his eyes upwards with pity and amaze, and piously ejaculated, in the charity of his heart,"The Lord have mercy upon thy foul!""Amen!" echoed John Jenkins, who performed the office of hangman, and at the fame time run the vice-juftice up by the pulley. John was the idleft fellow in the parish, and most in the ill graces of Doctor Daw, for the loofenefs of his morals." Here he goes to the devil in a whiff," quoth Jenkins.-" Art thou fo familiar with the devil," faid Ezekiel, "as to know whom he will take, and whom he will spare? Have a care of one, John Jenkins, and do not venture to pronounce upon thy neighbours."-John was too bufy to enter into argument, fo Ezekiel had the last word, and turned afide towards the cottage.

The mob, under the conduct of General Jenkins, the hangman, marched in array to Dame May's cottage, and having drawn up before the door, Jenkins being deputed as spokesman, announced himself, and was admitted."By your leave, Dame May," quoth the orator, "we mean you no offence; but being, as you do fee, your friends and neighbours, we come to cheer you a bit in your affliction, by telling you, for your comfort, we have gib

betted

betted the Justice upon the Green; and if we had treated him as fuch a hard-hearted fellow deferves, we shou'd have pull'd his house stick and stone down to the ground; fo there's the right o' the matter. As for thee, Henry, give me thy hand, my brave lad! I will stand by the man that will ftand by a woman as long as I have life, dammee! I beg your pardon, Doctor, for fwearing, but when a man's heart is right, lookye, what he fays goes for nothing; as for a few hafty words, it is to be hop'd there'll be no account taken of them."

"I hope fo too," quoth Ezekiel, in an under-tone. Dame May returned her thanks; Henry fhook the orator by the hand; and the mob, according to cuftom, adjourned to the alehouse.

CHAPTER X.

The trampled Worm will turn. THE news of the gibbetting flew to Blachford's ears by one of the nimbleft couriers Fame had in her fervice; it made him furious, and as he laid it all to Henry's account, it

rendered

rendered him as hungry for his prey as a

hyæna.

The haughty Peer now feated in his caftle, and encompassed by his myrmidons, difpatched a fervant with his fummons for Henry to attend upon him: What particular purpose he meant to effect by this, does not clearly appear, but it is not unlikely Blachford was the mover of it, with the view of wreaking his vengeance upon the youth by the hands of O'Rourke, on his return from the conference.

The meffenger being dispatched for Henry, order was given by the Peer, that his lady fhould come to him: Blachford and the attorney thereupon took the hint to retire, and her Ladyfhip, having obeyed the call, was welcomed in manner following-" So Madam, you are come; be pleas'd to take your feat, I have fomething to fay to you. What are the motives, I would fain know, for your late vifits to my apothecary in the village. I did not know you was out of health, or, if you are, methinks it is his duty to attend upon you."

"But he is confin'd to his chamber, my lord."

"So ought you to be, my lady, and fo

fhall

you

fhall you be, if have no more regard for my honour and your own dignity, than to be feen goffiping and caballing in beggarly cottages, with vagabonds and ftrumpets, for purposes I blush to name."-" What strumpets and what vagabonds," replied the lady, "do you charge me of caballing with; and what purposes have I ever had in hand, which you, my lord, fhou'd blush to name? Declare them."

" Déclare to me first, if you can, who that young fellow is, you have been graciously pleas'd to furnish with cloathes and money, and pick up out of the dirt; a beggarly vagrant, for the worthy purpose, amongst others that shall be nameless, of infulting my friend Mr. Blachford in the most public and daring manner, for which he fhall be made an example of my vengeance, be affur'd, though your folly, Lady Crowbery, (to fay no worse of it) fhou'd be expos'd thereby to all the world. Who is this fellow, I demand? What is his name? What is his bufinefs here? What are the mighty charms you can discover in the embraces of a beggar? what the fenfe of your own honour, that you shou'd fall into his arms, as these eyes have witness'd? And have you not repeatedly

repeatedly done this? Can you deny the charge? and what excufe are you provided with to offer to a husband, who will not tamely fuffer fuch unparallel'd difgrace ?"

The vehemence, with which all this was uttered, the variety of questions it contained, her unwillingness to anfwer fome, and her incapacity of accounting for others (for fhe was not yet informed of Blachford's late affair) so totally overpower'd the tender and maternal feelings of Lady Crowbery, that unable to collect her thoughts, fhe remained filent and without an answer.

After fome little paufe, regarding her with a look of anger and contempt, he exclaimed

." "Tis well, madam, 'tis very well! I take your filence for confeffion, and your tears for tokens of your fhame. I now tell you that I have fent for your fellow hither; I wou'd fain fee this favour'd rival, whom you have fingled out to difgrace me. Was he worthy the refentment of a gentleman, I wou'd not part from him till the life of one of us was facrific'd to honour; but being what he is, the lowest, basest, vileft of mankind, fitter chaftifement fhall be provided for him."

es Hold, my Lord!" fhe now exclaimed, re

fuming