of Caspar from above; but if by any chance the mechanical bat should alight upon the head of another, mistress Doughty or lady Broughton instead of Amanda—­what then?  He was not sorry to find himself rescued from this jeopardy, and scarcely more than a minute had elapsed ere he had devised a plan by which to turn the check to the advantage of all—­even that of Amanda herself, towards whom, while he felt bound to bring her to shame should she prove guilty, he was yet willing to remember mercy; while, should she be innocent, no harm would now result from his mistaken suspicion.  He turned and whispered to his father.

‘I will back thee, lad.  Do as thou wilt,’ returned the marquis, gravely nodding his head.

‘Ushers of the hall,’ cried lord Herbert, ’close and lock both its doors.  Lock also the door to the minstrels’ gallery, and, with my lord’s leave, that to my lord’s stair.  My lord Charles, go thou prithee, and with chalk draw me a pentacle upon the threshold of each of the four; and do thou, sir Toby Mathews, make the holy sign thereabove upon the lintel and the doorposts.  For the door to the pitched court, however, leave that until I am gone forth and it is closed behind me, and then do thereunto the same as to the others, after which let all sit in silence.  Move not, neither speak, for any sound of fear or smell of horror.  For the gift that is in him from his mother, Thomas Rees shall accompany me.  Go to the door, and wait until I come.’

Having thus spoken he raised the bat towards his face, and, approaching his lips, seemed once more to be talking to it in whispers.  The menials and the garrison had no doubt but he talked to his familiar spirit.  Of their superiors, mistress Watson at least was of the same conviction.  Then he bent his ear towards it as if he were listening, and it began to flutter its wings, at which sir Toby’s faith in him began to waver.  A moment more and he cast the creature from him.  It flew aloft, traversed the whole length of the roof, and vanished.

It had in fact, as its master willed, alighted in the farthest corner of the roof, a little dark recess.  Then, bowing low to his father, the magician stepped down from the dais, and walked through a lane of awe-struck domestics and soldiery to the door, where Tom stood waiting his approach.  The fool was in a strange flutter of feelings, a conflict of pride and terror, the latter of which would, but for the former, have unnerved him quite; for not only was he doubtful of the magician’s intent with regard to himself, but the hall seemed now the only place of security, and all outside it given over to goblins or worse.

The moment they crossed the threshold, the door was closed behind them, the holy sign was signed over the one, and the pentacle drawn upon the other.