Sir Julius fussed and fumed and swore, and stalked about, and getting no help from either of us, he suddenly changed his tone, and began to coax me to come back to the Hall. He would make my peace with my lady. Dangerfield was a gallant gentleman, and a great favorite with the prince and King James. He was sure to rise, and I might be a countess before I died. Amabel and I were two silly girls, quarrelling with our bread and butter. He wished to Heaven he had left us in our convent. Then, growing angry again, he vowed that Amabel at least should bend to his will, and with that, he dashed away. The next morning early, long before day, I was waked by the trampling of many horses, and the sound of subdued talking. I rose, and looked out of my window, which commanded a view of the road. By the bright moonlight, I saw a train of horsemen. There were about thirty in all, and Sir Julius rode at their head. I looked eagerly to see if Lord Bulmer was among the riders. He was a very big man, head and shoulders above any other man about the place, and looked especially tall on horseback; but I saw nobody that I could take for him. I could not sleep again, and the moment I heard Mrs. Deborah stirring, I went to her room and told her what I had seen. "He has gone then!" said Mrs. Deborah. "He has cast in his lot with this young adventurer, and who knows whether he will ever return? I ought to rejoice in his loyalty and courage, but something seems to tell me he is influenced neither by one nor the other, but by base subserviency to the will of a wicked woman." "Nay, madam!" said I. "Sir Julius has always expressed the warmest devotion to King James and the prince. One ought not to think the worse of a good cause because it is espoused by a wicked person." In my heart, I was by no means sure of the goodness of the cause. All Mrs. Deborah's lessons—all my reading in Clarendon, Ken, and Sancroft, had not convinced me of the divine right of kings, and the duty of absolute, passive obedience to their will; nor had they impressed me with any very exalted notions of the virtues of the Stuart family, but I was willing to comfort my dear old friend so far as was possible. My own heart was full of anxiety for Amabel, left as she was in the power of her enemies, without even the feeble support of her father's regard. "Well, Amabel will at least be left in peace for awhile," said Mrs. Deborah, after a pause. "No doubt Lord Bulmer will have accompanied my brother." "He was not with him this morning, I am sure," I replied, and gave my reasons. "Even were it so, they will not drive on the business during my brother's absence." "I am not so sure of that either," said I. "She would never be so bold."