'"The Queen shall hear of this, sir," she replied to Hal's protestations. "You and your accomplices must be taught that her Majesty's ladies are not to be put in fear for their lives with impunity. You, Hal Verney, have been the ringleader in all sorts of mischief too long. It is time that your pranks should be put a stop to."

'"But, madam, hear me one minute. It was my doing. It was for my sake that Hal—that we—— In fact, if this comes to her Majesty's ears, the blame must rest with me," cried I, unable to keep silence any longer.

'"You here, my Lord Desmond!" cried Lady Sarah, while Hal plucked my sleeve impatiently to force me to be quiet (he had so much more faith in his own powers of persuasion than in those of any one else)—"I could not have believed it," Lady Sarah went on. "This matter must be sifted to the bottom."

'"It must, madam," interrupted Father Niccolo, who was evidently anxious to oust so many heretics from his chapel; "but this is not the place for the inquiry. The hour for vespers has struck, and I am expecting every moment—— There! it is too late." And so it was, for at that moment the doors at the other end of the chapel which communicated with the Queen's rooms were thrown open, and Her Majesty, leaning on the arm of the Lord Chamberlain, and followed by a crowd of her Roman Catholic attendants, advanced down the aisle.

'Of course the group at the altar broke up in confusion. Lady Sarah slipped quietly into her place amongst the other maids of honour, contriving to whisper me as she passed, "I must see you this evening before supper." Father Niccolo glided noiselessly into his stall, and we four, who, as Protestants, were not required to attend the Queen at her devotions, beat a hasty retreat to the door by which we had entered. It was accomplished in a moment, but it needed only one glance at the astonished face of the Queen to assure us that we had been observed. If we had had any hope before of Lady Sarah's tender mercies, or of Father Niccolo's good-nature, we had none now. Her Majesty would never forgive such an unwarrantable intrusion into her private chapel. Hal's most flowery apologies would be of no use now, and I might consider my suit as hopeless. We were all in rather low spirits as we walked away. Hal and Roger relieved their minds by abusing Phil Buckthorne; but I was too much out of heart even to do that. Here was the day almost at an end, and I was not one whit nearer fulfilling my promise to Lady Dalrymple than I had been in the morning. Indeed, difficult as I had thought it then to ask a grace of the Queen, it seemed almost impossible now. And Lady Dalrymple had implored me above all things to be speedy. I was at my wit's end to know what to do in the matter next, and gave vent to my perplexities in such a heavy sigh, that Hal clapped me on the shoulder, saying:

'"Cheer up, Algernon. I've been in and out of many a worse strait than this. The Queen's anger won't last for ever; and even if she does flout us for a time, we can live very well without Court favour."

'"'Tis not that, as you know full well," said I, rather roughly, for Hal's nonchalance was particularly irritating just then. "But how am I ever now to get the Queen's favourable ear for that other business?"

'"Whew!" ejaculated Hal in a sort of prolonged whistle. "I declare that I had quite forgotten all about it. Well, of all mishaps in the world, only think that we should have had the ill luck to run against Lady Sarah! She'll not rest till she ferrets out the whole story. What was it she said to you as we were coming out of the chapel?"

'When I told him he shook his head despondingly.

'"That bodes us no good, I'm afraid," said he. "She will never forgive us for the way we used her. I must confess the poor lady did get some rough handling among us. That grasp of yours on her shoulder must have been anything but pleasant. And how we dragged her mantle and hood about! I remember hearing a great rent, and thinking what wretched stuff the good father's gown must be made of."