“I had heard my father speak of him, sir.”
“And so you planned all this and executed it yourself?”
“Yes, sir; I sent our lad off with a message to where the king’s men lay.”
“I need not ask, I suppose, whether you are telling the truth,” said the colonel, grimly.
“No, sir. Why should I tell a lie?” replied the girl, quietly; and she looked unflinchingly in her questioner’s face.
“And at the first opportunity, I suppose, you will betray us into the enemy’s hands?”
“Oh no, sir,” said the girl, with the tears in her eyes, as she glanced at Fred. “I would sooner try and save you, though you are the enemies of our king.”
“Silence, girl! there is no king now in England, only a man who calls himself king. A tyrant who has been driven from the throne.”
The girl flushed and held up her head.
“It is not true,” she cried, proudly. “God save the king!”