drop out of him.

Henry stood bewildered, and, ere he could say anything that might revive
the dormant irritation of Mr. Raby against him, female tact interposed.
Grace clasped her hands to him, with tears in her eyes; and as for Jael
Dence, she assumed the authority with which she had been invested and
hurried him bodily away; and the sword-dancers all gathered round him,
and they carried him in triumphant procession, with the fiddler playing,
and George whistling, the favorite tune of "Raby come home again," while
every sturdy foot beat the hard and ringing road in admirable keeping
with that spirit-stirring march.

When he was gone, Grace crept up to Mr. Raby, who still stood before the
picture, and eyed it and thought of his youth. She took his arm wondrous
softly with her two hands, rested her sweet head against his shoulder,
and gazed at it along with him.

When she had nestled to him some time in this delicate attitude, she
turned her eyes up to him, and murmured, "how good, how noble you are:
and how I love you." Then, all in a moment, she curled round his neck,
and kissed him with a tender violence, that took him quite by surprise.

As for Mr. Coventry, he had been reduced to a nullity, and escaped
attention all this time: he sat in gloomy silence, and watched with
chilled and foreboding heart the strange turn events had taken, and were
taking; events which he, and no other man, had set rolling.

CHAPTER XVII.

Frederick Coventry, being still unacquainted with the contents of
Grace's letter, was now almost desperate. Grace Carden, inaccessible
to an unknown workman, would she be inaccessible to a workman whom Mr.
Raby, proud as he was, had publicly recognized as his nephew? This was
not to be expected. But something was to be expected, viz., that in a
few days the door would be closed with scorn in the face of Frederick
Coventry, the miserable traitor, who had broken his solemn pledge,
and betrayed his benefactor to those who had all but assassinated him.
Little would be sure to suspect him, and the prisoner, when he came to
be examined, would furnish some clew.

A cold perspiration bedewed his very back, when he recollected that the
chief constable would be present at Cole's examination, and supply the
link, even if there should be one missing. He had serious thoughts of
leaving the country at once.

Finding himself unobserved, he walked out of the room, and paced up and
down the hall.

His