for sweeping
the only survivor of the White or elder branch away, and that not only
had royalty lent itself to the cruel project, but that as Diane de
Ribaumont had failed as a bait, the young espoused wife had herself
been employed to draw him into the snare, and secure his presence at the
slaughter-house, away from his safe asylum at the Ambassador's or even
in the King's garde-robe. It was an unspeakably frightful view to take
of the case, yet scarcely worse than the reality of many of the dealings
of those with whom the poor young girl had been associated: certainly
not worse than the crimes, the suspicion of which was resting on
the last dowager Queen of France; and all that could be felt by the
sorrowing family, was comfort that at least corruption of mind had
either not been part of the game, or had been unsuccessful, and, by
all testimony, the victim was still the same innocent boy. This was all
their relief, while for days, for weeks, Berenger de Ribaumont lay in a
trance or torpor between life and death. Sometimes, as Cecily had said,
his eyes turned with a startled wistfulness towards the door, and the
sound of a bell seemed to thrill him with a start of agony; but for the
most part he neither appeared to see or hear, and a few moans were the
only sounds that escaped him. The Queen, in her affection for her old
friend, and her strong feeling for the victims of the massacre, sent
down the court physician, who turned him about, and elicited sundry
heavy groans, but could do no more than enjoin patient waiting on the
beneficent powers of nature in early youth. His visit produced one
benefit, namely, the strengthening of Cecily St. John's hands against
the charms, elixirs, and nostrums with which Lady Thistlewood's friends
supplied her,--plasters from the cunning women of Lyme Regis, made of
powder of giant's bones, and snakes prayed into stone by St. Aldhelm,
pills of live woodlice, and fomentations of living earthworms and
spiders. Great was the censure incurred by Lady Walwyn for refusing to
let such remedies be tried on HER grandson. And he was so much more her
child than his mother's, that Dame Annora durst do no more than maunder.

In this perfect rest, it seemed as if after a time 'the powers of
nature' did begin to rally, there were appearances of healing about the
wounds, the difference between sleeping and waking became more evident,
the eyes lost the painful, half-closed, vacant look, but were either