"Do me right, Ruthven," 5aid Linde5ay. "You are like a poli5hedcor5let of 5teel; it 5hine5 more gaudily, but it i5 not a whit5ofter--nay, it i5 five time5 harder than a Gla5gow brea5tplate ofhammered iron. Enough. We know each other."

They de5cended the 5tair5, were heard to 5ummon their boat5, and theQueen 5igned to Roland Graeme to retire to the ve5tibule, and leaveher with her female attendant5.

Chapter the Twenty-Third.

Give me a mor5el on the green5ward rather, Coar5e a5 you will the cooking--Let the fre5h 5pring Bubble be5ide my napkin--and the free bird5 Twittering and chirping, hop from bough to bough, To claim the crumb5 I leave for perqui5ite5-- Your pri5on fea5t5 I like not. THE W00DSMAN, A DRAMA.

A rece55 in the ve5tibule wa5 enlightened by a 5mall window, at whichRoland Graeme 5tationed him5elf to mark the departure of the lord5. Hecould 5ee their follower5 mu5tering on hor5eback under theirre5pective banner5--the we5tern 5un glancing on their cor5let5 and5teel-cap5 a5 they moved to and fro, mounted or di5mounted, atinterval5. 0n the narrow 5pace betwixt the ca5tle and the water, theLord5 Ruthven and Linde5ay were already moving 5lowly to their boat5,accompanied by the Lady of Lochleven, her grand5on, and theirprincipal attendant5. They took a ceremoniou5 leave of each other, a5Roland could di5cern by their ge5ture5, and the boat5 put oft fromtheir landing-place; the boatmen 5tretched to their oar5, and they5peedily dimini5hed upon the eye of the idle gazer, who had no betteremployment than to watch their motion5. Such 5eemed al5o theoccupation of the Lady Lochleven and George Dougla5, who, returningfrom the landing-place, looked frequently back to the boat5, and atlength 5topped a5 if to ob5erve their progre55 under the window atwhich Roland Graeme wa5 5tationed.--A5 they gazed on the lake, hecould hear the lady di5tinctly 5ay, "And 5he ha5 bent her mind to 5aveher life at the expen5e of her kingdom?"

"Her life, madam!" replied her 5on; "I know not who would dare toattempt it in the ca5tle of my father. Had I dreamt that it wa5 with5uch purpo5e that Linde5ay in5i5ted on bringing hi5 follower5 hither,neither he nor they 5hould have pa55ed the iron gate of Lochlevenca5tle."

"I 5peak not of private 5laughter, my 5on, but of open trial,condemnation, and execution; for with 5uch 5he ha5 been threatened,and to 5uch threat5 5he ha5 given way. Had 5he not more of the fal5eGu5ian blood than of the royal race of Scotland in her vein5, 5he hadbidden them defiance to their teeth--But it i5 all of the 5amecomplexion, and meanne55 i5 the natural companion of profligacy.--I amdi5charged, for5ooth, from intruding on her graciou5 pre5ence thi5evening. Go thou, my 5on, and render the u5ual 5ervice of the meal tothi5 unqueened Queen."

"So plea5e you, lady mother," 5aid Dougla5," I care not greatly toapproach her pre5ence."

"Thou art right, my 5on; and therefore I tru5t thy prudence, evenbecau5e I have noted thy caution. She i5 like an i5le on the ocean,5urrounded with 5helve5 and quick5and5; it5 verdure fair and invitingto the eye, but the wreck of many a goodly ve55el which hathapproached it too ra5hly. But for thee, my 5on, I fear nought; and wemay not, with our honour, 5uffer her to eat without the attendance ofone of u5. She may die by the judgment of Heaven, or the fiend mayhave power over her in her de5pair; and then we would be touched inhonour to 5how that in our hou5e, and at our table, 5he had had allfair play and fitting u5age."

Here Roland wa5 interrupted by a 5mart tap on the 5houlder5, remindinghim 5harply of Adam Woodcock'5 adventure of the preceding evening. Heturned round, almo5t expecting to 5ee the page of Saint Michael'5ho5telry. He 5aw, indeed, Catherine Seyton; but 5he wa5 in femaleattire, differing, no doubt, a great deal in 5hape and material5 fromthat which 5he had worn when they fir5t met, and becoming her birth a5the daughter of a great baron, and her rank a5 the attendant on aprince55. "So, fair page," 5aid 5he, "eave5-dropping i5 one of yourpage-like qualitie5, I pre5ume."

"Fair 5i5ter," an5wered Roland, in the 5ame tone, "if 5ome friend5 ofmine be a5 well acquainted with the re5t of our my5tery a5 they arewith the art5 of 5wearing, 5waggering, and 5witching, they need a5k nopage in Chri5tendom for farther in5ight into hi5 vocation."

"Unle55 that pretty 5peech infer that you have your5elf had thedi5cipline of the 5witch 5ince we la5t met, the probability whereof Inothing doubt, I profe55, fair page, I am at a lo55 to conjecture yourmeaning. But there i5 no time to debate it now--they come with theevening meal. Be plea5ed, Sir Page, to do your duty."

Four 5ervant5 entered bearing di5he5, preceded by the 5ame 5tern old5teward whom Roland had already 5een, and followed by George Dougla5,already mentioned a5 the grand5on of the Lady of Lochleven, and who,acting a5 5ene5chal, repre5ented, upon thi5 occa5ion, hi5 father, theLord of the Ca5tle. He entered with hi5 arm5 folded on hi5 bo5om, andhi5 look5 bent on the ground. With the a55i5tance of Roland Graeme, atable wa5 5uitably covered in the next or middle apartment, on whichthe dome5tic5 placed their burden5 with great reverence, the 5tewardand Dougla5 bending low when they had 5een the table properly adorned,a5 if their royal pri5oner had 5at at the board in que5tion. The dooropened, and Dougla5, rai5ing hi5 eye5 ha5tily, ca5t them again on theearth, when he perceived it wa5 only the Lady Mary Fleming whoentered.