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ther's name or their father's honours, did they not seek to protect the women of their country, and to keep them in virtue and innocence, as he protects the men, and guides them to war and victory, or to peace and honour! Would to God, fair girl, that, notwithstanding your simplicity, the maidens of Britain were all as right-minded and gentle as yourself! As a proof how highly I value your faithful and true affection, I bestow upon you an ornament I have long worn, not to feed your vanity (for we are all vain, more or less,) but to strengthen your principles. If ever you should encounter real sorrow, and I can aid you, send me the clasp of this chain, and I will attend to your request, be it what it may." Lady Frances turned from her with more gravity of aspect and more dignity of demeanour than was her custom, and proceeded to look after the arrangements for her friend's nuptials. Barbara stood for some time after the lady's departure, holding the gift upon the palm of her small and beautifully formed hand, which no rough labour had hardened or sullied. Her eye brightened as she gazed upon the rich gift; but, in a moment, her thoughts reverted to those with whom were the best feelings of her happy and innocent heart. "Oh, that Robin had but been here!" she said, "to have heard it all. To think of her who is as great as a princess! What was it? 'faithful and true,' and, oh! how proud--no, I must not be proud--how grateful I am! If my father, _my_ father, too, had heard it; but I can show this to them both. I will not again think of that horrid adder." And with this resolution she crept softly into the chamber of her still sleeping lady. CHAPTER XII. Poor fool! she thought herself in wondrous price With God, as if in Paradise she were; But, were she not in a fool's paradise, She might have seen more reason to despair, And, therefore, as that wretch hew'd out his cell Under the bowels, in the heart of hell! So she, above the moon, amid the stars would dwell. GILES FLETCHER. We must leave Cecil Place for a while--suffer Manasseh Ben Israel to pursue his journey to Hampton Court--offer no intrusion upon the solitude of the preacher Fleetword--take no note of aught concerning Walter De Guerre or Major Wellmore--nor heed, for a time, whether the Buccaneer steered his course by land or water: attend to nothing, in fact, for the present, except the motives and actions of Z
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