th regard to the mysterious
events, which he felt sure were occurring all round him, a discovery
which--had he but made it--would have enabled him to apply with more
chance of success, for one of the posts in my Lord Protector's secret
service, and moreover, would have covered his name with glory.

This last contingency was always uppermost in his mind. Not from any
feeling of personal pride, for of a truth vanity is a mortal sin, but
because Mistress Charity had of late cast uncommonly kind eyes on that
cringing worm, Master Courage Toogood, and the latter, emboldened by the
minx's favors, had been more than usually insolent to his betters.

To have the right to administer serious physical punishment to the
youth, and moral reproof to the wench, was part of Master Busy's
comprehensive scheme for his own advancement and the confusion of all
the miscreants who dwelt in Acol Court. For this he had glued both eye
and ear to draughty keyholes, had lain for hours under cover of prickly
thistles in the sunk fence which surrounded the flower garden. For this
he now emerged, on that morning of November 2, accompanied by a terrific
clatter and a volley of soot from out the depth of the monumental
chimney in the hall of Acol Court.

As soon as he had recovered sufficient breath, and shaken off some of
the soot from his hair and face, he looked solemnly about him, and was
confronted by two pairs of eyes round with astonishment and two mouths
agape with surprise and with fear.

Mistress Charity and Master Courage Toogood--interrupted in the midst of
their animated conversation--were now speechless with terror, at sight
of this black apparition, which, literally, had descended on them from
the skies.

"Lud love ye, Master Busy!" ejaculated Mistress Charity, who was the
first to recognize in the sooty wraith the manly form of her betrothed,
"where have ye come from, pray?"

"Have you been scouring the chimney, good master?" queried Master
Courage, with some diffidence, for the saintly man looked somewhat out
of humor.

"No!" replied Hymn-of-Praise solemnly, "I have not. But I tell ye both
that my hour hath come. I knew that something was happening in this
house, and I climbed up that chimney in order to find out what it was."

Pardonable curiosity caused Mistress Charity to venture a little nearer
to the soot-covered figure of her adorer.

"And did you hear anything, Master Busy?" she asked eagerly. "I did see
Sir Marmaduk