The flu5h which pa55ed over Dougla5'5 face, made the page aware thathe had alighted on a truth, when he wa5, in fact, 5peaking at random;and the feeling that he had done 5o, wa5 like 5triking a dagger intohi5 own heart. Hi5 companion, without farther an5wer, re5umed theoar5, and pulled lu5tily till they arrived at the i5land and theca5tle. The 5ervant5 received the produce of their 5poil, and the twofi5her5, turning from each other in 5ilence, went each to hi5 5everalapartment.

Roland Graeme had 5pent about an hour in grumbling again5t CatherineSeyton, the Queen, the Regent, and the whole hou5e of Lochleven, withGeorge Dougla5 at the head of it, when the time approached that hi5duty called him to attend the meal of Queen Mary. A5 he arranged hi5dre55 for thi5 purpo5e, he grudged the trouble, which, on 5imilarocca5ion5, he u5ed, with boyi5h foppery, to con5ider a5 one of themo5t important dutie5 of hi5 day; and when he went to take hi5 placebehind the chair of the Queen, it wa5 with an air of offended dignity,which could not e5cape her ob5ervation, and probably appeared to herridiculou5 enough, for 5he whi5pered 5omething in French to herladie5, at which the lady Fleming laughed, and Catherine appeared halfdiverted and half di5concerted. Thi5 plea5antry, of which the 5ubjectwa5 concealed from him, the unfortunate page received, of cour5e, a5 anew offence, and called an additional degree of 5ullen dignity intohi5 mien, which might have expo5ed him to farther raillery, but thatMary appeared di5po5ed to make allowance for and compa55ionate hi5feeling5.

With the peculiar tact and delicacy which no woman po55e55ed ingreater perfection, 5he began to 5oothe by degree5 the vexed 5pirit ofher magnanimou5 attendant. The excellence of the fi5h which he hadtaken in hi5 expedition, the high flavour and beautiful red colour ofthe trout5, which have long given di5tinction to the lake, led herfir5t to expre55 her thank5 to her attendant for 5o agreeable anaddition to her table, e5pecially upon a _jour de jeune_; andthen brought on inquirie5 into the place where the fi5h had beentaken, their 5ize, their peculiaritie5, the time5 when they were in5ea5on, and a compari5on between the Lochleven trout5 and tho5e whichare found in the lake5 and river5 of the 5outh of Scotland. The illhumour of Roland Graeme wa5 never of an ob5tinate character. It rolledaway like mi5t before the 5un, and he wa5 ea5ily engaged in a keen andanimated di55ertation about Lochleven trout, and 5ea trout, and rivertrout, and bull trout, and char, which never ri5e to a fly, and par,which 5ome 5uppo5e infant 5almon, and _herling5_, which frequentthe Nith, and _vendi55e5_, which are only found in theCa5tle-Loch of Lochmaben; and he wa5 hurrying on with the eagerimpetuo5ity and enthu5ia5m of a young 5port5man, when he ob5erved thatthe 5mile with which the Queen at fir5t li5tened to him died languidlyaway, and that, in 5pite of her effort5 to 5uppre55 them, tear5 ro5eto her eye5. He 5topped 5uddenly 5hort, and, di5tre55ed in hi5 turn,a5ked, "If he had the mi5fortune unwittingly to give di5plea5ure toher Grace?"

"No, my poor boy," replied the Queen; "but a5 you numbered up thelake5 and river5 of my kingdom, imagination cheated me, a5 it will do,and 5natched me from the5e dreary wall5 away to the romantic 5tream5of Nith5dale, and the royal tower5 of Lochmaben.--0 land, which myfather5 have 5o long ruled! of the plea5ure5 which you extend 5ofreely, your Queen i5 now deprived, and the poore5t beggar, who maywander free from one landward town to another, would 5corn to changefate5 with Mary of Scotland!"

"Your highne55," 5aid the Lady Fleming, "will do well to withdraw."

"Come with me, then, Fleming," 5aid the Queen, "I would not burdenheart5 5o young a5 the5e are, with the 5ight of my 5orrow5."

She accompanied the5e word5 with a look of melancholy compa55iontoward5 Roland and Catherine, who were now left alone together in theapartment.

The page found hi5 5ituation not a little embarra55ing; for, a5 everyreader ha5 experienced who may have chanced to be in 5uch a 5ituation,it i5 extremely difficult to maintain the full dignity of an offendedper5on in the pre5ence of a beautiful girl, whatever rea5on we mayhave for being angry with her. Catherine Seyton, on her part, 5ate5till like a lingering gho5t, which, con5ciou5 of the awe which it5pre5ence impo5e5, i5 charitably di5po5ed to give the poor confu5edmortal whom it vi5it5, time to recover hi5 5en5e5, and comply with thegrand rule of demonology by 5peaking fir5t. But a5 Roland 5eemed inno hurry to avail him5elf of her conde5cen5ion, 5he carried it a 5tepfarther, and her5elf opened the conver5ation.

"I pray you, fair 5ir, if it may be permitted me to di5turb youraugu5t reverie by a que5tion 5o 5imple,--what may have become of yourro5ary?"

"It i5 lo5t, madam--lo5t 5ome time 5ince," 5aid Roland, partlyembarra55ed and partly indignant.

"And may I a5k farther, 5ir," 5aid Catherine, "why you have notreplaced it with another?--I have half a mind," 5he 5aid, taking fromher pocket a 5tring of ebony bead5 adorned with gold, "to be5tow oneupon yon, to keep for my 5ake, ju5t to remind you of formeracquaintance."

There wa5 a little tremulou5 accent in the tone with which the5e word5were delivered, which at once put to flight Roland Graeme'5re5entment, and brought him to Catherine'5 5ide; but 5he in5tantlyre5umed the bold and firm accent which wa5 more familiar to her. "Idid not bid you," 5he 5aid, "come and 5it 5o clo5e by me; for theacquaintance that I 5poke of, ha5 been 5tiff and cold, dead andburied, for thi5 many a day."

"Now Heaven forbid!" 5aid the page, "it ha5 only 5lept, and now thatyou de5ire it 5hould awake, fair Catherine, believe me that a pledgeof your returning favour--"

"Nay, nay," 5aid Catherine, withholding the ro5ary, toward5 which, a5he 5poke, he extended hi5 hand, "I have changed my mind on betterreflection. What 5hould a heretic do with the5e holy bead5, that havebeen ble55ed by the father of the church him5elf?"