'Well, Chester, what have you to say for yourself?' demanded the judge,

directing a glance at the boy, as though he would pierce his very soul
'Well, Chester, what have you to say for yourself?' demanded the judge,
directing a glance at the boy, as though he would pierce his very soul.
'Are you guilty, or not guilty?'

But Sir Giles was further served, though unintentionally, by Madame

Bonaventure, who succeeded in drawing back the rusty bolt at the very
moment he came up; and no impediment now existing, the knight thrust her
rudely aside, and sprang through the doorway just as Jocelyn leaped from
the wall
But Sir Giles was further served, though unintentionally, by Madame
Bonaventure, who succeeded in drawing back the rusty bolt at the very
moment he came up; and no impediment now existing, the knight thrust her
rudely aside, and sprang through the doorway just as Jocelyn leaped from
the wall.

'We will watch an" wait--but I"ll finish him

'We will watch an" wait--but I"ll finish him. Tell me, Nell--fury of
hell, woman--can it be possible--no--well--I"ll murder him, though;
but can it be possible that she"s guilty? eh? She wouldn"t prosecute
him--No--no--she would not.'

'By my halidame! he shall have reason for congratulation,' cried James,

graciously regarding the young man
'By my halidame! he shall have reason for congratulation,' cried James,
graciously regarding the young man.

'John,' said the old man, now in tears, 'will you refuse me? You are my

only son, my only child, an" I cannot lose you
'John,' said the old man, now in tears, 'will you refuse me? You are my
only son, my only child, an" I cannot lose you. Your name is cleared.'

'It is false, my lord Marquis,' Jocelyn replied

'It is false, my lord Marquis,' Jocelyn replied. 'His Majesty hath not a
more loyal subject than myself. I would cut out my tongue rather than
speak against him. I have said the King is ill served in such officers
as Giles Mompesson and Sir Francis Mitchell, and I abide by my words.
They can reflect no dishonour on his Majesty.'

'My name, I see, awakens unpleasant associations in your breast,' he

said; 'and your look shows you have been influenced by the calumnies of
my enemies
'My name, I see, awakens unpleasant associations in your breast,' he
said; 'and your look shows you have been influenced by the calumnies of
my enemies. I do not blame you. Men can only be judged of by report; and
those I have had dealings with have reported ill enough of me. But they
have spoken falsely. I have done no more than any other person would do.
I have obtained the best interest I could for my money; and my losses
have been almost equal to my gains. Folks are ready enough to tell all
they can against you; but slow to mention aught they conceive to be in
your favour. They stigmatize me as a usurer; but they forget to add, I
am ever the friend of those in need. They use me, and abuse me. That is
the way of the world. Wherefore, then, should I complain? I am no worse
off than my neighbours. And the proof that I can be disinterested is the
way in which I have acted towards you, a perfect stranger, and who have
no other recommendation to my good offices than your gracious mien and
gentle manners.'

The countryman"s suggestion that he be intrusted with the money aroused

Bob"s suspicion, for he remembered that the others had placed five
hundred dollars in the envelope, and he thought it was a scheme on the
part of Simpkins to get possession of this money
The countryman"s suggestion that he be intrusted with the money aroused
Bob"s suspicion, for he remembered that the others had placed five
hundred dollars in the envelope, and he thought it was a scheme on the
part of Simpkins to get possession of this money. So that after this
interchange of words, both lapsed into silence.

'Let him be,' he cried

'Let him be,' he cried. 'He is some puir demented creature fitter for
Bedlam than anywhere else; and we will see that he be sent thither; but
molest him not till we hae spoken wi" him, and certified his condition
more fully. Quit not the position ye hae sae judiciously occupied, young
Sir, albeit against our orders,' he cried to Jocelyn. 'Dinna draw your
blade unless the fellow seeks to come till us. Not that we are under ony
apprehension; but there are bluidthirsty traitors even in our pacific
territories, and as this may be ane of them, it is weel not to neglect
due precaution. And now, man,' he added, raising his voice, and
addressing the Puritan, who still maintained a steadfast and unmoved
demeanour, with his eye constantly fixed upon his interrogator. 'Ye say
ye are a messenger frae heaven. An it be sae,--whilk we take leave to
doubt, rather conceiving ye to be an envoy from the Prince of Darkness
than an ambassador from above,--an ill choice hath been made in ye. Unto
what order of prophets do ye conceive yourself to belong?'

'Ye are right, Count,' rejoined James cautiously

'Ye are right, Count,' rejoined James cautiously. 'He hath the strongest
claim upon us, and he shall not find us ungrateful. We will confer wi"
Steenie--wi" Buckingham, we mean--about him.'

Not the least, however, of the attractions of the Three Cranes, was the

hostess herself
Not the least, however, of the attractions of the Three Cranes, was the
hostess herself. A lively little brunette was Madame Bonaventure, still
young, or, at all events, very far from being old; with extremely fine
teeth, which she was fond of displaying, and a remarkably neat ancle,
which she felt no inclination to hide beneath the sweep of her round
circling farthingale. Her figure was quite that of a miniature Venus;
and as, like most of her country-women, she understood the art of dress
to admiration, she set off her person to the best advantage; always
attiring herself in a style, and in colours, that suited her, and never
indulging in an unwarrantable extravagance of ruff, or absurd and
unbecoming length of peaked boddice. As to the stuffs she wore, they
were certainly above her station, for no Court dame could boast of
richer silks than those in which the pretty Dameris appeared on fete
days; and this was accounted for by reason that the good skipper seldom
returned from a trip to France without bringing his wife a piece of
silk, brocade, or velvet from Lyons; or some little matter from Paris,
such as a ruff, cuff, partlet, bandlet, or fillet. Thus the last French
mode might be seen at the Three Crowns, displayed by the hostess, as
well as the last French _entremet_ at its table; since, among other
important accessories to the well-doing of the house, Madame Bonaventure
kept a _chef de cuisine_--one of her compatriots--of such superlative
skill, that in later times he must infallibly have been distinguished as
a _cordon bleu_.

'I"m glad of that

'I"m glad of that. Now, you sit here a few minutes, and I"ll put up a
lunch for you, and then you won"t have to buy any food while you are on
the train. They always charge a lot more on trains or in station
restaurants than they ought to.'

Sir Giles glanced at his myrmidons

Sir Giles glanced at his myrmidons. They stepped quickly towards him in
a body. At the same time Jocelyn Mounchensey, whom no efforts of the
friendly gentleman could now restrain, sprang forward, and, drawing his
sword, was just in time to place himself before Madame Bonaventure, as
she drew hastily back.

This, indeed, was the severest trial that Lamh Laudher had yet

sustained
This, indeed, was the severest trial that Lamh Laudher had yet
sustained. With all the force of an affection as strong and tender as
it was enduring and disinterested, she urged him to relinquish his
determination to meet the Dead Boxer on the following day. John soothed
her, chid her, and even bantered her, as a cowardly girl, unworthy of
being the sister of Meehaul Neil, but to her, as well as to all others
who had attempted to change his purpose, he was immovable. No; the
sense of his disgrace had sunk too deep into his heart, and the random
allusions just made by Ellen herself to the Dead Boxer"s villainy, but
the more inflamed his resentment against him.

This constant suggestion that he was running away angered the boy, and

he determined to put an end to it
This constant suggestion that he was running away angered the boy, and
he determined to put an end to it.

'Yellow"s givin" it to you straight,' asserted Shorty Flinn

'Yellow"s givin" it to you straight,' asserted Shorty Flinn. 'There"s
some folks ain"t never happy unless they"re makin" others onhappy.'

'_You_ get a pass! Say, are you crazy? Only the general managers and the

other high officers travel on passes
'_You_ get a pass! Say, are you crazy? Only the general managers and the
other high officers travel on passes.'

While the unhappy lady thus unavailingly deplored the sad position in

which her own misconduct had placed her, and from which she felt wholly
incapable of extricating herself; while in this wretched frame of mind,
she awaited her lover"s return,--with, as we have shown, some remains of
good struggling with the evil in her bosom,--we will cast a hasty glance
round the chamber in which she sat
While the unhappy lady thus unavailingly deplored the sad position in
which her own misconduct had placed her, and from which she felt wholly
incapable of extricating herself; while in this wretched frame of mind,
she awaited her lover"s return,--with, as we have shown, some remains of
good struggling with the evil in her bosom,--we will cast a hasty glance
round the chamber in which she sat. And we are prompted to do this, not
because it merits particular description, but because it was the room
referred to by Lady Lake as the scene of the confession she had forged.

'As you please--peace or war; it is the same to me,' said Lord Roos

'As you please--peace or war; it is the same to me,' said Lord Roos.
'Meantime, I am wearied of this scene, and must put an end to it.
Diego!' And beckoning his servant to him, he whispered some directions
in his ear.

'Ay, ay! it"s fine spakin": but you don"t know the hand you talk of

'Ay, ay! it"s fine spakin": but you don"t know the hand you talk of.
It"s one that you had better avoid than meet. It"s the strong hand, an"
the dangerous one when vexed. You know Lamh Laudher Oge?'

For a moment after this terrible alternative was pronounced there was

silence and the conspirators made no move
For a moment after this terrible alternative was pronounced there was
silence and the conspirators made no move. Then one by one they stood
up, glowering with awful hatred at Bob.

'Now don"t go turning on the sympathy,' growled the sergeant

'Now don"t go turning on the sympathy,' growled the sergeant. 'I don"t
care whether the boy is guilty or not. All I know is that we have got to
make a case against him. It would never do to have it said that two
sharpers could rob a countryman in broad daylight in our precinct.
Haven"t our reports to headquarters said, and haven"t the papers said,
that our precinct has been free from all such crimes for more than six
months, and this is one of the rawest swindles that has been worked for
a long time. So you two get busy and fix up your case if you want to
stay in this precinct. If you don"t, I"ll tell the captain and the
inspector, and you will be sorry.'

When the festive throng reached the village, all its inhabitants--male

and female, old and young--rushed forth to greet them; and such as were
able to leave their dwellings for a short while joined in the
procession, at the head of which, of course, was borne the May-pole
When the festive throng reached the village, all its inhabitants--male
and female, old and young--rushed forth to greet them; and such as were
able to leave their dwellings for a short while joined in the
procession, at the head of which, of course, was borne the May-pole.
After it, came a band of young men, armed with the necessary implements
for planting the shaft in the ground; and after them a troop of maidens,
bearing bundles of rushes. Next came the minstrels, playing merrily on
tabor, fife, sacbut, rebec, and tambourine. Then followed the Queen of
the May, walking by herself,--a rustic beauty, hight Gillian
Greenford,--fancifully and prettily arrayed for the occasion, and
attended, at a little distance, by Robin Hood, Maid Marian, Friar Tuck,
the Hobby-horse, and a band of morrice-dancers. Then came the crowd,
pellmell, laughing, shouting, and huzzaing,--most of the young men and
women bearing green branches of birch and other trees in their hands.

'But I say yes, yes, with great respect to you, sir,' observed Lamh

Laudher
'But I say yes, yes, with great respect to you, sir,' observed Lamh
Laudher. 'I"ve been banished from my father"s house, and treated with
scorn by all that know me, because they think me a coward. Now I"ll let
them know I"m no coward.'

'I did not, John--I did not; and if I did, think of your own words at

our meetin" in the Quarry; it was a small suspicion, though--no more
'I did not, John--I did not; and if I did, think of your own words at
our meetin" in the Quarry; it was a small suspicion, though--no more.
No, no; at heart I never doubted you.'

'In my turn I bend to you, William,' said the Countess, sinking on her

knee before him, and taking his hand
'In my turn I bend to you, William,' said the Countess, sinking on her
knee before him, and taking his hand. 'By the love you bear me, I
beseech you not to harm your wife! We have wronged her deeply--let us
not have her death to answer for. If the blow _must_ fall, let it be
upon the mother"s head. I have less compassion for her.'

'You had not escaped on that occasion, but for my connivance, Master

Jocelyn,' the man in the mask rejoined
'You had not escaped on that occasion, but for my connivance, Master
Jocelyn,' the man in the mask rejoined. 'Now, hear me. I am willing to
befriend you on certain conditions; and, to prove my sincerity, I engage
you shall go free if you accept them.'

'Damnation!' exclaimed Lord Roos

'Damnation!' exclaimed Lord Roos. 'What brings them here at such an
hour? But you must on no account admit them, Diego--at least, till I
have had time to remove the Countess to her own chamber. What a cursed
mischance!'

'I drink that toast most heartily, worthy Sir,' the young man exclaimed,

raising his beaded flagon on high
'I drink that toast most heartily, worthy Sir,' the young man exclaimed,
raising his beaded flagon on high. 'Confusion to my Enemies--Restoration
to my Rights!'

Incensed at his perversity, and determined to extort a full confession,

in order that it might be laid before the King, the serjeant-at-arms
ordered the manacles to be applied
Incensed at his perversity, and determined to extort a full confession,
in order that it might be laid before the King, the serjeant-at-arms
ordered the manacles to be applied. But though the torture was
exquisite, he bore it with firmness, and without uttering a groan;
maintaining the same determined silence as before. Had he dared, Master
Dendy would have had recourse to severer measures; but having no warrant
for any such proceeding, he was obliged to content himself with threats.
To these Hugh Calveley replied by a grim smile of contempt; but as the
serjeant-at-arms was departing to make his report to Sir Thomas Lake, he
said, 'I have something to disclose; but it is for the King"s ear
alone.'

Not having heard the words uttered by Bob, the agent"s inference that

the boy was disappointed at finding no one to meet him, was natural
Not having heard the words uttered by Bob, the agent"s inference that
the boy was disappointed at finding no one to meet him, was natural. But
Bob soon disillusioned him.

And graciously saluting Madame Bonaventure, he quitted the tavern

accompanied by a large train, and entering his barge amid the
acclamations of the spectators, was rowed towards Whitehall
And graciously saluting Madame Bonaventure, he quitted the tavern
accompanied by a large train, and entering his barge amid the
acclamations of the spectators, was rowed towards Whitehall.

Never had the boy been on a ferryboat at night, and the spectacle

presented by the brilliantly lighted buildings filled him with wonder
Never had the boy been on a ferryboat at night, and the spectacle
presented by the brilliantly lighted buildings filled him with wonder.
Fortunate was it for him that he was so enthralled, for the boat had
bumped into her slip and the people were rushing ashore before he had
time to realize that he was leaving behind all he had ever known of a
home.

'Bear with him, worthy friends,' he cried, 'he means you well, though he

may reprove you somewhat too sharply
'Bear with him, worthy friends,' he cried, 'he means you well, though he
may reprove you somewhat too sharply.'

At the words proclaiming the conductor"s evident anxiety over how Bob

felt toward him, they all laughed
At the words proclaiming the conductor"s evident anxiety over how Bob
felt toward him, they all laughed.

But Sir Giles continued perfectly unmoved by the tempest raging around,

and laughed to scorn these menaces, contenting himself with signing to
Captain Bludder to be in readiness
But Sir Giles continued perfectly unmoved by the tempest raging around,
and laughed to scorn these menaces, contenting himself with signing to
Captain Bludder to be in readiness.

Drawing rein, Bob dismounted at the store, went inside and asked where

he could find out who owned property in the town fifteen years ago
Drawing rein, Bob dismounted at the store, went inside and asked where
he could find out who owned property in the town fifteen years ago.

'That"s hard,' replied Lamh Laudher, drawing his breath tightly; 'but

I know where it comes from
'That"s hard,' replied Lamh Laudher, drawing his breath tightly; 'but
I know where it comes from. I think your father might be softened a
little, ay, a great deal, if it wasn"t for your brother Meehaul.'

While he was speaking, Thomas had taken Bob"s lariat, which hung from

the pommel of his saddle, and drawing the noose small had slipped it
over his pony"s right hoof
While he was speaking, Thomas had taken Bob"s lariat, which hung from
the pommel of his saddle, and drawing the noose small had slipped it
over his pony"s right hoof.

Sir Francis then cast a look round to ascertain who were present; but he

was so inconveniently situated, and the crowd of serving-men was so
great at the upper table, that he could only imperfectly distinguish
those seated at it; besides which, most of the guests were hidden by the
traverse
Sir Francis then cast a look round to ascertain who were present; but he
was so inconveniently situated, and the crowd of serving-men was so
great at the upper table, that he could only imperfectly distinguish
those seated at it; besides which, most of the guests were hidden by the
traverse. Such, however, as he could make out were richly attired in
doublets of silk and satin, while their rich velvet mantles, plumed and
jewelled caps, and long rapiers, were carried by their servants.

From the remarks, Bob could see plainly that the officious conductor was

not popular, and he was wondering whether or not he was expected to
make any comment, when Hosmer said, his face suffused with a look of
glee:

'I told you so,' grunted the policeman, but further comment was

interrupted by the actions of Simpkins
'I told you so,' grunted the policeman, but further comment was
interrupted by the actions of Simpkins.

'You"d better sit down,' said the official, 'because it will take a few

minutes to get it ready
'You"d better sit down,' said the official, 'because it will take a few
minutes to get it ready.'