The Children's Book of LondonMitton, G. E. (Geraldine Edith)
History
The Children's Book of London
Mitton, G. E. (Geraldine Edith)
London (England) -- Description and travel -- Juvenile literature
Betty,' to run down to
her lodgings to see if the maid were there and send her to the prison.
And when they got to the outer door she let him go, and ran back to the
cell herself. Then she talked again as if she were talking to her
husband, so that the gaolers should hear, and made answers for him in a
deep man's voice. Brave heart! she must have been well-nigh fainting
with terror, and expecting to hear every minute a noise which would
tell her she had been discovered. But after a time, when all seemed
right, and when she could talk no more, she left the cell very slowly,
and, shutting the door behind her, said to the gaolers that they need
not take in lights until Lord Nithsdale asked for them, for he was
praying, and did not wish to be disturbed. Then she went down to her
coach.
And he really did get safely away; and the King was furious, and said
Lady Nithsdale had given him more trouble than any woman in Europe. But
Lady Nithsdale went and waited at a friend's house until she heard where
her husband was in hiding in a little poor house, and then she joined
him, and they stayed there together until things could be arranged for
him to get over to France. A friend brought them a bottle of wine and
some bread, and on this they lived from Thursday to Saturday. But I do
not expect they cared much what they ate, they must have been so happy
to be together again.
It was very seldom indeed anyone had escaped from the Tower. Once a man
tried to, and let himself down by a rope from his window; but the rope
broke, and he fell headlong and was killed. The countess's plan was much
better. Luckily, she and her husband had good friends, and one of them
lent Lord Nithsdale the livery of his servant, and, pretending he was a
footman, took him to Dover, where he got a boat and managed to cross
over to France in safety. His estates were all taken from him, but that
was a little thing when he had saved his life. His devoted wife joined
him in Rome, and they lived abroad for the rest of their days.
Guy Fawkes, of whom we heard before, was examined in the King's house in
the Tower, and the judges tried to make him give up the names of his
companions; but villain as he was, Guy Fawkes was no coward, and he
refused to turn traitor. Finding that he was obdurate, the judges
decreed that he should suffer the torture of the rack, and accordingly
he was racked again and again. At last in his agony he cried out that he
would tell the history of the conspiracy, but not reveal the names of
his fellow-conspirators. This was not enough. Once again he was brought
to suffer the awful torture, and this time his gaolers told him that
some of his comrades had been already taken, and were in the hands of
the police. So Fawkes gave way and made a full confession, which was
signed 'Guido Fawkes,' and is still kept. This was in November, and on
the last day of the following January he and three of his associates
were executed at Westminster.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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