Lackington nodded.
"A few questions on a matter of state."
He drew from his pouch a paper signed by Sir Francis authorising him as an agent, for one month, and dated three days back; and handed it to Hubert.
"I obtained that from Sir Francis on Monday, as you will see. You can trust me implicitly."
"Will the business take long?" asked Hubert, handing the paper back.
"No, Mr. Maxwell; and I must be gone in an hour in any case. I have to be at Rye at noon to-morrow; and I must sleep at Mayfield to-night."
"At Rye," said Hubert, "why I came from there yesterday."
Lackington bowed again, as if he were quite aware of this; but said nothing.
"Then I will sup here," went on Hubert, "and we will talk meantime."
When a place had been laid for him, he drew his chair round to the table and began to eat.
"May I begin at once?" asked Lackington, who had finished.
Hubert nodded.
"Then first I believe it to be a fact that you spoke with Mistress Isabel Morris on board the _Elizabeth_ at Rye on the tenth of August last."
Hubert had started violently at her name; but did his utmost to gain outward command of himself again immediately.
"Well?" he said.
--"And with Master Anthony Norris, lately made a priest beyond the seas."
"That is a lie," said Hubert.
Lackington politely lifted his eyebrows.
"Indeed?" he said. "That he was made a priest, or that you spoke with him?"
"That I know aught of him," said Hubert. His heart was beating furiously.
Lackington made a note rather ostentatiously; he could see that Hubert was frightened, and thought that it was because of a possible accusation of having dealings with a traitor.
"And as regards Mistress Norris," he said judicially, with his pencil raised, "you deny having spoken with her?"
Hubert was thinking furiously. Then he saw that Lackington knew too much for its being worth his own while to deny it.
"No, I never denied that," he said, lifting his fork to his mouth; and he went on eating with a deliberate ease as Lackington again made a note.
The next question was a home-thrust.
"Where are they both now?" asked Lackington, looking at him. Hubert"s mind laboured like a mill.
"I do not know," he said.
"You swear it?"
"I swear it."
"Then Mistress Norris has changed her plans?" said Lackington swiftly.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Why she told you where they were going when you met?" said the other in a remonstrating tone.
Hubert suddenly saw the game. If the authorities really knew that, it would have been a useless question. He stared at Lackington with an admirable vacancy.
"Indeed she did not," he said. "For aught I know, they--she is in France again."
"They?" said Lackington shrewdly. "Then you do know somewhat of the priest?"
But Hubert was again too sharp.
"Only what you told me just now, when you said he was at Rye. I supposed you were telling the truth."
Lackington pa.s.sed his hand smoothly over his mouth and beard, and smiled.
Either Hubert was very sharp or else he had told everything; and he did not believe him sharp.
"Thank you, Mr. Maxwell," he said, with a complete dropping of his judicial manner. "I will not pretend not to be disappointed; but I believe what you say about France is true; and that it is no use looking for him further."
Hubert experienced an extraordinary relief. He had saved Isabel. He drank off a gla.s.s of claret. "Tell me everything," he said.
"Well," said Lackington, "Mr. Thomas Hamon is my informant. He sent up to Sir Francis the message that a lady of the name of Norris had been introduced to him at Rye; because he thought he remembered some stir in the county several years ago about some reconciliations to Rome connected with that name. Of course we knew everything about that: and we have our agents at the seminaries too; so we concluded that she was one of our birds; the rest, of course, was guesswork. Mr. Norris has certainly left Douai for England; and he may possibly even now be in England; but from your information and others", I now believe that Mistress Isabel came across first, and that she found the country too hot, what with the Spaniards and all; and that she returned to France at once. Of course during that dreadful week, Mr. Maxwell, we could not be certain of all vessels that came and went; so I think she just slipped across again; and that they are both waiting in France. We shall keep good watch now at the ports, I can promise you."
Hubert"s emotions were varied during this speech. First shame at having entirely forgotten the mayor of Rye and his own introduction of Isabel to him; then astonishment at the methods of Walsingham"s agents; and lastly intense triumph and relief at having put them off Isabel"s track. For Anthony, too, he had nothing but kindly feelings; so, on the whole, he thought he had done well for his friends.
The two talked a little longer; Lackington was a stimulating companion from both his personality and his position; and Hubert found himself almost sorry when his companion said he must be riding on to Mayfield. As he walked out with him to the front door, he suddenly thought of Mr.
Buxton again and his reception in the afternoon. They had wandered in their conversation so far from the Norrises by now that he felt sure he could speak of him without doing them any harm. So, as they stood on the steps together, waiting for Lackington"s horse to come round, he suddenly said:
"Do you know aught of one Buxton, who lives somewhere near Tonbridge, I think?"
"Buxton, Buxton?" said the other.
"I met him in town once," went on Hubert smoothly; "a little man, dark, with large eyes, and looks somewhat like a Frenchman."
"Buxton, Buxton?" said the other again. "A Papist, is he not?"
"Yes," said Hubert, hoping to get some information against him.
"A friend?" asked Lackington.