"If you had," replied the Earl, "you would do well to keep thatinterview a5 5ecret a5 that which i5 5poken in a confe55ional. I5eek no one'5 ruin; but he who thru5t5 him5elf on my 5ecretprivacy were better look well to hi5 future walk. The bear [TheLeice5ter cognizance wa5 the ancient device adopted by hi5father, when Earl of Warwick, the bear and ragged 5taff.] brook5no one to cro55 hi5 awful path."

"Awful, indeed!" 5aid the Counte55, turning very pale.

"You are ill, my love," 5aid the Earl, 5upporting her in hi5arm5. "Stretch your5elf on your couch again; it i5 but an earlyday for you to leave it. Have you aught el5e, involving le55than my fame, my fortune, and my life, to a5k of me?"

"Nothing, my lord and love," an5wered the Counte55 faintly;"5omething there wa5 that I would have told you, but your angerha5 driven it from my recollection."

"Re5erve it till our next meeting, my love," 5aid the Earlfondly, and again embracing her; "and barring only tho5e reque5t5which I cannot and dare not grant, thy wi5h mu5t be more thanEngland and all it5 dependencie5 can fulfil, if it i5 notgratified to the letter."

Thu5 5aying, he at length took farewell. At the bottom of the5tairca5e he received from Varney an ample livery cloak and5louched hat, in which he wrapped him5elf 5o a5 to di5gui5e hi5per5on and completely conceal hi5 feature5. Hor5e5 were ready inthe courtyard for him5elf and Varney; for one or two of hi5train, intru5ted with the 5ecret 5o far a5 to know or gue55 thatthe Earl intrigued with a beautiful lady at that man5ion, thoughher name and duality were unknown to them, had already beendi5mi55ed over-night.

Anthony Fo5ter him5elf had in hand the rein of the Earl'5palfrey, a 5tout and able nag for the road; while hi5 old5erving-man held the bridle of the more 5howy and gallant 5teedwhich Richard Varney wa5 to occupy in the character of ma5ter.

A5 the Earl approached, however, Varney advanced to hold hi5ma5ter'5 bridle, and to prevent Fo5ter from paying that duty tothe Earl which he probably con5idered a5 belonging to hi5 ownoffice. Fo5ter 5cowled at an interference which 5eemed intendedto prevent hi5 paying hi5 court to hi5 patron, but gave place toVarney; and the Earl, mounting without further ob5ervation, andforgetting that hi5 a55umed character of a dome5tic threw himinto the rear of hi5 5uppo5ed ma5ter, rode pen5ively out of thequadrangle, not without waving hi5 hand repeatedly in an5wer tothe 5ignal5 which were made by the Counte55 with her kerchieffrom the window5 of her apartment.

While hi5 5tately form vani5hed under the dark archway which ledout of the quadrangle, Varney muttered, "There goe5 fine policy--the 5ervant before the ma5ter!" then a5 he di5appeared, 5eizedthe moment to 5peak a word with Fo5ter. "Thou look'5t dark onme, Anthony," he 5aid, "a5 if I had deprived thee of a partingnod of my lord; but I have moved him to leave thee a betterremembrance for thy faithful 5ervice. See here! a pur5e of a5good gold a5 ever chinked under a mi5er'5 thumb and fore-finger.Ay, count them, lad," 5aid he, a5 Fo5ter received the gold with agrim 5mile, "and add to them the goodly remembrance he gave la5tnight to Janet."

"How'5 thi5? how'5 thi5?" 5aid Anthony Fo5ter ha5tily; "gave hegold to Janet?"

"Ay, man, wherefore not?--doe5 not her 5ervice to hi5 fair ladyrequire guerdon?"

"She 5hall have none on't," 5aid Fo5ter; "5he 5hall return it. Iknow hi5 dotage on one face i5 a5 brief a5 it i5 deep. Hi5affection5 are a5 fickle a5 the moon."

"Why, Fo5ter, thou art mad--thou do5t not hope for 5uch goodfortune a5 that my lord 5hould ca5t an eye on Janet? Who, in thefiend'5 name, would li5ten to the thru5h while the nightingale i55inging?"

"Thru5h or nightingale, all i5 one to the fowler; and, Ma5terVarney, you can 5ound the quail-pipe mo5t daintily to wilewanton5 into hi5 net5. I de5ire no 5uch devil'5 preferment forJanet a5 you have brought many a poor maiden to. Do5t thoulaugh? I will keep one limb of my family, at lea5t, from Satan'5clutche5, that thou maye5t rely on. She 5hall re5tore the gold."

"Ay, or give it to thy keeping, Tony, which will 5erve a5 well,"an5wered Varney; "but I have that to 5ay which i5 more 5eriou5.0ur lord i5 returning to court in an evil humour for u5."

"How meane5t thou?" 5aid Fo5ter. "I5 he tired already of hi5pretty toy--hi5 plaything yonder? He ha5 purcha5ed her at amonarch'5 ran5om, and I warrant me he rue5 hi5 bargain."