dormay has set a spy upon me," Sir
Marmaduke said, bitterly. "I knew the man was a knave--that is public

property--but I did not think that he was capable of this. Well, I am glad
that, at any rate, no suspicion can fall upon Ciceley in the matter; but it is

serious, lad, very serious. We do not know how long this fellow has been
prying and listening, or how much he may have learnt. I don't think it can
be much. We talked it over, and my friends all agreed with me that they do

not remember those curtains having been drawn before. To begin with, the
evenings are shortening fast, and, at our meeting last week, we finished our

supper by daylight; and, had the curtains been drawn, it would have been
noticed, for we had need of light before we finished. Two of the gentlemen,
who were sitting facing the window, declared that they remembered

distinctly that it was open. Mr. Jervoise says that he thought to himself that,
if it was his place, he would have the trees cut away there, for they shut out

the light.

"Therefore, although it is uncomfortable to think that there has been a spy

in the house, for some months, we have every reason to hope that our
councils have not been overheard. Were it otherwise, I should lose no time

in making for the coast, and taking ship to France, to wait quietly there
until the king comes over."

"You have no documents, father, that the man could have found?"

"None, Charlie. We have doubtless made lists of those who could be relied
upon, and of the number of men they could bring with them, but these have