But I needed to think about what I had learned. I walked up past Staples Inn and into Holborn. My head churned with uncomfortable thoughts. Mistress Sneyd had ordered me from her sight, cursing me for the news I had brought her. The best she could hope for now was a life of drudgery. As for the worst, that depended on Master Williamson and his masters. It was possible that the government would order Mistress Sneyd’s arrest after I had made my report. If the worst came to the worst, I thought, they might also think it prudent to place my father in custody again. I had little doubt that another dose of confinement would kill him. But he was an obvious target for their suspicion. He was not only a Fifth Monarchy man but he had also known Sneyd. Anything to do with Fifth Monarchists concerned the authorities. They must be aware as well as I was that Fifth Monarchy men had always held 1666 to be a year of great importance, for 666 was the number of the Great Beast in the Book of Revelation.
