a little room where a light burned here she turned and kissed two of them first and then thank god that i see you safe she said whenever you go to the meeting place i tremble until i hear your footsteps at the door what s the use of that mother said your yourself won t make things better or worse ah dear how can i help it she replied softly we cannot all bo young and cheerful you know true wife true broke in though i wish we could we should be lighter hearted so and he looked at her and sighed van could no longer boast the beauty which was hers when first we met her hut she was still a sweet and graceful woman her figure remaining almost a slim as it had been in the grey eyes also retained their depth and fire only the face was worn though more by care and the burden of memories than with years the ic t of the loving wife and mother was hard indeed when philip the king ruled in spain and was his prophet in the is it done she asked yes wife our brethren are now saints in paradise therefore rejoice it is very wrong she answered with a sob but i cannot oh she added with a sudden blaze of indignation if he is just and good why does god suffer his servants to be killed thus perhaps our will be able to answer that question replied that poor broke in just married and so young and pretty i wonder what will become of her and looked at each other and martin who was hovering about near the door back into the passage as though he had attempted to injure the to morrow we will look to it wife and now let us eat for we are faint with hunger ten minutes later they were seated at their meal the reader may remember the room it was that wherein mental vo ex count and captain made the speech which charmed all hearers on the night when he had lost the race at the ice the same hung above them some portion of the same plate even by was on the table but how different were the company and the feast aunt the was long dead and with her many of the companions of that occasion some naturally some by the hand of the while others had fled the land van de still lived however and martin the red and though regarded with suspicion by the authorities was a man of weight and honour in the town but to night he was not present there the food too if ample was plain not on account of the poverty of the household for had in his worldly affairs being hard working and skilful and the head of the brass to wliich in those early days he was but because in such times people thought little of the of eating when life itself is so doubtful its pleasures and amusements become of small importance tlie ample waiting service of the maid who long ago had vanished none knew where and her fellow was now carried on by the man martin and one old woman since as every might be a spy even the richest employed few of them in short all the lighter and more cheerful parts of life were in where is asked i do not know answered i thought that perhaps no replied her husband hastily he did not accompany us he rarely does brother likes to look underneath the spoon before he it said with his mouth full the remark was but his parents seemed to understand what meant at least it was followed by an and silence just then came in and as we have not seen him since some four and twenty years ago he made his entry into the world on the secret island in the mere here it may be as well to describe his appearance he was a handsome young man but of quite a different stamp to his half brother being tall slight and very graceful in figure advantages which he had inherited from his mother in countenance however he differed from her so much that none have sm him to be her son indeed s face was pure spanish there was nothing of a about his dark beauty spanish were the eyes of velvet black set rather close together spanish also the finely features and the thin spreading nostrils spanish the cold yet somewhat mouth more apt to sneer than smile the black hair the clear olive skin and that indifferent mien which became its well enough but in a man of his years of northern blood would have seemed unnatural or affected he took his seat without speaking nor did the others speak to him till his said you were not at the works to day although we should have been glad of your help in the no father � he called him father � answered the young man in a measured and rather melodious voice you see we don t quite know who is going to pay for that piece or at any rate i don t quite know as nobody seems to take me into confidence and if it should chance to be the losing side well it might be enough to hang me flushed up but made no answer only remarked that s right look after your own skin just now i find it more interesting went on and ul of his brother to study those whom the cannon may shoot than to make the cannon which is to shoot them hope you won t be one of them interrupted again where have you been this evening son said hastily fearing a quarrel i have been mixing with the people mother at the scene on the market place yonder and martin the red not 