The meal over, Mistress Holliday rose. The earl offered her his
hand and led her to the door, where, with an exchange of
ceremonious salutes, she bade him goodnight.

Then the earl accompanied Colonel Holliday to the latter's room,
hung with rapiers, swords, and other arms. There ceremony was laid
aside, and the old cavalier and the brilliant general entered into
familiar talk, the former lighting a long pipe, of the kind known
at present as a "churchwarden."

The earl told Colonel Holliday of the discovery that had been made,
that the attack was no mere affair with highwaymen, but an attempt
at assassination by a political rival.

"I had been down," he said, "at Lord Hadleigh's, where there was a
gathering of many gentlemen of our way of thinking. I left London
quietly, and thought that none knew of my absence; but it is clear
that through some spy in my household my enemies learned both my
journey and destination. I came down on horseback, having sent
forward relays. When I arrived last night at Hadleigh my horse was
dead lame. I misdoubt now 'twas lamed in the stable by one of the
men who dogged me. Lord Hadleigh offered me his coach, to take me
back the first stage--to the inn where I had left my servants and
had intended to sleep. I accepted--for in truth I sat up and talked
all last night, and thought to doze the journey away. Your
Derbyshire roads are, however, too rough, and I was wide awake when
the first shot was fired!"

"Do you think of taking steps to punish the authors of this