'But say no more of him.

You know what has happened since, I suppose ?' 'I know that they say Monmouth is taken, Sir Thomas, but I can't think it true,' answered Swetman.
'O zounds! 'tis true enough,' cried the knight, 'and that's not all.

The Duke was executed on Tower Hill two days ago.' 'D'ye say it verily ?' says Swetman.
'And a very hard death he had, worse luck for 'n,' said Sir Thomas.
'Well, 'tis over for him and over for my brother.

But not for the rest.
There'll be searchings and siftings down here anon; and happy is the man who has had nothing to do with this matter!' Now Swetman had hardly heard the latter words, so much was he confounded by the strangeness of the tidings that the Duke had come to his death on the previous Tuesday.

For it had been only the night before this present day of Friday that he had seen his former guest, whom he had ceased to doubt could be other than the Duke, come into his chamber and fetch away his accoutrements as he had promised.
'It couldn't have been a vision,' said Christopher to himself when the knight had ridden on.