klechurch, on the
feast of St. Augustine, was buried at Glastonbury by the abbot, and his
two sons, Edwy and Edgar, were put under Dunstan's especial care by the
new king Edred. The rest of the story is tolerably well known to our
readers.

The first steps of Edwy's reign were all taken with a view to one great
end--to revenge himself and to destroy Dunstan, who, aware of the
royal enmity, and of his inability to restrain the sovereign, withdrew
himself quietly to Glastonbury, and confined himself to the discharge of
his duties as its abbot.

But this did not satisfy Edwy, who, panting for the ruin of the monk he
hated, sought occasion for a quarrel, and soon found it. Dunstan had
been the royal almoner, and had had the disposal of large sums of money,
for purposes connected with the Church, on which they had been strictly
expended. Now Edwy required a strict account of all these disbursements,
which Dunstan refused to give, saying it had already been given to
Edred, and that no person had any right to investigate the charities of
the departed king.

His stout resistance gained the day in the first instance, but Edwy
never felt at rest while Dunstan lived at peace in the land, and
Ethelgiva and her fair daughter were ever inciting him to fresh acts of
hostility, little as he needed such incitement.

The first measures were of a very dishonourable kind. Evil reports were
spread abroad to destroy the character of the great abbot, and prepare
people's minds for his disgrace: then disaffection was stirred up
amongst the secular clergy surrounding Glastonbury--a very easy thing;
and attempts were made in vain to create a faction against him in his
own abbey; then at last the neighbouring thanes, many of Danish
extraction and scarcely Christian, were stirred up to invade the
territory of the abbey, and were promised immunity and secure possession
of their plunder. They liked the pleasant excitement of galloping over
Dunstan's ecclesiastical patrimony, of plundering the farms and driving
away the cattle, and there was scarcely a night in which some fresh
outrage was not committed. At this point the action of our tale recommences.

It will be remembered that the father of Ella had found relief from his
grief, after the death of his unhappy son Oswald, in building and
endowing the monastery of St. Wilfred, situate on the river's bank, at a
short distance from the hall.

The completion of the work had, however, been reserv