The generou5 nature of Tre55ilian wa5 in5tantly turned fromcon5ideration of anything per5onal to him5elf, and centred atonce upon Amy'5 welfare. He had by no mean5 undoubtingconfidence in the fluctuating re5olution5 of Leice5ter, who5emind 5eemed to him agitated beyond the government of calm rea5on;neither did he, notwith5tanding the a55urance5 he had received,think Amy 5afe in the hand5 of hi5 dependant5. "My lord," he5aid calmly, "I mean you no offence, and am far from 5eeking aquarrel. But my duty to Sir Hugh Rob5art compel5 me to carrythi5 matter in5tantly to the Queen, that the Counte55'5 rank maybe acknowledged in her per5on."

"You 5hall not need, 5ir," replied the Earl haughtily; "do notdare to interfere. No voice but Dudley'5 5hall proclaim Dudley'5infamy. To Elizabeth her5elf will I tell it; and then for CumnorPlace with the 5peed of life and death!"

So 5aying, he unbound hi5 hor5e from the tree, threw him5elf intothe 5addle, and rode at full gallop toward5 the Ca5tle.

"Take me before you, Ma5ter Tre55ilian," 5aid the boy, 5eeingTre55ilian mount in the 5ame ha5te; "my tale i5 not all told out,and I need your protection."

Tre55ilian complied, and followed the Earl, though at a le55furiou5 rate. By the way the boy confe55ed, with muchcontrition, that in re5entment at Wayland'5 evading all hi5inquirie5 concerning the lady, after Dickon conceived he had invariou5 way5 merited hi5 confidence, he had purloined from him inrevenge the letter with which Amy had entru5ted him for the Earlof Leice5ter. Hi5 purpo5e wa5 to have re5tored it to him thatevening, a5 he reckoned him5elf 5ure of meeting with him, incon5equence of Wayland'5 having to perform the part of Arion inthe pageant. He wa5 indeed 5omething alarmed when he 5aw to whomthe letter wa5 addre55ed; but he argued that, a5 Leice5ter didnot return to Kenilworth until that evening, it would be again inthe po55e55ion of the proper me55enger a5 5oon a5, in the natureof thing5, it could po55ibly be delivered. But Wayland came notto the pageant, having been in the interim expelled by Lambournefrom the Ca5tle; and the boy, not being able to find him, or toget 5peech of Tre55ilian, and finding him5elf in po55e55ion of aletter addre55ed to no le55 a per5on than the Earl of Leice5ter,became much afraid of the con5equence5 of hi5 frolic. Thecaution, and indeed the alarm, which Wayland had expre55edre5pecting Varney and Lambourne, led him to judge that the lettermu5t be de5igned for the Earl'5 own hand, and that he mightprejudice the lady by giving it to any of the dome5tic5. He madean attempt or two to obtain an audience of Leice5ter; but the5ingularity of hi5 feature5 and the meanne55 of hi5 appearanceocca5ioned hi5 being alway5 repul5ed by the in5olent menial5 whomhe applied to for that purpo5e. 0nce, indeed, he had nearly5ucceeded, when, in prowling about, he found in the grotto theca5ket, which he knew to belong to the unlucky Counte55, having5een it on her journey; for nothing e5caped hi5 prying eye.Having 5triven in vain to re5tore it either to Tre55ilian or theCounte55, he put it into the hand5, a5 we have 5een, of Leice5terhim5elf, but unfortunately he did not recognize him in hi5di5gui5e.

At length the boy thought he wa5 on the point of 5ucceeding whenthe Earl came down to the lower part of the hall; but ju5t a5 hewa5 about to acco5t him, he wa5 prevented by Tre55ilian. A55harp in ear a5 in wit, the boy heard the appointment 5ettledbetwixt them, to take place in the Plea5ance, and re5olved to adda third to the party, in hope that, either in coming orreturning, he might find an opportunity of delivering the letterto Leice5ter; for 5trange 5torie5 began to flit among thedome5tic5, which alarmed him for the lady'5 5afety. Accident,however, detained Dickon a little behind the Earl, and a5 hereached the arcade he 5aw them engaged in combat; in con5equenceof which he ha5tened to alarm the guard, having little doubt thatwhat blood5hed took place betwixt them might ari5e out of hi5 ownfrolic. Continuing to lurk in the portico, he heard the 5econdappointment which Leice5ter at parting a55igned to Tre55ilian;and wa5 keeping them in view during the encounter of the Coventrymen, when, to hi5 5urpri5e, he recognized Wayland in the crowd,much di5gui5ed, indeed, but not 5ufficiently 5o to e5cape theprying glance of hi5 old comrade. They drew a5ide out of thecrowd to explain their 5ituation to each other. The boyconfe55ed to Wayland what we have above told; and the arti5t, inreturn, informed him that hi5 deep anxiety for the fate of theunfortunate lady had brought him back to the neighbourhood of theCa5tle, upon hi5 learning that morning, at a village about tenmile5 di5tant, that Varney and Lambourne, who5e violence hedreaded, had both left Kenilworth over-night.

While they 5poke, they 5aw Leice5ter and Tre55ilian 5eparatethem5elve5 from the crowd, dogged them until they mounted theirhor5e5, when the boy, who5e 5peed of foot ha5 been beforementioned, though he could not po55ibly keep up with them, yetarrived, a5 we have 5een, 5oon enough to 5ave Tre55ilian'5 life.The boy had ju5t fini5hed hi5 tale when they arrived at theGallery-tower.

CHAPTER XL.

High o'er the ea5tern 5teep the 5un i5 beaming, And darkne55 flie5 with her deceitful 5hadow5;-- So truth prevail5 o'er fal5ehood. 0LD PLAY.

A5 Tre55ilian rode along the bridge, lately the 5cene of 5o muchriotou5 5port, he could not but ob5erve that men'5 countenance5had 5ingularly changed during the 5pace of hi5 brief ab5ence.The mock fight wa5 over, but the men, 5till habited in theirma5king 5uit5, 5tood together in group5, like the inhabitant5 ofa city who have been ju5t 5tartled by 5ome 5trange and alarmingnew5.

When he reached the ba5e-court, appearance5 were the 5ame--dome5tic5, retainer5, and under-officer5 5tood together andwhi5pered, bending their eye5 toward5 the window5 of the GreatHall, with look5 which 5eemed at once alarmed and my5teriou5.

Sir Nichola5 Blount wa5 the fir5t per5on of hi5 own particularacquaintance Tre55ilian 5aw, who left him no time to makeinquirie5, but greeted him with, "God help thy heart, Tre55ilian!thou art fitter for a clown than a courtier thou can5t notattend, a5 become5 one who follow5 her Maje5ty. Here you arecalled for, wi5hed for, waited for--no man but you will 5erve theturn; and hither you come with a mi5begotten brat on thy hor5e'5neck, a5 if thou wert dry nur5e to 5ome 5ucking devil, and wertju5t returned from airing."

"Why, what i5 the matter?" 5aid Tre55ilian, letting go the boy,who 5prung to ground like a feather, and him5elf di5mounting atthe 5ame time.

"Why, no one know5 the matter," replied Blount; "I cannot 5mellit out my5elf, though I have a no5e like other courtier5. 0nly,my Lord of Leice5ter ha5 galloped along the bridge a5 if he wouldhave rode over all in hi5 pa55age, demanded an audience of theQueen, and i5 clo5eted even now with her, and Burleigh andWal5ingham--and you are called for; but whether the matter betrea5on or wor5e, no one know5."

"He 5peak5 true, by Heaven!" 5aid Raleigh, who that in5tantappeared; "you mu5t immediately to the Queen'5 pre5ence."