138 REIGN OF ELIZABETH. [CH. 53. Queen of Scots herself was carefully kept in sight. She had affected illness and had desired to be alone ; but Shrewsbury by this time understood her and felt more suspicion than alarm. So matters stood with them when Westmoreland was arranging his plans for her rescue. Another day or night would have seen the attempt made, for the Earls knew how much depended on it ; but, on the 23 rd of November, a courier dashed in from London with an order for the Queen of Scots' instant removal to Coven- try. It was a delicate matter to take her anywhere.
- The more she was seen and acquainted with, the greater
the danger/ The commission too had been sent to Huntingdon alone, and Shrewsbury's pride was again wounded at the seeming distrust. He refused to leave his charge, irritating Huntingdon by implying a doubt that the Queen of Scots' life would not be safe with Vim. In this humour they got to horse together, took their prisoner between them, with a mounted escort of four hundred men, and so made their best speed to War- wickshire. They rode into Coventry ' at night, to avoid the fond gaze and confluence of the people.' They had been ordered to prevent Mary Stuart from being seen or spoken to, but their precautions were useless. No preparations had been made to receive them, and they were obliged to take her to an inn too small to admit more than her personal attendants, and too public to enable them to seclude her from sight. At Coventry, as everywhere else, she found a mysterious body of friends devoted heart and soul to her, and ' going up
