back, as
soon as the ship dropped anchor at Gravesend, and followed more
leisurely himself.

They were met, a few miles out of Canterbury, by a messenger from
his uncle; telling them to ride straight to his new estate, where
he would be met by his mother and father--the latter of whom had
started, the day before, in a litter for the house--and that his
uncle and aunt would also be there.

Upon Philip and Claire's arrival, they were received with much
rejoicing. Monsieur Vaillant had sent round messengers to all the
tenantry to assemble, and had taken over a number of his workmen,
who had decorated the avenue leading to the house with flags, and
thrown several arches across it.

"It is a small place in comparison to Valecourt, Claire," Philip
said, as they drove up to the house.

"It is a fine chateau, Philip; but now that I have you, it would
not matter to me were it but a hut.

"And oh, what happiness to think that we have done with persecution
and terror and war, and that I may worship God freely and openly!
He has been good to me, indeed; and if I were not perfectly happy,
I should be the most ungrateful of women."

Claire's dowry was spent in enlarging the estate, and Philip became
one of the largest landowners in the county. He went no more to the
wars, save that, when the Spanish armada threatened the religion
and freedom of England, he embarked as a volunteer in one of
Drake's ships, and took part in the fierce fighting that freed
England for ever from the yoke of Rome, and in no small degree
aided both in securing the independence of Protestant Holland, and
of seating Henry of Navarre firmly upon the throne of France.

Save to pay two or three visits to Philip and her sisters, the
Countess de Laville and her son did not come to England. Francois
fought at Ivry and the many other battles that took place, before
Henry of Navarre became undisputed King of France; and then became
one of the leading nobles of his court.

Philip settled a small pension on the four men-at-arms who had
followed his fortunes and shared his perils, and they returned to
their native Gascony; where they settled down, two being no longer
fit for service, and the others having had enough fighting for a
lifetime.

The countess had, soon after Francois returned to La Rochelle, sent
a sum of money, to the girl who had saved his life, that sufficed
to make her the wealthiest heiress in her native village in Poitou;
and she married a