“I believe the government have had the clue in their hands for some time,” replied Wilton, “but have only availed themselves of it lately.”

“Have you heard any one named, Wilton?” demanded the Duke again; “any of those who are taken, or any of those who are suspected?”

“Sir John Friend has been arrested this morning,” replied Wilton; “a person named Cranburne, and another called Rookwood.  I heard the names of those who are suspected also read over.”

“Then I adjure you, my dear young friend,” cried the Duke, starting up, and grasping his hand in great agitation—­“I adjure you, by all the regard that exists between us, and all that you have done for me and my poor child, to tell me if my name was amongst the rest.”

“No, it certainly was not,” replied Wilton; and as he spoke, the Duke suffered himself to sink back into his chair again, with a long and relieved sigh.

The moment Wilton had uttered his reply, however, he recollected that there was one name in the list at which Lord Byerdale had hesitated; and he then feared that he might be leading the Duke into error.  Knowing, however, that Laura’s father had been but at one of the meetings of the conspirators, and being perfectly sure, that, startled and dismayed by what he had heard of their plans, he had instantly withdrawn from all association with them, he did not doubt that no serious danger could exist in his case, and therefore thought it unnecessary to agitate his mind, by suggesting the doubt which had suddenly come into his own.

He knew, indeed, that any alarm which the Duke might feel, would but make Laura’s father lean more entirely day by day upon him, who, with the exception of the conspirators themselves, was the only person who possessed the dangerous secret which caused him so much agitation.  But Wilton was not a man to consider his own interests in any such matter, and he determined, after a moment’s consideration, to say nothing of the doubts which had just arisen.  A pause had ensued, however, for the Duke, busied with his own feelings, had suffered his thoughts to run back into the past; and, as is the case with every human being whose mind dwells upon the acts that are irrevocable, he found matter for sorrow and regret.  After about five minutes’ silence, during which they both continued to gaze thoughtfully into the fire, the Duke returned to the matter before them by saying—­

“I wish to heavens, my dear young friend, I had taken your advice, and not gone to this meeting at all; or that you had given me a fuller intimation of what was intended.”

“I could not, indeed, my lord,” replied Wilton, “for I had no fuller knowledge myself; I only conveyed to you a message I had received.”

The Duke shook his head doubtingly.  “Oh!  Wilton, Wilton!” he said, “you are training for a statesman!  You have much better information of all these things than you will suffer to appear.  Did you not warn me of this before any one else knew anything of it?  Did you not in a very short time find out where Laura was when nobody else could?”