'Much; as thou wilt presently discover. But let me remind you both that there threaten--nay, there are actually overhanging --disasters, the like of which never happen save in time of civil war and of rebellion. My grandfather is in prison, and will be tried on a charge of sending men and horses to join Monmouth. Nay, the Duke's Proclamation was found in his house; he will be certainly condemned and his estates confiscated. So there will be an end of as old a family as lives in Somerset. Then there is thy father, Child, who was Preacher to the army, and did make mischief in stirring up the fanatical zeal of many. Think you that he can escape? Then there is thy brother Barnaby, who was such a fool as to meddle in what concerned him not, and now will hang therefor. What can we expect? Are men to go unpunished who thus rebel against the Lord's anointed? Is treason--rank treason--the setting up of a Pretender Prince (who is now lying headless in his coffin) as the rightful heir, to be forgiven? We must not look for it. Alas! Madam, had I been with you instead of that conceited, fanatical, crookback Humphrey, whom I did ever detest, none of these things should have happened.' 'Humphrey,' I said, 'has more worth in one finger than you in all your great body, Benjamin.' 'My dear, my dear, do not anger Benjamin. Oh, do not anger our only friend!' 'She may say what she pleases. My time will come. Listen then. They must all be hanged unless I can succeed in getting them pardoned.' 'Nay--but--forgive my rudeness, Benjamin; they are your own cousins--it is your own grandfather. What need of conditions? Oh! what does this mean? Are you a man of flesh and blood?' 'My conditions, Child'--why did he laugh?--'will assure you that such is truly the nature of my composition.' 'If money is wanted'--I thought of my bag of gold and of Mr. Penne's hints--'how much will suffice?' 'I know not. If it comes to buying them off, more thousands than could be raised on the Bradford Orcas estates. Put money out of mind.' 'Then, Benjamin, save them if thou canst.' 'His Lordship knows that I have near relations concerned in the Rebellion. Yet, he assured me if his own brothers were among the prisoners he would hang them all.' 'Nay, then, Benjamin; I say no more. Tell me what are these conditions, and, if we can grant or contrive them, we will comply.' I had no thought of what was meant by his conditions, nor did I even guess until the morning, when Madam told me. 'Oh! Madam, is there anything in the world--anything that we would not do to save them?' Madam looked at me with so much pity in her eyes that I wondered. It was pity for me and not for her son that I read in that look. Why did she pity me? I understood not. 'My dear,' she said, 'there are times when women are called upon to make sacrifices which they never thought to make, which seem impossible to be even asked----'