So different is the present century from the seventeenth that the few who are not students of history may be tempted to shrug sceptical shoulders and murmur the word "incredible". (Introduction)

The elegance, the vivacity, and the beauty of the woman who walked with Sir Peter Farnham drew the sombre eyes of many London citizens as she passed by, and sent their troubled thoughts back a few weeks to the days when Charles II was King. (Text)