into an alliance with an heretic. Henry Wardour, thou must forget her; there is a new and evil league springing up, and she for whom thy heart yearneth is doomed to become a victim :— to fall a sacrifice to the ambition of others. Even thine own father, the Earl of Arundel, is opposed to thee, and the crafty Northumberland is raising a tower which shall fall down and crush him, together with all those who are aiding to build it."

"Mother! good mother!" said the youth, springing from his seat, and throwing himself on his knees before Duskena, and seizing her withered hand, "Oh! tell me what danger it is that hovers over my beloved, that I may fly to warn her. Oh! did you but know all her goodness, her gentleness, her piety; could you but see her innocence, her youth, her beauty, her heart free from all guile, and selfishness; could you but look into her face, which resembles heaven, you would forget that she believed in any other creed than that of angels, and be the first to fly and save her." He ceased,

and burying his face in the old hag's ragged garments, sobbed deeply.

As the old woman bent over him in silence, the dim light from the lamp fell upon her dark features, and for a moment the deep furrows of her brow were relaxed, as if the white wings of Pity, in passing by, had thrown their light for an instant upon her dusky features, then hurried away from so forbidding a resting place, and left the brown brow to settle again into its stern composure. Henry Wardour," said the old

woman, at length breaking the painful silence, "I was thy foster-mother, and have a love for thee, which could scarcely be surpassed by her who brought thee forth with all a mother's pangs. I loved not my own children better than thyself." She raised her head for a moment, and gazed upon the skull, which stood grinning on the mantel-piece; while a darker bronze seemed to fall upon her countenance as she proceeded. "I pity thee, my son, but my love for thee, must not get the better of my long-cherished revenge. I am sorry for this maiden, whom It

marvel not at thy following, with so blinded a passion, since no one giveth her an evil word; but I have sorrows of a deeper root, nor, were she my own daughter, would I save her, if by her means I could work out my deep-laid vengeance. But above all these do I seek for the re-establishment of our ancient faith, and it can only be done by blood-by blood!" As she repeated the last words, her whole frame shook, and she raised her skinny arms, and clenched her withered hands, while a grim and hideous smile faded over her dusky features, and gave to her the look of an evil demon, triumphing over the fall of some soul which it had long tempted.

The young lord sprang up in astonishment, and felt the blood run cold in every vein, while he gazed upon her; for never had he before seen human countenance assume so diabolical an expression; and while he hesitated whether to remonstrate with her further, or leave the hut, he was suddenly startled by a loud thundering at the door, which seemed as if the intruder had

a great inclination to beat it from off its hinges, unless it was speedily opened.

"Haste," said the old woman, arising and withdrawing a sliding door, which to the eye had the appearance of a rough wooden partition, "keep thyself as mute as the buck when he harboureth: thou wilt soon see how I gather my knowledge of coming events. Speak not, nor breathe louder than a bird; thou mayest hear something which shall yet be of service to thee." She closed the door and muttered to herself, "It is he, I will hasten the work of vengeance, and tumble their false faith to the ground. -Who knocks so loud at this unmeet hour?" added she, approaching the door.

"It is I, old hag," muttered a stern deep voice, "undo the door."

"Old hag! undo the door," ecnoed the old woman, as she slowly raised the bar, and gave entrance to the daring intruder; "thou wert wont to address me in more measured terms," said she, fixing her deep penetrating eyes on the visitor," and methinks 'good mother' would

have come from thy lips with a better grace." As she spoke, a close observer could not but have remarked the suppressed sneer which rested on her withered lips, and the glance of contempt with which her censure was accompanied. Nor did it escape the keen eyes of Henry Wardour, as he stood reconnoitering the scene through a crevice in the partition.

"Good mother, or good devil, whichever thou likest best," replied the visitor, replacing the dagger, with which he had struck the door, in his belt, and throwing his richly furred cloak on the table, as he added, "I came not to quarrel with thee in the choice of titles, but have a deeper game to decide with the dice. Whose soul was the fiend and thee quarrelling for just now? methought I heard the Evil-one and thyself dispute in most excellent English."

"Thou hast been busied with the wine-flask since the evening-meal," said Duskena, "or thou wouldst not have come so brimful of false courage. Wouldst thou wish to see the form of him I held converse with but now?"