ou
should inquire into these matters a little more curiously."

"To what purpose?" said the Earl. "To hear old stories about the Tinwald
laws, and the contending rights of the lords and the clergy, and all
the rest of that Celtic barbarism, which, like Burgesse's thorough-paced
doctrine enters at one ear, paces through, and goes out at the other?"

"Come, my lord," said Julian, "you are not so indifferent as you would
represent yourself--you are dying of curiosity to know what this hurry
is about; only you think it the courtly humour to appear careless about
your own affairs."

"Why, what should it be about," said the young Earl "unless some
factious dispute between our Majesty's minister, Governor Nowel, and
our vassals? or perhaps some dispute betwixt our Majesty and the
ecclesiastical jurisdictions? for all which our Majesty cares as little
as any king in Christendom."

"I rather suppose there is intelligence from England," said Julian.
"I heard last night in Peel-town, that Greenhalgh is come over with
unpleasant news."

"He brought me nothing that was pleasant, I wot well," said the Earl.
"I expected something from St. Evremond or Hamilton--some new plays by
Dryden or Lee, and some waggery or lampoons from the Rose Coffee-house;
and the fellow has brought me nothing but a parcel of tracts about
Protestants and Papists, and a folio play-book, one of the conceptions,
as she calls them, of that old mad-woman the Duchess of Newcastle."

"Hush, my lord, for Heaven's sake," said Peveril; "here comes the
Countess; and you know she takes fire at the least slight to her ancient
friend."

"Let her read her ancient friend's works herself, then," said the Earl,
"and think her as wise as she can; but I would not give one of Waller's
songs, or Denham's satires, for a whole cart-load of her Grace's
trash.--But here comes our mother with care on her brow."

The Countess of Derby entered the apartment accordingly, holding in her
hand a number of papers. Her dress was a mourning habit, with a deep
train of black velvet, which was borne by a little favourite attendant,
a deaf and dumb girl, whom, in compassion to her misfortune, the
Countess had educated about her person for some years. Upon this
unfortunate being, with the touch of romance which marked many of her
proceedings, Lady Derby had conferred the name of Fenella, after some
ancient princess of the island. The Countess herself was not much
changed since we last pre