The snow, driven by the wind, swirled in angry blasts, and the damp, cold air chilled us to the bone. Our greatest danger would be when we came to land at the Bridge stairs, for the tide was pouring in through the arches of the Bridge and was falling in a great cataract just below the foot of the stairs. One false stroke of Betty's steering oar when we came to land, and our boat would be swamped. But she clung to the oar and brought us safely to the stairs within a fathom of the breakers. We ran up Gracious Street and found the girl waiting in Betty's parlor. But Betty had told us all there was to be learned, so we gave the girl a few shillings and sent her home. "What shall we do?" asked Betty, feeling that she had earned a right to couple herself with Hamilton and me by the pronoun "we." "I'll go to see Lilly," said Hamilton. "He lives in the Strand, not far from Temple Bar." "Why do you wish to see him?" I asked. "He will tell us where Frances is and how to find her. Will you go with me?" asked Hamilton. "Certainly," I responded, though I considered the visit a waste of time. "May I, too, go?" asked Betty, with the double motive, doubtless, of helping and seeing. Lilly, engaged in his incantations, would be an inspiring sight to her. "No, no, you may not go with us," answered Hamilton. Betty's eyes looked up to me entreatingly, so I took up her cause, and suggested:-- "Lilly may want to question her about what the girl said." "You are right," returned George. "Wrap yourself up well, Betty, and come along. We'll take a coach to Lilly's." A porter soon brought us a coach, and Betty, having explained to her father where and why she was going, climbed in with George and me, and we were off. CHAPTER IX KIDNAPPED We found Lilly at home, eager to help us. He asked many questions relating to my cousin's life and her friends at court, to all of which I made full answer in so far as I knew, including an account of the king's objectionable attentions. I suspected that the Doctor would make more use of the knowledge he obtained from me than of that to be received from the stars, but I did not care how he reached his conclusions if he could but tell us how and where to find Frances. Lilly questioned Betty also, and when he had learned all that she knew, he left us seated in the parlor while he went to his observatory to set a figure. In the course of ten minutes he returned and gave us the result of his calculations, as follows:--