"To get them secreted in the great prison?"
"Yes."
"You shall hear. My foster-sister is the daughter of the head gaoler. Her lover is completely at her mercy, and he holds a superior post in the prison. It was the only condition upon which I could spare the brave boys' lives, and so they were forced to yield."
"And all this time we might have been spared the bitterest agony."
She hung her head.
"I know it, but I dared not speak sooner, for I feared to betray my friends."
"You may trust me," said Jack.
"I know it, for I have saved your boys."
* * * * *
They reached the prison.