"And how are our friends the Davis family?"
"Well, so far, save from suspense and anxiety. They hear nothing of Margaret and her husband, and Andrew hath been gone longer than usual."
"And did you see my dear mistress?"
"Yes, and her daughter. I wonder not at your regard for them. They are two most lovely ladies."
"But how did you gain audience?"
"Oh, as I told you, I had some pictures to sell, and certain East country trinkets of gold and ivory, such as the Dutch merchants now bring from China and the Indies. I had also a token for the Duke from a friend abroad which I had promised to deliver, and which gained me a private interview. All the rest was easy. But tell me, had you any notion of your conductor?"
I told him the fancy had crossed my mind, but I had dismissed it as too wild to be entertained.
"He seems to have thought of the adventure as a mere frolic," said mine uncle. "I do not think the idea of any personal risk ever crossed his mind."
"If it had, it would have made no difference," said I. "Men who know him well, say he is an utter stranger to fear. I would he were not, for he adventures his life needlessly in hunting and hawking, and he ought to be careful, if only for his family's sake."
The old lady I had seen the night before, now entered the room followed by a woman bearing a cloth and trenchers, who proceeded to set the board. I spoke to her, but she only shook her head.