their long cherished hope of vengeance upon his head. Lothaire entrenched in an impregnable fortress situated upon the summit of a hill which commanded the whole of the adjacent country, and overlooked the city of Leige, had during more peaceable times in consequence of a contract not unfrequent in those days kept the roads from sun-rise to sun-set, free from all robbers and spoilers; exacting only such a toll from way faring passengers in return for this service as they were well able to pay, and even when the stipulated hour was passed, and all stray traveliers were generally considered fair booty by the Knight who patroled the high ways, living as the phrase went "by the Saddle" he neither despoiled them of life or property, but took a moderate ransom and dismissed them in peace. Notwithstanding these courtesies the ungrateful Leigeois hated the bold Knight, who it must be confessed took great delight in shewing his power over, and his scorn of the greasy burghers, as he was wont to call the lords and rulers of the city; and many a time did they attempt with all their puissance to dislodge him from his tower of strength, but he repelled all their assaults, compelled them to retreat sorely beaten and miserably disgraced, and now that the Duke of Burgundy being embroiled with the King of France, they had seized the opportunity to revolt from their allegiance, he mustered a small body of men at arms, threw up works and laid regular siege to the city, keeping it in check while his master's troops were otherwise employed. It was in vain that the garrison sallied out, resolved to put this contemptible force to flight; they were unable to carry the very weakest of the entrenchments, so admirably were they constructed, and so desperately did the Burgundians defend their outposts: nor were stratagems more availing, they were discovered and turned upon the contrivers, nay at length Lothaire to shew his utter contempt for their inventions, and the accurate knowledge he possessed of every thing that passed within the city, had the audacity to dispatch a trumpet regularly every morning to the walls, with orders to proclaim aloud to the garrison the exact nature of the plans which the council of war meditated for the day, and the enraged Leigeois having fired upon the flag of truce which accompanied the embassy and killed the bearer, he swore that he would hang twenty of the delinquents before sun-set, and kept his oath, for stung by his taunts a picked troop made a sortie and falling into an ambuscade which he had prepared for them, he erected a gallows in sight of the city and executed the devoted number to a man. This last merciless exploit raised the ire of all Leige, every mouth was filled with threats and imprecations, and confident expectations were entertained that the Knight's head would grace a column in the market place before twenty four hours

should elapse; but a few only of the warriors who sallied forth to perform this notable feat returned bootless home, leaving the remainder, dead, wounded and prisoners in the enemy's hands. It was not surprising that the name of the Count de Lichstervelden should be poison in the ear of a Leigeois, and Linda, as gracious recollections of the kindness which she had received from the family who had fostered her from infancy came across her mind, regretted her cutting sarcasm: obeying the gentle impulse which prompted her to seek a reconciliation with her offended kinsman; she dispatched a humble and penitent message by Jacquetta praying to be forgiven. Franz mistaking the motive for this concession, in the true spirit of his townsmen resolved to impose hard terms upon one who seemed willing to submit, and refused to grant pardon without promise from the fair culprit to receive his friend Wilkin as her acknowledged lover, a requisition which Linda treated with disdain, and was in consequence even deprived of Jacquette's conversation and kept more strictly confined than ever. Indignation at the treatment which she ex perienced enabled Linda to pass the first day of her captivity without suffering from ennui, but the second appeared insupportably tedious; and tired of her embroidery she stationed herself at the window of her apartment in the hope of finding amusement from the passing scene without. The lattice overlooked the city wall, and was exactly opposite to the Forge of the Blacksmith whose hand she had declared herself ready to accept in preference to that of Wilkin de Metz. She had often seen the honest artisan before, without however remarking his personal appearance, and she was surprized, and not a little shocked to perceive that he was a fine tall well proportioned man with a set of remarkably white teeth, and a pair of dark flashing eyes; an enormous bush of hair on his face obscured his other features, and his skin was so grimed by his occupation that he might have been mistaken for a Nubian, but altogether he possessed suf ficient attractions to render the surmise possible that admiration claimed some share in the choice; and deeply mortified by the supposition that so gross a construction might be placed upon her flippant declaration, Linda was sufficiently punished for her heedless speech. But her vexation did not end here, the blacksmith, probably made acquainted with the flattering mention of his name by the loquacity of servants, was continually turning from his work to gaze at the window of the lady who had ho noured him with her regards, and though his demeanour was not disrespectful a smile played round his lips, and his eyes spoke eloquent things if by any chance they encountered hers, Linda driven away from the lattice by the too pointed admirati on of her vulgar neighbour, passed the dreary hours in listless soli

tude, at night however when she could look into the street with out being visible himself, she resumed her station. The Forge had now become a picturesque object, as it contrasted with the surrounding darkness. Its red fires spread a strong illumination around, displaying the swart figures which moved about in the flame, and throwing out showers of sparks as the heavy hammers descended on the anvil; even the clink of these instruments sounded not unpleasing to the ear, and the bustle, hilarity and activity which prevailed both within and without, afforded abundant entertainment to the spectator. Citizens were seen hurrying to and fro bringing their weapons to be repaired; others led their clumsy but highly conditioned horses to be shod, the pavement was strewed with armour, and the bright cuirass and the polished lance gleamed in the light of the furnace; while surveying the different personages thus busily engaged Linda could not avoid being struck by the superiority of the Blacksmith over all the rest. Prompt, agile, ready upon every occasion; he superintended the work of his sattellites: had a kind word and a joke for all, and remedying all that seemed amiss sent away his customers well satisfied. There was an exquisite grace and ease in his movements which surprised the fraulein, more particularly as she perceived that aware how ill it was suited to his station, he sometimes affected a rustic and clownish manner, an appear. ance he could ill support, for if his attention happened to be cal led off he forgot to school his limbs and mien, and the agile spring, the dexterous elegant movement, the manner in which he handled the sword and poised the lance, all betrayed familiar acquaintance with camps and courts. Convinced that some mys tery lurked beneath-the proceedings of the Blacksmith became exceedingly interesting to the fair prisoner, and she was farther assured that he was not exactly what he professed to be, by re. marking that when the forge was deserted and free from all visitors and lookers-on, he never troubled himself with manual labour, but lounged idly over his tools or tilted with the wall while his fellow mechanics paid him the most profound respect. It was in vain that she puzzled herself to fathom the secret, and tired at length with fruitless conjectures, and weary of her solitude she dismissed the subject from her mind, and began to consider the means of obtaining her freedom.

Franz was inexorable to all her entreaties for pardon, and would accept nothing less than the surrender of every thought and wish to his behests. The Burgess had lately obtained an Office of some importance in the government of the city, through the interest of his friend Wilkin, and having had the casting vote in two instances, in which in the one, he displayed his rigorous devotion to justice by dooming the criminal to the block, and in

the other his love of mercy by favouring the more lenient party; he began to fancy that he possessed the power of dispensing life and death, and his aspect became so terrible in consequence that the household scullions who had been wont to exchange familiar words with their old master's son, fled from him in dismay, and even the turnspits hung their tails and slank away as fast as their bandy legs would carry them, rushing into the very jaws of the cook at roasting time rather than face so fierce a perso

nage.

There was no hope for Linda while her guardian entertained these inflated notions of his own dignity, so she made up her mind to a prolonged captivity, and from the mere necessity of taking exercise busied herself with making alterations in the disposition of the furniture of her apartment. In removing a large press which for some time bade defiance to her exertions, a piece of the arras hangings fell from the wall, and in endeavouring to replace it she touched a secret spring and a pannel in the wainscot flying open, disclosed an aperture which upon inspection proved to be the entrance to a flight of dark narrow winding stairs. The necessity of procuring a light to guide her through the mazes of this passage, obliged the impatient girl to wait until nightfall before she could commence her peregrinations. It was only by a strong effort that she could rein in her anxious desire to explore a path which she hoped would procure her freedom, and to remain quiescent for so many hours. Immediately as she was supplied with a lamp she set forward on the adventure, the stairs conducted her to a considerable depth below the surface of the earth, and ended in a passage which she imagined from the direction it took must lead across the street. Advancing along this path she was excessively alarmed by a noise which seemed to proceed from the very bowels of the earth, she stopped-her heart palpitated, and the lamp nearly dropped from her hand, but reflecting that the din of the city, the tramp of horses and the roll of carts would come with a strange and deadened sound upon her ear, she soothed her apprehensions by attributing the extraordinary clamour which assailed her to natural and common causes. Somewhat reassured she moved forward, and arriving at the end of the passage another flight of stairs presented itself, these she ascended, and arrested a second time by the hum of voices now close beside her, she paused, and perceiving a chink in the wall, discovered that she was close to the forge, looking into a subterraneous apartment immediately behind it, and a witness of a secret assembly in which the Blacksmith divested of his beard and other disguises appeared to be the principal personage. A large excavation yawned in one corner of the room, through which the party ascended and descended apparently

giving orders to workmen below, Linda listened breathlessly to the debate, and stood aghast with horror at the words which struck her ear. "Dolts, cravens, drones" cried the Blacksmith

had ye possessed the spirit of your brave comrades who work from the Burgundian camp, we should have had the mine completed and the two avenues joined long ere this, tell me not of obstacles. I never found one yet. 'Sdeath the Duke our master will escape from the toils of Louis and be at the gates to wrest the glory of the enterprize from our too tardy hands. By the eleven thousand virgins and the King of Cologne I swear, that if the city be won without the assistance of Philip's troops, I will make you all Dukes and Princes in the land, ye shall drink the health of Lothaire Lichstervelden out of golden goblets, aye and that of the Blacksmith's bride, so bestir yourselves ye loitering Knaves, and give me the splendid prize I pant to grasp here: to Leige and Linda!" The terrified girl heard no more but fled in haste from the spot, resting not a moment until she regained her own chamber, and now at no loss to account for the noise made by the pick-axes and hatchets which were cutting a passage through the solid earth. Filled with tumultuous emotions she was distracted by the multiplicity of feelings contending for mastery, until this moment she had never suspected that the slightest danger threatened Leige, she in common with the other inhabitants considered Lothaire's attempt to be an idle bravado, merely undertaken to annoy his enemies, for even in the event of the approach of the Duke of Burgundy, no serious evil was apprehended, since all previous quarrels between that Prince and his fickle subjects, after a little bloodshed which no one cared about had been made up by the payment of a heavy subsidy: the Duke taking care to exact no more than the city was very well able to give. But now if Lothaire should be permitted to execute his project unmolested, Leige would be sacked and taken, placed at the mercy of a triumphant and relentless foe. Could she look tamely on and see the destruction of a town which had given her shelter in her adversity, the plunder of its sanctuaries and the massacre of its inhabitants-no, no, she would fly to the council and apprize them of their danger, her hand was already raised to give the alarm, but the image of Lothaire, pale, bleeding, expiring by cruel and lingering torture, swam before her, and she paused: was there no means of saving him from an infamous and painful death, must he be cut off in the career of his glory, he whose gay sallies had made her smile when smiles were strangers to her lips, he who was so beautiful and so valiant, whose kindness and courtesy she had so much admired, and who had even while anticipating the consummation of all his hopes of conquest, pronounced her name with tenderness? She could