Oswald arranged with Roger that, if the latter remained in the castle, he should always come down half an hour before the garrison were moving, as they might then exchange a word or two unseen; and accordingly, he took his place at an angle of a building, where he could keep his eye on the steps leading up to the battlements, on the north side.
Presently he saw Roger descending. He waved his hand, and caught his follower's eye; and the latter, on reaching the courtyard, at once joined him.
"I have a rope, Roger," Oswald began, "that will reach from the turret to the foot of the craig. I took it off during the night, and have just hidden it away behind a pile of rubbish, in the stable. Are the girls locked up?"
"Yes."
"Is there any getting the key?"
"No, William Baird himself keeps it."
"Then we must have something to force the door open, or to saw round the lock."
"The door is studded with iron."
"Are the windows barred?"
"No; but they are mere loopholes, and there is no getting through them."