Page:Lady Barbarity; a romance (IA ladybarbarityrom00snai).pdf/92

 prisoner escaped. I do not know who enabled him to do so, and I do not greatly care. But 'twas a member or members of his lordship's household, and the entire responsibility rests with that gentleman."

As the Captain desired to continue with his writing, I thought it the more graceful to withdraw. This I did, and shut myself up in privacy, for my mind was filled with grave considerations. In a day and a few hours over, my existence had become a terribly complicated matter. There was the prisoner. My life had long been waiting for a man to step into it. A man last night had done so, and I wished that he had not. For in spite of myself, all my thoughts were just now centred in his fortunes. Would he escape? And if he were retaken? That second question sent a new idea into my head, and straight I went and consulted the Captain on it.

"If," says I, "the prisoner is brought back by your men, sir, you will not need to report the matter of his escape to the Government?"

He looked at me quickly with a keen twinkle in his eye that appeared to spring from pleasure, and then answered, glib as possible:

"That event will indeed supply an abrogation of this unpleasing duty. But he must be retaken within a week. Understand that, my Lady Barbara. If he is not in my hands within that period there is nothing for it but to dispatch these papers to the King."