The following day they spent in amusement in the town of St. Albans.  Never were two men more active in the pursuit of pleasure than they.  Lord Claud presented himself at the door of many a fine house, never failing to obtain an eager welcome both for himself and his friend.  They spent the whole day in a round of amusement, making themselves mightily popular with their companions.  They remained until hard upon ten o’clock in one house, and from thence returned straight to their inn, which was already shut up and dark, although the door had been left open for their return.

Up to their room they went, and there Lord Claud’s manner suddenly changed.  He seemed to throw off his careless gaiety as if it had been a garment, and at once the lines of his face began to change and harden.  His eyes gleamed with a steady fire, and his voice lost all its soft indolence of tone.

He went to a cupboard, which he unlocked, and there Tom saw two bundles which appeared to contain clothes, and two saddles and bridles, which he knew had come from Lord Claud’s stables.

He looked from them to Lord Claud in questioning wonder.

“How got they there?”

“We brought them with us—­secreted in the carriage.  Now, Tom, we must no longer delay.  We have stern and quick work to do this night; and then back to London with the reward that is ours by right, though they force us to take it by violence.  The people here will swear that we slept this night within doors.  You saw the landlord look out of his window as we entered to make sure who we were.  He will be in bed now, sleeping the sleep of the just.  You may be sure he will wake no more till five of the clock; and long ere that we shall be back—­our work accomplished.

“Off with those fine trappings, and put on these clothes.  Then to saddle the nags, and so steal forth.  I know all the tricks of the locks; we shall have nought to stay us.”

Whilst he was speaking Lord Claud was unrolling one of the bundles, and quickly transforming himself into such a creature as Tom had never seen before, though he had heard such described many times.  His fine clothes were exchanged for a strong shabby riding suit of common cut and texture, that presented no distinct features, and would be most difficult either to describe or identify.  He had a great pair of horse pistols stuck in his belt, and also wore a dangerous-looking weapon—­something between a sword and a cutlass.  His golden hair was tucked away beneath the collar of his coat, and his head was covered by a frowzy dark wig, that looked like untrimmed natural hair.  He quickly blackened his face with soot from the chimney, and put on a black crape mask.

A more villainous-looking creature, and one more utterly unlike Lord Claud, the exquisite, it would be hard to imagine.  It appeared to Tom as though even his figure had shrunk and become smaller.  If he had not seen the metamorphosis with his own eyes, he would not have believed that it was his comrade who now stood before him.