The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-08-16


 he found the Earl and his mother read ing dispatches. Shaftesbury and other great ones had seized on the great plot as a welcome tool in their politics. They had more than half convinced the King that such a plot existed and that the semi-delirious rantirgs of Oates and his kind were based on solid truth. The Duke of York, suspected and hated on account of his religion, was about to be driven to the Continent. Several great Catholic nobles were in the Tower already. There were anti-Popery riots everywhere.
 Edward Christian, brother of William, who had sworn to revenge himself on the Countess of Derby, had taken quick ad- vantage of the popular fury. He had &C., cused the Countess of Derby of being one of the main movers of the plot. Hated as she was in England, the accusation fell on fertile ground. Therefore when Edward Christian and others set forth for Man, no hand was raised to stop them; and as Julian Peveril learned now. the true reason for Bridgenorth's pres ence in the island was to help Christian incite an insurrection
 The Countess had taken prompt and successful measures to frustrate this. But she was well aware in what danger she stood and felt the need of com municating at once with her powerful friends in London, to learn enough de- tails of the charges against her that she might be able to disprove them.
 Julian Peveril volunteered to go, and after much persuasion she yielded reluct- antly. She gave him letters, many of which were addressed to Catholic priests. With these carefully wrapped in seal left the island in secret. and was soon landed in Liverpool.
 He had not been there long before he discovered that the belief in the Popish Plot. absurd as 1t had seemed in the Isle of Man, had a firm hold on the peo- pie of England. Everywhere were heard generations against the Catholics. Spies abounded. Even while he was buying his horse he felt conscious that he was being watched.
 It had been arranged that he was to ride first to Martindale Castle to visit his parents, whom he had not seen in some time. He reached the gates late at night, and was astounded to find them open. His astonishment became alarm when he found the great portals of the hall open also. And the sight that met him when he entered the great drawing room justified his apprehenslons. C,s- Geoffrey, his arms bound behind him and his naked sword at his feet. His mother. pale as death, stood near him. Around the two stood several men, while others were writing at table.
 | Lady Peveril screamed when she saw i Julian. Sir Godfrey shouted: Strike me one good blow, Julianl Cleave me , the brisket! That done, I care not for what comes next!'
 | Julian rushed on the men with his ! sword. One of the men at the table jumped up and seized him by the collar l Julian snatched a pistol from his belt i and fired backward. As the man stag l gered Julian caught a glimpse of his face. It was that of old Bridgenorth 1 blackened by the powder which had sci some of his gray hair afire.
 | In the alarm and horror of the moment the young man was easily disarmed. The i knight roared with fury when he saw i that the shot had missed. He abused | Bridgenorth, swearing with many g ! great oath that he was a knave and 8 ] rogue. Bridgenorth contented himself ] with replying that he acted only as q l magistrate, executing a royal warrant 1: From their conversation Julian discov' i cred with incredulous and scornfu amazement that his stout old father, whe had shed his blod again and again foi the Church of England, was accused oi being one of the conspirators in the
 plot to force Catholicism on his coun- try.
 By this time some of the searchers who
 had rummaged the castle for evidence came into the room. They had found a lot of rusty arms antique and quite use less, which they proclaimed to be the
 very arms that had beenAsent from Rot
 terdam by Don John of Austria for the
 use of the Jesuits. Some of these search
 CTS no sooner laid eyes on young Peveri
 than they offered with ready patriotism
 to swear that they had seen him at a
 secret Papist meeting in London.
 To his surprise, Bridgsnorth declined
 to listen and said that he would merely