It was responded to by a rush of feet in the guardroom, and Crispin had but time to dart in after his companion and close the door ere the troopers poured out into the hall and up the stairs, with confused shouts that something must be amiss.
Within the room that sheltered him Crispin chuckled, as he ran his hand along the edge of the door until he found the bolt, and softly shot it home.
"'Slife," he muttered, "'twas a close thing! Aye, shout, you cuckolds," he went on.

"Yell yourselves hoarse as the crows you are! You'll hang us where Gives are hanged, will you ?" Kenneth tugged at the skirts of his doublet.

"What now ?" he inquired.
"Now," said Crispin, "we'll leave by the window, if it please you." They crossed the room, and a moment or two later they had dropped on to the narrow railed pathway overlooking the river, which Crispin had observed from their prison window the evening before.

He had observed, too, that a small boat was moored at some steps about a hundred yards farther down the stream, and towards that spot he now sped along the footpath, followed closely by Kenneth.

The path sloped in that direction, so that by the time the spot was reached the water flowed not more than six feet or so beneath them.