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

her hospitality. Falling to move him, she armed her people and made him a prisoner. Scarcely had this been done before Sir Godfrey returned from Lon don. He had heard that a warrant had
 issued against the Countess and at once armed himself and set out with her to 1 escort her to safety.
 Major Bridgenorth managed to escape from the castle and set out in pursuit with an armed party. He succeeded in cutting off Sir Geoffrey and presented the royal warrant, which the doughty knight tore up at once. There was a clash, but without bloodshed. Sir Godfrey, unwill- ing to hurt his neighbor eontented him. self with unhorsing him and the Majors ] men were well satisfied to accept this as /, defeat and ride away.
 Sir Geoffrey succeeded in taking the | Countess to safety. Soon after her of fense was compromised by the imposition of heavy fine and the affair to all ap- pearances had blown over and became l forgotten. But in reality from it were to grow consequences that were to lay | Sir Godfrey and his son Julian in peril 1 of their blood before many years. i Major Bridgenorth, deeply embittered | by the unavenged death of his kinsman, | sent for his daughter and wrote to Lady | Peveril, announcing his intention of de- parting from the country fir a time. It was not unfriendly letter and further more he took pains to make arrange ments in regard to Sir Geoffrey's indebt- edness that made matters easy for the l knight. l Some years passed without any news of | either the Major or his daughter. True, warrants were issued once against him 1 on charge of his being a leader in plot | to overthrow the King, and Sir Godfrey ransacked the county for him. but he was 1 not found and the talk died away again. Julian Peveril was in the Isle of Man. at the castle of the Countess of Derby. where he was being educated with the young Earl. They had travelled together through Europe. and had become young men accomplished in all the graces of that day. The times were quiet enough to all seeming, although the old round- | heads and the many strange religious | parties of those days preached and ] stormed furiously against the growing profligacy of the court likening it to the 1 Temple of Baal, and predicting the judg- l ment of heaven on England for lowing to the Scarlet Woman.
 Young Peveril was passing his time in fishing and riding about the wild country of Man when one day hs chanced on house belonging to the Christian estates; and there, hidden from the world by her | ba ha r1a of ] childhood, Alice Bridgenorth, grown into the beautiful young woman that she had given ample promise of becoming even in infancy.
 It was wonderful how devoted an angler Julian Peveril became after that first meeting Day after day saw him whip ping the brooks that ran near the house. | Day after day the mutual liking that the two had felt for each other from the first grew into a warmer feeling, until | at last they were in love with all tho l strength of two brave and simple young | hearts.
 Matters had not come swiftly to this pass between them. While they were | meeting each other and falling In love the quiet times had vanished. The fanat- ical sermons of the disaffected had ceased to ring out unheard. All England was in panic and wild terror at the widest delusion of that hysterical time-the mad scare that men called the Popish Plot and that sent all those who hated the
 Catholics to bed each night in shudder-
 ing fear lest they awake to hear the
 elamor and death cries of massacre.
 The news of these alarms had spread
 even to the dominions of the Catholic
 Countess of Derby when Julian Peveril
 and Alice were surprised one day by her
 father, who was in the habit of making
 secret and mysterious visits to the island
 Sadly frightened, Alice threw herself on
 her knees before him and besought his
 pardon for Julian He raised her gently
 and reassured her. Instead of showing
 anger. he welcomed the young man, in-
 forming him that he had not been ignor- ant of his meetings with the girl. If Julian Peveril was surprised at first,
 he soon learned what had caused this
 stfange indulgence. Major Bridgenorth,
 always a zealous and earnest Presbyte-
 ran, had become fanatic, in whose eyes every man who did not agree with |. him was an enemy to the reformed
 church.
 He had travelled far, even to the Amer
 icas He had noted the troubles that
 were coming upon the Huguenots. He , had taken part in the great Protestant
 insurrection in Hungary.
 There are mighty designs abroad
 cried he, "and men are called to make their choice betwixt God and Baal. The
 ancient superstition, the abomination of our fathers, Is raising its head. But it raises not It's head unmarked in England. where the true English hearts are thou
 sands that wait but a signal to rise.
 'I know with what readiness of faith
 and wit thou ddst baffle the willy att tempts of wonder woman of Man and her = priests to seduce thee from the belief of thy fathers know how thou vast beset | whilst abroad, and when saw thee hold
 to thy faith I said that this was done | like the son of Margaret Peveril. "The patriarch" he continued, bought his beloved by IA years hard service. He V that would wed my daughter must serve N in comparison only a few days, but in
 such matters of mighty import that they
 shall seem at the service of many years. : Reply to me not now, but go, and peace
 be with you"
 : Taken in connection with the fiery talk A | that had preceded these ren,arlxs Iu1io, ',