And this very night we made our plans, and she put a concoction of herbs into his nightly potion, which caused him to sleep too sound to awake for any sound within or without the house.

Then we softly stole away without let or hindrance--she to go to the Chase, I to walk across the moorland and forest as thou hadst bidden me, to find thee here." "And thou didst arm thyself ere thou wentest forth ?" She looked up with strange earnestness into his face.
"I know not if the thought were sin, Cuthbert," she said, "but as I slipped through the dark house ere our flight, my eyes fell upon that pair of heavy pistols always loaded that our father keeps ever on the mantle shelf of the hall.

I thought of the lessons thou hadst given me in old days, and knew I could pull the trigger were I so minded, and send the bullet whizzing through the air.

I had no thought of harming any man as I put forth my hand and took one of the weapons.

I was thinking rather of myself.