She had no intention of entering the tower, only to show
herself in the ruins; surely if Martin were in hiding there he would
contrive some means to let her know. Still humming the ballad, slightly
louder than before, she went a little farther into the ruins, and
stopped by a piece of fallen stone-work which had constantly afforded
her a resting-place. It was here that Gilbert Crosby had caught his foot
and stumbled last night as he and Martin had run from their pursuers; it
was just here that the swords had first clashed, and the men had run
eagerly together upon their prey; here, probably, a little later, Sydney
Fellowes had given Lord Feversham's message to Lord Rosmore. Barbara
would go no further. If men were watching they should see that she had
no intention of entering the tower.
As she sat down she saw close by the stone, half trampled into the loose
dust which surrounded it, a piece of cloth or linen, cut sharply, it
seemed. The work of one of those clashing swords, Barbara thought, as
she stooped and drew it out of the dust, and then a little
half-strangled cry escaped her. It was a piece of coarse silk, brown in
colour.
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