at home. A few days after his return many
of the country gentry, who had not known John Fletcher, called on
Philip, as one who had achieved a reputation that did honour to the
county--for every detail of the Huguenot struggle had been closely
followed, in England; and more than one report had been brought
over, by emigres, of the bravery of a young Englishman who was held
in marked consideration by Admiral Coligny, and had won a name for
himself, even among the nobles and gentlemen who rode with that
dashing officer De La Noue, whose fame was second only to that of
the Admiral. Walsingham, the English ambassador at Paris, had heard
of him from La Noue himself, when he was a prisoner there; and
mentioned him in one of his despatches, saying that it was this
gentleman who had been chosen, by Coligny, to carry important
despatches both to the Queen of Navarre and the Duc de Deux-Ponts,
and had succeeded admirably in both these perilous missions; and
that he had received knighthood, at the hands of the Admiral, for
the valour with which he had covered the retreat at the battle of
Jarnac.

Philip was, at first, disposed to meet these advances coldly.

"They have not recognized you or my mother, father, as being of
their own rank."

"Nor have we been, Philip. I am but a petty landowner, while it is
already known that you are the owner of a considerable estate; and
have gained consideration and credit, and as a knight have right to
precedence over many of them. If you had intended to settle in
France, you could do as you like as to accepting their courtesies;
but as it is, it is as well that you should make the acquaintance
of those with whom you will naturally associate, when you take up
your residence on the estate your uncle has bought for you.

"Had your mother and I a grievance against them, it might be
different; but we have none. We Fletchers have been yeomen here for
many generations. In our own rank, we esteem ourselves as good as
the best; but we never thought of pushing ourselves out of our own
station, and in the ordinary course of things you would have lived
and died as your fathers have done. The change has come about,
first through my marrying a French wife of noble blood, though with
but a small share of this world's goods; secondly through her
sister's husband making a large fortune in trade, and adopting you
as his heir; and thirdly, through your going out to your mother's
relations, and distinguishing