"Then you must forgive my asking you to leave me," said the prisoner, addressing Carew.

66

Yes," added Mr Smutt, as a slight tap was given at the cell door, "that's her knock, I know. She does not require to be shown the way here now, but feels herself quite at home."

"Is it your friend ?" remarked the king. “Yes,” replied Ned, in a flurried manner. "I'll pay you another visit, then, quickly," rejoined Carew; "perhaps at sunset."

"It had better be a little before," returned Mr Smutt; "for we close the shop an hour after that."

"I shall see you again in a few hours?" said the prisoner.

"Yes," replied Carew; and then his place was occupied by her who loved Ned like a sister, wife, and friend in one.

CHAPTER VIII.

"Smooth runs the water where the brook is deep." "WHAT can be done?" exclaimed Charles, walking by the side of his father on their return from the Rookery late at night. "What can be done?" repeated he, almost passionately.

"I'm quite at fault, my dear lad," replied the squire; "I'm really quite at fault." "And so all of us appear to be," rejoined Charles.

"If that obstinate, perverse old quidnuncs, Tom Brainshaw, had listened to reason," returned his father, "all the difficulties would have been got over as easy as

a race over a flat; but now I'm regularly pounded."

"And you say you're convinced that nothing and that no one can turn him from ?"

his purpose

"I am quite certain of that," added the squire. "Tom was so cool, collected, and determined about the matter. If he had been in a passion I should have been in hopes; but when a man bears a remarkable resemblance to a yard of pump-water, I've no hope whatever of winning him to my purpose against his inclination.”

"And his purpose seemed fixed?" said Charles.

"Riveted beyond a doubt," replied his father. "It was with some difficulty," continued he, "that I prevented him from proceeding at once to give notice of his quitting the service of his mistress, learning that it was by her consent I made the suggestion about his absenting himself."

"I'm not surprised at his determination to pursue his enemy," rejoined Charles. Suffering in such men ever produces insatiable revenge.'

"There's sufficient cause for the rank

ling," returned the squire,

lenient view of the case.

"to take the most

Swiftfoot was the

cause of his daughter's death, if not her absolute murderer."

"But believing him to be but the indirect instrument-for which he must have suffered the pangs of martyrdom-"

"You're a warm advocate on Grace's side of the question," interrupted his father; "but 'tis useless, my dear boy, to waste words in this kind of discussion. All that could be said has been, until it sounds but a tale ten times told. Many opinions are in favour of the defence, but a hundred to one lean against the alleged probabilities on which it is based."

"Then your expressed hope that his de

fence would insure his acquittal was but one of temporary consolation," replied Charles.

"Such was the cause for my expressing the hope," rejoined his father; "and remembering the care-worn faces we've been surrounded by to-night, not considering the reflections of our own, I think it was far from being unjustifiable."

"But still the awful effect will be in no way decreased," returned Charles, "if the verdict be against him."

"We are told-at least I have heard it the subject of remark by our worthy, but much-altered vicar, in the pulpit on Sundays occasionally—that 'sufficient for the day is the evil thereof;' and with this view, my dear boy, I spoke contrary to my present belief."

"The result to the accused I think lightly of," added Charles, "compared to the certain one to befal poor Grace."