ing a palace; all the men who rule England have
room in that palace. At the rear of the palace soars up the old Abbey
where kings have their tombs in right of the names they inherit; men,
lowly as we, have found tombs there, in right of the names which they
made. Think, now, that you stand on that bridge with a boy's lofty hope,
with a man's steadfast courage; then turn again to that stream, calm
with starlight, flowing on towards the bridge,--spite of islet and
pebbles."

Lionel made no audible answer, though his lips murmured, but he pressed
closer and closer to his friend's side; and the tears were already dried
on his cheek, though their dew still glistened in his eyes.

CHAPTER V.

Speculations on the moral qualities of the Bandit.--Mr. Vance, with
mingled emotions, foresees that the acquisition of the Bandit's
acquaintance may be attended with pecuniary loss.

Vance loosened the boat from its moorings, stepped in, and took up the
oars. Lionel followed, and sat by the stern. The Artist rowed on slowly,
whistling melodiously in time to the dash of the oars. They soon came to
the bank of garden-ground surrounding with turf on which fairies might
have danced one of those villas never seen out of England. From the
windows of the villa the lights gleamed steadily; over the banks,
dipping into the water, hung large willows breathlessly; the boat gently
brushed aside their pendent boughs, and Vance rested in a grassy cove.

"And faith," said the Artist, gayly,--"faith," said he, lighting his
third cigar, "it is time we should bestow a few words more on the
Remorseless Baron and the Bandit's Child! What a cock-and-a-bull story
the Cobbler told us! He must have thought us precious green."

LIONEL (roused).--"Nay, I see nothing so wonderful in the story, though
much that is sad. You must allow that Waife may have been a good actor:
you became quite excited merely at his attitude and bow. Natural,
therefore, that he should have been invited to try his chance on the
London stage; not improbable that he may have met with an accident by
the train, and so lost his chance forever; natural, then, that he should
press into service his poor little grandchild, natural, also, that,
hardly treated and his pride hurt, he should wish to escape."

VANCE.--"And more natural than all that he should want to extract from
our pockets three pounds, the Bandit! No, Lionel, I tell you what is
not probable, that he should have