This was sufficient to make Roy, with his natural boyish frankness, begin talking freely about his plans, for he was growing enthusiastic, and he even began to ask the secretary's opinion about two or three minor matters. "Oh, don't ask me," said his companion, laughing, and with an air of protest; "you might just as well expect me to begin wearing armour. No. You must do all the defending if trouble does come, and I beg you will give particular orders to your men-at-arms to take the greatest care of the secretary, for you must not have him hurt. I suppose, then, that there will be no more studies for the present?" "No, not for the present," said Roy, rather importantly; "I have so much to do." "Very well, man o' war; the man o' peace will go back to his music and his books, but if you want me to do anything that I can do, send for me at once." Master Pawson put his hands behind him and walked thoughtfully through the garden towards the door-way leading to the ramparts, and from thence to the north-west tower, by the green grass and flowers seeming to him a more attractive way than through the long corridor and past the occupied rooms; while Roy made for the armoury, which seemed to be his study now. Ben was there, busy, and he looked up and nodded. "Master Pawson's soon settled down then, sir?" he said. "Oh, yes, Ben; he's good-tempered enough now." "Good job for him, sir. Can't have quarrelling in a garrison. I began to think he was going to mutiny outright, and if he'd shown his teeth any more, I suppose I should have had to remind him that there were some deep, dark dungeons underground as a first dose, and the stone gallows up at the far corner of the ramparts for the very worst cases." "But do you think that stone bar thing was ever used for executing people?" "Sure of it, sir; and there's the opening underneath leading down to that square patch beneath the walls." "But it may have been to hoist food or other things up during a siege." "Ah, it may have been, sir," said Ben, grimly; "but I don't quite see why they should have chosen to make it just over the bit of a patch of ground between the walls and the moat where you couldn't get the forage to without a boat, and when there were a gate-way and bridge. 'Sides, too, why should they pick the old burying-place of the castle?" "But that was not the old burying-place, surely, Ben?" "You ask Dick Grey, gardener, what he found when her ladyship wanted the ivy planted there to cover that bit o' wall. It was full of 'em." Roy shuddered. "That's so, sir. I expect in the old fighting days they used to bury 'em there; and as it's just under that there gallows, why, of course, it was used for traitors or spies as well. That reminds me, sir, as a lot of that ivy ought to be cut away. We don't want any one to make a ladder of it for getting into the place." "Leave it for the present. It could be torn down in an hour if there was any need."