ng before them in his full dignity of three
feet six inches of height. "I who was the favoured servant of three
successive Sovereigns of the Crown of England, am now the tenant of this
dungeon, and the sport of its brutal keepers. I am Sir Geoffrey Hudson."

Julian, though he had never before seen this important personage, had
no difficulty in recognising, from description, the celebrated dwarf of
Henrietta Maria, who had survived the dangers of civil war and private
quarrel--the murder of his royal master, Charles I., and the exile of
his widow--to fall upon evil tongues and evil days, amidst the unsparing
accusations connected with the Popish Plot. He bowed to the unhappy old
man, and hastened to explain to him, and to the turnkey, that it was
Sir Geoffrey Peveril, of Martindale Castle in Derbyshire whose prison he
desired to share.

"You should have said that before you parted with the gold-dust, my
master," answered the turnkey; "for t'other Sir Geoffrey, that is the
big, tall, grey-haired man, was sent to the Tower last night; and the
Captain will think he has kept his word well enow with you, by lodging
you with this here Sir Geoffrey Hudson, who is the better show of the
two."

"I pray you go to your master," said Peveril; "explain the mistake; and
say to him I beg to be sent to the Tower."

"The Tower!--Ha, ha, ha!" exclaimed the fellow. "The Tower is for lords
and knights, and not for squires of low degree--for high treason, and
not for ruffing on the streets with rapier and dagger; and there must go
a secretary's warrant to send you there."

"At least, let me not be a burden on this gentleman," said Julian.
"There can be no use in quartering us together, since we are not even
acquainted. Go tell your master of the mistake."

"Why, so I should," said Clink, still grinning, "if I were not sure that
he knew it already. You paid to be sent to Sir Geoffrey, and he sent you
to Sir Geoffrey. You are so put down in the register, and he will blot
it for no man. Come, come, be comfortable, and you shall have light and
easy irons--that's all I can do for you."

Resistance and expostulation being out of the question, Peveril
submitted to have a light pair of fetters secured on his ankles, which
allowed him, nevertheless, the power of traversing the apartment.

During this operation, he reflected that the jailer, who had taken the
advantage of the equivoque betwixt the two Sir Geoffreys, must have
acted as his ass