"I have bad news."

"Bad news?" muttered Crispin, as though he understood not the
meaning of the words. "Bad news?" he repeated musingly. Then
bracing himself, "What is this news?"

"And you have brought the lady too!" Hogan complained. "Faith,
I had hoped that you had failed in that at least."

"Sdeath, Harry," Crispin exclaimed. "Will you tell me the
news?"

Hogan pondered a moment. Then:

"I will relate the story from the very beginning," said he.
"Some four hours after your departure from Waltham) my men
brought in the malignant we were hunting. I dispatched my
sergeant and the troop forthwith to London with the prisoner,
keeping just two troopers with me. An hour or so later a coach
clattered into the yard, and out of it stepped a short, lean
man in black, with a very evil face and a crooked eye, who
bawled out that he was Joseph Ashburn of Castle Marleigh, a
friend of the Lord General's, and that he must have horses on
the instant to proceed upon his journey to London. I was in
the yard at the time, and hearing the full announcement I
guessed what his business in London was. He entered the inn to
refresh himself and I followed him. In the common room the
first man his eyes lighted on was your son. He gasped at sight
of him, and when he had recovered his breath he let fly as
round a volley of blasphemy as ever I heard from the lips of a