One night he boldly penetrated to the royal antechamber with the knife under his waist-band, having passed the stairs-guard by a specious official envelope. As it was late, he thought it must be about the Regent's bedtime, having the vaguest ideas as to royal ways and bedtimes, Hogarth being then in a consultation with three of the Cabinet destined to last till morning. And Harris: “Can I see the Lord Regent?” with that lifted brow of perpetual surprise and alertness. “You? Who are you?” asked a gentleman-in-waiting. “That's neither 'ere nor there, if it comes to that. I'm Captain Macnaghten's man, then”. “But what is it you want?” “He told me to give the Regent this 'ere”--showing the envelope. “Weally! then, give it to me”. “He said I was to give it to the Regent's self”. “Then, go to blazes quickly, will you? and let Captain Macnaghten know fwom me that he has been dwinking”. Harris could not penetrate the ten-fold barrier; but he lay in wait; watched from some coign every Royal exit and entrance, careful that Hogarth never saw his face; and he cherished the knife-edge. One night, four days before the debate, he stood by the Green Park railings, listless, smoking, when--he started: saw a hurried figure come out--face muffled--Hogarth!--alone. Hogarth walked a little, entered a cab; Harris, in another, shadowed him. Down Piccadilly, the Hammersmith Road, into the Addison: Hogarth alighted; Harris followed. Now, at this time Hogarth had a spy, who presented him reports of the doings of Rebekah Frankl--a species of literature which the Regent found agreeable; and, as for two days Rebekah had, for some reason, been at a villa of Addison Road, this escapade of the Lord Regent was motived by his hope of catching there some glimpse of her, the house being small, he having seized his first chance of secret escape from state-affairs near midnight: and behind him, like the shadow of death, stole the assassin. Hogarth, going soft up to the house, leaned aside from the frontage steps to peer; but Venetian blinds barred him from the least sight of the interior, though he could hear sounds, strange sounds, as of wailing; and, as the villa was in the midst of quite a spacious ground, well grown with trees and shrubberies, he stole round to the back, peered into an open door level with the garden, and within saw a doorway of twilight in the midst of darkness; had hoped to see a servant, who might talk gossip, or even contrive him sight of the Sacred Body; had ready bribe in hand: but nobody there. So, after some hesitation, he entered; and Harris, just then come to the house-corner on tiptoe, discerned him go in, ran on hot bricks to the door, and now distinctly saw Hogarth, who had passed through a kitchen, standing on three wooden steps before a doorway which framed a faint light in the room beyond. On which a shivering of eagerness, quick as winking sheet-lightning, shook Harris' right knee.