Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 13.pdf/38

 Conspiracy as a Fine Art. But Gowrie, true to bis system, had not in had entered it. They knew not what structed his own porter, who swore that the was happening in the turret, while James king could not have left by the back door, of and Ruthven knew not who was ham which he had the key. That was the first mering at the turret door. Dumas never blunder. Had the porter been in the plot, he invented so good a situation, but the master would have backed Cowrie's story; the of it was young Ramsay. He had rushed nobles would have galloped away after the into the turret from the spiral stair, with the king, and the king would have been gagged, king's hawk on his wrist. He threw down bound, placed in a boat and carried down the hawk, and James, with the presence of the Tay, which flowed past the garden, and mind of a sportsman, set his foot on its leash! so to the open sea and to East Castle. He yelled to Ramsay to strike low, as Ruth Meanwhile, as James's lords, puzzled by ven was wearing a secret coat of mail. his absence, knew not where to look, the Ramsay dirked Ruthven; James thrust the second blunder was at work. James had body down the spiral stairs, where Gowrie, followed Alexander Ruthven through a suite arriving with five armed retainers, found his of upper rooms into a turret, where he was brother's corpse. Gowrie charged up the to be shown the mythical prisoner with the corkscrew steps, but the king, Ramsay, and pot of gold. Ruthven locked the door of Sir Thomas Erskine, who had joined them, each room in the suite behind him, and were in a position of advantage. Blows and finally led Tames into a turret, where was no thrusts were exchanged, edge and point pot of gold and no prisoner, but a man in full grated on the walls in the narrow pass. At armor. This mari, in pursuance of the sys last Ramsay's sword found a way to Cowrie's tem, had not been told that he was to seize body, and he reeled back a dying man. But the person of the king; he had been in- | still Ramsay and James knew not who they formed that a Highland thief was to be were, friends or foes, that hammered on the secured. He therefore merely looked on in inner door of the turret. A messenger by absolute perplexity and declined to take a way of the spiral stair brought the truth of hand in kidnapping his rightful king. He the matter, and James, when once he had was a most respectable married man, where pacified the mob of Perth,—no easy matter, as a thorough-going ruffian was needed for for they took the side of Gowrie, their local the part. Nobody was now more at a stand superior,—was again "a free king." Two than Mr. Alexander Ruthven, that student corpses lay at the foot of the turret stair, the of Italian romance. He was obliged to try two dead men could tell no tales, and the to collar the king himself and bind his hands mystery was black indeed, till, eight years with a garter. But his Majesty got Mr. later, attorney Sprot babbled over his wine. Ruthven's head "into chancery," pushed his He was executed, a victim to his own curi own out of a window, and yelled "Murder!" osity and to that of Bower, the messenger The man in armor walked quietly away. who could not read. So ended a conspiracy James was overheard by young Ramsay. based on an Italian novel. The other part ner, to whom Logan used to write, remains who entered the turret by a dark spiral stair case, of which the door had been foolishly unknown. For reasons of my own T suspect left open to the court. Meanwhile the that he was Napier of Merchiston, the in alarmed nobles had run up the great stair ventor of logarithms! But that is only a vild case, and were hammering vainly at the hypothesis, part of the romance of mathe locked door which divided the turret from matics.—The Critic. the long suite of rooms by which James