'"And you all helped to deck out the house with flowers and garlands the day that the Duke made his first entry into Taunton?"
'"All but Mistress Sidney, who would have nought to do with it."
'Master Noakes stared at Henrietta, and then smiled disagreeably, and winked at his friend.
'"And pray, which among you worked this fine banner of yours?" was his next question.
'I suppose I did not quite realize the danger of our position even then, for I remember feeling more elated than frightened as I stepped forward with the seven other girls, all older than myself, who had joined in the embroidery of the banner.
'"What! My Lady Desmond too?" remarked this detestable man in his bold, familiar way. "Can your little ladyship really do such dainty handiwork?"
'"Yes, indeed, sir!" was my prompt and indignant reply. "I worked more than half the unicorn." Whereupon Master Noakes laughed, and Mrs. Fortescue gave a quick, uneasy glance towards me, as if somewhat anxious to hear what more I might be going to communicate. But Master Noakes asked no more of me just then. After putting one or two questions to some of the other girls, he turned to Mrs. Fortescue, saying:
'"Then, madam, as I notified to you just now, I am commanded to arrest yourself and all these ladies in the King's name. A guard will be placed in the house, and no member of the household will leave it until the King's pleasure be further known."
'Mrs. Fortescue only bent her head in reply to this speech; but I fancied that there was a look of relief in her face, as if she had expected something worse. We all stood in dead silence for some moments, hardly daring even to look at one another. Ph[oe]be's news had been only too true. We were all prisoners—prisoners in our own house! And what the King's pleasure would be with regard to our further disposal I longed to ask, but dared not. But the worst had not come, after all. The little man in black broke the silence first by rising and counselling Master Noakes to go on and make an end of the affair as speedily as possible, as he had work enough before him, and could afford to waste no more time. I thought that making an end of the affair must mean than they were going to take their departure, and leave us to the care of the aforesaid guard, the idea of which frightened me very much. But no; they were not going away. The worst had not come, after all. Master Noakes's next words made my heart beat so fast, that I thought I should be choked.
'"I have a graver charge yet to bring forward," he said in a much more peremptory tone than he had used hitherto. "Mistress Davenant, Mistress Sidney, and my little Lady Countess here, can you deny that you knew of Monmouth's treasonable schemes full three days before he landed at Lyme, and that you sent money to him through his agent, Colonel Dare?"