roof, and for the guidance He has graciously given him?" We knelt down to praise and thank God for His goodness, and to commend our beloved brother to His holy keeping; imploring Him, in His own best and wisest way, to make all circumstances and events, in the future course of him for whom we prayed, to work together for his spiritual and eternal welfare: and when I had ended my prayer, we rose up refreshed and comforted in our inward hearts, feeling that He whom we had sought had been with us, and heard our earnest, anxious supplications, and would assuredly answer us for His own Son's sake.

May 25.

Charles has been still recovering, but his progress has been slower than we expected.-His wise and tender nurse, who has shewn her skill as well as her kindness, in her treatment of him, has come to this opinion, that his constant confinement to the house is the real cause of his tardy convalescence. Though she has admitted as much fresh air as possible to his narrow chamber, and has got him to take exercise, in walking up and down the length of her dressingroom and bedroom, with locked doors, and windows widely opened, she is convinced that he pines for want of more bracing exercise, under the clear sky, and in the freshening breezes of this delightful season. Since our return to the Rectory, we have been less with him, and we fear the anxiety and confinement are also beginning to tell upon the delicate frame of our beloved Lady Vernon: but she will not agree to this.-We have settled to-day, that should to-morrow be a fine, clear day, Lucy shall take her brother, while the servants are at dinner, to the long yew walk, at the northern side of the house, which they may reach with ease, by taking a circuitous path through the shrubbery: I shall be

posted in the alcove at the end of the upper terrace, with a book in my hand, but my eyes taking the range of the yew walk, and the smaller flower garden, at the end next the house. Should I see cause for alarm, they will at my first signal retreat to the summer-house, at the further end of the yew walk, and locking the door by which they enter, go down the steps at the other door, into the root-house, and from thence keep the path under the shadow of the hornbeam hedge, till they reach the orangery; from thence they can easily gain the kitchen garden, and come along under the high wall to the door which opens into the shrubbery; while I, having returned to the house, will have the same door open for them by which they entered, at the foot of the staircase leading to my Lady's own rooms.-The head-gardener will be sent after breakfast to Temple Pleasance, taking a cart to bring back some po tsof the new roses from China, which my mother has promised to Lady Vernon: the under-gardener is to go with him, as he has never been over to Temple Pleasance, that he may see the gardens and the forcing houses, and they are to dine there: and the other men, the labourers, will be gone home to dinner at the time, so that the coast that way will be clear-my Lady in the meanwhile will keep guard at the end window of the gallery, which commands a view of all the gardens and the wilderness beyond; and should it be necessary, will give me a signal by shutting the casement with as much noise as possible, and dropping her fan out of the window as she does so.

May 26.

All our plans succeeded admirably, poor Charles paced up and down in the yew-tree walk for three quarters of an hour, we trust unseen by any one

but ourselves-and returned to the house much refreshed, though somewhat fatigued by his walk.

May 28.

Yesterday we had a violent shower of rain, just at the time that Charles and Lucy were about to leave the house-and the rain continued more or less all the afternoon-but to-day has been beautifully fine, and our dear invalid ventured out with me as his companion, and at the termination of his walk remained in the summer-house, till my Lady Vernon, who came to us for a few moments, told us that she had sent for the gardeners to meet her at the orangery, where she detained them, giving orders for the removal of the largest orange-trees, and the pomegranates, to the terrace. We took advantage of her doing so to return as we came, by the shrubbery to the house. Jenny Cox was waiting at the door to admit us.

June 1.

This is the fourth time that Charles has taken exercise in the yew walk-he is much better, though still weak. When entering the shrubbery on our return, Lucy, who was on the terrace keeping watch, saw Jack Steel, an under-gardener, pass across the end of the yew walk near the summer-house: he stood still for a minute, and looked down the walk just as we had turned into the shrubbery near the old plane trees; she saw us, but thinks he could not. He passed on and she saw no more of him. I like not this; he is an idle fellow-we must be more cautious.

June 3.

This morning a man and horse brought me a letter from my brother Cuthbert; the man is his

trusty servant, Harry Joyce; he says he rode in all haste from Coventry, where he left my brother, and was to give the letter to no hand but mine-to wait for my answer and return immediately.

This letter bodes no good, it seems that they are still on the watch to take poor Charles. My brother thinks it not unlikely that search will be made at Temple Pleasance, and perhaps at Springhurst. He has good reason to know the truth, being in favour at Court, and his information must be attended to without loss of time: but what is to be done? present I know not.

At

June 4.

A note from my Lady Vernon, brought by good Mr. Harcourt. Cuthbert's letter was but just in time; Charles is gone: and may God in his good providence guide and protect him. My suspicions concerning Jack Steel were not without foundation. Mr. Harcourt, who had been over at Temple Pleasance, had seen him in close parley with a party of soldiers down in the village of Temple Underwood, after having been to the Hall to search there for Charles Harington. Like a true friend, Mr. Harcourt set off with all speed to prepare me for the coming of the soldiers, rightly supposing that they might come hither (as from Cuthbert's letter I think they doubtless will) in search of Charles. He met Lucy on her way to the Manor-house, and told her his fears: she at once confided everything to him (for he knew nothing before, we fearing to implicate him in our danger.) She did right in telling him now.

Lucy showed much presence of mind; she went at once with Mr. Harcourt to my Lady Vernon, and they consulted together, not waiting even to send for me. Within half an hour Charles was

gone; he would endeavour to reach the cottage of a brother of Jenny Cox's, who lives on the skirt of Marton Heath. Ned Cox is one whom we can depend on, and he is a widower, living alone with his other sister. Jenny dressed Charles in a plain suit of her own clothes, and walked away with him herself, while Lucy and Mr. Harcourt busied themselves in clearing poor Charles's narrow chamber, and putting all things as they were before he occupied it. This was well done an hour before the soldiers came-for come they did, first to this house, and then to the manor house. Why they should go there we cannot tell, as they were not likely to know that Lady Vernon is the kinswoman of Charles; but they have doubtless tampered with Jack Steel, who is a deep fellow, and knows perhaps more than we suppose. Jenny Cox, who is come back, tells me that Jack looked very sheepish when she met him on the terrace: he upset an orange tree in his haste to get out of her way, on which she called him back, and rated him sharply for his awkwardness-glad of an excuse to show her anger towards him in this our good Jenny was wrong; but I fear I should have done the same. Charles reached the cottage on the heath safely, and started, we know not whither, in a suit of Ned Cox's, by daybreak this morning: he had a stout staff in his hand, and money in his pocket, and more sewed up in the lining of his waistcoat. He will write by post, but how soon we cannot tell. He took his New Testament with him, and his last words to my Lady and his sister were, "This book shall never be parted with, please God, while I live; and I will not fail, God helping me by His Spirit, to search it daily." Surely, surely we have ground for deep thankfulness to God for this one thing. If Charles has done wrong, the Lord God seems graciously to have overruled both his sin and