"Marry, what are you looking at?" asked the young matron, glancing over her shoulder. "Harry wrote this?" gasped Maud. "I suppose he did," coolly spoke Mary; "but he had the grace to conceal the fact that I was his sister." Maud had noticed that he wrote "friend" instead of "brother." "Why should he do this?" she said. "Prithee, Maud, will you never see how he has disgraced our name?" said Mary, impatiently. "Nay, nay, you have not seen my father's misery since he hath been here, and how closely he hath kept himself shut up, lest any should hear his name." "But why should he do this?" asked Maud. "Why?" uttered Mary, "when all men are talking of the traitor rebel, Harry Drury, who was this day to be executed." Her voice faltered as she said the last words, although she tried to appear unmoved as she added, "But the execution is postponed, I hear." "Only postponed!" gasped Maud, who sat with widely staring eyes. "The letters were to save their lives, I heard." "What letters?" asked Mary. "Those I brought from Hayslope, where the parliament messenger lies sorely wounded," said Maud. Mary did not wait to hear more, but went to meet her husband, who was coming up the stairs. The gaily dressed officer bowed to Maud as he entered a few minutes afterwards, but she could see he looked annoyed. "Good-morrow, lady messenger," he said. "You did but reach Oxford in time, and if you had been an hour later 'twere better for his Majesty, I trow." "Prithee, tell me why?" said Maud. "There would have been six stout-hearted rebels the less to fight against King Charles," said Captain Stanhope. "Are the prisoners released?" asked Maud, with an exclamation of joy. "Nay, nay, not yet; but we cannot afford to execute them, for the rebel army hath five thousand of our loyal troopers, and they propose to exchange some of these for the handful we have here in our prison, and Harry Drury is specially named as one of them--Harry Drury and Gilbert Clayton, whom Prince Rupert's men captured some time since." To describe Maud's feelings when she heard how near Harry had been to an ignominious death would be impossible. For a time she could only bow her head in her hands, and weep out her thanksgiving to God for His great mercy; but by degrees the hope that she should soon see him gradually stole over her, until she recollected that Harry would scarcely venture to call upon them, even though he had seen her in the town; for she doubted not but that the prisoner who had looked at her so closely was Harry, although she had failed to recognise him. When Master Drury came in soon afterwards, it was evident he had heard the news, although Harry's name was not mentioned. "Maud," he said, drawing his chair close to hers as soon as they were left alone, "you heard that the King's cabinet had been captured at the battle of Naseby?" Maud bowed. "Hath it been retaken?" she asked.