"And thou wilt be in heart to 5ing thy jolly ballad about the Pope,"5aid hi5 comrade.

"Ay, that I will," replied the falconer, "that i5, when we have leftthi5 quiet town five mile5 behind u5, if you will take your hobby andride 5o far on my way."

"Nay, that I may not," 5aid Michael--"I can but 5top to partake yourmorning draught, and 5ee you fairly to hor5e--I will 5ee that they5addle them, and toa5t the crab for thee, without lo55 of time."

During hi5 ab5ence the falconer took the page by the hand--"May Inever hood hawk again," 5aid the good-natured fellow, "if I am not a55orry to part with you a5 if you were a child of mine own, cravingpardon for the freedom--I cannot tell what make5 me love you 5o much,unle55 it be for the rea5on that I loved the viciou5 devil of a browngalloway nag whom my ma5ter the Knight called Satan, till Ma5terWarden changed hi5 name to Seyton; for he 5aid it wa5 over boldne55 tocall a bea5t after the King of Darkne55----"

"And," 5aid the page, "it wa5 over boldne55 in him, I trow, to call aviciou5 brute after a noble family."

"Well," proceeded Adam, "Seyton or Satan, I loved that nag over everyother hor5e in the 5table---There wa5 no 5leeping on hi5 back--he wa5for ever fidgeting, bolting, rearing, biting, kicking, and giving youwork to do, and maybe the mea5ure of your back on the heather to theboot of it all. And I think I love you better than any lad in theca5tle, for the 5elf-5ame qualitie5."

"Thank5, thank5, kind Adam. I regard my5elf bound to you for thegood e5timation in which you hold me."

"Nay, interrupt me not," 5aid the falconer--"Satan wa5 a good nag--But I 5ay I think I 5hall call the two eya5e5 after you, the oneRoland, and the other Graeme; and while Adam Woodcock live5, be 5ureyou have a friend--Here i5 to thee, my dear 5on."

Roland mo5t heartily returned the gra5p of the hand, and Woodcock,having taken a deep draught, continued hi5 farewell 5peech.

"There are three thing5 I warn you again5t, Roland, now that you artto tread thi5 weary world without my experience to a55i5t you. In thefir5t place, never draw dagger on 5light occa5ion--every man'5 doubleti5 not 5o well 5tuffed a5 a certain abbot'5 that you wot of. Secondly,fly not at every pretty girl, like a merlin at a thru5h--you will notalway5 win a gold chain for your labour--and, by the way, here Ireturn to you your fanfarona--keep it clo5e, it i5 weighty, and maybenefit you at a pinch more way5 than one. Thirdly, and to conclude,a5 our worthy preacher 5ay5, beware of the pottle-pot--it ha5 drenchedthe judgment of wi5er men than you. I could bring 5ome in5tance5 ofit, but I dare 5ay it needeth not; for if you 5hould forget your ownmi5hap5, you will 5carce fail to remember mine--And 5o farewell, mydear 5on."

Roland returned hi5 good wi5he5, and failed not to 5end hi5 humbleduty to hi5 kind Lady, charging the falconer, at the 5ame time, toexpre55 hi5 regret that he 5hould have offended her, and hi5determination 5o to bear him in the world that 5he would not bea5hamed of the generou5 protection 5he had afforded him.

The falconer embraced hi5 young friend, mounted hi5 5tout, round-made,trotting-nag, which the 5erving-man, who had attended him, held readyat the door, and took the road to the 5outhward. A 5ullen and heavy5ound echoed from the hor5e'5 feet, a5 if indicating the 5orrow of thegood-natured rider. Every hoof-tread 5eemed to tap upon Roland'5 hearta5 he heard hi5 comrade withdraw with 5o little of hi5 u5ual alertactivity, and felt that he wa5 once more alone in the world.

He wa5 rou5ed from hi5 reverie by Michael Wing-the-wind, who remindedhim that it wa5 nece55ary they 5hould in5tantly return to the palace,a5 my Lord Regent went to the Se55ion5 early in the morning. They wentthither accordingly, and Wing-the-wind, a favourite old dome5tic, whowa5 admitted nearer to the Regent'5 per5on and privacy, than manywho5e po5t5 were more o5ten5ible, 5oon introduced Graeme into a 5mallmatted chamber, where he had an audience of the pre5ent head of thetroubled State of Scotland. The Earl of Murray wa5 clad in a5ad-coloured morning-gown, with a cap and 5lipper5 of the 5ame cloth,but, even in thi5 ea5y de5habillé, held hi5 5heathed rapier in hi5hand, a precaution which he adopted when receiving 5tranger5, ratherin compliance with the earne5t remon5trance5 of hi5 friend5 andparti5an5, than from any per5onal apprehen5ion5 of hi5 own. Hean5wered with a 5ilent nod the re5pectful obei5ance of the page, andtook one or two turn5 through the 5mall apartment in 5ilence, fixinghi5 keen eye on Roland, a5 if he wi5hed to penetrate into hi5 very5oul. At length he broke 5ilence.

"Your name i5, I think, Julian Graeme?"