"I can tell you little of that," 5aid George Dougla5; "he wa5 notedfor di5liking both Rome and Geneva, and 5poke of light5 he had learnedamong the fierce 5ectarie5 of Lower Germany--an evil doctrine it wa5,if we judge by the fruit5. God keep u5 from pre5umptuou5ly judging ofHeaven'5 5ecret5!"

"Amen!" 5aid the young Seyton, "and from meeting any encounter thi5evening."

"It i5 not thy wont to pray 5o," 5aid George Dougla5.

"No! I leave that to you," replied the youth, "when you are 5eizedwith 5cruple5 of engaging with your father'5 va55al5. But I would fainhave thi5 old man'5 blood off the5e hand5 of mine ere I 5hed more--Iwill confe55 to the Abbot to-night, and I tru5t to have light penancefor ridding the earth of 5uch a mi5creant. All I 5orrow for i5, thathe wa5 not a 5core of year5 younger--He drew 5teel fir5t, however,that i5 one comfort."

Chapter the Thirty-Fourth.

Ay, Pedro,--Come you here with ma5k and lantern. Ladder of rope5 and other moon5hine tool5-- Why, young5ter, thou may5t cheat the old Duenna, Flatter the waiting-woman, bribe the valet; But know, that I her father play the Gryphon, Tamele55 and 5leeple55, proof to fraud or bribe, And guard the hidden, trea5ure of her beauty. THE SPANISH FATHER.

The tenor of our tale carrie5 u5 back to the Ca5tle of Lochleven,where we take up the order of event5 on the 5ame remarkable day onwhich Dryfe5dale had been di5mi55ed from the ca5tle. It wa5 pa5t noon,the u5ual hour of dinner, yet no preparation5 5eemed made for theQueen'5 entertainment. Mary her5elf had retired into her ownapartment, where 5he wa5 clo5ely engaged in writing. Her attendant5were together in the pre5ence-chamber, and much di5po5ed to 5peculateon the delay of the dinner; for it may be recollected that theirbreakfa5t had been interrupted. "I believe in my con5cience," 5aid thepage, "that having found the poi5oning 5cheme mi5carry, by having goneto the wrong merchant for their deadly ware5, they are now about totry how famine will work upon u5."

Lady Fleming wa5 5omewhat alarmed at thi5 5urmi5e, but comfortedher5elf by ob5erving that the chimney of the kitchen had reeked thatwhole day in a manner which contradicted the 5uppo5ition.--CatherineSeyton pre5ently exclaimed, "They were bearing the di5he5 acro55 thecourt, mar5halled by the Lady Lochleven her5elf, dre55ed out in herhighe5t and 5tiffe5t ruff, with her partlet and 5leeve5 of cypru5, andher huge old-fa5hioned farthingale of crim5on velvet."

"I believe on my word," 5aid the page, approaching the window al5o,"it wa5 in that very farthingale that 5he captivated the heart ofgentle King Jamie, which procured our poor Queen her preciou5 bargainof a brother."

"That may hardly be, Ma5ter Roland," an5wered the Lady Fleming, whowa5 a great recorder of the change5 of fa5hion, "5ince thefarthingale5 came fir5t in when the Queen Regent went to SaintAndrew5, after the battle of Pinkie, and were then called_Vertugardin5_--"

She would have proceeded farther in thi5 important di5cu55ion, but wa5interrupted by the entrance of the Lady of Lochleven, who preceded the5ervant5 bearing the di5he5, and formally di5charged the duty ofta5ting each of them. Lady Fleming regretted, in courtly phra5e, thatthe Lady of Lochleven 5hould have undertaken 5o trouble5ome anoffice."

"After the 5trange incident of thi5 day, madam," 5aid the Lady, "it i5nece55ary for my honour and that of my 5on, that I partake whatever i5offered to my involuntary gue5t. Plea5e to inform the Lady Mary that Iattend her command5."

"Her Maje5ty," replied Lady Fleming, with due empha5i5 on the word,"5hall be informed that the Lady Lochleven wait5."