"Take a despatch back, sir?" said the man, staring. "We're not to take anything back." "Yes; a letter to my father." "No, sir. Colonel Sir Granby Royland's, orders were that we were to stop here and to help take care of the castle." "Were those my father's commands?" cried Roy, eagerly. "Yes, sir, to all three of us--all five of us, it were, and I'm sorry I couldn't bring the other two with me; but I did my best, didn't I, lads?" "Ay, corporal," chorused the others. "Oh, that's capital!" cried Roy, eagerly. "It relieves me of a good deal of anxiety. But my father--he'll expect a letter back." "No, sir; he said there was no knowing where he would be with the regiment, and we were to stay here till he sent orders for us to rejoin." "Where is Martlet?" asked Roy then. "Said something about an armoury," replied the corporal. Roy hurried off, and in a few minutes found the old soldier busy with a bottle of oil and a goose feather, applying the oil to the mechanism of a row of firelocks. "Oh, here you are, Ben," cried Roy, excitedly. "News for you, man." "Ay, ay, sir, I've heard," said the old soldier, sadly. "More rust." "Yes, for you to keep off. My father's orders are that the castle is to be put in a state of defence directly." Down went the bottle on the floor, and the oil began to trickle out. "But--but," stammered the old fellow, "what does her ladyship say?" "That she trusts to my father's faithful old follower to work with me, and do everything possible for the defence of the place. Hurrah, Ben! God save the king!" "Hurrah! God save the king!" roared Ben; and running to the wall he snatched a sword from where it hung, drew it, and waved it round his head. "Hah! Master Roy, you've made me feel ten years younger with those few words." "Have I, Ben? Why, somehow all this has made me feel ten years older." "Then you've got a bit off me that I had to spare, Master Roy, and good luck to you with it. Then," he continued, after listening with eager attention to Roy's rendering of his father's orders, "we must go to work at once, sir." "Yes; at once, Ben." "Then the first thing is to order the gate to be kept shut, and that no one goes out or in unless he has a pass from her ladyship or from you." "Done, Ben. I have been to old Jenk, and he has shut the gate, and buckled on his old sword." "Hah! hum! yes," said the old soldier, rubbing one of his ears; "that sounds very nice, Master Roy, but," he continued, with a look of perplexity, "it doesn't mean much, now, does it?" "I don't understand you." "Why, sir, I mean this: that if any one came up to the gate and wanted to come in--`Give the pass,' says Jenk. `Haven't got one,' says whoever it is. `Can't pass, then,' says Jenk, and then--"