‘I am aware of that, and it was in your village of Cruhan, as you call it, I meant to stable my pony till I had finished my sketch; but my gentle page, Larry, I see, has deserted me; I don’t know if I shall find him again.’ ‘Will you let me be your groom? I shall be at the village almost as soon as yourself, and I’ll look after your pony.’ ‘Do you think you could manage to seat yourself on that shelf at the back?’ ‘It is a great temptation you offer me, if I were not ashamed to be a burden.’ ‘Not to me, certainly; and as for the pony, I scarcely think he’ll mind it.’ ‘At all events, I shall walk the hills.’ ‘I believe there are none. If I remember aright, it is all through a level bog.’ ‘You were at tea last night when a certain telegram came?’ ‘To be sure I was. I was there, too, when one came for you, and saw you leave the room immediately after.’ ‘In evident confusion?’ added he, smiling. ‘Yes, I should say, in evident confusion. At least, you looked like one who had got some very unexpected tidings.’ ‘So it was. There is the message.’ And he drew from his pocket a slip of paper, with the words,’ Walpole is coming for a day. Take care to be out of the way till he is gone.’ ‘Which means that he is no friend of yours.’ ‘He is neither friend nor enemy. I never saw him; but he is the private secretary, and, I believe, the nephew of the Viceroy, and would find it very strange company to be domiciled with a rebel.’ ‘And you are a rebel?’ ‘At your service, Mademoiselle Kostalergi.’ ‘And a Fenian, and head-centre?’ ‘A Fenian and a head-centre.’ ‘And probably ought to be in prison?’ ‘I have been already, and as far as the sentence of English law goes, should be still there.’ ‘How delighted I am to know that. I mean, what a thrilling sensation it is to be driving along with a man so dangerous, that the whole country would be up and in pursuit of him at a mere word.’ ‘That is true. I believe I should be worth a few hundred pounds to any one who would capture me. I suspect it is the only way I could turn to valuable account.’ ‘What if I were to drive you into Moate and give you up?’ ‘You might. I’ll not run away.’ ‘I should go straight to the Podestà, or whatever he is, and say, “Here is the notorious Daniel Donogan, the rebel you are all afraid of.’” ‘How came you by my name?’ asked he curtly. ‘By accident. I overheard Dick telling it to his sister. It dropped from him unawares, and I was on the terrace and caught the words.’ ‘I am in your hands completely,’ said he, in the same calm voice; ‘but I repeat my words: I’ll not run away.’ ‘That is, because you trust to my honour.’ ‘It is exactly so--because I trust to your honour.’ ‘But how if I were to have strong convictions in opposition to all you were doing--how if I were to believe that all you intended was a gross wrong and a fearful cruelty?’