animation, and again opened his eyes, when the faithful Snowdrop leaped into his lap, laid his head upon his bosom, and continued wagging his tail, and caressing him with every expression of an intense though silent joy. Cecil, however, noticed him not; he uttered not a syllable; his vacant eyes saw nothing, and he was evidently in a state of stupor, which puzzled the keepers how to act, or by what means to get him back to The Tor House, for which their anxiety was every moment increasing. In this emergency, one of them ran up the hill with the intention of seeking assistance, should there be any peasant's hut or chance-wanderers in the immediate vicinity. He had not roamed far, when he fortunately stumbled upon some lead-miners, who were easily induced, by the promise of a handsome remuneration, to lend him one of their light vehicles for transporting ore, to which an active horse was presently harnessed; and a guide being selected who was well acquainted with the country, they returned to the spot where Cecil had been left. Upon this humble carriage, with Snowdrop in his lap, although he was unconscious of his presence, was he borne back to The Tor House, which the guide's knowledge of the hills and road enabled them to reach, with much more expedition, than the terrified keepers had apprehended.

In the first ebullition of his wrath at Cecil's protracted absence, Sir Lionel had vowed vengeance against his attendants, who had received strict injunctions to bring him back at a fixed hour. Traitors are ever suspicious of treachery; and, as the morning advanced without their return, he took it for granted that they had been bribed by Dudley's agents, and had seized this opportunity of assisting his ward to escape. After having made such ample and complete arrangements for securing a favourable issue to the examination, it stung him to the quick that he should be thus over-reached in the

very crisis of his success; and he dispatched servants in all directions to gather tidings of the fugitives; but the state of the atmosphere, precluding the possibility of any distant view, had occasioned them to return unsuccessful.

As the time slipped away, his exasperation became aggravated into a fury, which had reached its height, when it was suddenly allayed by the welcome intelligence that the whole party had at length made their appearance. From the keepers he could not obtain any distinct explanation, as to the cause of Cecil's sudden phrenzy; nor was he, indeed, very solicitous about the matter; it was sufficient to him to mark that his faculties had not yet returned; for he saw, in this most opportune and fortunate occurrence, a much more effectual means of carrying his point with the commissioners, than by all the perjured evidence that he had taken so much pains to suborn.

Nature had now resumed her ordinary appearances; and the astounded sun-gazers, who had studded the surface of the earth with upturned eyes, had resumed their customary employments and pursuits. The great eclipse had passed away, unaccompanied by any of those portentous calamities and convulsions, which the egregious wizards of London had so confidently prognosticated; and the commissioners arriving at The Tor House at two o'clock in the afternoon, conformably to their appointment, were ushered into the hall of justice, to open the business of the examination. Much as he relied upon the effect of Cecil's personal appearance in his present state, Sir Lionel determined to bring forward all the evidence that had been prepared: the parties were accordingly examined in succession, and their depositions committed to paper, a process which occupied some time. So numerous were they, and so full, so directly confirmatory of Cecil's insanity, by the most circumstantial state

ments, that the major part of the commissioners were already satisfied of the fact; although the others, knowing the character and practices of the guardian, and the facility with which perjured witnesses might be procured, declared that every thing would depend upon the appearance of the ward himself, whom they now demanded to be produced. He was accordingly let in, his wild and haggard looks sufficiently attesting the mental convulsion by which he had been recently shattered, although at the present moment he appeared to have sunk into an unconscious stupor. Thus he for some time remained, taking no notice of the questions that were put to him, until his eye resting upon the horrid insignia of the justice-room, which we have formerly described, he seemed to consider that he was brought there as a criminal, and to connect his present situation with the harrowing prodigy of the morning. In this belief he suddenly hid his face, and, uttering a cry of misery, exclaimed, in shuddering accents—“Oh, hide me! hide me! I am guilty: God shuts his eye upon me! I am a doomed and accursed castaway-a Cain on whom Heaven has set its brand! Oh, be merciful, and kill me quickly; for my brain is on fire, and my heart is withered with anguish.' These and similar exclamations of terror and bewilderment were all that could be elicited by the physicians and commissioners, in answer to the most soothing speeches and inquiries; and as his distress and aberration of mind seemed to be increased by a continuance in the apartment, they compassionately ordered him to be withdrawn.

Even the most sceptical and suspicious were now convinced; whatever they might have thought of the witnesses, this evidence was conclusive; and they accordingly drew up a report, in which they unanimously declared the minor to be a lunatic, recommending the continuance of his guardian as his custodian, (for the depositions bore abundant testi

mony to his humanity and fitness for the office,) and submitting the propriety of his being armed with a full power to imprison his ward, whenever he should deem it advisable, either for the safety of the youth himself, or of the king's subjects. This report, emanating from parties whose characters were above all suspicion, was confirmed by the lord keeper, who imagined that the Abbot of Glastonbury had been imposed upon, and that Dudley was probably actuated by interested motives or personal hostility. And thus had the efforts made for Cecil's extrication only served to rivet the chains with which his oppressor had bound him; to fix upon him the legal imputation of insanity; and to enable the crafty and formidable Sir Lionel Fitzmaurice to triumph over all his enemies.

139

CHAPTER VII.

Lady! those charms of stately mien,
In rural shades, on village green,
But waste their powers:

Your Queen invites ;-a nobler place
Your presence claims,-then come and grace
Our courtly bowers.

THE King of the Hill, more than ever entitled to that proud appellation since his recent victory had confirmed him in the possession of all his usurped power and property, was thus left at leisure to perfect his schemes of vengeance and aggrandisement. Upon Dudley, now that he had driven him to sanctuary, he could not immediately inflict any further outrage, though he took care to keep such charges hanging over his head, as would effectually deter him from quitting the asylum he had chosen: against the character and even the life of his ancient enemy, the Lord Abbot of Glastonbury, he was daily maturing a conspiracy of the blackest and most treacherous character. Cecil Hungerford, after his slow recovery from the late alarming burst of phrensy, had sunk into a deeper dejection and despondency than ever; so that Sir Lionel, who saw himself fortified, both by legal sanction and by Dudley's self-imposed imprisonment, against any new claims on behalf of the poor lunatic, as he now affected to call him, almost ceased to trouble his head about him, leaving him to the good or bad treatment of his keepers, with the most peremptory orders, however, that they should never lose sight of him. Thus a considerable time passed away without any material alteration at The Tor House, whose lord and master