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.

656 WAVERLEY NOVELS.
pshaw, which showed how men's prudence and manners are disturbed by
affliction. Nevertheless, these two gentlemen, the Peverils, forming a strong
opinion of the necessity there was to break forth, were it only to convey a
knowledge of these dangerous passages to your Majesty, commenced an
assault on the door of the apartment, I also assisting with the strength
which Heaven hath given, and some threescore years have left me. We
could not, as it unhappily proved, manage our attempt so silently, but that
our guards overheard us, and, entering in numbers, separated us from each
other, and compelled my companions, at point of pike and poniard, to go to
some other and more distant apartment, thus separating our fair society.
I was again enclosed in the now solitary chamber, and I will own that I
felt a certain depression of soul. But when bale is at highest, as the poet
singeth, boot is at nighest, for a door of hope was suddenly opened'-"
"In the name of God, my liege," said the Duke of Ormond, "let this
poor creature's story be translated into the language of common sense by
some of the scribblers of romances about Court, and we may be able to
make meaning of it."
Geoffrey Hudson looked with a frowning countenance of reproof upou
the impatient old Irish nobleman, and said, with a very dignified air, "That
one Duke upon a poor gentleman's hand was enough at a time, and that,
but for his present engagement and dependency with the Duke of Buckinghlam, he would have endured no such terms from the Duke of Ormond."
"Abate your valour, and diminish your choler, at our request, most
puissant Sir Geoffrey Hudson," said the King; " and forgive the Duke of
Ormond for my sake; but at all events go on with your story.'
Geoffrey Hudson laid his hand on his bosom, and bowed in proud and
dignified submission to his Sovereign; then waved his forgiveness gracefully to Ormond, accompanied with a horrible grin, which he designed for
a smile of gracious forgiveness and conciliation. "' Under the Duke's favour, then," he proceeded, "when I said a door of hope was opened to me,
I meant a door behind the tapestry, from whence issued that fair vision -
yet not so fair as lustrously dark, like the beauty of a continental night,
where the cloudless azure sky shrouds us in a veil more lovely than that of
day! —but I note your Majesty's impatience; -enough. I followed my
beautiful guide into an apartment, where they lay, strangely intermingled,
warlike arms and musical instruments. Amongst these I saw my own late
place of temporary obscurity -a violoncello. To my astonishment, she
turned around the instrument, and openino it behind by pressure of a
spring, showed that it was filled with pistols, daggers, and ammunition
made up in bandoleers.'These,' she said,'are this night destined to surprise the Court of the unwary Charles' —your iMajesty must pardon my
using her own words;'but if thou darest go in their stead, thou mayst be
the saviour of king and kingdoms; if thou art afraid, keep secret, I will
myself try the adventure.' Now may Heaven forbid, that Geooffrey IHudson
were craven enough, said I, to let thee run such a risk! You know notyou cannot know, what belongs to such ambuscades and concealments -I
am accustomed to them -have lurked in the pocket of a giant, and have
formed the contents of a pasty.' Get in then,' she said,'and lose no time.'
Nevertheless, while I prepared to obey, I will not deny that some cold apprehensions came over my hot valour, and I confessed to her, if it might be
so, I would rather find my way to the palace on my own feet. But she
would not listen to me, saying hastily,'I would be intercepted, or refused
admittance, and that I must embrace the means she offered me of introduction into the presence, and when there, tell thr King to be on his guard
little more is necessary; for once the scheme is known, it becomes desperate.' Rashly and boldly, I bid adieu to the daylight which was then
fading away. She withdrew the contents of the instrument destined for
muy concealment, and having put them behind the chimney-board, intro