"Sweet Angel, Marguerite!" and he clasped her to his hot heaving breast, and her white arms were flung about his neck, and their lips met in a long fiery kiss.

Just in that point of time-in that soft melting moment-a heavy hand was laid quietly on Armand's shoulder-he started, as the fiend sprang up, revealed before the temper of Ithuriel's angel weapon, he started like a guilty thing from that fordidden kiss.

A tall form stood beside him, shrouded from head to heel in a dark riding cloak of the Italian fashion; but there was no hat on the stately head, nor any covering to the cold stern impassive features. The high broad forehead as pale as sculptured marble, with the dark chesnut curls falling off parted evenly upon the crown-the full, fixed, steady eye, which he could no more meet than he could gaze unscathed on the meridian sun, the noble features, sharpened by want and suffering and woe-were all! all those of his good cousin.

For a moment's space the three stood there in silence! Charles de La-Hire reaping rich vengeance from the unconquerable consternation of the traitor! Armand de Laguy bent almost to the earth with shame and conscious terror! and Marguerite half dead with fear, and scarcely certain if indeed he who stood before her were the man in his living presence, whom she had vowed to love for ever; or if it were but the visioned form of an indignant friend returned from the dark grave to thunderstrike the false disturbers of his eternal rest. "I am in time," he said at length, in accents slow and unfaltering, as his whole air was cold and tranquil, "in time to break off this monstrous union! Thy perjuries have been in vain, weak man; thy lies are open to the day. He whom thou didst betray to the Italian,s dungeon-to the Italian's dagger -as thou didst then believe and hope-stands bodily before thee."

A long heart-piercing shriek burst from the lips of Marguerite, as the dread import of his speech fell on her sharpened ears-the man whom she had loved-first loved !-for all her previous words were false and fickle-stood at her side in all his power and glory--and she affianced to a liar, a base traitor -a foul murderer in his heart!-a scorn and by-word to her own sex-an object of contempt and hatred to every noble spirit!

But at that instant Armand de Laguy's pride awoke, for he was proud, and brave, and daring! and he gave back the lie, and hurled defiance in his accuser's teeth.

"Death to thy soul!" he cried, "'tis thou that liest,

Charles! did I not see thee stretched on the bloody plain? did I not sink beside thee, hewed down and trampled under foot, in striving to preserve thee? and when my vassals found me, wert thou not beside me, with thy face scarred, indeed, and mangled beyond recognition, but with the surcoat and the arms upon the lifeless corpse, and the sword in the cold hand? 'Tis thou that liest, man!-'tis thou that, for some base end, didst conceal thy life; and now wouldst charge thy felonies on mebut 'twill not do-fair cousin. The king shall judge between us! Come, lady"—and he would have taken her by the hand, but she sprang back as though a viper would have stung her. "Back, traitor;" she exclaimed, in tones of the deepest loathing. "I hate thee, spit on thee, defy thee. Base have

I been myself, and frail, and fickle, but as I live, Charles de La-Hire-but as I live now, and will die right shortly-I knew not of this villany. I believed thee dead, as that false murderer swore, and-God be good to me ;-I did betray thee dead; and now have lost thee living. But for thee. But for thee, Armand de Laguy, dog! traitor! villain! knave! dare not to look upon me any more; dare not address me with one accent of thy serpent tongue; for Marguerite de Vaudreuil, fallen although she be, and lost for ever, is not so all-abandoned as, knowing thee for what thou art, to bear with thee one second longer, no not though that second could redeem all the past, and wipe out all the sin."

"Fine words! fine words, fair mistress; but on with me thou shalt ;" and he stretched out his arm to seize her, when, with a perfect majesty, Charles de La Hirè stepped in and grasped him by the wrist, and held him for a moment there, gazing into his eye as though he would have read his soul; then threw him off with force, then made him stagger back ten paces before he could regain his footing; then! then! with all the fury of the fiend depicted on his working lineaments, Armand unsheathed his rapier and made a full longe, bounding forwards as he did so, right at his cousin's heart. But he was foiled again, for with a single, and, as it seemed, slight motion of the sheathed broadsword, which he held under his cloak, Charles de La Hirè struck up the weapon, and sent it whirling through the air to twenty paces distance.

Just then there came a shout, "the king! the king!" and with the words, a glare of many torches, and with his courtiers and his guard about him, the monarch stood forth in offended majesty.

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Ha! what means this insolent broil? What men be these who dare draw swords within the palace precincts?'

"My sword is sheathed, sire," answered De La-Hire, kneeling before the king and laying the good weapon at his feet"nor has been ever drawn, save at your highness's bidding, against your highness's foes. But I beseech you, sire, as you love honesty and honour, and hate deceit and treason, grant me your royal licence to prove Armand de Laguy, recreant, base, and traitorous; a liar and a felon, and a murderer, hand to hand, in the presence of the ladies of the court, according to the law of arms and honour!"

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Something of this we have heard already," replied the king, "Baron de La-Hirè!-But say out now, of what accuse you Armand de Laguy? shew but good cause, and thy request is granted; for I have not forgot your good deeds in my cause against our rebel Savoyards and our Italian foemen-of what accuse you Armand de Laguy?"

"That he betrayed me wounded into the hands of the Duke of Parma! that he dealt with Italian bravoes to compass my assassination! that by foul lies and treacherous devices, he has trained from me my affianced bride: and last, not least, deprived her of her fair name and honour. This will I prove upon his body, so help me God, and my good sword."

"Stand forth, and answer to his charge, De Laguy-speak out! what sayest thou ?"

"I say," answered Armand boldly-" I say that he lies! that he did feign his own death for some evil ends !—and did deceive me, who would have died to succour him!-That I, believing him dead, have won from him the love of this fair lady, I admit. But I assert that I did win it fairly, and of good right!—And for the rest, I say he lies doubly, when he asserts that she has lost her fair name, or honour-that is my answer, sire; and I believe you grant his prayer, and let us prove our words as gentlemen of France and soldiers, forthwith, by singular battle!"

"Amen!" replied the King-the third day hence at noon, in the tilt yard, before our court, we do adjudge the combatand this fair lady be the prize of the victor!"

"No! sire," interposed Charles de La-Hirè, again kneeling -but before he had time to add a second word, Marguerite de Vaudreuil, who had stood all the while with her hands clasped and her eyes rivetted upon the ground, sprung forth with a great cry

"No! no! for God's-sake! no! no! sire-great King— good gentleman-brave knight! doom me nor to a fate so dreadful.-Charles de La-Hirè is all that man can be, of good or great, or noble! but I betrayed him, whom I deemed

dead; and he can never trust me living!-Moreover, if he would take me to his arms, base as I am, and most falsehearted, he should not-for God forbid that my dishonour should blight his noble fame.-As for the slave De Laguythe traitor and low liar, doom me, great monarch, to the convent or the block-but curse me not with such contamination! -For, by the heavens I swear! and by the God that rules them! that I will die by my own hand, before I wed that serpent!"

"Be it so, fair one," answered the King very coldly-" be it so! we permit thy choice-a convent or the victor's bridal bed shall be thy doom at thine own option!-Meanwhile your swords, sirs; until the hour of battle ye are both under our arrest. Jarnac be thou Godfather to Charles de La- Hisé !— Nevers, do thou like office for de Laguy."

By God! not I, sire; answered the proud duke. I hold this man's offence so rank, his guilt so palpable, that on my conscience! I think your royal hangman were his best Godfather!"

"Nevertheless, De Nevers-it shall be, as I say!-this bold protest of thine is all-sufficient for thine honour-and it is but a form!-no words, duke! it must be as I have said!— Joyeuse, escort this lady to thy duchess-pray her accept her as the King's guest, until this matter be decided. The third day hence at noon, on foot, with sword and dagger-with no arms of defence or vantage-the principals to fight alone, until one die or yield-and so God shield the right!"

THE approach of a storm warned the party to make a rapid retreat into the house. The scudding clouds, and the gusts of wind that dashed impetuously against every obstacle predicted

the near arrival of the tempest. Just at the moment they got into the house, and were securing the doors and windows, came an express from the neighbouring post office, conveying a letter from the metropolis to the Tribunalrath, which was required to be forwarded with the utmost speed. Though Simon saw the words HASTE, HASTE, HASTE, written in the most eligible characters, on the back, that did not prevent him from reading the whole superscription with deliberate attention, and very leisurely examining the seal, which, clearly enough, was altogether unknown to him: he then carefully opened the letter, without tearing it at all; the contents were rather remarkable, and to this effect :

SIR," I have the honour to inform you, that a member of a very distinguished family of this place has disappeared, whose arrest is extremely desirable, especially if the thing can be effected without publicity, and so as not to entail disgrace on the party. He has severely wounded an individual in a duel, contracted debts by unjustifiable means, and is moreover mixed up in several ugly affairs, that can only be cleared up through his means. We have certain intelligence that he has been for some days concealed in your neighbourhood, and, as in all likelihood, he is not yet aware that any one here has a clue to his present abode, we have strong hopes, that you will be able, quietly, and without display, to get possession of his person, and send him hither. He has gone so far, not to mention anything else, as more than once to personate our gracious prince, and in this audacious disguise, has committed many indecent extravagancies. On sunday I shall do myself the honour of waiting on you in person, on my road to the minister.

"I am, &c. &c. &c.

WOHLGAST."

When he had read this letter, Simon sank into a deep study. Had not the storm begun at this moment to burst forth in all its violence, he would himself have set off to seek that scandalous offender in all the adjacent places. The first flash of vivid lightning now illuminated the whole horizon, followed by a terrific peal of thunder, as the house door was hastily thrown open, and a well-dressed stranger requested shelter from the rain, which fell in torrents immediately after the thunder. The vicar hastened politely towards him, and introduced him to his family; for the stranger's distinguished air and figure bespoke every one's attention. He said that having been