"La, bless you child! why that parson had his two pen'orth long ago, and spends half his nights in the lock-up." "I don't understand, Phœbe." "He had two years. He's bin in jail, Miss, Vargers says, as often as he has fingers and toes; and he's at his brandy and water as I came through, with his feet on the fender, and his pipe in his mouth. He's here to marry you, please 'm, to Mr. Longcluse, and _there's_ all the good _he'll_ do you; and your brother will give you away, Miss, and Levice and Vargers for witnesses, and me I dessay. It's every bit harranged, and they don't care the rinsing of a tumbler what you say or do; for through with it, slicks, they'll go, and say 'twas all right, in spite of all you can do; and who is there to make a row about it? Not you, after all's done." "We must get away! I'll lose my life, or I'll escape!" Phœbe looked at her in silence. I think she was measuring her strength, and her nerve, for the undertaking. "Well, 'm, it's time it was begun. The time is come. Here's your cloak, Miss, I'll tie a handkerchief over my head, if we get out; and here's the three keys, betwixt the bed and the mattress." After a moment's search on her knees, she produced them. "The big one and this I'll keep, and you'll manage this other, please; take it in your right hand--you must use it first. It opens the far door of the room where Vargers is, and if you get through, you'll be at the stair-head then. Don't you come in after me, till you see I have Vargers engaged another way. Go through as light as a bird flies, and take the key out of the door, at the other end, when you unlock it; and close it softly, else he'll see it, and have the house about our ears; and you know the big window at the drawing-room lobby; wait in the hollow of that window till I come. Do you understand, please, Miss?" Alice did perfectly. "Hish-sh!" said the maid, with a prolonged caution. A dead silence followed; for a minute--several minutes neither seemed to breathe. Phœbe whispered at length-- "_Now_, Miss, are you ready?" "Yes," she whispered, and her heart beat for a moment as if it would suffocate her, and then was still; an icy chill stole over her, and as on tip-toe she followed Phœbe, she felt as if she glided without weight or contact, like a spirit. Through a dark room they passed, very softly, first, a little light under the door showed that there were candles in the next. They halted and listened. Phœbe opened the door and entered.