The King's Highway

hinking of it merely as one of those unpleasant circumstances which occur to every man now and then, sat in his library with every sort of comfort and splen

ype of almost every great conspirator, he raised his eyes and gazed on vacancy, calling up with little

ho came, by applying at the front entrance, evidently considered himself a visitor of the Earl, that nobleman placed his hand upon the open page of the book and waited for a

servants, entering, "is at the gate, a

t is his business?"

e servant, "nor give his name either; but he

aid the peer; "put a chair th

etired, and a moment after returne

entered, leading by the hand the beautiful boy whom we have before

til the door was closed by the servant, he continued to gaze alternately upon Sherb

he said at length "I think I have ha

Sherbrooke, "and then it

"your face is somewhat familiar to me, an

t an end, at least for a time: the person for whom you take me is

illed at the Boyne; but still the likeness is so gre

rooke continued, with a slight laugh, "I did not, however, come here, my lord, to offend you with my view of politics. We have only once met, my lord, that I know of in life, but I have heard you kindly spoken of b

too old a politician to encourage applications, the very proposers of which announced them as extravagant. "May I ask," he said, at length, "what it i

g thus interrupted, the Earl invited his two guests to partake; and calling the boy to him, fondled him for some moments at his kne

d such winning grace, that the Earl, employing exactly the same caress that Sherbrooke

"is to be a very strange one; a request that will put you to some expense, though not a very great one; and

te or two. I am now sure that I cannot be mistaken in the person to whom I speak, although I took you at firs

open a door between that room and the next, which was a large saloon, well lighted, and having led

a hopeless, and what, depend upon it, is an unjust cause,-a cause which the only person who could gain by it has abandoned and betrayed. Yield to the universal voice of the people; or if you cannot co-operate with t

remember our agreement respecting the papers, and other things which I shall deposit with you this night: they are not to be given

tay yet one moment: would it not be better to give me some farther explanations? and have you n

with yourself. Neither on his religious nor his political education will I say a word. In regard to the latter, indeed, I may be

fitted, as far as my judgment can go, for any station in the state, to enter any gentlemanly profession, and to win his way for himself by his own exertions. But you cannot and must not expect that I shoul

him entirely to you, feeling too deeply grateful for the relief you have given m

ould prefer putting down on paper the conditions and circumstances under which I ta

o Sherbrooke, who read it attentively, and then signing it returned it to the Earl. That nobleman in the mean time, had signed a counterpart of the paper which he now gave to Sherbrooke; and the latter, taking from his pocket

seemed to overpower him; for tears came up, and dimmed his sight. At length, he dashed them away; and taking the boy up in his arms, he pressed him fondly to his bosom; kissed hi

ee that the gentleman's horse was brought round. He then turned and gazed upon the boy with a look of interest; but little

; "can there be perfect insensibility under that fair ext

y he is gone?" th

e back in an hour or two as he always does, and will look at

eyes rise towards his face with a look of inquiry: "You must not exp

s not sufficient to satisfy a stranger, he added, "Wilt

e Earl, evading his questio

eight," rep

and then applying his thoughts to make the boy comfortable for the night, he rang f