The Waverley novels, by Sir Walter Scott, complete in 12 vol., printed from the latest English ed., embracing the author's last corrections, prefaces & notes.

546 WAVERLEY NOVELS.
in the labyrinth of passages and galleries, which led to different obscure
sets of apartments, in the ancient building termed the Savoy.
This antiquated and almost ruinous pile occupied a part of the site of the
public offices in the Strand, commonly called Somerset-House. The Savoy
had been formerly a palace, and took its name from an Earl of Savoy, by
wbhom it was founded. It had been the habitation of John of Gaunt, and
various persons of distinction —had become a convent, an hospital, and
finally, in Charles II.'s time, a waste of dilapidated buildings and ruinous
apartments, inhabited chiefly by those who had some connection with, or
dependance upon, the neighbouring palace of Somerset-House, which, more
fortunate than the Savoy, had still retained its royal title, and was the abode
of a part of the Court, and occasionally of the King himself, who had
apartments there.
It was not without several inquiries, and more than one mistake, that, at
the end of a long and dusky passage, composed of boards so wasted by time,
that they threatened to give way under his feet, Julian at length found the
name of Martin Christal, broker and appraiser, upon a shattered door. He
was about to knock, when some one pulled his cloak; and looking round,
to his great astonishment, which indeed almost amounted to fear, he saw
the little mute damsel, who had accompanied him for a part of the way on
his voyage from the Isle of Man. " Fenella!" he exclaimed, forgetting that
she could neither hear nor reply,-" Fenella! Can this be you?"
Fenella, assuming the air of warning and authority, which she had heretofore endeavoured to adopt towards him, interposed-betwixt Julian and the
door at which he was about to knock-pointed with her finger towards it in
a prohibiting manner, and at the same time bent her brows, and shook her
head sternly.
After a moment's consideration, Julian could place but one interpretation
upon Fenella's appearance and conduct, and that was, by supposing her
lady had come up to London, and had despatched this mute attendant,- as a
confidential person, to apprise him of some change of her intended operations, which might render the delivery of her letters to Barstow, alias
Fenwicke, superfluous, or perhaps dangerous. He made signs to Fenella,
demanding to know whether she had any commission from the Countess.
She nodded. " Had she any letter?" he continued, by the same mode of
inquiry. She shook her head impatiently, and, walking hastily along the
passage, made a signal to him to follow. He. did so, having little doubt
that he was about to be conducted into the Countess's presence; but his
surprise, at first excited by Fenella's appearance, was increased by the
rapidity and ease with which she seemed to track the dusky and decayed
mazes of the dilapidated Savoy, equal to that with which he had seen herformerly lead the way through the gloomy vaults of Castle Rushin, in the
Isle of Man.
When he recollected, however, that Fenella had accompanied the Countess
on a long visit to London, it appeared not improbable that she might then
have acquired this local knowledge which seemed so accurate. Many
foreigners, dependent on the Queen or Queen Dowager, had apartments in
the Savoy. Many Catholic priests also found refuge in its recesses, under
various disguises, and in defiance of the severity of the laws against Popery.
What was more likely, than that tthe Countess of Derby, a Catholic and a
Frenchwoman, should have had secret commissions amongst such people;
and that the execution of such should be intrusted, at least occasionally, to
Fenella?
Thus reflecting, Julian continued to follow her light and active footsteps
as she glided from the Strand to Spring-Garden. and thence into the Park.
It was still early in the morning, and the Mall was untenanted, save by
a few walkers, who frequented these shades for the wholesome purposes of
air and exercise. Splendour, gaiety, and display, did not come forth, at