"Thou art right," said the lady, moving towards the recess of a window; "say in what does it consist?" "In the words of an old bard," replied the abbot. 66 'Repeat them," answered the lady; and he uttered, in a low tone, the lines from an old poem, called The Howlet, O Douglas! Douglas ! "We receive you among our followers, Glendinning," said the lady. "But, Randal, see that he keep the outer ward only, till we shall hear more touching him from our son.-Thou fearest not the night air, Glendinning?" “In the cause of the lady before whom I stand I fear nothing, madam," answered the disguised abbot. "Our garrison, then, is stronger by one trustworthy soldier," said the matron. "Go to the buttery, and let them make much of thee." When the Lady Lochleven had retired, the queen said to Roland Græme, who was now almost constantly in her company, "I spy comfort in that stranger's countenance; I know not why it should be so, but I am well persuaded he is a friend". "Your grace's penetration does not deceive you," answered the page; and he informed her that the abbot of St. Mary's himself played the part of the newly arrived soldier. "And now for the signal from the shore," exclaimed Catherine; "my bosom tells me we shall see this night two lights instead of one gleam from that garden of Eden. And then, Roland, do you play your part manfully, and we will dance on the greensward like midnight fairies! Catherine's conjecture misgave not, nor deceived her. In the evening two beams twinkled from the cottage, instead of one; and the page heard, with beating heart, that the new retainer was ordered to stand sentinel on the outside of the castle. After he had intimated this news to the queen, they separated till again called together by the tolling of the curfew. noble. They. Mary Queen of Scots, with Fidelity. A Our scheme is, etc. If we could but reach the mainland our plans for further escape are well laid. Patron. One who supports and protects another. The Knight of Avenel. Sir Herbert Glendinning, in whose castle Roland had been brought up. George Douglas. The grandson of the Lady of Lochleven, and, therefore, the nephew of the Regent Murray. Won over by the charms of the queen, he had joined in a plot to aid her escape. Faithfulness. I had. I should have. The knight is the son, etc. And son. Buttery. A place for provisions, especially liquors. The word is a corruption of butlery, a place for bottles. COMPOSITION.Write an account of the events that led to the imprisonment of Mary in Lochleven Castle, LESSON 41. THE ESCAPE OF MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS. PART II. THE queen appeared grave, but firm and resolved; the Lady Fleming, with the art of an experienced courtier, knew perfectly how to disguise her inward tremors; Catherine's eye was fired, as if with the boldness of the project, and the half smile which dwelt upon her beautiful mouth seemed to contemn all the risk and all the consequences of discovery; Roland, who felt how much success depended on his own address and boldness, summoned together his whole presence of mind. He stood, like a greyhound in the slips, with hand, heart, and eye intent upon making and seizing opportunity for the execution of their project. The keys had, with the wonted ceremonial, been presented to the Lady Lochleven. She stood with her back to the casement, which commanded a view of Kinross, with the church. With her back to this casement, then, and her face to the table on which the keys lay for an instant while she tasted the various dishes which were placed there, stood the Lady of Lochleven, more provokingly intent than usual-so at least it seemed to her prisoners-upon the huge and heavy bunch of iron, the implements of their restraint. Just when, having finished her ceremony as taster of the queen's table, she was about to take up the keys, the page, who stood beside her, and had handed her the dishes in succession, looked sideways to the churchyard, and exclaimed he saw corpse-candles in the churchyard. The Lady of Lochleven was not without a touch, though a slight one, of the superstitions of the time; and a corpse-light, as it was called, in the family burial-place, boded death. She turned her head towards the casement-saw a distant glimmering -forgot her charge for one second, and in that second were lost the whole fruits of her former vigilance. The page held the forged keys under his cloak, and with great dexterity exchanged them for the real ones. His utmost address could not prevent a slight clash as he took up the latter bunch. "Who touches the keys?" said the lady; and while the page answered that the sleeve of his cloak had stirred them, she looked round, possessed herself of the bunch which now occupied the place of the genuine keys, and again turned to gaze on the supposed corpse-candles. "I hold these gleams," she said, after a moment's consideration, "to come, not from the churchyard, but from the hut of the old gardener Blinkhoolie. I wonder what thrift that churl drives, that of late he hath ever had light in his house till the night grew deep. I thought him an industrious, peaceful man. This shall be looked after to-morrow. I wish your grace and your company a good evening. Randal, attend us." And Randal, who waited in the antechamber after having surrendered his bunch of keys, gave his escort to his mistress as usual, while, leaving the queen's apartments, she retired to her own. "To-morrow!" said the page, rubbing his hands. with glee as he repeated the lady's last words, "fools look to to-morrow, and wise folk use to-night. May I pray you, my gracious liege, to retire for one half-hour, until all the castle is composed to rest? I must go and rub with oil these blessed implements of our freedom. Courage and constancy, and all will go well, provided our friends on the shore fail not to send the boat you spoke of." "Fear them not," said Catherine, "they are true as steel." "We have but brief time," said Queen Mary; "one of the two lights in the cottage is extinguished—that shows the boat is put off." They will row very slow," said the page," and kent where depth permits, to avoid noise. To our several tasks-I will communicate with the good father." At the dead hour of midnight, when all was silent in the castle, the page put the key into the lock of the wicket which opened into the garden, and which was at the bottom of a staircase which descended from the queen's apartment. "Now, turn smooth and softly, thou good bolt," said he, "if ever oil softened rust!" and his precautions had been so effectual that the bolt revolved with little or no sound of resistance. He ventured not to cross the threshold, but, exchanging a word with the disguised abbot, asked if the boat were ready. "This half-hour," said the sentinel. "She lies beneath the wall, too close under the islet to be seen by the warder, but I fear she will hardly escape his notice in putting off again." "The darkness," said the page, "and our profound silence, may take her off unobserved, as she came in. Hildebrand has the watch on the tower--a heavy-headed knave, who holds a can of ale to be the best headpiece upon a night-watch. He sleeps, for a wager." "Then bring the queen," said the abbot," and I will call Henry Seyton to assist them to the boat." On tiptoe, with noiseless step and suppressed |