er a moment's pause. "I am privately engaged for the next
hour, denied to all, save his grace the king." He withdrew, with a
respectful bow. "And now, speak, poor child, what wouldst thou? Nay, I
hear nothing which my husband may not hear," she said, as the eyes of
her visitor gazed fearfully on the earl, who was looking at him with
surprise.

"Thy husband, lady--the Earl of Gloucester? oh, it was to him too I
came; the brother-in-arms of my sovereign, one that showed kindness
to--to Sir Nigel in his youth, ye will not, ye will not forsake him
now?"

Few and well-nigh inarticulate as were those broken words, they betrayed
much which at once excited interest in both the earl and countess, and
told the reason of the lad's earnest entreaty to see them alone.

"Forsake him!" exclaimed the earl, after carefully examining that the
door was closed; "would to heaven I could serve him, free him! that
there was but one slender link to lay hold of, to prove him innocent and
give him life, I would do it, did it put my own head in jeopardy."

"And is there none, none?" burst wildly from the boy's lips, as he
sprung from his knees, and grasped convulsively the earl's arm. "Oh,
what has he done that they should slay him? why do they call him guilty?
He was not Edward's subject, he owed him no homage, no service, he has
but fought to free his country, and is there guilt in this? oh, no, no,
save him, in mercy save him!"

"Thou knowest not what thou askest, boy, how wholly, utterly impossible
it is to save him. He hath hurled down increase of anger on his own head
by his daring insult of King Edward's herald; had there been hope before
there is none now."

A piercing cry escaped the boy, and he would have fallen had he not been
supported by the countess; he looked at her pitying face, and again
threw himself at her feet.

"Canst _thou_ not, wilt _thou_ not save him?" he cried; "art thou not
the daughter of Edward, his favorite, his dearly beloved, and will he
not list to thee--will he not hear thy pleadings? Oh, seek him, kneel to
him as I to thee, implore his mercy--life, life, only the gift of life;
sentence him to exile, perpetual exile, what he will, only let him live:
he is too young, too good, too beautiful to die. Oh! do not look as if
this could not be. He has told me how you both loved him, not that I
should seek ye. It is not at his request I come; no, no, no, he spurns
life, if it be granted on conditions. But they ha