Nick continues to live at Gaston Carew's house in London throughout the winter, continuing to perform with the St Paul's choir and the theater. He is give no further opportunity to escape, being always closely watched by Carew or his assistant, Gregory Goole. Then, one night in April, Carew decides to go out to a pub and he takes Nick with him. Once there Gaston gets involved in throwing dice with a very unsavoury character. They gamble for about an hour and the game becomes so intense that those around them pause their own gambling to watch. Unfortunately, the game starts to go badly for Carew. While this is happening, a man- an actor by his dress- strides into the pub; it is Ben Jonson, playwright and friend of William Shakespeare. Nick's sharp ears hear him say that he's going to meet up with Will. Jonson leaves and Nick, realizing that Carew is completely egrossed in his game, takes the opportunity to slip out of the pub and follow Ben Jonson. Nick follows Jonson to a place where a group of men are enjoying a meal, in company with Will Shakespeare. Nick asks if he can speak to him and Shakespeare invites hm in. Nick tells his tale to the sympathetic audience and the upshot is that William Shakespeare agrees to take him back to Stratford. Later that night, another player who had been at the pub comes running with news for Shakespeare, and looking for Nick Skylark. It turns out that Gaston Carew accused the man he was dicing with of cheating; they fought and Carew stabbed the fellow, who then dies. Carew has been taken to jail by the watch. Nick is staying with Shakespeare, who will soon travel to Stratford for the summer. In the meantime, he is working on The Merchant of Venice. An actor from Carew's troupe arrives to say that Carew, who is in Newgate prison, is asking to see Nick. Nick is reluctant to go, but the player urges him to honour the request of a doomed man. Nick agrees and they go to the prison which is a dark and terrible place. Carew, usually so elegant and put together, is disheveled and haggard. He has been condemned to hang, and he pleads with Nick not to hate him. The reason for this is that he wants Nick to promise to take care of Cecily. He tries to tell Nick something about money, but the prisoner in the next cell- who seems crazy- is making such a clamour that Nick can't hear what he's saying. Eventually Carew just asks Nick to get Shakespeare to come and see him. Gaston also tells Nick that he dreamed of him singing as he did when they first met and mourns that he will never hear him again. Moved with pity, Nick tells him that he'll sing for him now and does so, his clear, pure voice ringing through the dark, miserable passages of Newgate. As he leaves, Carew is still pleading for his forgiveness and his promise that he'll see to Cecily. (To Be Continued)
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