"You had better stand back," cried St. Edmunds.

You had better," was the insolent retort; "I'm a match for you, I should hope."

This sentiment was at once corroborated by a fresh shout from the bystanders, and by a discharge of stones from the outer circle, one of which struck the keeper on the face.

"You had better take care, my masters, upon my word you had," exclaimed Waddinghead, raising the gun which the young Lord had handed over to him when the shooting was over. "I have two loaded barrels for you here."

"By Jove! I had forgotten that," said St. Edmunds; "that would be no joke, indeed. Show me that gun, Waddinghead."

The assailants drew back not a little, when they saw the murderous weapon in the hands of their foremost opponent; but they were entirely mistaken as to his purpose, for, after having whispered to Cécile not to be alarmed. at the mere report, he dropped her arm for a moment, and then deliberately discharged the two barrels into the air.

"That will do now, Waddinghead," added

he, returning the gun: "you can use the buttend, if required, as some of these rascals have sticks; and now let us move on."

Though the evening had been a remarkably clear one for the time of year, the shades of twilight were already so darkened, as to render St. Edmund's chivalrous action discernible to those alone who were in his immediate neighbourhood. Thus it was, that while the latter freely responded to the spirit in which it was performed, many of those who were further away, misled by the ominous sound, as well as by the cries of many of the women who, no less sincerely, conceived themselves to be seriously wounded, grew more vociferous than ever for contention and revenge. They pressed furiously forward and, in a moment more, the scuffle began in right earnest. The accession of strength which the party from the Hall had of late received, rendered the contest far less unequal than it would originally have been. Still, it required no small degree of determination on their part to keep the aggressors at bay, and our hero was constrained himself to use his heavy loading-rod very liberally to protect the trembling Cécile from personal molestation.

How much longer the struggle could have continued, we will not undertake to say, but fortunately a diversion was most opportunely offered by the sudden arrival, on the adjoining road, of a barouche and four, from which was seen to issue an elderly gentleman, who was at once pronounced to be a magistrate. This popular surmise turned out to be unusually correct, for the new comer was no other than our esteemed friend Sir Charles Basinstoke himself, who, on his return from Glanford, had been arrested, first, by the report, then by the appearance, of a serious breach of the peace. The person of the worthy Baronet was known to some among the crowd, to whom those of St. Edmunds and Cécile were not equally familiar; with others, the aristocratic sentiment, which so happily pervades all classes in England, was most favourably impressed by the aspect of the equipage; and thus it was that, not without some dissenting voices, Sir Charles was generally accepted as a mediator.

"What is it, my boys, what is it? How did it begin?" exclaimed he, as he made his way towards the centre of the animated assemblage.

Twenty eager voices responded at once, each setting forth a distinct and separate charge against the presumed Romanists.

Papists, are they?" rejoined the Baronet ; "just let me make them out and I will soon confess them, I will. Where are they? this way? God bless my soul! you cannot mean

that it was they !"

This last exclamation was uttered, when he ascertained the most unwelcome fact that the delinquents were no others than his niece and St. Edmunds.

"Ah! Cécile," added he in a low tone, "I thought it would come to this at last."

“When we can explain what has occurred," immediately answered our hero, "you will see that no blame can rest on our side; but now, our only care should be to place Miss Basinstoke as soon as possible in safety.”

His uncle implied his tacit assent by offering his arm to Cécile, and leading her at once to the carriage, which was ordered to proceed homewards so soon as all three had taken their seat. But alas! for the instability of popular favour! Those among the assailants who had most eagerly welcomed, a few minutes

before, the magistrate, when they conceived that his intervention would be in accordance with their views, were now the most indignant of all at the countenance shown by him to the opposite party. Scarcely had the carriage moved off when loud groans, intermingled with cries of: "Down with the Papists.""He is more than half way to Rome."-" He is a Papist too."-resounded on all sides.

To describe the indignant fury of the little Baronet would be quite beyond our powers. He stamped, he swore, he stamped again, and finally, notwithstanding the expostulations of his nephew, who was now convulsed with suppressed laughter, he actually desired that the carriage should stop, and threw open the door that he might himself address the deluded many-headed. So sharp, however, was their response of shrieks, of stones and of mud, that the oration was forcibly brought to a very premature end, and the speaker borne rapidly away from the scene of the controversy by the imperative orders of St. Edmunds.