"I do not understand Your Highness's words," said Royston.
The Prince crossed the room to the outer door, and, with his hand upon it: "I shall presently explain them," he said, and so went out into the gallery.
"Ned," I cried, so soon as he was gone, "I will tell him all!"
"That you shall not," he replied.
"How much does he know?" I asked, trembling as I spoke.
"I cannot tell," answered Ned. "But to tell him all in this mood will but harm you and yours; perhaps lead to Philip's capture, and yet do me no service. He will never pass over this one thing,—that I did let your brother go. And he will know that soon enough, telling or none."
And here the door opening again, we were perforce silent. I could hear His Highness's last few words to the sentry, spoken in a tongue I took to be Dutch, because I did not understand it, but, among them occurring the names Schomberg, Bentinck, De Rondiniacque, I guessed he had summoned those gentlemen to attend him. Then His Highness returned into the chamber, and for a while we stood silent, regarding one another as the footsteps of the sentry died away down the gallery.
At last Royston would have spoken. "Your Highness—" he began.
But the Prince interrupted him. "Be silent," he said, "and wait."
So in silence we waited, but how long I do not know. At length came M. de Rondiniacque, to be soon followed by Count Schomberg and Mr. Bentinck. These two had, it appeared, resumed their clothes in haste, and concealed the disorder of their attire each in long horse-cloaks, even as His Highness had done. And in these three stern figures of Prince, soldier, and statesman, close wrapped to the chin in dark and twisted folds of cloth, there was, I thought, an awful likeness to the bench of judges that sat in Hades.