Page:Romance & Reality 3.pdf/294

292 and was preparing to take the road to the left, when his further progress was intercepted by two cavaliers, one of whom politely requested he would go to the right. He was so civilly arrested, that at first he was unsuspicious of the fact. He then did what people usually do in such cases—complied with what he could not resist. One of the officers was tall and silent—the other short and communicative, and most particularly polite in his mode of information. From him Lorraine learnt that he was arrested on a charge of treason; and his obliging companion finished with observing, "I hope they will not hang so handsome a cavalier as your Excellency. I would recommend letting you off with a few years' solitary imprisonment. May I ask if the Senhor considers himself lucky? much depends on good fortune in such cases." With this encouraging remark, they stopped at the house of the Judge of the district. Edward, as soon as he entered, saw that his case was hopeless. The judge was seated in a large arm-chair, by which stood a little black boy with a huge fan of white feathers: a flask and a silver goblet were on a table beside him,