head of the mighty
noble, gathering round it in the hazy atmosphere like a halo. The homage
of the crowd to that single form, unarmed, and scarce attended, struck a
death-knell to the hopes of Hilyard,--struck awe into all his comrades!
The presence of that one man seemed to ravish from them, as by magic,
a vast army; power, and state, and command left them suddenly to be
absorbed in HIM! Captains, they were troopless,--the wielder of men's
hearts was amongst them, and from his barb assumed reign, as from his
throne!

"Gads my life!" said Coniers, turning to his comrades, "we have now,
with a truth, the earl amongst us; but unless he come to lead us on to
Olney, I would as lief see the king's provost at my shoulder."

"The crowd separates, he rides this way!" said the heir of Fitzhugh.
"Shall we go forth to meet him?"

"Not so!" exclaimed Hilyard, "we are still the leaders of this army; let
him find us deliberating on the siege of Olney!"

"Right!" said Coniers; "and if there come dispute, let not the rabble
hear it."

The captains re-entered the tent, and in grave silence awaited the
earl's coming; nor was this suspense long. Warwick, leaving the
multitude in the rear, and taking only one of the subaltern officers
in the rebel camp as his guide and usher, arrived at the tent, and was
admitted into the council.

The captains, Hilyard alone excepted, bowed with great reverence as the
earl entered.

"Welcome, puissant sir and illustrious kinsman!" said Coniers, who had
decided on the line to be adopted; "you are come at last to take the
command of the troops raised in your name, and into your hands I resign
this truncheon."

"I accept it, Sir John Coniers," answered Warwick, taking the place of
dignity; "and since you thus constitute me your commander, I proceed at
once to my stern duties. How happens it, knights and gentlemen, that in
my absence ye have dared to make my name the pretext of rebellion? Speak
thou, my sister's son!"

"Cousin and lord," said the heir of Fitzhugh, reddening but not abashed,
"we could not believe but what you would smile on those who have risen
to assert your wrongs and defend your life." And he then briefly related
the tale of the Duchess of Bedford's waxen effigies, and pointed to
Hilyard as the eye-witness.

"And," began Sir Henry Nevile, "you, meanwhile, were banished,
seemingly, from the king's court; the dissensions between you and Edward
sufficiently the land's talk, the