e hand he said:

"Enough, boy, enough! I like thy spirit, and I ask thy pardon for
dreaming of treating thee in any unworthy fashion. And now let us
talk of Father Urban and what has befallen him; and give to me
these papers of which thou hast been such a careful custodian."

An hour later, Cuthbert's wherry floated out into midstream once
more, and swiftly sped along the dark water, propelled by a pair of
strong young arms. Could any have seen the rower's face, it would
have been seen to be grave and rather pale. The lights of the
bridge beginning to gleam ahead of him as he looked over his
shoulder, Cuthbert muttered to himself:

"This has been a strange night's work, and there be more in all
than I can rightly understand. Pray Heaven I be not further
entangled in such mysteries and secrets! Well did the wise woman
bid me beware of underground cellars. Would I had never been into
that ill place this night!"

Chapter 12: May Day In The Forest.

"Canst put up with my company, good Cuthbert? for I have a mind to
travel with thee."

Cuthbert turned quickly as these words fell upon his ear, and found
himself face to face with a gay-looking youth dressed all in
forester's green, whom at first he took for a stranger, till the
young man with a laugh removed his wide-brimmed hat, so that the
evening light fell full upon his handsome boyish face; and Cuthbert
exclaimed, with a start of surprise:

"Verily, it is Lord Culverhouse!"

"And thy very good cousin, Cuthbert Trevlyn," said the Viscount, as
he linked his arm within that of his would-be comrade. "So let
there be no more ceremony betwixt thee and me; for we are both bent
upon a merry time in the forest, and we will fare forth thither
together as brothers and friends."

"With all my heart," answered Cuthbert warmly; for he loved
companionship, and greatly liked what he had seen of Kate's cousin
and lover, the gay and handsome Lord Culverhouse. He had been once
or twice recently to the great house in the Strand, generally
rowing himself up to the garden steps, and sometimes taking the
Viscount upon the river with him. In this way they had struck up a
certain friendliness and intimacy; and Cuthbert had spoken to Lord
Culverhouse of his proposed visit to the forest on May Day,
although without explaining to him the real and chief object of
that journey. Culverhouse had not at the time expressed any desire
to accompany him, though he had asked a good many que