in a
copse three hundred yards away, bound, gagged, stabbed in a dozen places.
    Who had done this? Suspicion fell upon a humble family of the neighborhood
who had been lately treated with peculiar harshness by the baron; and from these
people the suspicion easily extended itself to their relatives and familiars. A
suspicion was enough; my lord's liveried retainers proclaimed an instant crusade
against these people, and were promptly joined by the community in general. The
woman's husband had been active with the mob, and had not returned home until
nearly dawn. He was gone, now, to find out what the general result had been.
While we were still talking, he came back from his quest. His report was
revolting enough. Eighteen persons hanged or butchered; and two yeomen and
thirteen prisoners lost in the fire.
    »And how many prisoners were there altogether, in the vaults?«
    »Thirteen.«
    »Then every one of them was lost.«
    »Yes, all.«
    »But the people arrived in time to save the family; how is it they could
save none of the prisoners?«
    The man looked puzzled, and said:
    »Would one unlock the vaults at such a time? Marry, some would have
escaped.«
    »Then you mean that nobody did unlock them?«
    »None went near them, either to lock or unlock. It standeth to reason that
the bolts were fast; wherefore it was only needful to establish a watch, so that
if any broke the bonds he might not escape, but be taken. None were taken.«
    »Natheless, three did escape,« said the king, »and ye will do well to
publish it and set justice upon their track, for these murthered the baron and
fired the house.«
    I was just expecting he would come out with that. For a moment the man and
his wife showed an eager interest in this news and an impatience to go out and
spread it; then a sudden something else betrayed itself in their faces, and they
began to ask questions. I answered the questions myself, and narrowly watched
the effects produced. I was soon satisfied that the knowledge of who these three
prisoners were, had somehow changed the atmosphere; that our hosts' continued
eagerness to go and spread the news was now only pretended and not real. The
king did not notice the change, and I was glad of that. I worked the
conversation around toward other details of the night's proceedings, and noted
that these people were relieved to have it take that direction.