“He was his natural child! he was his natural child!” cried Henry Sherbrooke, starting up from his seat.  “I ascertained it beyond a doubt!  I have proof!  I have proof!”

“Again, false man?—­Again?” said Lennard Sherbrooke.

“Cannot shame keep you silent?  You have no proof!  You can have no proof!—­You found no proof of the marriage—­granted; because care was taken that you should not.  But I have proof sufficient, sir.  This lady, whom I must call in this land Mistress Helen Oswald, though the late King bestowed upon her father and herself a rank higher than that to which she now lays claim, was present at the private marriage of her sister to my brother, by a Protestant clergyman, before Sir Harry Oswald ever quitted England.  There is also the woman servant, who was present likewise, still living and ready to be produced; and if more be wanting, here is the certificate of the clergyman himself, signed in due form, together with my brother’s solemn attestation of his marriage, given before he went to the fatal battle in which he fell.  To possess yourself of these papers, of the existence of which you yourself must have entertained some suspicions, you used unjustifiable arts towards this noble Earl of Sunbury, which were specious enough even to deceive his wisdom; but I obtained information of the facts, and frustrated your devices.”

“Ay,” said Harry Sherbrooke, “through my worthy son, doubtless, through my worthy son, who, beyond all question, used his leisure hours in reading, privately, his father’s letters and despatches, for the great purpose of making that father a beggar!”

“I call Heaven to witness!” exclaimed the young gentleman, clasping his hands together eagerly.  But Lord Sunbury interposed.

“No, sir,” he said, “your son needed no such arts to learn that fact, at least; for even before I sent over the papers to you which you demanded, I wrote to your son, telling him the facts, in order to guard against their misapplication.  Unfortunate circumstances prevented his receiving my letter in time to answer me, which would have stopped me from sending them.  He communicated the fact, however, to Colonel Sherbrooke, and the result has been their preservation.”

The unfortunate man was about to speak again; but Lord Sunbury waved his hand mildly, saying, “Indeed, my good sir, it would be better to utter no more of such words as we have already heard from you.  Should you be inclined to contest rights and claims which do not admit of a doubt, it must be in another place and not here.  You will remember, however, that were you even to succeed in shaking the legitimacy of my young friend, the Earl of Byerdale here present, which cannot by any possibility be done, you would but convey the title and estates to his uncle, Colonel Sherbrooke, to whose consummate prudence, in favour of his nephew, it is now owing that these estates, having been suffered to rest for so many years in