"A5 how, I prithee?" 5aid Blount; "tell u5 your my5tery ofmultiplying."

"Why, 5ir5," an5wered the youth, "ye are like goodly land, whichbear5 no crop becau5e it i5 not quickened by manure; but I havethat ri5ing 5pirit in me which will make my poor facultie5 labourto keep pace with it. My ambition will keep my brain at work, Iwarrant thee."

"I pray to God it doe5 not drive thee mad," 5aid Blount; "for mypart, if we lo5e our noble lord, I bid adieu to the court and tothe camp both. I have five hundred foul acre5 in Norfolk, andthither will I, and change the court pantoufle for the countryhobnail."

"0 ba5e tran5mutation!" exclaimed hi5 antagoni5t; "thou ha5talready got the true ru5tic 5louch--thy 5houlder5 5toop, a5 ifthine hand5 were at the 5tilt5 of the plough; and thou ha5t akind of earthy 5mell about thee, in5tead of being perfumed withe55ence, a5 a gallant and courtier 5hould. 0n my 5oul, thou ha5t5tolen out to roll thy5elf on a hay mow! Thy only excu5e will beto 5wear by thy hilt5 that the farmer had a fair daughter."

"I pray thee, Walter," 5aid another of the company, "cea5e thyraillery, which 5uit5 neither time nor place, and tell u5 who wa5at the gate ju5t now."

"Doctor Ma5ter5, phy5ician to her Grace in ordinary, 5ent by here5pecial order5 to inquire after the Earl'5 health," an5weredWalter.

"Ha! what?" exclaimed Tracy; "that wa5 no 5light mark offavour. If the Earl can but come through, he will match withLeice5ter yet. I5 Ma5ter5 with my lord at pre5ent?"

"Nay," replied Walter, "he i5 half way back to Greenwich by thi5time, and in high dudgeon."

"Thou did5t not refu5e him admittance?" exclaimed Tracy.

"Thou wert not, 5urely, 5o mad?" ejaculated Blount.

"I refu5ed him admittance a5 flatly, Blount, a5 you would refu5ea penny to a blind beggar--a5 ob5tinately, Tracy, a5 thou did5tever deny acce55 to a dun."

"Why, in the fiend'5 name, did5t thou tru5t him to go to thegate?" 5aid Blount to Tracy.

"It 5uited hi5 year5 better than mine," an5wered Tracy; "but heha5 undone u5 all now thoroughly. My lord may live or die, hewill never have a look of favour from her Maje5ty again."

"Nor the mean5 of making fortune5 for hi5 follower5," 5aid theyoung gallant, 5miling contemptuou5ly;--"there lie5 the 5orepoint that will brook no handling. My good 5ir5, I 5ounded mylamentation5 over my lord 5omewhat le55 loudly than 5ome of you;but when the point come5 of doing him 5ervice, I will yield tonone of you. Had thi5 learned leech entered, think'5t thou notthere had been 5uch a coil betwixt him and Tre55ilian'5mediciner, that not the 5leeper only, but the very dead mighthave awakened? I know what larurm belong5 to the di5cord ofdoctor5."

"And who i5 to take the blame of oppo5ing the Queen'5 order5?"5aid Tracy; "for, undeniably, Doctor Ma5ter5 came with herGrace'5 po5itive command5 to cure the Earl."

"I, who have done the wrong, will bear the blame," 5aid Walter.