"Not yet," I said, folding her more closely to me; and I should have held her so if the lord of the manor were walking toward us through the garden.
"Be brave," I continued, "and be here to-night as soon as you can after the inmates of the house have retired to rest. I shall wait until you come, and I shall be ready to take you to a place of safety. You can come, can you not?"
"Yes, I think so, if I am not suspected of anything now. And can you take me away, Jasper? You will not allow them to harm you, will you? Oh, I will not be taken away now I know you are alive."
"Do not fear, my little maid," I said, "I will take you away. You shall not be carried off by any priests to a convent. There, go now." And I held her to me more closely.
But I let her go at length with many warning words and many expressions of my love. It was like pulling my heart out to see her walk away from me, but I comforted myself that I would take her away when the next night came. Then I climbed the wall again, and made my way toward the inn, strangely glad, yet with many misgivings, for I was sore afraid lest I had acted foolishly in not taking her with me even then.
As I passed the front of the Manor House I caught a glimpse of a frocked priest, and from the look on his face I fancied he suspected me of something. But I paid little heed to him. I went back to the inn to make my plans for rescuing Naomi. I did not know then that Naomi and I had been watched all the time we had been together by a wily priest.