scroll in two, he muttered the first line that caught
his eye:

'"Petition of Mary Fitzgerald."'

'What--of--whom? Fitzgerald! what Fitzgerald?' cried Charles, catching
the other's wrist with a sudden grasp.

'"Sister of Grace Geraldine."'

The words were not well uttered when Charles snatched the paper from
Kelly's hand, and drew near to the lamp.

'Leave me; wait in the room without, Kelly!' said he; and the tone of
his voice implied a command not to be gainsaid. The Prince now flattened
out the crumpled document before him, holding the fragments close
together; but, although he bent over them attentively for several
minutes, he made little progress in their contents, for drop by drop the
hot tears rose to his eyes, and fell heavily on the paper. Gradually,
too, his head declined, till at last it fell forward on the table, where
he lay, sobbing deeply. It was a long time before he arose from this
attitude; and then his furrowed cheeks and glazed eyes told of intense
sorrow. 'What ruin have I brought everywhere!' was the exclamation that
broke from him, in a voice tremulous with agony. 'Kinloch said truly:
"We must have sinned heavily, to be so heavily cursed!"' Again and again
did he bend over the paper, and, few as were the lines, it was long
before he could read them through, such was the gush of emotion they
excited. 'Was there ever a cause so hallowed by misfortune?' cried he,
in an accent of anguish. 'Oh! Grace, had you been spared to me, I might
have been other than this. But, if it were to be--if it were indeed
fated that I should become the thing I am, thank God you have not lived
to see it! George,' cried he suddenly, 'who brought this paper?'

Kelly came at once at his call, and replied that the bearer was a poor
friar, by name MacManus.

'Let me see him alone,' said the Prince; and the next moment Fra Luke
entered the chamber, and, with a low and deferential gesture, stooped
down to kiss his hand. 'You are an Irishman.' said Charles, speaking
with a thick but rapid utterance; 'from none of your countrymen have
I met with anything but loyalty and affection. Tell me, then, frankly,
what you know of this paper--who wrote it?'

'I did, myself, your Royal Highness,' said Luke, trembling all over with
fear.

'Its contents are all true--strictly true?'

'As the words of this holy Book.' said Luke, placing his hand on his
breviary.

'Why were they not made known to me before--answer me that?' cried