ekly meeting, let them come forward, and be sworn."

A dozen or more courtiers immediately stepped forward, and kneeling
before the queen, announced their name and rank, which were both
ambitiously high. A few silvery-toned questions were put by that royal
lady and satisfactorily answered, and then the archbishop, armed with
a huge tome, administered a severe and searching oath, which the
candidates took with a great deal of sang froid, and were then
permitted to kiss the hand of the queen--a privilege worth any amount of
swearing--and retire.

"Let any one who has any reports to make, make them immediately," again
commanded her majesty.

A number of gentlemen of high rank, presented themselves at this
summons, and began relating, as a certain sect of Christians do
in church, their experience! Many of these consisted, to the deep
disapproval of Sir Norman, of accounts of daring highway robberies, one
of them perpetrated on the king himself, which distinguished personage
the duplicate of Leoline styled "our brother Charles," and of the
sums thereby attained. The treasurer of state was then ordered to show
himself, and give an account of the said moneys, which he promptly did;
and after him came a number of petitioners, praying for one thing and
another, some of which the queen promised to grant, and some she didn't.
These little affairs of state being over, Miranda turned to the little
gentleman beside her, with the observation,

"I believe, your highness, it is on this night the Earl of Gloucester is
to be tried on a charge of high treason, is it not?"

His highness growled a respectful assent.

"Then let him be brought before us," said the queen. "Go, guards, and
fetch him."

Two of the soldiers bowed low, and backed from the royal presence, amid
dead and ominous silence. At this interesting stage of the proceedings,
as Sir Norman was leaning forward, breathless and excited, a footstep
sounded on the flagged floor beside him, and some one suddenly grasped
his shoulder with no gentle hand.

CHAPTER IX. LEOLINE.

In one instant Sir Norman was on his feet and his hand on his sword. In
the tarry darkness, neither the face nor figure of the intruder could be
made out, but he merely saw a darker shadow beside him standing in the
sea of darkness. Perhaps he might have thought it a ghost, but that the
hand which grasped his shoulder was unmistakably of flesh, and blood,
and muscle, and the breathing of its o