“Well, well, perhaps, John, you might, but you must speak no more of violence; I charge you, speak no more of it.  We will, in the meantime, go to his lordship and submit the matter to him, and be guided thereafter by his advice.”

Having said this, Lady Rae directed her steps to the jail, and, closely followed by M’Kay, was soon after in the apartment of the prisoner.

Lord Rae having been apprised by his lady of the result of her interview with Cromwell, a secret consultation between the two, which lasted nearly an hour, ensued.

During this consultation, many different plans for effecting the liberation of the prisoner were suggested, and, after being duly weighed, abandoned as impracticable.  One at length, however, was adopted, and this one was proposed by M’Kay; it was characteristic of the man, and came as close in its nature to his original one as he durst presume upon.

This plan, which was a simple enough one, was to seize the two guards at the outside of the door, and to hold them fast until Lord Rae should have rushed past them and got out of the prison.  The turnkey at the outer door, who, as has been already said, was a little slender man, his lordship was to seize and throw down, and then get over the little half-door, which was under his guardianship, the best way he could.  A row of short, sharp pikes, however, with which it was fenced on its upper edge, rendered this a formidable difficulty; but it was thought that it might, to speak literally, be got over by the aid of a long form which stood on one side of the passage of the jail, for the accommodation of visitors.

All this trouble a touch of the key would have saved; but this the little man always carried in his pocket, never allowing it to remain in the lock an instant, however frequent or numerous his visitors might be.

The securing of the two guards at the prisoner’s door, by far the most serious part of the business, M’Kay took upon himself, and with a degree of confidence that sufficiently showed how well he was aware of his own surpassing strength.

This plan of proceedings arranged, it was resolved that it should be put in execution that very afternoon.  On that afternoon, accordingly, John M’Kay again appeared at the jail door, demanding admittance to his master.  The door was immediately thrown open to him by the little turnkey, whom he now for the first time addressed in a friendly tone.

The same change of manner marked his salutation to the guards at the door of his master’s apartment.  To these he spoke in the most civil and obliging terms possible.  The men, who had often winced under his savage growls and fierce looks, wondered at the change, but were glad enough to meet with it in place of his former ferocity.

John, after talking for a few minutes with the sentinels, went into his lordship’s room.  The latter was dressed, and ready for the bold proceeding about to be adopted.  “Think you you can manage them, John?” said his lordship in a whisper, after the door had been secured in the inside.