This desire he kept down till he had made sure that the servants were at their dinner, and then, after a cautious saunter about the grounds to convince himself that the gardener had gone to his cottage, Waller hurried up, and paused breathlessly at the door of his den, which he opened and closed, and then locked himself in. The next minute he had crept out of the window, to hold on by the sill and feel with his feet amongst the ivy for the stone gutter which ran all along the front of the house. Upon this, half hidden by the ivy, he proceeded cautiously to his right, where a deep gully between two gables went right across the house, with the ivy positively rioting and pretty well filling it up with long strands and great berry-bearing clumps. Here, completely hidden, Waller crept along three or four yards. "Only me," he said merrily, "Don't shoot! How are you getting on?" A head and shoulders were slowly raised from among the thick glossy leaves, and he was confronted by Godfrey's sombre countenance. "Miserably," he said. "I had hoped that this despicable hiding was at an end. Pray help me to-night to get away." "Oh, I know what's the matter with you," cried Waller. "You are hungry and tired out. But come along back into my room. But I say, you found it easy enough to get here, didn't you? I was in a fright at first; then I thought that you would be sure to creep out." "Oh, yes, easy enough," said the lad. "Is the enemy quite gone?" "Yes, right away, and well satisfied. They won't come again." "Why do you speak like that?" said Godfrey, sharply. "It sounded as if you were afraid that somebody else would come." "Well," said Waller slowly, "I am not quite satisfied about our fat-headed constable. He's very suspicious, and wanted to search the roof. But I managed to put a stop to that, for if they had got up here you must have been found." "Yes," said Godfrey, as, after following his companion back through the ivy, he seated himself, away from the window, in the den, where Waller related to him the history of the raising of the ladder. "That man believes I am here, and will come again. It is quite time you got me away. It was he who came prowling round the house last night, and not your gardener--a big, heavy man, not like Hanson at all." "Yes, you are right," said Waller; "and he must have seen you in the lane and gone and sought out the soldiers at once." CHAPTER NINETEEN. PLANS OF ESCAPE. The days glided on and there was no news of the Squire's coming back, and no fresh alarm or suggestion of the possibility of the soldiers returning to make another search, so Waller grew more and more satisfied in the belief that, however much Gusset might suspect, it was merely suspicion, and there was no more to fear. "I think at any time now we might begin to think of making a start," said Waller one morning.