the spot, and he felt the board give way;
he pushed it back towards him, and it slid suddenly with a whirring
noise, and left a cavity below exposed to his sight. He peered in, and
drew forth a paper; he opened it at first carelessly, for he was still
trying to listen to Fanny. His eye ran rapidly over a few preliminary
lines till it rested on what follows:

"Marriage. The year 18--

"No. 83, page 21.

"Philip Beaufort, of this parish of A-----, and Catherine Morton, of the
parish of St. Botolph, Aldgate, London, were married in this church by
banns, this 12th day of November, in the year one thousand eight hundred
and ----' by me,

"CALEB PRICE, Vicar.

"This marriage was solemnised between us,

"PHILIP BEAUFORT.
"CATHERINE MORTON.

"In the presence of
"DAVID APREECE.
"WILLIAM SMITH.

"The above is a true copy taken from the registry of marriages, in
A-----parish, this 19th day of March, 18--, by me,

"MORGAN JONES, Curate of C-------."

[This is according to the form customary at the date at which the
copy was made. There has since been an alteration.]

Lord Lilburne again cast his eye over the lines prefixed to this
startling document, which, being those written at Caleb's desire, by Mr.
Jones to Philip Beaufort, we need not here transcribe to the reader. At
that instant Harriet descended the stairs, and came into the room; she
crept up on tiptoe to Lilburne, and whispered,--

"She is coming down, I think; she does not know you are here."

"Very well--go!" said Lord Lilburne. And scarce had Harriet left the
room, when a carriage drove furiously to the door, and Robert Beaufort
rushed into the study.

CHAPTER XIV.

"Gone, and none know it.

How now?--What news, what hopes and steps discovered!"
BEAUMONT AND FLETCHER: The Pilgrim.

When Philip arrived at his lodgings in town it was very late, but he
still found Liancourt waiting the chance of his arrival. The Frenchman
was full of his own schemes and projects. He was a man of high repute
and connections; negotiations for his recall to Paris had been entered
into; he was divided between a Quixotic loyalty and a rational prudence;
he brought his doubts to Vaudemont. Occupied as he was with thoughts of
so important and personal a nature, Philip could yet listen patiently
to his friend, and weigh with him the pros and c