me, but that I will never do until you give me leave, so in place of 

them I kiss the cross, which till then we both must carry. Lady, my lady 

Margaret, within a day or two I sail for Spain, but your image shall 

sail with me, and I believe that ere long our paths must cross again. 

How can it be otherwise since the threads of your life and mine were 

intertwined on that night outside the Palace of Westminster 

--intertwined never to be separated till one of us has ceased 

to be, and then only for a little while. Lady, for the present, 

farewell." 

Then swiftly and silently as he had come, d'Aguilar went. 

It was Betty who let him out at the side door, as she had let him in. 

More, glancing round to see that she was not observed--for it chanced 

now that Peter was away with some of the best men, and the master was 

out with others, no one was on watch this night--leaving the door ajar 

that she might re-enter, she followed him a little way, till they came 

to an old arch, which in some bygone time had led to a house now pulled 

down. Into this dark place Betty slipped, touching d'Aguilar on the arm 

as she did so. For a moment he hesitated, then, muttering some Spanish 

oath between his teeth, followed her. 

"Well, most fair Betty," he said, "what word have you for me now?" 

"The question is, Senor Carlos," answered Betty with scarcely suppressed 

indignation, "what word you have for me, who dared so much for you 

to-night? That you have plenty for my cousin, I know, since standing in 

the cold garden I could hear you talk, talk, talk, through the shutters, 

as though for your very life." 

"I pray that those shutters had no hole in them," reflected d'Aguilar to 

himself. "No, there was a curtain also; she can have seen nothing." But 

aloud he answered: "Mistress Betty, you should not stand about in this 

bitter wind; you might fall ill, and then what should I suffer?" 

"I don't know, nothing perhaps; that would be left to me. What I want to 

understand is, why you plan to come to see me, and then spend an hour 

with Margaret?" 

"To avert suspicion, most dear Betty. Also I had to talk to her of this 

Peter, in whom she seems so greatly interested. You are very shrewd, 

Betty--tell me, is that to be a match?" 

"I think so; I have been told nothing, but I have noticed many things, 

and almost every day she is writing to him, though why she should care 

for that owl of a man I cannot guess." 

"Doubtless because she appreciates solid worth, Betty, as I do in you.