"'Tis Madge," said Dick, with a true lover's gift of second sight; and
'twas he who went to help her swing the thick-slabbed oak.
What passed between them I did not hear, nor want to hear. But when the
door was swung to and locked again I knew we were not free to go
abroad.
Richard came back to me in the inner vault bearing gifts; the better
part of a boiled ham with bread to match, a jug of water from the well,
and more candles.
"We are not to starve, but that is our best news, thus far," he said.
"Of all the houses on our side of the river, Lord Cornwallis must needs
pitch upon this manor of Appleby for his rallying headquarters. Madge
can not guess when he and the army will be gone, and she is frighted
stiff for our sakes."
This was sober news, indeed, but we could do naught but make the best of
it. As for me, I was most anxious to know if the good priest were at
Appleby, and what of my chance for seeing him; but of this I could say
no word to Richard.
So, when we had done full justice to my lady's bounty, we stowed the
horses in the deepest of the vaults and stripped more of the bottle
coverings for them. But having only the jug of water, we could do no
more than swab their mouths out with a wetted kerchief in lieu of giving
them a drink.
When all was done we sat ourselves down to wait as we must; and when the
silence and solitude had wrought their perfect work, we fell to talking
in low tones to match the place and circumstance; and I do think in
those quiet hours, walled in as we were from all the disturbments of the
outer world, we came closer than we had come for many months.
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