won't do to show myself to her in this pickle, I believe. But I have somewhat to tell the Colonel; ye must let me see him apart, and Armstrong with him."

Mrs. Ford disappeared, and the farmer conducted Sidebotham into a back room, where he was soon joined by the other Cavaliers.

"Well, Sir," said Sydenham, a little dryly, “I should scarcely have thought, after your conduct yesterday, that you would have wished to appear before me.'

""

"I should not have been here now," replied the Lieutenant," but to redeem my error. You, Colonel, made me what I am; but you did not consider, when you raised me from the ranks, that though I had courage, I had little conduct. I was bred a wild fellow; and if the devil catch me, I shall remain so."

"Awcel, aweel," said Armstrong, wishing to put an end to the unpleasant feeling; "ye said ye came hither to redeem yer error. What! hae ye ony news? Let's bae it, an' talk o' yer errors anither gate."

"Snell, with his troops," pursued Sidebotham," is recalled by the Parliament and council of officers; he bath already despatched an order to his lieutenant, at Marple, to set forward to London; and will follow bim with the horse on the day after to-morrow.”

"Where heard ye this?" said Sydenham.

"Faith," replied the Lieutenant, laughing, “I heard it under his nose. I was at Chapel by daybreak, and threatened Shortmalt with fire and sword if he betrayed me. In this disguise I occupied the chimney nook, and overheard all that passed. Barebone brought the message from Parliament, and a trooper the order from the Military Council."

By the holy Rood," cried Armstrong, shaking Sidebotham by the hand, "ye're the maist desperate chiel in Christendom; an' gin I may be believed, ye've weel made up for yer trespass. But what say ye, Colonel; maun these crappit heads gang awa' scot-free, as they say of our chiels o' the border; or wad it no' be as weel to give 'em a partin' blow."

"Ay, but where are your friends?" said Sydenham. "How many can you muster, Sidebotham, at a day's summons.

"As many as we shall need," answered Sidebotham; "good fellows, and hearty. Fifty at the least; and with that number I would undertake to cut both parties of the enemy out of their quarters."

"There's nae doubt of it," said Armstrong; "an' gin the Colonel wull pit his aiver wi' ours, we'll save 'em the trouble of marchin' southward, by findin' 'em a lodgin' on the Derby hills. Beside, ye ken, I've sworn, either that traitor Snell, or my ainsel', shall ne'er quit these hills alive; an' by my saul an' honour 1 will no break my aith."

"Ye both know me," replied the Colonel. "Have your men here, at any hour you shall fix upon, and I will lead them against the foe. Bring none with ye but such as will fight or fall. Men, Sidebotham, of your own cast; and as many as ye can of our old Cavaliers. Those who have fought in company will stand well together."

"None else shall have the honour of your leading, Colonel," said Sidebotham. "And I know not one who would not be right well content to fall under your eye in the good old cause. It will take the best part of to-morrow to muster our friends: the hour of attack must be late at night."

"Ay, or betimes in the mornin'," answered Armstrong.

"I am for midnight," said Sydenham; "or at least to muster here by that hour. The ride will cost little time."

"At midnight, then, will we be here," returned the Lieutenant. "But where are your horses and

arms?',

"By the mort," cried Armstrong, "that's ae douce query, an' ae proper; they're baith t'ane and t'ither of them at Bradshaw Ha'; an' there's ae bonnie north country cornet there, wi' ae troop, keepin' the house warm."

"We must ride without," said Sydenham; "it will not be the first time."

"There is no need, yer Honour," replied Sidebotham. We have arms enow, and I have credit sufficient to borrow a couple of horses for the night's work. There will be plenty astray in the morning, or I shall be heavily baulked. One thing more: I do not doubt the faith and fealty of the grey woman; but, to my mind, it is not seemly that a troop of gallant Cavaliers should place any dependence on the help or favour of a crackbrained gossip. Let her not know of our plan."

"What have we to do with her at all?" said the Colonel. I trust she knoweth not of our hiding?"

"Ay, by Saint Paul, doth she," returned Sidebotham; for she sent me hither when I was seeking your Honour high and low."

"Who hath betrayed us?" exclaimed Sydenham. "Surely our host would not be so negligent? And yet, than he, no stranger is acquainted with our secrecy. Was not that woman at the firing of Banner Cross ?"

"She was," replied Sidebotham; but since our enemies have been uppermost, she hath changed parties, and now clings to the weakest faction. In truth, she hath done good service, and is as dear a foe to the Round-heads as any of us; and that they know full well."

"Ance in the late war," said Armstrong, I played her ae trick, whilk, I wot, she'll no forget speedily; an' I gie ye my mind on't, she's no to be lippen'd till. Fause and fearless is she, mair than woman; deadly and revengefu' I dare swear she is: the varra reputation whilk she has gain'd as ae witch an' spell woman, gars ye believe she's cursit wi' a' bad qualities; an' her poverty, ye ken, is maist of a' to be fear'd. Set three thousan' marks i' the scale anenst her fealty, an' ye'll sune spy it kick the beam."

"I do not fear her betraying us," answered Sidebotham; "she has kept weighty secrets against temp

tation; but I fear her meddling hand, if she get wind of our start. Conceal it, then, and let her not know it, but by the effects of our attack."

"An' ye wull believe me," said the Scot, "it'll be as weel to say naething till Ford, nor aebody, until we a' meet. They may know when it cana be hid; an' that knowledge is best for sic blab tongues."

"Let it be so," pursued Sydenham: "silence can harm no one, nor any purpose. Confidence, we perceive, may be betrayed, though doubtless out of a good motive. Commend me to your friends, Sidebotham; tell them that this is, perhaps the last dash we shall make, and it must be a spirited one, for our own honour, and our past glory. We have no hope; we must therefore, fight like men in despair; like brave, desperate men, who have set all their fortune on an issue, and, win or lose, will peril the bloody trial. God strike for us, friends; I will never cry Craven." "Nor I," cried Sidebotham, " by heaven."

"Nor I," echoed the Scot," as I'm a chiel of the Border."

Sidebotham then withdrew, and, after taking some refreshment in the house, went on his way rejoicing."

CHAPTER XXIII.

Jocky of Norfolk, be not too bold,

For Dickon, thy master, is bought and sold.

Richard III.

"Soon as the morning streak'd the skies," the grey woman was at the Castle Town, anxiously awaiting the arrival of Snell; but as if he had known of her expectation, and had resolved to weary her patience, he did not appear until near mid-day. Hour after hour did she pace backwards and forwards before the inn, keeping guard with the sentry, to the infinite diversion of the soldiers, who passed their coarse jokes upon her remarkable figure. One likened her to a French gueuse whom he had seen in Flanders, and who was used to follow the camp, in order to obtain a share of the spolia left on the field of battle by the fortune of war. Another said she resembled a Wallachian gipsey, more particularly about the head, since her grey locks, which floated round the edge of her cloth cap, might well be fancied the long shaggy hair of a Hungarian grey fox, the usual head-dress trimming of that tribe. A third swore she was much more like the cut of the witch of Endor, in the old Bible of Geneva, than either of the other similitudes, and proposed that she should raise a spirit.

"I could raise a hundred," cried she, stopping on her march," whom ye wad na dare to look upon." "We'll try, Goody," said the man, "if ye'll show your art."

"I fear me," replied she, sarcastically, "ye wad faint and fly, as ye have done more than once."

"No, by Saint Barnaby," cried the trooper," we'll neither faint nor fly for ghost or devil.”