ar below them, and a market, and trains of railway carriages coming and
going, and beyond, at some distance, an extensive range of pleasure
grounds, with ladies and gentlemen rambling about them, and groups of
children playing. These pleasure grounds extended some way up the slope
of the Castle Hill. Indeed, the upper walks lay close along under the
foot of the precipices on which the castle walls were built above.

After passing the bridge, Mr. George and the boys went on, until, at
length, they came to High Street; which is the great central street of
ancient Edinburgh, leading from the palace and abbey on the plain up to
the castle on the hill. There, if they had turned to the right, they
would have gone up to the castle; but they turned to the left, and so
descended towards the palace, on the plain.

At length they reached the foot of the descent, and then, at a turn in
the street, the palace came suddenly into view.

There was a broad paved area in front of it. In the centre of the
building was a large arched doorway, with a sentry box on each side. At
each of these sentry boxes stood a soldier on guard. All the royal
palaces of England are guarded thus. There was a cab, that had brought a
company of visitors to see the castle, standing near the centre of the
square, by a great statue that was there. Another cab drove up just at
the time that Mr. George arrived, and a party of visitors got out of it.
All the new comers went in under the archway together. The soldiers paid
no attention to them whatever.

The arched passage way led into a square court, with a piazza extending
all around it. The visitors turned to the left, and walked along under
the piazza till they came to the corner, where there was a little
office, and a man at the window of it to give them tickets. They paid
sixpence apiece for their tickets.

After getting their tickets they walked on under the piazza a little way
farther, till at length they came to a door, and a broad stone
staircase, leading up into the palace, and they all went in and began to
ascend the stairs.

At the head of the stairs they passed through a wide door, which led
into a room where they saw visitors, that had gone in before them,
walking about. They were met at the door by a well-dressed man, who
received them politely, and asked them to walk in.

"This, gentlemen," said he, "was Lord Darnley's audience chamber. That,"
he continued, pointing through an open door at th