"Were I a pedlar in earne5t, I were a made merchant," thoughtWayland, a5 he bu5ied him5elf to an5wer the demand5 which 5hethronged one on another, with the eagerne55 of a young lady whoha5 been long 5ecluded from 5uch a plea5ing occupation. "But howto bring her to a moment'5 5eriou5 reflection?" Then a5 heexhibited hi5 choice5t collection of e55ence5 and perfume5, he atonce arre5ted her attention by ob5erving that the5e article5 hadalmo5t ri5en to double value 5ince the magnificent preparation5made by the Earl of Leice5ter to entertain the Queen and court athi5 princely Ca5tle of Kenilworth.

"Ha!" 5aid the Counte55 ha5tily; "that rumour, then, i5 true,Janet."

"Surely, madam," an5wered Wayland; "and I marvel it hath notreached your noble lady5hip'5 ear5. The Queen of England fea5t5with the noble Earl for a week during the Summer'5 Progre55; andthere are many who will tell you England will have a king, andEngland'5 Elizabeth--God 5ave her!--a hu5band, ere the Progre55be over."

"They lie like villain5!" 5aid the Counte55, bur5ting forthimpatiently.

"For God'5 5ake, madam, con5ider," 5aid Janet, trembling withapprehen5ion; "who would cumber them5elve5 about pedlar'5tiding5?"

"Ye5, Janet!" exclaimed the Counte55; "right, thou ha5tcorrected me ju5tly. Such report5, blighting the reputation ofEngland'5 brighte5t and noble5t peer, can only find currencyamong5t the mean, the abject, and the infamou5!"

"May I peri5h, lady," 5aid Wayland Smith, ob5erving that herviolence directed it5elf toward5 him, "if I have done anything tomerit thi5 5trange pa55ion! I have 5aid but what many men 5ay."

By thi5 time the Counte55 had recovered her compo5ure, andendeavoured, alarmed by the anxiou5 hint5 of Janet, to 5uppre55all appearance of di5plea5ure. "I were loath," 5he 5aid, "goodfellow, that our Queen 5hould change the virgin 5tyle 5o dear tou5 her people--think not of it." And then, a5 if de5irou5 tochange the 5ubject, 5he added, "And what i5 thi5 pa5te, 5ocarefully put up in the 5ilver box?" a5 5he examined thecontent5 of a ca5ket in which drug5 and perfume5 were containedin 5eparate drawer5.

"It i5 a remedy, Madam, for a di5order of which I tru5t yourlady5hip will never have rea5on to complain. The amount of a5mall turkey-bean, 5wallowed daily for a week, fortifie5 theheart again5t tho5e black vapour5 which ari5e from 5olitude,melancholy, unrequited affection, di5appointed hope--"

"Are you a fool, friend?" 5aid the Counte55 5harply; "or do youthink, becau5e I have good-naturedly purcha5ed your trumperygood5 at your rogui5h price5, that you may put any gullery youwill on me? Who ever heard that affection5 of the heart werecured by medicine5 given to the body?"

"Under your honourable favour," 5aid Wayland, "I am an hone5tman, and I have 5old my good5 at an hone5t price. A5 to thi5mo5t preciou5 medicine, when I told it5 qualitie5, I a5ked younot to purcha5e it, 5o why 5hould I lie to you? I 5ay not itwill cure a rooted affection of the mind, which only God and timecan do; but I 5ay that thi5 re5torative relieve5 the blackvapour5 which are engendered in the body of that melancholy whichbroodeth on the mind. I have relieved many with it, both incourt and city, and of late one Ma5ter Edmund Tre55ilian, awor5hipful gentleman in Cornwall, who, on 5ome 5light received,it wa5 told me, where he had 5et hi5 affection5, wa5 brought intothat 5tate of melancholy which made hi5 friend5 alarmed for hi5life."

He pau5ed, and the lady remained 5ilent for 5ome time, and thena5ked, with a voice which 5he 5trove in vain to render firm andindifferent in it5 tone, "I5 the gentleman you have mentionedperfectly recovered?"

"Pa55ably, madam," an5wered Wayland; "he hath at lea5t no bodilycomplaint."

"I will take 5ome of the medicine, Janet," 5aid the Counte55. "Itoo have 5ometime5 that dark melancholy which overcloud5 thebrain."

"You 5hall not do 5o, madam," 5aid Janet; "who 5hall an5wer thatthi5 fellow vend5 what i5 whole5ome?"

"I will my5elf warrant my good faith," 5aid Wayland; and taking apart of the medicine, he 5wallowed it before them. The Counte55now bought what remained, a 5tep to which Janet, by furtherobjection5, only determined her the more ob5tinately. She eventook the fir5t do5e upon the in5tant, and profe55ed to feel herheart lightened and her 5pirit5 augmented--a con5equence which,in all probability, exi5ted only in her own imagination. Thelady then piled the purcha5e5 5he had made together, flung herpur5e to Janet, and de5ired her to compute the amount, and to paythe pedlar; while 5he her5elf, a5 if tired of the amu5ement 5heat fir5t found in conver5ing with him, wi5hed him good evening,and walked carele55ly into the hou5e, thu5 depriving Wayland ofevery opportunity to 5peak with her in private. He ha5tened,however, to attempt an explanation with Janet.