n towards it, wondering
what had occurred, but arrived in time only to catch a glimpse of
Overton and Aveline in the midst of a party who were hurrying them
along. I ran after them, but they heeded me not. One, however,
suddenly turned round and dealt me a blow which brought me to the
ground, almost senseless. When I recovered, they had disappeared, and I
knew not what road they had taken. I could not bring myself to go back
with the sad news to Lady Anne. I knew not in what direction to follow.
But I ran blindly on, hoping by some means I might overtake them. The
dreadful fear came over me that he was a traitor, and that all he had
said was but a cloak to cover his designs.

At length, broken-hearted, I returned to Lombard Street. Lady Anne
received me with a look of grief, not unmixed with indignation, such as
I had never seen.

"I have known you all your life, Ernst," she said at length, "or
otherwise I could not believe you innocent in this matter, so suspicious
an air does it wear. You must, though having no bad intentions, have
been most cruelly deceived by this man Overton; and yet what object
could he have had in carrying off the girl?"

When Master Gresham returned, he also was very indignant against
Overton, declaring his belief that he was a hypocrite; though what could
have been his object in taking away his niece it was impossible to say.
My patron bethought him of going immediately to the Privy Council, and
getting a warrant for the apprehension of the stranger; but he himself
was so much out of favour at that time, that he believed no object would
thus be gained. He had been so interested with Aveline's history,
though he had seen little of her, that he was sincerely grieved at what
had occurred, and at my suggestion ordered out several servants with
torches, directing them to proceed to various parts of the City, in the
hopes of meeting with Overton and his niece, or with those who had
carried them off, should this have occurred without his connivance. I
eagerly set out, calling on A'Dale to join in the search.

Such occurrences as I have described were too common to cause much
observation. People at that time were nightly dragged out of their beds
by the emissaries of Bishop Bonner, and hauled off to prison. At
length, as we were proceeding towards the river, we met a serving-man
with a torch, who was on his way to conduct his master back to his house
in that neighbourhood. He told us,