, 1862-11-20
Leicester Abbey.

was ended, we proceed, says garrulous old
tourist, to Leicester, the capital OF the county,
distant from London ninety eight miles, or there
abouts, and place Of great antiquity.
Leicester was formerly very strong and well
fortified, being advantageously situated for that
purpose. In the great civil war, being gaEri.
soned by the Parliament forces, it was assaulted
by the Royalists, who, after an obstinate de-
fense, took It, sword in hand, which occasoned
terrible slaughter. They preserve here q re-
maFkable relic Of antiquity, being piece Of mo.
saic work, at the bottom Of a cellar. 1t Is the
story of Actaon, and his being killed by his own
hounds, wrought as q pavement The stones
are Of only two colors, white and brown, aud
very small. The remains Of Roman baths have
also been discovered at different periods. They
were constructed Of small stones, and so strongly
cemented with mortar as to last for many ages.
The town suffered greatly from the Picts and
Scots when they penetrated into the center Of
the province, and spread desolation wherever
| they came, until they were repelled by the Sax
ons under the command Of Hengist and HOrsa.
During the heptarchy, It was not only the seat
Of a bishop, but also the residence Of the Mercian
kings The bishops seat having been removed,
and the heptarchy dissolved, it fell to decay and
remained in a declining state till the beginning Of
the tenth century, when the Saxon lady, Edel-
fleda, repaired II, and rebuilt the walls After
which, It became one Of the most iiourishing and
wealthy towns in the kingdom, as appears from
Doomsday Book, where It is mentioned as one Of
the royal demesnes, and at that time paid great
sum annually into the exchequer
Having quoted the annalist, we commence our
own chronicle.
The period Is about the close Of the year 1900.
The time is towards the evening Of bluShng
summers day, and the place is sweet spot in
the heart Of the meadows, where the towers Of
Magdalen College peer out Of the scholarly city
Of Oxford, and Just below where the ,Cherwell
mingles itself with the waters Of the broad.bo-
somed Thames.
A loveler day never dawned-a sweetcr even.
ing never breathed itself in sighs. A fairer
maiden never stood blushing by the stic, as with
a beating heart she beheld her lover crossing the
meadows, with slower step and more thought
ful mien than otherwise, as after many days Of
absence be came to meethef
To see the bright smile that was mantling over
her face as he neared her would have gladdened
the heart Of any man; and when man Is barely
ree-and-twenty=when he has scarcely passed
out o. bis adolcscence-as was the case in the
present instance, one would have thought that
little smile of pride and Of pleasure would have
broken upon bis own.
But his face, though handsome one to look
upon, wore Q grave and cold expression, as IL
life bad seized upon his heart, and passion more
powerful than love occupied the place where,
until late, no other throb beat within his pulses
"0h, Thomasl" she exclaimed, and with q
tender gesture, as though she would have fallen
upon his breast; show glad-hOw rejOiced am
to see youi"
"Afe you, Alice ?" he asked but he made
no motion to embrace her-to meet her loving
kiss, as Of old
Tk.h IL -.
said, casting startled look into his face
ayr
@Wbat strange, cold look you wear |"
a You see it, then, already" he said.
"Yes Heaven help mel what has happened
to bring all this change about"
spray heaven help me I" he said, with some
rising energy, as glow came upon cheeks paled
by study. al stand in the track of true great
ness, girl, and must perforce go forward in the
race. From the house Of Dorset and the cur
riculum Of parish priest am chaplain Of the
Archbishop Of Canterbury"
"ls il uei-and to share itE' cried the
girl, in happy tone, as she brought her hands
eagerly together.
"No, Alice; that may never be. For as
priest | may never"
"Never bel"
She looked aghast-she shrunk back trem.
blingly from him and the scared look shocked
even him.
" Have you won my young lOve-robbed me
Of my heart, Thomas" she said-"tO tell me
that we are to partP"
"lf Ihave done so, will pray to be forgiven.
But to part2"
"Ay, Thomas; to part, was what said. Let
me have my sentence"
"We'l, Alice, Il is so. We are to part, and to
part iereverl"
She gave one broken sob one sad cry-and
her face was buried in her hands.
al am bound to the Church henceforth. She
is to be my BRIDE" he said. "MV path will be
an upward and glorious onel"
at may be upward" she said, coldly now
"but beware Of falling. You have plSyed with
me etreacherously-for you have stolen from me
my love, which can never give to man againl"
Oh, beauty thou gift Of heaven to the earth
born which makes man thrall and captive to
starry eyes, vernal lips and ruddy faces, who
that wears heart Of man, can escape thy witche.
riesP Who but the man that ambition has for the
first time seized upon and whose quenchless FIRE,
once lighted, Oils him, pulse, and vein, and ar
terry? And so il was with Thomas Wolsey,
soon to be Cardinal and Prime Minister Of Eng
land.
Alice bad been his early love. To his impas.
stoned youth, when a student at Magdalen, he
had worshipped the veoman's lovely daughter;
and, truly, she was worthy Of any mans love.
OF middle stature, Of exquisite formation
formed Of "heaven's own red and white"-she
was matchless creature; and to have won her
affections simply would have been q triumph to
any man who took the unmanly pride in boosting
Of the same
"Did you. then, Alice, love me so dearly" he
said, looking wistfully.
"YOu stood, Thomas, between me and my de-
yOIiOns or rather, you became part Of them.
Love you Alasl for my happiness. ! could
say that did not-but-" She paused.
"wellG Speak 2" said Thomas WOlsey.
q And II yr;ll noe sfa,h hafween vou and