CHAPTER XX.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume III, Issue 133, 19 November 1875, Page 6

CHAPTER XX.

THE QUEEN S ESCAPE. On entering the presence of the queen, Florence experienced a strange indefinable apprehension that her footsteps had been dogged and her visit to the prison consequently detected; there was a constraint about tlie latter, such as she had not yet observed, perhaps the idea was bora, out of her own fear, but the impression on her mind was, that the queen was exerting herself to repress some exercise of power or manifestation of anger. Nevertheless, Mary, whom indisposition confined to her room, dismissed all her ladies but Florence, and on this evening was more particular than ever in her inquiry as to the Count of St. Germains, asking questions which Florence found it very difficult to answer truthfully, ana fail to discover matters which it was not well should be known at the English Court. Alter she had retired to her chamber for the night, she for some time sat revolving in her mind the horror of poor Ashton's situation, and the grief of his wife, and along with it, an intense feeling of disgust and aversion took possession of her soul for William and Mary. Casting- herself on her knees, she prayed long and earnestly for Ahston, then for herself, that the merciful God would open some avenue by which she might be restored to her friends, for one very dear to her, to whom she was betrothed, and for the family of the king at St. Germains, and feeling more calm and collected, she then retired to rest. But the excitement of the day, and the scene at the prison, had nut by any means paved the way for a quiet, peaceful slumber. Ashton was present throughout all the visions of the night, and the scene of his trial enacted over again. Ashton, as she had that day seen him, subdued and sorrowful, but nevertheless full of a holy resignation ; then the scene changed, and it "was still Ashton, but now he is going to pay the unjust penalty of the law ; the terrible gibbet is before her, the gallows is being erected, she hears the noise of the hammers as the workmen adjust the dreadful apparatus, and she starts up in her bed, a wild moan for mercy for him on her lips. Her face was bathed in a cold perspiration, and she looked fearfully around her spacious chamber, almost trembling lest she should be confronted by some spectral vision of the pale face which had haunted her ever since she had seen him in the prison. But no, the pale moonbeams light up the roon, and though there is nothing extraordinary to be seen, still another sense, that of hearing is painfully on the alert, for she distinguishes a noise resembling' that which she had heard in her fearful dream. She sat up in hex- bed, and bent forwards in the attitude of one who L.-tens intently ; and, at the same moment, a small Blenheim spaniel, which always slept on the hearth rug, leaped on the bed, howling piteously. " Ah, gracious heaven/ she said to herself, "I am right ; that noise is the crackling of wood, and the sagacious little animal warns me of danger." The next moment, Florence had leaped from her bed, the air was already hot, the oaken floor on which she stood felt warm, and had, doubtless, alarmed the instinct of the dog. She hastily threw on a dressing-gown, put her feet in her slippers, snatched up some valuable trinkets which lay on the table, and rushed from the room, closely followed by her dog. Her chamber was on the same side of the palace as the queen's apartments : she had no thought but to save her life. A thrilling shriek burst from her lips, for she was aware now she was in the gallery, that the next suite of apartments was in flames, and with the spy od of an affrighted fawn, she fled to the queen's room, giving the a linn as she hurried onwards. Mary was buried in heavy sleep when Florence entered. Over« come by weariness, the queen had thrown herself on her couoh. intending to summon her maids later, and had fallen asleep. This was no time for idle ceremony, the devouring element was within a few paces of the queen's chamber. " Awake, madam, awake, the palace is on. fire," shrieked the

affrighted girl. "Here, lean on me," she added, dragging the queen, still half a asleep, from hex room.. "Hasten for your life, we may yet be in time, for we must go hack the way I came." The queen, still scarcely conscious, was thus half through the gallery, before a knot of ladies and servants had foi\nd their way to her chamber, and the fire had made such progress that it was with difficulty they escaped with their lives. In her full dress only, the queen was hurried into St. James' Park, still leaning heavily on the arm of her young maid of honor, the whole Park lighted up by the bright red glare from the burning palace. Accompanied by the ladies attached to her person^ the distressed queen made her vay hastily along, in the direction of Su. James' Palace in this pitiable condition. But she was doomed to sutler still more mortification on this memorable night. An immense throng of persons had by this time assembled, and a cry of " The queen, the queeu," was raised, as Mary crossed the Park on her way to the Palace of St. James. Amongst these persons were two gentlemen, Sir John Fenwick and Colonel Oglethorpe ; they were both warmly attached to the interests of her father. The "bright red glow from the burning palace revealed to them the pale features of her majesty, who was speechless with fear, and the suddenness with which she hud been dragged from her couch, for naturally a very heavy sleeper, she had not been aroused by the shriek of Florence, or the speedy alarm that had followed them. Indeed, she was, so to speak, but half asleep when hurried out of her chamber. Sir John and the Colonel followed her through the Park, on her way to the palace ; ib was too good an opportunity for these steady adherents of her father to let slip by without telling the queen the truth. Accordingly they reviled her with many hard words ; they made her remember that filial sins would come home to her, sooner or later, " and notoriously insulted her," says a manuscript authority. Doubtless, her savagely unfeeling conduct when she took possession of this very palace, the principal portion of which was consumed on that night, was still fresh in their minds, together with her shameful refusal to let her father have his personal wardrobe, or to restore to her unfortunate step-mother, the cabinet of silver filagree which she liad asked for. The long gallery was burnt, together with most of the royal apartments, also those of the king's officers and servants, and many invaluable portraits and treasures. The reproaches levelled at her in the Park, in the presence of others, were the most painful on account of their truthfulness. She was much dismayed, too, by the loss occasioned by this disastrous fire, as well as really ill from fright and exposure to the night air. (To le continued.)