“I could have wished to have gone to bed,” replied the other, with a faint smile, “without any farther burden upon mine.  But if it so please you to wait, do it; but I fear I shall be long.”

The visitor, however, signified his acquiescence by bowing his head; and the other left him without saying anything more.

“Somewhat of the insolence of office!” he said to himself, as his acquaintance quitted the room:  “however, I must not forget the obligation;” and seating himself, he fell into deep thought, which seemed of a painful kind; for the muscles of his face moved with the emotions of his mind, and one or two half-uttered words escaped him.  At length, he seemed weary of his own thoughts, and turning round as if to look for some occupation for his thoughts, he said, “It matters not!”

There were no books in the room, nor any pictures; there was nothing that could attract the eye or amuse the mind, except the beautiful forms of some of the gilded panel-frames, and the spots of the carpet beneath his feet.  The visitor began to grow weary, and to think that Lord Portland was very long in returning.

At length, however, when he had been there about half an hour, a somewhat younger man entered, splendidly dressed according to the costume of the day, and advancing directly towards the stranger, he said in very good English—­

“My name is Keppel, sir, and I am directed to say that Lord Portland will really be hardly able to see you to-night, as he is anything but well; but as it would appear that what you have to say is important, I wish to know whether it is important to the King or to the Earl himself.  If to the latter, the Earl will see you at two o’clock to-morrow; if to the King, I am directed to request that you would communicate it to me, by whom it shall be most faithfully reported, both to Lord Portland and to the King himself.”

“Sir,” replied the stranger, “the motive of my coming is on no private business.  It is on business of importance to the state generally—­of the very utmost importance.  I had wished to communicate it to Lord Portland, because that gentleman once performed an act of great kindness and generosity towards me, and I wished to give him the means of rendering a great service to his master.”

“The King and Lord Portland are both indebted to you, sir,” replied Keppel, better known as the Earl of Albemarle, with a grave smile; “but in those circumstances, as the greatest favour to all parties, you will be pleased to communicate anything you have to say to me.  From your whole tone and demeanour, I am perfectly sure that what you have to say is none of the unimportant things with which we are too often troubled here; and I may therefore confidently add, that, after you have given me a knowledge of the business, either the King or Lord Portland, as you may think fit, will see you to-morrow.”

“Well, sir,” replied the visitor, “I have no right to stand on ceremony, especially at such a moment as this.  What I have to say would have been much more easily said to Lord Portland himself, as he knows under what circumstances we met, knows probably who I am, and would make allowances for my peculiar views.  You may think it next to high treason for me to call that Personage, who was not long ago William Prince of Orange, by any other name than King of England”