ley," replied Sir Amias.

"I knew they would never let me see my cousin," sighed the Queen.
"Sir," as Paulett placed her on her horse, "of your pity tell me
whether I shall find all my poor servants there."

"Yea, madam, save Mr. Nau and Mr. Curll, who are answering for
themselves and for you. Moreover, Curll's wife was delivered two days
since."

This intelligence filled Mary with more anxiety than she chose to
manifest to her unsympathising surroundings; Cis meanwhile had been
assisted to mount by Humfrey, who told her that Mrs. Curll was thought
to be doing well, but that there were fears for the babe. It was
impossible to exchange many words, for they were immediately behind the
Queen and her two warders, and Humfrey could only tell her that his
father had been at Chartley, and had gone on to London; but there was
inexpressible relief in hearing the sound of his voice, and knowing she
had some one to think for her and protect her. The promise she had
made to the Queen only seemed to make him more entirely her brother by
putting that other love out of the question.

There was a sad sight at the gate,--a whole multitude of
wretched-looking beggars, and poor of all ages and degrees of misery,
who all held out their hands and raised one cry of "Alms, alms,
gracious Lady, alms, for the love of heaven!"

Mary looked round on them with tearful eyes, and exclaimed, "Alack,
good folk, I have nothing to give you! I am as much a beggar as
yourselves!"

The escort dispersed them roughly, Paulett assuring her that they were
nothing but "a sort of idle folk," who were only encouraged in laziness
by her bounty, which was very possibly true of a certain proportion of
them, but it had been a sore grief to her that since Cuthbert
Langston's last approach in disguise she had been prevented from giving
alms.

In due time Chartley was reached, and the first thing the Queen did on
dismounting was to hurry to visit poor Barbara Curll, who had--on her
increasing illness--been removed to one of the guest-chambers, where
the Queen now found her, still in much distress about her husband, who
was in close imprisonment in Walsingham's house, and had not been
allowed to send her any kind of message; and in still more immediate
anxiety about her new-born infant, who did not look at all as if its
little life would last many hours.

She lifted up her languid eyelids, and scarcely smiled when the Queen
declared, "See, Barbara, I am co