Wilton kissed her hand affectionately, replying, “Fear not on that account, dear Laura; fear not on that account.  Your father is no longer a prisoner.—­My lord duke, there is the warrant for your liberation, signed by the King’s own hand, and properly countersigned.”

The Duke clasped his hands together, and looked up to heaven with eyes full of thankfulness, and Laura’s joy also burst forth in tears.  But she saw that Wilton remained sad and cold; and mistaking the cause, she turned quickly to her father, saying, “Oh, my dear father, in this moment of joy, make him who has given us so much happiness happy also.  Tell him, tell him, my dear father, that you will not, that you cannot think of refusing him your child after all that he has done for us.”

“No, no, Laura,” cried the Duke:  “you shall be his—­”

But Wilton interrupted him; and throwing his arms round Lady Laura, pressed her for a moment to his heart, took one long ardent kiss, and then turning to the Duke, said, “Pardon me, my lord duke!—­It is the last!  Nay, do not interrupt me, for I have a task to perform which requires all the firmness I can find to accomplish it.  On seeing Lord Byerdale yesterday, he told me of the whole arrangements which he had made with you, and of the plan for your escape he showed me that, according to the note which he had written to the governor of the Tower, concerning the marriage between your daughter and myself, your escape could not be effected till the ceremony had taken place, as it was assigned as the cause for our leaving the Tower so late at night.  He made me pledge myself not to disclose his part in the scheme to any one; and he then said that he would tell me the secret of my birth, if I would plight my honour not to reveal it till after your safety was secure.  I pledged myself, and he told me all.  I now found, my lord, that you and I had both been most shamefully deceived—­deceived for the purpose, I do believe, of revenging on you and Lady Laura her former rejection of Lord Sherbrooke by driving her to marry a person altogether inferior to herself in station.  You will see that he had placed me in the most difficult of all positions.  If I carried out his plan of escape, I knowingly made use of his deceit to gain for myself the greatest earthly happiness.  If I revealed to you what he told me, I broke my pledged word, and at the same time gave you no choice, but either unwillingly to give me your daughter’s hand, or to remain, and risk the chance of longer imprisonment and trial.  If I held off and disappointed you in your escape, I again broke my word to Lady Laura.  You may conceive the agony of my mind during last night.  There was but one hope of my being able to escape dishonour, though it was a very slight one.  I determined to go to the King himself.  I engaged a gentleman to go with me, who has some influence; and this morning we presented ourselves at Hampton Court, His Majesty was graciously pleased to receive