suffered him to puff himself up with pride and insolence, till he is
ready to burst. But his day of reckoning is at hand, and then he shall
pay off the long arrears he owes us."

"Well, Sir Giles, I am willing to leave the matter with you," said Sir
Francis; "but it is hard to be publicly insulted, and have injurious
epithets applied to you, and not obtain immediate redress."

"I grant you it is so," rejoined Sir Giles; "but you well know you are
no match for him at the sword."

"If I am not, others are--Clement Lanyere, for instance," cried Sir
Francis. "He has more than once arranged a quarrel for me."

"And were it an ordinary case, I would advise that the arrangement of
this quarrel should be left to Lanyere," said Sir Giles; "or I myself
would undertake it for you. But that were only half revenge. No; the
work must be done completely; and the triumph you will gain in the end
will amply compensate you for the delay."

"Be it so, then," replied Sir Francis. "But before I quit the subject, I
may remark, that one thing perplexes me in the sudden rise of this
upstart, and that is that he encounters no opposition from Buckingham.
Even the King, I am told, has expressed his surprise that the jealous
Marquis should view one who may turn out a rival with so much apparent
complacency."

"It is because Buckingham has no fear of him," replied Sir Giles. "He
knows he has but to say the word, and the puppet brought forward by De
Gondomar--for it is by him that Mounchensey is supported--will be