e in peace, it seems that a terrible
revolution has broken out, and your father says that it will only be by
desperate efforts on the part of his friends that the king's position
can be preserved. He says that these efforts will be made, and that the
king shall be saved."

"Hurrah!" shouted the boy, wildly. "God save the king!"

"God save the king!" murmured Lady Royland, softly, with her eyes
closed; and her words sounded like a prayerful echo of her son's
utterance.

There was a pause for a few moments, and then Lady Royland went on.

"Your father says that we lie right out of the track of the trouble
here, and that he prays that nothing may disturb us; but as the country
grows more unsettled with the war, evil men will arise everywhere, ready
to treat the laws of the country with contempt, and that it is our duty
in his absence to be prepared."

"Prepared! Yes, mother," cried Roy, excitedly; and he flung himself
upon his knees, rested his elbows on his mother's lap, and seized her
hands. "Go on, go on!"

"He says that you have grown a great fellow now, and that the time has
come for you to play the man, and fill his place in helping me in every
way possible."

"Father says that, mother?" cried the boy, flushing scarlet.

"Yes; and that he looks to you to be my counsellor, and, with the help
of his faithful old servant Martlet, to do everything you can to put the
place in a state of defence."

"Why, mother," said Roy, "old Ben will go mad with delight."

Lady Royland suppressed a sigh, and went on firmly.

"He bids me use my discretion to decide whom among the tenants and
people of the village I can--we can--trust, Roy, and to call upon them
to be ready, in case of an emergency, to come in here and help to
protect the place and their own belongings; but to be very careful whom
I do trust, for an enemy within the gates is a terrible danger."

"Yes, of course," cried Roy, whose head seemed once more in a whirl.

"He goes on to say that there may not be the slightest necessity for all
this, but the very fact of our being prepared will overawe people who
might be likely to prove disaffected, and will keep wandering bands of
marauders at a distance."

"Of course--yes; I see," cried Roy, eagerly. "Yes, mother, I'll go to
work at once."

"You will do nothing foolish, I know, my boy," said the mother, laying
one hand upon his head and gazing proudly in his eyes.

"Nothing if I can help it," he cried;