Fifteen months passed, and what changes had
taken place! There was not a word from the
Countess of Derby to her sister-in-law during that
terrible period. She may not have written, or her
letters may have been lost. The King's trial, his
death, and the first months of the Republic, remain
shrouded in melancholy silence. One cry of indig-
nation alone comes from the Isle of Man, and it is
from the Earl of Derby.
The Parliament had again tried to shake his
fidelity. The King he had served was dead ; and
Ireton wrote to induce him to surrender the Isle of
Man to the Parliament, promising him the free enjoy-
ment of all the rest of his possessions in return.
Here is the reply made by the Earl : —



I40 THE LADY OF LATHAM.
" Castletown, July 22nd, 1649.
