r Clough had to give an account of many events,
especially of those which had taken place in the Netherlands since he
last wrote.

Two days after Master Clough and his lady had taken their departure,
Captain Radford arrived. Aveline had promised that, should he not
object to it, she would be mine as soon as arrangements could be made
for our marriage. I had not forgotten the packet in the possession of
Lady Anne, though of the contents I had no distinct recollection. We
now applied for it. Great was Captain Radford's satisfaction when it
was delivered to him. After examining it, he rose up and kissed his
daughter.

"There can be little doubt," he said, "that you will become possessed
ere long, through means of these papers, of considerable property. I am
not sorry for it, being assured that you will have one well able to
manage it, and to be your true protector as long as you two remain in
this life."

"The course of true love does continue to run smooth," I whispered to
Aveline.

"I pray it may; but we are not married yet," she answered.

I do not deem that the matters concerning the estate in question will
prove interesting to my readers. I will, therefore, merely state that,
being placed before the law authorities, it was finally decided that she
was its rightful possessor. It consisted of upwards of five hundred
acres; and, greatly to my satisfaction, I found that it was situated in
the same parish in which Master Foxe ministered. Still our marriage was
not to take place just yet. Lady Anne insisted that she could not,
after so long a separation, be again parted from her young attendant;
besides which, Sir Thomas had received notice that a certain lady of
rank was to be committed to his charge--of whom more anon. It was
necessary that Lady Anne should have a younger and more active lady than
herself to assist in taking charge of the said personage.

Shortly after this, Sir Thomas received notice that a foreigner of rank
and consideration had arrived at Dover, and also a request from Cecil--
the Queen's minister--that he would receive him into his house. The
stranger was the Cardinal Chastillon, as he was still called, the
brother of the famous French Admiral, Gaspard de Coligny. He had been
educated for the Church, in which he was placed in his childhood; and,
from the powerful influence of his family, he had been appointed to the
Deanery of Marseilles, as also to the dignity of Cardinal. When o