Mace was puzzled, for she could not comprehend her father's manner. He had never been more tender and affectionate, but there was something behind which troubled her.

Sir Mark left at last, to her great relief, and for the next fortnight she was as joyous as a bird, singing about the house, and in the highest of spirits, when, to her horror, the guest returned, accompanied by a dozen well-armed followers, who proved to be artisans, and began work the very next morning, assisting the founder's staff.

Then by degrees it leaked out that Sir Mark had brought a great order from the King for guns and their ammunition--an order that must lead to wealth for the founder, who was busy almost night and day.

At the end of another week half-a-score more men arrived, to be distributed through the village, lodging with different workmen, whom they assisted during the day.

They were nominally in the founder's service, and he paid them their weekly wage, but they looked to Sir Mark for guidance in all else saving the work at the foundry, and to Master Cobbe came plenty of complaints.

For Roehurst was no longer what it had been. Sir Mark's followers brought with them London ways, and an amount of freedom which the founder's men had on more than one occasion to resent; though certain maidens, notably Janet, at the Pool-house, and Polly, the handmaid of Mistress Anne, thought that the place had never been so gay and bright before.

And all the time the furnaces roared and made liquid the iron from the hills which had grown the wood-coal that supplied the heat, while careful moulds were made by the founder himself, who watched the casting of every piece.

Then powder was made in large quantities, and carefully stowed away in Master Cobbe's magazine, a cool, deep, stone cavern, half natural, half cut in the soft sand-rock.

From being generally calm and peaceful, the place now grew to be like a busy hive. Nearly every day Mace shuddered as the casements rattled with the explosion of some great piece which was being tested, and in this part of the business Sir Mark took great interest himself. Butts were made, and targets set up for practice, and one by one great black howitzers were turned out, considered perfect, and then placed aside ready for sending to London, or to one of the shipping-ports upon the coast.

Every now and then came a messenger from some one high in authority in the great city, and the despatch he bore was duly perused and replied to by Sir Mark; who passed the greater part of his time at the foundry, but paid occasional visits to the Moat, where he was always most courteously received. There were cold grave looks for the young knight at the Pool-house, but always smiles and side-long glances at the Moat; but somehow the cold, grave looks only inflamed his passion, while the sight of Mistress Anne begat dislike.

But she knew well enough how to play her part, and though after Sir Mark's departure Polly had her ears well boxed for the first remark she made--Dame Beckley fled to her garden of simples to seek for peace, as if it were some cunning plant--and Sir Thomas blew out his cheeks, opened his eyes, and then went into his sanctum to study the King's work on witchcraft--the tremendous storms that arose never spread outside the precincts of the Moat, and Sir Mark believed the lady to be simplicity and gentleness itself.

These visits of Sir Mark brought wealth to one inhabitant of Roehurst, to wit, Mother Goodhugh, who always received a visit from Anne Beckley directly after the visitor had left; when the old woman, who had been cunning enough to learn all the news of the place, was ready enough in pointing out how matters were working for her good.

"Don't be afraid, dearie," she said one day, after going through a good deal of mummery. "That spell seemed to point to the fact that Captain Gil was to be thy lord, but his terrible crime has changed all that, and Sir Mark will marry thee."

"But he is always there!" cried Anne.

"Well, child, is it not to be near to thee? Don't you fear. Ask thy maiden Polly to question Janet Burger, and she will learn that Mace and Sir Mark hardly meet, and when they do she be as cold as so much ice."

"Yes," said Anne; "that is true enough."

"And how did you know, dearie?"

"I bade Polly question Janet."

"Then you see how right I am, my child. Oh, yes; it will all work right. Trust me, the gallant youth be only down here that he may be near to thee."

A few days later Anne Beckley arrived at the cottage with flaming eyes.

"Mother Goodhugh," she cried, "you failed before, but now you must try, and try well, to work some spell on that creature at the Pool."

"And why, child?"

"Because I hear it said that Sir Mark is going to marry her."

"Tchch! nonsense! What put that silly notion in thine head?"

"It is true. It came from Janet."

"Oh, pay no heed to her, my dearie. Only trust to me and all will come right in the end."

"But, mother," began Anne, impatiently.

"Nay, nay, child, all you have to do is to wait and see. I promise thee again that thy gallant shall never wed Jeremiah Cobbe's child; and it will be well for her if she does not perish at the stake."

Anne Beckley looked curiously at the old woman, who met her eyes with a malicious leer.

"Ay, ay," she said, laughing; "you're thinking some one else might perish there, but we keep our own secrets, child, and we shall not denounce one another. Besides, our little spells are only innocent love affairs, and we keep our own counsel, dearie, only too well. Ah, I shall be glad to see thee happily wedded to the man of thy choice, and then the present you make me will keep me to the end of my days."

It was with a strange sense of uneasiness that the two women parted; Anne biting one of her fingers as she told herself that she was an idiot to listen to the drivellings of that old woman, and yet feeling a curious superstitious dread of her, and belief that she could exercise some influence on her destiny.

"Let her mind, though," she muttered: "let her be careful how she behaves to me. I could denounce her as a witch, only she is very dangerous; but what did she mean by saying _we_ and _one another_? She dare not say I join with her."

On the other side Mother Goodhugh watched her out of sight, and then entered her cottage, shaking her fist threateningly in the direction Anne had taken, and a laugh of no very pleasant kind escaped her lips.

"There are other philtres besides love-philtres, my dear," she said; "and if she thinks that she will crush me she will make a great mistake."

Mother Goodhugh might laugh the words of Janet to scorn, but that astute maiden had eyes and ears always on the _qui vive_ for fresh news. She gave a great deal of her attention to one or another of Sir Mark's followers, but all the same there was a willing smile for Sir Mark himself when he condescended to notice her, which was not seldom; and in spite of the freedom of her own temperament, and the liberality with which she would bestow a favour upon first one and then another, she was jealous enough in disposition to angrily resent Sir Mark's attentions to her mistress. Hence it was that she was often on the watch, and always on the listen, with the result that by degrees she saw the founder after a hard fight gradually give way to the pressure brought to bear.

For a long time Mace could not believe it, but by degrees her eyes became opened to the fact that Sir Mark was daily getting more influence over her father.

Naturally avaricious, the founder could not withstand the temptations thrown in his way by his guest, who was diplomatic enough to be content with a little advance at a time.

The founder held out for a while, and told himself that he would not submit to this upstart from court; but, as he went over again and again the position in which he stood, he could not help seeing how troublous might be the condition into which he could be brought by an enemy.

At first he did not scruple to call his visitor an enemy, and a bitter enemy, but by degrees the thoughts of gaining thousands, of occupying the position of first ordnance-founder to the King, softened him, and the effect of Sir Mark's words was shown in his saying to himself that it was after all but a fair thing for a man in love to try all he could to win the object of his choice.

It was the entry of the enemy into the outer works of the founder's fortress, and as Sir Mark quietly went on sapping and mining so did Jeremiah Cobbe give way.

"I want to do the best I can for my child," he said to himself, one evening, as he stood watching the great wheel go round. "She must not listen to Gil Carr, for that would be destroying her young life, even if he should prove to be innocent. No, that would never do, and she is getting weaned from him. He's a fine fellow, but not good enough to be my darling's mate."

Then over his pipe at night he sat and considered, after Sir Mark had left him, their converse for the evening having probably been of the merits of iron or brass pieces, for the guest was cunning enough to see that with patience the besieged would fall. How would it be if he did give way? This Sir Mark was haughty, and over-bearing, and proud, but he was a gentleman, high in favour at court. He was poor certainly, but he could give his wife a great position.

"And he was honest over it," said the founder, refilling his pipe; "I like him for that. He said he had no money. Humph, perhaps he'd like to get hold of mine! Well, and if he did he'd put me in the way of making more. First ordnance-founder to his Majesty King James!

"No--no--no!" he cried, rising to go to bed, "I'll not give way. It would be like selling her, and I love her too well for that."

It was clever, the way in which Sir Mark flattered the founder's vanity.

There might have been no Mace in the world, only that he was courteous and reverent to her in the extreme when they met at meals, for he never mentioned her name, but followed the founder like a shadow, inquiring into the toughness of this iron and that, and delighting his dupe by laying aside his showy doublet to take part in the trial of some piece, to come away as besmirched with powder as Gil himself.

"There's stuff in the fellow," said the founder; "and I blame him for what is, after all, only his education."

The fortress was beginning to give way.

"Courts have their peculiarities, and he, fresh from ordering and commanding, thought he could do as he liked with me. It was fine, too, the way he whipped out his sword when I damned the King."

The founder laughed heartily, and wiped the tears out of his eyes, for he was again sitting alone before retiring for the night.

"Well, it was brave and true of him. A man who would risk his life like that for the honour of his master must be a noble gentleman at heart, and would make a good husband."