gations by service to his lord.

There had been another act in the great Scottish tragedy. Queen Mary
had effected her escape from Lochleven, but only to be at once
defeated, and then to cross the Solway and throw herself into the hands
of the English Queen.

Bolton Castle had been proved to be too perilously near the Border to
serve as her residence, and the inquiry at York, and afterwards at
Westminster, having proved unsatisfactory, Elizabeth had decided on
detaining her in the kingdom, and committed her to the charge of the
Earl of Shrewsbury.

To go into the history of that ill-managed investigation is not the
purpose of this tale. It is probable that Elizabeth believed her
cousin guilty, and wished to shield that guilt from being proclaimed,
while her councillors, in their dread of the captive, wished to enhance
the crime in Elizabeth's eyes, and were by no means scrupulous as to
the kind of evidence they adduced. However, this lies outside our
story; all that concerns it is that Lord Shrewsbury sent a summons to
his trusty and well-beloved cousin, Richard Talbot of Bridgefield, to
come and form part of the guard of honour which was to escort the Queen
of Scots to Tutbury Castle, and there attend upon her.

All this time no hint had been given that the little Cicely was of
alien blood. The old squire and his lady had been in no state to hear
of the death of their own grandchild, or of the adoption of the orphan
and Susan was too reserved a woman to speak needlessly of her griefs to
one so unsympathising as the Countess or so flighty as the daughters at
the great house. The men who had brought the summons to Hull had not
been lodged in the house, but at an inn, where they either had heard
nothing of Master Richard's adventure or had drowned their memory in
ale, for they said nothing; and thus, without any formed intention of
secrecy, the child's parentage had never come into question.

Indeed, though without doubt Mrs. Talbot was very loyal in heart to her
noble kinsfolk, it is not to be denied that she was a good deal more at
peace when they were not at the lodge. She tried devoutly to follow
out the directions of my Lady Countess, and thought herself in fault
when things went amiss, but she prospered far more when free from such
dictation.

She had nothing to wish except that her husband could be more often at
home, but it was better to have him only a few hours' ride from her, at
Chatsworth or Tutbu