beyond excitement at the news of which he was the bearer, seemed to
have no opinion of his own as to the wisdom or folly of the Duke's
sudden arrival, looked from one to the other of these two men whom he
had known as the prime secret agents in the West, and waited
Trenchard moved his horse a few paces nearer the hedge, whence he
"Whither now, Anthony?" he asked suddenly.

"You may ask, indeed!" exclaimed Wilding, and his voice was as bitter
as ever Trenchard had heard it. "`S heart! We are in it now! We had
best make for Lyme - if only that we may attempt to persuade this
crack-brained boy to ship back to Holland again, and ship ourselves
with him."

"There's sense in you at last," grumbled Trenchard. "But I misdoubt
me he'll turn back after having come so far. Have you any money?"
he asked. He could be very practical at times.

"A guinea or two. But I can get money at Ilminster."

"And how do you propose to reach Ilminster with these gentlemen by
way of cutting us off?"

"We'll double back as far as the cross-roads," said Wilding promptly,
"and strike south over Swell Hill for Hatch. If we ride hard we can
do it easily, and have little fear of being followed. They'll
naturally take it we have made for Bridgwater."

They acted on the suggestion there and then, Vallancey going with them;
for his task was now accomplished, and he was all eager to get to Lyme
to kiss the hand of the Protestant Duke. They rode hard, as Wilding had