This, as you may be sure, made me more alert than ever, I was now convinced that these were no common footpads, but men who had followed and attacked me for a purpose. They knew my name, and they suspected me of having something which they desired. Immediately I thought of old Solomon's words, "the Duke of York would give his eyes to have this thing." Were these men agents of the duke, and had they discovered that I had found out where the marriage contract was? "It's no use, Rickmore. He must have struck his head against a stone when we dragged him from his horse. He may lie like this for hours." "You are sure you've searched him thoroughly?" "Every rag upon his body?" "And what have you found?" "Nought but a little money and his pistols." "Pull off his boots, it may be there." I allowed them to pull off my boots, lying limp and inert as they did so; but, as may be imagined, they were again disappointed. "The fellow hath nought," said the man who had been called Rickmore, "and 'pon my word, I believe he's dead." "Then Duke James will have to wait." "Hush, man, some one may hear!" "Hear!" and the other laughed scornfully. "There's not a living soul within three miles of the place. I say Duke James will have to wait. The thing must be found, but this springald hath it not, spite of the woman's speech." "Doth the thing exist at all?" "Exist! You should have seen the look on Duke James' face when I told him what Katharine Harcomb had said to me. 'By the Holy Virgin, Hamilton,' said he, speaking like the good Catholic he is, 'get hold of the young rascal. Never let him out of your sight until you have obtained all he hath found, and know all he can tell you.'" "Did he say that?" "Ay he did. I tell you he puts great store on it." "But the fellow hath it not." "No, and what is worse we have so nearly killed him that he might as well be dead." "Well, what are we to do?" "We can do nought but return to London, and wait for the coming of the king. At all events the king is king, thanks to Monk." "He's to be made a duke, I hear." "After Denman's wife tried to send him to heaven?" "Ay, and would have succeeded, but for a mishap." "Nay, nay. She might have sent him to hell, but never to heaven." "Well, from all I hear no one could wish to be sent to the other world by a fairer hand. Men have it that when Denman married Master Leslie's daughter, he wedded a face as fair as an angel's." "Well, it'll not save her from the gallows. Had her father not been such a Puritan, it might have gained her favour with King Charles, but I hear that the very name stinks in his nostrils. I am told that she nearly escaped, but a man rode night and day to Dover to tell Monk that she had been captured, and was safely lodged in Bedford Gaol."