te of herself and of the word of warning from her father, her relations with Hubert continued to draw closer. For one thing, he had been the first to awaken in her

with Anthony, she often had to catch the swinging gate as he rode through after opening it, and

trained sometimes, and it was extraordinarily sweet to Isabel to be made a confidant. And yet Hubert never went beyond a certain point; his wooing was very skilful

ed, and found her alone in the hall: and broke out immed

neers of that kind. And I am an Englishman, and her subject; and I said so; and Mr. Bailey snapped out, 'And you are also a Catholic, my son,' and then-and then I lost my temper, and said that the Catholic religion seemed no better than any other for the good it did people; and that the Rector and Mr. Norris seemed to me as good men as any one; and of course I meant him and he knew it; and then he told me, before

hair with his arms on the back,

ggestion that he had defended the Protestants for her sake; and there was the open defence of her father, and defiance of the priests whom she feared and distrusted; there was

ses as usual, and that he would ask the priest's pardon for his insolence at once; and Isabel was left standing and looking at the fire, fearing that she was being wooed, and yet not certain, though

and anxiety, and told him what she feared; asking him to say a word to Hubert. Sir Nicholas had been startled and furious. It was all the lad's conceit, he said; he had no real

o come riding to Overfield? I forget." And there came pea

e had been just eighteen, too. And he took her face

the boy; but it must not go on. Send h

oped; for Hubert was irritable and shamefac

plenty of good men who have left the

nd his fingers to clench themselves;

d, "you do not k

arply. "I say that the Catholic religion is a religion of m

say, that to threaten me like that is the act of a-is not worthy of my son. My dear boy," he said, coming nearer, "you are angry; and, G

is head against the high oak man

last, turning round

ly bright with tears, and his mouth twitchin

" went on the boy. "And I promise to say nothing to her yet

hrew his arm

leather volume powdered all over with pierced hearts, filled with extracts in a clear brown ink, another book called Le Chappellet de Jésus, while from her girdle beside her pocket-mirror there always hung an olive-coloured "Hours of the Blessed Virgin," fastened by a long strip of leather prolonged from

wrinkled tranquil faces of the two old ladies, and envied their peace. Hubert had gone, as he

t afternoon. Isabel looked up in surprise; he had not been at home

on the old lady, "will be her

sked who

een's ladies, my dear

times," said Mistress Mar

ll be here to-mor

s suit one another; and we

ss Corbet

Grace seems to li

stood waiting to greet her, was a tall, pleasant, brown-faced man. Isabel noticed as she came up his strong friendly face, that had something of Hubert's look in it, and felt an immediate sense of relief from her timidity at

hand in its snowy ruff, for he was always perfectly dressed, as it la

new theatres. I was at the Blackfriars' only last week. Ah!

n I last saw him that he could never go to Londo

te teeth glimm

next time, instead of paying the fi

oves the play," sai

en of the Chapel Royal were acting; she clapped and called out with del

uff and wings of muslin and lace, the shining peacock gown, the high-piled coils of black hair, and the twinkling buckled feet. She had a lively bright face, a little pale, with a high forehead, and black arched brows and dancing eyes, and a little scarlet mouth t

ak her heart at my lace. You country ladies have far more sense. I am the s

mes to

hink sometimes she is never off the stage herse

ts here," said Mr. James

oved play-acting more and to occupy the centre of the sta

eyes and tilted her face forward while she talked; and all the while she kept an incessant movement of her lips or han

ays came off the thin ice in time. It was abominable gossip; but she talked with such a genial air of loyal good humour, that it was very difficult

; and she was striking the arm of her chair as she spoke, and her rings rapped as loud as a drunken watchman. And her face was all white, and her eyes glaring"-and Mary began to glare and raise her voice too-"and she was crying out, 'By God's Son, sir, I will have them hanged. Tell the--' (but I dare not say what she called my Lord Sussex, but few would have recognised him from what she said)-'tell him that I will have my will done. These-' (and she called the rebels a name I dare not tell you)-'these men have risen against me these two months; and yet they are not hanged. Hang them in their own v

sement; and Lady Maxwell seemed on the poin

o go to the gallery, across which lay my chamber; and I came up, and just began to push open the door, when I heard her Grace's voice beyond, and, by the mercy of God, I stopped; and dared not close the door again nor go downstairs for fear I should be heard. And there were two walking within the gallery, her Grace and my lord, and my lord was all disordered with hard riding, and nearly as spent as his poor beast below. And her Grace had her arm round his neck, for I saw them through the chink; and she fondled and pinched his ear, and said over and over again, 'Robin, my sweet Robin,' and then crooned and moaned at him; and he, whenever he could fetch a breath-and oh! I promise you he did blow-murmured back, calling her his qu

as for Isabel she sat silent and overwhelmed. Mary Corbet glanced quic

tely out of the shrubbery on to the low wall a little way off, and stood ba

id Mr. James, looking at Miss Corbet's glowin

with his head lowered, as he took a high step or two, and then pause

ance," went on Mr. Jam

et sat do

pavane," she said, "

ourtier's air, "you are too pitifu

d again, "for he neve

mes, "that one day you

ld fandango; and as absurdity climbed and capered in a shower of sparks and gleams on the shoulders of absurdity, and was itself surmounted; and the names of heathen gods and nymphs and demi-gods and loose-living classical women whisked across the stage, and were tossed higher and higher, until the whole mad erection blazed up and went out in a shower of stars and gems of allusions and phrases, like a flight of rockets, bright and bewildering at the moment, but leaving a barren darkness and dazzled eyes behind-the poor little Puritan country child almost cried with perplexity and annoyance. If the two talkers had lo

w it and his

Mistress Isabel," he said in his kind

" she said

broidery, "the game of playing at kings and que

again broke into

id, dear au

egan Isab

uch nonsense. Well, Mistress Isabel, I am not sure you a

tressed. "I did not mean tha

ver will." And he looked at her with s

nd you know it, my nephew. It is very well as a pastime, but some folks make it the

softly, "I shall not have much mor

th his head, Mistress Margaret looked across at him with her tender eyes beaming love and sorrow; and there fell

l was very fascinating to Mary Corbet. She had scarcely ever before been thrown so close to any one so serenely pure. She would come down to the Dower House again and again at all hours of the day, rustling along in her silk, and seize upon Isabel in the little upstairs parlour, or her bedroom, and question her minutely about her ways and ideas; and she would look at her silently for a minute or two together; and then suddenly laugh and kiss her-Isabel's transparency was almost as great a riddle to her as her own obscurity to Isabel. And sometimes she would throw herself on Isab

y interested in

s-it is all so dismal and noisy. But here, with you, you have a proper soul. It seems to me that you are like a little herb-garden, very prim and plain, but living and wholesome and

she tried again and again. Her defi

but you; your religion is as dull as all the rest. But your soul is sweet, my dear, and the wildernes

soul was being dragged out of a cool thicket from the green

s Corbet spoke y

an, has never understood it himself; and so you don't know it either. What you think about us, my dear, is as muc

that she did think s

ven't either of those two old nuns

't talk to me

es. But if they are wolves, my dear, you must confess that they have th

Catholics really believed-far more than she had ever learnt in all her life before from

m interchangeable. Then his condemnation began to falter, then ceased; then acquittal, and at last commendation succeeded. For Miss Corbet asked his advice about the do

of doors, was like a splendid queen indoors, and was able to hold her own, or rather to soar above all these elders who were so apt to look over Anthony's head on grave occasions; and they all had to listen while she talked. In fact, the first time he saw her at the Hall in all her splendour, he could hardly realise it was the same girl, till she laughed up at him, and nodded, and said how much she had enjoyed the afternoon's stroll, and how much she would have to tell when she got back to Court. In short, so incessant were her poses

day-dreaming, in which he moved as a kind of king, worshipped and reverenced by this splendid creature, who after a disillusionment from the empty vanities of a Court life

y and found the two i

er Anthony, if you can spare time to escort us

el, "that is locked: we

s that part of the blessed Refor

hyard on the south side of the church. Anthony walked with something of an air in front of the two ladies.

ndow," said Anthony, "

ooked on to the drive; when Anthony, who was

at it agai

s face was set with a look of distressed determination, and his lower lip was sucked in; his eyes were fixed firmly on a tall, slender woman

pting," said Mary cool