“Accompany her, Le Bourse. At midnight, when this ceremony is over, return to me. I shall leave orders at the gate for your admission.” We set out immediately in a chair. Lady Marmaduke spoke hardly a word. Now and then she tapped the side of the chair impatiently, and often there came a struggling sob. But she gave no other sign of her great fear lest she come too late. Thanks to kind Annetje’s care, Sir Evelin was much improved. He was able to recognize his wife when she appeared, and I was glad to note that the blank expression in his eyes had gone somewhat. I waited till it was time to return to the fort. The mistress saw me for a moment before I went. “Tell him that all is well. And for you, my Michael, you have my gratitude beyond the power of words. Now go. I shall hear your tale through to-morrow.” CHAPTER XXVII THE LAST OF THE PATROON It was past two o’clock in the morning when I finished my consultation with the Earl. Small wonder that he walked up and down the room at his wits’ end what to do. Captain Kidd by this time had lifted anchor and had set sail with the lawless crew that was destined for a time to stain the name of my patron. Nor could Bellamont foresee that he was to come out of this malicious attack with his honor unsullied and his respect undiminished. But a still greater danger pressed close at hand. There was but one small company of soldiers inside the fort who were loyal to the governor; all the rest belonged to the patroon. They outnumbered us three to one or perhaps more. We were in the enemy’s hands, and what were we to do? Louis, I found, had not warned the Earl at all. We learned later that he had come to the fort, but had been refused admission. Whereupon he dispatched a forged letter northward on his own account to recall the troops. But of this we knew nothing at the time. The troops were not at hand to help us, nor did they return in time to be of any help. We had to plan for the instant. At last it was arranged between us that the few faithful men in the fort should be roused at once. As soon as they had taken possession of the armory, which they could easily do, as almost everyone was asleep, and the guard for the night had been chosen from the loyal company—after they had got possession of the armory they were to waken the members of the Red Band one by one and throw them into irons. Why make a short story long? All this was accomplished with success. By four in the morning every man was securely bound and the fort saved. “But what does this unfinished sentence mean?” said the Earl, who held Louis’s paper in his hand. “Van Ramm breaks off suddenly, after speaking of something else.” Then for the first time in many hours I remembered that the patroon had spoken of a meeting that night in the neighborhood of Webber’s tavern.