"For Heaven's sake speak lower! The King is asleep yonder. How do you come here?"
Randolph leaned over and whispered, giggling, into Sir Rufus's ear. Halfman watched with grim amusement. If he loved Evander little, come to think of it he loved Rufus less, all said and done; so he grinned at his discomfiture.
"A wonder," Randolph said. "When they had the time to try me, their fools' court-martial, thanks to that damned Cromwell, settled me for a spy and sentenced me to be shot. But the jailer where I lay had a daughter. Need I say more? We Harbys are invincible. Any way, there was no prisoner when the shooting-party came to claim me, and here I am, in time, I hope, to save the life of that poor Puritan devil."
Sir Rufus's wits were busy hatching mischief. He looked with aversion at the smiling, self-complacent ass whose resurrection tangled his plan. But his voice was very amiable as he asked:
"Do any in the household know of your return?"
"Devil a one," the youth answered, cheerily, and Sir Rufus would have liked to drive a knife into him for his mirth, though his spirits rose at his answer. "I thought to take my cousin by surprise, scare her with my ghost, maybe. So I came skulking through the park and ran on this good sir, who nabbed me." He indicated Halfman with a wave of the hand. "I explained to him, so that my joke should not spoil, and he smuggled me in here to surprise you. Where is Brilliana?"
"Are you fresh enough to ride?" he asked.
"If need be," Randolph replied, astonished.
Rufus talked rapidly, writing a letter as he spoke.
"Then you may save your Puritan yet. We sent your hostage to Oxford for safe-keeping. News came of your death, and but now the King sent an order to have the fellow shot. But you can overtake the order, outstrip it. Here is a reprieve for the prisoner."
Rufus folded the paper, sealed it, and handed it to the bewildered Randolph.
"Pick what horse you please, and ride for the honor of our cause."
"My cousin Brilliana?" Randolph asked. "What of my joke?"
"The one thing now is to save a man's life. Ride hard, and God speed you." Randolph yielded cheerfully.
"Well, well, I should be sorry the rebel dog should die wrongfully. You will justify me to the King for not attending him?"