Cuthbert’s face was grave and troubled.

“And waiting for that, she may well be done to death within those walls, as I should have been had I not fled.  I am in trouble of heart anent my sister.  I pray she may find her way to me yet in the free forest!”

Philip started and looked surprised.

“Is there likelihood of that?”

“I know not.  I bid her come if our father should grow more harsh, and told her where I likeliest might be found.  I purpose to dwell for a while myself in the forest, albeit thou wouldst mock me if thou knewest the wherefore.”

“To search for the lost treasure, I doubt not,” said Philip with a smile, remembering the talk of the autumn previous.  “Marry thou hast my best wishes for a happy quest.  But what couldst thou do with a tender maid out in the woods with thee?”

“I scarce know that myself; but anything would be better than life with a madman—­as I trow our father is like to become an he change not his habit of life.  Belike I would take her to mine uncle on the bridge; yet perchance he would not thank me for adding to his charges.

“If we had other relatives—­”

“Why, and so ye have, even as we have.  Hast never heard of my Lady Humbert and Mistress Dowsabel Wyvern?  They must be kinsfolk of thine as well as of ours, and they dwell not very far distant from here, albeit I myself have never visited them.”

Cuthbert raised his head and looked eagerly at Philip.

“I would know more of that,” he said.

“It is not much I can tell thee.  This Lady Humbert is a widow, and is sister to that Gertrude Wyvern who was my grandam and thy aunt.  Mistress Dowsabel is her younger sister; and albeit they are both now of a good old age, they dwell together, with only servants for company, in a house thou wouldst have passed on the road to London hadst thou not taken the lonelier way across the heath.  My father and mother go each year to see after their welfare, and a letter comes now and again from them with greetings or questions.  We of the younger generation have never been to visit them, since they are too old to wish for the presence of the young, and love not to see the changeless current of their lives interrupted.  I remember that of old, when we were in disgrace for some prank, our grandam would shake her head at us and vow we should be sent to her sister Dowsabel for chastisement, and stay with her till we learned better manners.  So we have grown up in the fancy that these kinswomen be something stern and redoubtable ladies.  Nevertheless, if thou wast to put thy sister beneath their care, I trow they would receive her with kindness and treat her well, and she would scarce regret the Gate House were the captivity never so hard.  Nor would Nicholas Trevlyn be like to seek her there, though at the Chase he would find her at once, were we to strive to aid her flight as we aided thine.”

Cuthbert saw this plainly, and asked a few more eager questions about these ladies and where they might be found.  He hardly knew whether or not he expected Petronella to flee away to him, but at least it would do no harm to be prepared in case she did so.