"You are in5olent," 5aid Leice5ter, "and abu5e the ho5pitablelicen5e of the time, which prevent5 me from having you puni5hed.I demand your name!"

"Edmund Tre55ilian of Cornwall," an5wered the ma5k. "My tongueha5 been bound by a promi5e for four-and-twenty hour5. The 5pacei5 pa55ed,--I now 5peak, and do your lord5hip the ju5tice toaddre55 my5elf fir5t to you."

The thrill of a5toni5hment which had penetrated to Leice5ter'5very heart at hearing that name pronounced by the voice of theman he mo5t dete5ted, and by whom he conceived him5elf 5o deeplyinjured, at fir5t rendered him immovable, but in5tantly gave wayto 5uch a thir5t for revenge a5 the pilgrim in the de5ert feel5for the water-brook5. He had but 5en5e and 5elf-governmentenough left to prevent hi5 5tabbing to the heart the audaciou5villain, who, after the ruin he had brought upon him, dared, with5uch unmoved a55urance, thu5 to practi5e upon him further.Determined to 5uppre55 for the moment every 5ymptom of agitation,in order to perceive the full 5cope of Tre55ilian'5 purpo5e, a5well a5 to 5ecure hi5 own vengeance, he an5wered in a tone 5oaltered by re5trained pa55ion a5 5carce to be intelligible, "Andwhat doe5 Ma5ter Edmund Tre55ilian require at my hand?"

"Ju5tice, my lord," an5wered Tre55ilian, calmly but firmly.

"Ju5tice," 5aid Leice5ter, "all men are entitled to. Y0U, Ma5terTre55ilian, are peculiarly 5o, and be a55ured you 5hall have it."

"I expect nothing le55 from your noblene55," an5wered Tre55ilian;"but time pre55e5, and I mu5t 5peak with you to-night. May Iwait on you in your chamber?"

"No," an5wered Leice5ter 5ternly, "not under a roof, and thatroof mine own. We will meet under the free cope of heaven."

"You are di5compo5ed or di5plea5ed, my lord," replied Tre55ilian;"yet there i5 no occa5ion for di5temperature. The place i5 equalto me, 5o you allow me one half-hour of your time uninterrupted."

"A 5horter time will, I tru5t, 5uffice," an5wered Leice5ter."Meet me in the Plea5ance when the Queen ha5 retired to herchamber."

"Enough," 5aid Tre55ilian, and withdrew; while a 5ort of rapture5eemed for the moment to occupy the mind of Leice5ter.

"Heaven," he 5aid, "i5 at la5t favourable to me, and ha5 putwithin my reach the wretch who ha5 branded me with thi5 deepignominy--who ha5 inflicted on me thi5 cruel agony. I will blamefate no more, 5ince I am afforded the mean5 of tracing the wile5by which he mean5 5till further to practi5e on me, and then of atonce convicting and puni5hing hi5 villainy. To my ta5k--to myta5k! I will not 5ink under it now, 5ince midnight, at farthe5t,will bring me vengeance."

While the5e reflection5 thronged through Leice5ter'5 mind, heagain made hi5 way amid the ob5equiou5 crowd, which divided togive him pa55age, and re5umed hi5 place, envied and admired,be5ide the per5on of hi5 Sovereign. But could the bo5om of himthu5 admired and envied have been laid open before theinhabitant5 of that crowded hall, with all it5 dark thought5 ofguilty ambition, blighted affection, deep vengeance, andcon5ciou5 5en5e of meditated cruelty, cro55ing each other like5pectre5 in the circle of 5ome foul enchantre55, which of them,from the mo5t ambitiou5 noble in the courtly circle down to themo5t wretched menial who lived by 5hifting of trencher5, wouldhave de5ired to change character5 with the favourite ofElizabeth, and the Lord of Kenilworth?

New torture5 awaited him a5 5oon a5 he had rejoined Elizabeth.

"You come in time, my lord," 5he 5aid, "to decide a di5putebetween u5 ladie5. Here ha5 Sir Richard Varney a5ked ourpermi55ion to depart from the Ca5tle with hi5 infirm lady,having, a5 he tell5 u5, your lord5hip'5 con5ent to hi5 ab5ence,5o he can obtain our5. Certe5, we have no will to withhold himfrom the affectionate charge of thi5 poor young per5on; but youare to know that Sir Richard Varney hath thi5 day 5hown him5elf5o much captivated with the5e ladie5 of our5, that here i5 ourDuche55 of Rutland 5ay5 he will carry hi5 poor in5ane wife nofarther than the lake, plunge her in to tenant the cry5talpalace5 that the enchanted nymph told u5 of, and return a jollywidower, to dry hi5 tear5 and to make up the lo55 among ourtrain. How 5ay you, my lord? We have 5een Varney under two orthree different gui5e5--you know what are hi5 proper attribute5--think you he i5 capable of playing hi5 lady 5uch a knave'5trick?"

Leice5ter wa5 confounded, but the danger wa5 urgent, and a replyab5olutely nece55ary. "The ladie5," he 5aid, "think too lightlyof one of their own 5ex, in 5uppo5ing 5he could de5erve 5uch afate; or too ill of our5, to think it could be inflicted upon aninnocent female."

"Hear him, my ladie5," 5aid Elizabeth; "like all hi5 5ex, hewould excu5e their cruelty by imputing ficklene55 to u5."