Page:Lady Barbarity; a romance (IA ladybarbarityrom00snai).pdf/77

 *parted, but had left behind volumes of horrid prophecies of blood poisoning, high fever, and five-and-twenty other things.

"Now lock the door, my Emblem," says I, cheerfully, "and tell me every bit of news."

"If I were you, my lady," Emblem says, "I would get back to bed this instant and grow very ill indeed. For Captain Grantley is drawing a complaint up in this matter, and thinks that upon the strength of it the Government will feel compelled to arrest you for high treason and send you to the Tower.

"High what?" cries I, "send me to the where? Why, upon my soul! did any man ever speak such nonsense in his natural! As though the Government would do anything of the kind. 'Twas but a piece of mischief. I meant no harm. I'm certain I never wished to hurt the Captain, who, by the way, is much cleverer and braver than I had supposed. 'Twas but a piece of fun, I say. And if the poor lad did escape, well, he was a very pretty lad, and I am certainly not sorry. Arrest me! Send me to the Tower! Pah! the Government will do nothing of the kind. Why, Emblem, what is it that I've done."

"Sure I don't know, my lady," says the faithful creature, beginning to whimper like a child; "you have done nothing very wicked as I can see. Of course he was a prisoner, but then there is lots of other prisoners, and plenty as big as he, and bigger if it comes to that."