ven. You know the name of Maulevrier; how for six
years he held the Castle of Gorey with the Eastern half of our island.
'We have heard with our ears, and our fathers have declared to us' what
things the Papists did in those days, and how the Lord delivered you by
the hands of my own ancestor and of the sailors of England. Are we to do
it again; it is to be France or England?"

The hall was in an uproar. With startling unanimity the last word was
echoed from all sides: "England for ever! England above all!"

Returning to his quarters in the part of the Castle called by the name
of the late King, Carteret found Sir Edward Nicholas--who was ageing and
felt the cold of sunset--in a mantle and with a black silk skullcap on
his head, pacing up and down the little esplanade by the faint light of
a waning moon. There was an old friendliness between the two: Nicholas
having been long loved and favoured by Hyde, now in Spain, but formerly
the cherished guest of the Carterets. Hence the Secretary was both
willing and able to give sympathy and counsel to his host almost as well
as could have been done by the author of the famous _History of the
Rebellion_, had himself been once more in the Castle.

"I hear by letter from Prynne, this day received," said the
Lieutenant-Governor, "to the effect that our giving harbour here to his
Majesty is a cause of umbrage to yonder cuckoldy knaves in London.
Meanwhile I have grave doubts as to the young man himself--under your
favour, Sir Edward. We are undergoing so many and great dangers and
distresses for him that we might well hope to have no renewal of the old
dealings to our disadvantage. Yet it seems that things are coming to
that pass that we may ere long have to choose between England and
France."

"As for France," answered the Secretary, "we may expect due provision
from his Majesty who is--believe me--a true lover of his own country; as
also from your Honour, whose noble house has done well-known service in
bye-gone times. For England, we know what her power is; but that power
lies in the collection of her organs (as Sir Edward Hyde hath often
taught us) by no means in the hypertrophe of one organ, and that one
mutilated. The Church, Lords, Commons, are Three Estates--"

"Alack, Sir Edward," interrupted the impatient sailor, "this is that
whereto Prynne would lead us. Bethink you of Will Shakspeare's saying,
'If two men ride on a horse one must go behind.' How much more if there