“As I know this one, my lord—I lived in it for twenty years in my young days; even now I could go blindfolded from gate to highest turret.”
“Is this plan accurate now? See, here is the gateway, and this is the keep.”
“I understand, sir.”—He studied it for a little while, following the lines with his finger, and muttering brokenly to himself, under his breath. “Yes, Your Highness, it’s about the same, except that here is an outer building for servants, and here a storehouse; and the arrangement of the rooms in the main part is some different, particularly on the second floor, where several have been made out of one; but the stairway and hall are still as they always were. Indeed, sir, there has been small change or improvement since long before the present lord’s father died. Duke Ferdinand had never visited it for more than a score of years, until a few weeks ago, just a little while before our gracious master was called——”
The old man was garrulous; so far, age had not missed him; and here the Archduke interrupted.
“Jessac,” he said kindly, “you have made all that very clear; now can you tell us if there is any secret passage in the castle?”
“One, sir,” was the prompt answer; “leastwise, I know one, there may be others.”
“And it?”
“From the library to the postern gate, near the west tower—this is it, sir,” indicating the line on the plan; “many is the time I’ve used it, his lordship being absent, when I wanted to get out at night; indeed, sir, there is a key to the postern still here, as well as duplicates to almost every door. They were not surrendered when King Henry gave the place to the late Duke—all the locks had been changed shortly before that. Would Your Highness care to see the keys?—they are in the armory.”
“Bring them here,” said the Constable quickly.... “I know by experience, sir, that if Jessac get you into the armory, you won’t escape for hours; he has a story for every piece in it, and wants to tell them all.”
The old man came back, a dozen large keys jangling; and laid them on the table.