"I never before heard you speak of your father," observed the youth.

"I do not like to speak of him; I ran off to sea when I was about ten

years old, and when I came back he was dead. There was war enough in

England at that time to occupy my active nature: I first joined the

King's party, and had my share of wounds and glory at Gainsborough,

where I fought with and saw poor Cavendish killed by that devil

Cromwell. It was at that same battle his successes began: he had a brave

horse-regiment there of his countrymen, most of them freeholders and

freeholders' sons, who upon matter of conscience engaged in this quarrel

under him. It was there he ousted us with his canting. Gadsooks! they

went as regularly to their psalm-singing as they had been in a

conventicle; and thus, d'ye see, being armed after their own fanatical

fashion within, and without by the best iron armour, they stood as one

man, firmly, and charged as one man, desperately.--But we have other

things to talk of than him or me; so sit down, young gentleman, and

let's hear the news;--or, stay, Robin must first bring us some wine--my

warehouse is full of it; I must wash down the poison that fellow has

crammed into my throat. Ah! ah! ah! what chafes me is, that, from my

cursed reputation, greater villains than myself thrust me forward to do

their work, and think they have a right to storm and stare if I have

conscience in any thing. But I'll be even with them all yet--with one in

particular. That villain!--shall that far greater villain have peace?

'There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.'"

He summoned Robin, who placed on the table some meat and wine, and other

matters that supplied a pretty substantial supper: a ceremony, the

rendering justice to which affords us sufficient leisure to examine the

form and features of the young Cavalier, who, having laid aside his

enormous cloak, reclined on some piles of foreign cloths with an ease

and grace that belongs only to those of gentle blood. Amid the bustle

and occupation of life, it is a simple matter for people of ordinary

rank to assume the bearing of the well-bred; but repose is the true

criterion of a gentleman or lady, inasmuch as there is then no motion to

take off from an ungraceful attitude or an awkward mien. The features

of the Cavalier were almost too high for beauty; and had it not been for

a playful smile that frequently flitted across his countenance,

elongating his moustache, softening and blending the hard lines that

even at four-and-twenty had deepened into furrows, he would have been

pronounced of severe aspect. Bright golden hair clustered in rich curls

over his forehead, and fell a little on either cheek, giving a

picturesque character to the form of the head. His eyes appeared of a

dark grey; but they were so much sunk, so overshadowed by his forehead,

as to leave one in doubt as to their exact colour. His figure was

unusually tall and well-formed, and his whole bearing was more that of

an accomplished gentleman than of a cut-and-slash cavalier: his manner

was neither reckless nor daring, but it was firm and collected. His

dress was composed of the finest black cloth, with a black velvet

doublet; and his sword-hilt glittered with diamonds.




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