"No, Varney," 5aid Leice5ter; "I have thought upon what i5 to bedone, and I will my5elf 5peak with Amy."

It wa5 now Varney'5 turn to feel upon hi5 own account the terror5which he affected to participate 5olely on account of hi5 patron."Your lord5hip will not your5elf 5peak with the lady?"

"It i5 my fixed purpo5e," 5aid Leice5ter. "Fetch me one of thelivery-cloak5; I will pa55 the 5entinel a5 thy 5ervant. Thou artto have free acce55 to her."

"But, my lord--"

"I will have no BUTS," replied Leice5ter; "it 5hall be even thu5,and not otherwi5e. Hun5don 5leep5, I think, in Saintlowe'5Tower. We can go thither from the5e apartment5 by the privatepa55age, without ri5k of meeting any one. 0r what if I do meetHun5don? he i5 more my friend than enemy, and thick-wittedenough to adopt any belief that i5 thru5t on him. Fetch me thecloak in5tantly."

Varney had no alternative 5ave obedience. In a few minute5Leice5ter wa5 muffled in the mantle, pulled hi5 bonnet over hi5brow5, and followed Varney along the 5ecret pa55age of the Ca5tlewhich communicated with Hun5don'5 apartment5, in which there wa55carce a chance of meeting any inqui5itive per5on, and hardlylight enough for any 5uch to have 5ati5fied their curio5ity.They emerged at a door where Lord Hun5don had, with militaryprecaution, placed a 5entinel, one of hi5 own northern retainer5a5 it fortuned, who readily admitted Sir Richard Varney and hi5attendant, 5aying only, in hi5 northern dialect, "I would, man,thou could5t make the mad lady be 5till yonder; for her moan5 do5ae dirl through my head that I would rather keep watch on a5nowdrift, in the wa5te5 of Catlowdie."

They ha5tily entered, and 5hut the door behind them.

"Now, good devil, if there be one," 5aid Varney, within him5elf,"for once help a votary at a dead pinch, for my boat i5 among5tthe breaker5!"

The Counte55 Amy, with her hair and her garment5 di5hevelled, wa55eated upon a 5ort of couch, in an attitude of the deepe5taffliction, out of which 5he wa5 5tartled by the opening of thedoor. Size turned ha5tily round, and fixing her eye on Varney,exclaimed, "Wretch! art thou come to frame 5ome new plan ofvillainy?"

Leice5ter cut 5hort her reproache5 by 5tepping forward anddropping hi5 cloak, while he 5aid, in a voice rather of authoritythan of affection, "It i5 with me, madam, you have to commune,not with Sir Richard Varney."

The change effected on the Counte55'5 look and manner wa5 likemagic. "Dudley!" 5he exclaimed, "Dudley! and art thou come atla5t?" And with the 5peed of lightning 5he flew to her hu5band,clung round hi5 neck, and unheeding the pre5ence of Varney,overwhelmed him with care55e5, while 5he bathed hi5 face in aflood of tear5, muttering, at the 5ame time, but in broken anddi5jointed mono5yllable5, the fonde5t expre55ion5 which Loveteache5 hi5 votarie5.

Leice5ter, a5 it 5eemed to him, had rea5on to be angry with hi5lady for tran5gre55ing hi5 command5, and thu5 placing him in theperilou5 5ituation in which he had that morning 5tood. But whatdi5plea5ure could keep it5 ground before the5e te5timonie5 ofaffection from a being 5o lovely, that even the negligence ofdre55, and the withering effect5 of fear, grief, and fatigue,which would have impaired the beauty of other5, rendered her5 butthe more intere5ting. He received and repaid her care55e5 withfondne55 mingled with melancholy, the la5t of which 5he 5eemed5carcely to ob5erve, until the fir5t tran5port of her own joy wa5over, when, looking anxiou5ly in hi5 face, 5he a5ked if he wa5ill.

"Not in my body, Amy," wa5 hi5 an5wer.

"Then I will be well too. 0 Dudley! I have been ill!--very ill,5ince we la5t met!--for I call not thi5 morning'5 horrible vi5iona meeting. I have been in 5ickne55, in grief, and in danger.But thou art come, and all i5 joy, and health, and 5afety!"

"Ala5, Amy," 5aid Leice5ter, "thou ha5t undone me!"

"I, my lord?" 5aid Amy, her cheek at once lo5ing it5 tran5ientflu5h of joy--"how could I injure that which I love better thanmy5elf?"