“A gentleman, my lord,” said one of the servants, entering, “is at the gate, and wishes to speak with your lordship.”

“Have you asked what is his business?” demanded the Earl.

“He will not mention it, my lord,” replied the servant, “nor give his name either; but he says your lordship told him to call upon you.”

“Oh! admit him, admit him,” said the peer; “put a chair there, and bring some chocolate.”

After putting the chair, the man retired, and a moment after returned, saying, “The gentleman, my lord.”

The door opened wide, and the tall fine form of Lennard Sherbrooke entered, leading by the hand the beautiful boy whom we have before described, who now gazed about him with a look of awe and surprise.

Little less astonishment was visible on the countenance of the Earl himself; and until the door was closed by the servant, he continued to gaze alternately upon Sherbrooke and the boy, seeming to find in the appearance of each much matter for wonder.

“Do me the favour of sitting down,” he said at length “I think I have had the advantage of seeing you before.”

“Once, my lord,” replied Sherbrooke, “and then it must have been but dimly.”

“Not more than once?” demanded the Earl:  “your face is somewhat familiar to me, and I think I could connect it with a name.”

“Connect it with none, my lord,” said Sherbrooke:  “that name is at an end, at least for a time:  the person for whom you take me is no more.  I should have thought that you knew such to be the case.”

“I did, indeed, hear,” said the Earl, “that he was killed at the Boyne; but still the likeness is so great, and my acquaintance with him was so slight, that—­”

“He died at the Boyne, my lord,” said Sherbrooke, looking down, “in a cause which was just, though the head and object of that cause was unworthy of connexion with it.”  The Earl’s cheek grew a little red; but Sherbrooke continued, with a slight laugh, “I did not, however, come here, my lord, to offend you with my view of politics.  We have only once met, my lord, that I know of in life, but I have heard you kindly spoken of by those I loved and honoured.  You, yourself, told me, that if you could serve me you would; and I come to claim fulfilment of that offer, though what I request may seem both extraordinary and extravagant to demand.”

The Earl bent down his eyes upon the table, and drew his lips in somewhat close, for he in no degree divined what request was coming; and he was much too old a politician to encourage applications, the very proposers of which announced them as extravagant.  “May I ask,” he said, at length, “what it is you have to propose?  I am quite ready to do any reasonable thing for your service, as I promised upon an occasion to which I need not farther refer.”

Three servants at that moment entered the room, with chocolate, long cut slices of toast, and cold water; and the conversation being thus interrupted, the Earl invited his two guests to partake; and calling the boy to him, fondled him for some moments at his knee, playing with the clustering curls of his bright hair, and asking him many little kindly questions about his sports and pastimes.