d news from Crandlemar.

As she stood at the polished counter in the mercer's shop, she glanced
without and saw--or thought as much--Lord Cedric himself, pale, yet
stepping in full strength from a chair. She quitted the counter and
hastened to the entrance and looked up and down the busy street with
longing eyes. But there was no sign of my lord's handsome figure.
After securing her purchase, she repaired at once to Lord Taunton's--a
kinsman of Cedric's--'twas possible he would be stopping there. But he
was not.

She rode from place to place, hoping at every turn to see him; but to
her chagrin she found him not, even at a certain inn in Covent Garden,
where he had been wont to stay. She drove in her cream-hued coach to
the Mall, but he was not to be found.

Her first act after reaching London had been to dispatch a letter
posthaste to the castle, telling of her abduction by the Duke of
Monmouth, who, she believed was determined to bring herself and
Mistress Penwick to the King's notice, as he avowed Court was not
Court without such faces. She, being so widely known and so well
connected, had been allowed her freedom, on condition that she
returned promptly and keep their hiding place a secret. Then came that
she felt would touch Cedric.

"I overheard some converse about your Lordship, a hint that some knave
gave thee a slight wound. Now, if this be true, if thou art hurt at
all--which I cannot allow myself to think--tell me, tell me, Cedric,
and I will fly from Court and all the world to thee, my sweet cousin,
my playfellow, my beloved friend, now."

This letter fortunately did not reach Cedric in time to give him a
relapse, as he was on his way to London when the courier arrived at
the castle.

He had drawn rein at Tabard Inn, Southwark. It abutted on the Thames
and was opposite the city, and it suited his fancy to stop here,
rather than ride into London. His business was private and not far
from his present quarters. His wound had healed enough to give him no
trouble, and action kept his mind easy. He had seen Constance with
as fleeting a glimpse as hers had been of him. It was quite enough,
however, he wishing never to set eyes upon her again.

That evening he went to seek Buckingham at the Royal Palace. He had no
austere regard for the pomp and splendour of the Court at best, and
now he was almost unconscious of his surroundings. His azure-hued
costume was magnificent in its profusion of embroidery and prec