account for what she does, and afterwards sin will not lie at
her door. Your Reverence shakes your head; but you will now find a vast
deal of learning in the parish, and hard words, and every body able to
talk with you; but I say again, that what with spending their time in
idleness, and slandering each other, and sighing and groaning they don't
know for what, and making feasts for ministers, and night meetings, and
praying against the King, and cursing the bishops, and pulling down the
church--give me the old times again, and the old way of going to
Heaven."

Dr. Beaumont sighed at this strongly coloured, but artless picture of
fanatical licence, and changed the subject by inquiring the fate of the
Waverly family. Their history was indeed tragical. "Poor Sir William,"
Dame Humphreys said, "had turned, and trimmed, and cut in, and cut out,
till nobody knew whether he was of any side at all, till, just as Prince
Rupert raised the siege of Lathom House, when, thinking the King was
sure to conquer, mid wanting to be made a Lord, he joined the Prince
with a small troop of horse, intending (his neighbours thought) to
gallop away before the battle began, for Sir William hated the sight of
blood. But so it was; his time was come, and then there is no escaping,
for Sir William was shot in his own quarters in a night-skirmish--and
who did they think by?" Here she turned pale with horror, and the
natural simplicity of her language seemed elevated by the emotions
arising from the dreadful tale she had to relate.--"By his own son. O!
Your Honour, it is too true. A kinsman of mine saw the deed done, and
the ground has looked blasted ever since. But young Sir Harry, as now
ought to be, little thought it was his father when he called him a
drunken old cavalier; for the poor old gentleman trembled so, he could
not cry for quarter till his son had given him his death's wound; and he
saw by the flash of the pistol who it was, and called to mind how he had
made him serve in the Parliament army against his will. So he just
groaned out, "God is just, Harry," and died. It was the most piteous
sight; for the poor youth fell on the dead body, and groaned, and tore
his hair, and beat himself in such a manner, till his soldiers bore him
away; and what has become of him since that day no soul knows, for he
has never come to claim the estate, nor to look after any thing; so
Parliament seized it all, because Sir William died at last a Loyalist.
But