“I say again, sir,” replied the Duke of Berwick, “that those who abuse the trust reposed in them, so as to ruin their monarch’s honour, his character, and his reputation, are tenfold greater traitors than those who have stripped him of his crown.  There is but one excuse for your conduct, that you have acted with mistaken zeal rather than criminal intent.  But you have aggravated the guilt of your plans by concealing them till the last moment, not only from your King, but from your Commander-in-chief.  All here who hold commissions, or at least all but one or two, hold them under my hand as generalissimo of my father’s forces.  Those commissions authorize you to raise men for the service of your lawful sovereign, and to kill or take prisoner his enemies arrayed in arms against you, but to assassinate no man; and I feel heartily ashamed that any person leagued in this great cause with me, should not be able to distinguish between war and murder.  However, on these subjects let us speak no more at present, for there are matters even more important to be thought of I heard of this but yesterday morning, and at the imminent peril of my life have come to England to stop such deeds.  I sought you in London, Sir George Barkley, and have followed you hither; and from what I have heard, I have to tell you that your coming to England has been discovered, and that for the last four or five days a warrant has been out against you, without your knowing it.  This I learned, beyond all doubt, from my Lady Middleton.  There is reason, also, to believe that your whole designs are known, sirs, though it would seem all your names have not yet been obtained.  My advice, therefore, is, that you instantly disperse to different parts of the country, or effect your escape to France.  For you, Sir George, there is no chance but to retire to France at once, as the warrant is out.”

“It most fortunately happens,” said Sir George Barkley, “that a ship is on the point of sailing, and lies in the river here, under Dutch colours.  Your grace will, of course, go back in her?”

“No, sir,” replied the Duke—­“I shall go as I came, in an open boat.  But you have no time to lose, for I know that suspicion is attached to this spot.  In the first place, however, tell me, what you have here.  What new outrage is this that I have just seen attempted?  If I had not entered at the very moment, cold and cowardly bloodshed would have taken place five minutes ago.”

The Duke’s eyes were fixed upon Wilton as he spoke; and that gentleman, now seeing and understanding whom he had to deal with, put back the pistol into his belt, and advanced, saying,—­

“My lord, it is probable I owe my life to your inter-position; and to you the circumstances in which I am placed will be explained in a moment.  In your honour and integrity, I have confidence; but the murderous purpose which you have just disappointed shows how well I was justified in doubting the intentions of the men by whom I was but now surrounded.”