conversation, that it should be all true, and yet that the diocesan
should be unable to lay his thumb on Quodling, my little chaplain, who
should preach it."

"I perfectly see the difficulty, my lord," said Christian, who well knew
that if he wished to secure attention from this volatile nobleman, he
must first suffer, nay, encourage him, to exhaust the topic, whatever it
might be, that had got temporary possession of his pineal gland.

"Why," said the Duke, "I had caused my little Quodling to go through his
oration thus--'That whatever evil reports had passed current during the
lifetime of the worthy matron whom they had restored to dust that day,
malice herself could not deny that she was born well, married well,
lived well, and died well; since she was born in Shadwell, married to
Cresswell, lived in Camberwell, and died in Bridewell.' Here ended
the oration, and with it Sedley's ambitious hopes of overreaching
Buckingham--ha, ha, ha!--And now, Master Christian, what are your
commands for me to-day?"

"First, to thank your Grace for being so attentive as to send so
formidable a person as Colonel Blood, to wait upon your poor friend and
servant. Faith, he took such an interest in my leaving town, that he
wanted to compel me to do it at point of fox, so I was obliged to spill
a little of his malapert blood. Your Grace's swordsmen have had ill luck
of late; and it is hard, since you always choose the best hands, and
such scrupleless knaves too."

"Come now, Christian," said the Duke, "do not thus exult over me;
a great man, if I may so call myself, is never greater than amid
miscarriage. I only played this little trick on you, Christian, to
impress on you a wholesome idea of the interest I take in your motions.
The scoundrel's having dared to draw upon you, is a thing not to be
forgiven.--What! injure my old friend Christian?"

"And why not," said Christian coolly, "if your old friend was so
stubborn as not to go out of town, like a good boy, when your Grace
required him to do so, for the civil purpose of entertaining his niece
in his absence?"

"How--what!--how do you mean by _my_ entertaining your niece, Master
Christian?" said the Duke. "She was a personage far beyond my poor
attentions, being destined, if I recollect aright, to something like
royal favour."

"It was her fate, however, to be the guest of your Grace's convent for
a brace of days, or so. Marry, my lord, the father confessor was not at
home,