his life into the bargain, I should not much care for my part.  On my honour and soul, it does seem to me a strange thing, that here poor Morton, who would have done service to everybody on earth, who was as good as he was brave, and as clever as he was good, should fall at the very first shot, and I go through the whole business with nothing but this scratch of the hand.  I did my best to get myself killed, too; for I will swear that I was the last man upon our part that left the bank of the Boyne.  But just as half a dozen of the fellows had got me down, and were going to cut my throat because I would not surrender, there came by the fellow they call Bentinck, I think, who called to them not to kill me now that the battle was over.  I started up, saying, ‘There is one honest Dutchman at least,’ and made a dart through them.  They would have caught me, I dare say, but he laughed aloud; and I heard him call to them not to follow me, saying, ’That one on either side made no great difference.’  I may chance to do that fellow a good turn yet in my day.”

“That may well be,” replied the other; “for since your brother’s death, if you are sure he is killed, you are the direct heir to an earldom, and to estates that would buy a score of German princes.”

While he thus spoke, the person he addressed suddenly turned his eyes full upon his face, and looked at him intently for a minute.  He then answered, “Sure he is dead, Harry?  Did I not tell you that he died in my arms?  Would it not have been a nice thing now, if I had been killed too?  There would have been none between you and the earldom then.  Upon my life, I think you ought to have it:  it would just suit you; you would make such a smooth-tongued, easy courtier to this Dutch vagabond, whom you are going over to, I can see, notwithstanding all your asseverations;” and he laughed aloud as he spoke.

“Nonsense, Lennard, nonsense!” replied his companion:  “I neither wish you killed, my good cousin, nor care for the earldom, nor am going over to the usurper, though, Heaven knows, you’ll do no good to any one, the earldom will do no good to you, and the usurper, perhaps, may do much good to the country.  But had either of the three been true, I should certainly have given you up to the Prince of Orange, instead of sharing my last fifty guineas with you, to help you off to France.”

His companion gazed down upon the ground with a grim smile, and remained for a moment without answering; he then looked up, gave a short laugh, and replied, “I must not be ungrateful, cousin mine; I thank you for the money with all my heart and soul; but I cannot think that you have run yourself so hard as that either; you must have made mighty great preparations which have not appeared, to spend your snug little patrimony upon a king who did not deserve it, and for whom you did not fight, after all.”

“I should have fought if I could have come up in time,” replied the other, with his brows darkening.  “I suppose you do not suspect me of being unwilling to fight, Lennard?”