The Caged Lion...................................................................................................................................................1

Charlotte M. Yonge.................................................................................................................................1

When the venture has been made of dealing with historical events and characters, it always seems fair

towards the reader to avow what liberties have been taken, and how much of the sketch is founded on history.

In the present case, it is scarcely necessary to do more than refer to the almost unique relations that subsisted

between Henry V. and his prisoner, James I. of Scotland; who lived with him throughout his reign on the

terms of friend rather than of captive, and was absolutely sheltered by this imprisonment throughout his

nonage and early youth from the frightful violence and presumption of the nobles of his kingdom.

James's expedition to Scotland is wholly imaginary, though there appears to have been space for it during

Henry's progress to the North to pay his devotions at Beverley Minster. The hero of the story is likewise

invention, though, as Froissart ascribes to King Robert II: 'eleven sons who loved arms,' Malcolm may well

be supposed to be the son of one of those unaccounted for in the pedigrees of Stewart. The same may be said

of Esclairmonde. There were plenty of Luxemburgs in the Low Countries, but the individual is not to be

identified. Readers of Tyler's 'Henry V.,' of Agnes Strickland's 'Queens,' Tytler's 'Scotland,' and Barante's

'Histoire de Bourgogne' will be at no loss for the origin of all I have ventured to say of the really historical

personages. Mr. Fox Bourne's 'English Merchants' furnished the tradition respecting Whittington. I am afraid

the knighthood was really conferred on Henry's first return to England, after the battle of Agincourt; but

humanor at least story tellingnature could not resist an anachronism of a few years for such a story.

The only other wilful alteration of a matter of time is with regard to the Duke of Burgundy's interview with

Henry. At the time of Henry's last stay at Paris the Duke was attending the deathbed of his wife, Michelle of

Another alteration of fact is that Ralf Percy, instead of being second son of Hotspur, should have been Henry

Percy, son of Hotspur's brother Ralf; but the name would have been so confusing that it was thought better to

set Dugdale at defiance and consider the reader's convenience. Alice Montagu, though her name sounds as if

it came out of the most commonplace novelist's repertory, was a veritable personagethe heiress of the

brave line of Montacute, or Montagu; daughter to the Earl of Salisbury who was killed at the siege of

Orleans; wife to the Earl of the same title (in her right) who won the battle of Blore Heath and was beheaded

at Wakefield; and mother to Earl Warwick the Kingmaker, the Marquis of Montagu, and George Nevil,

Archbishop of York. As nothing is known of her but her name, I have ventured to make use of the blank.

For Jaqueline of Hainault, and her pranks, they are to be found in Monstrelet of old, and now in Barante;

though justice to her and Queen Isabeau compels me to state that the incident of the ring is wholly fictitious.

Of the trial of Walter Stewart no record is preserved save that he was accused of 'roborica.' James Kennedy

was the first great benefactor to learning in Scotland, and founder of her earliest University, having been

The Abbey of Coldingham is described from a local compilation of the early part of the century, with an

account of the history of that grand old foundation, and the struggle for appointments between the parent

house at Durham and the Scottish Government. Priors Akefield and Drax are historical, and as the latter

really did commission a body of mosstroopers to divert an instalment of King James's ransom into his own

private coffers, I do not think I can have done him much injustice. As the nunnery of St. Abbs has gone

bodily into the sea, I have been the less constrained by the inconvenient action of fact upon fiction. And for

the Hospital of St. Katharine'sbytheTower, its history is to be found in Stowe's 'Survey of London,' and

likewise in the evidence before the Parliamentary Commission, which shows what it was intended by Queen

Philippa to have been to the riverside population, and what it might have been had such intentions been

understood and acted onnay, what it may yet become, since the foundation remains intact, although the

A master hand has so often described the glens and ravines of Scotland, that it seems vain and presumptuous

to meddle with them; and yet we must ask our readers to figure to themselves a sharp cleft sloping

downwards to a brawling mountain stream, the sides scattered with gray rocks of every imaginable size,

interspersed here and there with heather, gorse, or furze. Just in the widest part of the valley, a sort of

platform of rock jutted out from the hillside, and afforded a station for one of those tall, narrow,

Either by nature or art, the rock had been scarped away on three sides, so that the walls of the castle rose

sheer from the steep descent, except where the platform was connected with the mountain side by, as it were,

an isthmus joining the peninsula to the main rock; and even this isthmus, a narrow ridge of rock just wide

enough for the passage of a single horse, had been cut through, no doubt with great labour, and rendered

impassable, except by the lowering of a drawbridge. Glenuskie Castle was thus nearly impregnable, so long

as it was supplied with water, and for this all possible provision had been made, by guiding a stream into the

The castle was necessarily narrow and confined; its massive walls took up much even of the narrow space

that the rock afforded; but it had been so piled up that it seemed as though the builders wished to make height

compensate for straitness. There was, too, an unusual amount of grace, both in the outline of the gateway

with its mighty flanking towers, and of the lofty donjon tower, that shot up like a great finger above the

Massy More, as the main building was commonly called by the inhabitants of Glenuskie.

Wondrous as were the walls, and deepset as were the arches, they had all that peculiar slenderness of

contour that Scottish taste seemed to have learnt from France; and a little more space was gained at the top,

both of the gateway towers and the donjon, by a projecting cornice of beautifully vaulted arches supporting a

battlement, that gave the building a crowned look. On the topmost tower was of course planted the ensign of

the owner, and that ensign was no other than the regal ruddy Lion of Scotland, ramping on his gold field

within his tressure fiery and counter flory, but surmounted by a label divided into twelve, and placed upon a

pennoncel, or triangular piece of silk. The eyes of the early fifteenth century easily deciphered such

hieroglyphics as these, which to every one with the least tincture of 'the noble science' indicated that the

owner of the castle was of royal Stewart blood, but of a younger branch, and not yet admitted to the rank of

The early spring of the year 1421 was bleak and dreary in that wild lonely vale, and large was the fire burning

on the hearth in the castle hall, in the full warmth of which there sat, with a light blue cloth cloak drawn

tightly round him, a tall old man, of the giant mould of Scotland, and with a massive thoughtful brow, whose

grand form was rendered visible by the absence of hair, only a few remnants of yellow locks mixed with

silver floating from his temples to mingle with his magnificent white beard. A small blue bonnet, with a short

eagle feather, fastened with a brooch of river pearl, was held in the hands that were clasped over his face, as,

bending down in his chair, he murmured through his white beard, 'Have mercy, good Lord, have mercy on

the land. Have mercy on my son,and guard him when he goes out and when he comes in. Have mercy on

the children I have toiled for, and teach me to judge and act for them aright in these sore straits; and above

all, have mercy on our King, break his fetters, and send him home to be the healer of his land, the avenger of

So absorbed was the old man that he never heard the step that came across the hall. It was a slightly unequal

step, but was carefully hushed at entrance, as if supposing the old man asleep; and at a slow pace the

newcomer crossed the hall to the chimney, where he stood by the fire, warming himself and looking

He was wrapped in a plaid, black and white, which increased the gray appearance of the pale sallow face and

sad expression of the wearer, a boy of about seventeen, with soft pensive dark eyes and a sickly complexion,

with that peculiar wistful cast of countenance that is apt to accompany deformity, though there was no actual

malformation apparent, unless such might be reckoned the slight halt in the gait, and the small stature of the

lad, who was no taller than many boys of twelve or fourteen. But there was a depth of melancholy in those

dark brown eyes, that went far into the heart of any one who had the power to be touched with their yearning,

appealing, almost piteous gaze, as though their owner had come into a world that was much too hard for him,

He had stood for some minutes looking thoughtfully into the fire, and the sadness of his expression ever

deepening, before the old man raised his face, and said, 'You here, Malcolm? where are the others?'

'Patie and Lily are still on the turrettop, fair Uncle,' returned the boy. 'It was so cold;' and he shivered again,

'There is another reek broken out farther west,' replied Malcolm. 'Patie is sure now that it is as you deemed,

'Heaven help them!' sighed the old man, again folding his hands in prayer. 'How long, O Lord, how long?'

Malcolm took up the appeal of the Psalm, repeating it in Latin, but with none the less fervency; that Psalm

that has ever since David's time served as the agonized voice of hearts hotburning at the sight of wrong.

'Ah yes,' he ended, 'there is nothing else for it! Uncle, this was wherefore I came. It was to speak to you of my

'But listen, listen, dear Uncle. I have not spoken of it for a full year now. So that you cannot say it is the

caresses of the good monks. No, nor the rude sayings of the Master of Albany,' he added, colouring at a look

of his uncle. 'You bade me say no more till I be of full age; nor would I, save that I were safe lodged in an

abbey; then might Patrick and Lily be wedded, and he not have to leave us and seek his fortune far away in

France; and in Patie's hands and leading, my vassals might be safe; but what could the doited helpless cripple

do?' he added, the colour rising hotly to his cheek with pain and shame. 'Oh, Sir, let me but save my soul, and

'My poor bairn,' said his uncle, laying a kind hand upon him, as in his eagerness he knelt on one knee beside

the chair, 'it must not be. It is true that the Regent and his sons would willingly see you in a cloister. Nay, that

unmanly jeer of Walter Stewart's was, I verily believe, meant to drive you thither. But were you there, then

would poor Lilias become a prize worth having, and the only question would be, whether Walter of Albany,

or Robert of Athole, or any of the rest of them, should tear her away to be the lady of their fierce ungodly

'No, Malcolm, that were not consistent with mine honour, or oaths to the King and State. You living, and

Laird of Glenuskie, Lilias is a mere younger sister, whom you may give in marriage as you will; but were you

dead to the world, under a cowl, then the Lady of Glenuskie, a king's grandchild, may not be disposed of,

save by her royal kinsman, or by those who, woe worth the day! stand in his place. I were no better than yon

Wolf of Badenoch or the Master of Albany, did I steal a march on the Regent, and give the poor lassie to my

'And so Lilias must pine, and Patrick wander off to the weary French war,' sighed Malcolm; 'and I must be

scorned by my cousins whenever the House of Stewart meets together; and must strive with these fierce cruel

men, that will ever be too hard for me when Patie is gone.' His eyes filled with tears as he continued, 'Ah! that

fair chapel, with the sweet chant of the choir, the green smoothshaven quadrangle, the calm cloister walk;

there, there alone is rest. There, one ceases to be a prey and a laughingstock; there, one sees no more

bloodshed and spulzie; there, one need not be forced to treachery or violence. Oh, Uncle! my very soul is sick

for Coldingham. How many years will it be ere I can myself bestow my sister on Patie, and hide my head in

Before his uncle had done more than answer, 'Nay, nay, Malcolm, these are no words for the oe of Bruce; you

are born to dare as well as to suffer,' there was an approach of footsteps, and two young people entered the

hall; the first a girl, with a family likeness to Malcolm, but tall, upright, beautiful, and with the rich colouring

of perfect health, her plaid still hanging in a loose swelling hood round her brilliant face and dark hair,

snooded with a crimson ribbon and diamond clasp; the other, a knightly young man, of stately height and

robust limbs, keen bright blue eyes and amber hair and beard, moving with the ease and grace that showed his

'Good Uncle,' cried the maiden in eager excitement, 'there is a guest coming. He has just turned over the brae

'A knighta knight in bright steel, and with three attendants,' said Lilias; 'one of Patrick's French comrades,

'Not a message from the Regent, I trust,' sighed Malcolm. 'Patie, oh do not lower the drawbridge, till we hear

'Nay, Malcolm, 'tis well none save friends heard that,' said Patrick. 'When shall we make a brave man of

'Nevertheless, Patie,' said the old gentleman, 'though I had rather the caution had come from the eldest rather

than the youngest head among us, parley as much as may serve with honour and courtesy ere opening the

A certain look of nervous terror passed over young Malcolm's face, while his sister watched full of animation

and curiosity, as one to whom excitement of any kind could hardly come amiss, exclaiming, as she looked

from the window, 'Fear not, most prudent Malcolm; Father Ninian is with him: Father Ninian must have

'Strange,' muttered Patrick, 'that Father Ninian should be picking up and bringing home stray wandering

landloupers;' and with an anxious glance at Lilias, he went forward unwillingly to perform those duties of

hospitality which had become necessary, since the presence of the castle chaplain was a voucher for the

guest. The drawbridge had already been lowered, and the newcomer was crossing it upon a powerful black

steed, guided by Father Ninian upon his rough mountain pony, on which he had shortly before left the castle,

The chaplain was a wise, prudent, and muchrespected man; nevertheless, young Sir Patrick Drummond felt

little esteem for his prudence in displaying one at least of the treasures of the castle to the knight on the black

horse. The stranger was a very tall man, of robust and stalwart make, apparently aged about seven or eight

and twenty years, clad in steel armour, enamelled so as to have a burnished blue appearance; but the vizor of

the helmet was raised, and the face beneath it was a manly open face, thoroughly Scottish in its forms, but

very handsome, and with short dark auburn hair, and eyes of the same peculiar tint, glancing with a light that

once seen could never be forgotten; and the bearing was such, that Patrick at once growled to himself, 'One of

our haughty loons, brimful of outre cuidance; and yet how coolly he bears it off. If he looks to find us his

'Sir Patrick,' said Father Ninian, who was by this time close to him, 'let me present to you Sir James Stewart,

a captive knight who is come to collect his ransom. I fell in with him on the road, and as his road lay with

mine, I made bold to assure him of a welcome from your honoured father and Lord Malcolm.'

Patrick's face cleared. It was no grace or beauty that he feared in any stranger, but the sheer might and unright

that their Regency enabled the House of Albany to exercise over the orphans of the royal family, whose head

was absent; and a captive knight could be no mischievous person. Still this might be only a specious pretence

to impose on the chaplain, and gain admittance to the castle; and Patrick was resolved to be well on his guard,

though he replied courteously to the graceful bow with which the stranger greeted him, saying in a manly

mellow voice and southern accent, 'I have been bold enough to presume on the good father's offer of

'You are welcome, Sir,' returned Patrick, taking the stranger's bridle that he might dismount; 'my father and

'A captive may well be welcome, for the sake of one prisoner,' said his father, who had in the meantime come

forward, and extended his hand to the knight, who took it, and uncovering his bright locks, respectfully said,

'Even so, Sir,' returned Sir David Drummond, who was, in fact, as his nephew's guardian, usually known by

this curious title; 'and you here see my wards, the Lord Malcolm and Lady Lilias. Your knighthood will make

allowances for the lad, he is but homebred.' For while Lilias with stately grace responded to Sir James

Stewart's courtly greeting, Malcolm bashfully made an awkward bow, and seemed ready to shrink within

himself, as, indeed, the brutal jests of his rude cousins had made him dread and hate the eye of a stranger; and

while the knight was led forward to the hall fire, he merely pressed up to the priest, and eagerly demanded

under his breath, 'Have you brought me the book?' but Father Ninian had only time to nod, and sign that a

volume was in his bosom, before old Sir David called out, 'What now, Malcolm, forgetting that your part is to

come and disarm the knight who does you the honour to be your guest?' And Sir Patrick rather roughly

pushed him forward, gruffly whispering, 'Leave not Lily to supply your lack of courtesy.'

Malcolm shambled forward, bewildered, as the keen auburn eye fell on him, and the cheery kindly voice said,

'Had he ears to hear such a whisper?' thought Malcolm, as he mumbled in the hoarse voice of bashful

boyhood, 'Not a romance, Sir, but whatever the good fathers at Coldingham would lend me.'

'It is the "Itinerarium" of the blessed Adamnanus,' replied Father Ninian, producing from his bosom a parcel,

'The "Itinerarium"!' exclaimed Sir James, 'methought I had heard of such a book. I have a friend in England

'A friend in England!'the words had a sinister sound to the audience, and while Malcolm jealously gathered

up the book into his arms, the priest made cold answer, that the book was the property of the Monastery at

Coldingham, and had only been lent to Lord Malcolm Stewart by special favour. The guest could not help

smiling, and saying he was glad books were thus prized in Scotland; but at that moment, as the sunny look

shone on his face, and he stood before the fire in the close suit of chamois leather which he wore under his

armour, old Sir David exclaimed, 'Ha! never did I see such a likeness. Patie, you should be old enough to

'What should I see? Who is he like?' asked Patrick, surprised at his father's manner.

'Who?' whispered Sir David in a lowered voice; 'do you not see it? to the unhappy lad, the Duke of Rothsay.'

Patrick could not help smiling, for he had been scarcely seven years old at the time of the murder of the

unfortunate Prince of Scotland; hut a flush of colour rose into the face of the guest, and he shortly answered,

'So I have been told;' and then assuming a seat near Sir David, he entered into conversation with him upon the

condition of Scotland at the period, inquiring into the state of many of the families and districts by name.

Almost always there was but one answermurderharryingforay; and when the question followed,

'What had the Regent done?' there was a shrug of the shoulders, and as often Sir James's face flushed with a

'And is there not a man in Scotland left to strike for the right?' he demanded at last; 'cannot nobles, clergy,

and burghers, band themselves in parliament to put down Albany and his bloody house, and recall their true

'They love to have it so,' returned Sir David sadly. 'United, they might be strong enough; but each knows that

his fellow, Douglas, Lennox, March, or Mar, would be ready to play the same game as Albany; and to raise a

'And so,' proceeded Sir James, bitterly, 'the manhood of Scotland goes forth to waste itself in an empty

foreign war, merely to keep France in as wretched a state of misrule as itself.'

'Nay, nay, Sir,' cried Patrick angrily, 'it is to save an ancient ally from the tyranny of our foulest foe. It is the

only place where a Scotsman can seek his fortune with honour, and without staining his soul with foul deeds.

'What, when they have all been lavished on the crazy Frenchman?' said Sir James.

'No, Sir,' said Patrick, rising in his vehemence; 'when they have been brightened there by honourable warfare,

'He speaks truly,' said Sir David; 'and though it will go to my heart to part with the lad, yet may I not say a

word to detain him in a land where the contagion of violence can scarce be escaped by a brave man.'

Sir James gave a deep sigh as of pain, but as if to hinder its being remarked, promptly answered, 'That may

be; but what is to be the lot of a land whose honest men desert her cause as too evil for them, and seek out

'How, Sir!' cried Patrick; 'you a prisoner of England, yet speaking against our noble French allies, so foully

'I have lived long enough in England,' returned Sir James, 'to think that land happiest where law is strong

'You have been long in England, Sir?' said Lilias, hoping to direct the conversation into a more peaceful

'Many years, fair lady,' he replied, turning courteously to her; 'I was taken when I was a mere lad, but I have

'And has no one ransomed you?' she asked pitifully, as one much moved by a certain patience on his brow,

'No one, lady. My uncle was but too willing that the heir should be kept aloof; and it is only now he is dead,

that I have obtained leave from my friendly captor to come in search of my ransom.'

Lilias would have liked to know the amount, but it was not manners to ask, since the rate of ransom was the

personal value of the knight; and her uncle put in the question, who was his keeper.

'The Earl of Somerset,' rather hastily answered Sir James; and then at once Lilias exclaimed, 'Ah, Uncle, is

not the King, too, in his charge?' And then questions crowded on. 'What like is the King? How brooks he his

durance? What freedom hath he? What hope is there of his return? Can he brook to hear of his people's

This was the first question at which Sir James attempted to unclose his hitherto smiling and amused lip. Then

it quivered, and the dew glittered in his eyes as he answered, 'Brook it! No indeed, lady. His heart burns

within him at every cry that comes over the Border, and will wellnigh burst at what I have seen and heard!

King Harry tells him that to send him home were but tossing him on the swords of the Albany. Better, better

so, to die in one grapple for his country's sake, than lie bound, hearing her bitter wails, and unable to stir for

her redress!' and as he dashed the indignant tear from his eyes, Patrick caught his hand.

'Your heart is in the right place, friend,' he said; 'I look on you as an honest man and brother in arms from this

''Tis a bargain,' said Sir James, the smile returning, and his eyes again glistening as he wrung Sir Patrick's

hand. 'When the hour comes for the true rescue of Scotland, we will strike together.'

'And you will tell the King,' added Patrick, 'that here are true hearts, and I could find many more, only

longing to fence him from the Albany swords, about which King Harry is so good as to fash himself.'

'But what like is the King?' asked Lilias eagerly. 'Oh, I would fain see him. Is it true that he was the tallest

'He and I are much of a height, lady,' returned the knight. 'Maybe I may give you the justest notion of him by

'That explains your likeness to the poor Duke,' said Sir David, satisfied; 'and you too count kindred with our

'I am sprung from Walter the Stewart, so much I know; my lands lie Carrickwards,' said Sir James lightly,

'but I have been a prisoner so long, that the pedigree of my house was never taught me, and I can make no

figure in describing my own descent.' And as though to put an end to the inquiry, he walked to the window,

where Malcolm so soon as they had begun to talk of the misrule of Scotland, had ensconced himself in the

windowseat with his new book, making the most of the failing light, and asked him whether the Monk of

Malcolm was not easy to draw out at first, but it presently appeared that he had been baffled by a tough bit of

Latinity. The knight looked, and readily expounded the sentence, so that all became plain; and then, as it was

already too dark to pursue the study with comfort, he stood over the boy, talking to him of books and of

poems, while the usually pale, listless, uninterested countenance responded by looks of eager delight and

It seemed as though each were equally pleased with the other: Sir James, at finding so much knowledge and

understanding in a Scottish castle; and Malcolm, at, for the first time, meeting anything but contempt for his

Their talk continued till they were summoned to supper, which had been somewhat delayed to provide for the

newcomers. It was a simple enough meal, suited to Lent, and was merely of dried fish, with barley bread

and kail brose; but there were few other places in Scotland where it would have been served with so much of

the refinement that Sir David Drummond and his late wife had learnt in France. A tablecloth and napkins,

separate trenchers, and water for hand cleansing, were not always to be found in the houses of the nobles; and

in fact, there were those who charged Malcolm's delicacy and timidity on the nisete or folly of his effeminate

education; the having the rushes on the floor frequently changed, the preference of lamps for pine torches,

Lilias sat between her uncle and his guest, looking so fair and bright that Patrick felt fresh accesses of angry

jealousy, while the visitor talked as one able to report to the natives from another world, and that world the

hateful England, which as a Scotsman he was bound to abhor. Had it been France, it had been endurable, but

praise of English habits was mere disloyalty; and yet, whenever Patrick tried to throw in a disparaging word,

he found himself met with a quiet superiority such as he had believed no knight in Scotland could assume

with him, and still it was neither browbeating nor insolence, nothing that could give offence.

Malcolm begged to know whether there had not been a rare good poet in England, called Chaucer. Verily

there had been, said the knight; and on a little solicitation, so soon as supper was over, he recited to the eager

and delighted auditors the tale of patient Grisel, as rendered by Chaucer, calling forth eager comments from

both Patrick and Lily, on the unknightliness of the Marquis. Malcolm, however, added, 'Yet, after all, she was

'What makes that, young Sir?' replied Sir James gravely. 'I would have you to know that the husband's rank is

the wife's, and the more unequal were their lot before, the more is he bound to respect her, and to make her be

'That may be, after the deed is done,' said Sir David, in a warning voice; 'but it is not well that like should not

'And, Sir,' eagerly exclaimed Patrick, 'no doubt you can gainsay the slander, that our noble King has been

caught in the toils of an artful Englishwoman, and been drawn in to promise her a share in his crown.'

A flush of crimson flamed forth on Sir James Stewart's cheeks, and his tawny eye glanced with a fire like red

lightning, but he seemed, as it were, to be holding himself in, and answered with a voice forcibly kept low

and calm, and therefore the more terribly stern, 'Young Sir, I warn you to honour your future queen.'

Sir David made a gesture with his hand, enforcing restraint upon his son, and turning to Sir James, said, 'Our

queen will we honour, when such she is, Sir; but if you are returning to the King, it were well that he should

know that our hot Scottish bloods, here, could scarce brook an English alliance, and certainly not one beneath

'The King would answer, Sir,' returned Sir James, haughtily, but with recovered command over himself, 'that

it is for him to judge whom his subjects shall brook as their queen. Moreover,' he added, in a different and

more conciliatory voice, 'Scotsmen must be proud indeed who disdain the late King's niece, the

greatgranddaughter of King Edward III., and as noble and queenly a demoiselle as ever was born in a

'She is so very fair, then?' said Lilies, who was of course on the side of true love. 'You have seen her, gentle

'Fair damsel,' said Sir James, in a much more gentle tone, 'you forget that I am only a poor prisoner, who have

only now and then viewed the lady Joan Beaufort with distant reverence, as destined to be my queen. All I

'And oh!' cried Malcolm, 'is it not true that the King hath composed songs and poems in her honour?'

'Pah!' muttered Patrick; 'as though the King would be no better than a wandering minstrel rhymester!'

'It is true, then, Sir,' exclaimed Lilias. 'He doth verily add minstrelsy to his other graces? Know you the lines,

'Nay, fair maid,' returned Sir James, 'methinks I might but add to the scorn wherewith Sir Patrick is but too

'A captive, a captiveay, minstrelsy is the right solace for a captive,' said Patrick; 'at least, so they say and

sing. Our king will have better work when he gains his freedom. Only there will come before me a subtilty I

once saw in jelly and blancmange, at a banquet in France, where a lion fell in love with a hunter's daughter,

and let her, for love's sake, draw his teeth and clip his claws, whereupon he found himself made a sport for

'I promise you, Sir Patrick,' replied the guest, 'that the Lady Joan is more hike to send her Lion forth from the

'But the laythe hay, Sir,' entreated Lilias; 'who knows that it may not win Patrick to be the Lady Joan's

Malcolm had already gone in quest of the harp he loved all the better for the discouragement thrown on his

The knight leant back, with a pensive look softening his features as he said, after a little consideration, 'Then,

fair lady, I will sing you the song made by King James, when he had first seen the fair mistress of his heart,

on the slopes of Windsor, looking from his chamber window. He feigns her to be a nightingale.'

'And what is that, Sir?' demanded Lilias. 'I have heard the word in romances, and deemed it a kind of angel

'It is a bird, sister,' replied Malcolm; 'Philomel, that pierces her breast with a thorn, and sings sweetly even to

'That's mere minstrel leasing, Malcolm,' said Patrick. 'I have both seen and heard the bird in

FranceRossignol, as we call it there; and were I a lady, I should deem it small compliment to be likened to

'While I,' replied the prisoner, 'feel so much with your fair sister, that nightingales are a sort of angels that

sing by night, that it pains me, when I think of winning my freedom, to remember that I shall never again

Patrick shrugged his shoulders, but Lilias was so anxious to hear the lay, that she entreated him to be silent;

and Sir James, with a manly mellow voice, with an exceedingly sweet strain in it, and a skill, both of

modulation and finger, such as showed admirable taste and instruction, poured forth that beautiful song of the

nightingale at Windsor, which commences King James's story of his love, in his poem of the King's Quhair.

There was an eager pressing round to hear, and not only were Lilias and Malcolm, but old Sir David himself,

much affected by the strain, which the latter said put him in mind of the days of King Robert III., which, sad

as they were, now seemed like good old times, so much worse was the present state of affairs. Sir James,

however, seemed anxious to prevent discussion of the verses he had sung, and applied to Malcolm to give a

specimen of his powers: and thus, with music, ballad, and lay, the evening passed away, till the parting cup

was sent round, and the Tutor of Glenuskie and Malcolm marshalled their guest to the apartment where he

was to sleep, in a wainscoted box bedstead, and his two attendant squires, a great irongray Scot and a rosy

In the morning he went on his journey, but not without an invitation to rest there again on his way back,

whether with or without his ransom. He promised to come, saying that he should gladly bear to the King the

last advices from one so honoured as the Tutor of Glenuskie; and, on their sides, Malcolm and Sir David

resolved to do their best to have some gold pieces to contribute, rather than so 'proper a knight' should fail in

raising his ransom; but gold was never plenty, and Patrick needed all that his uncle could supply, to bear him

For these were, as may have been gathered, those evil days when James I. of Scotland was still a captive to

England, and when the House of Albany exercised its cruel misrule upon Scotland; delaying to ransom the

Old Robert of Albany had been King Stork, his son Murdoch was King Log; and the misery was infinitely

increased by the violence and lawlessness of Murdoch's sons. King Robert II. had left Scotland the fearful

legacy of, as Froissart says, 'eleven sons who loved arms.' Of these, Robert III. was the eldest, the Duke of

Albany the second. These were both dead, and were represented, the one by the captive young King James,

the other by the Regent, Duke Murdoch of Albany, and his brother John, Earl of Buchan, now about to head a

Scottish force, among whom Patrick Drummond intended to sail, to assist the French.

Others of the eleven, Earls of Athol, Menteith, survived; but the youngest of the brotherhood, by name

Malcolm, who had married the heiress of Glenuskie, had been killed at Homildon Hill, when he had solemnly

charged his Stewart nephews and brothers to leave his two orphan children to the sole charge of their

mother's cousin, Sir David Drummond, a good old man, who had been the best supporter and confidant of

poor Robert III. in his unhappy reign, and in embassies to France had lost much of the rugged barbarism to

It was a lonely tract of road, marked only by the bare space trodden by feet of man and horse, and yet, in

truth, the highway between Berwick and Edinburgh, which descended from a heathery moorland into a

somewhat spacious valley, with copsewood clothing one side, in the midst of which rose a high mound or

knoll, probably once the site of a camp, for it still bore lines of circumvallation, although it was entirely

deserted, except by the wandering shepherds of the neighbourhood, or occasionally by outlaws, who found an

The spring had hung the hazels with tassels, bedecked the willows with golden downy tufts, and opened the

primroses and celandines beneath them, when the solitary dale was disturbed by the hasty clatter of horses'

feet, and hard, heavy breathing as of those who had galloped headlong beyond their strength. Here, however,

the foremost of the party, an old esquire, who grasped the bridlerein of youth by his side, drew up his own

'We may breathe here a moment; there is shelter in the wood. And you, Rab, get ye up to the top of Jill's

'Let me go back, you false villain!' sobbed the boy, with the first use of his recovered breath.

'Do not be so daft, Lord Malcolm,' replied the Squire, retaining his hold on the boy's bridle; 'what, rin your

head into the wolf's mouth again, when we've barely brought you off haill and sain?'

'Haill and sain? Dastard and forlorn,' cried Malcolm, with passionate weeping. 'II to flee and leave my

sistermy uncle! Oh, where are they? Halbert, let me go; I'll never pardon thee.'

'Hoot, my lord! would I let you gang, when the Tutor spak to me as plain as I hear you now? "Take off Lord

Malcolm," says he; "save him, and you save the rest. See him safe to the Earl of Mar." Those were his words,

'What, and leave my sister to the reivers? Oh, what may not they be doing to her? Let us go back and fall on

them, Halbert; better die saving her than know her in Walter Stewart's hands. Then were I the wretched

'Look you, Lord Malcolm,' said Halbert, laying his finger on his nose, with a knowing expression, 'my young

lady is safe from harm so long as you are out of the Master of Albany's reach. Had you come by a canny

thrust in the fray, as no doubt was his purpose, or were you in his hands to be mewed in a convent, then were

your sister worth the wedding; but the Master will never wed her while you live and have friends to back you,

and his father, the Regent, will see she has no illusage. You'll do best for yourself and her too, as well as Sir

David, if you make for Dunbar, and call ben your uncles of Athole and Strathern.How now, Rab? are the

'Na, na!' said Rab, descending; ''tis from the other gate; 'tis a knight in blue damasked steel: he, methinks, that

'Hm!' said Halbert, considering; 'he looked like a trusty cheild: maybe he'd guide my lord here to a wiser wit,

In fact, there would have been no time for one party to conceal themselves from the other; for, hidden by the

copsewood, and unheeded by the watchers who were gazing in the opposite direction, Sir James Stewart and

his two attendants suddenly came round the foot of Jill's Knowe upon the fugitives, who were profiting by the

interval to loosen the girths of their horses, and water them at the pool under the thicket, whilst Halbert in

vain tried to pacify and reason with the young master, who had thrown himself on the grass in an agony of

grief and despair. Sir James, after the first momentary start, recognized the party in an instant, and at once

'Do not speak to me, Sir,' muttered the unhappy boy. 'They have been reftreft from me, and I have done

And he gave way to another paroxysm of grief, while Halbert explained to Sir James Stewart that when Sir

Patrick Drummond had gone to embark for France, with the army led to the aid of Charles VI. by the Earl of

Buchan, his father and cousins, with a large escort, had accompanied him to Eyemouth; whence, after taking

leave of him, they had set out to spend Passiontide and Easter at Coldingham Abbey, after the frequent

fashion of the devoutly inclined among the Scottish nobility, in whose castles there was often little

commodity for religious observances. Short, however, as was the distance, they had in the midst of it been

suddenly assailed by a band of armed men, among whom might easily be recognized the giant form of young

Walter Stewart, the Master of Albany, the Regent Duke Murdoch's eldest son, who was well known for his

lawless excesses and violence. His father's silky sayings, and his own ruder speeches, had long made it

known to the House of Glenuskie that the family policy was to cajole or to drive the sickly heir into a

convent, and, rendering Lilias the possessor of the broad lands inherited from both parents, unite her and

The almost barbarous fierceness and wild licentiousness of Walter would have made the arrangement

abhorrent to Lilias, even had not love passages already passed between her and her cousin, Patrick

Drummond, and Sir David had hitherto protected her by keeping Malcolm in the secular life; but Walter, it

seemed, had grown impatient, and had made this treacherous attack, evidently hoping to rid himself of the

brother, and secure the sister. No sooner had the Tutor of Glenuskie perceived that his own party were

overmatched, than he had bidden his faithful squire to secure the bairnsif not both, at least the boy; and

Halbert, perceiving that Lilias had already been pounced upon by Sir Walter himself and several more, seized

the bridle of the bewildered Malcolm, who was still trying to draw his sword, and had absolutely swept him

away from the scene of action before he had well realized what was passing; and now that the poor lad

Before Sir James had done more than hear the outline of Halbert's tale, however, the watchers on the mound

gave the signal that the reivers were coming that waya matter hitherto doubtful, since no one could guess

whether Walter Stewart would make for Edinburgh or for Doune. With the utmost agility Sir James sprang up

the side of the mound, reconnoitred, and returned again just as Halbert was trying to stir his master from the

ground, and Malcolm answering sullenly that he would not movehe would be taken and die with the rest.

'You may save them instead, if you will attend to me,' said Sir James; and at his words the boy suddenly

'Full a hundred lances,' replied Halbert (and a lance meant at least three men). 'It wad be a fule's wark to

withstand them. Best bide fast in the covert, for our horses are sair forfaughten.'

'If there are now more than twenty lances, I am greatly mistaken,' returned Sir James. 'They must have broken

up after striking their blow, or have sent to secure Glenuskie; and we, falling on them from this thicket'

'I see, I see,' cried Halbert. 'Back, ye loons; back among the hazels. Hold every one his horse ready to mount.'

'With your favour, Sir Squire, I say, bind each man his horse to a tree. The skene and broadsword, which I see

'Do as the knight bids,' said Malcolm, starting forth with colour on his cheek, light in his eye, that made him

'Ay, ay, Lord Malcolm,' muttered Halbert; 'you need not tell me that: I know my duty better than not to do the

The two attendants of Sir James were meantime apparently uttering some remonstrance, to which he lightly

replied, 'Tut, Nigel; it will do thine heart good to hew down a minion of Albany. What were I worth could I

not strike a blow against so foul a wrong to my own orphan kindred? Brewster, I'll answer it to thy master.

These are his foes, as well as those of all honest men. Ha! thou art as glad to be at them as I myself.'

By this time he had exchanged his cap for a steel helmet, and was assuming the command as his natural right,

as he placed the men in their ambush behind the knoll, received reports from those he had set to watch, and

concerted the signal with Halbert and his own followers. Malcolm kept by him, shivering with intense

excitement and eagerness; and thus they waited till the horses' hoofs and clank of armour were distinctly

audible. But even then Sir James, with outstretched hand, signed his followers back, and kept them in the

leash, as it were, until the troop was fairly in the valley, those in front beginning to halt to give their horses

water. They were, in effect, riding somewhat carelessly, and with the ease of men whose feat was performed,

and who expected no more opposition. Full in the midst was Lilias, entirely muffled and pinioned by a large

plaid drawn closely round her, and held upon the front of the saddle of a large tall horse, ridden by a slender,

lightlimbed, wiry groom, whom Malcolm knew as Christopher Hall, a retainer of the Duke of Albany; and

beside him rode her captor, Sir Walter Stewart, a man little above twenty, but with a bronzed, hardened,

reckless expression that made him look much older, and of huge height and giant build. Malcolm knew him

well, and regarded him with unmitigated horror and dread, both from the knowledge of his ruffianly violence

even towards his father, from fear of his intentions, and from the misery that his brutal jests, scoffs, and

practical jokes had often personally inflicted: and the sight of his sister in the power of this wicked man was

the realization of all his worst fears. But ere there was time for more than one strong pang of consternation

and constitutional terror, Sir James's shout of 'St. Andrew for the right!' was ringing out, echoed by all the

fifteen in ambush with him, as simultaneously they leapt forward. Malcolm, among the first, darting with one

spring, as it were, to the horse where his sister was carried, seized the bridle with his left hand, and flashing

his sword upon the ruffian with the other, shouted, 'Let go, villain; give me my sister!' Hall's first impulse

was to push his horse forward so as to trample the boy down, but Malcolm's hold rendered this impossible;

besides, there was the shouting, the clang, the confusion of the outburst of an ambush all around and on every

side, and before the man could free his hand to draw his weapon he necessarily loosed his grasp of Lilias,

who, half springing, half falling, came to the ground, almost overthrowing her brother in her descent, but just

saved by him from coming down prostrate. The horse, suddenly released, started forward with its rider and at

the same moment Malcolm, recovering himself, stood with his sword in his hand, his arm round his sister's

waist, assuring her that she was safe, and himself glowing for the first time with manly exultation. Had he not

It was as well, however, that the rescue did not depend on his sole prowess. Indeed, by the time the brother

and sister were clinging together and turning to look round, the first shock was over, and the retainers of

Albany, probably fancying the attack made by a much larger troop, were either in full flight, or getting

Sir James Stewart had at the first onset sprung like a lion upon the Master of Albany, and without drawing his

sword had grappled with him. 'In the name of St. Andrew and the King, yield thy prey, thou dastard,' were his

words as he threw his arms round the body of Sir Walter, and exerted his full strength to drag him from his

horse. The young giant writhed, struggled, cursed, raged; he had not space to draw sword or even dagger, but

he struck furiously with his gauntleted hand, strove to drive his horse forward. The struggle like that of

Hercules and Antaeus, so desperate and mighty was the strength put forth on either side, but nothing could

unclasp the iron grip of those sinewy arms, and almost as soon as Malcolm and Lilias had eyes to see what

was passing, Walter Stewart was being dragged off his horse by that tremendous grapple, and the next

His conqueror set his mailed foot upon his neck lightly, but so as to prevent any attempt to rise, and after one

moment's pause to gather breath, said in a clear deep trumpet voice, 'Walter Stewart of Albany, on one

condition I grant thee thy life. It is that thou take the most solemn oath on the spot that no spulzie or private

brawl shall henceforth stain that hand of thine while thy father holds the power in Scotland. Take that oath,

thou livest: refuse it, and' He held up the deadly little dagger called the misericorde.

'And who art thou, caitiff landlouper,' muttered Walter, 'to put to oath knights and princes?'

The knight raised the visor of his helmet. The evening sun shone resplendently on his damasked blue armour

and the St. Andrew's cross on his breast, and lighted up that red fire that lurked in his eyes, and withal the

calm power and righteous indignation on his features might have befitted an avenging angel wielding the

'Thou wilt know me when we meet again,' was all he said; and for the very calmness of the voice the Master

of Albany, who was but a mere commonplace insolent ruffian, quailed with awe and terror to the very

Sir James, before removing his foot, unclasped his gorget, and undoing a chain, held up a jewel shaped like a

St. Andrew's cross, with a diamond in the midst, covering a fragmentary relic. At the sight Walter Stewart's

eyes, large pale ones, dilated as if with increased consternation, the sweat started on his forehead, and his

breath came in shorter gasps. Malcolm and Lilias, standing near, likewise felt a sense of strange awe, for they

too had heard of this relic, a supposed fragment of St. Andrew's own instrument of martyrdom, which had

belonged to St. Margaret, and had been thought a palladium to the royal family and House of Stewart.

'Rise on thy knees,' said Sir James, now taking away his foot, 'and swear upon this.'

Walter, completely cowed and overawed, rose to his knees at his victor's command, laid his hand on the relic,

and in a shaken, almost tremulous voice, repeated the words of the oath after his dictation: 'I, Walter Stewart,

Master of Albany, hereby swear to God and St. Andrew, to fight in no private brawl, to spoil no man nor

woman, to oppress no poor man, clerk, widow, maid, or orphan, to abstain from all wrong or spulzie from

He uttered the words, and kissed the jewel that was tendered to him; and then Sir James said, in the same cold

and dignified tone, 'Let thine oath be sacred, or beware. Now, mount and go thy way, but take heed HOW I

Sir Walter's horse was held for him by Brewster, the knight's English attendant, and without another word he

flung himself into the saddle, and rode away to join such of his followers as were waiting dispersed at a safe

'Oh, Sir!' burst forth Malcolm; but then, even as he was about to utter his thanks, his eye sought for the

guardian who had ever been his mouthpiece, and, with a sudden shriek of dismay, he cried, 'My uncle! where

'Alack! alack!' cried Lilias. 'Oh, brother, I saw him on the ground; he fell before my horse. I saw no more, for

'Yea, let us back,' said Sir James, 'if we may yet save the good old man. Those villains will not dare to follow;

'Not at all, lady,' replied Sir James, smiling; 'you will do better to take your seat; I fear it must be en croupe,

'She shall ride behind me,' said Malcolm, in a more alert and confident voice than had ever been heard from

'Ay, right,' said Sir James, placing a kind hand on his shoulder; 'thou hast won her back by thine own exploit,

and mayst well have the keeping of her. That rush on the caitiff groom was well and shrewdly done.'

And for all Malcolm's anxiety for his uncle, his heart had never given such a leap as at finding himself

suddenly raised from the depressed downtrodden coward into something like manhood and self respect.

Lilias, who, like most damsels of her time, was hardy and active, saw no difficulties in the mode of

conveyance, and, so soon as Malcolm had seated himself on horseback, she placed one foot upon his toe, and

with a spring of her own, assisted by Sir James's wellpractised hand, was instantly perched on the crupper,

clasping her brother round the waist with her arms, and laying her head on his shoulder in loving pride at his

exploit, while for her further security Sir James threw round them both the long plaid that had so lately bound

'Dear Malcolm'and her whisper fell sweetly on his ear'it will be bonnie tidings for Patie that thou didst

loose me all thyself. The false tyrant, to fall on us the very hour Patie was on the salt sea.'

But they were riding so fast that there was scant possibility for words; and, besides, Sir James kept too close

to them for private whispers. In about an hour's time they had crossed the bit of table land that formed the

moor, and descended into another little gorge, which was the place where the attack had been made upon the

This was where it was possible that they might find Sir David; but no trace was to be seen, except that the

grass was trampled and stained with blood. Perhaps, both Lilias and old Halbert suggested, some of their

people had returned and taken him to the Abbey of Coldingham, and as this was by far the safest lodging and

refuge for her and her brother, the horses' heads were at once turned thitherwards.

The grand old Priory of Coldingham, founded by King Edgar, son of Margaret the Saint, and of Malcolm

Ceanmohr, in testimony of his gratitude for his recovery of his father's throne from the usurper Donaldbane,

was a Benedictine monastery under the dominion of the great central Abbey of Durham.

It had been a great favourite with the Scottish kings of that glorious dynasty which sprung from Margaret of

Wessex, and had ample estates, which, when it was in good hands, enabled it to supply the manifold purposes

of an ecclesiastical school, a model farm, a harbour for travellers, and a fortified castle. At this period, the

Prior, John de Akecliff, or Oakcliff, was an excellent man, a great friend of Sir David Drummond, and much

disliked and persecuted by the House of Albany, so that there was little doubt that this would be the first

Accordingly Malcolm and his companions rode up to the chief gateway, a grand circular archway, with all

the noble though grotesque mouldings, zigzag and cable, dogtooth and parrotbeak, visages human and

diabolic, wherewith the Norman builders loved to surround their doorways. The doors were of solid oak,

heavily guarded with iron, and from a little wicket in the midst peered out a cowled head, and instantly

'Benedicite! Welcome, my Lord Malcolm! Ah! but this will ease the heart of the Tutor of Glenuskie!'

'Here, Sir, but in woful plight; borne in an hour syne by four carles who said you had been set upon by the

Master of Albany, and sair harried, and they say the Tutor doth nought but wail for his bairns. How won ye

'Thanks to this good knight,' said Malcolm; and the gate was opened, and the newcomers dismounted to

pass under the archway, which taught humility. A number of the brethren met them as they came forth into

the first quadrangle, surrounded by a beautiful cloister, and containing what was called Edgar's Walls, a

house raised by the good founder, for his own lodging and that of visitors, within the monastery. It was a

narrow building, about thirty feet from the church, was perfectly familiar to Malcolm, who bent his steps at

once thither, among the congratulations of the monks; and Lilias was not prevented from accompanying him

thus far within the convent, but all beyond the nave of the church was forbidden ground to her sex, though the

original monastery destroyed by the Danes had been one of the double foundations for monks and nuns.

Entering the building, the brother and sister hastily crossed a sort of outer hall to a chamber where Sir David

lay on his bed, attended by the Prior Akecliff and the Infirmarer. The glad tidings had already reached him,

and he held out his hands, kissed and blessed his restored charges, and gave thanks with all his heart; but

there was a strange wanness upon his face, and a spasm of severe pain crossed him more than once, though,

as Lilias eagerly asked after his hurts, he called them nothing, since he had her safe again, and then bade

Sir James Stewart had been left in the hall without, to the hospitality of the monks; he had laid aside his

helmet, washed his face, and arranged his bright locks, and as he rose to follow Malcolm, his majestic stature

As he entered the chamber, Sir David slightly raised himself on the pillow, and, with his eyes dilating into a

'No,' muttered the sick man, sinking back. 'Good King Robert has been in his grave many a day; his sons,

woe is me!Sir,' recovering himself, 'pardon the error of an old dying man, who owes you more than he can

'Then, Sir,' said James Stewart, 'grant me the favour of a few moments' private speech with you. I will not

His manner was never one to be disputed, there was an atmosphere of obedience about the whole monastery,

'Yes, my children, it is but fitting that you should give thanks in the church for your unlookedfor

Malcolm was forced to lead Lilias away into the exquisite cross church, built in the loveliest Early English

style, of which a few graceful remnants still exist. The two young things knelt together hand in hand in the

lornness of their approaching desolation, neither of them having dared to utter the foreboding upon their

hearts, but feeling it all the more surely; and while the sister's spirit longed fervently after him whose

protection had been only just removed, the brother looked up to the sheltering vaults, lost in the tranquil

twilight, and felt that here alone was his haven of peace, the refuge for the feeble and the fatherless.

Their devotions performed, they ventured back to the outer hall, and on their return being notified, they were

again admitted. Sir James, who had been seated on a stool by the sick man's head, immediately rose and

resigned his place to Lilias, but did not leave the room and Sir David thus spoke: 'Bairns, God in His mercy

hath raised you up the best of guardians in the stead of your ain poor Tutor. Malcolm, laddie, you will ride

the morn with this gentleman to the true head of your name, your ain King, whom God for ever bless!' His

voice quivered. 'And be it your study so to profit by his example and nurture, as to do your devoir by him for

'If you call me father, do my bidding,' said Sir David. 'Lily can be safely bestowed with the good Sisters of St.

Abbs, nor while you are out of Albany's reach is the poor lassie worth his molesting; but when I am gone,

your uncles of Albany and Athole become your tutors, and the Prior has no power to save you. Only over the

Border with the King is there safety from them, and your ruin is the ruin of your sister.'

'And,' added Sir James, 'when the King is at liberty, or when you yourself are of age, you will return to

resume the charge of your fair sister, unless some nearer protector be found. Meantime,' he laid one hand on

Malcolm's head, and with the other took out the relic which had had so great an effect upon Walter Stewart, 'I

swear on this holy Rood of St. Andrew, that Malcolm Stewart of Glenuskie shall be my charge, not merely as

'Father,' broke out the poor boy again, 'you cannot mean to part us! Let us abide as we have been till I am of

'And,' added Sir David, 'I tell you, lad, that I shall never be as I was before, and that were I a whole man and

sain, riding back to Glenuskie the morn, I should still bless the saints and bid you gang.'

Rarely did the youth of the fifteenth century venture to question the authority of an elder, but Malcolm was

only silenced for a moment, and though by no means understanding that his guardian believed his injuries

mortal, he threw himself upon the advice of the Prior, whom he entreated to allow him to judge for himself,

and to remain to protect his sisterhe talked boldly of protecting her after this day's exploit. But Prior

Akecliff gave him no more encouragement than did his uncle. The Benedictine vows were out of the question

till he should be eighteen, and the renunciation of the world they involved would be ruinous to Lilias, since

she would become his heiress. Moreover, the Prior himself was almost in a state of siege, for the Regent was

endeavouring to intrude on the convent one Brother William Drake, or Drax, by his own nomination, instead

of the canonical appointment emanating from Durham, and as national feeling went with the Regent's

nominee, it was by no means certain that the present Prior would be able to maintain his position.

'Oh, go! yes, go, dear brother,' entreated Lilias. 'I should be far happier to know you in safety. They cannot

'He could not harm her in St. Ebba's fold,' returned the Prior. 'The Abbess herself could not yield her; and, as

you have so often been told, my young Lord, your absence is a far greater protection to your sister than your

presence. Moreover, were the Tutor's mind at rest, there would be far better hope of his recovery.'

There was no alternative, and Malcolm could not but submit. Lilias was to be conducted before daybreak to

the monastery of St. Abbs, about six miles off, whence she could be summoned at any time to be with her

uncle in Coldingham; and Malcolm was to set off at daybreak with the captive knight, whose return to

Poor children! while Sir James Stewart was in the Prior's chamber, they sat silent and mournful by the

bedside where their guardian lay dozing, even till the bell for Matins summoned them in common with all the

other inmates of the convent; they knelt on the floor of the candlelit church, and held each other's hands as

they prayed; Lilias still the stronger and more hopeful, while Malcolm, as he looked up at those dear familiar

vaultings, felt as if he were a bird driven from its calm peaceful nest to battle with the tossing winds and

It was still dark when the service had ended, and Prior Akecliff came towards them. 'Daughter,' he said to

Lilias, 'we deem it safer that you should ride to St. Abbs ere daylight. Your palfrey is ready, the Mother

Priors were not people to be kept waiting, and as it was reported that the Tutor of Glenuskie was still asleep,

Lilias had to depart without taking leave of him. With Malcolm the last words were spoken while crossing

the court. 'Fear not, Lily; my heart will only weary till the Church owns me, and Patie has you.'

'Nay, my Malcolm; mayhap, as the Prior tells me, your strength and manhood will come in the south country.'

'It were no cheat. There never was any compact. Patie is winning his fortune by his own sword; he would

'Hush, Lily! When the King sees what a weakling Sir James has brought him, he will be but too glad to

But here they were under the archway, and the convoy of armed men, whom the exigencies of the time forced

the convent to maintain, were already mounted. Sir James stood ready to assist the lady to her saddle, and

with one long earnest embrace the brother and sister were parted, and Lilias rode away with the Prior by her

side, letting the tears flow quietly down her cheeks in the darkness, and but half hearing the long arguments

by which good Father Akecliff was proving to her that the decision was the best for both Malcolm and

By and by the dawn began to appear, the air of the March night became sharper, and in the distance the

murmur and plash of the tide was heard. Then, standing heavy and dark against the clear pale eastern sky,

there arose the dark mass of St. Ebba's monastery, the parent of Coldingham, standing on the very verge of

the cliff to which it has left the name of St. Abb's Head, upon ground which has since been undermined by

the waves, and has been devoured by them. The sea, far below, calmly brightened with the brightening sky,

and reflected the morning stars in a lucid track of light, strong enough to make the lights glisten red in the

convent windows. Lilias was expected, was a frequent guest, and had many friends there, and as the sweet

sound of the Lauds came from the chapel, and while she dismounted in the court the concluding 'Amen'

swelled and died away, she, though no convent bird, felt herself in a safe home and shelter under the wing of

kind Abbess Annabel Drummond, and only mourned that Malcolm, so much tenderer and more shrinking

than herself, should be driven into the unknown world that he dreaded so much more than she did.

The sun had not long been shining on the dark walls of St. Ebba's monastery, before the lowbrowed gate of

Coldingham Priory opened to let pass the guests of the previous night. Malcolm had been kissed and blessed

by his guardian, and bidden to transfer his dutiful obedience to his new protector; and somewhat comforted

by believing Sir David to be mending since last night, he had rent himself away, and was riding in the frosty

morning air beside the kinsman who had so strangely taken charge of him, and accompanied by Sir James's

tall old Scottish squire, by the English groom, and by Malcolm's own servant, Halbert.

For a long space there was perfect silence: and as Malcolm began to detach his thoughts from all that he had

left behind, he could not help being struck with the expressions that flitted over his companion's countenance.

For a time he would seem lost in some deep mournful reverie, and his head drooped as if in sadness or

perplexity; then a sudden gleam would light up his face, as if a brilliant project had occurred to him, his lips

would part, his eyes flash, he would impel his horse forward as though leading a charge, or lift up his head

with kindling looks, like one rehearsing a speech; but ever a check would come on him in the midst, his

mouth closed in dejection, his brow drew together in an anguish of impatience, his eyelids drooped in

weariness, and he would ride on in deep reflection, till roused perhaps by the flight of a moorfowl, or the

rush of a startled roe, he would hum some gay French huntingsong or plaintive Scottish ballad.

Scarcely a word had been uttered, until towards noon, on the borders of a little narrow valley, the merry

sound of bells clashed up to their ears, and therewith sounds of music. ''Tis the toon of Christ's Kirk on the

Green,' said the squire, as Sir James looked at him for information, 'where we were to bait. Methought in Lent

''Tis Midlent week, you pagan,' replied Sir James. 'These good folk have come amothering, and a share of

'Sir,' entreated the squire, 'were it not more prudent of you to tarry without, and let me fetch provisions?'

So saying, Sir James rode eagerly forward; Malcolm following, not without wonder at not having been

consulted, for though kept in strict discipline by his uncle, it had always been with every courtesy due to his

rank as a king's grandson; and the cousins, from whom he had suffered, were of the same rank with himself.

Did this wandering landless knight, now he had him in his power, mean to disregard all that was his due? But

when Sir James turned round his face sparkling with goodhumour and amusement, and laughed as he said,

'Now then for the humours of a Scottish fair!' all his offended dignity was forgotten.

The greensward was surrounded by small huts and hovels; a little old stone church on one side, and a hostel

near it, shadowed by a single tall elm, beneath which was the very centre of the village wake. Not only was it

Midlent, but the day was the feast of a local saint, in whose honour Lenten requirements were relaxed. Monks

and priests were there in plenty, and so were jugglers and maskers, Robin Hood and Marion, gleemen and

harpers, merchants and hucksters, masterful beggars and sorners, shepherds in gray mauds with wise collies

at their feet, shrewd old carlines with their winter's spinning of yarn, lean wolflike borderers peaceable for

the nonce, merry lasses with towlike locks floating from their snoods, all seen by the intensely glittering sun

Nigel, the squire, sighed in despondency; and Malcolm, who hated crowds, and knew himself a mark for the

rude observations of a free spoken populace, shrank up to him, when Sir James, nodding in time to the tones

of a bagpipe that was playing at the hostel door, flung his bridle to Brewster the groom, laughed at his glum

and contemptuous looks, merrily hailed the gudewife with her brown face and big silver earrings, seated

himself on the bench at the long wooden table under the great garland of firboughs, willow catkins, and

primroses, hung over the boughs of the tree, crossed himself, murmured his Benedictus benedicat, drew his

dagger, carved a slice of the haunch of ox on the table, offered it to the reluctant Malcolm, then helping

himself, entered into conversation with the lean friar on one side of him, and the stalwart manatarms

opposite, apparently as indifferent as the rest of the company to the fact that the uncovered boards of the table

were the only trenchers, and the salt and mustard were taken by the point of each man's dagger from common

receptacles dispersed along the board. Probably the only person really disgusted or amazed was the English

Brewster, who, though too cautious to express a word of his feelings, preserved the most complete silence,

Nor when the meal was over was Sir James disposed to heed the wistful looks of his attendants, but wandered

off to watch the contest in archery at the butts, where arrow after arrow flew wide of the clout, for the

strength of Scotland did not lie in the longbow, and Albany's edict that shooting should be practised on

Sir James at first laughed merrily at the extraordinary screwings of visage and contortions of attitude, and the

useless demonstration of effort with which the clowns aimed their shafts and drew their bow, sometimes to

find the arrow on the grass at their feet, sometimes to see it producing consternation among the bystanders;

but when he saw Brewster standing silently apart, viewing their efforts with a scorn visible enough in the

dead stolidity of his countenance, he murmured a bitter interjection, and turned away with folded arms and

Nigel again urged their departure, but at that moment the sweet notes of a long narrative ballad began to

sound to the accompaniment of a harp, and he stood motionless while the wild mournful ditty told of the

Large tears were dropping from under the hand with he veiled his emotion; and when Nigel touched his cloak

to remind him that the horses were ready, he pressed the old man's hand, saying, with a sigh, 'I heard that last

at my father's knee! It rung in my ears for many a year! Here, lad!' and dropping a gold coin into the wooden

bowl carried round by the blind minstrel's attendant, he was turning away, when the gleeman, detecting

"It fell about the Lammas tide, When moormen win their hay, The doughty Earl of Douglas rode Into

Again he stood transfixed, beating time with his hand, his eyes beaming, his hips moving as he followed the

spiritstirring ballad; and then, as Douglas falls, and is laid beneath the bracken bush, unseen by his men, and

he sobbed without disguise; and no sooner was the ballad ended than he sprang forward to the harper, crying,

'The ballad I MUST have,' exclaimed Sir James, trying to shake him off. 'It moves the heart more than aught I

'_I_ know the ballad,' said Malcolm, half in impatience, half in contempt. 'I could sing every word of it.

'Nayhear you, Sirthe lad can sing it,' reiterated Nigel; and Sir James, throwing the promised guerdon to

the minstrel, let himself be led away to the front of the inn; but there was a piper, playing to a group of

dancers, and as if his feet could not resist the fascination, Sir James held out his hand to the first comely lass

he saw disengaged, and in spite of the steelguarded boots that he wore, answered foot for foot, spring for

spring, to the deft manoeuvres of her shoeless feet, with equal agility and greater grace. Nigel frowned more

than ever at this exhibition, and when the knight had led his panting partner to a seat, and called for a tankard

of ale for her refreshment, he remonstrated more seriously still. 'Sir, the gates of Berwick will be shut.'

'And who knows if some of yon landloupers be not of Walter Stewart's meine? Granted that they ken not

yourself, that lad is only too ken speckle. Moreover, you ye made free enough with your siller to set the

'Twenty mile to Berwickgate,' said Sir James, carelessly; 'nor need you ever look behind you at jades like

theirs. Nay, friend, I come, since you grudge me for once the sight of a little wholesome glee among my own

He mounted, however, and put his horse to as round a pace as could be maintained by the whole party with

At the gates of Berwick, then in English hands, be gave a password, and was admitted, he bade Nigel

conduct Lord Malcolm to an inn, explaining that it was his duty to present himself to the governor; and, being

detained to sup with him, was seen no more till they started the next morning. The governor rode out with

them some ten miles, with a strong guard of spearmen; and after parting with him they pushed on to the

After the first day's journey, Malcolm was amazed to see Sir James mount without any of his defensive

armour, which was piled on the spare horse; his head was covered by a chaperon, or flat cap with a short

curtain to it, and his sword was the only weapon he retained. Nigel was also nearly unarmed, and Sir James

advised Malcolm himself to lay aside the light hawberk he wore; then, at his amazed look, said, 'Poor lad! he

never saw the day when he could ride abroad scathless. When will the breadth of Scotland be as safe as these

He was very kind to his young companion, treating him in all things like a guest, pointing out what was

worthy of note, and explaining what was new and surprising. Malcolm would have asked much concerning

the King, to whom he was bound, but these questions were the only ones Sir James put aside, saying that his

kinsman would one day learn that it ill beseemed those who were about a king's person to speak of him

One night was spent at Durham, the parent of Coldingham, and here Malcolm felt at home, far more grand as

was that mighty cathedral institution. There it stood, with the Weir encircling it, on its own fair though

mighty hill, with all the glory of its Norman mister and lovely Ladychapel; yet it seemed to the boy more

'The peace of God rests on the place,' he said, when Sir James asked his thoughts as he looked back at the

grand mass of buildings. 'These are the only spots where the holy and tender can grow, like the Palestine

'Let us hear what you say in a month's time,' replied the knight, lightly: then dreaming over the words.

A few days more, and they were riding among the lovely rock and woodland scenery of Yorkshire, when

suddenly there leaped from behind a bush three or four young men, with a loud shout of 'Stand.'

'Reivers!' thought Malcolm, sick with dismay, as the foremost grasped Sir James's bridle; but the latter

'Ay, when such prizes are errant,' said the assailant and Sir James, springing from his horse, embraced him

and his companion with a cordiality that made Malcolm not a little uneasy. Could he have been kidnapped by

'You are strict to your time,' said the chief robber. 'I knew you would be. So, when Ned Marmion came to

Beverley, and would have us to see his hunting at Tanfield, we came on thinking to meet you. Marmion here

has a nooning spread in the forest; ere we go on to Thirsk, where I have a matter to settle between two

wrongheaded churls. How has it been with you, Jamie? you have added to your meine.'

'Ah, Hal! never in all your cutpurse days did you fall on such an emprise as I have achieved.'

'Let us hear,' said Hal, linking his arm in Sir James's, who turned for a moment to say, 'Take care of the lad,

'Kinsman!' thought Malcolm; 'do all wandering Stewarts claim kin to the blood royal?' but then, as he looked

at Sir James's stately head, he felt that no assumption could be unbecoming in one of such a presence, and so

kind to himself; and, ashamed of the moment's petulance, dismounted, and, as John said, 'This is the way to

our noon meat,' he let himself be conducted through the trees to a glade, sheltered from the wind, where a

Lenten though not unsavoury meal of bread, dried fish, and eggs was laid out on the grass, in a bright warm

sunshine; and Hal, declaring himself to have a hunter's appetite, and that he knew Jamie had been starved in

Scotland, and was as lean as a greyhound, seated himself on the grass, and to Malcolm's extreme surprise, not

While the meal was being eaten, Malcolm studied the strangers. Lord Marmion was a goodhumoured,

heartylooking young Yorkshireman, but the other two attracted his attention far more. They were evidently

brothers, one perhaps just above, the other just below, thirty; both of the most perfect mould of symmetry,

activity, and strength, though perhaps more inclining to agility than robustness. Both were fair

complexioned, and wore no beard; but John was the paler, graver, and more sedate, and his aquiline profile

had an older look than that borne by Hal's perfectly regular features. It would have been hard to define what

instantly showed the seniority of his brother, for the clearness of his colouringbright red and white like a

lady'shis short, wellmoulded chin, and the fresh earnestness and animation of his countenance, gave an

air of perpetual youth in spite of the scar of an arrow on the cheek which told of at least one battle; but there

were those manifestations of being used to be the first which are the evident tokens of elder sonship, and the

lordly manner more and more impressed Malcolm. He was glad that his own Sir James was equal in dignity,

as well as superior in height, and he thought the terrible red lightning of those auburn eyes would be

impossible to the sparkling azure eyes of the Englishman, steadfast, keen, and brilliant unspeakably though

they were; but so soon as Sir James seemed to have made his explanation, the look was most winningly

turned on him, a hand held out, and he was thus greeted: 'Welcome, my young Prince Malcolm; I am happy

that your cousin thinks so well of our cheer, that he has brought you to partake it.'

'His keeper, Somerset,' thought Malcolm, as he bowed stiffly; 'he seems to treat me coolly enough. I come to

serve my King,' he said, but he was scarcely heard; for as Hal unbuckled his sword before sitting down on the

grass, he thrust into his bosom a small black volume, with which he seemed to have been beguiling the time;

'There goes Godfrey de Bulloin. I tell you, Jamie, 'tis well you are come! Now have I some one to speak with.

Ever since Harry borrowed my Lady of Westmoreland's book of the Holy War, he has not had a word to fling

'Ah!' said Sir James, 'I saw a book, indeed, of the Holy Land! It would tempt him too much to hear how near

'The "Itinerarium of Adamnanus,"' replied Malcolm, blushing at the sudden appeal.

'Ha! I've heard of it,' cried the English knight. 'I sent to half the convent libraries to beg the loan when Gilbert

de Lannoy set forth for the survey of Palestine. Does the Monk of Iona tell what commodity of landing there

Malcolm had the seaport towns at his fingers' ends, and having in the hard process of translation, and

reading and rereading one of the few books that came into his hands, nearly mastered the contents, he was

nor had he ever before found his accomplishments treated as aught but matters of scorn among the princes

'Good! good!' said Sir Harry at last. 'Well read, and clearly called to mind. The stripling will do you credit,

Cousin! was it English fashion to make a cousin of everybody? But gentle, humble Malcolm had no

resentment in him, and felt gratified at the friendly tone of so grand and manlylooking a knight. 'At home,'

'That is where you Scots love to haunt! But know you how they are served there? I have seen the gibbet

where the Mayor of Paris hung two clerks' sons for loving his daughters over well!'

'The clerks' twa sons of Owsenford that were foully slain!' cried Malcolm, his face lighting up. 'Oh, Sir, have

'What? were they friends of yours?' asked Hal, much amused, and shaking his head merrily at Sir James. 'Ill

'Only in a ballad,' said Malcolm, colouring, 'that tells how at Yuletide the ghosts came to their mother with

'A rare ballad must that be!' exclaimed Hal. 'Canst sing it? Or are you weary?Marmion, prithee tell some of

'His own harp is with ours,' said Sir James; 'he will make a better figure therewith.'

At his sign, the attendant, Nigel, the only person besides Lord Marmion of Tanfield who had been present at

the meal, besides the two Stewarts and the English brothers, rose and disappeared between the trees, beyond

which a hum of voices, an occasional laugh, and the stamping of horses and jingling of bridles, betokened

that a good many followers were in waiting. Malcolm's harp was quickly brought, having been slung in its

case to the saddle of Halbert's horse; and as he had used it to beguile the last evening's halt, it did not need

much tuning. Surprised as his princely notions were at being commanded rather than requested to sing, the

sweet encouraging smile and tone of kind authority banished all hesitation in complying, and he gave the

ballad of the Clerks' Twa Sons of Owsenford with much grace and sweetness, while the weakness of his

voice was compensated by the manlier strains with which Sir James occasionally chimed in. Then, as Harry

gave full meed of appreciative praise and thanks, Sir James said, 'Lend me thine harp, Malcolm; I have learnt

thy song now; and thou, Harry, must hear and own how far our Scottish minstrelsy exceeds thy boasted

And forth rang in all the mellow beauty of his voice that most glorious of ballads, the Battle of Otterburn, as

much more grand than it had been when he heard it from the gleeman or from Malcolm, as a magnificent

voice, patriotic enthusiasm, and cultivation and refinement, could make it. He had lost himself and all around

in the passion of the victory, the pathos of the death. But no such bright look of thanks recompensed him.

Harry's face grew dark, and he growled, 'Douglas dead? Ay, he wins more fields so than alive! I wish you

''Tis ill keeping the scholars in bounds when the master is away,' returned Sir James.

'Well, by this time Tom has taught them how to transgresssent them home with the long scourge from

robbing orchards in Anjou. He writes to me almost with his foot in the stirrup, about to give Douglas and

Buchan a lesson. I shall make short halts and long stages south. This is too far off for tidings.'

'True,' said Sir John, with a satirical curl of the lip; 'above all, when fair ladies brook not to ink their ivory

'There spake the envious fiend,' laughed the elder brother. 'John bears not the sight of what he will not or

'I'll never be chained to a lady's litter, nor be forced to loiter till her wimple is pinned,' retorted John. 'Nor do I

'One would have cancelled the other, as grammarians tell us,' said Harry, 'if thy charms, John, had cancelled

thine hook nose! I would they had, ere her first marriage. Humfrey will burn his fingers there, and we must

hasten back to look after that among other things.My Lord Marmion,' he added, starting hastily up, and

calling to him as he stood at some distance conversing with the Scottish Nigel, 'so please you, let us have the

horses;' and as the gentleman hastened to give the summons, he said, 'We shall make good way now. We

shall come on Watling Street. Ha, Jamie, when shall we prove ourselves better men than a pack of Pagan

Romans, by having a set of roads fit for man or beast, of our own making instead of theirs half decayed?

Look where I will, in England or France, their roads are the same in buildfirm as the world itself, straight

as arrows. An army is off one's mind when once one gets on a Roman way. I'll learn the trick, and have them

from Edinburgh to Bordeaux ere ten years are out; and then, what with traffic and converse with the world,

and ready justice, neither Highland men minor Gascons will have leisure or taste for robbery.'

'Perhaps Gascons and Scots will have a voice in the matter,' said James, a little stiffly; and the horses being

by this time brought, Sir Harry mounted, and keeping his horse near that of young Malcolm, to whom he had

evidently taken a fancy, he began to talk to him in so friendly and winning a manner, that he easily drew from

the youth the whole history of his acquaintance with Sir James Stewart, of the rescue of his sister, and the

promise to conduct him to the captive King of Scots, as the only means of saving him from his rapacious

'Know him?' said Harry, turning round to scan the boy with his merry blue eye. 'I know himyes; that as far

'Eh! that's as you may take him. I would not be one of yonder Scots under his hands!'

'Has he learned to hate his own countrymen?' asked Malcolm, in an awestricken voice.

'Hate? I trow he has little to love them for. He is a good fellow enough, my young lord, when left to himself;

A courier rode up at the moment, and presented some letters, which Sir Harry at once opened and read,

beckoning his brother and Sir James to his side, while Malcolm rode on in their wake, in a state of dismay

and bewilderment. Nigel and Lord Marmion were together at so great an interval that he could not fall back

on them, nor learn from them who these brothers were. And there was something in the ironical suppressed

pity with which Harry had spoken of his prospects with the King of Scots, that terrified him all the more,

because he knew that Sir James and Nigel would both hold it unworthy of him to have spoken freely of his

own sovereign with an Englishman. Would James be another Walter? and, if so, would Sir James Stewart

protect him? He had acquired much affection for, and strong reliance on, the knight; but there was something

The smooth line of Watling Street at length opened into the old town of Thirsk, and here bells were ringing,

flags flying from the steeple, music sounded, a mayor and his corporation in their robes rode slowly forth,

crowds lined the roadside, caps were flung up, and a tremendous shout arose, 'God save King Harry!'

Malcolm gazed about more utterly discomfited. There was 'Harry,' upright on his horse, listening with a

gracious smile, while the mayor rehearsed a speech about welcome and victories, and the hopeful queen, and,

what was still more to the purpose, tendered a huge pair of gauntlets, each filled to the brim, one with gold,

'Eh! Thanks, Master Mayor, but these gloves must be cleared, ere there is room for me to use them in battle!'

And handing the gold glove to his brother, he scattered the contents of the silver one far and wide among the

populace, who shouted their blessings louder than ever, and thus he reached the marketplace. There all was

'Heigh now, Sirs,' said Harry, 'have we not wars enough toward without these mummings of vanity?'

'This is no show, my Lord King,' returned the mayor, abashed. 'This is deadly earnest. These are two

honourable gentlemen of Yorkshire, who are come hither to fight out their quarrel before your Grace.'

'Two honourable foolsheads!' muttered Harry; then, raising his voice, 'Come hither, gentlemen, let us hear

The two gentlemen were big Yorkshiremen, heavybrowed, and their native shrewdness packed far away

behind a bumpkin stolidity and surliness that barely allowed them to show respect to the King.

'So please you, Sir,' growled the first in his throat, 'here stands Christopher Kitson of Barrowbridge, ready to

avouch himself a true man, and prove in yonder fellow's teeth that it was not a broken kneed beast that I sent

up for a heriard to my Lord Archbishop when my father died; but that he of Easingwold is a black slanderer

'And here,' shouted the other, 'stands honest William Trenton of Easingwold, ready to thrust his lies down his

throat, and prove on his body that the heriard he sent to my Lord Archbishop was a sorry jade.'

'And,' proceeded the doughty Kitson, as though repeating a lesson, 'having vainly pleaded the matter these

nine years, we are come to demand licence to fight it out, with lance, sword, and dagger, in your royal

'My licence is given for a combat a l'outrance,' said Henry; but, as they were about to flounder back on their

big farmhorses, he raised his voice to a thundering sound: 'Solely on this condition, that he who slays his

neighbour, be he Trenton or Kitson, shall hang for the murder ere I leave Thirsk.'

There was a recoil, and the mayor himself ventured to observe something about the judgment of God, and

'And I say,' thundered Henry, and his blue eyes seemed to flame with vehement indignation, 'I say that the

ordeal of battle is shamefully abused, and that it is a taking of God's nameay, and man's lifein vain, to

appeal thereto on every coxcomb's quarrel, risking the life that was given him to serve God's ends, not his

own sullen fancy. I will have an end of such things!And you, gentlemen, since the heriard is dead, or too

old to settle the question, shake hands, and if you must let blood, come to France with me next month, and

'So please you, Sir,' grumbled Kitson, 'there's Mistress Agnes of Mineshull; she's been in doubt between the

two of us these five years, and she'd promised to wed whichever of us got the better.'

'I'll settle her mind for her! Whichever I find foremost among the French, I'll send home to her a knight, and

He then dismounted, and was conducted into the townhall, where a banquet was prepared, taking by the

hand Sir James Stewart, and followed by his brother John, and by Malcolm, who felt as though his brain were

turning, partly with amazement, partly with confusion at his own dulness, as he perceived that not only was

the freespoken Hal, Henry of Monmouth, King of England, but that his wandering benefactor, the captive

knight, whose claim of kindred he had almost spurned, was his native sovereign, James the First of Scotland.

Malcolm understood it at last. In the great chamber where he was bidden to wait within 'Nigel' till 'Sir James'

came from a private conference with 'Harry,' he had all explained to him, but within a curtness and brevity

The squire Nigel was in fact Sir Nigel Baird, Baron of Bairdsbrae, the gentleman to whom poor King Robert

II. had committed the charge of his young son James, when at fourteen he had been sent to France, nominally

for education, but in reality to secure him from the fate of his brother Rothsay.

Captured by English vessels on the way, the heir of Scotland had been too valuable a prize to be resigned by

the politic Henry IV., who had lodged him at Windsor Castle, together with Edmund Mortimer, earl of

March, and placed both under the nominal charge of the Prince of Wales, a youth of a few years older. Unjust

as was the detention, it had been far from severe; the boys had as much liberty as their age and recreation

required, and received the choicest training both in the arts of war and peace. They were bred up in close

intercourse with the King's own four sons, and were united with them by the warmest sympathy.

In fact, since usurpation had filled Henry of Lancaster's mind with distrust and jealousy, his eldest son had

been in no such enviable position as to be beyond the capacity of fellowfeeling for the royal prisoner.

Of a peculiarly frank, open, and affectionate nature, young Henry had so warmly loved the gentle and

fascinating Richard II., that his trust in the father, of whom he had seen little in his boyhood, had received a

severe shock through Richard's fate. Under the influence of a new, suspicious, and avaricious wife, the King

kept his son as much at a distance as possible, chiefly on the Welsh marches, learning the art of war under

Hotspur and Oldcastle; and when the father and son were brought together again, the bold, free bearing and

extraordinary ability of the Prince filled the suspicious mind of the King with alarm and jealousy. To keep

him down, give him no money, and let him gain no influence, was the narrow policy of the King; and Henry,

chafing, dreaming, feeling the injustice, and pining for occupation, shared his complaints within James, and

in many a daydream restored him freely to his throne, and together redressed the wrongs of the world.

Meantime, James studied deep in preparation, and recreated himself with poetry, inspired by the charms of

Joan Beaufort, the lovely daughter of the King's legitimatized brother, the Earl of Somerset; while Henry

persisted in a boy's passionate love to King Richard's maiden widow, Isabel of France. Entirely unrequited as

his affection was, it had a beneficial effect. Next after his deep sense of religion, it kept his life pure and

chivalrous. He was for ever faithful to his future wife, even when Isabel had been returned to France, and his

romantic passion had fixed itself on her younger sister Catherine, whom he endowed in imagination with all

Credited with every excess by the tongue of his stepmother, too activeminded not to indulge in freakish

sports and experiments in life very astounding to commonplace minds, sometimes when in dire distress even

helping himself to his unpaid allowance from his father's mails, and always with buoyant high spirits and

unfailing drollery that scandalized the grave seniors of the Court, there is full proof that Prince Hal ever kept

free from the gross vices which a later age has fancied inseparably connected with his frolics; and though

always in disgrace, the vexation of the Court, and a byword for mirth, he was true to the grand ideal he was

waiting to accomplish, and never dimmed the purity and loftiness of his aim. That little band of princely

youths, who sported, studied, laughed, sang, and schemed in the glades of Windsor, were strangely brought

togetherthe captive exiled King, the disinherited heir of the realm, and the sons of the monarch who held

the one in durance and occupied the throne of the other; and yet their affection had all the frank delight of

youthful friendship. The younger lads were in more favour with their father than was the elder. Thomas was

sometimes preferred to him in a mortifying manner, John's grave, quiet nature prevented him from ever

incurring displeasure, and Humfrey was the spoilt pet of the family; but nothing could lessen Harry's large

minded love of his brothers; and he was the idol and hero of the whole young party, who implicitly believed

in his mighty destinies as a renovator of the world, the deliverer of Jerusalem, and restorer of the unity and

'Harry the Fifth was crowned,' and with the full intention of carrying out his great dream. But his promise of

releasing James became matter of question. The House of Albany, who held the chief power in Scotland, had

bound Henry IV. over not to free their master; and it was plain that to send him home before his welcome

was ensured would be but tossing him on their spears. In vain James pleaded that he was no boy, and was

able to protect himself; and vowed that when the faithful should rally round his standard, he would be more

than a match for his enemies; or that if not, he would rather die free than live in bondage. Henry would not

listen, and insisted upon retaining him until he should himself be at leisure to bring him home with a high

hand, utterly disregarding his assurance that this would only be rendering him in the eyes of his subjects

Deeming himself a divinelyappointed redresser of wrongs, Henry was already beginning on his great work

of purifying Europe in preparation for his mighty Crusade; and having won that splendid victory which laid

distracted France at his feet, he only waited to complete the conquest as thoroughly and rapidly as might be;

and, lest his grand purpose should be obstructed, this great practical visionary, though full of kindness and

He had, however, been so far moved by James's entreaties, as to consent that when he himself offered his

devotions at the shrine of St. John of Beverley, the native saint who shared with the two cordwainers his

gratitude for the glories of 'Crispin Crispian's day,' his prisoner should, unknown to any save the few who

shared the pilgrimage, push on to reconnoitre his own country, and judge for himself, having first sworn to

reveal himself to no one, and to avoid all who could recognize him. James had visited Glenuskie within a

special view to profiting by the wisdom of Sir David Drummond, and had then been at Stirling, Edinburgh,

and Perth. On his way back, falling in with Malcolm in his distress, he had conceived the project of taking

him to England; and finding himself already more than half recognized by Sir David, had obtained his most

grateful and joyous consent. In truth, James's heart had yearned to his young cousin, his own situation had

become much more lonely of late; for Henry was no longer the comrade he had once been, since he had

become a keeper instead of a fellowsufferer. It was true that he did his best to forget this by lavishing

indulgences on his captive, and insisting on being treated on terms of brotherly familiarity; but though his

transcendent qualities commanded love, the intimacy could be but a semblance of the once equal friendship.

Moreover, that conspiracy which cost the life of the Earl of Cambridge had taught James that cautious reserve

was needed in dealing with even his old friends the princes, so easily might he be accused of plotting either

with Henry's immediate heir or with the Mortimers; and, in this guarded life, he had hailed with delight the

opportunity of taking to himself the young orphan cousin of kindred blood, of congenial tastes, and

homelike speech, whom he might treat at once as a younger brother and friend, and mould by and by into a

trusty counsellor and assistant. That peculiar wistfulness and gentleness of Malcolm's look and manner,

together with the refinement and intellect apparent to all who conversed with him without alarming him, had

won the King's heart, and made him long to keep the boy with him. As to Malcolm's longing for the cloister,

he deemed it the result of the weakly health and refined nature which shrank from the barbarism of the outer

world, and he thought it would pass away under shelter from the rude taunts of the fierce cousins, at a

distance from the well meaning exhortations of the monks, and at the spectacle of brave and active men who

could also be pious, conscientious, and cultivated. In the renewed sojourn at Windsor which James

apprehended, the training of such a youth as Malcolm of Glenuskie would be no small solace.

By the time Malcolm had learnt as much of all this as Sir Nigel Baird knew, or chose to communicate, the

King entered the room. He flung himself on his knees, exclaiming, with warm gratitude, as he kissed the

'I meant thee to ken little,' said James, smiling. 'Well, laddie, wilt thou share the prisoner's cell?Ay,

Bairdsbrae, you were a true prophet. Harry will do all himself, and will not hear of losing me to deal with my

own people at my own gate. No, no, he'll have me back with Southron bows and bills, so soon as this small

trifle of France lies quiet in his grasp! I had nearly flung back my parole in his face, and told him that no

English sword should set me on the Bruce's throne; but there is something in Harry of Monmouth that one

MUST love, and there are moments when to see and hear him one would as soon doubt the commission of an

'Scoff and chafe, Baird, but look at his work. Look at Normandy, freed from misrule and exaction, in peace

and order. Look at this land. Was ever king so loved? Or how durst he act as he did this day?'

'Nay, an it were so at home,' said Baird, 'I had as lief stay here as where a man is not free to fight out his own

feud. Even this sackless callant thought it shame to see two honest men baulked.'

'Poor Scotland!' sighed James. 'Woe is the land where such thoughts come readiest to grayhaired men and

innocent boys. I tell you, cousin, this precious right is the very cause that our poor country is so lawless and

bloody, that yon poor silly sparrow would fain be caged for fear of the kites and carrioncrows.'

'Alack, my Lord, let me but have my way. I cannot fight! Let Patrick Drummond have my sister and my

'I know all that,' said the King, kindly. 'There is time enough for settling that question; and meantime you will

not be spoilt for monk or priest by cheering me awhile in my captivity. I need you, laddie,' me added, laying

his hand on the boy's shoulder, with all the instinctive fascination of a Stewart. 'I lack a comrade of my own

'Books and masters you shall have,' continued James, 'such as for church or state, cathedral, cloister, or camp,

shall render you the meeter prince; and I pass you my royal word, that if at full age the cowl be your choice, I

will not gainsay you. Meantime, abide with me, and be the young brother I have yearned for.'

The King threw his arms round Malcolm, who felt, and unconsciously manifested, a strange bliss in that

embrace, even while fixed in his determination that nothing should make him swerve from his chosen path,

nor render him false to his promise to Patrick and Lilias. It was a strange change, from being despised and

downtrodden by fierce cousins, or only fondled, pitied, and treated with consideration by his own nearest

and dearest friends, to be the chosen companion of a king, and SUCH a king. Nor could it be a wile of Satan,

thought Malcolm, since James still promised him liberty of choice. He would ask counsel of a priest next

time he went to confession; and in the meantime, in the full tide of gratitude, admiration, and affection, he

gave himself up to the enjoyment of his new situation, and of time King's kindness and solicitude. This was

indeed absolutely that of an elder brother; for, observing that Malcolm's dress and equipments, the work of

Glenuskie looms, supplemented by a few Edinburgh purchases, was uncouth enough to attract some scornful

glances from the crowd who came out to welcome the royal entrance into York the next day, he instantly sent

Brewster in search of the best tailor and lorimer in the city, and provided so handsomely for the appearance

of young Glenuskie, his horse, and his attendants, that the whole floor of their quarters was strewn with

doublets, boots, chaperons, and gloves, saddles, bridles, and spurs, when the Duke of Bedford loitered into

the room, and began to banter James for thus (as he supposed) pranking himself out to meet the lady of his

love; and then bemoaned the fripperies that had become the rage in their once bachelor court, vowing,

between sport and earnest, that Hal was so enamoured of his fair bride, that anon the conquest of France

would be left to himself and his brother, Tom of Clarence; while James retorted by thrusts at Bedford's own

rusticity of garb, and by endeavouring to force on him a pair of shoes with points like ram's horns, as a

special passport to the favour of Dame Jaca lady who seemed to be the object of Duke John's great

Suddenly a voice was heard in the gallery of the great old mansion where they were lodged. 'John! John!

Here!Where is the Duke, I say?' It was thick and husky, as with some terrible emotion; and the King and

Duke had already started in dismay before the door was thrown open, and King Henry stood among them, his

'See here, John!' he said, holding out a letter; and then, with an accent of wrathful anguish, and a terrible

frown, he turned on James, exclaiming, 'I would send you to the Tower, Sir, did I think you had a hand in

Malcolm trembled, and sidled nearer his prince; while James, with an equally fierce look, replied, 'Hold, Sir!

Send me where you will, but dare not dishonour my name!' Then changing, as he saw the exceeding grief on

Henry's brow, and heard John's smothered cry of dismay, 'For Heaven's sake, Harry, what is it?'

'This!' said Henry, less loudly, less hotly, but still with an agony of indignation: 'Thomas is deadand by the

'Murdered by all honest laws of war, but on the battlefield,' said Henry. 'Your cousin of Buchan and old

Douglas fell on my brave fellows at Beauge, when they were spent with travel to stop the robberies in Anjou.

They closed in with their pikes on my brave fellows, took Somerset prisoner, and for Thomas, while he was

dealing with a knight named Swinton in front, the villain Buchan comes behind and cleaves his head in

'It was worthy of a son of Albany!' said James. 'Would that vengeance were in my power!'

'Ay, you loved him!' said Henry, grasping James's hand, his passion softened into a burst of tears, as he

wrung his prisoner's hand. 'Nay, who did not love him, my brave, freehearted brother? And that II should

have dallied here and left him to bear the brunt, and be cut off by you felon Scots!' And he hid his face,

struggling within an agony of heartrending grief, which seemed to sway his whole tall, powerful frame as he

leant against the high back of a chair; while John, together with James, was imploring him not to accuse

himself, for his presence had been needful at home; and, to turn the tenor of his thought, James inquired

'Not as yet,' said Henry; 'there is not a man left in that heaven abandoned crew who knows how to profit by

what they have got! but I must back again ere the devil stir them up a man of wit!And you, Sir, can you

'From Windsor? no,' said James; 'but set me in the saddle, let me learn war under such a captain as yourself,

and maybe they will not take the field against me; or if they do, the slayer of Clarence shall rue it.'

'Be it so,' said Henry, wringing his hand. 'You shall with me to France, Jamie, and see war. The Scots should

flock to the Lion rampant, and without them the French are mo better than deer, under the fool and murderer

they call Dauphin. Yet, alas! will any success give me back my brothermy brother, the brave and true?' he

added, weeping again within the ABANDON of an open nature and simple age. 'It was for my sins, my

forgetfulness of my great work, that this has come on me.Ho, Marmion! carry these tidings from me to the

Dean; pray him that the knell be tolled at the Minster, and a requiem sung for my brother and all who fell

with him. We will be there ourselves, and the mayor must hold us excused from his banquet; these men are

And, with his arm round the neck of his brother John, Henry left the room; and before another word could be

said, Sir Nigel was there, having only retired on the King's entrance. The news was of course all over the

house, and with an old attendant's freedom he exclaimed, 'So, Sir, the English have found tough cummers at

'Hout, would not the puir loons be glad enow of any gate of coming by a clout at the man's brother that keeps

'I'm no speaking ill of the lad Clarence himself,' said Nigel; 'he was a braw youth, leal and bold, and he has

died in his helm and spurs, as a good knight should. I'd wish none of these princes a waur ending. Moreover,

could Swinton have had the wit to keep him living, he'd have been a bonnie barter for you, my Lord; but ony

way the fight was a gallant one, and the very squire that brought the tidings cannot deny that our Scots fought

'Would Douglas but so fight in any good quarrel!' sighed the King. 'But what are you longing to ask,

Malcolm? Is it for your kinsman Patrick? I fear me that there is little chance of your hearing by name of him.'

'I wot not,' said Sir Nigel; 'I did but ask for that harebrained young cousin of mine, Davie Baird, that must

needs be off on this journey to France; and the squire tells me he was no herald, to be answerable for the

'You! you, my liege! Against your own ally, and under the standard of England! Woe's me, how could ye be

James argued on his own conviction that the true France was with poor Charles VI., and that it was doing the

country no service to prolong the resistance of the Armagnacs and the Dauphin, who then appeared mere

partisans instead of patriots. As to fighting under the English banner, no subjection was involved in an

adventurer king so doing: had not the King of Bohemia thus fought at Crecy? and was not the King of Sicily

with the French army? Moreover, James himself felt the necessity of gaining some experience in the art of

war. Theoretically he had studied it with all his might, from Caesar, Quintus Curtius, and that favourite

modern authority, the learned ecclesiastic, Jean Pave, who was the Vauban of the fifteenth century; and he

had likewise obtained greedily all the information he could from Henry himself and his warriors; but all this

had convinced him that if war was to be more than a mere raid, conducted by mere spirit and instinct, some

actual apprenticeship was necessary. Even for such a dash, Henry himself had told him that he would find his

book knowledge an absolute impediment without some practice, and would probably fail for that very

reason when opposed to tough old seasoned warriors. And, prudence apart, James, at fiveandtwenty,

absolutely glowed with shame at the thought that every one of his companions had borne arms for at least ten

years past, while his arrows had no mark but the target, his lances had all been broken in the tiltyard. It was

this argument that above all served to pacify old Bairdsbrae; though he confessed himself very uneasy as to

the prejudice it would create in Scotland, and so evidently loathed the expedition, that James urged on him to

return to Scotland, instead of continuing his attendance. There was no fear but that his ransom would be

'No, no, my Lord; I sware to your father that I'd never quit you till I brought you safe home again, and, God

willing, I'll keep my oath. But what's this puir callant to do, that you were set upon rearing upon your books

'He shall choose,' said James. 'Either he shall study at the learned university at Oxford or at Paris, or he shall

ride with me, and see how cities and battles are won. Speak not yet, cousin; it takes many months to shake

out the royal banner, and you shall look about you ere deciding. Now give me yonder black cloak; they are

Malcolm, as he followed his king, was not a little amazed to see that Henry, the magnificent victor, was

wrapped in a plain black serge garment, his short dark hair uncovered, his feet bare; and that on arriving at

the Minster he threw himself on his knees, almost on his face, before the choir steps, there remaining while

the De profundis and the like solemn and mournful strains floated through the dark vaultings above him,

perhaps soothing while giving expression to the agony of his affliction, and selfaccusation, not for the

devastation of the turbulent country of an insane sovereign, but for his having relaxed in the mighty work of

Even when the service was ended, the King would not leave the Minster. He lifted himself up to bid Bedford

and his companions return; but for himself, he intended to remain and confess, in preparation for being

'houselled' at the Mass for the dead early the next morning, before hastening on the southern journey.

Was this, thought the bewildered Malcolm as he fell asleep, the godless atmosphere he had been used to think

Indeed, in the frosty twilight of the spring morning, though Henry was now clad in his usual garb,

sleeplessness, sorrow, and fasting made him as wan and haggard as any ascetic monk; his eyes were sunken,

and his closed lips bore a stern fixed expression, which scarcely softened even when the sacrificial rite struck

the notes of praise; and though a light came into his eye, it was rather the devotion of one who had offered

himself, than the gleam of hopeful exultation. The horses stood saddled at the west door, for Henry was

feverishly eager to reach Pontefract, where he had left his queen, and wished to avoid the delay of breaking

Round the horses, however, a crowd of the citizens were collected to gaze; and two or three women with

children in their arms made piteous entreaties for the King's healing touch for their little ones. The kind

Henry waited, ungloved his hand, asked his treasurer for the gold pieces that were a muchesteemed part of

the cure, and signed to his attendant chaplain to say the Collect appointed for the rite.

Fervent blessings were meantime murmured through the crowd, which broke out into loud shouts of 'God

save King Harry!' as he at length leapt into the saddle; but at that moment, a feeble, withered old man,

leaning on a staff, and wearing a bedesman's gown, peered up, and muttered to a comrade

'Fairfaced, quothafair, maybe, but not long for this world! One is gone already, and the rest will not be

The words caught James's ear, and he angrily turned round: 'Foul mouthed raven, peace with thy traitor

'Hush! 'tis a mere bedesman;' and bending forward to pour a handful of silver into the beggar's cap, he said,

'I knew his face,' said Bedford, with a shudder; 'he belonged to Archbishop Scrope.'

'Nay, there was too much cause for his words. Never shall I forget the day when Scrope was put to death on

this very moor on which we are entering. There sat my father on his horse, with us four boys around him,

when the old man passed in front of us, and looked at him with a face pitiful and terrible. "Harry of

Bolingbroke," he said, "because thou hast done these things, therefore shall thy foes be of thine own

household; the sword shall never depart therefrom, but all the increase of thy house shall die in the flower of

their age, and in the fourth generation shall their name be clean cut off." The commons will have it that at that

moment my father was struck with leprosy; and struck to the heart assuredly he was, nor was he ever the

same man again. I always believed that those words made him harder upon every prank of poor Hal's, till any

son save Hal would have become his foe! And see now, the old bedesman may be in the right; poor pretty

Blanche has long been in her grave, Thomas is with her now, and Jamie,'he lowered his voice,'when

men say that Harry hath more of Alexander in him than there is in other men, it strikes to my heart to think of

'Now,' said James, 'what strikes ME is, what doleful bodings can come into a brave man's head on a chill

morning before he has broken his fast. A tankard of hot ale will chase away omens, whether of bishop or

'It may chase them from the mind, but will not make away with them,' said John. 'But I might have known

better than to speak to you of such thingsyou who are wellnigh a Lollard in disbelief of all beyond

'No Lollard am I,' said James. 'What Holy Church tells me, I believe devoutly; but not in that which she bids

'Of men,' said the Scottish king; 'of men who have wit enough to lay hold of the weaker side even of a sober

youth such as Lord John of Lancaster! Your proneness to believe in sayings and prophecies, in sorceries and

'And it is the weakest point in you, James, that you will not credit upon proof, such proof as was the

'One such saying as that, fulfilled to the ear, though not in truth, is made the plea for all this

heartsinkingay, and what is worse, for the durance of your father's widow as a witch, and of her brave

young son, because forsooth his name is Arthur of Richemont, and some old Welsh rhymester hath whispered

'Arthur is no worse off than any other captive of Agincourt,' said Bedford; 'and I tell you, James, the day may

'Better rue once than pine under them all my life, and far better than let them betray me into deeming some

Such converse passed between the two princes, while King Henry rode in advance, for the most part silent,

and only desirous of reaching Pontefract Castle, where he had left the young wife whose presence he longed

for the more in his trouble. The afternoon set in with heavy rain, but he would not halt, although he gave free

permission to any of his suite to do so; and James recommended Malcolm to remain, and come on the next

day with Brewster. The boy, however, disclaimed all weariness, partly because bashfulness made him

unwilling to venture from under his royal kinsman's wing, and partly because he could not bear to let the

English suppose that a Scotsman and a Stewart could be afraid of weather. As the rain became harder with

the evening twilight, silence sank upon the whole troop, and they went splashing on through the deep lanes,

in mud and mire, until the lights of Pontefract Castle shimmered on high from its hill. The gates were opened,

the horses clattered in, torches came forth, flickering and hissing in the darkness. The travellers went through

what seemed to Malcolm an interminable number of courts and gateways, and at length flung themselves off

their horses, when Henry, striding on, mounted the steps, entered the building, and, turning the corner of a

great carved screen, he and his brother, with James and Malcolm, found themselves in the midst of a blaze of

The whole scene was dazzling to eyes coming in from the dark, and only after a moment or two could

Malcolm perceive that, close to the great fire, sat a party of four, playing at what he supposed to be that

French game with painted cards of which Patrick Drummond had told him, and that the rest seemed to be in

Dark eyed and haired, with a creamy ivory skin, and faultless form and feature, the fair Catherine would have

been unmistakable, save that as Henry hurried forward, the lights glancing on his jaded face, matted hair, and

soaked dress, the first to spring forward to meet him was a handsome young man, who wrung his hand,

crying, 'Ah, Harry, Harry, then 'tis too true!' while the lady made scarcely a step forwards: no shade of colour

tinged her delicate cheek; and though she did not resist his fervent embrace, it was with a sort of recoil, and

'You know all, Kate?' he asked, still holding her hand, and looking afraid of inflicting a blow.

'The battle? Is it then so great a disaster?' and, seeing his amazed glance, 'The poor Messire de Clarence! it

'But yes,' said Catherine, evidently perplexed by the strength of his feeling, and repeating, 'He was a beau

'She is away to her estates. She went this morn, and wished to have taken with her the Demoiselle de

'Alack, Joan' and Henry was turning, but Catherine interrupted him. 'You have not spoken to Madame of

Hainault, nor to the Duke of Orleans. Nay, you are in no guise to speak to any one,' she added, looking with

'I will don a fresh doublet, sweetheart,' said Henry, more rebuked than seemed fitting, 'and be ready to sup

'That may be; but we have ridden long since we snatched our meal, that I might be with thee the sooner, my

'That was not well in you, my Lord, to come in thus dishevelled, steaming with wetnot like a king. You

The little word of solicitude recalled his sweet tender smile of gratitude. No fear, ma belle; sickness dares not

'Then,' said the Queen, 'you will be served in your chamber, and we will finish our game.'

Henry turned submissively away; but Bedford tarried an instant to say, 'Fair sister, he is sore distressed. It

Catherine opened her beautiful brown eyes in a stare of surprise and reproof at the infraction of the rules of

ceremony which she had brought with her. John of Bedford had never seemed to her either beau or courtois,

and she looked unutterable things, to which he replied by an elevation of his marked eyebrows.

She sat down to her game, utterly ignoring the other princes in their weatherbeaten condition; and they were

forced to follow the King, and make their way to their several chambers, for Queen Catherine's will was law

'The proud peat! She is jealous of every word Harry speakseven to his cousin,' muttered James, as he

reached his own room. 'You saw her, though,you saw her!' he added, smiling, as he laid his hand on

The boy coloured like a poppy, and answered awkwardly enough, 'The Lady Joan, Sir?'

'Who but the Lady Joan, thou silly lad? How say'st thou? Will not Scotland forget in the sight of that fair face

'Methinks,' said Malcolm, looking down in sheer awkwardness, 'it were easier to bow to her than to King

'Humph!' said James, 'dost so serve thy courtly 'prenticeship? Nay, but in a sort I see thy meaning. The royal

blood of England shows itself to one who hath an eye for princeliness of nature.'

'Dark eyesswart locks!' interrupted the King. 'His wits have gone woolgathering.'

'Indeed, Sir!' exclaimed Malcolm, 'I thought you meant the lady who stood by the Queen's table, with the

'Pshaw!' said James; 'the foolish callant! he hath taken that great brown Luxemburg nun of Dame Jac's for the

However, James, seeing how confounded the boy was by this momentary displeasure, explained to him who

the other persons he had seen were Jaqueline, the runaway Countess of Hainault in her own right, and

Duchess of Brabant by marriage; Humfrey, duke of Gloucester, the King's young, brilliant brother; the grave,

melancholy Duke of Orleans, who had been taken captive at Agincourt, and was at present quartered at

Pontefract; the handsome, but stout and heavylooking Earl of March; brave Lord Warwick; Sir Lewis

Robsart, the old knight to whose charge the Queen had been specially committed from the moment of her

betrothal; and a young, bold, gaylooking lad, of Malcolm's own age, but far taller and stouter, and with a

merry, halfdefiant, halfinsouciant air, who had greatly taken his fancy, was, he was told, Ralf Percy, the

'Of him they called Hotspur?who was taken captive at Otterburn, who died a rebel!' exclaimed Malcolm.

'Ay,' said James; 'but King Harry had learnt the art of war as a boy, first under Hotspur, in Wales; nor doth he

love that northern fashion of ours of keeping up feud from generation to generation. So hath he restored the

eldest son to his barony, and set him to watch our Borders; and the younger, Ralf, he is training in his own

More wonders for Malcolm Stewart, who had learnt to believe it mere dishonour and tameness to forgive the

son for his father's deeds. A cloistered priest could hardly do so: pardon to a hostile family came only with

the last mortal throe; and here was this warlike king forgiving as a mere matter of course!

'But,' added James, 'you had best not speak of your bent conventwards in the Court here. I should not like to

The next day the royal train set forth from Pontefract, and ere mounting, James presented his young kinsman

to the true Joan Beaufortfairhaired, softfeatured, blueeyed, and with a lovely air of graciousness, as

she greeted him with a sweet, blushing, sunny smile, half that of the queen in anticipation, half that of the

kindly maiden wishing to set a stranger at ease. So beautiful was she, that Malcolm felt annihilated at the

As they rode on, James was entirely occupied with the lady, and Malcolm was a good deal left to himself; for,

though the party was numerous, he knew no one except the Duke of Bedford, who was riding with the King

and Lord Warwick, in deep consultation, while Sir Nigel Baird, Lord Marmion, and the rest were in the rear.

He fell into a mood of depression such as had not come upon him since he passed the border, thinking

himself despised by all for being illfavoured and illdressed, and chafing, above all, at the gay contempt he

fancied in young Ralf Percy's eye. He became constantly more discontented with this noisy turmoil, and more

resolved to insist on returning to the peaceful cloister where alone he could hide his head and be at rest.

The troop halted for what they called their noon meat at the abode of a hospitable Yorkshire knight; but King

Henry, in order that the good gentleman's means should not be overtasked, had given directions that only the

ladies and the princes should enter the house, while the rest of the suite should take their meal at the village

King James, in attending to Joan, had entirely forgotten his cousin; and Malcolm, doubtful and diffident, was

looking hesitatingly at the gateway, when Ralf Percy called out, 'Ha! you there, this is our way. That is only

for the royal folk; but there's good sack and better sport down here! I'll show you the way,' he added,

Malcolm, ashamed to say he was royal, but surprised at the patronage, was gratefully following, when old

Bairdsbrae indignantly laid his hand on the rein. 'Not so, Sir; this is no place for you!'

'Let me alone!' entreated Malcolm, as he saw Percy's amazed look and whistle of scorn. 'They don't want me.'

'You will never have your place if you do not take it,' said the old gentleman; and leading the trembling,

shrinking boy up to the door, he continued, 'For the honour of Scotland, Sir!' and then announcing Malcolm

Fancying he detected a laugh on Ralf Percy's face, and a sneer on that of the stout English porter, Malcolm

felt doubly wretched as he was ushered into the hall and the buzz of talk and the confusion made by the

attendance of the worthy knight and his many sons, one of whom, waiting with better will than skill, had

nearly run down the shy limping Scotsman, who looked wildly for refuge at some table. In his height of

distress, a kindly gesture of invitation beckoned to him, and he found himself seated and addressed, first in

French, and then in careful foreign English, by the same lady whom he had yesterday taken for Joan of

He was too much confused to look up till the piece of pasty and the wine with which the lady had caused him

to be supplied were almost consumed, and it was not till she had made some observations on the journey that

he became at ease enough to hazard any sort of answer, and then it was in his sweet low Scottish voice, with

that irresistibly attractive look of shy wistful gratitude in his great soft brown eyes, while his unEnglish

accent caused her to say, 'I am a stranger here, like yourself, my Lord;' and at the same moment he first raised

his eyes to behold what seemed to him perfect beauty and dignity, an oval face, richlytinted olive

complexion, dark pensive eyes, a sweet grave mouth smiling with encouraging kindness, and a lofty brow

that gave the whole face a magnificent air, not so much stately as above and beyond this world. It might have

befitted St. Barbara or St. Katherine, the great intellectual virgin visions of purity and holiness of the middle

ages; but the kindness of the smile went to Malcolm's heart, and emboldened him to answer in his best

'Not from the fens,' she answered. 'My home lies in the borders of the forest of Ardennes.'

And then they found that they understood each other best when she spoke French, and Malcolm English, or

rather Scotch; and their acquaintance made so much progress, that when the signal was again given to mount,

the Lady Esclairmonde permitted Malcolm to assist her to her saddle; and as he rode beside her he felt

On Esclairmonde's other hand there rode a small, slight girl, whom Malcolm took for quite a child, and paid

no attention to; but presently old Sir Lewis Robsart rode back with a message that my Lady of Westmoreland

wished to know where the Lady Alice Montagu was. A gentle, timid voice answered, 'O Sir, I am well here

And therewith Sir Lewis smiled, and said, 'You could scarcely be in better hands, fair damsel,' and rode back

again; while Alice was still entreating, 'May I stay with you, dear lady? It is all so strange and new!'

Esclairmonde smiled, and said, 'You make me at home here, Mademoiselle. It is I who am the stranger!'

'Ah! but you have been in Courts before. I never lived anywhere but at Middleham Castle till they fetched me

For the gentle little maiden, a slender, fairhaired, childishfaced creature, in her sixteenth year, was the

motherless child and heiress of the stout Earl of Salisbury, the last of the Montacutes, or Montagues, who was

at present fighting the King's battles in France, but had sent his commands that she should be brought to

Court, in preparation for fulfilling the longarranged contract between her and Sir Richard Nevil, one of the

She was under the charge of the Countessa stately dame, with all the Beaufort pride; and much afraid of

her she was, as everything that was shy or forlorn seemed to turn towards the maiden whose countenance not

Presently the cavalcade passed a gray building in the midst of green fields and orchards, where, under the

'A nunnery!' said Malcolm, encouraged into the simple confidingness of a young boy. 'How unlike the one

where my sister is! Not a tree is near it; it is perched upon a wild crag overhanging the angry sea, and the

'Verily,' said Malcolm, 'one knows what peace is under that cloister, where all is calm while the winds rave

'You know how to love a cloister,' said the lady, as she heard his soft, sad tones.

'I had promised myself to make my home in one,' said Malcolm; 'but my King will have me make trial of the

world first. And so please you,' he added, recollecting himself, 'he forbade me to make my purpose known; so

'I will be silent,' said Esclairmonde; 'but I will not forget, for I look on you as one like myself, my young lord.

She spoke it out with the ease of those days when the monastic was as recognized a profession as any other

calling, and yet with something of the desire to make it evident on what ground she stood.

'Yes,' said Esclairmonde, 'I was dedicated his my infancy, and promised myself in the nunnery at Dijon when

Then, as if to turn the conversation from herself, she asked of Malcolm if he too had made any vow.

'Only to myself,' said Malcolm. 'Neither my Tutor nor the Prior of Coldingham would hear my vows.' And he

was soon drawn into telling his whole story, to which the ladies both listened with great interest and kindness,

Esclairmonde commending his resolution to leave the care of his lands and vassals to one whom he

represented as so much better fitted to bear them as Patrick Drummond, and only regretting the silence King

James had enjoined, saying she felt that there was safety and protection in being avowed as a destined

'And you are one,' said Lady Alice, looking at her in wonder. 'And yet you are with THAT lady' And the

girl's innocent face expressed a certain wonder and disgust that no one could marvel at who had heard the

'She has been my very good lady,' said Esclairmonde; 'she has, under the saints, saved me from much.'

'Oh, I entreat you, tell us, dear lady!' entreated Alice. It was not a reticent age. Malcolm Stewart had already

avowed himself in his own estimation pledged to a monastic life, and Esclairmonde of Luxemburg had

reasons for wishing her position and intentions to be distinctly understood by all with whom she came in

contact; moreover, there was a certain congeniality in both her companions, their innocence and simplicity,

'My poor Countess,' she said, 'she has been sorely used, and has suffered much. It is a piteous thing when our

'Hainault, Holland, and Zealand,' replied the lady. 'Her father was Count of Hainault, her mother the sister of

the last Duke of Burgundyhim that was slain on the bridge of Montereau. She was married as a mere babe

to the Duke of Touraine, who was for a brief time Dauphin, but he died ere she was sixteen, and her father

died at the same time. Some say they both were poisoned. The saints forfend it should be true; but thus it was

my poor Countess was left desolate, and her uncle, the Bishop of LiegeJean Sans Pitie, as they call

'Yes. I had been taken from our convent at Dijon, when my dear brothers, to whom Heaven be merciful! died

'They are the Count de St. Pol and the Bishop of Therouenne. They came to Dijon. In another month I should

have been seventeen, and been admitted as a novice; but, alack! there were all the lands that came through my

grandmother, in Holland and in Flanders, all falling to me, and Monseigneur of Therouenne, like almost all

secular clergy, cannot endure the religious orders, and would not hear of my becoming a Sister. They took me

away, and the Bishop declared my dedication null, and they would have bestowed me in marriage at once, I

believe, if Heaven had not aided me, and they could not agree on the person. And then my dear Countess

'Yes,' said Esclairmonde; 'but none can cancel the dedication of my heart. So said the holy man at Zwoll.'

'How, lady?' anxiously inquired Malcolm; 'has not a bishop power to bind and unloose?'

'Yea,' said Esclairmonde, 'such power that if my childish promise had been made without purpose or

conscience thereof, or indeed if my will were not with it, it would bind me no more, there were no sin in

wedlock for me, no broken vow. But my own conscience of my vow, and my sense that I belong to my

Heavenly Spouse, proved, he said, that it was not my duty to give myself to another, and that whereas none

have a parent's right over me, if I have indeed chosen the better part, He to whom I have promised myself

will not let it be taken from me, though I might have to bear much for His sake. And when I said in

presumption that such would lie light on me, he bade me speak less and pray more, for I knew not the cost.'

'He must have been a very holy man,' said Alice, 'and strict withal. Who was he?'

'One Father Thomas, a Canon Regular of the chapter of St. Agnes, a very saint, who spends his life in

copying and illuminating the Holy Scripture, and in writing holy thoughts that verily seem to have been

breathed into him by special inspiration of God. It was a sermon of his in Lent, upon chastening and

perplexity, that I heard when first I was snatched from Dijon, that made me never rest till I had obtained his

ghostly counsel. If I never meet him again, I shall thank Heaven for those months at Zwoll all my lifeere

the Duke of Burgundy made my Countess resign Holland for twelve years to her uncle, and we left the place.

Then, wellnigh against her will, they forced her into a marriage with the Duke of Brabant, though he be her

first cousin, her godson, and a mere rude boy. I cannot tell you how evil were the days we often had then. If

he had been left to himself, Madame might have guided him; but ill men came about him; they maddened

him with wine and beer; they excited him to show that he feared her not; he struck her, and more than once

almost put her in danger of her life. Then, too, his mother married the Bishop of Liege, her enemy

'He had never been consecrated, and had a dispensation. That marriage deprived my poor lady of even her

mother's help. All were against her then; and for me too it went ill, for the Duke of Burgundy insisted on my

being given to a halfbrother of his, one they call Sir Boemond of Burgundya hard man of blood and

revelry. The Duke of Brabant was all for him, and so was the Duchessmother; and though my uncles would

not have chosen him, yet they durst not withstand the Duke of Burgundy. I tried to appeal to the Emperor

Sigismund, the head of our house, but I know not if he ever heard of my petition. I was in an exceeding strait,

and had only one trust, namely, that Father Thomas had told me that the more I threw myself upon God, the

more He would save me from man. But oh! they seemed all closing in on me, and I knew that Sir Boemond

had sworn that I should pay heavily for my resistance. Then one night my Countess came to me. She showed

me the bruises her lord had left on her arms, and told me that he was about to banish all of us, her ladies, into

Holland, and to keep her alone to bear his fury, and she was resolved to escape, and would I come with her?

It seemed to me the message of deliverance. Her nurse brought us peasant dresses, high stiff caps, black

boddices, petticoats of many colours, and therein we dressed ourselves, and stole out, ere dawn, to a church,

where we knelt till the Sieur d'Escaillonthe gentleman who attends Madame stilldrove up in a farmer's

garb, with a market cart, and so forth from Bruges we drove. We cause to Valenciennes, to her mother; but

we found that she, by persuasion of the Duke, would give us both up; so the Sieur d'Escaillon got together

sixty lances, and therewith we rode to Calais, where never were weary travellers more courteously received

'Oh, I am glad you came to us English!' cried Alice. 'Only I would it had been my father who welcomed you.

'Now I remain with my lady, as the only demoiselle she has from her country; and, moreover, I am waiting in

the trust that my kinsmen will give up their purpose of bestowing me in marriage, now that I am beyond their

reach; and in time I hope to obtain sufficient of my own goods for a dowry for whatever convent I may enter.'

'I have learnt to breathe freer since I have been on English soil,' said Esclairmonde, smiling; 'but where I may

'This is a strange country,' said Malcolm. 'No one seems afraid of violence and wrong here.'

'Is that so strange?' asked Alice, amazed. 'Why, men would be hanged if they did violence!'

'I would we were as sure of justice at my home,' sighed Esclairmonde. 'King Henry will bring about a better

'Never doubt,' cried Salisbury's daughter. 'When France is once subdued, there will be no more trouble, he

will make your kinsmen do you right, dear demoiselle, and oh! will you not found a beauteous convent?'

'Ha!' cried the buxom Countess Jaqueline, as the ladies dismounted, 'never speak to me more, our solemn

sister. When have I done worse than lure a young cavalier, and chain him all day with my tongue?'

'Truly he looked like a calf turned loose among strange cattle! How gat he into the hall?'

'He is of royal Scottish blood,' said Esclairmonde 'cousingerman to King James.'

'And our grave nun has a fancy to tame the wild Scots, like a second St. Margaret! A king's grandson! fie, fie!

what, become ambitious, Clairette? Eh? you were so occupied, that I should have been left to no one but

Monseigneur of Gloucester, but that I was discreet, and rode with my Lord Bishop of Winchester. How he

chafed! but I know better than to have teteatetes with young sprigs of the blood royal!'

Esclairmonde laughed goodhumouredly, partly in courtesy to her hoyden mistress, but partly at the burning,

The girl was as shy as a fawn, frightened at every word from knight or lady, and much in awe of her future

motherinlaw, a stiff and stately dame, with all the Beaufort haughtiness; so that Lady Westmoreland gladly

and graciously consented to the offer of the Demoiselle de Luxemburg to attend to the little maiden, and let

her share her chamber and her bed. And indeed Alice Montagu, bred up in strictness and in both piety and

learning, as was sometimes the case with the daughters of the nobility, had in all her simplicity and

bashfulness a purity and depth that made her a congenial spirit with the grave votaress, whom she regarded

on her side with a young girl's enthusiastic admiration for a grown woman, although in point of fact the years

The other ladies of the Court were a little in awe of the Demoiselle de Luxemburg, and did not seek her when

they wished to indulge in the gossip whose malice and coarseness she kept in check; but if they were anxious,

or in trouble, they always came to her as their natural consoler; and the Countess Jaqueline, bold and

hoydenish as she was, kept the license of her tongue and manners under some shadow of restraint before her,

and though sometimes bantering her, often neglecting her counsel, evidently felt her attendance a sort of

The gentlemen were mostly of the opinion of the Duke of Gloucester, who said that the Lady Esclairmonde

was so like Deborah, come out of a Mystery, that it seemed to be always Passiontide where she was; and

she, moreover, was always guarded in her manner towards them, keeping her vocation in the recollection of

all by her gravely and coldly courteous demeanour, and the sober hues and fashion of her dress; but being

aware of Malcolm's destination, perceiving his loneliness, and really attracted by his pensive gentleness, she

admitted him to far more friendly intercourse than any other young noble, while he revered and clung to her

King James was indeed so much absorbed in his own ladylove as to have little attention to bestow on his

young cousin, and he knew, moreover, that to be left to such womanly training as ladies were bound to

bestow on young squires and pages was the best treatment for the youth, who was really thriving and growing

happier every day, as he lost his awkwardness and acquired a freedom and selfconfidence such as he could

never have imagined possible in his original brow beaten state, though without losing the gentle modesty

A great sorrow awaited him, however, at Leicester, where Easter was to be spent. A messenger came from

Durham, bringing letters from Coldingham to announce the death of good Sir David Drummond, which had

taken place two days after Malcolm had left him, all but the youth himself having well known that his state

In his grief, Malcolm found his chief comforter in Esclairmonde, who kindly listened when he talked of the

happy old times at Glenuskie, and of the kindness and piety of his guardian; while she lifted his mind to

dwell on the company of the saints; and when he knew that her thoughts went, like his, to his fatherly friend

in the solemn services connected with the departed, he was no longer desolate, and there was almost a

sweetness in the grief of which his fair saint had taken up a part. She showed him likewise some vellum

pages on which her ghostly father, the Canon of St. Agnes, had written certain dialogues between the Divine

Master and His disciple, which seemed indeed to have been whispered by heavenly inspiration, and which

soothed and hallowed his mourning for the guide and protector of his youth. He loved to dwell on her very

name, Esclairmonde'light of the world.' The taste of the day hung many a pun and conceit upon names, and

to Malcolm thiswhich had, in fact, been culled out of romanceseemed meetly to express the pure

radiance of consolation and encouragement that seemed to him to shine from her, and brighten the life that

had hitherto been dull and gloomynay, even to give him light and joy in the midst of his grief.

At that period Courts were not much burdened with etiquette. No feudal monarch was more than the first

gentleman, and there was no rigid line of separation of ranks, especially where, as among the kings of the

Red Rose, the boundaries were so faint between the princes and the nobility; and as Catherine of Valois was

fond of company, and indolently heedless of all that did not affect her own dignity or ease, the whole Court,

including some of the princely captives, lived as one large family, meeting at morning Mass in church or

chapel, taking their meals in common, riding, hunting, hawking, playing at bowls, tennis, or stoolball, or

any other pastime, in such parties as suited their inclinations; and spending the evening in the great hall, in

conversation varied by chess, dice, and cards, recitals of romance, and music, sometimes performed by the

choristers of the Royal chapel, or sometimes by the company themselves, and often by one or other of the two

kings, who were both proficients as well with the voice as with the lute and organ.

Thus Malcolm had many opportunities of being with the Demoiselle of Luxemburg: and almost a right was

established, that when she sat in the deep embrasure of a window with her spinning, he should be on the

cushioned step beneath; when she mounted, he held the stirrup; and when the church bells were ringing, he

led her by her fair fingers to her place in the nave, and back again to the hall; and when the manchet and rere

supper were brought into the hall, he mixed her wine and water, and held the silver basin and napkin to her on

bended knee, and had become her recognized cavalier. He was really thriving. Even the highspirited son of

'Have a care,' said Ralf to a lad of ruder mould; 'I'll no more see that lame young Scot maltreated than a girl.'

'He is no better than a girl,' growled his comrade; 'my little brother Dick would be more than a match for

'I wot not that,' said Percy; 'there's a drop of life and spirit at the bottom; and for the rest, when he looks up

with those eyes of his, and smiles his smile, it is somehow as if it were beneath a man to vex him wilfully.

And he sees so much meaning in everything, too, that it is a dozen times better sport to hear him talk than one

After a grave Eastertide spent at Leicester, the Court moved to Westminster, where Henry had to meet his

parliament, and obtain supplies for the campaign which was to revenge the death of Clarence.

There was no great increase of gaiety even here, for Henry was extremely occupied, both with regulating

matters for government during his absence, and in training the troops who began to flock to his standard; so

that the Queen complained that his presence in England was of little service to her, since he never had any

'Well, Dame,' said Henry, gaily, 'there is one revel for you. I have promised to knight the Lord Mayor, honest

'A city mayor!' exclaimed Queen Catherine, with ineffable disgust. 'My brothers would sooner cut off his

'Belike,' said Henry, dryly; 'but what kind of friends have thy brothers found at Paris? Moreover, this

Whittington may content thee as to blood. Rougedragon hath been unfolding to me his lineage of a good

'See what you say when he has cased those fair hands in Spanish gloves. You ladies should know better than

'Ah!' said Duke Humfrey, 'they never saw the silks and samites wherewith he fitted out my sister Philippa for

'Is it not honour enough for the mechanical hinds that we wear their stuffs,' said Countess Jaqueline, 'without

demeaning ourselves to eat at their boards? The outrecuidance of the rogues in the Netherlands would be

''Tis you that will be fed, Dame Jac,' laughed Henry. 'I can tell you, their sack and their pasties, their

marchpane and blancmanger, far exceed aught that a poor soldier can set before you.'

'Moreover,' observed Humfrey, 'the ladies ought to see the romaunt of the Cat complete.'

'How!' cried Jaqueline, 'is it, then, true that this Vittentone is the miller's son whose cat wore boots and made

'I have heard my aunt of Orleans divert my father with that story,' murmured Catherine. 'How went the tale? I

'The cat desired to test his master's gratitude, so tells Straparola,' said the Duke of Orleans, in his dry satirical

tone; 'and whereas he had been wont to promise his benefactor a golden coffin and state funeral, Puss feigned

death, and thereby heard the lady inform her husband that the old cat was dead. "A la bonne heure!" said the

Marquis. "Take him by the tail, and fling him on the muckheap beneath the window!"'

'Thereof I acquit Whittington, who never was thankless to man or brute,' said King Henry. 'Moreover, his cat,

or her grandchildren, must be now in high preferment at the King of Barbary's Court.'

'A marvellous beast is that cat,' said James. 'When I was a child in Scotland, we used to tell the story of her

'Maybe,' said Henry; 'but I would maintain the truth of Whittington's cat with my lance, and would gladly

have no worse cause! You'll see his cat painted beside him in the Guild Hall, and may hear the tale from him,

I told my good old friend I must have come over from France on purpose to keep his third mayoralty. So I am

for the City on Thursday; and whoever loves good wine, good sturgeon, good gold, or good men, had best

Such inducements were not to be neglected, and though Queen Catherine minced and bridled, and apologized

to Duchess Jaqueline for her husband's taste for low company, neither princess wished to forego the chance

of amusement; and a brilliant cavalcade set forth in full order of precedence. The King and Queen were first;

then, to his great disgust, the King of Scots, with Duchess Jaqueline; Bedford, with Lady Somerset;

Gloucester, with the Countess of March; the Duke of Orleans, with the Countess of Exeter; and Malcolm of

Glenuskie found himself paired off with his sovereign's ladylove, Joan Beaufort, and a good deal overawed

by the tall horned tower that crowned her flaxen locks, as well as by knowing that her uncle, the Bishop of

Winchester, the stateliest, stiffest, and most unapproachable person in all the Court, was riding just behind

Temple Bar was closed, and there was a flourish of trumpets and a parley ere the gate was flung open to

admit the royal guests; but Malcolm, in his place, could not see the aldermen on horseback, in their robes of

scarlet and white, drawn up to receive the King. All that way up Holborn, every house was hung with

tapestry, and the citizens formed a gorgeouslyapparelled lane, shouting in unison, their greetings attuned to

Beautiful old St. Paul's, with the exquisite cross for openair preaching in front, rose on their view; and

before the lofty west door the princely guests dismounted, each gentleman leading his lady up the nave to the

seat prepared in such manner that he might be opposite to her. The clergy lined the stalls, and a magnificent

mass was sung, and was concluded by the advance of the King to the altar step, followed by a fine old man in

scarlet robes bordered with white fur, the collar of SS. round his neck, and his silvery hair and lofty brow

It seemed a reversal of the ordinary ceremonial when the slender agile young man took in hand the sword,

and laid the honour of knighthood on the grayheaded substantial senior, whom he bade to arise Sir Richard

Whittington. Jaqueline of Hainault had the bad taste to glance across to Humfrey and titter, but the Duke

valued popularity among the citizens, and would not catch her eye; and in the line behind the royal ladies

there was a sweet elderly face, beautiful, though timeworn, with blue eyes misty with proud glad tears, and

After the ceremony was concluded, King Henry offered his hand to the Lady Mayoress, Dame Alice

Whittington, making her bright tears drop in glad confusion at his frank, hearty congratulation and warm

praise of her husband; and though the fair Catherine could have shuddered when Sir Richard advanced to lead

her, she was too royal to compromise her dignity by visible scorn, and she soon found that the merchant

Malcolm felt as averse as did the French princesses to burgher wealth and splendour, and his mind had not

opened to understand burgher worth and weight; and when he saw the princes John and Humfrey, and even

his own king, seeking out city dames and accosting them with friendly looks, it seemed to him a degrading

truckling to riches, from which he was anxious to save his future queen; but when he would have offered his

arm to Lady Joan, he saw her already being led away by an alderman measuring at least a yard across the

shoulders; and the goodnatured Earl of March, seeing him at a loss, presented him to a round merry wife in

a scarlet petticoat and black boddice, its plump curves wreathed with geld chains, who began pitying him for

having been sent to the wars so young, being, as usual, charmed into pity by his soft appealing eyes and

unconscious grace; would not believe his assertions that he was neither a captive nor a Frenchman;'don't

Colouring to the ears, he explained that he had never walked otherwise; whereupon her pity redoubled, and

she by turns advised him to consult Master Doctor Caius, and to obtain a recipe from Mistress she meant

DameAlice Whittington, the kindest soul living, and, Lady Mayoress as she was, with no more pride than

the meanest scullion. Pity she had no childyet scarce pity either, since she and the good Lord Mayor were

father and mother to all orphans and destitutenay, to all who had any care on their minds.

Malcolm was in extreme alarm lest he should be walked up to the Lady Mayoress for inspection before all the

world when they entered the Guild Hall, a building of grand proportions, which, as good Mistress Bolt

informed him, had lately been paved and glazed at Sir Richard Whittington's own expense. The bright new

red and yellow tiles, and the stained glass of the tall windows high up, as well as the panels of the wainscot,

were embellished with trademarks and the armorial bearings of the guilds; and the long tables, hung with

snowy napery, groaned with gold and silver plate, such as, the Duke of Orleans observed to Catherine, no

citizens would dare exhibit in France to any prince or noble, at peril of being mulcted of all, with or without

On an open hearth beneath the louvre, or opening for smoke, burnt a fire diffusing all around an incenselike

fragrance, from the logs, composed of cinnamon and other choice woods and spices, that fed the flame. The

odour and the warmth on a bleak day of May were alike delicious; and King Henry, after heading Dame

Alice up to it, stood warming his hands and extolling the choice scent, adding: 'You spoil us, Sir Richard.

How are we to go back to the smoke of wood and peat, and fires puffed with our own mouths, after such

'It shall be choicer yet, Sir,' said Sir Richard Whittington, who had just handed the Queen to her seat.

'Scarce possible,' replied Henry, 'unless I threw in my crown, and that I cannot afford. I shall be pawning it

Instead of answering, the Lord Mayor quietly put his hand into his furred pouch, and drawing out a bundle of

'Lo you now, Sir Richard,' said Henry, with a playful face of disgust; 'this is to save your dainty meats, by

spoiling my appetite by that unwelcome sight. What, man! have you bought up all the bonds I gave in my

need to a whole synagogue of Jews and bench of Loin bards? I shall have to send for my crown before you

let me go; though verily,' he added, with frank, open face, 'I'm better off with a good friend like you for my

creditoronly I'm sorry for you, Sir Richard. I fear it will be long ere you see your good gold in the stead of

your dirty paper, even though I gave you an order on the tolls. How now! What, man, Dick Whittington! Art

For Sir Richard, gently smiling, had placed the bundle of bonds on the glowing bed of embers.

Henry, even while calling for the tongs, was raking them out with his sword, and would have grasped them in

'When he is not moonstruck!' said Henry, still guarding the documents. 'Why, my Lady Mayoress, know

'Sixty thousand, my liege,' composedly answered Dame Alice. 'My husband hath his whims, and I pray your

'Yea, Sir,' added Whittington, earnestly. 'You wot that God hath prospered us richly. We have no child, and

our nephews are well endowed. How, then, can our goods belong to any save God, our king, and the poor?'

Henry drew one hand over his eyes, and with the other wrung that of Whittington. 'Had ever king such a

'Thou hast conquered, Whittington,' said the King, presently looking up with a sunny smile. 'To send me over

the seas a free man, beholden to you in heart though not by purse, is, as I well believe, worth all that sum to

thy loyal heart. Thou art setting me far on my way to Jerusalem, my dear friend! Thank him, Katehe hath

Catherine looked amiable, and held out a white hand to be kissed, aware that the King was pleased, though

hardly understanding why he should be glad that an odour of singed parchment should overpower the gums

and cinnamon. This was soon remedied by the fresh handful of spices that were cast into the flame, and the

banquet began, magnificent with peacocks, cranes, and swans in full plumage; the tusky bear crunched his

apple, deer's antlers adorned the haunch, the royal sturgeon floated in wine, fountains of perfumed waters

sprang up from shells, towers of pastry and of jelly presented the endless allegorical devices of mediaeval

fancy, and, preeminent over all, a figure of the cat, with emerald eyes, fulfilled, as Henry said, the proverb,

'A cat might look at a king;' and truly the cat and her master had earned the right; therefore his first toast was,

Each guest found at his or her place a beautiful fragrant pair of gloves, in Spanish leather, on the back of

which was once more embroidered, in all her tabby charms, the cat's face. Therewith began a lengthy meal;

and Malcolm Stewart rejoiced at finding himself seated next to the Lady Esclairmonde, but he grudged her

attention to her companion, a slender, dark, thoughtful representative of the Goldsmiths' Company, to whom

'Who,' said Esclairmonde, presently, 'was a dame in a religious garb whom I marked near the door here? She

'Hey, Master Price,' cried Mistress Bolt, speaking across Malcolm, 'I can tell the lady who it was. 'Twas good

Sister Avice Rodney, to whom the Lady Mayoress promised some of these curious cooling drinks for the

'Yea, truly,' returned the goldsmith; 'it must have been one of the bedeswomen of St. Katharine's whom the

'What order may that be?' asked Esclairmonde. 'I have seen nothing so like my own country since I came

'That may well be, madam,' said Mistress Belt, 'seeing that these bedeswomen were first instituted by a

'By your leave, Mistress Bolt,' interposed Master Price, 'the hospital of St. Katharine by the Tower is of far

'By YOUR leave, sir, I know what I say. The hospital was founded I know not when, but these bedeswomen

were especially added by the good Queen, by the same token that mine aunt Cis, who was tirewoman to the

'How was it? What is their office?' eagerly inquired Esclairmonde. And Mistress Bolt arranged herself for a

'Well, fair sirs and sweet lady, though you be younger than I, you have surely heard of the Black Death. Well

named was it, for never was pestilence more dire; and the venom was so strong, that the very lips and eyelids

grew livid black, and then there was no hope. Little thought of such disease was there, I trow, in kings'

houses, and all the fair young lords and ladies, the children of King Edward, as then was, were full of sport

and gamesomeness as you see these dukes be now. And never a one was blither than the Lady Joanshe

they called Joan of the Tower, being a true Londoner bornbless her! My aunt Cis would talk by the hour of

her pretty ways and kindly mirth. But 'twas even as the children have the game in the streets

"There come three knights all out of Spain, Are come to fetch your daughter Jane."

'Twas for the King of Castille, that same Peter for whom the Black Prince of Wales fought, and of whom

such grewsome tales were told. The pretty princess might almost have had a boding what sort of husband

they had for her, for she begged and prayed, even on her knees, that her father would leave her; but her sisters

were all espoused, and there was no help for it. But, as one comfort to her, my aunt Cis, who had been about

her from her cradle, was to go with her; and oft she would tell of the long journey in litters through France,

and how welcome were the English tongues they heard again at Bordeaux, and how when poor Lady Joan

saw her brother, the Prince, she clung about his neck and sobbed, and how he soothed her, and said she would

soon laugh at her own unwillingness to go to her husband. But even then the Black Death was in Bordeaux,

and being low and mournful at heart, the sweet maid contracted it, and lay down to die ere she had made two

days' journey, and her last words were, "My God hath shown me more pity than father or brother;" and so she

died like a lamb, and mine aunt was sent by the Prince to bear home the tidings to the good Queen, who was a

woeful woman. And therewith, here was the pestilence in London, raging among the poor creatures that lived

in the wharves and on the river bank, in damp and filth, so that whole households lay dead at once, and the

contagion, gathering force, spread into the city, and even to the nobles and their ladies. Then my good aunt,

having some knowledge of the sickness already, and being without fear, went among the sick, and by her

care, and the food, wine, and clothing she brought, saved a many lives. And from whom should the bounties

come, save from the good Queen, who ever had a great pity for those touched like her own fair child?

Moreover, when she heard from my aunt how the poor things lived in uncleanness and filth, and how, what

with many being strangers coming by sea, and others being serfs fled from home, they were a nameless,

masterless sort, who knew not where to seek a parish priest, and whom the friars shunned for their poverty,

she devised a fresh foundation to be added to the hospital of St. Katharine's in the Docks, providing for a

chapter of ten bedeswomen, gentle and wellnurtured, who should both sing in choir, and likewise go forth

constantly among the poor, to seek out the children, see that they learn their Credo, Ave, and Pater Noster,

bring the more toward to be further taught in St. Katharine's school, and likewise to stir poor folk up to go to

mass and lead a godly life; to visit the sick, feed and tend them, and so instruct them, that they may desire the

'Ah! good Flemish Queen!' cried Esclairmonde. 'She learnt that of our Beguines!'

'That does the Queen,' said Mistress Bolt. 'Not this young Queen, as yet, for Queen Joan, the late King's

widow, holds the hospital till her death, unless it should be taken from her for her sorceries, from which

'Can it be visited?' said Esclairmonde. 'I feel much drawn thither, as I ever did to the Beguines.'

'Ay, marry may it!' cried delighted Mrs. Bolt. 'I have more than one gossip there, foreby Sister Avice, who

was godchild to Aunt Cis; and if the good lady would wish to see the hospital, I would bear her company

To Malcolm's disgust, Esclairmonde caught at the proposal, which the Scottish haughtiness that lay under all

his gentleness held somewhat degrading to the cousin of the Emperor. He fell into a state of gloom, which

After hands had been washed in rosewater, the royal party took their seats in barges to return to

Here at once Alice Montagu nestled to Esclairmonde's side, delighted with her cat gloves, and further

delighted with an old captain of trained bands, to whose lot she had fallen, and who, on finding that she was

the daughter of the Earl of Salisbury, under whom he had served, had launched forth by the hour into the

praises of that brave nobleman, both for his courage and his kindness to his troops.

'No wonder King Henry loves his citizens so well!' cried Esclairmonde. 'Would that our Netherlandish

princes and burghers could take pride and pleasure in one another's wealth and prowess, instead of grudging

'To my mind,' said Malcolm, 'they were a forward generation. That city dame will burst with pride, if you,

'Nay, but,' said Malcolm, 'what should a mere matter of old rockers and wornout tirewomen concern a

'I honour them for doing their Master's work,' said Esclairmonde, 'and would fain be worthy to follow in their

'Surely,' said Malcolm, 'there are houses fit for persons of high and princely birth to live apart from gross

'There are,' said Esclairmonde; 'but I trust I may be pardoned for saying that such often seem to me to play at

humility when they stickle for birth and dower with the haughtiest. I never honoured any nuns so much as the

humble Sisters of St. Begga, who never ask for sixteen quarterings, but only for a tender hand, soft step, pure

'I deemed,' said Malcolm, 'that heavenly contemplation was the purpose of convents.'

'Even so, for such as can contemplate like the holy man I have told you of,' said Esclairmonde; 'but labour

hath been greatly laid aside in convents of late, and I doubt me if it be well, or if their prayers be the better for

'And so,' said Alice, 'I heard my Lord of Winchester saying how it were well to suppress the alien priories,

For in truths the spirit of the age was beginning to set against monasticism. It was the period when perhaps

there was more of license and less of saintliness than at any other, and when the long continuance of the

Great Schism had so injured Church discipline that the clergy and ecclesiastics were in the worst state of all,

especially the monastic orders, who owned no superior but the Pope, and between the two rivals could avoid

supervision altogether. Such men as Thomas a Kempis, or the great Jean Gerson, were rare indeed; and the

monasteries had let themselves lose their missionary character, and become mere large farms, inhabited by

celibate gentlemen and their attendants, or by the superfluous daughters of the nobles and gentry. Such

devotion as led Esclairmonde to the pure atmosphere of prayer and selfsacrifice had wellnigh died out, and

almost every other lady of the time would have regarded her release from the vows made for her its her

Still less, at a time when no active order of Sisters, save that of the Beguines in Holland, had been invented,

and when no nun ever dreamt of carrying her charity beyond the quadrangle of her own convent, could any

one be expected to enter into Esclairmonde's admiration and longing for outofdoor works; but the person

whom she had chiefly made her friend was the King's almoner and chaplain, sometimes called Sir Martin

Bennet, at others Dr. Bennet, a great Oxford scholar, bred up among William of Wykeham's original seventy

at Winchester and New College, and now much trusted and favoured by the King, whom he everywhere

accompanied. That Sir Martin was a pluralist must be confessed, but he was most conscientious in providing

substitutes, and was a man of much thought and of great piety, in whom the fair pupil of the Canon of St.

'That is a gentle and gracious slip of the Stewart. What shall you do with him?' asked King Henry of James,

as they stood together at one end of the tiltyard at Westminster, watching Malcolm Stewart and Ralf Percy,

'Not I! Am I to have designs on every poor dove who flies into my tent from the hawk? Besides, are not they

'Monks and friars are no such holy beings, that I should greatly concern me about keeping an innocent had

'Nor do I say they are,' said Henry; 'but it is ill to cross a vow of devotion, and to bring a man back to the

world is apt to render him not worth the having. You may perchance get him down lower than you intended.'

'This boy never had any real vocation at all,' said James; 'it was only the timidity born of illhealth, and the

'Maybe so,' replied the English king, 'and you may be in the right; but why fix on that grand Luxemburg

wench, who ought to be a Lady Abbess of Fontainebleau at least, or a very St. Hilda, to rule monks and nuns

'Because they have fixed on each other. Malcolm needs a woman like her to make a man of him; and with her

spirit and fervent charity, we should have them working a mighty change in Scotland.'

'Mine? It's no affair of mine! You must settle it with Madame of Hainault; but you had best take care. You are

more like to make your tame lambkin into a ravening wolf, than to get that Deborah the prophetess to herd

James in sooth viewed this warning as another touch of Lancastrian superstition, and only considered how to

broach the question. Malcolm, meantime, was balancing between the now approaching decision between

Oxford and France. He certainly felt something of his old horror of warlike scenes; but even this was

lessening; he was aware that battles were not everyday occurrences, and that often there was no danger at

all. He would not willingly be separated from his king; and if the female part of the Court were to accompany

the campaign, it would be losing sight of all he cared for, if he were left among a set of stranger shavelings at

Oxford. Yet he was reluctant to break with the old habits that had hitherto been part of his nature; he felt,

after every word of Esclairmondenay, after every glance towards heras though it were a blessed thing to

have, like her, chosen the better part; he knew she would approve his resort to the home of piety and learning;

he was aware that when with Ralf Percy and the other youths of the Court he was ashamed of his own

scrupulousness, and tempted to neglect observances that they might call monkish and unmanly; and he was

not at all sure that in face of the enemy a panic might not seize him and disgrace him for ever! In effect he did

not know what he wished, even when he found that the Queen had decided against going across the sea, and

He should probably never again see Esclairmonde, the guiding star of his recent life, the embodiment of all

that he had imagined when conning the quaint old English poems that told the Legend of Seynct Katharine;

and as he leant musingly against a lattice, feeling as if the brightness of his life was going out, King James

Malcolm uttered a cry like horror, and reddened crimson. 'Sir! Sir! Sir!' he stammered.

'I am not given to profanity,' said James, endeavouring to look severe, but with laughter in his voice.

'Myself! No; but that II should dare to have such thoughts ofoh, Sir!' and Malcolm covered his face with

'Oh, Sir!' cried Malcolm, like one freshly stung, 'you have! Never, never dreamt I of aught but worshipping as

There was still the King's steady look and the suppressed smile. Malcolm broke off, and with a sudden agony

wrung his hands together. The King still smiled. 'Ay, Malcolm, it will not do; you are man, not monk.'

'Because,' said the King, 'she is not a saint in heaven, nor a nun in a convent, but a free woman, to be won by

Malcolm's groan and murmur of 'Never!' made James almost laugh at the evidence that on one side at least

'Oh, Sir,' he sighed, 'why put the thought before me, to make me wretched! Even were she for the world, she

'Peace, silly lad; all that is past and gone. You are quite another now, and a year or two of Harry's school of

chivalry will send you home a gallant knight and minstrel, such as no maiden will despise.'

The King went, and Malcolm fell into a silent state of musing. He was entirely overpowered, both by the

consciousness awakened within himself, by the doubt whether it were not a great sin, and by the strangeness

that the King, hitherto his oracle, should infuse such a hope. What King James deemed possible could never

be so incredible, or even sacrilegious, as he deemed it. Restless, ashamed, rent by a thousand conflicting

feelings, Malcolm roamed up and down his chamber, writhed, tried to sit and think, then, finding his thoughts

in a whirl, renewed his frantic pacings. And when dire necessity brought him again into the ladies' chamber,

he was silent, blushing, ungainly, abstracted, and retreated into the farthest possible corner from the

Then, when again alone with the King, he began with the assertion, 'It is utterly impossible, Sir;' and James

smiled to see his poison working. Not that he viewed it as poison. Monasticism was at a discount, and the

ranks of the religious orders were chiefly filled, the old Benedictine and Augustinian foundations by

gentlemen of good family who wanted the easy life of a sort of bachelor squire, and the friaries were

recruited by the sort of men who would in modern times be dissenting teachers of the lower stamp. James

was persuaded that Malcolm was fit for better things than were usually to be seen in a convent, and that it

was a real kindness not to let him merely retire thither out of faintness of heart, mistaken for devotion; and he

also felt as if he should be doing good service, not only to Malcolm, but to Scotland, if he could obtain for

He even risked the mention of the project to the Countess of Hainault, without whose consent nothing could

be effected. Jaqueline laughed long and loud at the notion of her stately Esclairmonde being the ladylove of

King James's little whitevisaged cousin; but if he could bring it about she had no objection, she should be

very glad that the demoiselle should come down from the height and be like other people; but she would

wager the King of Scots her emerald carcanet against his heron's plume, that Esclairmonde would never

marry unless her hands were held for her. Was she not at that very moment visiting some foundation of

In fact, under Dr. Bennet's escort, Esclairmonde and Alice were in a barge dropping down the Thames to the

neighbourhood of the frowning fortress of the Toweras yet unstained; and at the steps leading to the

Hospitium of St. Katharine the ladies were met, not only by their friend Mrs. Bolt, but by Sir Richard

Whittington, his kindly dame, and by 'Master William Kedbesby,' a grave and gentlelooking old man, who

had been Master of St. Katharine's ever since the first year of King Richard II., and delighted to tell of the

visits 'Good Queen Anne' of Bohemia had made to her hospital, and the kind words she had said to the old

almsfolk and the children of the schools; and when he heard that the Lady Esclairmonde was of the same

princely house of Luxemburg, he seemed to think no honour sufficient for her. They visited the two houses,

one for old men, the other for old women, each with a common apartment, with a fire, and a diningtable in

the midst, and sleeping cells screened off round it, and with a paved terrace walk overhanging the river,

where the old people could sit and sun themselves, and be amused by the gay barges and the swans that

expatiated there. The bedeswomen, ten in number, had a house arranged like an ordinary nunnery, except that

they were not in seclusion, had no grating, and shared the quadrangle with the alms folk and children. They

were gentle and wellnurtured women, chiefly belonging to the city and country families that furnished

servants to the queens; and they applied themselves to various offices of charity, going forth into the city to

tend the poor, and to teach the women and children. The appointments of almsfolk and admissions to the

school were chiefly made at their recommendation; and though a master taught all the booklearning in the

busy hive of scholars eighty in numberone or more of them instructed the little girls in spinning and in

stitchery, to say nothing of gentle and modest demeanour. There was a great look of happiness and good

order about all; and the church, fair and graceful, seemed well to complete and rule the institution.

Esclairmonde could but sigh with a sort of regret as she left it, and let herself be conducted by Sir Richard

Whittington to a refection at his beautiful house in Crutched Friars, built round a square, combining

warehouse and manorhouse; richly carved shields, with the arms of the companies of London, supporting

the tier of firstfloor windows, and another row of brackets above supporting another overhanging story. A

fountain was in the centre of a beautiful greensward, with beds of roses, pansies, pinks, stars of Bethlehem,

and other good old flowers, among which a monkey was chained to a tree, while a cat roamed about at a safe

Alice Montagu raised a laugh by asking if it were THE cat; to which her city namesake replied that 'her

master' never could abide to be without a cat in memory of his first friend, and marshalled them into the

beautiful hall, with wainscot lining below, surmounted by an arcade containing statues, and above a beautiful

carved ceiling. Here a meal was served to them, and the Lady talked with Whittington of the grand

townhalls and other buildings of the merchants of the Low Countries, with whom he was a trader for their

rich stuffs; and the visit passed off with no small satisfaction to both parties.

Esclairmonde sat in the barge on her return, looking out on the gray clear water, and on the bright gardens

that sloped down to it, gay with roses and fruitful with mulberries, apples, and strawberries, and the mansions

and churches that were never quite out of sight, though there were some open fields and wild country ere

coming to Westminster, all as if she did not see them, but was wrapped in deep contemplation.

Alice at last, weary of silence, stole her arm round her waist, and peeped up into her face. 'May I guess thy

'Say not I WILL, child,' said Esclairmonde, with a crystal drop starting in each dark eye. 'I would strive and

'Ah! thou wilt, thou wilt,' cried Alice; 'and since there are Beguines enough for their own Netherlands, thou

'Ah! but we have other cities. Good Father, have we not? Hull Southamptonoh! so many, where poor

strangers come that need ghostly tendance as well as bodily. EsclairmondeLight of the Worldoh! it was

not for nothing that they gave thee that goodly name. The hospice shall bear it!'

'Ah! but the people will give it; and our Holy Father the Pope, he will put thee into the canon of saints. Only

pity that I cannot live to hear of Ste. Esclairmondenay, but then I must overlive thee, mind I should not

'Oh, silence, silence, child; these are no thoughts to begin a work with. Little flatterer, it may be well for me

that our lives must needs lie so far apart that I shall not oft hear that fond silly tongue.'

'Nay,' said Alice, in the luxury, not of castlebuilding but of conventbuilding; 'it may be that when that

knight over there sees me so small and illfavoured he will none of me, and then I'll thank him so, and pray

my father to let him have all my lands and houses except just enough to dower me to follow thee with, dear

But here Alice was summarily silenced. Such talk, both priest and votaress told her, was not meet for dutiful

daughter or betrothed maiden. Her lot was fixed, and she must do her duty therein as the good wife and lady

of the castle, the noble English matron; and as she looked half disposed to pout, Esclairmonde drew such a

picture of the beneficent influence of the good baronial dame, ruling her castle, bringing up her children and

the daughters of her vassals in good and pious nurture, making 'the heart of her husband safely trust in her,'

benefiting the poor, and fostering holy men, wayfarers, and pilgrims, that the girl's eyes filled within tears as

she looked up and said, 'Ah! lady, this is the life fitted for thee, who can paint it so well. Why have I not a

brother, that you might be Countess of Salisbury, and I a poor little sister in a nunnery?'

Esclairmonde shook her head. 'Silly child, petite niaise, our lots were fixed by other hands than ours. We will

strive each to serve our God, in the coif or in the veil, in samite or in serge, and He will only ask which of us

Little had Esclairmonde expected to hear the greeting with which the Countess received her, breaking out into

peals of merriment as she told her of the choice destiny in store for her, to be wedded to the little lame Scot,

pretending to read her a grave lecture on the consequences of the advances she had made to him.

Esclairmonde was not put out of countenance; in fact, she did not think the Countess in earnest, and merely

replied with a smile that at least there was less harm in Lord Malcolm than in the suitors at home.

Jaqueline clapped her hands and cried, 'Good tidings, Clairette. I'll never forgive you if you make me lose my

emerald carcanet! So the arrow was winged, after all. She prefers himher heart is touched by the dainty

'Madame!' entreated Esclairmonde, with agitation; 'at least, infirmity should be spared.'

'It touches her deeply!' exclaimed the Duchess. 'Ah! to see her in the mountains teaching the wild men to say

their Aye, and to wear culottes, the little prince interpreting for her, as King James told us in his story of the

Raillery about Malcolm had been attempted before, but never so pertinaciously; and Esclairmonde heeded it

not at all, till James himself sought her out, and, within all his own persuasive grace, told her that he was

rejoiced to hear from Madame of Hainault that she had spoken kindly of his youthful kinsman, for whose

Esclairmonde replied composedly, but as one on her guard, that the Sieur de Glenuskie was a gentle and a

'As I saw from the first,' said James, 'when I brought him away from being crushed among our rude cousins;

but, lady, I knew not how the task of training the boy would be taken out of my hands by your kindness; and

now, pardon me, lady, only one thing is wanting to complete your work, and that is hope.'

'O, madame! but we peer earthly beings require an earthly hope, nearer home, to brace our hearts, and nerve

'Never by any save his enemies, lady. The Regent Albany and his fierce sons have striven to scare Malcolm

into a cloister, that his sister and his lands may be their prey; and they would have succeeded had not I come

'Still,' added James, 'he is of a thoughtful and somewhat tender mould, and the rudeness of life will try him

sorely unless he have some cheering star, some light of love, to bear him up and guide him on his way.'

'Lady, it is too late to talk of what he may find. The brightness that has done so much for him already will

'You are a minstrel, Sir King, and therefore these words of light romance fall from your lips.'

'Nay, lady, hitherto my romance has been earnest. It rests with you to make Malcolm's the same.'

'Madame, you might well shrink from what it was as insult to you to propose; but have you never thought of

the blessings you might confer in the secular life, with one who would be no hindrance, but a help?'

'Lady, I will not press you with what divines have decided respecting such dedication. Any scruples could be

removed by the Holy Father at Rome, and, though I will speak no further, I will trust to your considering the

matter. You have never viewed it in any light save that of a refuge from wedlock with one to whom I trust

'It were a poor compliment to Lord Malcolm to name him in the same day with Sir Boemond of Burgundy,'

said Esclairmonde; 'but, as I said, it is not the person that withholds me, but the fact that I am not free.'

'I do not ask you to love or accept the poor boy as yet,' said James; 'I leave that for the time when I shall bring

him back to you, with the qualities grown which you have awakened. At least, I can bear him the tidings that

'Sir King,' said Esclairmonde, gravely, 'I question not your judgment in turning your kinsman and subject to

the secular life; but if you lead him by false hopes, of which I am the object, I tell you plainly that you are

She moved away, with a bend of her graceful neck, and James stood with a slight smile curving his lip. 'By

my troth,' he said to himself, 'a lordly lady! She knows her own vocation. She is one to command scores of

holy maids, and have all the abbots and priors round at her beck, instead of one poor man. Rather Malcolm

than I! But he is the very stuff that loves to have such a woman to rule him; and if she wed at all, he is the

very man for her! I'll not give it up! Love is the way to make a man of him, whether successful or not, and

she may change her mind, since she is not yet on the roll of saints. If I could get a word with her father

confessor, and show him how much it would be for the interest of the Church in Scotland to get such a

woman there, it would be the surest way of coming at her. Were she once in Scotland, my pretty one would

James therefore told Malcolm so much as that he had spoken to his ladylove for him, and that she had

Malcolm crimsoned with joy as well as confusion; and the King proceeded: 'For the vows'he shrugged his

shoulders'we knew there is a remedy! Meantime, Malcolm, be you a man, win your spurs, and show

Malcolm smiled and brightened, holding his head high and joyously, and handling his sword. Then came the

'We will provide for them, boy. You know Drummond is bent on carving his own fortune rather than taking

James laughed. 'Let that be as the mood takes you, or occasion serves,' he said, wondering whether the lad's

almost abject awkwardness and shame would be likely to create the pity akin to love or to contempt, and

Nor did Malcolm find boldness enough to do more than haunt Esclairmonde's steps, trembling if she glanced

towards him, and almost shrinking from her gaze. He had now no doubts about going on the campaign, and

was in full course of being prepared with equipments, horses, armour, and attendants, as became a young

prince attending on his sovereign as an adventurer in the camp. It was not even worth while to name such

scruples to the English friar who shrived him on the last day before the departure, and who knew nothing of

his past history. He knew all priests would say the same things, and as he had never made a binding vow, he

saw no need of consulting any one on the subject; it would only vex him again, and fill him with doubts. The

suspicion that Dr. Bennet was aware of his previous intention made him shrink from him. So the last day had

come, and all was farewell. King Henry had persuaded the Queen to seclude herself for one evening from

Madame of Hainault, for his sake. King James was pacing the gardens on the Thames banks, with Joan

Beaufort's hand for once allowed to repose in his; many a noble gentleman was exchanging last words with

his wifemany a young squire whispering what he had never ventured to say beforemany a silver mark

was clovenmany a bright tress was exchanged. Even Ralf Percy was in the midst of something very like a

Malcolm felt a certain exaltation in being enough like other people to have a ladylove, but there was not

much comfort otherwise; indeed, he could so little have addressed Esclairmonde that it was almost a

satisfaction that she was the centre of a group of maidens whose lovers or brothers either had been sent off

beforehand, or who saw their attentions paid elsewhere, and who all alike gravitated towards the Demoiselle

de Luxemburg for sympathy. He could but hover on the outskirts, conscious that he must cut a ridiculous

figure, but unable to detach himself from the neighbourhood of the magnet. As he looked back on the happy

weeks of unconstrained intercourse, when he came to her as freely as did these young girls with all his

troubles, he felt as if the King had destroyed all his joy and peace, and yet that these flutterings of heart and

He durst say nothing, only now and then to gaze on her with his great brown wistful eyes, which he dropped

whenever she looked towards him; until at last, when the summer evening was closing in, and the last signal

was given for the breakup of the party, Malcolm ventured on one faltering murmur, 'Lady, lady, you are not

'Nay,' said Esclairmonde, kindly; 'nothing has passed between us that should offend me.'

'Whatever you achieve as a good man and true will gladden me,' said Esclairmonde, 'as it will all others that

wish you well. Both you and your sister in her loneliness shall have my best prayers. Farewell, Lord

Malcolm; may the Saints bless and guard you, whether in the world or the Church.'

Malcolm knew why she spoke of his sister, and felt as if there were no hope for him. Esclairmonde's grave

kindness was a far worse sign than would have been any attempt to evade him; but at any rate she had spoken

with him, and his heart could not but be cheered. What might he not do in the glorious future? As the

foremost champion of a crusading king, bearing St. Andrew's cross through the very gates of Jerusalem, what

And he knew that, for the present, Esclairmonde was safe from retiring into any convent, since her high birth

and great possessions would make any such establishment expect a large dower with her as a right, and few

abbesses would have ventured to receive a runaway foreigner, especially as one of her guardians was the

Wintry winds and rains were sweeping over the English tents on the banks of the Marne, where Henry V. was

besieging Meaux, then the stronghold of one of those terrible freebooters who were always the offspring of a

lengthened war. Jean de Gast, usually known as the Bastard de Vaurus, nominally was of the Armagnac or

patriotic party, but, in fact, pillaged indiscriminately, especially capturing travellers on their way to Paris, and

setting on their heads a heavy price, failing which he hung them upon the great elmtree in the marketplace.

The very suburbs of Paris were infested by the forays of this desperate routier, as such highway robbers were

called; the supplies of previsions were cut off, and the citizens had petitioned King Henry that he would

The King intended to spend the winter months with his queen in England, and at once attacked the place in

October, hoping to carry it by a coup de main. He took the lower city, containing the market place and

several large convents, with no great difficulty; but the upper city, on a rising ground above the river, was

strongly fortified, well victualled, and bravely defended, and he found himself forced to invest it, and make a

regular siege, though at the expense of severe toil and much sickness and suffering. Both his own prestige in

France and the welfare of the capital depended on his success, and he had therefore fixed himself before

The greater part of the army were here encamped, together with the chief nobles, March, Somerset, Salisbury,

Warwick, and likewise the King of Scots. James had for a time had the command of the army which besieged

and took Dreux while Henry was elsewhere engaged, but in general he acted as a sort of volunteer

aidedecamp to his brother king, and Malcolm Stewart of Glenuskie was always with him as his squire. A

great change had come over Malcolm in these last few months. His feeble, sickly boyhood seemed to have

been entirely cast off, and the warm genial summer sun of France to have strengthened his frame and

developed his powers. He had shot up suddenly to a fair height, had almost lost his lameness, and gained

much more appearance of health and power of enduring fatigue. His nerves had become less painfully

sensitive, and when after his first skirmish, during which he had kept close to King James, far too much

terrified to stir an inch from him, he had not only found himself perfectly safe, but had been much praised for

his valour, he had been so much pleased with himself that he quite wished for another occasion of displaying

his bravery; and, what with use, and what with the increasing spirit of pugnacity, he was as sincere as Ralf

Percy in abusing the French for never coming to a pitched battle. Perhaps, indeed, Malcolm spoke even more

eagerly than Ralf, in his own surprise and gratification at finding himself no coward, and his fear lest Percy

So far the King of Scots had succeeded in awakening martial fire in the boy, but he found him less the

companion in other matters than he had intended. When at Paris, James would have taken him to explore the

learned hoards of the already venerable University of Paris, where young James Kennedyson to Sir James

Kennedy of Dunure, and to Mary, an elder sister of the Kingwas studying with exceeding zeal. Both James

and Dr. Bennet were greatly interested in this famous abode of hearingthe King, indeed, was already

sketching out designs in his own mind for a similar institution in Scotland, designs that were destined to be

carried out after his death by Kennedy; and Malcolm perforce heard many inquiries and replies, but he held

aloof from friendship with his clerkly cousin Kennedy, and closed his ears as much as might be, hanging

back as if afraid of returning to his books. There was in this some real dread of Ralf Percy's mockery of his

clerkliness, but there was more real distaste for all that appertained to the past days that he now despised.

The tide of vitality and physical vigour, so long deficient, had, whom it had fairly set in, carried him away

with it: and in the activity of body newly acquired, mental activity had wellnigh ceased. And therewith went

much of the tenderness of conscience and devout habits of old. They dropped from him, sometimes for lack

of time, sometimes from false shame, and by and by from very weariness and distaste. He was soldier now,

and not monkay, and even the observances that such soldiers as Henry and James never failed in, and

always enforced, were becoming a burthen to him. They wakened misgivings that he did not like, and that

And Esclairmonde? Out of her sight, Malcolm dreamt a good deal about her, but more as the woman, less as

the saint; and the hopes, so low in her presence, burnt brighter in her absence as Malcolm grew in

selfconfidence and in knowledge of the world. He knew that when he parted with her he had been a

miserable little wretch whom any woman would despise, yet she had shown him a sort of preference; how

would it be when he returned to her, perhaps a knight, certainly a brave man like other men!

Of Patrick Drummond he had as yet heard nothing, and only believed him to be among the Scots who fought

on the French side under the Earls of Buchan and Douglas. Indeed, James especially avoided places where he

knew these Scots to be engaged, as Henry persisted in regarding them as rebels against him, and in hanging

all who were made prisoners; nor had Malcolm, during the courtesies that always pass between the outposts

of civilized armies, made much attempt to have any communication with his cousin, for though his own

abnegation of his rights had never been permitted by his guardian, or reckoned on by his sister or her lover,

still he had been so much in earnest about it himself, as, while regarding it as a childish folly, to feel ill at

ease in the remembrance, and, though defiant, willing to avoid all that could recall it.

Meantime he, with his king, was lodged in a large old convent, as part of the immediate following of King

Henry. Others of the princes and nobles were quartered in the market hall and lower town, but great part of

thine troops were in tents, and in a state of much discomfort, owing to the overflowings of the Marne.

Fighting was the least of their dangers, though their skirmishes were often fought ankledeep in mud and

mire; fever and ague were among them, and many a sick man was sent away to recover or die at Paris. The

long dark evenings were a new trial to men used to summer campaigning, and nothing but Henry's wonderful

personal influence and perpetual vigilance kept up discipline. At any hour of the day or night, at any place in

the camp, the King might be at hand, with a cheery word of sympathy or encouragement, or with the most

unflinching sternness towards any disobedience or debaucheryever a presence to be either loved or

dreaded. An engineer in advance of his time, he was persuaded that much of the discomfort might be

remedied by trenching the ground around the camp; but this measure proved wonderfully distasteful to the

soldiery. How hard they laboured in the direct siege operations they cared not, but to be set to drain French

fields seemed to them absurd and unreasonable, and the work would not have proceeded at all without

constant superintendence from one of the chiefs of the army, since the ordinary knights and squires were as

Thus it was that, on a cold sleety December day, James of Scotland rode along the meadows, splashing

through thin ice into muddy water, and attended by his small personal suite, excepting Sir Nigel Baird, who

was gone on a special commission to Paris. Both he and Malcolm were plainly and lightly armed, and wore

long blue cloaks with the St. Andrew's cross on the shoulder, steel caps without visors, and the King's merely

distinguished by a threadhike circlet of gold. They had breastplates, swords, and daggers, but they were not

going to a quarter where fighting was to be expected, and bright armour was not to be exposed to rust without

need. A visit of inspection to the delvers was not a congenial occupation, for though the menatarms had

obeyed James fairly well when he was in sole command at Dreux, yet whenever he was obliged to enforce

anything unpopular, the national dislike to the Scot was apt to show itself, and the whole army was at present

But King Henry was not half recovered from a heavy feverish cold, which he had not confessed or attended

to, and he had also of late been troubled with a swelling of the neck. This morning, too, much to his

inconvenience and dismay, he had missed his signetring. The private seal on such a ring was of more

importance than the autograph at that time, and it would never have left the King's hand; but no doubt, in

consequence of his indisposition, his finger, always small boned, had become thin enough to allow the

signet to escape unawares, he was unwilling to publish the loss, as it might cast doubt on the papers he

despatched, and he, with his chamberlain Fitzhugh, King James, Malcolm, Percy, and a few more, had spent

half the morning in the vain search, ending by the King sending his chamberlain, Lord Fitzhugh, to carry to

Paris a seal already bearing his shield, but lacking the small private mark that authenticated it as his signet.

Fitzhugh would stand over the lapidary and see this added, and bring it back. Ralf Percy had meantime been

sent to bring a report of the diggers, but he was long in returning; and when Henry became uneasy, James had

volunteered to go himself, and Henry had consented, not because the air was full of sleety rain or snow, but

because his hands were full of letters needing to be despatched to all quarters.

The air was so thick that it was not easy to see where were the sullen group of diggers presided over by the

quondam duellists of Thirsk, Kitson and Trenton, now the most inseparable and impracticable of men; but

James and his companions had ridden about two miles from the marketplace, when Ralf Percy came out of

the mist, exclaiming, 'Is it you, Sir King? Maybe you can do something with those rascals! I've talked myself

blue with cold to make them slope the sides of their dyke, but the owl Kitson says no Yorkshireman ditcher

ever went but by one fashion, and none ever shall; and when I lifted my ridingrod at the most insolent of the

rogues, what must Trenton do but tell me the lot were free yeomen, and I'd best look out, or they'd roll me in

'No, no; the sullen cur is a gentleman. 'Twas one of those lubberly menatarms! I told them they should hear

'So would I,' said James. 'Little chance that they will hearken to a Scot when you have put them in such a

mood. Hold, Ralf, do not go for the King; he has letters for the Emperor mattering more than this dyke.'

He rode on, and did his best by leaping into the ditch, taking the spade, and showing the superior security of

the angle of inclination traced by the King, but all in vain; both Trenton and Kitson silently but obstinately

scouted the notion that any king should know more about ditches than themselves.

'See,' cried Percy, starting up, 'here's other work! The fellows, whence came they?'

Favoured by the fog and the soft soil of the meadows, a considerable body of the enemy were stealing on the

delvers with the manifest purpose of cutting them off from the camp. They were all mounted, but the only

horses in the English party were those of James, Percy, Malcolm, and the halfdozen men of his escort.

James, assuming the command at once, bade these to be all released; they would be sure to find their way to

the camp, and that would bring succour. Meantime he drew the whole of the men, about thirty in number, into

a compact body. They were, properly, archers, but their bows had been left behind, and they had only their

pikes and bills, which were, however, very formidable weapons against cavalry as long as they continued in

an unbroken rank; and though the bogs, pools, sunken hedges, and submerged stumps made it difficult to

keep close together as they made their way slowly with one flank to the river, these obstacles were no small

For a quarter of a mile these tactics kept them unharmed, but at length they reached a wide smooth meadow,

and the enemy seemed preparing to charge. James gave orders to close up and stand firm, pikes outwards.

Malcolm's heart beat fast; it was the most real peril he had yet seen; and yet he was cheered by the King's

ringing voice, 'Stand firm, ye merry men. They must soon be with us from the camp.'

Suddenly a voice shouted, 'The Scots! the Scots! 'Tis the Scots! Treachery! we are betrayed. Come, Sir' (to

'An' it were, you fool, would a Percy turn his back?' cried Ralf, striking at the man; but the panic had seized

the whole body; all were shouting that the false Scots king had brought his countrymen down on them; they

scattered hither and thither, and would have fallen an easy prey if they had been pursued. But this did not

seem to be the purpose of the enemy, who merely extended themselves so as to form a hedge around the few

who stood, sword in hand, disdaining to fly. These were, James, somewhat in advance, with his head high,

and a lion look on his brow; Malcolm, white with dismay; Ralf, restless with fury; Kitson and Trenton,

apparently as unmoved as ever; Brewster, equally steady: and Malcolm's follower, Halbert, in a glow of

'Never fear, friends,' said James, kindly; 'to you this can only be matter of ransom.'

'We'll stand by you, Sir,' said Kitson to Ralf; 'but if ever there were foul treason'

'Pshaw! you ass,' were all Percy's thanks; for at that moment a horseman came forward from among the

enemy, a gigantic form on a tall white horse, altogether a 'dark gray man,' the open visor revealing an elderly

face, hardfeatured and grim, and the shield on his arm so dinted, faded, and battered, as scarce to show the

blue chief and the bleeding crowned heart; but it was no unfamiliar sight to Malcolm's eyes, and with a slight

shudder he bent his head in answer to the fierce whisper, 'Old Douglas himself!' with which Hotspur's son

certified himself that he had the foe of his house before him. King James, resting the point of his sword on his

mailed foot, stood erect and gravely expectant; and the Scot, springing to the ground, advanced with the

words, 'We greet you well, my liege, and hereby' he was bending his knee as he spoke, and removing his

'You are captive no longer, Sir King,' said Earl Archibald. 'We have long awaited this occasion, and will at

once return to Scotland with you, with the arms and treasure we have gained here, and will bear down the

Kitson and Trenton looked at one another and grasped their swords, as though doubting whether they ought

not to cut down their king's prisoner rather than let him be rescued; and meanwhile the cry, 'Save King

James!' broke out on all sides, knights leapt down to tender their homage, and among the foremost Malcolm

knew Sir Patrick Drummond, crying aloud, 'My lord, my lord, we have waited long for you. Be a free king in

'Trust you, my friends!' said James, deeply touched; 'I trust you with all my heart; but how could you trust me

Ralf Percy held up his finger and nodded his head to the Yorkshire squires, who stood openmouthed, still

believing that a Scot must be false. There was an angry murmur among the Scots, but James gazed at them

'Yes, to King Harry!' he said, in his trumpet voice. 'I belong to him, and he has trusted me as never prisoner

'The foul fiend take such niceties,' muttered old Douglas; but, checking himself, he said, 'Then, Sir, give me

'Yea,' said James, 'that is mine own, though my body be yours, and till England put me to ransom you would

'Sir,' said Sir John Swinton, pressing forward, 'if my Lord of Douglas be plainspoken, bethink you that it is

no cause for casting aside this one hope of freedom that we have sought so long. If you have the heart to

'It is not the time,' said James, 'nor will I do Scotland the wrong of striking for her with a dishonoured hand.'

'That will we see when we have him at Hermitage Castle,' quoth Douglas to his followers. 'Now, Sir King,

'I yield not,' said James. 'Dead you may take mealive, never.' Then turning his eyes to the faces that gazed

on him so earnestly in disappointment, in affection, or in scorn, he spoke: 'Brave friends, who may perchance

love me the better that I have been a captive half my life and all my reign, you can believe how sair my heart

burns for my bonnie land's sake, and how little I'd reck of my life for her weal. But broken oaths are ill

beginnings. For me, so notably trusted by King Henry, to break my bonds, would shame both Scots and

kings; and it were yet more paltry to feign to yield to my Lord of Douglas. Rescue or no rescue, I am

England's captive. Gentles, kindly brother Scots, in one way alone can you free me. Give up this wretched

land of France, whose troubles are but lengthened by your valour. Let me gang to King Harry and tell him

your swords are at his service, so soon as I am free. Then am I your King indeed; we return together, staunch

hearts and strong hands, and the key shall keep the castle, and the bracken bush keep the cow, though I lead

His tawny eye flashed with falcon light; and as he stood towering above all the tall men around, there were

few who did not in heart own him indeed their king. But his picture of royal power accorded ill with the

notions of a Black Douglas, in the most masterful days of that family; and Earl Archibald, who had come to

regard kings as beings meant to be hectored by Douglases, resentfully exclaimed, 'Hear him, comrades; he

has avouched himself a Southron at heart. Has he reckoned how little it would cost to give a thrust to the

caitiff who has lost heart in his prison, and clear the way for Albany, who is at least a true Scot?'

'Do so, Lord Earl,' said James, 'and end a long captivity. But let these go scatheless.'

With one voice, Percy, Kitson, Trenton, and Brewster, shouted their resolve to defend him to the last; and

'Thou here, laddie!' said Patrick, amazed; and while several more knights exclaimed, 'Sir, Sir, we'll see no

hand laid on you!' he thrust forward, 'Take my horse, Sir, ride on, and I'll see no scathe befall you.'

The Scottish force seemed dividing into two: Douglas and his friends and retainers, mounted and holding

together, as though still undecided whether to grapple with the King and his halfdozen companions; while

'Now,' said James to his English friends; and therewith, sword in hand, he moved with a steady but swift

stride towards the camp, nor did Douglas attempt pursuit; some of the other horsemen hovered between, and

Patrick Drummond, with a puzzled face, kept near on foot. So they proceeded till they reached a bank and

On the other side of this, James turned round and said, 'Thanks, Sir Knight; I suppose I may not hope that you

'I cannot fight under the English banner, my liege. Elsewhere I would fellow you to the death.'

'This is no time to show your error,' said James; 'and I therefore counsel you to come no farther. The English

will be pricking forth in search of us: so I will but thank you for your loyal aid.'

'I entreat you, Sir,' cried Patrick, 'not to believe that we meant this matter to go as it has done! It had long

been our desireof all of us, that is, save my Lord Buchan's retainersto find you and release you; but

'You would be little the better for me did Lord Douglas bring me back on his own terms,' said James, smiling.

'No, no; when I go home, it shall be as a free king, able to do justice to all alike; and for that I am content to

'And with all my heart, Sir,' said Patrick. 'Would that you were where I could do so now. Ah! laddie,' to

Malcolm; 'ye're in good hands. My certie, I kenned ye but by your voice! Ye're verily grown into a goodly

ship after all, and ye stood as brave as the rest. My poor father would have been fain to see this day!'

Malcolm flushed to the ears; somehow Patrick's praise was not as pleasant to him as he would have expected,

'I ken but what Johnnie Swinton brought me in a letter frae the Abbot of Coldingham, that my fatherthe

saints be with him!had been set on and slain by yon accursed Master of Albanywould that his thrapple

were in my grip!that he had sent you southwards to the King, and that your sister was in St. Abbs. Is it so?'

Malcolm had barely time to make a sign of affirmation, when the King hurried him on. 'I grieve to balk you

of your family tidings, but delay will be ill for one or other of us; so fare thee well, Sir Patrick, till better

He shook the knight's hand as he spoke, cut short his protestations, and leapt down the bank, saying in a low

voice, as he stretched out his hand and helped Malcolm down after him, 'He would have known me again for

your guest if we had stood many moments longer; he looked hard at me as it was; and neither in England nor

Malcolm was on the whole rather relieved; he could not help feeling guilty towards Patrick, and unless he

And at the same moment Kitson stepped towards the King. 'Sir, you are an honest man, and we crave your

James laughed, shaking each honest hand, and saying, 'At least, good sirs, do not always think Scot and

'I'd wish no better than to back such as you, Sir,' said Kitson heartily; and James then turned to Ralf Percy,

'A dour old block!' said Ralf. 'If those runaways had but stayed within us, the hoary ruffian should have had

James smiled, for the grim giant was still a good deal more than a match for the slim, rosyfaced stripling of

the house of Percy, who nevertheless simply deemed his nation and family made him invincible by either

The difficulties of their progress, however, entirely occupied them. Having diverged from the regular track,

they had to make their way through the inundated meadows; sometimes among deep pools, sometimes in

quagmires, or ever hedges; while the water that drenched them was fast freezing, and darkness came down on

them. All stumbled or were bogged at different times; and Malcolm, shorter and weaker than the rest, and his

lameness becoming more felt than usual, could not help impeding their progress, and at last was so spent that

At last the lights were near, the outskirts were gained, the pass word given to the watch, and the rough but

'Some score of them,' was the answer; 'but 'tis thought most are drowned or stuck by the French. The King is

in a proper rage, as well he may be; but what else could come of a false Scot in the camp?'

'Have a care, you foul tongue!' Percy was the first to cry; and as torches were now brought out and cast their

light on the wellknown faces, the soldiers stood abashed; but James tarried not for their excuses; his heart

was hot at the words which implied that Henry suspected him, and he strode hastily on to the convent, where

the quadrangle was full of horses and men, and the windows shone with lights. At the door of the refectory

stood a figure whose armour flashed with light, and his voice sounded through the closed visor 'I tell you,

March, I cannot rest till I knew what his hap has been. If he have done this thing '

'What then?' answered James out of the darkness, in a voice deep with wrath; but Henry started.

'Now the saints be thanked!' cried Henry, joyously. 'Where be the caitiffs that brought me their false tale?

'It was the less wonder,' said James, still coldly, 'that they should have thought themselves betrayed, since

'Nay, 'twas but for a hot momentay, and the bitterest I ever spent. What could I do when the villains swore

that there were signals and I know not what devices passing? I hoped yet 'twas but a plea for their own

cowardice, and was mounting to come and see for you. Come, I should have known you better; I'd rather the

There was that in his tone which ended all resentment, and James's hand was at once clasped in his, while

'Nay, Harry,' said James, 'let me plead for them. There was more than ordinary to dismay them.'

'Dismay! ay, the more cause they should have stood like honest men. If a rogue be not to hang for deserting

'I'll hear when I return and you are dried. Why, man, thou art an icicle errant; change thy garments while I go

'The more cause that I be on the alert! Could I be everywhere, mayhap a few winter blasts would not have

He spoke very sharply as he threw him on his horse, and wrapped his cloak about hima poor defence, spite

of the ermine lining, against the frost of the December night for a man whose mother, the fair and wise Mary

James and the two young partners of his adventure had long been clad in their gowns of peace, and seated by

the fire in the refectory, James with his harp in his hand, from time to time dreamily calling forth a few

plaintive notes, such as he said always rang in his ears after hearing a Scottish voice, when they again heard

Henry's voice in hot displeasure with the provostmarshal for having deferred the execution of the runaways

'His commands were not to be transgressed for the king of anything,' and he only reprieved the wretches till

morning that their fate might be more signal. He spoke with the peremptory fierceness that had of late almost

obscured his natural goodhumour and kindliness; and when he entered the refectory and threw himself into

a chair by the fire, he looked wearied out in body and mind, shivered and coughed, and said with unwonted

depression that the sullen fellows would make a quagmire of their camp after all, since a French

reinforcement had come up, and the vigilance that would be needed would occupy the whole army. At supper

he ate little and spoke less; and when James would have related his encounter within the Scots, he cut him

short, saying, 'Let that rest till morning; I am sick of hearing of it! An air upon thy harp would be more to the

Nor would James have been unwilling to be silent on old Douglas's conduct if he had not been anxious to

plead for the panicstricken archers, as well as to extol the conduct of the two youths, and of the Yorkshire

squires; but, as he divined that the young Hotspur would regard praise from him as an insult, he deferred the

subject for his absence, and launched into a plaintive narrative ballad, to which Henry listened, leaning back

in his chair, often dozing, but without relaxation of the anxiety that sat on his pale face, and ever and anon

wakening within a heavy sigh, as though his buoyant spirits were giving way under the weight of care he had

James was just singing of one of the many knightly orphans of romance, exposed in woods to the nurture of

bears, his father slain, his mother dead of griefa ditty he had perhaps chosen for its soporific

'The French would scarce send to parley thus late,' exclaimed James; but the next moment a joyful clamour

arose without, and Henry, springing to his feet, spoke not, but stood awaiting the tidings with the colour

An esquire, splashed to the ears, hurried into the room, and falling on his knees, cried aloud, 'God save King

Harry! News, news, my lord! The Queen has safely borne you a fair son at Windsor Castle, five days since.'

Henry did not speak, but took the messenger's hand, wrung it, and left a costly ring there. Then, taking off his

cap, he put his hands over his face, uttering a few words of fervent thanksgiving almost within himself, and

then turning to the esquire, made further inquiries after his wife's welfare, took from him the letter that

Archbishop Chicheley had sent, poured out a cup of wine for him, bade the lords around make him good

It was so unlike his usual hilarious manner that all looked at one another in anxiety, and spoke of his unusual

susceptibility to fatigue and care; while the squire, looking at the rich jewel in his hand, declared within

disappointment in his tone, that he would rather have had a mere flint stone so he had heard King Harry's

James was not the least anxious of them, but long ere light the next morning Henry stood at his bedside,

saying, 'I must go round the posts before mass, Jamie. Will you face the matin frost?'

'I am fitter to face it than thou,' said James, rising. 'Is there need for this?'

'Great need,' said Henry. 'Here are these fresh forces all aglow within their first zeal, and unless they are

worse captains than I suppose them, they will attempt some mischief ere longnor is any time so slack as

James was speedily ready, and, within some suppressed sighs, so was Malcolm, who knew himself in duty

bound to attend his master, and was kept on the alert by seeing Ralf Percy also on foot. But it was a great

relief to him that the young gentleman murmured in no measured terms against the intolerable activity of

their kings. No other attendants went within them, since Henry was wont to patrol his camp with as little

'I would scarcely ask a dog to come out with me this wintry morn,' said he, as he waved back his sleepy

chamberlain, Fitzhugh, and took his brother king's arm; 'but I could not but crave a turn with thee, Jamie, ere

'Poor child!' said Henry; then, after they had walked some space in silence, he added, 'You'll mock me, but I

would that this had not befallen at Windsor. I had laid my plans that it should be otherwise; but ladies are ill

'And wherefore should it not have been at fair Windsor? If I can love it as a prison, sure your son may well

'No dishonour to Windsor,' said Henry; 'but, sleeping or waking, this whole night hath this adage rung in my

"Harry, born at Monmouth, shall short time live and all get; Harry, born at Windsor, shall long time live and

'Nay, do not charge me with it, thou dainty minstrel. It was sung to me by mime old Herefordshire nurse,

when Windsor seemed as little within my reach as Meaux, and I never thought of it again till I looked to have

'Then balk the prophecy,' said James; 'Edward born at Windsor got enough, and lived long enough to boot!'

'Too late!' was the answer. 'The Archbishop christened the poor child Harry in the very hour of his birth.'

'Nay, 'tis not solely the rhyme,' said Henry; 'but this has been a wakeful night, and not without misgivings

'I never thought so till now,' said Henry. 'Yet who knows? My father was a winsome young man ere his exile,

full of tenderness to us all, at the rare times he was with us. Who knows what cares may make of me ere my

'I trow not! I'll have him with me in the camp, and he and my brave men shall be one another's pride. Which

Roman emperor is it that hears the nickname his father's soldiers gave him as a child? Nay Caligula was it?

'Then laughs them to scorn, and be yourself,' said James. 'Bless God for the goodly child, who is born to two

'Ah!' said Henry, depressed by failing health, a sleepless night, and hungry morning, 'maybe it were better for

him, soul and body both, did I stand here Duke of Lancaster, and good Edmund of March yonder were head

'Never would he be head of this army,' said James. 'He would be snoring at Shene; that is, if he could sleep

Henry laughed at last. 'Good King Edmund, he would assuredly never try to set the world right on its hinges.

Honest fellow, soon he will be as hearty in his congratulations as though he did not lie under a great wrong.

Heighho! such as he may be in the right on't. I've marvelled of late, whether any priest or hermit could bring

back my old assurance, that all this is my work on earth, or tell me if it be all one grand error. Men there have

been like Caesar, Alexander, or Charlemagne, who thought my thoughts and worked them out; and surely

Church and nations cry aloud for purifying. Jerusalem, and a general councilI saw them once clear and

bright before me; but now a mist seems to rise up from Richard's blood, and hide them from me; and there

comes from it my father's voice when he asked on his deathbed what right I had to the crown. What would it

He was interrupted by the sight of a young knight stealing into the camp, after a furtive expedition to Paris. It

was enough to rouse him from his despondent state; and the severity of his wrath was in full proportion to the

offence. Nor did he again utter his misgivings, but was full of his usual alacrity and life, as though daylight

James, on the way back to the thanksgiving mass, interceded for last night's offenders, as an act of grace

'Had they stood to die like Englishmen, they had not lied like dogs! 'he said; 'and as dogs they shall hang!'

In fact, in the critical state of his army, he knew that the only safety lay in the promptest and sternest justice;

and therefore the three foremost in accusing King James of treachery were hung long before noon.

However, he called for the two Yorkshiremen, and thus addressed them: 'Well done, my masters! Thanks for

showing Scots and Frenchmen what stuff Englishmen are made of! I keep my word, good fellows. Kneel

down, and I'll dub each a knight. How now! what are you blundering and whispering for?'

'So please you, Sir,' said Kitson, 'this is no matter to win one's spurs formere standing still without a blow.'

'I would all had that same gift of standing still,' returned Henry. 'What is it sticks in your gizzard, friend? If

And Kitson explained: 'Sir, you said you'd knight the one of us that was foremost. Now, the two being

dubbed, we shall be but where we were before as to Mistress Agnes of Mineshull, unless of your good will

you would be pleased to let us fight out the wager of the heriard in all peace and amity.'

Henry burst out laughing, with all his old merriment, as he said, 'For no Mistress Agnes living can I have

honest men's lives wasted, specially of such as have that gift of standing still. If she does not knew her own

mind, one of you must get himself killed by the Frenchmen, not by one another. So kneel down, and we'll

Thus Sir Christopher Kitson and Sir William Trenton rose up knights; and bore their honours with a certain

bluntness that made them butts, even while they were the heroes of the day; and Henry, who had resumed his

'So,' muttered Malcolm to Ralf Percy, 'we are passed over in the selfsame matter for which these fellows are

'Tush!' answered Percy; 'I'd scorn to be confounded with a couple of clowns like them! Moreover,' he added,

with better reason, 'their valour was more exercised than ours, inasmuch as they thought there was treachery,

and we did not. No, no; when my spurs are won, it shall be for some prowess, better than standing

Malcolm held his tongue, unwilling that Percy should see that he did feel this an achievement; but he was

vexed at the lack of reward, fancying that knighthood would be no small step in the favour of that imaginary

'Light of the world' he loved to call her still, but it was in the commonplace romance of his time, the mere

The seven months' siege ended at last, but it was not until the brightness of May was on the fields outside,

and the deadly blight of famine on all within, that a haggard, wastedlooking deputation came down from the

Henry was never severe with the inhabitants of French cities, and exacted no harsh terms, save that he

insisted that Vaurus, the robber captain, and his two chief lieutenants, should be given up to him to suffer

condign punishment. The warriors who had shut themselves up to hold out the place by honourable warfare

for the Dauphin must be put to ransom as prisoners of war; but the burghers were to be unmolested, on

condition of their swearing allegiance to Henry as regent for, and heir of, Charles VI.

To this the deputies consented, and the next day was fixed for the surrender. The difficulty was, as Henry had

found at Harfleur, Rouen, and many other places, to enforce forbearance on his soldiery, who regarded

plunder as their lawful prey, the enemy as their natural game, and the trouble a city had given them as a cause

for unmercifulness. The more time changed his army from the feudal gathering of English country gentlemen

and yeomen to mercenary bands of menatarms, the mere greedy, rapacious, and insubordinate became

their temper. Well knowing the greatness of the peril, and that the very best of his captains had scarcely the

will, if they had the power, to restrain the license that soon became barbarity unimaginable, he spoke sadly

overnight of his dread of the day of surrender, when it might prove impossible to prevent deeds that would be

not merely a blot on his scutcheon, but a shame to human nature; looking back to the exultation with which

he had entered Harfleur as a mere effect of boyish ignorance and thoughtlessness.

Having taken all possible precautions, he stood in his full armour, with the fox's brush in his helmet, under

the great elm in the marketplace, received the keys, accepted the sword of the captain commissioned by

Charles with royal courtesy, gave his hand to be kissed by the mayor; and then, with grave inexorable air, like

a statue of steel, watched as the freebooter Vaurus and his two chief companions were led down with their

hands tied, halters round their necks, and priests at their sides, preparing them to be hung on that very tree.

They were proud hard men, and uttered no entreaty for grace. They had hung too many travellers upon these

same branches not to expect their own turn, and they were no cravens to abase themselves.

That act of justice ended, Henry mounted his warhorse and rode in at the gates. His wont was to go straight to

the principal church, and there attend a solemn mass of thanksgiving; but experience had taught him that his

devotions were the very opportunity of his men's rapine: he had therefore arranged that as soon as he should

have arrived in the choir of the cathedral, James should take his place, and he slip out by a side door, so as to

In full procession he and his suite reached the chief door, and there dismounted in an immense crowd, which

'Come, Glenuskie,' said Ralf Percy, as the two youths were pushed chose together in the press; 'if you have a

fancy for being smothered in the minster, I have none. We shall never be missed. 'Twill be sport to walk

Malcolm willingly turned aside with him, and looked down the sloping street, which was swarming with

comers and goers. The whole place was in an inflammable state. Soldiers were demanding quarters, which

the citizens unwillingly gave. A refusal or expostulation against a rough entry led to violence; and ever as the

two youths walked farther from the cathedral, there was more of excitement, more rude oaths of soldiers,

more shrieking of women, often crying out even before any harm was done to them or their houses.

At last, before a tall overhanging house, there was an immense press, and a frightful din of shouts and

'Sir,' cried a number of voices, passionately, 'the French villains have barred their door. There's a lot of

cowardly Armagnacs hid there with their gold, trying to balk honest men of their ransom.'

Such was the cry resounding on all sides. 'Have at them! There's the rogue at the windows. Out on the

fellows! Burn down the door! 'Tis Vaurus himself and all his gold. Treason! treason!'

The clamour was convincing to the spirit, if not to the senses. The two lads believed in the concealed

Armagnacs, or perhaps more truly were carried away by the vehemence around them; and with something of

An old man's face peeped through a little wicket in the door, and at sight of the two youths, evidently of high

rank, said in a trembling voice, 'Alas! alas! Sir, bid these cruel men go away. I have nothing hereno

'Sick daughter!old liar! Here's an honest tinker makes oath he has hoards of gold laid up for Vaurus, and

Blows hailed thick on the door; a flaming torch was handed over the heads of the throng; horrible growls and

roars pervaded them. Malcolm and Ralf, furious at the cheat, stood among the foremost, making so much

noise themselves between thundering and reviling, and calling out, 'Where are the Armagnacs? Down with

the traitors!' that they were not aware of a sudden hush behind them, till a buffet from a heavy hand fell on

'And what an if there are? Back, every one of you! rogues that you be!Here, Fitzhugh, see those villains

back to the camp. Let their arms be given up to the Provostmarshal.Kites and crows as you are! Away,

Henry pointed to the broken door, and the cowed and abashed soldiers slunk away from the terrible light of

There was a stillness. He stood leaning on his sword, his chest heaving with his panting breaths. He was

naturally as fleet as the swiftfooted Achilles, but the winter had told upon him, and the haste with which he

had rushed to the rescue left him breathless and speechless, while he seemed as it were to nail the two lads to

Neither could brook his eye: Percy hung his head like a boy in a scrape; Malcolm quailed with terror, but at

the same time felt a keen sense of injury in being thus treated as a plunderer, and the blow under which his

'Boys,' said Henry, still low and breathlesly, but all the more impressively, 'what is to become of honour and

'Tush! the old story! Ever the plea for rapine and bloodthirstiness. After the warnings of last night you should

have known better; but you are all alike in frenzy for a sack. You have both put off your knighthood till you

'I take not knighthood at your hands, Sir,' burst out Malcolm, goaded with hot resentment, but startled the

Malcolm turned on his heel and walked away, without waiting to see how the poor old man in the house

threw himself at the King's feet with a piteous history of his sick daughter and her starving children, nor how

Ralf hurried off headlong to the lower town to send them immediate relief in bread, wine, and doctors. The

gay, good natured, thoughtless lad no mere harboured malice for the chastisement than if his tutor had

caught him idling; but things went deeper with Malcolm. True, he had undergone many a brutal jest and cruel

practical joke from his cousins; but that was all in the family, not like a blow from an alien king, and one not

apologized for, but followed up by a rebuke that seemed to him unjust, lowering him in his own eyes and

those of Esclairmonde, and making him ready to gnaw himself with moody vexation.

'You here, Malcolm!' said King James, entering his quarters; 'did you miss me in the throng? I have not seen

'I have been insulted, Sir,' said Malcolm. 'I pray your license to depart and carry my sword to my kinsmen in

'King Henry, Sir; he struck me with his fist, and rated me like his hound; and I will not eat another morsel of

'Little enough bread you'd eat after that same answer!' ejaculated James. 'Oh! I understand now. You were

with young Hotspur and the rest that set on the poor townsmen, and Harry made small distinction of persons!

'I wanted no spulzie. There were Armagnacs hid in the house, and the King would not hear us.'

'He knew that story too well. Were you asleep or idling last night, when he warned all, on no plea whatever,

to break into a house, but, if the old tale of treachery came up, to set a guard, and call one of the captains?

'I can take chiding from you, Sir, but neither words nor blows from any other king in Christendom, still less

when he threatens me that I have deferred my knighthood! As if I would have it from him!'

'From me you will not have it until he have pardoned Ralf Percy,' said James, dryly. 'Malcolm, I had not

thought you such a fule body! Under a captain's banner, what can be done but submit to his rule? I should do

'Then, Sir,' said Malcolm, much hurt that the King did not take his part, 'I shall carry my service elsewhere.'

'So,' said James, much vexed, 'this is the meek lad that wanted to hide in a convent from an ill world, flying

off from his king and kinsman that he may break down honest men's doors at his will.'

'You think John of Buchan like to cosset you! You found the Black Douglas so courtly to me the other day as

to expect him to be tender to this nicety of yours! Malcolm, as your prince and guardian, I forbid this folly,

and command you to lay aside this fit of malice and do your devoir. What! sobbing, silly ladwhere's your

'Sir, Sir, what will they think of methe Lady Esclairmonde and all if they hear I have sat down tamely

'She will never think about you at all but as a sullen malapert ne'erdoweel, if you go off to that camp of

routiers, trying to prop a bad cause because you cannot take correction, nor observe discipline.'

A sudden suspicion came over Malcolm that the King would not thus make light of the offence, if it had

really been the inexpiable insult he had supposed it, and the thought was an absolute relief; for in effect the

parting from James, and joining the party opposed to Esclairmonde's friends, would have been so tremendous

a step, that he could hardly have contemplated it in his sober senses, and he murmured, 'My honour, Sir,' in a

'Oh, for your honouryou need not fear for that! Any knight in the army could have done as much without

prejudice to your honour. Why, you silly loon, d'ye think I would not have been as angered as yourself, if

Malcolm's heart felt easier, but he still growled. 'Then, Sir, if you assure me that I can do so without

James laughed. 'It might have been more graciously spoken, my good cousin, but I am beholden to you.'

Malcolm, ashamed and vexed at the sarcastic tone, held his tongue for a little while, but presently exclaimed,

James laughed. 'Belike not; or, if he should, it would only seem to him the reasonable training of a young

The King did not say what crossed his own mind, that the Bishop of Therouenne was more likely to think

The prelate, Charles de Luxemburg, brother to the Count de St. Pol, had made several visits to the English

camp. He was one of these princely younger sons, who, like Beaufort at home, took ecclesiastical

preferments as their natural provision, and as a footing whence they might become statesmen. He was a great

admirer of Henry's genius, and, as the chief French prelate who was heartily on the English side, enjoyed a

much greater prominence than he could have done at either the French or Burgundian Court. He and his

brother of St. Pol were Esclairmonde's nearest kinsmen'oncles a la mode de Bretagne,' as they call the

relationship which is here sometimes termed Welsh uncle, or first cousins once removedand from him

James had obtained much more complete information about Esclairmonde than he could ever get from the

Her mother, a beautiful Walloon, had been heiress to wide domains in Hainault, her father to great estates in

Flanders, all which were at present managed by the politic Bishop. Like most of the statesman

secularclergy, the Bishop hated nothing so much as the monastic orders, and had made no small haste to

remove his fair niece from the convent at Dijon, where she had been educated, lest the Cistercians should

become possessed of her lands. He had one scheme for her marriage; but his brother, the Count, had wished

to give her to his own second son, who was almost an infant; and the Duke of Burgundy had designs on her

for his halfbrother Boemond; and among these various disputants, Esclairmonde had never failed to find

support against whichever proposal was forced upon her, until the coalition between the Dukes of Burgundy

and Brabant becoming too strong, she had availed herself of Countess Jaqueline's discontent to evade them

The family had, of course, been much angered, and had fully expected that her estates would go to some great

English abbey, or to some English lord whose haughty reserve and insularity would be insupportable. It was

therefore a relief to Monseigneur de Therouenne to hear James's designs; and when the King further added,

that he would be willing to let the claims on the Hainault part of her estates be purchased by the Count de St.

Pol, and those in Flanders by the Duke of Burgundy, the Bishop was delighted, and declared that, rather than

such a negotiation should fail, he would himself advance the sum to his brother; but that the Duke of

And he honoured Malcolm with a few words of passing notice from time to time, as if he almost regarded

him as a relation. No doubt it would have been absurd to fly from such chances as these to Patrick

Drummond and the opposite camp; and yet there were times when Malcolm felt as if he should get rid of a

load on his heart if he were to break with all his present life, hurry to Patrick, confess the whole to him, and

That, however, could not be. He was bound to the King, and might not desert him, and it was not unpleasant

'See,' said Henry, in the evening, as he came into the refectory and walked up to James, 'I have found my

signet. It was left in the finger of my Spanish glove, which I had not worn since the beginning of winter.

But Malcolm did not respond with his pleased look to the thanks. He was not in charity with Henry, and crept

out of hearing of him, while James was saying, 'You had best destroy one or the other, or they will make

'Ay,' said Henry, laughing, 'you'd like to shew off one of your sledgehammer blowsSir Bras de Fer! But,

Master Scot, you shall not smash the English shield so easily. This one hangs too loose to be safe; I shall

keep it to serve me when we have fattened up at Paris, after the leanness of our siege.'

'Hal,' said James, seeing his gay temper restored, 'you have grievously hurt that springald of mine. His

'Pretty well for your godly young monk, to expect to rob unchecked!' laughed Henry.

'He will do well at last,' said James. 'Manhood has come on him with a rush, and borne him off his feet; nor

'There spake the Scot!' said Henry. 'By my faith, Jamie, we should have had you the worst robber of all had

we not caught you young! Well, what am I do for this sprig of royalty? Say I struck unawares? Nay, had I

known him, I'd have struck with as much of a will as his slight bones would bear.'

'An you love me, Hal, do something to cool his ill blood, and remove the sense of shame that sinks a lad in

Nevertheless the goodnatured King took an occasion of saying: 'My Lord of Glenuskie, I smote without

knowing you. It was no place for a princenay, for any honest man; otherwise no hand should have been

laid on my guest or my brother's near kinsman. And whereas I hear that both you and my fiery hot Percy

verily credited the cry that prisoners were hid in that house, let me warn you that never was place yielded on

composition but some villain got up the shout, and hundreds of fools followed it, till they learnt villainy in

their turn. Therefore I ever chastise transgression of my command to touch neither dwelling nor inhabitant.

You have both learnt your lesson, and the lion rampant and he of the straight tail will both be reined up better

Malcolm had no choice but to bend his head, mutter something, and let the King grasp his hand, though to

him the apology seemed none at all, but rather to increase the offence, since the blame was by no means

taken back again, while the condescension was such as could not be rejected, and thus speciously took away

his excuse for brooding over his wrath. His hand lay so unwillingly in that strong hearty clasp that the King

dropped it, frowned, shrugged his shoulders, and muttered to himself, 'Sullen young dog! No Scot can let

bygones be bygones!' and then he turned away and cast the trifle from his memory.

James was amazed not to see the moody face clear up, and asked of Malcolm whether he were not gratified

'I tell thee, boy,' said James, 'not one kingnay, not one manin a thousand would have offered thee the

frank amends King Harry hath done this day: nay, I doubt whether even he could so have done, were it not

that the hope of his wife's coming hath made him overflow with joy and charity to all the world.'

Malcolm did not make much reply, and James regarded him with some disappointment. The youth was

certainly warmly attached to him, but these tokens of superiority to the faults of his time and country which

had caused the King to seek him for a companion seemed to have vanished with his feebleness and timidity.

The manhood that had been awakened was not the chivalrous, generous, and gentle strength of Henry and his

brothers, but the punctilious pride and sullenness, and almost something of the license, of the Scot. The camp

had not proved the school of chivalry that James, in his inexperience, had imagined it must be under Henry,

and the tedium and wretchedness of the siege had greatly added to its necessary evils by promoting a reckless

temper and willingness to snatch at any enjoyment without heed to consequences. Close attendance on the

kings had indeed prevented either Malcolm or Percy from even having the temptation of running into any

such lengths as those gentry who had plundered the shrine of St. Fiacre at Breuil, or were continually

galloping off for an interval of dissipation at Paris; but they were both on the outlook for any snatch of stolen

diversion, for in ceasing from monastic habits Malcolm seemed to have laid aside the scruples of a religious

James feared he had been mistaken, and looked to the influence of Esclairmonde to repair the evil, if

perchance she should follow the Queen to France. And this it was almost certain she must do, since she was

entirely dependent upon the Countess of Hainault, and could not obtain admission to a nunnery without

The Queen was coming! No sooner had the first note of surrender been sounded from the towers of Meaux,

than Henry had sent intelligence to England that the way was open for the safe arrival of his muchloved

wife; and at length, on a sunny day in May, tidings were received that she had landed in France, under the

Vincennes, in the midst of its noble forest, was the place fixed for the meeting of the royal pair; and never did

a happier or more brilliant cavalcade traverse those woodlands than that with which Henry rode to the

All the winter, the King had heeded appearances as little as of old when roughing it with Hotspur in Wales;

but now his dress was of the most royal. On his head was a small green velvet cap, encircled by a crown in

embroidery; his robe was of scarlet silk, and over it was thrown a mantle of dark green samite, thickly

powdered with tiny embroidered white antelopes; the Garter was on his knee, the George on his neck. It was

a kingly garb, and well became the tall slight person and fair noble features. During these tedious months he

had looked wan, haggard, and careworn; but the lines of anxiety were all effaced, his lustrous blue eyes shone

and danced like Easter suns, his complexion rivalled the fresh delicate tints of the blossoms in the orchards;

and when, with a shyness for which he laughed at himself, he halted to brush away any trace of dust that

might offend the eye of his 'dainty Kate,' and gaily asked his brother king if he were sufficiently pranked out

'You're jealous, Jamieafraid of being outshone. 'Tis is your own fault, man; none can ever tell whether you

For King James's taste was for sober, wellblending hues; and as he never lapsed into Henry's carelessness,

his state apparel was not very apparently dissimilar from his ordinary dress, being generally of dark rich

crimson, blue, or russet, with the St. Andrew's cross in white silk on his breast, or else the ruddy lion, but

never conspicuously; and the sombre hues always seemed particularly well to suit his auburn colouring.

Malcolm, in scarlet and gold, was a far gayer figure, and quite conscious of the change in his own

appearancehow much taller, ruddier, and browner he had become; how much better he held himself both in

riding and walking; and how much awkwardness and embarrassment he had lost. No wonder Esclairmonde

had despised the sickly, timid, monkish schoolboy; and if she had then shown him any sort of grace or

preference, what would she think of the princely young squire he could new show her, who had seen service,

had proved his valour, and was only not a knight because of King Henry's unkindness and King James's

punctilio?at any rate, no child to be browbeaten and silenced with folly about cloistral dedication, but a

youth who had taken his place in the world, and could allege that his inspiration had come through her bright

Would she be there? That was the chief anxiety: for it was not certain that either she or her mistress would

risk themselves on the Continent; and Catherine had given no intimation as to who would be in her suiteso

that, as Henry had merrily observed, he was the only one in the whole party who was not in suspense, except

indeed Salisbury, who had sent his commands to his little daughter to come out with the Queen.

'She is come!' cried Henry. 'Beforehand with us, after all;' and he spurred his horse on as he saw the banner

raised, and the escort around the gate; and in a few seconds more he and his companions had hurried through

the court, where the ladies had scarcely dismounted, and hastened into the hall, breaking into the seneschal's

And Catherine, in her horned headgear and flutter of spangled veil, was almost swallowed up in his hearty

embrace; and the fervency of his great love so far warmed her, that she clung to him, and tenderly said, 'My

'Thou wert before me! Ah! forgive thy tardy knight,' he continued, gazing at her really enhanced beauty as if

he had eyes for no one else, even while with lip and hand, kiss, grasp, and word, he greeted her companions,

'And the babe! where is he?' then cried he. 'Let me have him to hold up to my brave fellows in the court!'

'If I spake not, it was because I doubted not for a moment that you would keep him with you. Nay, verily it is

'Truly, Sir,' said Catherine, 'I never guessed that you would clog yourself with a babe in the cradle, and I

'If it be for his safety! Yet a soldier's boy should thrive among soldiers,' said the King, evidently much

disappointed, and proceeding to eager inquiries as to the appearance and progress of his child; to which the

Queen replied with a certain languor, as though she had no very intimate personal knowledge of her little son.

Other eyes were meanwhile eagerly scanning the bright confusion of veils and wimples; and Malcolm had

just made out the tall head and dark locks under a long almost shrouding white veil far away in the

background behind the Countess of Hainault, when the Duke of Bedford came up with a frown of

consternation on his always anxious face, and drawing King James into a window, said, 'What have you been

doing to him?'to which James, without hearing the question, replied, 'Where is SHE?'

'Joan? At home. It was the Queen's will. Of that another time. But what means this?' and he signed towards

'Had you seen him at Christmas you might have said so,' replied James; 'but now I see naught amiss; I had

'I tell you, James,' said Bedford, contracting his brows till they almost met ever his arched nose, 'I tell you, his

'Of five years,' said Bedford. 'That facethat coughhave brought all backay, the yearning look when

my father was absent, and the pure rosy fairness that Harry and Tom cited so fiercely against one who would

have told them how sick to death she was. I mind me too, that when our grandame of Hereford made us

motherless children over to our grandsire of Lancaster, it was with a warning that Harry had the tender lungs

of the Bohuns, and needed care. One deadly sickness he had at Kenilworth, when my father was ridden for

posthaste. My mind misgave me throughout this weary siege; but his service held me fast at home, and I

'A man like him is ill to guide,' said James; 'but he is more himself now than he has been for months, and a

few weeks' quiet with his wife will restore him. But what is this?' he proceeded in his turn; 'why is the Lady

'How can I tell? It was no fault of mine. I even got a prim warning that it became me not to meddle about her

ladies, and I doubted what slanders you might hear if I were seen asking your Nightingale for a token.'

John smiled his ironical smile, produced from the pouch at his girdle a small packet bound with

rosecoloured silk, and said: 'The Nightingale hath a plume, you see, and saith, moreover, that her knight

hath done his devoir passably, but that she yet looks to see him send some captive giant to her feet. So, Sir

Knight, I hope your poor dwarf hath acquitted him well in your chivalrous jargon.'

James smiled and coloured with pleasure; the fantastic message was not devoid of reality in the days when

young imaginative spirits tried to hide the prose of war and policy in a bright mist of romantic fancy; nor was

he ashamed to bend his manly head in reverence to, and even press to his lips, his lady's first love letter, in

the very sight of the satirical though sympathizing Bedford, of whom he eagerly asked of the fair Joan's

'No more than is the meed of her beauty,' said Bedford. 'Sister Kate likes not worship at any shrine save one.

Look at our suite: our knightsyea, our very grooms are picked for their comeliness; to wit that great

featherpated oaf of a Welshman, Owen Tudor there; while dames and demoiselles, tirewomen and all, are

'She is none of the Queen's, and moreover she stands aloof, so that the women forgive her gifts! There is that

cough of Harry's again! He is the shadow of the man he was; I would I knew if this were the stepdame's

'Nay, John, when you talk to me of Harry's cough, and of night watches and flooded camps, I hearken; but

when your wits run wool gathering after that poor woman, making waxen images stuck full'

'You are in the right on't, James,' said Henry, who had come up to them while he was speaking. 'John will

never get sorceries out of his head. I have thought it over, and will not be led into oppressing my father's

widow any more. I cannot spend this Pentecost cheerily till I know she is set free and restored to her manors;

And as John shrugged his shoulders, Henry gaily added: 'Thou seest what comes of a winter spent with this

unbeliever Jamie; and truly, I found the thought of unright to my father's widow was a worse pin in my heart

Thus then it was, that in the overflowing joy and goodwill of his heart, and mayhap with the presentiment

which rendered him willing to be at peace with all his kindred, Henry forgave and released his stepmother,

Joan of Navarre, whom common rumour termed the Witch Queen, and whom he had certainly little reason to

love, whether it were true or not that she had attempted to weave spells against him. In fact, there were few of

the newcomers from England who did not, like Bedford, impute the transparency of Henry's hands, and the

Meantime, Esclairmonde de Luxemburg, more beautiful than ever under a still simpler dress, had greeted

Malcolm with her wonted kindness; adding, with a smile, that he was so much grown and embrowned that

she should not have known him but for the sweet Scottish voice which he, like his king, possessed.

'You do me too much grace in commending aught that is mine, madame,' said Malcolm, with an attempt at

the assurance he believed himself to have acquired; but he could only finish by faltering and blushing. There

was a power of repression about Esclairmonde that annihilated all his designs, and drove him back into his

bashful self whenever he came into contact with her, and felt how unlike the grave serene loftiness of her

presence was to the mere queen of romance, that in her absence her shadow had become.

Alice Montagu, returning to her side, relieved while disconcerting him. Sweet little Alice had been in a

continual flutter ever since commands had come from Meaux that she was to come out to meet the father

whom she had not seen since what seemed like half her childish lifetime, and the betrothed whom she had

never seen at all; and Lady Westmoreland had added to her awe by the lengthened admonition with which

she took leave of her. And on this day, when Esclairmonde herself had arrayed the fair child in the daintiest

of rosepink boddices edged with swan'sdown, the whitest of kirtles, and softest of rosy veils, the flush of

anxiety on the pale little face made it so fair to look upon, that as the maiden wistfully asked, 'Think you he

will flout me?' it was impossible not to laugh at the very notion. 'Ah! but I would be glad if he did, for then I

When, in the general greeting, Alice had been sought out by a tall, darkbrowed, grizzled warrior,

Esclairmonde had, cruelly, as the maiden thought, kept her station behind the Countess, and never stirred for

all those wistful backward glances, but left her alone to drop on her knee to seek the blessing of the mighty

And now she was holding his great hand, almost as tough as his gauntlets, and leading him up to her friend,

'Fair demoiselle, this silly wench of mine tells me that you have been good friend to her, and I thank you for

'Silly' was a fond term of love then, and had all the affection of a proud father in it, as the Earl of Salisbury

'Truly, my lord,' responded Esclairmonde, 'the Lady Alice hath been my sweetest companion, friend, and

'Nay, child, art worthy to be called friend by such a lady as this? If so, I shall deem my little Alice grown a

woman indeed, as it is time she wereDiccon Nevil is bent on the wedding before we go to the wars again.'

'Hast seen him, sweet?' asked Esclairmonde, when Salisbury had been called away. 'Is he here?'

'Yes; out therehe with the white bull on his surcoat,' said Alice, dreading to look that way.

'And hast spoken with him?' asked the lady next, feeling as if the stout, commonplace, hardylooking soldier

she saw was scarce what she would have chosen for her little wild rose of an Alice, comely and brave though

'He hath kissed mine hand,' faltered Alice, but it was quite credible that not a word had passed. The marriage

was a business contract between the houses of Wark and Raby, and a grand speculation for Sir Richard Nevil,

that was all; but gentle Alice had no reluctance beyond mere maidenly shyness, and unwillingness to enter on

an unknown future under a new lord. She even whispered to her dear Clairette that she was glad Sir Richard

'And is not that old? oh, so old!' said Alice. 'Able to take care of me. I would not have a youth like that young

'That is well,' said Esclairmonde, smiling; 'but wherefore put such disdain in thy voice, Alice? He used to be

'His boyhood was better than such manhood,' said Alice; 'he was more to my taste when he was meek, than

now that he seems to say, "I would be saucy if I durst." And he hath not the stuff to dare any way.'

'Hush, silly one, what skills it? Youths must pass through temptation; and if his king hindered his vocation,

maybe the poor lad may rue it sorely, but methinks he will come to the right at last. It were better to say a

Poor Malcolm! He was at that very moment planning with an embroiderer a robe wherein to appear, covered

with flashes of lightning transfixing the world, and mottoes around'Esclaire mais Embrase'

Every moment that he was absent from Esclairmonde was spent in composing chivalrous discourses in which

to lay himself at her feet, but the mere sight of her steady dark eyes scattered them instantly from his

memory; and save for very shame he would have entreated King James again to break the ice for him, since

the lady evidently supposed that she had last year entirely quashed his suit. And in this mood Malcolm

mounted and took his place to ride into Paris, where the King wished to arrive in the evening, and with little

preparation, so as to avoid the weary length of a state reception, with all its speeches and pageants.

In the glow of a May evening the cavalcade passed the gates, and entered the city, where the streets were so

narrow that it was often impossible to ride otherwise than two and two. The foremost had emerged into an

open space before a church and churchyard, when there was a sudden pause, a shock of surprise. All across

the space, blocking up the way, was an enormous line of figures, looking shadowy in the evening light, and

bearing the insignia of every rank and dignity that earth presented. Popes were there, with triple crown and

keys, and fanned by peacock tails; scarletmatted and caped cardinals, mitred and crosiered bishops, crowned

and sceptred kings, ermined dukes, steelclad knights, gowned lawyers, squarecapped priests, cowled

monks, and friars of every degreenay, the mechanic with his tools, the peasant with his spade, even the

beggar within his dish; old men, and children of every age; and women too of all gradesthe

towercrowned queen, the beplumed dame, the lofty abbess, the veiled nun, the bourgeoise, the peasant, the

beggar;all were there, moving in a strange shadowy wild dance, sometimes slow, sometimes swift and mad

with gaiety, to the music of an unseen band of clashing kettledrums, cymbals, and other instruments, that

played fast and furiously; while above all a knell in the church tower rang forth at intervals a slow, deep,

lugubrious note; and all the time there glided in and out through the ring a grisly beingskull headed,

skeletonboned, scythe in handDeath himself; and ever and anon, when the dance was swiftest, would he

dart into the midst, pounce on one or other, holding an hourglass to the face, unheeding rank, sex, or age,

and bear his victim to the charnelhouse beside the church. It was a sight as though some terrible sermon had

taken life, as though the unseen had become visible, the veil were taken away; and the implicit unresisting

The advance of the victorious King Henry made no difference to the continuousness of the frightful dance;

nay, it was plain that he was but in the presence of a monarch yet more victorious than himself, and the mazes

wound on, the performers being evidently no phantoms, but as substantial as those who beheld them; nay, the

grisly ring began to absorb the royal suite within itself, and an awestricken silence prevailedat least,

Neither lad durst ask the other what it meant. They thought they knew too well. Percy ceased not for one

moment to cross himself, and mutter invocations to the saints; Malcolm's memory and tongue alike seemed

inert and paralyzed with horrorhis brain was giddy, his eyes stretched open; and when Death suddenly

turned and darted in his direction, one horrible gush of thought'Fallen, fallen! Lost, lost! No

confession!'came over him; he would have sobbed out an entreaty for mercy and for a priest, but it became

a helpless shriek; and while Percy's sword flashed before his eyes, he felt himself falling, deathstricken, to

'How now, Glenuskie?' cried Ralf Percy. 'Look up; I verily thought you were sped by Death in bodily shape;

'It was the Danse Macabre,' added the sweet tone that did indeed unclose Malcolm's eyes, to see

Esclairmonde bending over him, and holding wine to his lips. Ralf raised him that he might swallow it, and

looking round, he saw that he was in a small wainscoted chamber, with an old burgher woman, Ralf Percy,

and Esclairmonde; certainly not in the other world. He strove to ask 'what it meant,' and Esclairmonde spoke

'It is the Danse Macabre; I have seen it in Holland. It was invented as a warning to those of sinful life, and

this good woman tells me it has become the custom to enact it every evening at this churchyard of the Holy

'A custom I devoutly hope King Harry will break!' exclaimed Ralf. 'If not, I'll some day find the way between

those painted ribs of Monseigneur de la Mort, I can tell him! I had nearly given him a taste of my sword as it

was, only some Gascon rogue caught my arm, and he was off ere I could get free. So I jumped off, that your

poor corpse should not be trodden by French heels; and I hardly know how it was, but the Lady Esclairmonde

was by my side as I dragged you out, and caused these good folks to let me bring you in behind their shop.'

'Lady, lady, I am for ever beholden,' cried Malcolm, gathering himself up as if to fall at her feet, and his heart

'I saw there was some one hurt,' said Esclairmonde in her repressive manner. 'Drink some more wine, eat this

'Oh, lady, let me speak of my bliss!' and he snatched at her hand, but was still so dizzy that he sank back,

becoming aware that he was stiff and bruised from his fall. Almost at the same moment a new step and voice

were heard in the little open booth where the cutler displayed his wares, and King James was at once

'How goes it, laddie?' he asked. 'They told me grim Death had clutched you and borne you off to his

'I saw some one fall, and came to offer my poor skill, Sir; but as the Sieur de Glenuskie is fast recovering, if

'Eh, gentlemen!' exclaimed the hospitable cutler's wife; 'you will not away so fast! This gallant knight will

permit you to remain. And the fair lady, she will do me the honour to drink a cup of wine to the recovery of

'Not so, good woman,' said Esclairmonde, a little apart, 'I am the betrothed of Heaven. I only assisted because

The bourgeoise begged pardon, and made a curtsey; there was nothing unusual in the avowal the lady had

made, when the convent was a thoroughly recognized profession; but Esclairmonde could not carry out her

purpose of departing separately with old Sir Nigel Baird; Malcolm was on his feet, quite ready to mount, and

there was no avoiding the being assisted to her saddle by any but the King, who was in truth quite as

objectionable a companion, as far as appearances went, for a young solitary maiden, as was Malcolm himself.

Esclairmonde felt that her benevolence might have led her into a scrape. When she had seen the fall, knowing

that to the unprepared the ghastly pageant must seem reality, she had obeyed the impulse to hurry to the

rescue, to console and aid in case of injury, and she had not even perceived that her female companions did

not attempt to accompany her. However, the mischance could best be counteracted by simplicity and

unconsciousness; so, as she found herself obliged to ride by the King, she unconcernedly observed that these

fantastic dances might perhaps arouse sinners, but that they were a horrible sight for the unprepared.

'Very like a dream becoming flesh and blood,' said James. 'We in advance were slow to perceive what it was,

'No; the thing has not been found that will stir her placid face. She merely said it was very lugubrious, and an

ill turn in the Parisians thus to greet her, but they were always senseless betes; and he, being relieved of care

for her, looked with all his eyes, with a strange mixture of drollery at the antics and the masques, yet of grave

'I think,' said Esclairmonde, 'that King Henry is one of the few men to whom the spectacle IS a sermon. He

These few sentences had brought them to the concourse around the gateway of the great Hotel de St. Pol, in

whose crowded courtyard Esclairmonde had to dismount; and, after being handed through the hall by King

James, to make her way to the ladies' apartments, and there find out, what she was most anxious about, how

Alice, who had been riding at some distance from her with her father, had fared under the alarm.

'With me? Oh, I was somewhat appalled at first, when my father took hold of my rein, and bade me never

fear; for I saw his face grow amazed. Sir Richard Nevil rode up on the other side, and said the hobgoblins

should eat out his heart ere they hurt me; and I looked into his face as he said that, and liked it more than ever

I thought to like any but yours, Clairette. I think my father was going to leave me to him and see whether the

King needed some one to back him; but up came a French lord, and said 'twas all a mere show, and my father

said he was glad I was a stouthearted wench that had never cried out for fear; and then I was so pleased, that

I never heeded the ugly sight any more. Ay, and when Sir Richard lifted me off my horse, he kissed my hand

'This is all he has ever said to you?' said Esclairmonde, smiling. 'It is like an Englishmanto the purpose.'

'Yea, is it not? Oh! is it not better than all the fine speeches and compliments that Joan Beaufort gets from her

'Ay; but too finespun, too minstrellike, for a plain English maid. The hobgoblins should eat out his heart

ere they touched me!' she repeated to herself, as though the saying were the most poetical concert sung on

Death's Dance had certainly brought this affianced pair to a better understanding than all the gayest festivities

Esclairmonde would have been happy if no one had noticed her benevolence to the young Scot save Alice

Montagu; but she had to endure countless railleries from every lady, from Countess Jaqueline downwards, on

the unmistakable evidence that her heart had spoken; and her grave dignity had less effect in silencing them

than usual, so diverting was the alleged triumph over her propriety, well as they knew that she would have

'Lady, fairest lady! Ah, suffer your slave to fall at your feet with his thanks!'

'Listen, belle demoiselle. I have been forth into the world, and have learnt to see that monasteries have

become mere haunts for the sluggard, who will not face the world; and that honour, glory, and all that is

worth living for, lie beyond. Ah, lady! those eyes first taught me what life could give.'

'Hush, Sir!' said Esclairmonde. 'I can believe that as a child you mistook your vocation, and the secular life

may be blest to you; but with me it can never be so; and if any friendship were shown to you on my part, it

was when I deemed that we were brother and sister in our vows. If I unwittingly inspired any false hopes, I

'Call it not evil, lady,' entreated Malcolm. 'It cannot be evil to have wakened me to life and hope and glory.'

'What should you call it in him who should endeavour to render Lady Joan Beaufort faithless to your king,

Lord Malcolm? What then must it be to tempt another to break trothplight to the King of Heaven?'

'Nay, madame,' faltered Malcolm; 'but if such troth were forbidden and impossible?'

'O lady, yet Say, at least,' cried Malcolm, eagerly, 'that were you free in your own mind to wed, at least

'That were saying little for you,' said Esclairmonde, half smiling. 'But, Sir,' she added gravely, 'you have no

'And,' he cried, gathering fresh ardour, 'I would be likeminded again. You would render me so, sweetest

lady. I would kiss your every step, pray with you, bestow alms with you, found churches, endow your

Beguines, and render our change from our childish purpose a blessing to the whole world; become your very

slave, to do your slightest bidding. O lady, could I but give you my eyes to see what it might be!'

'It could not be, if we began with a burthened conscience,' said Esclairmonde. 'We have had enough of this,

Sieur de Glenuskie. You know that with me it is no matter of likes or dislikes, but that I am under a vow,

He could but obey: she was far too majestic and authoritative to be gainsaid. And Malcolm, in an access of

misery, stood lost to all the world, kneeling in the windowseat, where she had left him resting his head

against the glass, when suddenly a white plump hand was laid on his shoulder, and a gay voice cried:

'All a la mort, my young damoiseau! What, has our saint been unpropitious? Never mind, you shall have her

And Malcolm found himself face to face with the freespoken Jaqueline of Hainault.

'You shall think me very good yet! I have no notion of being opposed by a little vassal of mine; and we'll

succeed, if it were but for the fun of the thing! Monseigneur de Therouenne is on your side, or would be, if he

were sure of the Duke of Burgundy. You see, these prelates hate nothing so much as the religious orders; and

all the pride of the Luxemburgs is in arms against Clairette's fancy for those beggarly nursing Sisters; so it

drives him mad to hear her say she only succoured you for charity. He thinks it a family disgrace, that can

only be wiped off by marrying her to you; and he would do it bon gre, mal gre, but that he waits to hear what

Burgundy will say. You have only to hold out, and she shall be yours, if I hold her finger while you put on

This was not a very flattering way of obtaining a bride; but Malcolm was convinced that when once married

to Esclairmonde, his devotion would atone to her for all that was unpleasant in obtaining her. At least, she

loved no one else; she had even allowed that she had once thought him likeminded; she had formerly

distinguished him; and nothing lay between them but her scruples; and when they were overcome, by

whatever means, his idol would be his, to adore, to propitiate, to win by the most intense devotion. All now

must, however, turn upon the Duke of Burgundy, without whose sanction Madame of Hainault would be

The Duke was expected at Paris for the Whitsuntide festival, which was to be held with great state. The

custom was for the Kings of France to feast absolutely with all Paris, with interminable banquet tables, open

to the whole world without question. And to this Henry had conformed on his first visit to the city; but he had

learnt that the costly and lavish feast had been of very little benefit to the really distressed, who had been

thrust aside by loudvoiced miscreants and sturdy beggars, such as had no shame in driving the feeble back

By the advice of Dr. Bennet, his almoner, he was resolved that this should not happen again; that the feast

should be limited to the official guests, and that the cost of the promiscuous banquet should be distributed to

those who really needed it, and who should be reached through their parish priests and the friars known to be

Dr. Bennet, as almoner, with the other chaplains, was to arrange the matter; and horrible was the distress that

he discovered in the city, that had for fiveandtwenty years been devastated by civil fury, as well as by

foreign wars; and famines, pestilences, murders, and tyrannies had held sway, so as to form an absolute

succession of reigns of terror. The poor perished like flies in a frost; the homeless orphans of the parents

murdered by either faction roamed the streets, and herded in the corners like the vagrant dogs of Eastern

Scholar as he was, Dr. Bennet was not familiar enough with Parisian ways not to be very grateful for aid from

Esclairmonde in some of his conferences, and for her explanations of the different tastes and needs of French

What she saw and heard, on the other hand, gave form and purpose to her aspirations. The Dutch Sisters of

St. Bega, the English Bedeswomen of St. Katharine, were sorely needed at Paris. They would gather up the

sufferers, collect the outcast children, feed the hungry, follow with balm wherever a wound had been. To

found a Beguinage at Paris seemed to her the most befitting mode of devoting her wealth; and her little

admirer, Alice, gave up her longing desire that the foundation should be in England, when she learned that, as

the wife of Nevil, her abode was likely to be in France as long as that country required English garrisons.

To the young heiress of Salisbury, her own marriage, though close at hand, seemed a mere ordinary matter

compared with Esclairmonde's Beguinage, to her the real romance. Never did she see a beggar crouching at

the church door, without a whisper to herself that there was a subject for the Beguines; and, tenderhearted as

If Esclairmonde had a climax to her visions of her brownrobed messengers of mercy, it was that the holy

Canon of St. Agnes should be induced to come and act the part of master to her bedeswomen, as did Master

She had even dared to murmur her design to Dr. Bennet; and when he, under strict seal of secrecy, had

sounded King Henry, the present real master of Paris, he reported that the tears had stood in the King's eyes

for a moment, as he said, 'Blessings on the maiden! Should she be able to do this for this city, I shall know

For one brief week, Esclairmonde and Alice were very happy in this secret hope; but at the end of that time

the Bishop of Therouenne appeared. Esclairmonde had ventured to hope that the King's influence, and

likewise the fact that her intention was not to enrich one of the regular monastic orders, might lead him to

lend a favourable ear to her scheme; but she was by no means prepared to find him already informed of the

'So, my fair cousin, this is the end of your waywardness. The tokens were certainly somewhat strong; but the

young gentleman's birth being equal to yours, after the spectacle you have presented, your uncle of St. Pol,

and I myself, must do our utmost to obtain the consent of the Duke of Burgundy.'

'Child, we will have no more folly. You have flown after this young Scot in a manner fitted only for the

foolish name your father culled for you out of his books of chivalry. You have given a lesson to the whole

Court and city on the consequences of a damsel judging for herself, and running a mad course over the world,

'Silence, Mademoiselle. Your convent obstinacy is ended for ever now, since to send you to one would be to

'I do not wish to enter a convent,' said Esclairmonde. 'My desire is to dedicate my labour and my substance to

the foundation of a house here at Paris, such as are the Beguinages of our Netherlands,'

The Bishop held up his hands. He had never heard of such lunacy and it angered him, as such purposes are

wont to anger worldlyhearted men. That a lady of Luxemburg should have such vulgar tastes as to wish to

be a Beguine was bad enough; but that Netherlandish wealth should be devoted to support the factious poor

of Paris was preposterous. Neither the Duke of Burgundy, nor her uncle of St. Pol, would allow a sou to pass

out of their grasp for so absurd a purpose; the Pope would give no licenseabove all to a vain girl, who had

helped a wife to run away from her husbandfor new religious houses; and, unless Esclairmonde was

prepared to be landless, penniless, and the scorn of every one, for her wild behaviour, she must submit, bon

'Landless and penniless then will I be, Monseigneur,' said Esclairmonde. 'Was not poverty the bride of St.

The Bishop made a growl of contempt; but recollecting himself, and his respect for the saint, began to argue

that what was possible for a man, a mere merchant's son, an inspired saint besides, was not possible to a

damsel of high degree, and that it was mere presumption, vanity, and obstinacy in her to appeal to such a

There was something in this that struck Esclairmonde, for she was conscious of a certain satisfaction in her

plan of being the first to introduce a Beguinage at Paris, and that she was to a certain degree proud of her

years of constancy to her high purpose; and she looked just so far abashed that the uncle saw his advantage,

and discoursed on the danger of attempting to be better than other people, and of trying to vapour in spiritual

heights, to all of which she attempted no reply; till at last he broke up the interview by saying, 'There, then,

'I hope I am, Monseigneur,' she replied, with lofty meekness; 'but scarcely such as you mean.'

Alice Montagu's indignation knew no bounds. What! was this noble votaress to be forced, not only to resign

the glory of being the foundress of a new order of beneficence, but to be married, just like everybody else,

and to that wretched little coward? Boemond of Burgundy was better than that, for he at least was a man!

'No, no, Alice,' said Esclairmonde, with a shudder; 'any one rather than the Burgundian! It is shame even to

'He may not be so evil in himself,' said Alice; 'but with a brave man you have only his own sins, while a

But Alice answered with the scorn that sits so quaintly on the gentle daughter of a bold race: 'Ay, where he

'You are hard on the Scot,' said Esclairmonde. 'Maybe it is because the Nevils of Raby are Borderers,' she

added, smiling; and, as Alice likewise smiled and blushed, 'Now, if it were not for this madness, I could like

'Trust,' said she, sighing. 'Maybe, my pride ought to be broken; and I may have to lay aside all my hopes and

plans, and become a mere serving sister, to learn true humility. Anyhow, I verily trust to my Heavenly

Spouse to guard me for himself. If the Duke of Burgundy still maintains Boemond's suit, then in the

'And my father will defend you; and so will Sir Richard,' said Alice, with complacent certainty in their full

efficiency. 'And King Harry will interfere; and we WILL have your hospital; ay, we WILL. How can you talk

'I only would know what is human pride, and what God's will,' sighed Esclairmonde.

The Duke arrived with his two sisters, his wife being left at home in bad health, and took up his abode at the

Hotel de Bourgogne, whence he came at once to pay his respects to the King of England; the poor King of

Esclairmonde and Alice stood at a window, and watched the arrival of the magnificent cavalcade, attended by

a multitude, ecstatically shouting, 'Noel Noel! Long live Philippe le Bon! Blessings on the mighty Duke!'

While seated on a tall charger, whose great dappled head, jewelled and beplumed, could alone be seen amid

his sweeping housings, bowing right and left, waving his embroidered gloved hand in courtesy, was seen the

stately Duke, in the prime of life, handsomefaced, brilliantly coloured, dazzlingly arrayed in gemmed robes,

so that Alice drew a long breath of wonder and exclaimed, 'This Duke is a goodly man; he looks like the

But when he had entered the hall, conducted by John of Bedford and Edmund of March, had made his

obeisance to Henry, and had been presented by him to King James, Alice, standing close behind her queen,

recollected that she had once heard Esclairmonde say, 'Till I came to England I deemed chivalry a mere

Duke Philippe would not bear close inspection; the striking features and full red lips, that had made so

effective an appearance in the gay procession seen from a distance, seemed harsh, haughty, and sensual near

at hand, and when brought into close contact with the strange bright stern purity, now refined into hectic

transparency, of King Henry's face, the grand and melancholy majesty of the royal Stewart's, or even the

spare, keen, irregular visage of John of Bedford. And while his robes were infinitely more costly thanand

his ornaments tenfold outnumberedall that the three island princes wore, yet no critical eye could take him

for their superior, even though his tone in addressing an inferior was elaborately affable and condescending,

and theirs was always the frankness of an equal. Where they gave the sense of pure gold, he seemed like

some ruder metal gilt and decorated; as if theirs were reality, his the imitation; theirs the truth, his the display.

But in reality his birth was as princely as theirs; and no monarch in Europe, not even Henry, equalled him in

material resources; he was idolized by the Parisians; and Henry was aware that France had been made over to

England more by his revenge for his father's murder at Montereau than by the victory at Agincourt. Therefore

the King endured his grand talk about OUR arms and OUR intentions; and for Malcolm's sake, James

submitted to a sort of patronage, as if meant to imply that if Philippe the Magnificent chose to espouse the

When Henry bade him to the Pentecostal banquet, 'when kings keep state,' he graciously accepted the

invitation for himself and his two sisters, Marguerite, widow of the second shortlived Dauphin, and Anne,

still unmarried; but when Henry further explained his plan of feasting merely with the orderly, and

'Feed those miserables!' he said. 'One gains nothing thereby! They make no noise; whereas if you affront the

'Ah, my fair lord, you, a victor, may dispense with these cares; but for a poor little prince like me, it is better

Philippe shrugged his shoulders. He was wise in his own generation; for he had all the audible voices in Paris

on his side, while the cavils at Henry's economy have descended to the present time.

'Do you see your rival, Sir?' said the voice of the Bishop of Therouenne in Malcolm's ear, just as the Duke

had begun to rise to take leave; and he pointed out a knight of some thirty years, glittering with gay devices

from head to foot, and showing a bold proud visage, exaggerating the harshness of the Burgundian

And meanwhile, King James, stepping forward, intimated to the Duke that he would be glad of an interview

Philippe made some ostentation of his numerous engagements with men of Church and State; but ended by

inviting the King of Scotland to sup with him that evening, if his Grace would forgive travellers' fare and a

Thither accordingly James repaired on foot, attended only by Sir Nigel and Malcolm, with a few archers of

How magnificent were the surroundings of the great Duke, it would be wearisome to tell. The retainers in the

court of the hotel looked, as James said, as if honest steel and good cloth were reckoned as churls, and as if

this were the very land of Cockaigne, as Sir Richard Whittington had dreamt it. Neither he nor St. Andrew

himself would know their own saltire made in cloth of silver, 'the very metal to tarnish!'

Sir Nigel had to tell their rank, ere the porters admitted the small company: but the seneschal marshalled them

forward in full state. And James never looked more the king than when, in simple crimson robe, the pure

white cross on his breast, his auburn hair parted back from his noble brow, he stood towering above all heads,

passively receiving the Duke of Burgundy's elaborate courtesies and greetings, nor seeming to note the lavish

Exceeding was the politeness shown to himeven to the omission of the seneschal's tasting each dish

presented to the Duke, a recognition of the presence of a sovereign that the two Scots scarcely understood

Malcolm was the best off of the two at the supper; for James had of course to be cavalier to the sickly

fretfullooking Dauphiness, while Malcolm fell to the lot of the Lady Anne, who, though not beautiful, had a

kindly hearty countenance and manner, and won his heart by asking whether the Demoiselle de Luxemburg

were still in the suite of Madame of Hainault; and then it appeared that she had been her convent mate and

warmest friend and admirer in their girlish days at Dijon, and was now longing to see her. Was she as much

Meantime, the Duke was pompously making way for the King of Scots to enter his cabinet, wherewith a

gold cup before each, a dish of comfits and a stoup of wine between themtheir interview was to take place.

'These dainties accord with a matter of ladies' love,' said James, as the Duke handed him a sugar heart

'Good, good,' said Philippe. 'The alliance is noble and our crowns and influence might be a good check in the

north to your mighty neighbour; nor would I be hard as to her dowry. Send me five score yearly of such

knaves as came with Buchan, and I could fight the devil himself. A morning gift might be specified for the

'I am not certain of that, Sir,' said James, smiling; 'though I see you mean me kindly.'

'Nay, now,' continued Philippe, 'I know how to honour royalty, even in durance; nor will I even press

Madame la Dauphine on you instead of Anne, though it were better for us all if she could have her wish and

become a queen, and you would have her jointureif you or any one else can get it.'

'Stay, my Lord Duke,' said James, with dignity, 'I spake not of myself, deeming that it was well known that

'How?' said Burgundy, amazed, but not offended. 'Methought the House of Somerset was a mere bastard slip,

with which even King Henry with all his insolence could not expect you to wed in earnest. However, we may

keep our intentions secret awhile; and then, with your lances and my resources, English displeasure need

James, who had learned selfcontrol in captivity, began politely to express himself highly honoured and

'Do not mention it. Royal blood, thus shamefully oppressed, must command the aid of all that is chivalrous.

The hot blood rushed into James's cheek at this tone of condescension; but he answered, with courteous

haughtiness: 'Of myself, Sir Duke, there is no question. My ransom waits England's willingness to accept it;

and my hand is not free, even for the prize you have the goodness to offer. I came not to speak of myself.'

'I make suit to no man,' said James; then, recollecting himself, 'if I did so, no readier friend than the Duke of

Burgundy could be found. I did in effect come to propose an alliance between one of my own house and a

'Ha! the runaway jade of Luxemburg!' cried Burgundy; 'the most headstrong girl who lives! She dared to

plead her foolish vows against my brother Boemond, fled with that other hoyden of Hainault, and now defies

me by coming here. I'll have her, and make her over to Boemond to tame her pride, were she in the great

And this is the mirror of chivalry! thought James. But he persevered in his explanation of his arrangement for

permitting the estates of Esclairmonde de Luxemburg to be purchased from her and her husband, should that

husband be Malcolm Stewart of Glenuskie; and he soon found that these terms would be as acceptable to the

Duke as they had already proved to her guardian, Monseigneur de Therouenne. Money was nothing to

Philippe; but his policy was to absorb the little seignoralties that lay so thick in these border lands of the

Empire; and what he desired above all, was to keep them from either passing into the hands of the Church, or

from consolidating into some powerful principality, as would have been the case had Esclairmonde either

entered a convent or married young Waleran de Luxemburg, her cousin. Therefore he had striven to force on

her his halfbrother, who would certainly never unite any inheritance to hers; but he much preferred the

purchase of her Hainault lands; and had no compunction in throwing over Boemond, except for a certain

lurking desire that the lady's contumacy should be chastised by a lord who would beat her well into

subjection. He would willingly have made a great show of generosity, and have laid James under an

obligation; and yet by the King's dignified tone of courtesy he was always reduced to the air of one soliciting

Finally, Malcolm was called in, and presented to the Duke, making his own promise on his word of honour as

a prince, and giving a written bond, that so soon as he obtained the hand of the Demoiselle de Luxemburg he

would resign her Hainault estates to the Duke of Burgundy for a sum of money, to be fixed by persons chosen

This was more like earnest than anything Malcolm had yet obtained; and he went home exulting and exalted,

his doubts as to Esclairmonde's consent almost silenced, when he counted up the forces that were about to

And they did descend upon her. Countess Jaqueline had been joined by other and more congenial Flemish

dames, and was weary of her grave monitress; and she continually scolded at Esclairmonde for perverseness

and obstinacy in not accepting the only male thing she had ever favoured. The Bishop of Therouenne

threatened and argued; and the Duke of Burgundy himself came to enforce his commands to his refractory

vassal, and on finding her still unsubmissive, flew into a rage, and rated her as few COULD have done, save

All she attempted to answer was, that they were welcome to her lands, so they would leave her person free;

It was an answer that seemed specially to enrage her persecutors, who retorted by telling her that such

protection was only extended to those who obeyed lawful authority; and hints were thrown out that, if she did

not submit willingly, she might find herself married forcibly, for a bishop could afford to disregard the

As to Malcolm, he seemed to her too munch changed for her to reckon on what remnant of good feeling there

might be to appeal to in him. And James, though he was certain not to permit palpable coercion in his

presence, or even if he were aware that it was contemplated, seemed to have left the whole management of

the affair to Esclairmonde's own guardians; and they would probably avoid driving matters to extremities that

would revolt him, while he was near enough for an appeal. And Esclairmonde was too uncertain whether her

guardians would resort to such lengths, or whether it were not a vain threat of the giddy Countess, to

compromise her dignity by crying out before she was hurt; and she had no security, save that she was certain

that in the English household of King Henry such violence would not be attempted; and out of reach of that

And Henry bent his head, saying, 'Noble lady, I cannot interfere; but while you are in my house, nothing can

Yet even Henry was scarcely what he had been in allpervading vigilance and readiness. Like all real kings

of men, he had been his own prime minister, commanderinchief, and private secretary, transacting a

marvellous amount of business with prompt completeness; and when, in the midst of shattered health which

he would not avow, the cares of two kingdoms, and the generalship of an army, with all its garrisons, rested

on him, his work would hardly have been accomplished but for his brother's aid. It was never acknowledged,

often angrily disdained. But when John of Bedford had watched the terrible lassitude and lethargy that

weighed on the King at times in the midst of his cabinet work, he was constantly on the watch to relieve him;

and his hand and style so closely resembled Henry's that the difference could scarce be detected, and he could

do what none other durst attempt. Many a time would Henry, whose temper had grown most uncertain,

fiercely rate him for intermeddling; but John knew and loved him too well to heed; and his tact and

If the illness had only been confessed, those who watched the King anxiously would have had more hope; but

he was hotly angered at any hint of his needing care; and though he sometimes relieved oppression by

causing himself to be bled by a servant, he never allowed that anything ailed him; it was always the hot

weather, the anxious tidings, the long pageant that wearied himthings that were wont to be like gnats on a

Those solemn banquets and festivalslasting from forenoon till eventide, with their endless relays of

allegorical subtleties, their longwinded harangues, noisy music, interludes of giants, sylvan men, distressed

damsels, knightserrant on horseback, ships and forests coming in upon wheels, and fulsome compliments

that must be answered had been always his aversion, and were now so heavy an oppression that Bedford

would have persuaded the Queen to curtail them. But to the fair Catherine this appeared an unkind endeavour

of her disagreeable brotherinlaw, to prevent her from shining in her native city, and eclipsing the

Burgundian pomp; and she opened her soft brown eyes in dignified displeasure, answering that she saw

nothing amiss with the King; and she likewise complained to her husband of his brother's jealousy of her

welcome from her own people, bringing on him one of Henry's most bitter sentences.

Henry would only have had her abate somewhat of the splendour that gratified her, because he did not think it

becoming to outshine her parents; but Catherine scorned the notion. Her old father would know nothing, or

would smile in his foolish way to see her so brave; and for her mother, she recked not so long as she had a

larded capon before her: nor was it possible to make the young queen understand that this fatuity and

The ordering of the feast fell to Catherine and her train; and its splendours on successive days had their full

development, greatly to the constraint and weariness, among others, of Esclairmonde, who was always

assigned to Malcolm Stewart, and throughout these long days had to be constantly repressing him; not that he

often durst make her any direct compliment, for he was usually quelled into anxious wistful silence, and

merely eyed her earnestly, paying her every attention in his power. And such a silent tedious meal was sure to

be remarked, either with laughing rudeness by Countess Jaqueline, or with severe reproof by the Bishop of

Therouenne, both of whom assured her that she had better lay aside her airs, and resign herself in good part,

One day, however, when the feast was at the Hotel de Bourgogne, and there were some slight differences in

the order of the guests, the Duke of Bedford put himself forward as the Lady Esclairmonde's cavalier, so

much to her relief, that her countenance, usually so guarded, relaxed into the bright, sweet smile of

cheerfulness that was most natural to her. Isolated as the pairs at the table were, and with music braying in a

gallery just above, there was plenty of scope for conversation; and once again Esclairmonde was talking

freely of the matters regarding the distress in Paris, that Bedford had consulted her upon before he became so

Towards the evening, when the feast had still some mortal hours to last, there fell a silence on the Duke; and

at length, when the music was at the loudest, he said 'Lady, I have watched for this moment. You are

persecuted. Look not on me as one of your persecutors; but if no other refuge be open to you, here is one who

'How, Sir?' exclaimed Esclairmonde, amazed at these words from the womanhating Bedford.

'Make no sudden reply,' said John. 'I had never thought of you save as one consecrate, till, when I see you like

to be hunted down into the hands of yon silly lad, I cannot but thrust between. My brother would willingly

consent; and, if I may but win your leave to love you, lady, it will be with a heart that has yearned to no other

He spoke low and steadily, looking straight before him, with no visible emotion, save a little quiver in the last

sentence, a slight dilating of the delicately cut nostril; and then he was silent, until, having recovered the

selfrestraint that had been failing him, he prevented the words she was trying to form by saying, 'Not in

haste, lady. There is time yet before you to bethink yourself whether you can be free in will and conscience.

How invitingly the words fell on the lonely heart, so long left to fight its own battles! There came for the first

time the full sense of what life might be, the shielding tenderness, the sure reliance, the pure affection, such

as she saw Henry lavish on the shallow Queen, but which she could meet and requite in John. The brutal

Boemond, the childish Malcolm, had aroused no feeling in her but dislike or pity, and to them a convent was

infinitely preferable; but Bedfordthe religious, manly, brave, unselfish Bedfordopened to her the view

of all that could content a highsouled woman's heart, backed, moreover, by the wonder of having been the

It would not have been a mesalliance. Her family was one of the grandest of the Netherlands; the saintly

Emperor, Henry of Luxemburg, was her ancestor; and Bedford's proposal was not a condescension such as to

rouse her sense of dignity. His rank did not strike her as did his lofty stainless character; the like of which she

had never known to exist in the world of active life till she saw the brothers of England, who came more near

to the armed saints and holy warriors of Church legend than her fancy had thought mortal man could do, bred

as she had been in the sensual, violent, and glittering Burgundy of the fifteenth century. In truth, as Malcolm

had thought the cloister the only refuge from the harshness and barbarism of Scotland, so Esclairmonde had

thought piety and purity to be found nowhere else; and both had found the Court of Henry V. an infinitely

better world than they had supposed possible; but, until the present moment, Esclairmonde had never felt the

slightest call to take a permanent place there. Now however the cloister, even if it were open to her, presented

a gloomy, cheerless life of austerity, in comparison with human affection and matronly duty. And most vivid

of all at the moment was the desire to awaken the tender sweetness that slept in those steady gray eyes, to see

the grave, wise visage gleam with smiling affection, and to rest in having one to take thought for her, and

finish this long term of tossing about and selfdefence. Was not the patience with which he kept his eyes

But deep in Esclairmonde's soul lay the sense that her dedication was sacred, and her power over herself

gone. She had always felt a wife's allegiance due to Him whom she received as her spiritual Spouse; and

though the sense at this moment only brought her disappointment and selfreproach, her will was loyal. The

bond was cutting into her very flesh, but she never even thought of breaking it; and all she waited for was the

In this she was assisted by observing that Bedford's attention had been attracted towards his brother, who was

looking wan and weary, scarcely tasting what was set before him; and, after fitfully trying to converse with

Marguerite of Burgundy, at last had taken advantage of an endless harangue from all the Virtues, and had

dropped asleep. The Lady Anne was seen making a sign to her sister not to disturb him; and Bedford

murmured, with a sigh, 'There is, for once, a discreet woman.' Then, as if recalled to a sense of what was

passing, he turned on Esclairmonde his full earnest look, saying, 'You will teach the Queen how HE should

'Sir,' said Esclairmonde, feeling it most difficult not to falter, 'this is a great grace, but it cannot be.'

'Sir, it is not the part of a betrothed spouse to take thought. My vows were renewed of my own free will and it

She spoke steadily, but the effort ached through her whole frame, especially when the last word illumined

John Plantagenet's face with strange sweet light, quenched as his lip trembled, his nostril quivered, his eye

even moistened, as he said, 'It is enough, lady; I will no more vex one who is vexed enough already; and you

will so far trust me as to regard me as your protector, if you should be in need?'

'That is well,' said Bedford. And he neither looked at her nor spoke to her again, till, as he led her away in the

procession from the hall, he held her hand fast, and murmured: 'There then it rests, sweet lady unless, having

taken counsel with your own heart, you should change your decree, and consult some holy priest. If so, make

but a sign of the hand, and I am yours; for verily you are the only maiden I could ever have loved.'

She was still in utter confusion, in the chamber where the ladies were cloaking for their return, when her

'Sweet runaway, we have caught you at last! Here, into Anne's chamber. See you we must! How is it with

you? Like you the limping Scot better than Boemond?' laughed the Dauphiness, her company dignity laid

'If you cannot hold out,' said Anne, 'the Scot seems a gentle youth; and, at least, you are quit of Boemond.'

'Yes,' said Marguerite, 'his last prank was too strong for the Duke: quartering a dozen menatarms on a

sulky Cambrai weaver till he paid him 2000 crowns. Besides, it would be well to get the Scottish king for an

ally. Do you know what we two are here for, Clairette? We are both to be betrothed: one to the handsome

captive with the gold locks; the other to your hawknosed neighbour, who seemed to have not a word to say.'

'But,' said Esclairmonde, replying to the easiest part of the disclosure, 'the King of Scots is in love with the

'What matters that, silly maid?' said Marguerite 'he does not displease me; and Anne is welcome to that

'Oh, Lady Anne!' exclaimed Esclairmonde, 'if such be your lot, it would be well indeed.'

'What, the surly brother, of whom Catherine tells such tales!' continued Marguerite.

'Credit them not,' said Esclairmonde. 'He never crosses her but when he would open her eyes to his brother's

'Yes,' interrupted Marguerite; 'my lord brother swears that this king will not live a year; and if Catherine have

no better luck with her child than poor Michelle, then there will be another good Queen Anne in England.'

'If so,' said Esclairmonde, looking at her friend with swimming eyes, 'she will have the best of husbandsas

Anne held her hand fast, and would have said many tender words on Esclairmonde's own troubles; but the

other ladies were arrayed, and Esclairmonde would not for worlds have been left behind in the Hotel de

Privacy was not an attainable luxury, and Esclairmonde could not commune with her throbbing heart, or find

peace for her aching head, till night. This must be a matter unconfided to any, even Alice Montagu. And

while the maiden lay smiling in her quiet sleep, after having fondly told her friend that Sir Richard Nevil had

really noticed her new silken kirtle, she knelt on beneath the crucifix, mechanically reciting her prayers, and,

as the beads dropped from her fingers, fighting out the fight with her own heart.

Her mind was made up; but her sense of the loss, her craving for the worthy affection which lay within her

graspthese dismayed her. The life she had sighed for had become a blank; and she passionately detested

the obligation that held her back from affection, usefulness, joy, and excellencenot ambition, for the

greatest help to her lay in Bedford's position, his exalted rank, and nearness to the crown. Indeed, she really

dreaded and loathed worldly pomp so much that the temptation would have been greater had he not been a

It was this sense of renunciation that came to her aid. She had at least a REAL sacrifice to offer; till now, as

she became aware, she had made none. She folded her hands, and laid her offering to be hallowed by the One

allsufficient Sacrifice. She offered all those capacities for love that had been newly revealed to her; she

offered up the bliss, whose golden dawn she had seen; she tried to tear out the earthliness of her heart and

affections by the roots, and lay them on the altar, entreating that, come what might, her spirit might never

Therewith came a sense of His perfect sufficiencyof rest, peace, support, ineffable love, that kept her

kneeling in a calm, almost ecstatic state, in which common hopes, fears, and affections had melted away.

After all, Alice Montagu was married almost privately, and without any preparation. Tidings came that the

Duke of Alencon was besieging Cosne, a city belonging to the Duke of Burgundy, and that instant relief was

needed. The Duke was urgent with Henry to save the place for him, and set off at once to collect his brilliant

chivalry; while Henry, rousing at the trumpetcall, declared that nothing ailed him but pageants, sent orders

to all his troops to collect from different quarters, and prepared to take the command in person; while reports

daily came in of the great muster the Armagnacs were making, as though determined to offer battle.

Salisbury was determined not to abide the chances of the battle without first giving a protector to his little

daughter; and therefore, as quietly as if she had been merely going to mass, the Lady Alice was wedded to

her Sir Richard Nevil, who treated the affair as the simplest matter of course, and troubled himself with very

slight demonstrations of affection. The wedding took place at Senlis, whither the female part of the Court had

accompanied the King, upon the very day of the parting. No one was present, except one of Sir Richard's

brothers (the whole family numbered twentytwo), his esquire; and on Alice's side, her father, Esclairmonde,

At the last moment, however, the King himself came up, leaning on Warwick's arm, looking thin, ill, and

flushed, but resolved to do honour to his faithful Salisbury, at whose request he had permitted the barony of

Montagu to be at once transferred to Nevil, who would thenceforth be called by that title.

After the ceremony, King Henry kissed the gentle bride, placed a costly ring upon her finger, and gave his

best and warmest wishes to the newlymarried pair. Little guessed any there present what the sound of

Warwick and Salisbury would be in forty years' time to the babe cradled at Windsor.

As the King passed Esclairmonde, he paused, and said, in an undertone, 'Dear lady, deem not that I have

forgotten your holy purpose; but you understand that there are some who are jealous of any benefit conferred

on Paris save from themselves, and whose alliance I may not risk. But if God be pleased to grant me this

battle also, then, with His good pleasure, I shall not be forced to have such respect to persons; and when I

return, lady, whether the endowment come from your bounty or no, God helping us, you shall begin the holy

But while Henry V., with all his grave sweetness, spoke these words to Esclairmonde de Luxemburg, this was

'Look here, my languishing swain; never mind her scorn, but win your spurs in the battle that is to be, and

then make some excuse to get back again to us before the two Kings, with all their scruples. Then beshrew

me but she shall be yours! If Monseigneur de Therouenne and I cannot manage one proud girl, I am not

This promise sent him away, planning the enjoyment of conquering Esclairmonde's long resistance, and

teaching her where to find happiness. Should he punish her, by being stern and tyrannical at first? or should

his kindness teach her to repent? When he was a knight, he would be in a condition to assert his authority, he

thought; and of knighthood both he and Ralf Percy felt almost certain, in that wholesale dubbing of knights

that was wont to be the preliminary of a battle. To be sure, they had indulged in a good many unlicensed

pleasures at ParisRalf from sheer reckless love of sport, Malcolm in his endeavour to forget himself, and to

be manly; but they had escaped detection, and they knew plenty of young Englishmen, and many more

Burgundians and Gascons, who had plunged far deeper into mischief, and thought it no disgrace, but rather

Malcolm and Ralf were riding with a party of these young men. King Henry had consented to make his first

day's journey as far as Corbeil in a litter, since only there he was to meet the larger number of his troops,

whom Bedford and Warwick were assembling. James was riding close beside him, with his immediate

attendants; and the two youths, not being needed, had joined their comrades with the advanced guard of the

It was always a fiction maintained by Henry, that he was marching in a friendly country; plunder was strictly

forbidden, and everything was to be paid for; but unfortunately, the peasantry on his way never realized this,

and the soldiery often took care they should not. Therefore, when the advanced guard came to the village that

had been marked out for their halt, instead of finding provisions and forage to be purchased, they met with

only bare walls, and a few stray cats; and while storming and raving between hunger and disappointment, a

report came from somewhere that the inhabitants had fled, and driven off their cattle to another village some

four miles off, in the woods, on the heights above. Of course, they must be taught reason. It was true that the

menatarms, who were under the command of Sir Christopher Kitson and Sir William Trenton, were

obliged to abide where they were, much as Kitson growled at being unable to procure a draught of wine for

Trenton, whom he had been nursing for weeks under intermitting fever, caught at Meaux; but the young

gentlemen were well pleased to show themselves under no Yorkshireman's orders, and galloped off en masse

to procure refreshment for their horses and themselves, further stimulated by the report that the Armagnacs

By and by, a woodland path brought the disorderly party, about forty in number, including their servants and

the ruffians who always followed whenever plunder was to be scented, out upon a pretty French village of the

better class, built round a green shaded with chestnuts, under which, sure enough, were haycarts, cows,

sheep, and goats, and their owners, taking refuge in a place thought to be out of the track of the invaders.

Here were the malicious defrauders of the hungry warriors. Down upon them flew the angry foragers. Soon

the pretty tranquil scene was ringing with the oaths of the plundering and the cries of the plundered; the cattle

were being driven off, the houses and farm yards rifled, blood was flowing, and what could not be carried

off was burning. The search for the Armagnac prisoner had, however, relaxed after the first inquiry, and

Malcolm, surprised that this had been forgotten, suddenly bethought him of the distinction he should secure

by sending a valuable prize to Esclairmonde's feet. He seized on an old man who had not been able to fly, and

stood trembling and panting in a corner, and demanded where the sick man was. The old man pointed to a

farmhouse, round which clouds of smoke were rolling, and Malcolm hurried into it, shouting, 'Dog of an

No answer; and he dashed forward. In the lower room was a sight that opened his eyes with horrorno other

than the shield of Drummond, with the three wavy lines; ay, and with it the helmet and suit of armour,

No answer; and seeing through the smoke a stair, he rushed up. There, in an upper room, on a bed, lay a

senseless form, suffocated perhaps by the smoke, but unmistakably his cousin! He called to him, seized him,

shook him, dragged him out of bed, all in vain; there was no sign of animation. The fire was gaining on the

house; Malcolm's own breath was failing, and his frenzied efforts to carry Patrick's almost giant form to the

stairs were quite unavailing. Wild with horror, he flew shouting downstairs to call Halbert, whom he had

left with his horse, but neither Halbert nor horse was in sight, nor indeed any of the party. Not a man was in

sight, except a few hurrying far out of reach, as if something had alarmed them. He wrung his hands in

anguish, and was about to make another attempt to drag Patrick down from the already burning house, when

suddenly a troop of horse was among the scene of desolation, and at their head King James himself. Malcolm

flew to the King, cutting short his angry exclamation with the cry, 'Help! help! he will burn! Patrick! Patie

James had scarce gathered the sense of the words, ere, leaping from his horse, he bounded up the stairs,

through the smoke, amid flakes of burning thatch falling from the roof, groped in the dense clouds of smoke

for the senseless weight, and holding the shoulders while Malcolm held the feet, they sped down the stair, and

rested not till they had laid him under a chestnut tree, out of reach of the crash of the house, which fell in

'He will not,' said the King, 'if his nation be known here. Keep out of his sight! He must hear only French!'

Remembering how inexorably Henry hung every Scotch prisoner, Malcolm's heart sank. This was why no

one had sought the prisoner. A Scot was not available for ransom! Should he be the murderer of his cousin,

Meantime James hurriedly explained to Kitson that here was the sick man left by the enemy, summoned Sir

Nigel to his side, closed his own visor, and called for water; then hung over the prisoner, anxious to prevent

the first word from being broad Scotch. In the free air, some long sobs showed that Patrick was struggling

back to life; and James at once said, 'Rendez vous, Messire;' but he neither answered, nor was there meaning

in his eyes. And James perceived that he was bandaged as though for broken ribs, and that his right shoulder

was dislocated, and no doubt had been a second time pulled out when Malcolm had grasped him by the arms.

He swooned again at the first attempt to lift him, and a haycart having been left in the flight of the

marauders, he was laid in it, and covered with the King's cloak, to be conveyed to Corbeil, where James

trusted to secure his life by personal intercession with Henry. He groaned heavily several times, but never

opened his eyes or spoke articulately the whole way; and James and Sir Nigel kept on either side of the cart,

ready to address him in French the first moment, having told the English that he was a prisoner of quality,

who must be carefully conveyed to King James's tent at Corbeil. Malcolm was not allowed to approach, lest

he should be recognized; and he rode along in an agony of shame and suspense, with very different feelings

towards Patrick than those with which he had of late thought of him, or of his own promises. If Patrick died

It was nearly night ere they reached Corbeil, where the tents were pitched outside the little town. James

committed his captive to the prudent care of old Baird, bidding him send for a French or Burgundian surgeon,

unable to detect the Scottish tongue; and then, taking Malcolm with him, he crossed the square in the centre

It was a sultry night, and Henry had insisted on sleeping in his tent, declaring himself sick of stone walls; and

as they approached his voice could be heard in brief excited sentences, giving orders, and asking for the King

'Here, Sir,' said James, stopping in where the curtain was looped up, and showed King Henry half sitting, half

lying, on a couch of cushions and deerskins, his eyes full of fire, his thin face flushed with deep colour;

'Who were they? I hope you hung them on the spot, as I bade,' continued Henry, coughing between his

'I was delayed. There was a life to save: a gentleman who lay sick and stifled in a burning house.'

'And what was it to you,' cried Henry, angrily, 'if a dozen rebel Armagnacs were fried alive, when I sent you

to hinder my men from growing mere thieves? Gentleman, forsooth! One would think it the Dauphin himself;

'Yes, Sir,' said James; 'Sir Patrick Drummond, a good knight, hurt and helpless, for whom I entreat your

'You disobeyed me to spare a Scot!' burst forth Henry. 'You, who call yourself a captain of mine, and who

'Harry, bethink yourself. This is no captive taken in battle. He is a sick man, left behind, sorely hurt.'

'Then wherefore must you be meddling, instead of letting him burn as he deserved, and heeding what you

undertook for me? I WILL have none of your traitor ruffians here. Since you have brought him in, the halter

'King Harry,' he said gravely, 'this morning I was your friend and brotherinarms; now I am your captive.

Hang Patrick Drummond, who aided me at Meaux in saving my honour and such freedom as I have, and I

'Take back your sword,' said Henry. 'What folly is this? You knew that I count not your rebel subjects as

'I did not know that I was saving a defenceless man from the flames to be used like a dog. I never offered my

'Take your sword!' reiterated Henry, his passion giving way before James's steady calmness. 'We will look

into it tomorrow: but it was no soldierly act to take advantage of my weariness, to let my commands be

broken the first day of taking the field, and bring the caitiff here. We will leave him for the night, I say. Take

'No threats, Sir. I will make no promise,' said Henry, haughtily; but the words died away in a racking cough.

And Bedford, laying his hand on James's arm, said, 'He is fevered and weary. Fret him no longer, but take

James was too much hurt to make a compromise. 'No,' he said; 'unless your brother freely spares the life of a

Henry's morning decisions were not apt to vary from his evening ones. There was a terrible implacability

about him at times, and he had never ceased to visit his brother of Clarence's death upon the Scots, on the

plea that they were in arms against their king. Even Bedford obviously thought that the prisoner would be

safest out of his reach; and this could hardly be accomplished, since Patrick had been placed in James's tent,

in the very centre of the camp, near the King's own. And though Bedford and March might have connived at

his being taken away, yet the mass of the soldiery would, if they detected a Scot being smuggled away into

Besides, the captive himself proved to be so exhausted, that to transport him any further in his present state

would have been almost certainly fatal. A barber surgeon from Corbeil had been fetched, and was dealing

with the injuries, which had apparently been the effect of a fall some days previously, probably when on his

way to join the French army at Cosne; and the first fever of these hurts had no doubt been aggravated by the

adventures of the day. At any rate Patrick lay unconscious, or only from time to time groaning or murmuring

Malcolm would have fallen on his knees by his side, and striven to win a word or a look, but James forcibly

withheld him. 'If you roused him into loud ravings in our own tongue, all hope of saving him would be gone,'

'I only know,' said the King, 'that unless we do so by Harry's good will, I will never serve under him again.'

'Then must some means be found of carrying Drummond into Corbeil. It will go hard with me but he shall be

saved, Malcolm. But this whole army is against a Scot; and Harry's eye is everywhere, and his fierceness

When the King came to saying that, it was plain he deemed the case past all other aid.

Malcolm's misery was great. The very sight of Patrick had made a mighty revulsion in his feelings. The

almost forgotten associations of Glenuskie were revived; the forms of his guardian and of Lily came before

him, as he heard familiar names and phrases in the dear home accent fall from the fevered lips. Coldingham

rose up before him, and St. Abbs, with Lily watching on the rocks for tidings of her knighther knight, to

whom her brother had once promised to resign all his lands and honours, but who now lay captured by

plunderers, among whom that brother made one, and in peril of a shameful death. Oh, far better die in his

Was this retribution for his broken purpose, and for having fallen away, not merely into secular life, but into

sins that stood between him and religious rites? The King had called St. Andrew to aid! Must a proof of

repentance and change be given, ere that aid would come? Should he vow himself again to the cloister, yield

up the hope of Esclairmonde, and devote himself for Patrick's sake? Could he ever be happy with Patrick

dead, and Esclairmonde driven and harassed into being his wife? Were it not better to vow at once, that so his

Almost had he uttered the vow, when, tugging hard at his heart, came the vision of Esclairmonde's loveliness,

and he felt it beyond his strength to resign her voluntarily; besides, how Madame of Hainault and

Monseigneur de Therouenne would deride his uncertainties; and how intolerable it would be to leave

Such a renunciation could not be made; he did not even know that Patrick's safety depended on it; and instead

of that, he promised, with great fervency of devotion, that if St. Andrew would save Patrick Drummond, and

bring about the two marriages, a most splendid monastery for educational purposes, such as the King so much

wished to found, should be his reward. It should be in honour of St. Andrew, and should be endowed with

Esclairmonde's wealth, which would be quite ample enough, both for this and for a noble portion for Lily.

Surely St. Andrew must accept such a vow, and spare Patrick! So Malcolm tried to pacify an anguish of

The summer morning came; the reveille sounded, Mass was sung in the chapel tent, without which Henry

never moved; and Malcolm tried to reassure his sinking heart by there pledging his vow to St. Andrew.

The English king was not present; but the troops were drawing up in complete array, that he might inspect

them before the march. And a glorious array they were, of steelclad menatarms on horseback, in bands

around their leader's banner, and of ranks of sturdy archers, with their longbows in leathern cases; the

orderly multitude, stretching as far as the eye could reach, glittering in the early sun, and waiting with bold

and glad hearts to greet the muchloved king, who had always led them to victory.

The only unarmed knight was James of Scotland. He stood in the space beside the standard of England, in his

plain suit of chamois leather, his crimson cloak over his shoulder, but with no weapon about him, waiting

Close outside the royal tent waited Henry's horse, and those of his brother and other immediate attendants;

and after a short interval the King came forth in his brightest armour, with the coronal on his helmet, and the

beaver up; and as he mounted, not without considerable aid, enthusiastic shouts of 'Long live King Harry!'

broke forth, and came echoing back and back from troop to troop, gathering fervour as they rose.

The King rode forward towards the standard; but while yet the shouts were pealing from the army, be

suddenly caught at his saddlebow, reeled visibly, and would have fallen before Bedford could bring his

horse to his side, had not James sprung forward, and laid one arm round him, and a hand on his rein.

Ere the words were finished, he put his hand to his side, dropped his bridle, and gasped, while a look of

intense suffering passed over his features; and he was passive while his horse was led back to the tent, and he

'Loose my belt,' he gasped; then trying to smile, 'Percy has strained it three holes tighter.'

Alas! though it was indeed thus drawn in, his armour was hanging on him like the shell of a last year's nut.

They released him from it, and he lay against the cushions with short painful respiration, and frequent cough.

'You must go on with the men at once, John,' he said. 'I will but be blooded, and follow in the litter.'

'No, no!' peremptorily gasped Henry. 'It must be you or I, I would, but this stitch in the side catches me, so

that I can neither ride nor speak. Go, instantly. You know what I have ordered. I'll be up with you ere the

He brooked no resistance. His impatience, and with it the oppression and pain, only grew by remonstrance;

and Bedford was forced to obey the command to go himself, and leave no one he could help behind him.

'You will stay, at least,' said John, in his distress, turning to the Scottish king.

'You hold not your wrath?' said Bedford. 'It will madden me to leave him to any save you in this stress. Some

'I will tend him like yourself, John,' said the Scot, taking his hand. 'Do what he may, Harry is Harry still.

Bedford groaned. It was hard to leave his brother at a moment when he must be more than himselfbecome

general of an army, with a battle imminent; but he was under dire necessity, and forced himself to listen to

and gather the import of the few terse orders and directions that Henry, breathless as he was, rendered clear

The King almost drove his brother away at last, while a barber was taking a copious stream of blood from

him; and as the army had already been set in motion, a great stillness soon prevailed, no one being left save a

small escort, and part of the King's own immediate household, for Henry had himself ordered away Montagu,

his chamberlain, Percy, and almost all on whom his eyes fell. The bleeding relieved him; he breathed less

'Who is here?' he said, awakening. 'Some drink! What you, Jamie! You that were on fire to see a stricken

'I am better,' said Henry. 'I could move now; and I must. This tent will stifle me by noon.'

'No; I'll go back. A sick man is best with his wife. And I can battle it no further, nor grudge the glory of the

The irascible sharpness had passed from his voice and manner, and given place to a certain languid

There proved to be a large and commodious barge, in which the transit could be effected on the river, with

less of discomfort than in the springless horse litter by which he had travelled the day before; and this was at

Malcolm had meanwhile remained, as in duty bound, in attendance on his king. James had found time to

enjoin him to stay, being, to say the truth, unwilling to trust one so inexperienced and fragile in the melee

without himself; nor indeed would this have been a becoming moment for him to put himself forward to win

Nothing had passed about Patrick Drummond, nor the high words of last night. Henry seemed to have

forgotten them, between his bodily suffering and the anxiety of being forced to relinquish the command just

before a battle; and James would have felt it ungenerous to harass him at such a moment, when absolutely

committed to his charge. For the present, there was no fear of the prisoner being summarily executed by any

lawful authority, since the King had promised to take cognizance of the case; and the chief danger was from

his chance discovery by some lawless manatarms, who would think himself doing good service by killing

Drummond himself, after his delirious night, had sunk into a heavy sleep; and the King thought the best hope

for him would be to remain under the care of Sir Nigel Baird for the present, until he could obtain favour for

him from Henry, and could send back orders from Vincennes. He would not leave Malcolm to share the care

of him, declaring that the canny Sir Nigel would have quite enough to do in averting suspicion without him;

and, besides, he needed Malcolm himself, in the scarcity of attendants who had any tenderness or dexterity of

Henry had rallied enough to walk down to the river, leaning upon James; and he smiled thanks when he was

assisted by Trenton and Kitson to lie along on cushions. 'So, my Yorkshire knights,' he said, ''tis you that

'Ay, Sir,' said Sir Christopher; 'I did it with the better will, that Trenton here has not been his own man since

the fever; and 'twere no fair play in the matter your Grace wets of, did I go into battle whole and sound, and

Henry's look of amusement brightened him into his old self, as he said, 'Honester guards could I scarce have,

At that moment, after a nudge or two from Trenton, Kitson and he came suddenly down on their knees, with

an impetus that must have tried the boards of the bottom of the barge. 'Sir,' said Kitson, always the

'Say on,' said Henry. 'Any boon, save the letting you cut one another's throats.'

'No, Sir. Will Trenton's scarce my match now, more's the pity; and, moreover, we've lost the good will to it

'Ay, Sir; to yon shrine at BreuilSt. Fiacre's, as they call him. Some of our rogues pillaged his shrine, as you

know, Sir; and those that know these parts best, say he was a Scottish hermit, and bears malice like a Scot,

saint though he be; and that your sickness, my lord, is all along of that. So we two have vowed to go barefoot

'And welcome, with my best thanks, good friends,' said Henry, exerting himself to lean forward and give his

hand to their kiss. Then, as they fell back into their places, with a few inarticulate blessings and assurances

that they only wished they could go to Rome, or to Jerusalem, if it would restore their king, Henry said,

smiling, as he looked at James, 'Scotsmen here, there, and everywherein Heaven as well as earth! What

was it last night about a Scot that moved thine ire, Jamie? Didst not tender me thy sword? By my faith, thou

James now told the story in its fulness. How he had met Sir Patrick Drummond at Glenuskie; how,

afterwards, the knight had stood by him in the encounter at Meaux; and how it had been impossible to leave

him senseless to the flames; and how he had trusted that a capture made thus, accidentally, of a helpless man,

'Hm!' said Henry; 'it must be as you will; only I trust to you not to let him loose on us, either here or on the

Border. Take back your sword, Jamie. If I spoke over hotly last nighta man hardly knows what he says

when he has a goad in the sideyou forgive it, Jamie.' And as the Scots king, with the dew in his eyes,

wrung his hand, he added anxiously, 'Your sword! What, not here! Here's mine. Which is it?' Then, as James

handed it to him: 'Ay, I would fain you wore it! 'Tis the sword of my knighthood, when poor King Richard

The soft movement of the barge upon the water had a soothing influence; and he was certainly in a less

suffering state, though silent and dreamy, as he lay half raised on cushions under an awning, James anxiously

watching over him, and Malcolm with a few other attendants near at hand; stout bargemen propelling the

His thoughts were perhaps with the battle, for presently he looked up, and murmured the verse:

'"I had a dream, a weary dream, Ayont the Isle of Skye; I saw a dead man win a fight, And I think that man

That stave keeps ringing in my brain; nor can I tell where or when I have heard it.'

''Tis from the Scottish ballad that sings of the fight of Otterburn,' said James; 'I brought it with me from

'And got little thanks for your pains,' said Henry, smiling. 'But, methinks, since no Percy is in the way, I

James's harp was never far off; and again his mellow voice went through that gallant and plaintive strain,

though in a far more subdued manner than the first time he had sung it; and Henry, weakened and softened,

actually dropped a brave man's tear at the 'bracken bush upon the lily lea,' and the hero who lay there.

'That I should weep for a Douglas!' he said, half laughing; 'but the hearts of all honest men lie near together,

on whatever side they draw their swords. God have mercy on whosoever may fall tomorrow! I trow, Jamie,

thou couldst not sing that rough rhyme of Agincourt. I was bashful and ungracious enough to loathe the very

sound of it when I came home in my pride of youth; but I would lief hear it once more. Or,

stayYorkshiremen always have voices;' and raising his tone, he unspeakably gratified Trenton and Kitson

by the request; and their voices, deep and powerful, and not uncultivated, poured forth the Lay of Agincourt

Long and lengthily chanted was the triumphant song, with the Latin choruses, which were echoed back by the

escort on the bank; while Henry lay, listening and musing; and Malcolm had time for many a thought and

Patrick's life was granted; although it had been promised too late to send the intelligence back to the tent at

Corbeil. So far, the purpose of his vow to St. Andrew had been accomplished; but with the probability that he

should soon again be associated with Patrick, came the sense of the failure in purpose and in promise. Patrick

would not reproach him, he well knewnay, would rejoice in the change; but even this certainty galled him,

and made him dread his cousin's presence as likely to bring him a sense of shame. What would Patrick think

of his letting a lady be absolutely compelled to marry him? Might he not say it was the part of Walter Stewart

over again? Indeed, Malcolm remembered how carefully King James was prevented from hearing the means

by which the Countess intended to make the lady his own; and a sensation came over him, that it was

profanation to call on St. Andrew to bless what was to be brought about by such means. Why was it that, as

his eyes fell on the face of King Henry, the whole world and all his projects acquired so different a colouring?

and a sentence he had once heard Esclairmonde quote would come to him constantly: 'My son, think not to

But the long lay of victory was over; and King Henry had roused himself to thank the singers, then sighed,

'The whole space from the hope and pride of youth to the care and toil of eld,' said Henry. 'Your Scots made

'Yea, truly! But thenceforth I have learnt that the road to Jerusalem is not so straight and plain as I deemed it

when I stood victorious at Agincourt. The Church one againthe Holy Sepulchre redeemed! It seemed then

'So it may be yet,' said James. 'Sickness alters everything, and raises mountains before us.'

'It may be so,' said Henry; 'and yetJerusalem! Jerusalem! It was my father's cry; it was King Edward's cry;

'Ay! he never turned aside!' said Henry, sighing, and moving restlessly and wearily with something of

Boy, are you there?' as, in turning, his eye fell on Malcolm. 'Take warning: the straight road is the best. You

"'Hic breve vivitur, hic breve plangitur, hic breve fletur; Non breve vivere, non breve plangere, retribuetur."

And James, seeing that nothing lulled him like song, offered to sing that mysteriously beautiful rhythm of

'Ay, prithee do so,' said Henry. 'There's a rest there, when the Agincourt lay rings hollow. Well, there is a

Jerusalem where our shortcomings are made up; only the straight waythe straight way.'

Malcolm took his part with James in singing the rhythm, which he had learnt long ago at Coldingham, and

which thus in every note brought back the vanished aspirations and selfdedication to 'the straight way.'

For such, an original purpose of selfdevotion must ever benot of course exclusively to the monastic life;

but whoever lowers his aims of serving God under any worldly inducement, is deviating from the straight

way: and, thought Malcolm, if King Harry feels Agincourt an empty word beside the song of Sion, must not

Sometimes dozing, but sometimes restless, and with the pain of breathing constantly increasing on him,

Henry wore through the greater part of the day, upon the river, until it was necessary to land, and be taken

through the forest in his litter. He was now obliged to be lifted from the barge; and his weariness rendered the

conveyance very distressing, save that his patient smile never faded; and still he said, 'All will be well when I

Alas! when the gates were reached, James hardly knew how to tell him that the Queen had gone that morning

to Paris with her mother. Yet still he was cheerful. 'If the physicians deal hard with me,' he said, 'it will be

The physicians were there. A messenger had gone direct from Corbeil to summon them; and Henry delivered

himself up into their hands, to fight out the battle with disease, as he had set himself to fight out many

A sharp conflict it wasbetween a keen and aggravated disease, apparently pleurisy coming upon

pulmonary affection of long standing, and a strong and resolute nature, unquenched by suffering, and backed

by the violent remedies of a halfinstructed period. Those who watched him, and strove to fulfil the

directions of the physicians, hardly marked the lapse of hours; even though more than one day and night had

passed ere in the early twilight of a long summer's morn he sank into a sleep, his face still distressed, but less

The watchers felt that here might be the turning point, and stood or sat around, not daring to change their

postures, or utter the slightest word. Suddenly, James, who stood nearest, leaning against the wall, with his

eyes fixed on the face of the sleeper, was aware of a hand on his shoulder, and looking round, saw in the now

full light Bedford's faceso pale, haggard, and replete with anxiety, so dusty and travelstained, that Henry,

awakening at that moment, exclaimed, 'Ha, John!' And as his brother was slow to reply'Has the day gone

against thee? How was it? Never fear to speak, brother; thou art safe; and I know thou hast done valiantly.

Valour is never lost, whether in defeat or success. Speak, John. Take it not so much to heart.'

'There has been no battle, Harry,' said Bedford, gathering voice with difficulty. 'The Dauphin would not abide

'Dost think one can ride fast only for a flight?' said Bedford. 'Ah, would that it had been the loss of ten battles

And he fell on his knees, grasping Henry's hand, and hiding his face against the bed, with the same instinct of

turning to him for comfort with which the young motherless children of Henry of Bolingbroke, when turned

adrift among the rude Beaufort progeny of John of Gaunt, had clung to their eldest brother, and found

tenderness in his love and protection in his fearlessness; so that few royal brethren ever loved better than

'It was well and kindly done, John,' said Henry; 'and thou hast come at a good time; for, thanks be to God, the

pain hath left me; and if it were not for this burthen of heaviness and weariness, I should be more at ease than

But as he spoke, there was that both in his face and voice that chilled with a dread certainty the hearts of

Alas! no. Sir Lewis Robsart, the knight attached to her service, faltered, with a certain shame and difficulty,

'Best,' he said. 'My fair one was not made for sights like this; and were she here'his lip trembled'I might

bear me less as a Christian man should. My sweet Catherine! Take care of her, John; she will be the most

John promised with all his heart; though pity for coldhearted Catherine was not the predominant feeling

'I would I had seen my child's face, and blessed him,' continued Henry. 'Poor boy! I would have him

'Warwick is waiting admission,' said Bedford. 'He and Salisbury and Exeter rode with me.'

The King's face lighted up with joy as he heard this. 'It is good for a man to have his friends about him,' he

Then took place the wellknown scene, when, looking back on his career, he pronounced it to have been his

endeavour to serve God and his people, and declared himself ready to face death fearlessly, since such was

the will of his Maker: grieving only for the infancy of his son, but placing his hope and comfort in his brother

John, and commending the babe to the fatherly charge of Warwick. 'You cannot love him for his own sake as

yet; but if you think you owe me aught, repay it to him.' And as he thought over the fate of other infant kings,

he spoke of some having hated the father and loved the child, others who had loved the father and hated the

To Humfrey of Gloucester he sent stringent warnings against giving way to his hot and fiery nature,

offending Burgundy, or rushing into a doubtful wedlock with Jaqueline of Hainault; speaking of him with an

elder brother's fatherly affection, but turning ever to John of Bedford with full trust and reliance, as one

likeminded, and able to carry out all his intentions. For the French prisoners, they might not be released,

'And for you, Jamie,' he said, affectionately holding out his hand, 'my friend, my brotherinarms, I must say

the same as ever. Pardon me, Jamie; but I have not kept you out of malice, such as man must needs renounce

on his deathbed. I trust to John, and to the rest, for giving you freedom at such time as you can safely return

to be such a king indeed as we have ever hoped to be. Do you pardon me, James, for this, as for any

James, with full heart, murmured out his ardent love, his sense that no captive had ever been so generously

'And you, my young lord,' said Henry, looking towards Malcolm, whose light touch and tender hands had

made him a welcome attendant in the illness, 'I have many a kind service to thank you for. And I believe I

mightily angered you once; but, boy, rememberay, and you too, Ralf Percythat he is your friend who

After these, and other calm collected farewells, Henry required to know from his physicians how long his

time might yet be. There was hesitation in answering, plainly as they saw that mortification had set in.

Then came the reply given by the weeping, kneeling physician: 'Sir, think of your soul, for, without a miracle,

The King beckoned his confessor, and his friends retired, to return again to take their part in the last rites, the

Henry was collected, and alive to all that was passing, responding duly, and evidently entering deeply into the

devotions that were to aid his spirit in that awful passage; his face gravely set, but firm and fearless as ever.

The ceremonial ended, he was still sensible, though with little power of voice or motion left; but the tone,

though low, was steady as ever, when he asked for the Penitential Psalms. Still they doubted whether he were

following them, for his eyes closed, and his lips ceased to move, until, as they chanted the revival note of

David's mournful penance'O be favourable and gracious unto Sion; build Thou the walls of

Jerusalem;'at that muchloved word, the light of the blue eyes once more beamed out, and he spoke again.

'Jerusalem! On the faith of a dying king, it was my earnest purpose to have composed matters here into peace

and union, and so to have delivered Jerusalem. But the will of God be done, since He saw me unworthy.'

Then his eyes closed again; he slept, or seemed to sleep; and then a strange quivering came over the face, the

lips moved again, and the words broke from them, 'Thou liest, foul spirit! thou liest!' but, as though the

parting soul had gained the victory in that conflict, peace came down on the wasted features; and with the

very words of his Redeemer Himself, 'Into Thy hands I commend my spirit,' he did indeed fall asleep; the

No one knows how great a tree has been till it has fallen; nor how large a space a mighty man has occupied

King Henry V. left his friends and foes alike almost dizzy, as in place of his grand figure they found a blank;

Malcolm of Glenuskie, who had been asserting constantly that King Henry was no master of his, and had no

rights over him, had nevertheless, for the last year or more, been among those to whom the King's will was

the moving spring, fixing the disposal of almost every hour, and making everything dependent thereon.

When the deathhush was broken by the 'Depart, O Christian soul,' and Bedford, with a face white and set

like a statue, stood up from his knees, and crossed and kissed the still white brow, it was to Malcolm as if the

whole universe had become as nothing. To him there remained only the great God, the heavenly Jerusalem

into which the King had entered, and himself far off from the straight way, wandering from his promise and

his purpose into what seemed to him a mere hollow painted scene, such as came and went in the midst of a

banquet. Or, again, it was the grisly Dance of Death that was the only reality; Death had clutched the

He stood motionless, as one in a dream, or rather as if not knowing which was reality, and which phantom;

gazing, gazing on at the bed where the King lay, round which the ecclesiastics were busying themselves,

unperceiving that James, Bedford, and the nobles had quitted the apartment, till Percy first spoke to him in a

whisper, then almost shook him, and led him out of the room. 'I am sent for you,' he said, in a much shaken

voice; 'your king says you can be of use.' Then tightening his grasp with the force of intense grief, 'Oh, what a

day! what a day! My father! my father! I never knew mine own father! But he has been all to Harry and to

me! Oh, woe worth the day!' And dropping into a windowseat, he covered his face with his hands, and gave

way to his grief: pointing, however, to the councilroom, where Malcolm found Bedford writing at the table,

A few words from James informed him (or would have done so if he could have understood) that the Duke of

Bedford, on whom at that terrible moment the weight of two kingdoms and of the war had descended, could

not pause to rest, or to grieve, till letters and orders had been sent to the council in England, and to every

garrison, every ally in France, to guard against any sudden panic, or faltering in friendship to England and her

infant heir. Warwick and Salisbury were already riding post haste to take charge of the army; Robsart was

gone to the Queen, Exeter to the Duke of Burgundy; and as the clergy were all engaged with the tendance of

the royal corpse, there was scarcely any one to lessen the Duke's toil. James, knowing Malcolm's pen to be

ready, had sent for him to assist in copying the brief scrolls, addressed to each captain of a fortress or town,

announcing the father's death, and commanding him to do his duty to the sonKing Harry VI. Each was

then to be signed by the Duke, and despatched by menatarms, who waited for the purpose.

Like men stunned, the halfdozen who sat at the counciltable worked on, never daring to glance at the

empty chair at the upper end. The only words that passed were occasional inquiries of, and orders from,

Bedford; and these he spoke with a strange alertness and metallic ring in his voice, as though the words were

uttered by mechanism; yet in themselves they were as clear and judicious as possible, as if coming from a

mind wound up exclusively to the one necessary object; and the facethough flushed at first, and gradually

growing paler, with knitted brows and compressed lipsbetrayed no sign of emotion.

Hours passed: he wrote, he ordered, he signed, he sealed; he mentioned name after name, of place and officer,

never moving or looking up. And James, who knew from Salisbury that he had neither slept nor eaten since

sixty miles off he had met a worse report of his brother, watched him anxiously till, when evening began to

fall, he murmured, 'There is the captain ofofatbut'the pen slipped from his fingers, and he said,

The overtaxed powers, strained so longmind, memory, and allwere giving way under the mere force of

excessive fatigue. He rose from his seat, but stumbled, like one blind, as James upheld him, and led him away

to the nearest bedchamber, where, almost while the attendants divested him of the heavy boots and cuirass

he had never paused all these hours to remove, he dropped into a sleep of sheer exhaustion.

James, who was likewise wearied out with watching, turned towards his own quarters; but, in so doing, he

could not but turn aside to the chapel, where before the altar had been laid all that was left of King Henry.

There he lay, his hands clasped over a crucifix, clad in the same rich green and crimson robes in which he had

ridden to meet his Queen at Vincennes but three short months before; the golden circlet from his helmet was

on his head, but it could not give additional majesty to the still and severe sweetness of his grand and pure

countenance, so youthful in the lofty power that high aspirations had imprinted on it, yet so intensely calm in

its marble rest, more than ever with the look of the avenging unpitying angel. To James, it was chiefly the

face of the man whom he had best loved and admired, in spite of their strange connection; but to Malcolm,

who had as usual followed him closely, it was verily a look from the invisible worlda look of awful

warning and reproof, almost as if the pale set lips were unclosing to demand of him where he was in the

valley of shadows, through which the way lay to Jerusalem. If Henry had turned back, and warned him at the

gate of the heavenly Sion, surely such would have been his countenance; and Malcolm, when, like James, he

had sprinkled the holy water on the white brow, and crossed himself while the low chant of Psalms from

kneeling priests went up around himclasped his two hands close together, and breathed forth the words,

'Oh, I have wandered far! O great King, I will never leave the straight way again! I will cast aside all worldly

He would have tarried on still, in the fascination of that wonderful unearthly countenance, and in the inertness

of faculties stunned by fatigue and excitement, but James summoned him by a touch, and he again followed

'O Sir!' he began, when they had turned away, 'I repent me of my falling away to the world! I give all up. Let

'We will talk of that another time,' said James, gravely. 'Neither you nor I, Malcolm, can think reasonably

'Sir, Sir!' cried Malcolm, petulantly. 'You took me from the straight way. You shall not hinder my return!'

'I hinder no true purpose,' said King James. 'I only hinder another rash and hasty pledge, to be felt as a fetter,

or left broken on your conscience. Silence now. When men are sad and spent they cannot speak as befits

These words were spoken on the way up the stair that led to the apartments of the King of Scots. On opening

the door of the larger room, the first thing they saw was the tall figure of a distinguishedlooking knight,

who, as they entered, flung himself at King James's feet, fervently exclaiming, 'O my liege! accept my

homage! Never was vassal so bound to his lord by thankfulness for his life, and for far more than his life!'

'Sir Patrick Drummond, I am glad to see you better at ease,' said James. 'Nay, suffer me,' he added, giving his

hand to raise the knight, but finding it grasped and kissed with passionate devotion, almost overpowering the

only halfrecovered knight, so that James was forced to use strength to support him, and would at once have

lifted him up, but the warmhearted Patrick resisted, almost sobbing out 'Nay, Sir! king of my heart

indeed! let me first thank you. I knew not how much more I owed you than the poor life you savedmy

'Speak of such things seated, my good friend,' said James, trying to raise him; but Drummond still did not

'I have not given my parole of honour as the captive whose life is again due to you.'

'You must give that to the Duke of Bedford, Sir Patrick,' said James. 'I know not if I am to be put into ward

myself. In any case you are safe, by the good King's grace, so you pledge yourself to draw no sword against

'Alack!' said Patrick, 'I have neither sword nor ransom. I would I knew what was to be done with the life you

'I will find a use for it, never fear,' said James, sadly, but kindly. 'Be my knight for the present, till better days

'With my whole heart!' said Patrick, fervently. 'Yours am I for ever, my liege.'

'Then my first command is that you should rise, and rest,' said James, assisting the knight to regain his feet,

and placing him in the only chair in the room. 'You must become a whole man as soon as may be.'

For Patrick's arm was in a sling, and evidently still painful and useless, and he sank back, breathless and

unresisting, like one who had by no means regained perfect health, while his handsome features looked worn

and pale. 'I fear me,' said James, as the two cousins silently shook hands, 'that you have moved over

'Oh yes, my lord,' replied Baird; 'but the lad was the harder to hold; and after the fever was gone, we deemed

he could well brook the journey by water. 'Twas time I was here to guide ye too, my lord; you and the callant

'And if Brewster tells me right, ye've not tasted food the whole day?' said Nigel, laying an authoritative hand

on his royal pupil. 'Nay, sit ye down; here come the varlets with the meal I bade them have ready.'

James passively yielded, courteously signing to the others to share the food that was spread on a table; and

with the same scarcely conscious grace, making inquiries, which elicited that Patrick Drummond's hurts had

been caused by his horse falling and rolling over with him, whilst with Sir John Swinton and other Scottish

knights he was reconnoitring the line of the English march. He was too much injured to be taken back to the

far distant camp, and had accordingly been intrusted to the French farmer, with no attendant but a young

French horseboy, since he was too poor to keep a squire. He knew nothing more, for fever had run high; and

he had not even been sensible of his desertion by his French hosts on the approach of the English, far less of

the fire, and of his rescue by the King and Malcolm; but for this he seemed inclined to compensate to the

utmost, by the intense eagerness of devotion with which he regarded James, who sat meanwhile crushed

'I can eat no more, Baird,' said he, swallowing down a draught of wine, and pushing aside his trencher. 'Your

license, gentlemen. I must be alone. Take care of the lads, Nigel. Malcolm is spent too. His deft service was

And though he hastily shut himself into his own inner chamber, it was not till they had seen that his grief was

But Malcolm cried, with much agitation, 'Not a word, Patie! You know not what you say. Take heed of

'There is no English, French, or Scot where he is gone!' cried Malcolm. 'No Babel! O Patie, I have been far

fallen! I have done you in heart a grievous wrong! but if I have turned back in time, it is his doing that lies

'His! what, Harry of Lancaster's?' demanded the bewildered Patrick. 'What had he to do with you?'

'He has been my only true friend here!' cried Malcolm. 'Oh, if my hand be free from actual spoil and

bloodshed, it was his doing! Oh, that he could hear me bless him for the chastisement I took so bitterly!'

'Chastisement!' demanded Patrick. 'The English King dared chastise YOU! of Scots blood royal! 'Tis well he

'The laddie's wellnigh beside himself!' said Baird. 'But he speaks true. This king whom Heaven assolizie,

kept a tight hand over the youngsters; and falling on Lord Malcolm and some other callants making free with

a house at Meaux, dealt some blows, of which my young lord found it hard to stomach his share; though I am

glad to see he is come to a better mind. Ay, 'tis pity of this King Harry! Brave and leal was he; never spake an

untrue word; never turned eye for fear, nor foot for weariness, nor hand for toil, nor nose for ill savour. A

man, look you, to be trusted; never failing his word for good or ill! Right little love has there been between

him and me; but I could weep like my own lad in there, to think I shall never see that knightly presence more,

nor hear those frank gladsome voices of the boys, as they used to shout up and down Windsor Forest.'

'Ay, Sir Patrick! and if he be such a king as Scotland never had since St. David, and maybe not then, I'm free

to own as much of it is due to King Harry as to his own noble self.Did ye say they had streekit him in the

chapel, Lord Malcolm? I'd fain look on the bonnie face of him; I'll ne'er look on his like again.'

No sooner had old Bairdsbrae gone, than Malcolm flung himself down before his cousin, crying, 'Oh, Patrick,

'Changed!' said Patrick; 'ay, and for the better! Why, Malcolm, I never durst hope to see you so sturdy and so

heartsome. My father would have been blithe to see you such a gallant young squire. Even the halt is gone!'

'Nearly,' said Malcolm. 'But I would fain be puny and puling, to have the clear heart that once I had. Oh, hear

And Malcolm, in his agitation, poured forth the whole story of his having shifted from his old cherished

purpose of devoting himself to the service of Heaven, and leaving lands and vassals to the stronger hands of

Patrick and Lilias; how, having thus given himself to the world, he had fallen into temptation; how he had let

himself be led to persecute with his suit a noble lady, vowed like himself; how he had almost agreed to marry

her by force: and how he had been running into the ordinary dissipations of the camp, abstaining from

confession, avoiding mass; disobeying orders, plunging into scenes of plunder, till he had almost been the

So felt the boy. Fresh from that deathbed, the evils his conscience had protested against from the first

appeared to him frightfully heinous, and his anguish of selfreproach was such, that Patrick listened in the

greatest anxiety lest he should hear of some deadly stain on his young kinsman's scutcheon; but when the tale

was told, and he had demanded 'Is that all?' and found that no further overt act was alleged against Malcolm,

he breathed a long sigh, and muttered, 'You daft laddie! you had fairly startled me! So this is the coil, is it?

Who ever told you to put on a cowl, I should like to know? Why, 'twas what my poor father ever declared

against. I take your lands! By my troth! 'twould be enough to make me break faith with your sister, if I

'In a fule's head!' said Patrick. 'What right have babes to be talking of vows? 'Twould be the best tidings I've

heard for many a long day, that you were wedded to a lass with a good tocher, and fit to guide your silly pate.

What's that? Her vows! If they are no better than yours, the sooner they are forgot the better. If she had

another love, 'twould be another matter, but with a bishop on your side, you've naught to fear.'

Malcolm turned away, sick at heart. To him his present position had become absolute terror. His own words

had worked him up to an alarming sense of having lapsed from high aims to mere selfishness; of having

profaned vows, consented to violence, and fallen away from grace; and he was in an almost feverish passion

to utter something that would irrevocably bind him to his former intentions; but here were the King and

Patrick both conspiring to silence him, and hold him back to his fallen and perilous state. Nay, Patrick even

derided his penitence. Patrick was an honourable knight, a religious man, as times went, but he had been

brought up in a much rougher and more unscrupulous school than Malcolm, and had been hardened by years

of service as a soldier of fortune. The Armagnac camp was not like that of England. Warriors of such piety

and strictness as Henry and Bedford had never come within his ken; and that any man, professing to be a

soldier, should hesitate at the license of war, was incomprehensible to him. The discipline of Henry's army

had been scoffed at in the French camp, and every infraction of it hailed as a token of hypocrisy; and to the

stout Scot Malcolm's grief for the rapine at Meaux, which after all he had not committed, seemed a simple

absurdity. Even his own danger, on the second occasion, did not make him alter his opinion; it was all the

fortune of war. And he was not sure that he had not best have been stifled at once, since his hands were tied

from warfare. And as for Lilyhow was he to win her now? Then, as Malcolm opened his mouth, Patrick

sharply charged him to hold his tongue as to that folly, unless he wanted to drive him to make a vow on his

Malcolm, wearied out with excitement, came at last to weeping that no one would hear or understand him;

but the scene was ended by Bairdsbrae, who, returning, brought a leech with him, who at once took the

Malcolm could not rest. He was feverish with the shock of grief and awe, and absorbed in the thought which

had mastered him, and which was much dwelt on in the middle ages: the monastic path, going towards

heaven straight as a sunbeam; the secular, twining its way through a tortuous difficult coursethe 'broad

way,' tending downward to the abyss. To his terrified apprehension, he had abandoned the direct and narrow

path for the fatal road, and there might at any moment be captured, and whirled away by the grisly phantom

Death, who had just snatched the mightiest in his inevitable clutch; and with something of the timidity of his

nature, he was in absolute terror, until he should be able to set himself back on the shining road from which

he had swerved, and be rid of the load of transgression which seemed ready to sink him into the gulf.

Those few and perfunctory confessions to a courtly priest who knew nothing about him, and was sure not to

be hard on a king's cousin, now seemed to add to his guilt: and, wandering downstairs towards the chapel,

he met a train of ecclesiastics slowly leaving it, having just been relieved by a bevy of monks from a

Looking up at them, he recognized Dr. Bennet's bent head, and throwing himself before him on his knee, he

'What means this, my young lord?' said Dr. Bennet, pausing, while his brethren passed on. 'Are you sick?' he

'Oh, no, no! only sick at heart at my own madness, and the doom on it! O Sir, hear me! Take my vow again!

give me absolution once more to a true shrift. Oh, if you will hear me, it shall be honest this time! Only put

The chaplain was sorely sad and weary. He it was whose ministrations had chiefly comforted the dying King.

To him it had been the loss of a deeplyloved son and pupil, as well as of almost unbounded hopes for the

welfare of the Church; and he had had likewise, in the freshness of his sorrow, to take the lead in the

ecclesiastical ceremonies that ensued, so that both in body and mind he was well nigh worn out, and longed

for peace in which to face his own private sorrow; but the wild words and anguished looks of the young Scot

showed him that his case was one for immediate hearing, and he drew the lad into the confessional,

authoritatively calmed his agitation, and prepared to hear the outpouring of the boy's selfreproach.

He heard it allsifting facts from fancies, and learning the early purpose, the terror at the cruel world, the

longing for peace and shelter; the desire to smooth his sister's way, which had led him to devote himself in

heart to the cloister, though never permitted openly to pledge himself. Then the discovery that the world was

less thorny than he had expected; the allurement of royal favour and greatness; the charm of amusement, and

activity in recovered health; the cowardly dread of scorn, leading him not merely into the secular life, but into

the gradual dropping of piety and devotion; the actual share he had taken in forbidden diversions; his attempts

at plunder; his illwill to King Henry; and, above all, his persecution of Esclairmonde, which he now

regarded as sacrilegious; and he even told how he lay under a half engagement to Countess Jaqueline to

return alone to the Court, and bear his part in the forcible marriage she projected.

He told all, with no extenuation; nay, rather with such outbursts of opprobrium on himself, that Dr. Bennet

could hardly understand of what positive evils he had been guilty; and he ended by entreating that the

But Dr. Bennet would not listen. He silenced the boy by saying he had no more right to hear it than Malcolm

as yet to make it. Nay, that inner dedication, for which Malcolm yearned as a sacred bond to his own will, the

priest forbade. It was no moment to make such a promise in his present mood, when he did not know himself.

If broken, he would only be adding sin to sin; nor was Malcolm, with all his errors fresh upon him, in any

state to dedicate himself worthily. The errorswhich in Ralf Percy, or in most other youths, might have

seemed slightwere heavy stains on one who, like Malcolm, had erred, not thoughtlessly, but with a

conscience of them all, in wilful abandonment of his higher principles. On these the chaplain mostly dwelt;

on these he tried to direct Malcolm's repentance; and, finding that the youth was in perpetual extremes of

remorse, and that his abject submission was a sort of fresh form of wilfulness, almost passion at being

forbidden to bind himself by the vow, he told him that the true token of repentance was steadiness and

constancy; and that therefore his absolution must be deferred until he had thus shown that his penitence was

true and sincereby perseverance, firstly, in the devotions that the chaplain appointed for him, and,

secondly, in meeting whatever temptations might be in store for him. Nay, the cruel chaplain absolutely

forbade the white, excited, eager boy to spend half the night in chapel over the first division of these

penitential psalms and prayers, but on his obedience sent him at once to his bed.

Malcolm could have torn his hair. Unabsolved! Still under the weight of sin; still unpledged; still on

dangerous ground; still left to a secular lifeand that without Esclairmonde! Why had he not gone to a

French Benedictine, who would have caught at his vow, and crowned his penitence with some magnificent

Yet something in his heart, something in the father's own authority, made him submit; and in a tumult of

feeling, more wretched even than before his confession, he threw himself on his bed, expecting to charge the

tossings of a miserable night on Dr. Bennet, and to creep down barefoot to the chapel in the early morning to

Instead of which, his first wakening was in broad daylight, by King James standing over him. 'Malcolm,' he

said, 'I have answered for you that you are discreet and trusty. A message of weight is to be placed in your

Malcolm could only dress himself, and obediently follow to the chamber, where sat the Duke, his whole

countenance looking as if the light of his life had gone out, but still steadfastly set to bear the heavy burden

He was then reminded how, in the winter, Henry had lost the ring, and after having caused another to be

made at Paris, had found it in the finger of his gauntlet. Very few knew of the existence of this duplicate.

Bedford himself was not aware of it till it had been mentioned by James and Lord Fitzhugh the chamberlain;

and then search was made for it, without effect, so that it evidently had been left with the Queen. These

private signets were of the utmost importance, far more so than even the autograph; for, though signatures

were just acquiring individuality enough to become the best authentication, yet up to this very reign the seal

was the only valid affirmation. Such signets were always destroyed on a prince's death, and it was of the

utmost importance that the duplicate should not be left in Queen Catherine's handsabove all, while she was

with her mother and her party, who were quite capable of affixing it to forgeries.

Bedford, James, and Fitzhugh were all required at Vincennes; the two latter at the lyinginstate in the

chapel. Most of the other trusty nobles had repaired to the army; and, indeed, Bedford, aware of the terrible

jealousies that were sure to break out in the headless realm, did not choose to place a charge that might

hereafter prove invidious in the hands of any Englishman, or to extend the secret any further than could be

helped; since who could tell what suspicion might not be thus cast on any paper sealed by Henry?

In his perplexity, James had suggested young Malcolm, who had assisted in the search for the lost ring, and

been witness to its discovery; and whom he could easily send as bearer of his condolences to the widowed

Queen; who had indeed the entree of the palace, but had no political standing, was neither French nor

English, and had shown himself discreet enough with other secrets to deserve confidence.

Bedford caught at the proposal. And Malcolm now received orders to take horse, with a sufficient escort, and

hasten at once to Paris, where he should try if possible to obtain the ring from the Queen herself; but if he

could not speak to her in private, he might apply to Sir Lewis Robsart. No other person was to be informed of

the real object of the mission, and he was to get back to Vincennes as soon as possible.

Neither prince could understand the scared, distressed looks with which Malcolm listened to commands

showing so much confidence in a youth of his years. They encouraged him by assurances that Sir Lewis

Robsart, who had a curious kind of authority, half fatherly, half nurselike, over the Queen, would manage all

for him. And King James, provoked by his reluctance, began, as they left Bedford's chamber, to chide him for

ungraciousness in the time of distress, and insensibility to the honour conferred on him.

'Nay, nay,' disclaimed Malcolm, almost ready to weep, 'but I have a whole world of penance!'

'Penance! Plague on the boy's perverseness! What penance is so good as obedience?' said James, much

'Sir, Sir,' panted Malcolm, ''tis not only that. Could any one but be sent in my stead? My returning alone is

'Is the lad gone daft?' cried James, in great anger. 'If Madame of Hainault were so lost to decorum as to hatch

such schemes at such a moment, I trow you are neither puppet nor fool in her hands for her to do what she

In the brief space while the horses were preparing, and he had to equip and take food, he sped in search of Dr.

Bennet, hoping, he knew not what, from his interference, or trusting, at any rate, to explain his own sudden

But, looking into the chapel, he recognized the chaplain as one of the leading priests in one of the lengthiest

of masses, which was just commencing. It was impossible to wait for the conclusion. He could but kneel

down, find himself too much hurried and confused to recollect any prayer, then dash back again to don his

'Unabsolvedunvowed!' he thought. 'Sent off thither against my will. Whatever may fall out, it is no fault of

Trembling and awed, the ladies waited at Paris. It was well known how the King's illness must end. No one,

save the Queen, professed to entertain any hope of his amendment; but Catherine appeared to be too lethargic

to allow herself to be roused to any understanding of his danger; and as to the personal womanly tendance of

wife to suffering husband, she seemed to have no notion of it. Her mother had never been supposed to take

the slightest care of King Charles; and Catherine, after her example, regarded the care either of husband or

The little Lady Montagu, as Alice was now to be called, who had been scheming that her Richard should be

wounded just enough to learn to call her his good little nursetender, was dreadfully scandalized, as indeed

were wives of more experience, when they found all their endeavours to make their mistress understand how

ill the King really was, and how much he wished for her, fall upon uncomprehending ears, and at last were

desired by her mother Isabeau not to torment the poor Queen, or they would make her ill.

'Make her ill! I wish I could!' muttered Lady Warwick, as she left the presencechamber; 'but it is like my

little Nan telling her applestock baby that all her kin were burnt alive in one castle. She heeds as much!'

But when at late evening Sir Lewis Robsart rode up to the hotel, and a hush went along with him, for all

knew that he would never have left his King alive, Catherine's composure gave way. She had not imagination

enough for apprehension of what was out of sight; but when she knew that she had lost her king, to whom she

had owed the brief splendour of an otherwise dreary and neglected life, she fell into a passion of cries and

tears, even at the mere sight of Sir Lewis, and continued to bewail her king, her lord, her husband, her light,

But while her shrieks and sobs were rending the air, a hoarse voice gasped out, 'What say you? My son Henri

dead!' and white and ghastly, the gray hair hanging wildly from the temples, the eyes roaming with the

wistful gaze of the half insane, poor King Charles stood among them, demanding, 'Tell me I am sick again!

Tell me it is but one of my delusions! So brave, so strong, so lively, so good to the poor old man! My son

And when Sir Lewis with gentle words had made him understand the truth, he covered his face with his

hands, and staggered away, led by his attendant knight, still murmuring in a dazed way, 'Mon fils Henri, mon

In truth, neither of his own sons had been thus mourned; nor had any person shown the poor crazed monarch

the uniform deferential consideration he had received from Henry. He crept back to his own chamber, and for

many days hardly spoke, save to moan for his bon fils Henri, scarcely tasting food, and pining away day by

day. Those who had watched the likeness between the heroes of Monmouth and of Macedon, saw the

resemblance carried out; for as the aged Persian queen perished away from grief for the courteous and gentle

Alexander, so now the king of the conquered realm was actually wasting to death with mourning for his frank

As part of royal etiquette, Catherine betook herself to her bed, in a chamber hung with black, the light of day

excluded, and ranks of wax tapers shedding a lugubrious light upon rows of gentlemen and ladies who had to

stand there on duty, watching her as the mourners watched the King, though her lyinginstate was not

always as silent; for though, there was much time spent in slumber, Catherine sometimes would indulge in a

good deal of subdued prattle with her mother, or her more confidential attendants. But at other times, chiefly

when first awaking, or else when anything had crossed her will, she would fall into agonies of passionate

griefweeping, shrieking, and rending her hair with almost a frenzy of misery, as she called herself utterly

She was quite past the management of her English ladies on these occasions; and her mother, declaring that

she was becoming crazed like her father, declined having anything to do with her. Even Sir Lewis Robsart

she used to spurn aside; and nothing ever seemed effectual, but for the Demoiselle de Luxemburg, with her

full sweet voice, and force of will in all the tenderness of strength, caressingly to hold her still, talk to her

almost as to an infant, and sing away her violence with some long low dittysometimes a mere Flemish

lullaby, sometimes a Church hymn. As Lady Warwick said, when the ladies were all wearied out with the

endeavour to control their Queen's waywardness and violence, and it sighed away like a departing tempest

before Esclairmonde, 'It was as great a charity as ever ministering as a St. Katherine's bedeswoman could be.'

To the young Lady Montagu, the blow was astounding. It was the first realization that a great man could die,

a great support be taken away; and, childlike, she moved about, bewildered and stunned, in the great

household on which the dark cloud had descendedclinging to Esclairmonde as if to protect her from she

knew not what; anything dreadful might happen, with the King dead, and her father and husband away.

Alas! poor Esclairmonde! She was in much more real danger herself, as came to the bride's mind presently,

when, in the midst of her lamentations, she exclaimed, 'And, ah, Clairette! there ends his goodly promise

Esclairmonde responded with a gesture of sorrow, and the murmur of the 'In principibus non confide' that is

'And what will you do?' continued Alice, watching her anxiously, as her face, turning very pale, was

'Strive to trust more in God, less in princes,' she breathed forth, clasping her hands, and compressing her lips.

'Alas! sweet one! I would that the fall of this device seemed like to be the worst effect to me of your good

king's death. Pray for me, Alice, for now no earthly power stands between me and my kinsmen's will.'

Alice cried aloud, 'Nay, nay, lady, we are English still. There are my father; my lord, the Duke of Bedford;

'Hush, Alice. None of them hath any power to aid me. Even good King Henry had no legal power to protect

me; only he was so great, so strong in word or deed, that no man durst do before him what he declared a

shame and a sin. Now it will be expedient more than ever that nothing be done by the English to risk

offending the Duke of Burgundy. None will dare withhold me; none ought to dare, for they act not for

themselves, but for their infant charge; and my countess is weary of me. There is nothing to prevent my

'No, Alice, I do not believe it will be. I have that confidence in Him to whom I have given myself, that I do

not believe He will permit me to be snatched from Him, so long as my will does not consent.' Esclairmonde

faltered a moment, as she remembered her wavering, crossed her hands on her breast, and ejaculated, 'May

He deal mercifully with me! Yet it may be at an exceeding costat that of all my cherished schemes, of all

that was pride and selfseeking. Alice, look not so terrified. Nothing can be done immediately, or with

violence, in this first mourning for the King; and I trust to make use of the time to disguise me, and escape to

England, where I may keep my vow as anchoress, or as lay sister. Let me keep that, and my selfexalting

The question whether this should be to England, or to the southern parts of France held by the Armagnacs,

remained for decision, as opportunity should direct: Alice constantly urging her own scheme of carrying her

friend with her as her tirewoman, if, as seemed likely, she were sent home; and Esclairmonde refusing to

consent to anything that might bring the bride into troubles with her father and husband; and the debates

being only interrupted when the Lady Montagu was required to take her turn among the weary

Whenever she was not required to control, console, or persuade the Queen, Esclairmonde spent most of her

time in a chamber apart from the chatter of Jaqueline's little court, where she was weaving, in the delicate

pointlace work she had learnt in her Flemish convent, an exquisite robe, such as were worn by priests at

Mass. She seldom worked, save for the poor; but she longed to do some honour to the one man who would

have promoted her nearly vanished scheme, and this work she trusted to offer for a vestment to be used at his

burial Mass. Many a cherished plan was resigned, many an act of self negation uttered, as she bent over the

dainty web; many an entreaty breathed, that her moment's wandering of fancy might not be reckoned against

her, but that she might be aided to keep the promise of her infancy, and devote herself undivided to the direct

Here she sat alone, when steps approached, the door opened, and of all people he stood before her whom she

Amazed as she was, she betrayed no confusion, and merely rose, saying quietly, 'This is an error. I will show

But Malcolm, who had begun by looking far more confused than she, cried earnestly, 'One moment, lady. I

came not willingly; the Countess sent for me to her. But since I am herelisten while Heaven gives me

strength to say itI will trouble you never again. I am come to a better mind. Oh, forgive me!'

'What are you here then for, Sir?' said Esclairmonde, with the same defensive dignity.

'My king sent me, against my will, on a mission to the Queen,' panted Malcolm. 'I am forced to wait here; or,

lady, I should have been this day doing penance for my pursuit of you. Verily I am a penitent. Mayhap

'If I understand you aright, it is well,' said Esclairmonde, still gravely and doubtfully.

'It is so indeed,' protested Malcolm, with a terrible wrench to his heart, yet a sensation of freeing his

conscience. 'Fear me no longer now. After that which I saw at Vincennes, I know what it is to be on the

straight path, andoh! what it is to have fallen from it. How could I dream of dragging you down to be with

one so unworthy, becoming more worthless each day? Lady, if I never see you more, pardon me, pray for me,

'Hush,' said Esclairmonde; 'I am no saintonly a maiden pledged. But, Sir, I thank you fervently. You have

Malcolm could not but be cheered by being for once spoken to by her in so friendly a tone; and he added,

gravely and resolutely: 'My suit, then, I yield up, ladyyield for ever. Am I permitted once to kiss that fair

'Mayhap it were wiser left undone,' said Esclairmonde. 'My mind misgives me that this meeting is planned to

As she had apprehended, the door was flung back, and Countess Jaqueline rushed in, clasping her hands in an

affectation of merry surprise, as she cried, 'Here they are! See, Monseigneur! No keeping doves apart!'

'Madame,' said Esclairmonde, turning on her with cold dignity, 'I have been thanking Monsieur de Glenuskie

'You misunderstood, Clairette,' said Jaqueline. 'No gentleman ever so spoke! No, no; my young lord has kept

'So much the better,' cried Jaqueline. 'So he can play into our hands, for all his grandeur! It will lose him his

wager, though! Here is bridethere is priestnay, bishop!' pointing to him of Therouenne, who had

'Ma foi! What is that to us? King Henry is neither our brother nor our father; and Catherine will soon laugh at

'Nay,' said the Bishop, with more propriety, 'it is the contract and trothplight alone that could take place at

present. That secure, the full solemnities will await a fitting time; but it is necessary that the troth be

'And, Monseigneur,' added Malcolm, 'I have just told the lady that I repent of having fallen from my

'How, Sir!' said the Bishop, turning on him; 'do you thus lightly treat a lady of the house of Luxemburg?

Beware! There are those who know how to visit an insult on a malapert lad, who meddles with the honour of

And Malcolm was Stewart enough to answer with spirit: 'My lord, I will meet them if needed. This lady is so

'Ah!' said the Bishop, in an audible aside to the giggling Countess: 'this comes of her having thrown herself at

Crimson with wrath, and also with a wild sense of hope that the obligation had become absolute, Malcolm

made a vehement incoherent exclamation; but Esclairmonde retained her composure.

'Monseigneur and Madame both know better,' she said. 'This is but another menace.'

'Peace, minion,' said the Bishop of Therouenne, 'and listen to me. If this young gentleman, after professing

himself willing to wed you, now draws back, so much the worse for him. But if you terrify him out of it with

your humours, then will my brother St. Pol and the Duke of Burgundy soon be here, with no King of England

to meddle; and by St. Adrian, Sir Boemond will be daunted by no airs, like Monsieur there. A bride shall you

be, Esclairmonde de Luxemburg, ere the week is out, if not to Monsieur de Glenuskie, to the Chevalier

'Look not at me,' said Jaqueline. 'I am weary of your contumacy. All I shall do is to watch you well. I've

suspected for some days that you were concocting mischief with the little Montagu; but you'll not escape

The two stood a few paces apart, where they had been discovered; Esclairmonde's eyes were closed, her

'Girlyour choice!' said the Bishop, peremptorily. 'Wedlock on the spot to this gentleman, or to Sir

'My will shall not consent to a present breach of vow to save a future one,' she said, in a scarce audible voice.

A sudden thought darted into Malcolm's mind. With colour flooding his face to his very temples, he stepped

The Bishop withheld Jaqueline almost by force, so soon as he saw that the pair were whispering together, and

that there was something of relaxation in Esclairmonde's face as she looked up at him in silent interrogation.

He spoke low, but solemnly and imploringly. 'Trust me with your plight, lady, and I will restore it when you

'So help me Heaven!' he said, and his eyes grew large and bright; he held his head with the majesty of his

'Heaven has sent you,' said Esclairmonde, with a long sigh, and holding out her hand to him, as though

And Malcolm took it with a strange pang of pain and exultation at the heart. The trust was won, but the hope

The Countess broke out with a shout of triumph: 'There, there! they have come to reason at last. There's an

Malcolm felt himself a man, and Esclairmonde's protector, all at once, as he stood forth, still holding her

'Monseigneur,' he said, 'this lady consents to intrust her troth to me, and be affianced to me'his chest

heaved, but he still spoke firmly'on condition that no word be spoken of the matter, nor any completion of

the rite take place until the mourning for King Henry be at an end;' and, at a sort of shiver from

'A strange bridegroom!' said Jaqueline; 'but maybe you do well to get her on what terms you can. Do you

In truth, Monseigneur may have been relieved that the trial of strength between him and his ward had thus

The agreement, binding Malcolm to accept a stated number of crowns in instalments, as the value of

Esclairmonde's lands, under the guarantee of the Duke of Burgundy and King James of Scotland, had all been

long ago signed, sealed, and secured; and there was nothing to prevent the fiancailles, or espousals, from

It was a much more real ceremony than a mere betrothal, being, in fact, in the eye of the civil law a marriage,

though the full blessing and the sacramental words of union were deferred for the completion of the rite. It

was the first part of the Marriage Service, binding the pair so indissolubly to one another, that neither could

enter into wedlock with any one else as long as the other livedexcept, of course, by Papal dispensation; and

All therefore that remained to be done was, that the Bishop summoned his chaplain to serve as a witness and

as scribe; and then the two young people, in their deep mourning dresses, standing before the Bishop, vowed

to belong to none other than to one another, and the betrothal rings being produced, were placed on their

fingers, and their hands were clasped. Malcolm's was steady, as he felt Esclairmonde's rest in his

untrembling, but with the quietness of one who trusted all in all where she trusted at all.

'Poor children! they have all to learn,' hilariously shouted the Countess. 'They have forgotten the kiss!'

'My brother and my guardian!' responded Esclairmonde, raising the white brow to his lips.

At that moment back went the door, and in flew Alice Montagu, crying aloud, 'Clairette! the Queenoh,

Madame, your pardon! but I am sent for Esclairmonde. The Queen is in worse fits than ever. Sir Lewis can't

get the ring from her. They think she will rave like her father presently! Come!'

Esclairmonde could only hurry away at this; while Alice, grasping her hand, continued:

'Oh, have they been persecuting you? I dreaded it when I saw yon little wretch; butoh, Esclairmonde, what

But Lady Montagu spoke not another word; and, indeed, they were hard upon the English queen's rooms,

Jaqueline had immediately set forth in the same direction out of curiosity; and Malcolm in much anxiety,

since the mission that he had been cautioned to guard so jealously seemed in danger of being known

everywhere. He had himself been allowed to stand by the Queen's bedside, and rehearse James's message; but

when he had further hinted of his being sent by Bedford to bring the ring, the Queen, perhaps at the mention

of the brotherinlaw, pouted, knew nothing of any ring, and supposed M. le Duc meant to strip her, a poor

Then Malcolm had spoken in private with Sir Lewis Robsart, who knew the ring was among her jewels, and

promised to get it for him as soon as was possible; and it was while waiting for this that Malcolm had been

But ere Sir Lewis could get the ear of the Queen, as he now told Malcolm, her mother had been with her.

Catherine was dull, jealous, unwilling to part with anything, but always easily coaxed over. Her mother

Isabeau had, on the other hand, a good deal of low cunning and selfishness, and understood how valuable an

instrument might be a duplicate seal of a deceased monarch. Therefore she instigated her daughter to deny

that she possessed it, and worked her up into a state of impracticability, in which Sir Lewis Robsart was

unable to deal with her, and only produced so wild a tempest of passion as perfectly to appal both him and

That the Duke of Bedford had sent for a ring, which she would not give up, was known over the whole

palace; the only matter still not perhaps known was, what was the value of that individual ring.

Robsart, however, promised to exonerate Malcolm from having shown any indiscretion; he charged it all on

Meanwhile, Malcolm and he, with other nobles and ladies, waited, waited in the outer chamber, listening to

the fearful storm of shrieks and cries, till they began to spend themselves and die away; and then they heard

Esclairmonde's low voice singing her lullaby, and every one breathed freer, as though relieved, and murmurs

of conversation rose again. Malcolm moved across to greet the Lady Montagu; and though she looked at him

with all the disdain her little gentle face could accomplish, he had somehow a spring and strength in him that

'If you so treat it, Sir, you will do well,' responded the young matron, with as much stern gravity as she could

assume; the fact being that she longed to break down and cry heartily, that Esclairmonde should so far have

Long, long they waitedMalcolm with a strange dreamy feeling at his heart, neither triumph nor

disappointment, but something between both, and peace above all. Dinner was served in the hall; the

company returned to the outer apartment, yet still all was silent within; till at last, late in the afternoon, there

came a black figure forth from under the black hangings, and Esclairmonde, turning to Lady Warwick, said,

'The Queen is awake, and desires her ladies' presence.' And then coming towards Malcolm, who was standing

Both, while the attendants of the Queen filed back into her chamber, eagerly demanded how the ring had

'Poor lady!' said Esclairmonde, 'she was too much spent to withhold anything. She was weak and exhausted

with cries and tears; and when she had slept, she was as meek as a lamb; and there was no more ado but to

bid her remember that the blessed King her lord would have bidden her let the ring be broken up at once, lest

That Esclairmonde had prevailed by that gentle force of character which no one could easily resist, could not,

however, be doubted for a moment; and a fresh thrill of amazement, and almost of joy, came over Malcolm at

the sense that he had become the protector of such a being, and that in a sort she belonged to him, and was in

Robsart advised, and Esclairmonde concurred in the counsel, that Lord Glenuskie should set forth for

Vincennes immediately, before there should be time for any more cabals, or for Queen Isabeau to have made

Malcolm therefore at once took leave of his affianced, venturing to kiss her hand as he looked wistfully in her

Esclairmonde gave her sweet grave smile, as she said, 'To God's keeping I commend you, Sir.' She would not

even bid him be true to his trust; it would have seemed to her to insult him in whom her confidence was

placed, and she only added: 'I shall ever bless you for having saved me. Farewell! Now am I bound for ever

And it would be impossible to tell how the sense of Esclairmonde's trust, and of the resolute selfdenial it

would require of him, elevated Malcolm's whole tone, and braced his mind. The taking away of his original

high purpose had rendered him as aimless and pleasureloving as any ordinary lad; but the situation in which

he now stoodguarding this saintly being for her chosen destiny, at the expense of all possible earthly

projects for his own happiness or ambitionwas such as to bring out that higher side of his nature that had

wellnigh collapsed. As he stood alone in the anteroom, waiting until his horse and escort should be ready

for his return, a flood of happiness seemed to gush over him. Esclairmonde was no more his own, indeed,

than was King Henry's signet; but the trust was very precious, and gave him at least the power of thinking of

her as joined by a closer link than even his sister Lilias. And towards her his conscience was again clear, for

this very betrothal put marriage out of the question for him, and was a real seal of his dedication. He only felt

as if his heart ought not to be so light and peaceful, while his penance was still unsaid, his absolution not yet

James of Scotland and John of Bedford sat together in the twilight of a long and weary day, spent by the one

in standing like a statue at the head of his deceased friend as a part of the pageant of the lyinginstate in the

chapel, whither multitudes had crowded throughout the day to see the 'mighty victor, mighty lord, lie low on

his funeral couch;' the nobles gazing with a certain silent and bitter satisfaction at him who had not only

broken the pride of their country, but had with his iron hand repressed their own private exactions, while the

poor and the peasants openly bewailed him as the father and the friend who had stood between them and their

harsh feudal lords. By the other, the hours had passed in the press of toil and perplexity that had fallen on him

as the yet unaccredited representative of English power in France, and in writing letters to those persons at

home from whom he must derive his authority. The hour of rest and relaxation was welcome to both, though

'I would,' said Bedford, presently, 'that I had writ the matter straight to Robsart. The lad is weak, and may be

'Nay,' said James, not angrily, 'the youth hath in some measure disappointed me. The evil in him shot forth

faster than the good under this camp life; but methinks there is in him a certain rare quality of soul that I

loved him for at the first, and though it hath lain asleep all this time, yet what he hath now seen seemed to me

'It may be so,' said Bedford; 'and yet I would I had not consented to his going where that woman of Hainault

James started somewhat as he remembered overruling this objection of Malcolm's own making. 'She cannot

At that moment a hasty step approached; the door was opened with scant ceremony, and Ralf Percy, covered

'My lord Duke, your license! Here is Malcolm Stewart set upon in the forest by robbers and stabbed!'

'Alive stillin the chapelasking for you, my lord,' said Percy. 'He bade us lay him there at the King's feet;

'My poor Malcolm!' sighed James; and he and Bedford hastened to obey the summons.

There was time on the way for Ralf Percy to give them the particulars. 'We had gone forthTrenton, Kitson,

altogether some halfdozen of usfor a mouthful of air in the forest after our guard all day in the chapel,

when about a mile from the Castle we heard a scuffle, and clashing of arms. So breaking through the thicket,

we saw a score of fellows on horseback fully armed, and in the midst poor Glenuskie dragged to the ground

and struggling hard with two of them. We drew our swords, hallooed, and leapt out; and the knaves never

stayed to see how many of us there were, but made off like the dastards they were, but not till one had dealt

poor Stewart this parting stroke. He hath been bleeding like a sheep all the way home, and hath scarce spoken

but a thanksgiving for our having come in time, as he called it, and to ask for Dr. Bennet and the Duke.'

The words brought them to the door of the chapel, where for a time the chants around King Henry had paused

in the agitation of the new arrival. As the black and white crowd of priests and monks opened and made way

for the King and Duke, they saw, in the full light of the wax tapers, laid on a pile of cushions not far from

King Henry's feet, the figure of Malcolm, his ridinggown open at the breast, and kerchiefs dyed and soaked

with blood upon it; the black of his garments and hair enhancing the ghastly whiteness of his face, and yet an

air of peace and joy in the eyes and in the folded hands, as Dr. Bennet and another priest stood over him,

administering those abbreviated rites of farewell blessing which the Church sanctioned in cases of sudden and

violent death. The princes both stood aside, and presently Malcolm faintly said, 'Thank God! I trusted to His

'I am here, dear youth,' said Bedford, kneeling on one side of him; while James, coming to the other side,

spoke to him affectionately; but to him Malcolm only replied by a fond clasp of the hand, giving his sole

'Oh, Sir, this would be naught, save that I am all that lies between herthe Lady Esclairmondeand

Boemond of Burgundy;' and as at that moment Bedford saw the gold betrothal ring on the finger, his

countenance lost something of the pitying concern it had worn. Malcolm detected the expression, and rallying

his powers the more, continued: 'Sir, there was no helpthey vowed that she must choose between Boemond

and me. On the faith of a dying man, I hold her troth but in trust; I pledged myself to her to restore it when

her way is clear to her purpose. She would never be mine but in name. And now who will save her? My life

alone is between her and yonder wolf. Oh, Sir Duke, promise me to save her, and I die content.'

'This is mere waste of time!' broke in the Duke. 'Where are the knave chirurgeons?See, James, if the lad

dies, 'twill be from mere loss of blood; there is no inward bleeding; and if there be no more loitering, he will

And seeing the surgeons at hand, he would have risen to make way, but Malcolm held him fast, reiterating,

'If your life guards her, throw it not away by thus dallying,' said Bedford, disengaging himself; while

Malcolm groaned heavily, and turned his heavy eyes to his royal friend, who said kindly, 'Fear not, dear

'God will guard her, I know,' said Malcolm; 'and oh! my own dear lord, I need not ask you to be the brother to

my poor sister you have been to me. At least all will be clear for her and Patie!'

'I trust not yet,' said James, smiling in encouragement. 'Thou wilt live, my faithful laddie.'

Malcolm was spent and nearly fainting by this time, and all his reply was a few gasps of 'Only say you

pardon me all, my lord, and will speak for HER to the Duke! ask HER prayers for me!' and as James sealed

his few words of reply with a kiss, he closed his eyes, and became unconscious; in which state he was

'Who? I!' said Bedford. 'I cannot stir a finger that could set us at enmity with Burgundy, for any lady in the

land. Moreover, if she have found means to secure herself once, she can do so again.'

'Methought I was the most reasonably kind of you all! Had it not been mere murder to keep him there prating

and bleeding, I had asked of him what indiscretion had blown the secret and perilled the signet. No robbers

were those between Paris and Vincennes in our midst, but men who knew what he bore. I'll never'

Bedford just restrained himself from saying, 'trust a Scot again;' but his manner had vexed and pained James,

who returned to Malcolm, and left him no more till called by necessity to his post as King Henry's chief

mourner, when the care of him was left to Patrick Drummond and old Bairdsbrae; and Malcolm was a very

tranquil patient, who seemed to need nothing but the pleasure of looking at the ring on his finger. The weapon

had evidently touched no vital part, and he was decidedly on the way to recovery, when on the second

evening Bedford met James, saying: 'I have seen Robsart. It was no indiscretion of young Glenuskie's. It was

Malcolm was so much better, that there was no reason against the Duke's admission, and soon Bedford's

'Thanks, my Lord Glenuskie,' he said; 'I thought not to be sending you on a service of such risk.'

Bedford's brows knitted themselves for a moment as he said, 'I came to ask whether you deem that this hurt

'Assuredly not,' said Malcolm, but very low; and looking up into his face, as he added, 'This should be for

They were left alone, and the Duke said: 'I have heard from Robsart how the ring was obtained. You may

'Sir,' said Malcolm, 'when the Lady Esclairmonde' (for he was not to be balked of dwelling on that name with

prolonged delight) 'had brought me the ring, Sir Lewis Robsart advised my setting forth without loss of time.'

'So he told me,' said the Duke; 'and likewise that you took his words so literally as to set out with only three

'Ay, Sir; but he knew not wherefore. My escort had gone forth into the city, and while they were being

collected, a message bade me to the Lady Esclairmonde's presence. I went, suspecting naught, but I found

myself in presence of Madame of Hainault, and of a veiled lady who, my Lord' He paused. 'She was

'She scarce spoke, my Lord; but the Countess Jaqueline pretended to be in one of her merry moods. She told

me one good turn deserved another, and that, as in gratitude and courtesy bound, I must do her the favour of

either lending her the signet, or, if I would not let it out of my hands, of setting it to a couple of parchments,

'Sir, words told not on her. She laughed and clapped her hands at whatever I said of honour, faith, or trust.

She would have it that it was a jestnay, romping fashion, she seized my hand, which I let her have,

knowing it was only my own seal that was on it. Never was I so glad that the signet being too small for my

'Oneso far as I could seewas of the Duke of Orleans' liberty,' said Malcolm. 'The otherpardon me,

'The shameless wanton!' broke forth Bedford. 'How did you escape her at last, boy?'

'Sir,' said Malcolm, turning as red as loss of blood permitted, 'she had not kept her hands off me; therefore

when she stood between me and the door, I told her that discourtesy was better than trust breaking, and

while she jeered at my talking out of a book of chivalry, I e'en took her by the hands, lifted her aside, opened

the door, ran downstairs, and so to the stables, where I mounted with the only three men I could get

Bedford could not but laugh, as he added, 'Bravely done, Lord Malcolm; but, I fear me, she will never forgive

'I left word for the other fellows to join us at the hostel by the gate, and tarried for them till I feared being

here after the gates were fast; then set out without them, and rode till, just within the forest, a band of men,

how many I cannot tell, were on us, and before my sword was well drawn they had surrounded me, and

seized my bridle. One of them bade me submit quietly, and they would not harm me, if I would yield up that

which I wist of. I said I would sooner yield my life than my trust; whereupon they mastered me, and dragged

me off my horse, and were rifling me, when Iknowing the Flemish accent of that drunken fellow of the

Countess'scalled out, "Shame on you, Ghisbert!" Then it was that he stabbed me, even at the moment when

'As certain as a man's voice can make me,' said Malcolm. 'Methinks, had I not named him, he would perhaps

have bound me to a tree, and left it to be thought that they were but common thieves.'

'Belike,' said Bedford, thoughtfully. 'We are beholden to you, my Lord Glenuskie; the whole state of England

is beholden to you for the saving of the confusion and evils the loss of that ring would have caused. You can

keep counsel, I wot well. Then let all this matter of the Queen and Countess rest a secret.'

Malcolm looked amazed; and Bedford added: 'I cannot quarrel with the woman, nor banish her from Court.

Did we accuse her, Holland would become Armagnac; nor is she subject of ours, to have justice done on her.

It is for her interest to hush the matter up, and it must be ours too. If that knave Ghisbert ever gives me the

'And,' said Malcolm, 'Ghisbert only meant to serve his lady. Any vassal of mine would do the like for me or

Bedford half smiled; then sighed and said: 'Once we were like to get laws more obeyed than lords; but that is

all over now! Yet you, young Sir, have seen a great pattern; you will have great powers!'

'Sir,' interrupted Malcolm, 'I pray you believe me, great powers I shall not have. As I told you last night, I do

but hold this precious troth in trust! It must be a secret, or it would not save her; but youoh, Sir! you will

'If it be so,' said Bedford, gravely, 'it is too sacred a trust to be spoken of. You will deserve greater honour if

you keep your word, than ever you will receive from the world. Farewelland recover fast.'

Malcolm did not meet with much encouragement from the few to whom he thought fit to confide the

conditions of his espousal. The King allowed that he could not have acted otherwise, but was concerned at it,

because of the hindrance that might for years be interposed in the way of his welfare; and secretly hoped that

Malcolm, in his new capacity, would so gain on Esclairmonde's esteem and gratitude, as to win her affection,

and that by mutual consent they would lay aside their loftier promises, and take up their espousal where they

And what James secretly desired, Sir Patrick Drummond openly recommended. In his eyes, Malcolm would

be no better than a fool if he let his ladyelove, with all her lands, slip through his fingers, when she was

lawfully his own. Patrick held that a monastery was a good place to be nursed in if wounded, and a

convenience for disposing of dull or weakly younger sons; and he preferred that there should be some holy

men to pray for those who did the hard and bloody work of the world; but he had no desire that any one

belonging to himself should plunge into extra sanctity; and the more he saw Malcolm developing into a man

A man! Yes; Malcolm was rising from his bed notably advanced in manliness. As the King's keen eye had

seen from the first, and as Esclairmonde had felt, there was an elevation, tenderness, and refinement in his

cast of character, which if left to his natural destiny would have either worn out his life early in the world, or

carried him to the obscure shelter of a convent. In the novelty of the secular life, and temptations of all kinds,

dread of ridicule, and the flood of excitements which came with reviving health, that very sensitiveness led

him astray; and the elevated aims fell with a heavier fall when diverted from heavenly palaces to earthly ones.

Selfreproach and dejection drove him further from the right course, and in proportion to the greater amount

of conscience he had by nature, his character was the more deteriorating. His deeds were far less evil in

themselves than those of many of his companions, but inasmuch as they were not thoughtless in him, they

were injuring him more. But the sudden shock of Patrick's danger roused him to a new sense of shame. King

Henry's death had lifted his mind out of the earthly atmosphere, and then the treasure of Esclairmonde's pure

and perfect trust seemed to be the one thing to be guarded worthily and truly. It gave him weight, drew him

out of himself, lifted him above the boyish atmosphere of random selfindulgence and amusement. To be the

protector who should guard her vows for the heavenly Bridegroom to whom her soul was devoted, was

indeed a championship that in his eyes could only have befitted Sir Galahad; and a Galahad would he strive

to be, so long as that championship held him to the secular life. James and Bedford both told him he had won

his spurs, and should have them on the next fit occasion; but he had ceased to care for knighthood, save in

that halfconsecrated aspect which he thought would render his guardianship less unmeet for Esclairmonde.

She had not shunned to send him a kind greeting on hearing of his wound, and by way of token a fresh leaf of

vellum with a few more of those meditations from Zwollmeditations that he spelled over from Latin into

English, and dwelt upon in great tranquillity and soothing of spirit during the days that he was confined to his

These were not many. He was on his feet by the time the funeral cavalcade was in readiness to move from

Vincennes to convey Henry of Monmouth to his last restingplace in Westminster Abbey. Bedford could not

be spared to return to England, and was only to go as far as Calais; and James of Scotland was therefore to act

Sir Patrick Drummondthough, shrugging his shoulders, he muttered that he should as soon have thought of

becoming mourner at the foul fiend's funeral as at the King of England'scould not object to swell the

retinue of his sovereign by his knighthood; and though neither he nor Malcolm were in condition for a

The coffin was laid on a great car, drawn by four black horses, and surmounted by Henry's effigy, made in

boiled leather and coloured to the life, robed in purple and ermine, crown on head, sceptre and orb in either

hand. The great knights and nobles rode on each side, carrying the banners of the Saints; and close behind

came James and Bedford, each with his immediate attendants; then the household officers of the King,

Fitzhugh his chamberlain, Montagu his cup bearer, Ralf Percy and his other squires, and all the rest. Four

hundred menatarms in black armour, with lances pointed downwards, formed the guard behind; and the

vanguard was of clergy, robed in white, bearing banners and wax lights, and chanting psalms. At the border

of every parish, all the ecclesiastics thereto appertaining, parochial, chantry, and monastic, turned out to meet

the procession with their tapers; escorted it to the principal church; performed Mass there, if it were in the

forenoon; and then accompanied the coffin to the other limit of their ground, and consigned it to the clerks of

the next parish. At night, the royal remains always rested in a church, guarded by alternate watches of the

English menatarms, and sung over by the local clergy, while the escort were quartered in the town, village,

or abbey where the halt chanced to be made. Very slow was this progress; almost like a continual dream was

that long column, moving, moving onwhite in front, black behindwhen seen winding over a hill, or,

sometimes, the banners peering over the autumn foliage of some thicket, all composed to profound silence

and tardy measured tread; while the chants rose and fell with the breeze, like unearthly music. Many moved

on more than half asleep; and others of the younger men felt like Ralf Percy, who, for all his real sorrow for

the King, declared that, were it not for rushing out, morning and evening, for a bathe and a gallop, to fly a

hawk or chase a hare, he should some day run crazed, blow out all the wax lights, or play some mad prank to

break the intolerable oppression. Malcolm smiled at this; but to him, still in the dreamy inertness of recovery,

this tranquil onward movement in the still autumn weather had some thing in it of healing influence; and the

sweet chants, the continual offices of devotion, were accordant with his present tone of mind, and deepened

Queen Catherine and her ladies joined the funeral march at Rouen, or rather followed it at a mile's interval;

but the two trains kept apart, and only occasional messages were sent from one to the other. Some of the

gentlemen, who had a wife or sister in the Queen's suite, would ride at nightfall to pay her a hasty visit; but

Malcolmthough he longed to be sentdurst not intrude upon Esclairmonde; and the Duke of Bedford was

not only forced to spend all the evening and half the night in business, but was not loth to put off the day of

the meeting with his dear sister Catherineto say nothing of the 'Woman of Hainault.'

Therefore it was not until all had arrived at Calais, where a fleet was waiting to meet them, that any visits

Bedford and James went together to the apartments of the Queen, and while they saw her in private, Malcolm

came blushing towards Esclairmonde, and was welcomed by her with a frank smile, outstretched hand, and

She treated him indeed as a brother, as one on whom she depended, and had really wished to see and arrange

with. She told him that Alice Montagu and her husband were returning to England, and that her little friend

had so earnestly prayed her to abide with her at Middleham for the present, that she had consented'until

such time as the way be open,' said Esclairmonde, with her steady patient smile.

Malcolm bowed his head. 'I am glad you will not be forced to be with your Countess,' he said.

'My poor lady! Maybe I have spoken too plainly. But I owe her much. I must ever pray for her. And you, my

'I,' said Malcolm, 'shall go to study at Oxford. Dr. Bennet intends returning thither to continue his course of

teaching, and my king has consented to my studying with him. It will not cut me off, lady, from that which

'I understand,' said Esclairmonde, slightly colouring. 'It is well. And truly I trust that matters may be so

guided, that care for me may not long detain you from more lasting vowsbe they of heaven or earth.'

'Lady,' said Malcolm, earnestly, 'none who had been plighted to you COULD pledge himself to aught else

Then, feeling in himself, or seeing in Esclairmonde's face, that he was treading on dangerous ground, he

asked leave to present to her his cousin, Patrick Drummond: and this was accordingly done; the lady

comporting herself with so much sweet graciousness, that the good knight, as they left the hall, exclaimed:

'By St. Andrew, Malcolm, if you let that maiden escape you now she is more than half wedded to you, you'll

be the greatest fool in broad Scotland. Why, she is a very queen for beauty, and would rule Glenuskie like a

princessay, and defend the Castle like Black Agnes of Dunbar herself! If you give her up, ye'll be no better

Malcolm and Patrick had been borne off by James's quitting the Castle; Bedford remained longer, having

affairs to arrange with the Queen. As he left her, he too turned aside to the window where Esclairmonde sat

as usual spinning, and Lady Montagu not far off, but at present absorbed by her father, who was to remain in

One moment's hesitation, and then Bedford stepped towards the Demoiselle de Luxemburg, and greeted her.

She looked up in his face, and saw its settled look of sad patient energy, which made it full ten years older in

appearance than when they had sat together at Pentecost, and she marked the badge that he had assumed, a

'Ah! my lord, things are changed,' she could not help saying, as she felt that he yearned for comfort.

'Changed indeed!' he said; 'God's will be done! Lady,' he added, 'you wot of that which once passed between

'You COULD not, my lord,' faltered Esclairmonde, crimson as she never had been when speaking to

'No, I COULD not,' said Bedford; 'and, lady, my purpose was to thank you for the generous soul that

perceived that so it is. You spared me from a cruel case. I have no self any longer, Esclairmonde; all I am, all

I have, all I can, must be spent in guarding Harry's work for his boy. To all else I am henceforth dead; and all

I can do is to be thankful, lady, that you have spared me the sorest trial of all, both to heart and honour.'

Esclairmonde's eyes were downcast, as she said, 'Heaven is the protector of those of true and kind purpose;'

and then gathering courage, as being perfectly aware to whom Bedford must give his hand if he would

conciliate Burgundy, she added, 'And, verily, Sir, the way of policy is this time a happy one. Let me but tell

Bedford shook his head with a half smile and a heavy sigh. 'Time fails me, dear lady,' he said; 'and I cannot

brook any maiden's praise, even from you. I only wait to ask whether there be any way yet left wherein I can

'Hold!' said Esclairmonde. 'Never for lands of mine will I have your difficulties added to. Nolet them go! It

was a vain, proud dream when I thought myself most humble, to become a foundress; and if I know my

kinsmen, they will be too much angered to bestow on me the dower required by a convent. No, Sir; all I

would dare to inquire would be, whether you have any voice in choosing the bedeswomen of St. Katharine's

'The bedeswomen! They come chiefly from the citizens, not from princely houses like yours!' said John, in

'I have done with princely houses,' said Esclairmonde. 'A Flemish maiden would be of no small service

among the many whom trade brings to your port from the Netherlands, and my longing has ever been to serve

'It is my father's widow who holds the appointments,' said John. 'Between her and me there hath been little

goodwill, but my dear brother's last act towards her was of forgiveness. She may wish to keep well with us

of the Regencyand more like still, she will be pleased that one of so great a house as yours should sue to

her. I will give you a letter to her, praying her to remember you at the next vacancy; and mayhap, if the Lady

Montagu could take you to visit her, you could prevail with her! But, surely, some nunnery more worthy of

'There is none that I should love so well,' said Esclairmonde, smiling. 'Mayhap I have learnt to be a vagabond,

'When once safe from my kinsmen, in England, I will wait under my kind Alice's wing tilltill it becomes

'Happy lad!' half sighed the Duke; but, even as he did so, he stood up to bid the lady adieulingering for a

moment more, to gaze at the face he had longed for permission to loveand thus take leave of all his youth

and joy, addressing himself again to that burthen of care which in thirteen years laid him in his grave at

As he left the Castle and came out into the steep fortified street, Ralf Percy came up to him, laughing. 'Here,

my lord, are those two honest Yorkshire knights running all over Calais to make a petition to you.'

'WhatTrenton and Kitson! I thought their year of service was up, and they were going home!'

'Ay, my lord,' said Kitson, who with his comrade had followed close in Percy's wake, 'we were going home to

bid Mistress Agnes take her choice of us; but this morn we've met a pursuivant that is come with Norroy

Kingatarms, and what doth he but tell us that no sooner were our backs turned, than what doth Mistress

Agnes but weday, wed outrightone Tom of the Lee, a sneaking rogue that either of us would have beat

black and blue, had we ever seen him utter a word to her? A knight's ladynot to say twoas she might

have been! So, my lord, we not being willing to go home and be a laughingstock, crave your license to be of

your guard as we were of King Harry's, and show how far we can go among the French.'

'And welcome; no good swords can be other than welcome!' said Bedford, not diverted as his brother would

Long did James and Bedford walk up and down the Castle court together, while the embarkation was going

on. The question weighed on them both whether they should ever meet more, after eighteen years of youth

'Youth is gone,' said Bedford. 'We have been under a mighty master, and now God help us to do his work.'

'You!' said James; 'but for meit is like to be the library and the Round Tower again.'

'Scarcely,' said Bedford, 'the Beauforts will never rest till Joan is on a throne.'

'Ay,' said Bedford, 'the Bishop of Winchester will be no small power, you will find. Would that I could throw

up this France and come home, for he and Humfrey will clash for ever. James, an you love me, see Humfrey

alone, and remind him that all the welfare of Harry's child may hang on his forbearanceon union with the

Bishop. Tell him, if he ever loved the noblest brother that ever lived, to rein himself in, and live only for the

child's good, not his own. Tell him that Bedford and Gloucester must be nothing henceforthonly heads and

hands doing Harry's will for his babe. Oh, James, what can you tell Humfrey that will make him put himself

'The wanton! ay, I have; and if you can whisper in his ear that matter of Malcolm and the signet, it might

lessen his inclination. But,' he sighed, 'I have little hope, James; I see nothing for Lancaster but that which the

'Yet, when I look at you and Humfrey, and think of the contrast with my own father's brethren, I see nothing

'We must do our best, however heavyhearted,' said John of Bedford, pausing in his walk, and standing

steadfast. 'The rod becomes a palm to those who do not freshly bring it on themselves. May this poor child of

'Peace, James,' said Bedford; 'it is well that such a weight is not added! While I act for my nephew, I know

my duty; were it for myself, methinks I should be crazed with doubts and questions. Well,' as a messenger

came up with tidings that all was ready, 'fare thee well, Jamie. In you I lose the only man with whom I can

speak my mind, or take counsel. You'll not let me gain a foe, as well as lose a friend, when you get home?'

'Never, in heart, John!' said the King. 'As to handScotland must be to England what she will have her.

Would that I saw my way thither! Windsor will have lost all that made captivity wellnigh sweet. And so

farewell, dear brother. I thank you for the granting to me of this sacred charge.'

And so, with hands clasped and wrung together, with tears raining from James's eyes, and a dry settled

melancholy more sad than tears on John's countenance, the two friends parted, never again to meet; each to

run a course true, brave, and shortextinguished the one in bitter grief, the other in blood.

On All Saints' Day, while James stood with Humfrey of Gloucester at the head of the grave at Westminster,

where Henry's earthly form was laid to rest amid the kings his fathers, amid the wail of a people as sorrowful

as if they knew all the woes that were to ensue, Bedford was in like manner standing over a grave at the

Royal Abbey of St. Denis. He, the victor's brother, represented all the princely kindred of Charles VI. of

France, and, with his heart at Westminster, filled the chief mourner's place over the king who had pined to

The same infant was proclaimed king over each graveheir to France and England, to Valois and Lancaster.

Poor child, his real heirloom was the insanity of the one and the doom of the other! Well for him that there

More than a year had passed, and it was March when Malcolm was descending the stone stair that leads so

picturesquely beneath the archway of its tower up to the hall of the college of St. Mary Winton, then

REALLY New College. He had been residing there with Dr. Bennet, associating with the young members of

the foundation educated at Winchester, and studying with all the freshness of a recent institution. It had been

a very happy time for him, within the gray stone walls that pleasantly recalled Coldingham, though without

Coldingham's defensive aspect, and with ample food for the mind, which had again returned to its natural

Daily Malcolm woke early, attended Matins and Mass in the chapel, studied grammar and logic, mastered

difficult passages in the Fathers, or copied out portions for himself in the chamber which he as a gentleman

commoner, as we should call him, possessed, instead of living in a common dormitory with the other

scholars. Or in the open cloister he listened and took notes of the lectures of the fellows and tutors of the

college, and seated on a bench or walking up and down received special instructions. Then ensued the meal,

spread in the hall; the period of recreation, in the meadows, or in the licensed sports, or on the river; fresh

studies, chapel, and a social but quiet evening over the supper in the hall. All this was varied by Latin

sermons at St. Mary's, or disputations and lectures by notable doctors, and public arguments between

scholars, by which they absolutely fought out their degrees. There were few colleges as yet, and those

resident in them were the elite; beyond, there was a great mob of scholars living in rooms as they could,

generally very poor, and often very disorderly; but they did not mar the quiet semi monastic stillness within

the foundations, and to Malcolm it seemed as if the truly congenial home was opened.

The curriculum of science began to reveal itself to him with all the stages so inviting to a mind conscious of

power and longing for cultivation. The books, the learned atmosphere, the infinite possibilities, were

delightful to him, and opened a more delightful future. His metaphysical Scottish mind delighted in the

scholastic arguments that were now first set before him, and his readiness, appreciation, and eager power of

When he looked back at his year of court and camp, he could only marvel at having ever preferred them. In

war his want of bodily strength would make real distinction impossible; here he felt himself excelling; here

was absolute enjoyment, and of a kind without drawback. Scholarship must be his true element and study: the

deep universal study of the sisterhood of science that the University offered was his veritable vocation. Surely

it was not without significance that the ring that shone on his finger betrothed him to Esclairmonde, the Light

of the World; for though in person the maiden was never to be his own, she was the emblem to him of the

pure virgin light of truth and wisdom that he would be for ever wooing, and winning only to see further lights

beyond. Human nature felt a pang at the knowledge that he was bound to deliver up the ring and resign his

connection with that fair and stately maiden; but the pain that had been sore at first had diminished under the

sense that he stood in a post of generous trust, and that his sacrifice was the passport to her grateful esteem.

He knew her to be with Lady Montagu, awaiting a vacancy at St. Katharine's, and this would be the signal for

dissolving the contract of marriage, after which his present vision was to bestow Lilias upon Patrick, make

over his estates to them, take minor orders, and set forth for Italy, there to pursue those deeper studies in

theology and language for which Padua and Bologna were famous. It was many months since he had heard of

Lilias; but this did not give him any great uneasiness, for messengers were few, and letterwriting far from

being a common practice. He had himself written at every turningpoint of his life, and sent his letters when

He had lately won his first degree as Bachelor of Arts, and was descending the stair from the Hall after a

Lenten meal on salt fish, when he saw below him the wellknown figure of King James's English servant,

who doffing his cap held out to him a small strip of folded paper, fastened by a piece of crimson silk and the

'We greet you well, and pray you to come to us without loss of time, having need of you, we being a free man

'A free man:' the words kept ringing in Malcolm's ears while he hastened to obtain license from Warden John

Bonke, and to take leave of Dr. Bennet. He had not left Oxford since the beginning of his residence there.

Vacations were not general dispersions when ways and means of transit were so scarce and tardy, and

Malcolm had been long without seeing his king. Joy on his sovereign's account, and his country's, seemed to

swallow up all other thoughts; as to himself, when he bade his friends and masters farewell, he declared it

was merely for a time, and when they shook their heads and augured otherwise, he replied: 'Nay, think you I

could live in the Cimmerian darkness yonder, dear sirs? Our poor country hath nothing better than mere

monastery schools, and light of science having once shone on me, I cannot but dwell in her courts for ever!

Nevertheless, Malcolm was full of eagerness, and pressed on rapidly through the lanes between Oxford and

Windsor, rejoicing to find himself amid the noble trees of the forest, over which arose in all its grandeur the

Castle and Round Tower, as beautiful though less unique than now, and bearing on it the royal standard, for

Under the vaulted gateway Jameswith Patrick and Bairdsbrae behind himmet Malcolm, and threw his

arms round him, crying: 'Ay, kiss me, boy; 'tis a king and no caitiff you kiss now! Another six weeks, and

'And why not for a month?' was Malcolm's question, as hand and eye and face responded heartily.

'Why? Why, because moneys must be told down, and treaties signed; ay, and Lent is no time for weddings,

nor March for southland roses to travel to our cold winds. Ay, Malcolm, you see a bridegroom that is to be!

'I did not think you would be in such glee even at being free, my lord, if you were.'

'And now, Malcolm, ken ye of ony fair Scottish lassiea cousin of mine ain, who could be had to

'An if you do, maybe, Malcolm, sin she bides not far frae the border, ye'd do me the favour of riding with Sir

Patrick here, and bringing her to the bridal,' said the King, making his accent more homelike and Scottish

The happiness of that spring afternoon was surpassing. The King linked his arm into Malcolm's, and walked

up and down with him on the slopes, telling him all that had led to this consummation; how Walter Stewart

and his brothers had become so insolent and violent as to pass the endurance of their father the Regent, as

well as of all honest Scots; and how, after secret negotiations and vain endeavours to obtain from him a

pledge of indemnity for all that had happened, the matter had been at length opened with Gloucester,

Beaufort, and the Council. The Scottish nation, with Albany at the head, was really recalling the King. This

was the condition on which Henry V. had always declared that he should be liberated; these were the terms

on which he had always hoped to return; and his patience was at last rewarded. Bedford had sent his joyful

consent, and all was now concluded. James was really free, and waited only for his marriage.

'I would not tell you, Malcolm, while there might yet be a slip between cup and lip,' said the King; 'it might

have hindered the humanities; and yet I needed you as much when I was glad as when all seemed like to fail!'

'Patrick's a tall and trusty fellow,' said the King, 'with a shrewd wit, and like to be a righthand man; but

there's something in you, Malcolm, that makes a man turn to you for fellowfeeling, even as to a wife.'

Nevertheless, the King and Patrick had grown much attached to each other, though the latter, being no lover

of books, had wearied sorely of the sojourn at Windsor, which the King himself only found endurable by

much study and reflection. Their only variety had been keeping Christmas at Hertford with Queen Catherine;

'sorry pastime,' as Drummond reported it to him, though gladdened to the King by Joan Beaufort's presence,

'The Demoiselle of Luxemburg was there too, statelier than ever,' said James. 'She is now at Middleham

Castle, with the Lady Montagu, and you might make it your way northward, and lodge a night there. If you

'It is well; but, Malcolm, you merit something from the damsel. You are ten times the man you were when

she flouted you. If women were not mostly witless, you would be much to be preferred to any mere Ajax or

Fierabras; and if this damsel should have come to the wiser mind that it were pity to be buried to the world'

'I bid you not, only I would I were there to see that all be not lost for want of a word in season; and it is high

time that something be done. Here be letters from my Lord of Therouenne, demanding the performance of the

'No; but his outcry can reach your honour; and it were ill to have such a house as that of Luxemburg crying

Malcolm smiled. 'That I should heed little, Sir. I would fain bear something for her.'

'Why, this is mere sublimated devoir, too fine for our gross understandings,' said James, ironically. 'Mayhap

the sight of the soft roseate cheek may bring it somewhat down to poor human flesh and blood once more.'

'Once I was tempted, Sir,' said Malcolm, blushing deeply; 'but did I not know that her holiness is the guardian

'Nay, there I command you,' said the King; 'soon I shall have subjects enough; but while I have but half a

dozen, I cannot be disobeyed by them! I bid you go to Middleham, and there I leave all to the sight.'

The King spoke gaily, and with such kind goodhumour that Malcolm, humiliated by the thought of the past,

durst not make fresh asseverations. James, in the supreme moment of the pure and innocent romance of

which he was the hero, looked on love like his own as the highest crown of human life, and distrusted the

efforts after the superhuman which too often were mere simulation or imitation; but a certain recollection of

Henry's warnings withheld him from pressing the matter, and he returned to his own joys and hopes, looking

on the struggles he expected with a strong man's exulting joy, and not even counting the years of his captivity

'What should I have been,' he said, 'bred up in the tumults at home? What could I have known better than

Perth? Nay, had I been sent home when I came to age, as a raw lad, how would one or other by fraud or force

have got the upper hand, so as I might never have won it back. No, I would not have foregone one year of

studyfar less that campaign in France, and the sight of Harry in war and in policy.'

James also took Malcolm to see the child king, his little master. This, the third king of James's captivity, was

now a fair creature of two years old. He trotted to meet his visitor, calling him by a baby name for brother,

and stretching out his arms to be lifted up and fondled; for, as Dame Alice Boteller, his gouvernante,

A retinue had been already collected, and equipments prepared, so that there was no delay in sending forth

Malcolm and Patrick upon their northward journey. At the nearest town they halted, sending forward a

messenger to announce their neighbourhood to the old Countess of Salisbury and her granddaughter Lady

Montagu, and to request permission to halt for 'Mothering Sunday' at the Castle.

In return a whole band of squires and retainers came forth, headed by the knightly seneschal, to invite Lord

Malcolm Stewart and his companion to the Castle; whereupon Sir Patrick proceeded to don his gayest gown

and chaperon, and was greatly scandalized that Malcolm's preparation consisted in putting on his black serge

bachelor's gown and hood of rabbit's fur such as he wore at Oxford, looking, as Patrick declared, no better

than a begging scholar. But Malcolm had made up his mind that if he appeared before Esclairmonde at all it

should be in no other guise; and thus it was that he rode like a black spot in the midst of the cavalcade, bright

with the colours of Nevil and of Montagu, and was marshalled up the broad stairs by the silver wand of the

Lord Montagu had gone back to the wars; so the family at home consisted of the grand, stately, and distant

old Countess of Salisbury, and her young granddaughter, the Lady Montagu, with her three months' old son.

Each had an almost royal suite of wellborn dames and damsels in attendance, among whom the Demoiselle

de Luxemburg alone was on an equality with the mistresses of the house. Even Queen Catherine's

presencechamber had hardly equalled the grand baronial ceremony of the hall, where sat the three ladies in

the midst of their circle of attendants, male and female ranged on opposite sides; and old Lady Salisbury

knew the exact number of paces that it befitted her and Lady Montagu to advance to receive the royal

infusion of blood that flowed in the veins of my Lord of Glenuskie. And yet it was the cheek, and not the

hand, that were offered in salutation by both ladies, as well as by Esclairmonde. Malcolm, however, only

durst kneel on one knee and salute her hand, and felt himself burning with crimson as the touch and voice

brought back those longings that, as James had said, proved him human still. He was almost glad that

etiquette required him to hand the aged Countess to her seat and to devote his chief attention to her.

Punctilio reigned supreme in such a house as this. Nowhere had Malcolm seen such observance of ceremony,

save in the court of the Duke of Burgundy, and there it was modified by the presence of rough and ready

warriors; but an ancient dame like Lady Salisbury thought it both the due and the safeguard of her son's

Alice of Montagu had the sweet fragile look of a young mother about her, but her frightened fawn air was

gone; she was in her home, had found her place, and held it with a simple dignity of her own, quite ready to

ripen into all the matronly authority, without the severe formality, of her granddame.

She treated Malcolm with a gentle smiling courtesy such as she had never vouchsafed to him before, and all

the shyness that had once made her silent was gone, when at the suppertable, and afterwards seated around

the fire, the tidings of the camp and court were talked over with all the zest of those to whom King Harry's

last campaign was becoming 'old times'; and what with her husband's letters and opinions, little Alice was

really the bestinformed as to the present state of things. Esclairmonde took her part in the conversation, but

there was no opportunity of exchanging a private or personal word between her and Malcolm in a party of

However, the next was a peculiar day, the Fourth Sunday in Lent, called 'Mothering Sunday' because on that

day it was originally the custom for offerings to be carried from all the country round to the cathedral or

mother church on that day. This custom had been modified, but it was still the rule that all the persons, who at

other times worshipped at the nearest monastery chapel or at a private chapel in their own houses, should on

that day repair to their parish church, and there make a special offering at the Mass that offering which has

since become the Easter dues. It was a festival Sunday too'Refreshing Sunday'then, as now, marked by

the Gospel on the feeding of the multitude; and from this, as well as from the name, the pretty custom had

begun of offering the mother of each house her rich simnal cake, with some other gift from each of her

Hearing a pattering of feet in the early morning, Malcolm looked out and beheld a whole troop of small

children popping in and out of a low archway. If he could have peeped in, he would have known how many

simnals Ladies Esclairmonde and Alice were sending downwith something more substantialto be given

But when the household assembled in the castle hall, they did see fair young Lady Montagu kneel at the chair

of the grave old Countess, and hold up a silver dish, wherein lay the simnal, mixed, kneaded, and moulded by

her own hands, and bearing on it a rich ruby clasp, sent by her father, the Earl, as his special gift to his mother

And then, when the old lady, with glistening eyes, had spoken her blessing on the fair young head bent down

before her, and the grandchild rose up, there was the pretty surprise for her of her little swaddled son, lying in

Esclairmonde's arms, and between the small fingers, that as yet knew not how to grasp, the tiny simnal; and

moreover a fair pearl devised in like manner by the absent Sir Richard as a gift for his wife's first 'Mothering

Sunday.' There was no etiquette here to hinder sweet Alice from passionately clasping her child, and covering

him with kisses, as many for his father as for himself, as she laughed at the baby smiles and helpless gestures

of the future kingmaker, whose ambition and turbulence were to be the ruin of that fair and prosperous

household, and bring the gentle Alice to a widowed, bereaved, and attainted old age.

Well that none there present saw the future, as she proudly claimed the admiration of Malcolm for her babe!

She was equipped for the expedition to the parish church, as likewise were Esclairmonde and almost all the

rest; but the aged Countess could not encounter the cold March winds, and had a dispensation; and thus

Alice, being the lady of the procession, contrived at the same time to call Sir Patrick to her side, and bid Lord

For as the weather was dry and cold, Lady Montagu had chosen to go on foot; and a grand procession it was

that she led, of gentlemen and ladies, two and two, in their bright dresses and adornments that delighted the

eyes of the homely yeomen and their wives, flocking in from their homesteads with baskets of offerings,

Meantime, Malcolm, holding the tips of Esclairmonde's fingers, durst not speak till she began: 'This is a

'Yes, it has been a peaceful harbour wherein to wait,' said Esclairmonde. 'And even if Alice were called to her

husband in France, my Lady Countess will keep me with her till there be a vacancy for me at St. Katharine's.'

'Yes,' replied Esclairmonde. 'The Countess had been a lady of hers, and wrought with her, so that whenever

'The better for all remnants of pride,' returned the lady. 'And you, my lord, has it fared well with you?'

Malcolm, happy in her interest, poured forth all that he had to tell, and she listened as Esclairmonde alone

could listen. There was something in her very expression of attention that seemed to make the speaker take

out the alloy and leave only his purest gold to meet her ears. Malcolm forgot those throbs of foolish wild

hope that had shot across him like demon temptations to hermit saints, and only felt that the creature of his

love and reverence was listening benignly as he told her of the exceeding delight that he was unravelling in

learned lore; how each step showed him further heights, and how he had come to view the Light of the World

as the light of wisdom, to the research of which he meant to devote his entire life, among universities and

'The Light of Wisdom,' repeated Esclairmonde'so it may be, for Christ is Heavenly Wisdom; but I doubt

'Nay,' said Malcolm. 'Once I was fool enough to fancy it was the light of glory, calling knights to deeds of

fame and chivalry. I have seen mine error now, andoh, lady, what mean you? where should that light be,

'Methinks,' said Esclairmonde, 'that the light is there, even as the light is also before the eyes of the true

'Where is it then?' said Malcolm. 'In helmet or in cowl, I am the sworn champion of the Light of the World.'

'The Light,' said Esclairmonde, looking upwards, 'the true Light of the World is the Blessed Saviour, the

Heavenly Wisdom of God; and His champions find Him and serve Him in camp, cloister, or school, or

wherever He has marked their path, so as they seek not their own profit or glory, and lay not up their treasure

'Then surely,' said Malcolm, 'the hoards of deep study within the mind are treasures beyond the earth.'

'Your schoolmen speak of spirit, mind, and body,' said Esclairmonde 'at least so I, an ignorant woman,

have been told. Should not the true Light for eternity lighten the spirit rather than the mind?'

'Naynever, never did I say otherwise,' cried Esclairmonde. 'To seek God's Light in good men's words, and

pursue it, must be a blessed task. Every task must be blessed to which He leads. And when you are

enlightened with that light, you will hold it up to others. When you have found the treasure, you will scatter it

Esclairmonde's words were almost a riddle to Malcolm, but his reverence for her made him lay them up

deeply, as he watched her kneeling at the Mass, her upturned face beaming with an angelic expression.

His mind was much calmed by this meeting. It had had an absolutely contrary effect to what King James had

expected, by spiritualizing his love, and increasing that reverence which cast out its earthliness. That first

throb which had been so keen at meeting, and knowing her not for him, had passed away in the refining of

Lady Montagu was quite satisfied with him now. He was the Malcolm of her first acquaintance, only without

his foolish diffidence, and with a weight and earnestness that made him a man and not a boy; and she

cordially invited him to bring his sister with him, and rest, on the way southward. He agreed most thankfully,

since this would be the only opportunity of showing Esclairmonde and Lilias one to the other, as well as one

Once they must meet, that their promises might be restored the one to the other; but as the betrothal remained

the lady's security, this could not be done till she became pledged at St. Katharine's. When the opportunity

came, she was to send Malcolm a messenger, and he would come to her at once. Until then he promised that

On Monday the cousins proceeded, coming after a time to the route by which Malcolm had ridden three years

before, and where he was now at home in comparison with Patrick. How redolent it was with recollections of

King Harry, in all his gaiety and grace, ere the shock of his brother's death had fallen on him! At Thirsk,

Malcolm told of the prowess and the knighthood of honest Trenton and Kitson, to somewhat incredulous

ears. The two squires had been held as clownish fellows, and the sentiment of the country was that Mistress

Agnes was well quit of them, and the rough guardianship by which they had kept off all other suitors. As

Hearing that Kitson's mother lived not a mile out of his way, Malcolm rode to the fine old moated grange,

where he found her sitting at her spinning, presiding over a great plentiful household, while her second son, a

The travellers were welcomed with eager hospitality so soon as it was understood that they brought tidings of

'our Kit'; and Malcolm's story was listened to with tears of joy by the old lady, while the brother could not get

over his amazement at hearing that Trenton and Kitson had become a proverb in the camp for oneness in

'Made it up with Will Trenton! And never fought it out! I'd never know our Kit again after that!'

His steady bravery, his knighthood, and the King's praise, his having assisted in saving Lord Glenuskie's life

against such odds, did not seem to strike Wilfred Kitson half as much as the friendship with Trenton, and

Malcolm did not think the regret was very great at the two knights having given up their intention of

returning. 'Our Kit's' place seemed to have closed up behind him; Wilfred seemed to be too much master to

be ready to give up to the elder brother; and even the mother had learnt to do without him. 'I'll warrant,' quoth

she, 'that now he is a knight and got used to fine French ways, he'll think nothing good enow for him. And if

he brought Will Trenton with him, I'd not sit at the board with the fellow.But ye'll ride over, Wilfred, and

take care the minx Agnes knows what she's lost. Ay, and if you knew of a safe hand, Sir, when the shearing is

over I'd send the lad a purse of nobles to keep up his knighthood in the camp, forsooth.'

'Certes,' said Malcolm, as after a saltfish dinner he mounted again, 'if honest Kitson knew, he would scarce

turn back from the camp, where he is somebody. Shall we find ourselves as little wanted when we get home,

Patrick drew himself up with a happy face of secret assurance. Nothing could make Lilias forsake him, he

At Durham they found their good friend Father Akefield, erst Prior of Coldingham, but who had been

violently dispossessed by the House of Albany in favour of their candidate, Drax, about a year before, and

was thankful to have been allowed with a few English monks to retire across the Border to the mother Abbey

The good father could hardly believe his eyes when he beheld Malcolm, now a comely and personable young

gentleman, less handsome and graceful indeed than many, but with all his painful personal peculiarities gone,

with none of the scared, imploring look, but with a grave thoughtful earnestness about his face, as though all

Father Akefield could tell nothing of Lilias since his own expulsion, but as the Prioress of St. Abbs was

herself a Drummond, and no one durst interfere with her, he had no alarms for her safety. But he advised the

two gentlemen to go straight to St. Abbs, without showing themselves at Coldingham, lest Prior Drax, being

in the Albany interest, should make any demur at giving her up to the care of the brother, who still wanted

Accordingly they pushed on, and in due time slept at Berwick, receiving civilities from the English governor

that chafed Patrick's blood, which became inflammable as soon as he neared the Border; and rising early the

next morning, they passed the gates, and were on Scottish ground once more, their hearts bounding at the

sense that it was their own land, and would soon be no more a land of misrule. With their knowledge of King

James and his intentions, well might they have unlimited hopes for the country over which he was about to

They turned aside from Coldingham, and made for the sea, and at length the promontory of St. Abbs Head

rose before them; they passed through the outer buildings intended as shelter for the attendants of ladies

'Benedicite, good Sister,' said Malcolm. 'Prithee tell the Mother Abbess that Malcolm Stewart of Glenuskie is

'Lord Malcolm! Lady Lilias! St. Ebba's good mercy!' shrieked the affrighted portress. They heard her rushing

Patrick betook himself to knocking as if he would beat down the door, and Malcolm leant against it with a

foreboding that took away his breathdreading the moment when it should be opened.

The portress and her keys returned again, and parleyed a moment. 'You are the Lord Malcolm in very

'Nay, but we heard ye were slain, my lord,' explained the portress letting him in, however, and leading

them across the court, to where the Mother Abbess, Annabel Drummond, awaited them in the parlour.

'Alas, Sirs, what grievous error has this been?' was her exclamation; while Malcolm, scarcely waiting for

'How? In St. Hilda's keeping at Whitby, whither the King sent for her,' said the Abbess.

'The King!' cried Malcolm, 'we come from the King! Oh, what treachery has been here?'

'And you, Lord Malcolmand you, my kinsman, Sir Patrick of the Braes, how do I see you here? We had

'You heard a lying tale then, good Mother,' said Patrick, gruffly, 'no doubt devised for the misery of theof

my' He could not finish the sentence, and Malcolm entreated the Abbess to tell the whole.

It appeared that about a year previously the chaplain of the monastery had learnt at Coldingham that Sir John

Swinton of Swinton had sent home tidings that Patrick Drummond had been thrown from his horse and left

behind in a village which the English had harried, and as he could not move, he was sure to have been either

burnt or hung. This conclusion was natural, and argued no malice in the reporter; and while poor Lilias was

still in her first agony of grief, Prior Drax sent over intelligence derived from the Duke of Albany himself that

Malcolm Stewart of Glenuskie had been stabbed in the forest of Vincennes. This report Malcolm himself

accounted for. He had heard a Scots tongue among his foes, though national feeling had made him utterly

silent on that head to the Duke of Bedford, and he guessed it to belong to a certain M'Kay, whose clan

regarded themselves as at feud with the Stewarts, and of whom he had heard as living a wild routier life. He

had probably been hired by Ghisbert for the attack, and had returned home and spread the report of its

Some few weeks later, the Abbess Annabel continued, there had arrived two monks from Coldingham, with

an escort, declaring themselves to have received orders from King James to transport the Lady Lilias to the

nunnery at Whitby, where the Abbess had promised to receive her, till he could determine her fate.

The forlorn and desolate Lilias, believing herself to stand alone in the world, was very loth to quit her shelter

and her friends at St. Abbs; but the Abbess, doubting her own ability to protect her from the rapacious grasp

of Walter Stewart, now that she had, as she believed, become an heiress, and glad to avert from her house the

persecution that such protection would bring upon it, had gratefully heard of this act of consideration on the

King's part, and expedited her departure. The two monks, Simon Bell and Ringan Johnstone, had not returned

to the monastery, but had been thought to be in the parent house at Durham; but Malcolm, who knew Brother

All this had taken place a year ago, and there could be no doubt that some treachery had been exercised.

Nothing had since been heard of Lilias; none of Malcolm's letters had reached St. Abbs, having doubtless

been suppressed by the Prior of Coldingham; and all that was certain was that Walter Stewart, to whom their

first suspicions directed themselves, had not publicly avouched any marriage with Lilias or claimed the

Glenuskie estates, or the King, who had of late been in close correspondence with Scotland, must have heard

of it. And it was also hardly possible that the Regent Murdoch and his sons, though they might for a few

weeks have been misled by M'Kay's report, should not have soon become aware of Malcolm's existence.

Unless, then, Walter had married her 'on the first brash,' as Patrick called it, he might not have thought her a

prize worth the winning; but the whole aspect of affairs had become most alarming, and Malcolm turned pale

as death at the thought that his sister might be suffering retribution for the sin he had contemplated.

The danger was terrible! He could not imagine Lilias to have the moral grandeur and force of Esclairmonde.

Moreover, she supposed her lover dead, and had not the same motive for guarding her troth. Forlorn and

despairing, she might have yielded, and Walter Stewart was, Malcolm verily believed, worse to deal with

than even Boemond. As the whole danger and uncertainty came over him, his senses seemed to reel; he leant

back in his seat, and heard as in the midst of a dream his sister's sobs and groans, Patrick's fierce and furious

exclamations, and the Abbess's attempts at consoling him. Dizzy with horror at the scene he realized, Lilias's

cries and shrieks of entreaty were ringing in his ear, when suddenly a sweet full low voice seemed to come

through them, 'I am bound ever to pray for you and your sister.' Mingled with the cry came ever the sweet

soft Litany cadences'For all that are desolate and oppressed: we beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.'

Gradually the cries seemed to be swallowed up, both voices blended in Kyrie eleison and then in the Gloria,

and at that moment he became aware of Patrick crying, 'I will seek her in every castle in Scotland.'

'Stay, Patrick,' he said, rising, though forced to hold by his chair; 'that must be my part.'

'Youwhy, the laddie is white as a sheet! He wellnigh swooned at the tidings. You seek her, forsooth!' and

'Yes, Patie,' said Malcolm, 'for this I am strong. It is my duty and not yours, and God will strengthen me for

Patrick burst out at this: 'Neither man nor devil shall tell me it is not mine!'

'You are the King's prisoner still,' said Malcolm, rising to energy; 'you are bound to return to him. The tidings

'Neither so swiftly nor surely as you. Moreover, your word of honour binds you not to wander at your own

'My honour binds me not to trust youwee Malcolmto wander into the wolf's cage alone.'

'I am not the silly feckless callant I once was, Patie,' answered Malcolm. 'There are many places where my

student's serge gown will take me safely, where your corslet and lance would never find entrance. No one

'A student is too mean a prey to be meddled with,' proceeded Malcolm, 'and is sure of hospitality in castle or

convent. I can try at Coldingham to find out whither the two monks are gone, and then follow up the track.'

Patrick stormed at the plan, and was most unwilling it should be adopted. He at least must follow, and keep

watch over his young cousin, or it would be a mere throwing the helve after the hatcheta betrayal of his

But a little reflection convinced him that thus to follow would only bring suspicion on Malcolm and defeat

his plans; and that it were better to obtain some certain information ere the King should come home, and have

to interfere with a high hand; and Malcolm's arguments about his obligations as a captive, too, had their

effect. He perceived his own incapacity to act; and in his despair at nothing being done consented to risk

Malcolm in the search, while he himself should proceed to the King, only ascertaining on the way that Lilias

was not at Whitby. And so, in grief and anxiety, the cousins parted, and Malcolm alone durst speak a word of

'The poor scholar,' now only existing in Ireland and Brittanynay, we believe extinct there since the

schoolmaster has become not abroad, but at home, in Government collegeswas to be found throughout the

commonwealth of Europe in the Middle Ages. Young lads, in whom convent schools had developed a thirst

for learning, could only gratify it by making their way to some university, where between begging, singing,

teaching, receiving doles, earning rewards in encounters of wit and learning, doing menial services and using

all manner of shifts, they contrived to live a hard life, half savage on the one side, highly intellectual upon the

other. They would suck the marrow of one university, and then migrate to another; and the rank they had

gained in the first was available in the second, so that it was no means uncommon for them to bring away

degrees from half the universities in Europe, all of which formed one general systemall were like islands

of one country, whose common language was queer Latin, and whose terms, manners, and customs were

Scotland contributed many of her sons to this curious race of vagabond students, when she herself was

without any university to satisfy the cravings of her thoughtful and intellectual people. 'No country without a

Scot or a flea' was an uncomplimentary proverb due to the numerous young clerks, equally fierce for frays

and for lectures, who flocked to the seats of learning on the Continent, and sometimes became naturalized

there, sometimes came home again, to fight their way to the higher benefices of the Church, or to become

It was true that Malcolm was an Oxford scholar, or rather bachelor, and that Oxford and Cambridge were

almost the only universities where Scots were nottheir place being taken by multitudinous Irish; yet not

only were all universities alike in essentials, but he had seen and heard enough of that at Paris to be able to

It was no small plunge for one hitherto watched, tended, and guarded as Malcolm had been, to set forth

entirely alone; but as he had approached manhood, and strengthened in body, his spirit had gained much in

courage, and the anxiety about his sister swallowed up all other considerations. Even while he entreated the

prayers of the Abbess, he felt quite sure that he had those of Esclairmonde; and when he had hunted out of his

mails the plain bachelor's rabbitskin hood and black gownwhich, perhaps, was a little too fine in texture

for the poor wandererand fastened on his back, with a leathern thong, a package containing a few books

and a change of linen, his pale and intellectual face made him look so entirely the young clerk, that Patrick

And when the roads parted, and Drummond and his escort had to turn towards Berwick, while Malcolm took

the path to the monastery, it was the younger who was the stronger and more resolute of the two; for Patrick

could neither reconcile himself to peril the boy, who had always been his anxious trust, nor to return to the

King without him; and yet no one who loved Lilias could withhold him from his quest.

Malcolm did not immediately speed to the monastery on taking leave of Patrick. He stood first to watch the

armour flashes gradually die away, and the little troop grow smaller to his eye, across the brown moor, till

they were entirely out of sight, and he himself left alone. Then he knelt by a bush of gorse, told his beads, and

earnestly entreated direction and aid for himself, and protection for his sister; and when the sun grew so low

as to make it time for a wanderer to seek harbour, he stained and daggled his gown in the mire and water of a

peatmoss, so as to destroy its Oxford gloss, took a book in his hand, and walked towards the monastery,

As he came among the fields, he saw that the peasants, and lay brethren who had been working among them,

were returning, some from sowing, others from herding the cattle, which they drove before them to the byre

A monkwith a weatherbeaten face and athletic figure, much like a farmer's of the present dayovertook

him, and hailed him with 'Benedicite, you there and welcome to your clerkship! Are you coming for supper

Malcolm knew goodnatured Brother Nicolas, and kept his hood well over his face after the first salutation;

though he felt confident that Lord Malcolm could hardly be recognized in the begging scholar, as he made

'Whisht with your Latin, laddie,' said the brother. 'Speak out, if you've a Scots tongue in your head, and have

'That's more like it,' said the brother, who acted as a kind of farming steward, and was a hearty, goodnatured

He gave his real Christian name; and added that he came from Glenuskie, where the good Tutor of Glenuskie

'Ay,' said Brother Nicolas, 'he was a guid man to all towardly youths. He died in this house, more's the pity.'

'Yea, Sirso I heard say,' returned Malcolm. 'He was a good friend to me!' he added, to cover his heavy

'For the young lairda feckless, ugsome, sickly wean he was, puir laddiea knight cam by, an' behoved to

take him to the King. Nay, but if you've been at Parishif that's what ye mean with your Lutetiaye'll have

'A sorry sight enow!' said the monk; 'but he'll soon find his Scots heart again; and here we've got rid of the

'Ho! ho! what have young clerks to do wi' winsome faces?' laughed the Benedictine.

'Nowthere I cannot say,' replied Brother Nicolas. 'My good Mother Abbess and our Prior are not the

friends they were in Prior Akefield's time; and there's less coming and going between the houses. There was a

noise that Lord Malcolm had been slain, and I did hear that, thereupon, she had been claimed as a ward of the

Crown. But I cannot say. If ye gang to St. Abbs the morn, ye may hear if she be thereand at any rate get

It was clear that the good brother knew no more, and Malcolm could only thank him for his condescension,

Here he availed himself of his avowed connection with Glenuskie, to beg to be shown good old Sir David

Drummond's grave. A flat gray stone in the porch was pointed out to him; and beside this he knelt, until the

monks flocked in for prayerswhich were but carelessly and hurriedly sung; and then followed supper. It

was all so natural to him, that it was with an effort that he recalled that his place was not at the high table, as

Lord Malcolm Stewart, but that Malcolm, the nameless begging scholar, must be trencherfellow with the

servants and lay brethren. He was the less concerned, that here there was less danger of recognition, and more

Things were evidently much altered. A novice was indeed, as usual, placed aloft in the refectory pulpit, to

read aloud to the brethren during their repast, but no one seemed to think it needful to preserve the decorous

silence that had been rigidly exacted during Prior Akefield's time, and there was a continual buzz of

conversation. Lent though it was, the fish was of the most esteemed kinds, and it was evident that, like the

monks of Melrose, they 'made gude kale.' Few of the kindly old faces that Malcolm remembered were to be

seen under their cowls. Prior Drax himself had much more the countenance of a mosstrooper than of a

monkmayhap he was then meditating that which he afterwards carried out successfully, i.e. the capture and

appropriation of a whole instalment of King James's ransom, on its way across the Border; and there was a

rude recklessness and selfindulgence about the looks, voices, and manners of the brethren he had brought

with him, such as made Malcolm feel that if he had had his wish, and remained at Coldingham, he should

The laybrothers and old servants were fixtures, but the old faithful and devout ones looked forlorn and

unhappy and there had been a great importation of the ruffianly menatarms, whom the more pugnacious

ecclesiastics, as well as nobles, of Scotland, were apt to maintain. Guards there had been in old times, but

kept under strict discipline; whereas, in the rude conduct of these men, there was no sign that they knew

themselves to be in a religious house. Malcolm, keeping aloof from these as much as might be, gave such an

account of himself as was most consistent with truth, since it was necessary to account for his returning so

young from his studies. He had, he said, been told that there was an inheritance fallen due to him, and that the

kinsman, in whose charge his sister had been left, was dead; and he had come home to seek her out, and

Rude jokes, from some of the new denizens of the monastery, were spent on the improbability of his finding

sister or lands; if it were in the Barony of Glenuskie, the House of Albany had taken the administration of that

'Naybut,' said Malcolm, 'could I but see my young Lady Lilias, she might make suit for me.'

The grayheaded laybrother, to whom he addressed himself, replied that it was little the Lady Lilias could

do, but directed him to St. Abbs to find her; whereat one of the menatarms burst out laughing, and crying,

'That's a' that ye ken, auld Davie! As though the Master of Albany would let a bonnie lassie ware hersel' and

'Has she wedded the Master of Albany, then?' asked Malcolm, concealing his anxiety as best he might.

'Why, once she slipped out of his very fingers; that time that he had laid hands on her, and the hirpling doited

brother of hers cam down with a strange knight, put her into St. Abbs, and made off for Englandso they

said. Some of the rogues would have it 'twas St. Andrew in bodily shape, and that he tirled the young laird, as

was only fit for a saint, aff to heaven wi' him; for he was no more seen in these parts.'

'Nay, that couldna be,' put in another soldier. 'Sandy M'Kay took his aith that he was in the English

campmore shame till himan' was stickit dead for meddling between King Harry's brother and his luve. It

'Aweel!' continued the first; 'gane is he, and sma' loss wi' him! An' yon old beldame over at St. Abbs, she

kens weel how to keep a lass wi' a tocherso what does the Master but sends a letter ower to our Prior,

bidding him send two trusty brethren, as though from the King, to conduct her to Whitby?'

'Even so; but the Glenuskies are all English at heart, and it sicker trained away the silly lassie.'

'Why, at the first hostelry, ye can guess what sort of nuns were ready to meet her! I promise ye she skirled,

and ca'ed Heaven and earth to help; but Brother Simon and Brother Ringan gave their word they'd see nae ill

dune to her, and she rade with them on each side of her, and us tall fellows behind and before, till we cam to

'And what became of her, the poor lassie, then?' inquired Malcolm, steadying his voice with much effort.

'Ye maun ask the Master that,' said the soldier. 'I ken nae mair; I was sent on anither little errand of the Earl

of Fife into the Highlands, and only cam back hither a week syne, to watch the Border.'

'Had it been St. Andrew that saved her before, he wad hae come again,' pondered the laybrother. 'He'd

'Weel, I heard the lassie cry on the Master to mind the aith he had made the former time; an' though he tried

to laugh her to scorn, his eyes grew wild, and there were some that tell'd me they lookit to see that glittering

awsome knight among them again! My certie, they maun hae been feared enow the time he did come.'

Malcolm had now had his fears and suspicions so far confirmed, that he perceived what his course should

next be. Strange to say, in spite of the horror of knowing his sister to have been a whole year in Walter

Stewart's power, he was neither hopeless nor disheartened. Lilias seemed to have kept her persecutor at bay

once, and she might have done so againif only by the appeal to the mysterious relic, on which his oath to

abstain from violence had been sworn. And confidence in Esclairmonde's prayers continued to buoy him up,

as he recited his own, and formed his designs for ascertaining whether she were to be found at Douneeither

So soon as the doors of Coldingham Priory were opened, he was on his way northward. It was a sore and

trying journey, in the bitter March weather, for one so little used to hardship. He did not fail in obtaining

shelter or food; his garb was everywhere a passport; but he grew weary and footsore, and his anxiety greatly

increased when he found that fatigue was bringing back the lameness, which greatly enhanced the likelihood

of his being recognized. Kind monks, and friendly gudewives, hospitably persuaded the worn student to

remain and rest, till his blistered feet were whole; but he pressed on whenever he found it possible to travel,

Resting at Edinburgh for Passiontide and Easter Day, he found that the Regent Albany himself, with all his

family, were at Doune, and he accordingly made his way thither; rejoicing that he had had some little time to

perfect himself in his part, before rehearsing it to the persons most likely to detect his disguise.

Along the banks and braes of bonny Doune he slowly moved, with weary limbs; looking up to the huge pile

of the majestic castle in sickening of heart at the doubt that was about to become a certainty, and that

involved the happiness or the absolute misery of his sister's life. Nay, he would almost have preferred to find

that she had perished in her resistance, rather than have become wife to such a man as Walter Stewart.

The Duke of Albany, as representing majesty, kept up all the state that Scottish majesty was capable of, in its

impoverished irregular state. Hosts of rough lawless warriors, menatarms, squires and knights, lived at free

quarters, in a sort of rude plenty, in and about the Castle; eating and drinking at the Regent's expense,

sleeping where they could, in hall or stable, and for clothing and armour trusting to 'spulzie'; always ready for

violence, without much caring on whom exercisedotherwise hunting, or lounging, or swelling their

This retinue was almost at its largest at this time, being swelled by the following of the two younger sons of

Murdoch, Robert and Alexander; and the courts of the Castle were filled with rude, savagelooking men,

some few grooming horses, others with nothing to do but to shout forth their jeers at the pale, blackgowned

Timidlyyes; for the awful chances heavily oppressed him; and the horrible scurrility and savagery that

greeted him on all sides made his heart faint at the thought of his Lily in this cage of foul animals. He did not

fear for himself, and never paused until a shouting circle of idle ruffians set themselves full in his way, to

badger and bait the poor scholar with taunts and insultshemming him in, bawling out ribald mirth, as a

pack of hounds fall on some stray dog, or, as Malcolm thought, in a moment half of sick horror, half of

resolute resignation, like wild cattlefat bulls of Bashan closing in on every side. So horrible a moment of

distress he had never known; but suddenly, as he stood summoning all his strength, panting with dismay,

inwardly praying, and trying to close his ears and commend himself to One who knew what mockery is, there

was an opening of the crowd, a youth darted down among them, with a loud cry of 'Shame! Out on you! A

poor scholar!' and taking Malcolm's hand, led him forward; while a laugh of mockery rose in the

'Ay, my friend and brother, I am Baccalaureus, even as you are,' eagerly said the young gentleman, in whom

Malcolm, somewhat to his alarm, recognized his cousin, James Kennedy, the King's nephew, a real Parisian

'bejanus,' or bec jaune, {2} when they last had met in the Hotel de St. Pol; and thus not only qualified to

confute and expose him, should he show any ignorance of details, but also much more likely to know him

But James Kennedy asked no questions, only said kindly, in the Latin that was always spoken in the

University, 'Pray pardon us! Mores Hyperboreis desunt. {3} The Regent would be grieved, if he knew how

these scelerati {4} have sorted you. Come, rest and washit will soon be suppertime.'

He took Malcolm to an inner court, filled for him a cup of ale, for his immediate refreshment, and led him to

a spout of clear water, in the side of the rock on which the Castle stood; where a stone basin afforded the only

facilities for washing that the greater part of the inhabitants of the Castle expected, and, in effect, more than

they commonly used. Malcolm, however, was heartily glad of the refreshment of removing the dust from his

weary face and feetand heartily thanked his protector, in the same dogLatin. Kennedy waited for him,

and as a great bell began to ring, said 'Pro caena,' {5} and conducted him towards the great hall while

Malcolm felt much impelled to make himself known, but was conscious that he had not so comported himself

A high table was spread in the hall, with the usual appliances befitting princes and nobles. The other tables,

below the dais, were of the rudest description, and stained with accumulations of grease and ale; and no

wonder, since trenchers were not, and each man hacked a gobbet for himself from the huge pieces of beef

carried round on spitsnor would the guests have had any objection, during a campaign, to cook the meat in

the fashion described by Froissart, between themselves and the saddle. These were the squirearchy;

Malcolm's late persecutors did not aspire to the benches around these boards, or only at second hand, and for

the most part had no seat but the unclean straw and rushes that strewed the floor.

As James Kennedy entered the hall with Malcolm, there came from another door, marshalled by the

seneschal in full feudal state, the Regent Duke of Albany himself, his wife, a daughter or two, two sons

and Malcolm saw, with beating heart, Lilias herself, pale worn, sorrowfullooking, grievously altered, but

still his own Lily. Others followed, chiefly knights and attendants, but Malcolm saw no one but Lily. She

took her place dejectedly, and never raised her eyes towards him, even when, on the Regent's question, 'What

have ye there, Jamie?' Kennedy stood forth and answered that it was a scholar, a student, for whom he asked

'He is welcome,' said the Regent, a man of easy goodnature, whose chief misfortune was, that being of weak

nature, he came between a wicked father and wickeder sons. He was a handsome man, with much of the

stately appearance of King James himself, and the same complexion; but it was that sort of likeness which

was almost provoking, by seeming to detract from the majesty of the lineaments themselves, as seen in him

who alone knew how to make them a mask for a great soul. His two sons, Robert and Alexander, laughed as

they saw Kennedy's companion, and called out, 'So that's the brotherhood of learning, is it,

'Yea,' said Kennedy, nothing daunted, 'and finding him much better mannered than you!'

'Ay!' sighed Murdoch, feebly; 'when I grew up, it was at the Castles of Perth and Doune that we looked for

'We leave them to the lickplatters that have to live by them,' said Alexander, rudely.

Kennedy, meanwhile, gave the young scholar in charge to a grayheaded retainer, who seemed one of the

few who had any remains of good breeding; and then offered to say Gracehe being the nearest approach

to an ecclesiastic presentas the chaplain was gone to an Easter festivity at his Abbey. Malcolm thus

obtained a seat at the second table, and a tolerable share of supper; but he could hardly eat, from intense

anxiety, and scarcely knew whether to be glad or sorry that he was out of sight of Lily.

By and by, a moment's lull of the universal din enabled Malcolm to hear the Regent saying, 'Verily, there is a

look of gentle nurture about the lad. Look you, James, when the tables are drawn, you shall hold a disputation

with him. It will be sport to hear how you chop logic at your Universities yonder.'

Malcolm's spirit sank. Such disputations were perfectly ordinary work at both Oxford and Paris, and, usually,

he was quite capable of sustaining his part in them; but his heart was so full, his mind so anxious, his

condition so dangerous, that he felt as if he could by no means rally that alertness of argument, and readiness

of quotation, that were requisite even in the merest tyro. However, he made a great effort. He secretly

invoked the Light of Wisdom; tried to think himself back into the aisles of St. Mary's Church, and to call up

the keynotes of some of the stock arguments; hoping that, if the selection of the subject were left to

The supper was ended, the tables were removed, and the challenge took place. Duke Murdoch, leaning back

in his high chair by the peat fire, while the ladies sat round at their spinning, called for the two young clerks

to begin their tourney of words. They stood opposite one another, on the step of the dais; and Kennedy, as

host and challenger, assigned to his opponent the choice of a subject, when Malcolm, brightening, proposed

one that he had so often heard and practised on, as to have the arguments at his fingers' ends; namely, that the

real consists only in that which is substantial to the senses, and which we see, hear, taste, smell, or touch.

Kennedy's shrewd gray eye glanced at him in a manner that startled him, as he made reply, 'Fellowalumnus,

you speak as Oxford scholars speak; but I rede ye well that the real is not that which is grossly tangible to the

corporeal sense, but the idea that is conceived within the immortal intelligence.'

The argument was carried on in the vernacular, but there was an unlimited license of quotation from authors

of all kinds, classics, Fathers, and schoolmen. It was like a game at chess, in which the first moves were

always so much alike, that they might have been made by automatons; and Malcolm was repeating reply and

counterreply, almost by rote, when a citation brought in by Kennedy again startled him.

"Telephus et Peleus, quum pauper et exsul uterque, Projicit ampullas et sesquipedalia verba"?' {6}

Was this to prove that he recognized a wandering prince in his opponent? thought Malcolm; but, much on his

guard, he made answer, as usual, in his native tongue. 'That which is not touched and held is but a vain and

'Negatur, it is denied!' said Kennedy, fixing his eyes full upon him. 'The Speculum of the Soul, which is

immortal, retains the image even while the bodily presence is far away. Wherefore else was it that Ulysses sat

as a beggar by his paternal hearth, or that Cadmus wandered to seek his sister?'

This was anything but the regular illustrationthe argument was far too directly ad hominemand

Malcolm hesitated for a moment, ere framing his reply. 'If the image had satisfied the craving of their hearts,

'Nor,' said Kennedy, 'endeared themselves to all who love the leal and the brave, and count these indeed as

From the manner in which these words were spoken, Malcolm had no further doubt either that Kennedy knew

him, or that he meant to assist him; and the discussion thenceforth proceeded without further departures from

the regular style, and was sustained with considerable spirit, till the Regent grew weary of it, and bedtime

approached, when Kennedy announced his intention of taking his fellowstudent to share his chamber; and,

as this did not appear at all an unnatural proposal, in the crowded Castle, Malcolm followed him up various

winding stairs into a small circular chamber, with a loophole window, within one of the flanking towers.

Carefully closing the heavy door, Kennedy held out his hands. 'Fair cousin,' he said, 'this is bravely done of

'It should,' said his kinsman; 'but how can it be? Whatever is done, must be ere Walter Stewart returns.'

'I know little more,' said Kennedy. 'It was on a false report of your death, and Walter had wellnigh obtained

a forcible marriage; when her resistance and cries to Heaven daunted the monk who was to have performed

the rite, so that he, in a sort, became her protector. When she was brought here, Walter swore he would bend

her to his will; shut her up in the old keep, and kept her there, scantily fed, and a close prisoner, while he

went forth on one of his forays. The Regent coming here meantime, found the poor maiden in her captivity,

and freed her so far that she lives, to all appearance, as becomes his kinswoman; but the Duchess is cruelly

'They do; but Walter is none the less resolved not to be balked. Things came to a wild pass a few weeks syne.

The Regent had never dared tell him how far matters had gone for bringing back the King, when one day

Walter came in, clad for hawking; and, in his rudest manner, demanded the falcon that was wont to sit on his

father's wrist, and that had never been taken out by any other. The Regent refused to part with the bird, as he

had oft done before; whereupon his son, in his fury, snatched her from his wrist, and wrung her head off

before all our eyes; then turning fiercely on your poor sister, told her that "yon gled should be a token to her,

of how they fared who withheld themselves from him." Then rose the Duke, trembling within rage; "Ay,

Wat," said he, "ye hae been owermuch for me. We will soon have ane at home that will ken how to guide ye."

Walter looked at him insolently, and muttered, "I've heard of this before! They that wad have a master, may

live under a masterbut I'm not ane of them;" and then, turning upon Lady Lilias, he pointed to the dead

hawk, and told her that, unless she yielded to him with a good grace, that bird showed her what she might

'In Fife, striving to get a force together to hinder the King's return. He'll not do that; men are too weary of

misrule to join him against King James; but he is like, any day, to come back with reivers enough to terrify

his father, and get your sister into his handsindeed, his mother is ready to give her up to him whenever he

asks. He has sworn to have her now, were it merely to vex the King and you, and show that he is to be

'Any day or any night,' said James. 'Since he went I have striven, in vain, to devise some escape for your

sister; but Heaven has surely sent you to hinder so foul a wrong! Yet, if you went to Glenuskie and raised

'It would be loss of time,' said Malcolm; 'and this matter may not be put to the doubtful issue of a fray

between my men and his villains. Out of this place must she go at once. But, alas! how win to the speech of

'That can I do,' said Kennedy. 'For a few brief moments, each day, have I spoken to her in the chapel. Nay, I

had left this place before now, had she not prayed me to remain as her only friend.'

'Heaven must requite you, Cousin James,' said Malcolm, warmly. 'I deserved not this of you.'

'All that I desire,' said Kennedy, 'is to see this land of ours cease to be full of darkness and cruel habitations.

Malcolm, you know the King better than I; may we not trust that he will come as a redresser of wrongs?'

'Know you not his pledge to himself?"I will make the key keep the castle, and the bracken bush keep the

'God strengthen his hand,' said Kennedy, with tears in his eyes; 'and bring better days to our poor land.

Cousin, has not your heart burnt within you, to be doing somewhat to bring these countrymen of ours to

'I have grieved,' said Malcolm. 'The sight has been the woe and horror of my whole life; and either it is worse

'It is both,' said Kennedy; 'and, Malcolm, it is borne in on me that we, who have seen better things, have a

heavy charge! The King may punish marauders, and enforce peace; but it will be but the rule of the strong

hand, unless men's hearts be moved! Our clergythey bear the office of priestsbut their fierceness and

their ignorance would scarce be believed in France or England; and how should it be otherwise, with no

schools at home save the abbeysand the abbeys almost all fortresses held by fierce noblemen's sons?'

Malcolm would much rather have discussed the means of rescuing his sister, but James Kennedy's heart was

full of a youth's ardent plans for the reawakening of religion in his country, chiefly through the improved

'Youyou were to wed a great Flemish heiress?' he said. 'You will do your part, Cousin, in the founding of a

Malcolm smiled. 'My only bride is learning,' he said; 'my other betrothal is but in name, for the safety of the

'Then,' cried Kennedy joyfully, 'you will give yourself. Learning and culture turned to God's service, for this

Was this the reading of Esclairmonde's riddle? suddenly thought Malcolm. Was the true search for heavenly

Light, then, to consist in holding up to his countrymen the lamp he was kindling for himself? Must true

wisdom consist in treasuring knowledge, not for his own honour among learned men, or the delectation of his

own mind, but to scatter it among these rude northern souls? Must the vision of learned research and

scholarly calm vanish, as cloistral peace, and chivalrous love and glory, had vanished before? and was the lot

For Malcolm to speak with his sister was wellnigh an impossibility. Had he been detected, he would have

been immediately treated as a spy, and the suspicion thus excited would have been a dangerous preparation

for the King as well as for himself; nor was there any pretext for giving the wandering scholar an interview

But harsh and strict as was the Duchess of Albanya tall, rawboned, redhaired woman, daughter of the

fierce old Earl of Lennoxand resolved as she was to bend Lilias by persecution to accept her son, she could

not debar a young gentleman of the royal kindred, like James Kennedy, from entering the apartment where

the ladies of the family sat with their needles; and the Regent, half from pity, half from shame, had refused to

Thus Malcolm remained in Kennedy's room in much anxiety, while his cousin went forth to do his best in his

cause, and after some hours returned to him with the tidings that he had succeeded in letting Lily know that

he was in the Castle. Standing over her while she bent over her embroidery, and thus concealing her

trembling agitation, he had found it possible to whisper in her ears the tidings of her brother having come to

save her, and of hearing her insist that Malcolm, 'wee Malcolm, must run no peril, but that she would do and

'Have you any device in this matter?' demanded James Kennedy, when he had thus spoken.

'I have, in yon kist,' said Kennedy. 'Would you disguise her therein? You and she are nearly of a height.'

'Ay,' said Malcolm. 'The plot I thought on is thisthe worst is that the risk rests with you.'

'That is naught, less than naught,' said Kennedy. 'I had risked myself ten times over had I seen any hope for

Malcolm then explained his plan, namely, that if Lilias could have Kennedy's gown conveyed to her, she

should array herself therein, and be conducted out of the castle by her cousin by one gate, he himself in

secular garb going by another, and joining at some place of meeting, whence, as a pair of brothers, Malcolm

James Kennedy considered, and then added that he could improve on the plan. He had long intended leaving

Doune for his brother's castle, but only tarried in case he could do anything for Lilias. He would at supper

publicly announce to the Regent his departure for the next day, and also say that he had detained his

fellowscholar to go within him. Then arranging for Malcolm's exit in a secular dress among his escort, as

one of the many unobserved loungers, Lilias should go with him in very early morning in the bachelor's

gown, which he would place in a corner of a dark passage, where she could find it. Then if Malcolm and she

turned aside from his escort, as the pursuit as soon as her evasion was discovered would be immediately

It was a complicated plan, but there was this recommendation, that Malcolm need not lose sight of his sister.

Clerk as he was, young Kennedy could not ride without an escort, and among his followers he could place

Malcolm. Accordingly at supper he announced his desire to leave Doune at dawn next morning, and was, as a

matter of course, courteously pressed to remain. Malcolm in the meantime eluded observation as much as

possible while watching his sister, who, in spite of all her efforts, was pale and red by turns, never durst

The ladies at length swept out of the hall, and Robert and Alexander called for more wine for a reresupper

to drink to James's good journey; but Kennedy tore himself from their hospitable violence, and again he and

Morning came; Malcolm arrayed himself in a somewhat worn dress of Kennedy's, with the belt and dirk he

had carried under his scholar's garb now without, and a steel cap that his cousin had procured for him on his

head. With a parcel in his arms of Kennedy's gear, he might pass for a servant sent from home to meet him;

and so soon as this disguise was complete, Kennedy opened the door. On the turret stair stood a hooded black

Malcolm's heart might well seem to leap to his lips, but both brother and sister felt the tension of nerve that

Kennedy whispered, 'Your license, fair Cousin,' and passed on with the free step of lordly birth, while a few

paces behind the seeming scholar humbly followed, and Malcolm, putting on his soldier's tread and the

careless freeandeasy bearing he had affected before Meaux, brought up the rear with Master Kennedy's

As they anticipated, the household was not troubling itself to rise to see the priest off. Not that this made the

coast clear, for the floor of the hall was cumbered with snoring sleepers in all sorts of attitudesnay, at the

upper table, the flushed, debauched, though young and handsome, faces of Robert and Alexander Stewart

might have been detected among those who lay snoring among the relics of their last night's revel.

The old steward was, however, up and alert, ready to offer the stirrupcup, and the horses were waiting in the

court; but what they had by no means expected or desired was that Duke Murdoch himself, in his long furred

'Speed you well, my lad,' he said kindly. 'I ask ye not to tarry in what ye must deem a graceless household;'

and he looked sadly across at his two sons, boys in age, but seniors in excess. 'I would we had mair lads like

'You have ever been good lord to all, Sir,' said Kennedy, affectionately, for he really loved and pitied the

'Too good, maybe,' said Murdoch. 'What! the scholar goes with you?' and he fixed a look on Lily's face that

'Yes, Sir,' answered Kennedy, respectfully. 'Here, you Tam,' indicating Malcolm, 'take him behind you on the

'Fare ye weel, gentle scholar,' said Murdoch, taking the hand that Lily was far from offering. 'May ye win to

your journey's end safe and sound; and remember,' he added, holding the fingers tight, and speaking under the

hood, 'if ye have been hardly served, 'twas to make ye the second lady in Scotland. Take care of herhim,

young laddie,' he added, turning on Malcolm: ''tis best so; and mind' (he spoke in the same wheedling tone of

selfexcuse), 'if ye tell the tale down south, nae ill hath been dune till her, and where could she have been

mair fitly than beneath her kinsman's roof? I'd not let her go, but that young blude is hot and ill to guide.'

An answer would have been hard to find; and it was well that he did not look for any. Indeed, Malcolm could

not have spoken without being heard by the seneschal, and therefore could only bow, take his seat on the

baggagehorse, and then feel his sister mounting behind him in an attitude less unfamiliar on occasion even

to the highborn ladies of the fifteenth century than to those of our day. Four years it was since he had felt

her touch, four years since she had sat behind him as they followed the King to Coldingham! His heart

swelled with thankfulness as he passed under the gateway, and the arms that clung round his waist clasped

him fervently; but neither ventured on a word, amid Kennedy's escort, and they rode on a couple of miles in

the same silence. Then Kennedy, pausing, said, 'There lies your way, Brother. Tam, you may show the

scholar the way to the Gray Friars' Grange, bear them greetings frae me, and halt till ye hear from me. Fare ye

Lilias trusted her voice to say, 'Blessings on ye, Sir, for all ye have done for me,' but Malcolm thought it

Of course they understood that the direction Kennedy gave was the very one they were not to take, but they

followed it till a tall bush of gorse hid them from the escort; and then Malcolm, grasping his sister's hand,

plunged down among the rowans, ferns, and hazels, that covered the steep bank of the river, and so soon as a

footing was gained under shelter of a tall rock, threw his arms round her, almost sobbing in an undertone,

'My Lily, my tittie!safe at last! Oh, God be thanked! I knew her prayers would be heard! Oh, would that

Patrick were here!' Then, as her face changed and quivered ready to weep, he cried, 'Eh, what! art still

'He fell into the hands of your King and mine,' said Malcolm. 'Yes, King James dragged him out of the

burning house, and wrung his pardon out of King Harry. He came with me to St. Abbs to fetch you, Lily, and

only went back because his knighthood would not serve in this quest like my clerkship.'

'Patrick living, Patrick safe! Oh!' she fell on her knees among the ferns, hid her face in her hands, and drew a

long breath. 'Malcolm, this is joy overmuch. The desolation of yesterday, the joy today!'

Malcolm, seeing her like one stifled by emotion, fell on his knees beside her, and whispered forth a

thanksgiving. She rested with her head on his shoulder in content till he started up, saying in a lively manner,

'Come, Lily, we must be on our way. A very bonnie young clerk you are, with your berrybrown locks cut so

Lilias blushed up to the short dark curls she had left herself. 'Had I thought he lived, I could scarce have done

'What, not to get to him, silly maid? Here,' as he shook out and donned the gown he had brought rolled up,

'now am I a scholar too. Stay, you must take off this badge of the bachelor; you have only been in a

'Ay, Davie then, that I've come home to fetch to share my Paris lear. You can be very shy and bashful, you

'If it is such as you did with Jamie Kennedy,' said Lilias, 'it will indeed be well. Oh, Malcolm, I sat and

marvelled at yeso gleg ye took him up. How could ye learn it? And ye are a brave warrior too in battles,'

'So that ugly words can never be flung in your face again!' cried Lilias. 'Are you knighted, brother?'

'No, but they say I have won my spurs. I'll tell you all, Lily, as we walk. Only let me bestow this iron cap

where some mavis may nestle in it. Ay, and the boots too, which scarce befit a clerk. There, your hand, Clerk

Davie; we must make westward today, lest poor Duke Murdoch be forced to send to chase us. After that, for

So brother and sister set forth on their wanderingand truly it was a happy journey. The weather favoured

them, and their hearts were light. Lilias, delivered from terrible, hopeless captivity, her brother beside her,

and now not a brother to be pitied and protected, but to protect her and be exulted in, trod the heather with an

exquisite sense of joy and freedom that buoyed her up against all hardships; and Malcolm was at peace, as he

had seldom been. His happiness was not exactly like his sister's in her renewed liberty and restoration to love

and joy, for he had known a wider range of life, and though really younger than Lily, his more complicated

history could not but make him older in thought and mind. Another selfabnegation was beginning to rise

upon him, as he travelled slowly southwards by stages suited to his sister's powers, and by another track than

that by which he had gone. On the moor, or by the burn side, there was peace and brightness; but wherever he

met with man he found something to sadden him. Did they rest in a monastery, there was often irregularity,

seldom devotion, always crass ignorance. The manse was often a scene of such dissolute life that Malcolm

shunned to bring his sister into the sight of it; the peel tower was the dwelling of savagery; the farm

homestead either rude and lawless or in constant terror; the black spaces on many a brae side showed where

dwellings had been burned; more than once they passed skeletons depending from the trees or lying rotting

by the wayside. And it was frightful to Malcolm, after his four years' absence, to find how little Lilias

shared his horror, taking quite naturally what to Alice Montagu would have seemed beyond the bounds of

possibility, and would have set Esclairmonde's soul on fire, while Lilias seemed to think it her brother's

He felt the truth of James Kennedy's wordsthat reformation could not be the sole work of the King, but

that his hands must be strengthened by all the few who knew that a different state of things was possible, and

that, above all, the clergy needed to be awakened into vigour and intelligence. Formerly, the miserable aspect

of the country had merely terrified him, and driven him to strive to hide his head in a convent; but the

strength and the sense of duty he had acquired had brought his heart to respond to Kennedy's call to work.

Esclairmonde's words wrought within him beyond her own ken or purpose in speaking them. He began to

understand that to bury himself in an Italian university and dive into Aristotle's sayings, to heap up his own

memory with the stores of thought he loved, or to plunge into the mazes of mathematics, philosophy, and

music, while his brethren in his own country were tearing one another to pieces for lack of any good

influence to teach or show them better things, would be a storing of treasure for himself on earth, a pursuit of

the light of knowledge indeed, but not a wooing of the light of Wisdom, the true Light of the World, as seen

in Him who went about doing good. To complete his present course was, he knew, necessary. He had seen

enough of really learned scholars to know the depths of his own ignorance, and to be aware that certain books

must be read under guidance, and certain studies gone through, before his cultivation would be on a level

with the standard of the best working clergy of the English Churchsuch as Chicheley, Waynflete, or the

like. He would therefore remain at Oxford, he thought, long enough to take his Master of Arts degree, and

then, though to his own perceptions only the oneeyed among the blind, he would make the real sacrifice of

He knew that his king was well satisfied with Patrick, and also that a man of sound heart and prompt, hard

hand was far fitter to rule as a secular lord than his own more finedrawn mature could ever be; but as a

priest, with the influence that his birth and the King's friendship would give him, he already saw chances of

A deep purpose of selfdevotion was growing up in his soul, but without saddening him, only rendering him

As they walked together over the long stretches of moor, many were Lily's questions; and Malcolm beguiled

the way with many a story of camp and court, told both for his own satisfaction in her sympathy, and with the

desire to make the Scottish lassie see what was the life and what the thoughts of ladies of her own degree in

other lands, so that the Lady of Glenuskie might be awake to somewhat of the high purpose of virtuous home

As to the Flemish heiress, no representation would induce Lilias to love her. Reject Malcolm for a convent's

sake! It was unpardonable; and as to a bedeswoman, working uncloistered in the streets, Lily viewed that as

neither the one thing nor the other, neither religious nor secular; and she was persuaded that a little exertion

on the part of the brother, whom she viewed as a paladin, would overcome all coyness on the lady's part.

Malcolm found it vain to try to show his sister his sense of his own deserts, and equally so to declare that if

the maiden should so yield, she would indeed be the Demoiselle de Luxemburg to whom he was pledged, but

not the Esclairmonde whom his better part adored. So he let the matter pass by, and both enjoyed their

masquing in one another's company as a holiday such as they could never have again.

They had no serious alarms; the pursuit must have been disconcerted, and the two young scholars were not

worth the attention of freebooters. Their winsomeness of manner won them kindness wherever they

harboured; and thus, after many days, without molestation they came to the walls of Berwick. And now,

while Malcolm thought his difficulties at an end, a horror of bashfulness fell upon Lilias. She had been Clerk

Davie merrily enough while there was no one to suspect her, but the transmutation into her proper self filled

She hung back, and could be hardly dragged forward to the embattled gateway of the bridge by her

brotherwho, as the guards, jealously cautious even in this time of peace, called out to him to stand, showed

his ring bearing the royal arms, and desired to speak within the captain of the garrison, who was commanding

in the name of the Earl of Northumberland, Governor of Berwick and Warden of the Marches, and who had

entertained him on his way north, and would have been warned by Patrick of his probable return in this guise.

Instead of the stalwart form of the veteran subgovernor, however, a quick step came hurrying to the

gateway, and the light figure of a young knight stood before him, with outstretched hands, crying: 'Welcome

to the good town of BerwickuponTweed, dear comrade!' And he added in a lower tone: 'So you have

succeeded in your questif, as I trow, this fairest of clerks be your lady sister. May I'

'Hold!' softly said Malcolm. 'She is so shamefast that she cannot brook a word;' and in fact Lilias had pulled

her hood over her face, and shrunk behind him, at the first approach of the young gentleman.

'We will to my mother,' said Ralf, aloud. 'She has always a soft corner in her heart for a young clerk or a

And so saying, without even looking at the disguised figure, he gave the password, and holding Malcolm by

the arm, led him, followed by Lilias, through the defences and into the court of the castle, then to a

sidedoor, where, bounding up several steps at once of a stone stair, he opened a sort of anteroom door, and

'That is well! Who would have looked to see him here!' cried Malcolm, joyously. 'What, you knew him not?

'Ralf Percy! he that was so bold and daring?' cried Lilias. 'Nay, but how can it be, he was as meek and

'As yourself,' smiled Malcolm. 'Ah, sister, you have much to learn of the ways of an English gentleman

Before many further words could be exchanged, there entered a fair and matronly dame in the widow's veil

she had worn ever since the fatal day of Shrewsburythat eager, loving, yet almost childish woman whom

we know so well as Hotspur's gentle Kate (only that unfortunately her name was Elizabeth); fondling,

teasing, being fondled and teased in return, and then with all her pretty puerilities scorched away when she

upbraids Northumberland with his fatal delay. Could Malcolm and Lilias have known her as we do in

Shakespeare, they would have been the more gratified by her welcome, whereas they only saw her kind face

and the courtly sweep of her curtsey, as, going straight up to the disguised girl, blushing and trembling now

more than ever, she said: 'Poor child, come with me, and we will soon have you yourself again, ere any other

eye see you;' and then moved away again, holding Lily by the hand, while Ralf, who had followed close

'Well done, Glenuskie; you have all the adventures! They seek you, I believe! So you have borne off your

'Ay, and you find us all here in full state, prepared to banquet him and lodge him and his bride for a night,

and then I fancy my brother is to go through some ceremony, ere giving him up to his own subjects. We are

''Twas a Scottish bill that brought me,' answered Ralf. 'What, are you too lost in parchment at Oxford to hear

'I heard of the battle, and that you were hurt, but that was months ago, and I deemed you long since in the

'Chiefly sore for that it hindered me from taking the old rogue Douglas, and meriting my spurs as befitted a

Percy. I was knighted while the trumpet was sounding, and I did think that I was on the way to prowess, for

fully in the melee I saw a fellow with the Douglas banner. I made at it, thinking of my father's and of

Otterburn; and, Malcolm, this very hand was on the staff, when what must a big Scot do but chop at me with

his bill like a butcher's axe. Had it fallen on mine arm it would have been lopped off like a bough of a tree,

but, by St. George's grace, it lit here, between my neck and shoulder, and stuck fast as I went down, and the

fellow was swept away from me. 'Twas so fixed in the very bone, that they had much ado to wrench it out,

when there was time after the fight to look after us who had come by the worse. And what d'ye think they

found, Malcolm? Why, those honest Yorkshiremen, Trenton and Kitson, stark dead, both of them. Trenton

must have gone down first, with a lance thrust in the throat; and there was Kitson over him, his shield over

his head, and his own cleft open with an axe! They laid them side by sideso I was toldin their grave; and

sure 'twas as strange and as true a brotherhood as ever was between two brave men.'

'The good fellows!' cried Malcolm. 'Nay, after what I saw I can hardly grieve. I went to Kitson's home, where

they knew as little as I did of his death, and verily his place had closed up behind him, so that I scarce think

his mother even cared to see him more, and the whole of them seemed more concerned at his amity with

Trenton than proud of his feats of arms. I was marvelling if their friendship would be allowed to subsist at

home, even when they, poor fellows, were lying side by side in their French grave.'

'We warriors should never come home,' said Percy; 'we are spoilt for aught but our French camp. I am

wearying to get back once more, but so long as I cannot swing my swordarm I must play the idler here.'

'It must have been a fearsome wound,' said Malcolm. 'The marvel is your overgetting it.'

'So say they all; and truly it has lasted no small time. They shipped me off home so soon as I could leave my

bed, and bade me rest. Nay, and my mother herself came even to London, when my brother was summoned

to Parliament,she who had never been there since the first year after she was wedded!'

''Tis not the kin, but this petty Border life, that frets me. Here we move from castle to castle, and now and

then come tidings of a cattle lifting, and Harry dons his helm and rides forth, but nine times out of ten 'tis a

false alarm, or if it be true, the thieves have made off, and being time of peace, he, as Warden, cannot make a

raid in return. I'm sick of the life, after the only warfare fit for a knight, with French nobles instead of Border

thieves; and back I will. If my right arm will not serve me, the left shall. I can use a lance indifferent well

As Sir Ralf Percy spoke, a buglecall rang through the castle. He started. 'Hark! that's the warder's horn,' and

'In less than half an hour. There's time to array yourself. I'll take you to my chamber.'

'Thanks,' said Malcolm; 'but this gown is no disguise to me. I had rather meet the King thus, for it is my

fitting garb. Only I would remove the soil of the journey, and then take my sister by the hand.'

For this there was ample time, and Malcolm had arranged his hair, and brushed away the dust from his gown,

washed his face and hands, and made himself look more like an Oxford bachelor, and less like a begging

clerk, than he had of late judged it prudent to appear, ere Ralf took him to the great hall, where he found Lord

Northumberland and the chief gentlemen of his household, with his mother, Lady Percy, and his young wife,

Malcolm was presented to, and kindly greeted by, each of the principal personages, and then the Earl, Sir

Ralf, and their officers went forth to meet the King at the gateway. Malcolm, however, at his sister's entreaty,

remained with her, for in the doubt whether Patrick were really at hand, and a fond unreasonable vexation

that he had had no part in her liberation, her colour was coming and going, and she looked as if she might

But when, marshalled by the two Percies, King James and Queen Joan had entered the hall, and the blare of

trumpets without and rejoicings within, and had been welcomed with deep reverences by the two ladies, Ralf

And standing aside, he made way for the two figures to stand forth, one in the plain black gown and hood, the

other in the rich robes of a highborn maiden, her dark eyes on the ground, her fair face quivering within

'Ha!' cried James, 'this is well indeed. Thou hast her, then, lad? See, Patrick! Where is he? Nay, but, fair wife,

I must present thee the first kinswoman of mine thou hast seen. How didst bring her off, Malcolm?' And he

embraced Malcolm with the ardour of a happy man, as he added, 'This is all that was wanting.'

Truly James looked as if nothing were wanting to his joy, as there he stood after his years of waiting, a

bridegroom, free, and on the borders of his native land. His eyes shone with joy, and there was a bright

energy and alacrity in his bearing that, when Malcolm bethought him of those former grave movements, and

the quiet demeanour as though only interested by an effort, marked the change from the captive to the free

man. And beautiful Joan, lovelier than ever, took on her her queenly dignity with all her wonted grace and

She warmly embraced Lilias, hailing her as cousin, and auguring joyously of the future from the sight of this

first Stewart maiden whom she had seen; and the next moment Patrick Drummond, hurrying forward, fell on

his knee before his lady, grasped, kissed, fondled her hand, and struggled and stammered between his

'Yea,' said the King 'it was wellnigh a madman whom you sent home to me, Malcolm. He was neither to

have nor to hold; and what he would have had me do, or have let him do, I'll not say, nor doth he know either.

The King did not ask for it then: he would not brook the exposure of the disunion and violence of Scotland to

the English, especially the Percies; and it was not till he could see Malcolm alone that he listened to his

'Cousin,' he said, 'you have done both bravely and discreetly. Methinks you have redeemed my pledge to your

good guardian that in the south you should be trained to true manhood; though I am free to own that 'twas not

under my charge that you had the best training. How is it to be, Malcolm? Patrick tells me you saw the Lady

'Ay, Sir, but neither her purpose nor mine is shaken. My lord, I believe I see how best to serve God and

yourself. If you will consent, I will finish my first course at Oxford, and then offer myself for the priesthood.'

'No, Sir. Methinks I could serve yonder rude people best if I were among them as a priest.'

James considered, then said: 'I pledged myself not to withstand your conscience, Malcolm; and though I

grieve that the lady should be lost, she has never wavered, and cannot be balked of her will. Godly and

learned priests will indeed be needed; and between you and James Kennedy, when both are come to elder

years, we may perchance lift our poor Scottish Church to some clearer sense of what a church should be.

Meanwhile' The King stopped and considered. 'Study in England! Ay! You see, Malcolm, I must take my

seat, and have the reins of my unruly steed firm in my hand, ere I take cognizance of these offences. The

caitiff Waltermansworn that he ishe shall abye it; but that can scarce be as yet, and methinks it were not

well that I entered Scotland with you and your sister at my side, for then must I seem to have overlooked an

offence that, by this holy relic, I will never pardon. So, Malcolm, instead of entering Scotland with

mebonnie land, how sweet its air blows from the north!ye must e'en turn south! But how to dispose of

'Poor Lily, she is weary of convents,' said Malcolm 'but if Lady Montagu would let her be with her and the

Lady Esclairmonde, then would she learn somewhat of the ways of a wellordered English noble house. And

'Well thought of! The gentle Lady Alice will no doubt welcome her,' said the King; 'and Patrick must endure.'

Thus then was it fixed. The King and Queen, stately and beautiful, royally robed, and mounted on splendid

steeds, were escorted the next morning to the Scottish gate of Berwick by Lord Northumberland and his

retinue, and they were met by an imposing band of Scottish nobles, with the whitehaired Earl of Lennox at

their head. To these the captive was formally surrendered by Northumberland; and James, flinging himself

from his horse, kissed his native soil, and gave thanks aloud to God, ere he stood up and received the homage

Malcolm and Lilias on the walls could see all, but could not hear, and finally beheld the glittering troop wind

their way over the hills to make ready for the coronation of James and Joan as king and queen of Scotland.

It was the 24th of May, 1425, when in the vaulted hall of the Castle of Stirling the nobles of Scotland were

convened to try, as the peers of the realm, men of rankno less than Murdoch, Duke of Albany, his sons

Walter and Alexander, the Earl of Lennox, and twentytwo other nobles, most of whom had been arraigned

in the Parliament of Perth two months previously, and had been shut up in different castles. Robert Stewart

had escaped to the Highlands; and Walterwho had neither been at the Coronation of Scone, nor at the

Parliament of Perth, nor indeed had ever bowed his pride so as to present himself to the King at allhad

been separately arrested, and shut up for two months in the strong castle on the Bass Rock.

The charge was termed treason and violence; and assuredly there had been perpetual acts of spoil and

barbarous infractions of the law by men who deemed themselves above all law. The only curiosity was, for

which of these acts they were to be tried, and this affected many of their judges likewise; for there was hardly

a man in that court who was not conscious of some deed that would not exactly bear to be set beside the code

of Scotland, and who had not been in the habit of regarding those laws as all very well for burghers, but not

There, on seats behind the throne, sat the twentyone jurors, Earl Douglas among thema new earl, for the

grim old Archibald had died in the battle of Verneuil some months before. Angus, March, and Mar, and all

the most powerful names in Scotland, were there; and upon his throne, in regal robes of crimson and ermine,

the crown upon his brow, the sceptre in his hand, the sword of state held before him, sat King James, the most

magnificentlooking king then reigning in Europe, but with the sternest, saddest, most resolute of

countenances, as one unalterably fixed upon the terrible duty of not bearing the sword in vain. Something of

Henry's avengingangel look seemed to have passed into his face, but with far more of melancholy weight.

Walter Stewart was led into the court. He too was a man of lofty stature and princely bearing, and his grand

Stewart features were set in an expression of easy nonchalance and scorn; aware as he was that of whatever

he might be accused, there were few of his judges that did not share the guilt, and moreover persuaded that

this was a mere ceremony, and that the King would never dare to go beyond this futile attempt to overawe

him. He stood alonehis father and the others were reserved for another trial; and as, richly arrayed, he

stood opposite to the jury, gazing fixedly first at one, then at the other, as though challenging their right to sit

'Walter Stewart of Albany, Earl of Fife,' proclaimed the crier's voice. 'You stand here arraigned of murder and

'At the suit of Malcolm and Lilias Stewart of Glenuskie; and of Patrick Drummond of the Braes,' returned the

crier, an ecclesiastic, as were all lawyers; and at the same moment three figures came forward, namely, a tall

knightly gentleman with gold chain and spurs, a lady whose veil disclosed a blushing darkeyed face, and a

slender youth of deep and earnest countenance. 'At the suit of these here present you stand arraigned, Sir

Walter Stewart of Albany, for having feloniously, and of malice aforethought, on the Eve of the Annunciation

of our Lady, of the year of grace 1421, set upon the said Malcolm and Lilias Stewart, Sir David Drummond

of the Braes, Tutor of Glenuskie, and divers other persons, on the muir of Hetherfield; and having there

cruelly and maliciously wounded the said David of the Braes to the death; and of having forcibly stolen and

The crier was not permitted to proceed, for Walter Stewart broke forth, passionately addressing the jurors. 'So

this is all that can be found to be laid against me. This is the way that matters of five years back are raked up

to vex the princes and nobles of Scotland. I am sorry for you, lords and gentlemen, if this is the way that

vexatious are to be stirred up against those who have defended their country so long.'

'Accusation, forsooth!' said Walter Stewart scornfully. 'Who dares to bear witness, if I DID maintain my

'Sir Walter,' said the King, 'you would have done better to have waited and heard the whole indictment ere

answering one charge. But since you demand who will dare to bear witness in this matter of the murder of Sir

David Drummond of the Braes, and of the seizure of the Lady Lilias, here is one.'

So saying, and rising as he spoke, he held forth the reliquary that hung from a chain round his neck, keeping

That face, as he first had stood up, expressed the utmost amazement, and this gradually, under the lion glance,

became more and more of dismay, quailing, collapsing visibly under the passionless gravity of that look.

Even the tall form seemed to shrink, the eyes dilated, the brows drew closer together, and the chest seemed to

pant, as the relic was held forth. There was a dead silence throughout the court as the King ceased to speak;

'Was it you?was it your own self, my lord?' he stammered forth at last, in the tone of one stricken.

'Yea, Walter Stewart. To me it was, and on this holy relic, that you made oath to abstain from all further spoil

and violence until the King should come again in peace. How that oath has been kept the further indictments

'And therefore that the oath to a heavenly saint would better bear breaking than one to an earthly sinner,'

The roll continueda long and terrible record of violence and cruelty; the private warfare of the lawless

young prince, the crimes of reckless barbarity and of savage passiona deadly roll, in which indeed even the

No lack of witnesses were there to prove deeds that had been done in the open face of day, in utter

fearlessness of earthly justice, and defiance of Heaven. The defence that the prisoner seemed to have been

prepared to us?that those who sat to judge him had shared in his offences, and his daring power of

browbeating them, as he had so often done before, as son of the man who sat in the King's seathad utterly

failed him now. He was mute; and the forms of the trial were gone through as of one whose doom was

already sealed, but who must receive his sentence according to the strictest form of law, lest the just reward

of his deeds should partake of their own violence. By the end of the day the jurors had found Walter Stewart

guilty; and the doomster, a blackrobed clerk, rising up, pronounced the sentence that condemned Walter

Even then no one believed that the doom would be inflicted. Royal blood had never flowed beneath the

headsman's axe; and it would have been infinitely more congenial to Scottish feelings if the King had sent a

party of menatarms to fall on the Master in the high road, and cut him off, or had burnt him alive in his

castle. The verdict 'served him right' would have been universally returned, and rejoiced in; but a regular trial

of a man of such birth was unheard of, and shocking to the feelings even of those whom that irresistible force

of the King's had compelled to sit in judgment upon him. No one could avow it face to face with the King;

Duke Murdoch, his son Alexander, and his fatherinlaw Lennox, were tried the next day, and many a deed

of dark treason was laid to their charge. The Earl of Lennox had been the scourge of Scotland for more than

half the eighty years of his life, but his extreme age might have excited some pity; Murdoch had erred rather

negatively than positively; and Alexander, ruffian as he was, had been bred to nothing better. Each had

deserved the utmost penalty of the law again and again, and yet there did seem more scope for mercy in their

'I know what you would say, lad. Lennox is old, and Alexander is young, and Albany is a fool; and Walter

has injured you, so you are bound to speak for him. Take it all as said. But these are the men who have been

foremost in making our country a desert! Did I pardon them, with what face could I ever make any man

suffer for crime? And, in the state of this land, ruth to the guilty high would be treason to the sackless low.'

So Stirling saw the unprecedented sight of three generations suffering for their crimes upon the same

scaffoldthe whitehaired Lennox, the Duke of Albany in the prime of life, Walter in the flush and strength

of early manhood, Alexander in the bloom of youth. They all met their fate undauntedly; for if Murdoch's

heart in any measure failed him, he was afraid to give way in presence of the proud bold Walter, who

maintained an iron rigidity of demeanour with the wild fortitude of a Red Indian at the stake, and in like

manner could by no means comprehend that King James acted from any motive save malice, for having been

so long kept out of his kingdom. 'It was his turn now,' said poor Murdoch, even when most desirous of

bringing himself to die in a state of Christian forgiveness; nor could any power on earth show any of the

Thus it was with the whole country; and when the four majestic looking men stood bareheaded on the

scaffold, in view even of their own fair towers of Doune, and one by one bowed their heads on the block,

perverse Scottish nature broke out into pity for their fate, and wrath against the King, who could thus turn

On that same day Malcolm received Esclairmonde's token, there being at present full peace with England,

and set forth on her summons. He met her at Pontefract, where she was residing with the Dowager Queen

Joan of Navarre, Alice of Salisbury having been summoned to return to her husband in France.

There then it was that Malcolm and Esclairmonde, in presence of the chaplain, gave each other back the

rings, and therewith their troth to wed none other, and were once more declared free.

Esclairmonde held out her hand to Malcolm, saying, 'The thanks I owe you, Sir, are beyond what tongue can

And Malcolm, with his knee to the ground, pressing for the last time that fair hand, said, 'The thanks, lady,

are mine. Had you been one whit lower in aims or in constancy, what had I been? You were my light of the

world, but to light me to seek that higher Light that shone forth in you, and which may I show truly to the

darkened spirits of my countrymen! Lady, you will permit me to take to myself the ring you have worn so

Such was their parting, when the one went forth to her tasks of charity among the poor in London, the other

to divest himself of land and lordship on behalf of his sister and her husband, and then to begin his task in the

priesthood, of trying to hold up the true Light to hearts darkened by many an age of crime and ignorance.

Lived very happy ever after! Yes, we would fain always leave the creatures with whom our thoughts have

been busy in such felicity; but when we have linked them with real events, the sense of the veritable course of

history reminds us that we cannot even suppose beings possible in real life without endowing them with the

common lot of humanity; and the personages of our tale lived in a time of more than ordinary reverse and

Yet Sir Patrick Drummond and Lilias his wife, the Lord and Lady of Glenuskie, nearly did fulfil these

conditions. They had not feelings beyond their age, but they were good specimens of that age, and they did

their duty in it; he as a trustworthy noble, ready to aid in council or war, and she as the beneficent dame,

bringing piety and charity to heal the sufferings of her vassals and serfs. His hand was strong enough to repel

the attacks of his foes; her intelligence, backed by Malcolm's counsel, introduced improvements; and the little

ravine of Glenuskie was a happy valley of peace and prosperity for many years among the convulsions of

Nor was Esclairmonde de Luxemburg's life in the Hospital of St. Katharine otherwise than the holy and

beneficent career that she had always longed forworshipping in the fair church, and going forth from

thence 'into the streets and lanes of the city,' to fulfil Queen Philippa's pious behest, to seek out the suffering

and the ignorant, and to tend and instruct them. The tall form and beautiful countenance of Sister Clare were

loved and reverenced as those of an angel messenger among the high houses and courts that closed in on the

banks of the Thames; and while Luxemburgs in France and Flanders intrigued and fought, plotted and fell,

their kinswoman's days passed by in busy almsdeeds and ever loftier devotion, till those who watched her

steps felt that she was verily a light of the world, manifesting forth the true Light in many a dark place.

And her light of sympathy shone upon many an old friend both in joy and in grief. When the dissensions of

Gloucester and Beaufort had summoned Bedford to England to endeavour to appease their strife, his

Burgundian Duchess sought out her early friend, and Esclairmonde saw her gentle companion, the Lady

Anne, fulfilling her daily task of mediation, and living a life, not indeed very sunshiny, but full of all that

esteem and respect could give her, and of calm gratitude and affection, although Anne, like all others,

believed that John of Bedford's heart had been buried in his brother's grave, and that of youthful love he had

none to give. His whole soul was absorbed in his care for the welfare of the pale, gentle, dreamy, inanimate

boy, who, from his very meekness and docility, gave so little promise of representing the father whose name

The loving Alice of Montagu, though the mother of many a bold boy and girl, and busy with all the cares of

the great Nevil household, regarded as the chief delight in a journey to court the sight of her dear Sister Clare.

It was to Sister Clare that Alice turned for comfort when her brave old father died at the siege of Orleans; and

it was while daily soothing and ministering to her sorrow that Esclairmonde heard the strange wild tales of

the terrible witch maiden who had appeared on behalf of the French, and turned whole English armies to

flight, by power that the French declared to come from the saints, but which the English never doubted to be

infernal. Maimed and wounded soldiers, whom Esclairmonde relieved and tended as they returned from lost

battles, gave her fearful accounts of the panic that La Pucelle inspired. Even the hardy veteran, Sir John

Fastolfe, had not been able to withstand her spells, but had fled from the field of Jergeau, where gallant Sir

Ralf Percy had died, in a vain attempt to gather the men to resist the irresistible maiden. His groom, who had

succumbed for a time to wounds and weakness on his way home to Alnwick, was touched by the warmth and

emotion with which the kind bedeswoman listened to his lamentation over the good and loyal knight, whom

she pictured to herself resisting the enchantress's dread power as dauntlessly as he had defied the phantoms of

No whisper ever reached Esclairmonde that the terrible Pucelle was a maiden as pure and highsouled as

herself. All that she heard more was that this terror of the English and Burgundians was taken, imprisoned for

a time by her own Luxemburg kindred, and then carried to Rouen, where the kind Duchess Anne of Bedford

did her best to persuade her to overcome the superstition that kept her in male garments, thus greatly tending

to increase the belief in her connection with the powers of evil. French and Burgundian bishops, and even the

University of Paris, were the judges of the maiden; and the dastard prince she had crowned never stirred a

finger nor uttered a protest in her behalf. Bedford, always disposed to belief in witchcraft, acquiesced in the

decision of Churchmen, which was therefore called the judgment of the Church; but when he removed

himself and his duchess from Rouen, and left the conduct of the matter to the sterner and harder Beauchamp,

Earl of Warwick, it was with little thought that aftergenerations would load his memory with the fate of

Jeanne d'Arc, as though her sufferings had proceeded from his individual malice.

Esclairmonde never saw Bedford again, and only heard through Alice, now Countess of Salisbury, how when

good Duchess Anne was dead, and her gentle influence removed, Burgundy's disinclination to the English

cause was no longer balanced; and how Bedford, perplexed, disheartened, broken in health, but still earnest to

propitiate friends for his helpless nephew, had listened to the wily whisper of the Bishop of Therouenne, that

his niece, Jaquette, would secure the devotion of the Count de St. Pol, and that she was moreover like unto

How like, Esclairmonde could judge, when her kinswoman, widowed in her eighteenth year, at six months'

end, came to London to claim her dower. Never, since her days of wandering and anxiety, had Esclairmonde

felt such pain as when she perceived how little store the thoughtless girl had set by the great and noble spirit

that had been quenched under the load of toil and care with which it had battled for thirteen long years.

Faithful, greathearted Bedford, striving to uphold a losing cause, to reconcile selfish contentions, to retain

conquests that, though unjustly made, he had no power to relinquish; and all without one trustworthy relation,

with friends and fellowwarriors dying, disputing, betraying, or deserting, his was as selfdevoted and as

mournful a career as ever was run by any prince at any age of the world; and while he slept in his grave at

Rouen, that grave which even Louis XI. respected, Esclairmonde, as, like a true bedeswoman of St.

Katharine, she joined in the orisons for the repose of the souls of the royal kindred, never heard the name of

the Lord John without a throb of prayer, and a throb too that warmed her heart with tenderness.

It was some four years later, and the even tenor of Sister Clare's course had only been interrupted by her

kinswoman, Jaquette, making her way to her to confess her marriage with Richard Wydville, and to entreat

her intercession with the Luxemburg family; when one summer night she was called on to attend a pilgrim

priest from the Holy Land, who had been landed from a Flemish vessel, and lay dangerously sick at the

'God's house,' or hospital, by the river side. He was thought by his accent to be foreign, and Sister Clare was

As she stood by his bedside, she beheld a man of middle age, but wasted with sickness, and with a certain

strange look of horror so imprinted on his brow, that even as he lay asleep, though his mouth was grave and

peaceful, the lines were still there, and the locks that hung from around his tonsure were of a whiteness that

scarce accorded with the features. It was a face that Esclairmonde could not look at without waking strange

memories; but it was not till the sleeper awakened, opened two dark eyes, gazed on her with dreamy doubtful

wonder, and then clasped his hands with the murmured thanksgiving, 'My God, hast Thou granted me this?

Malcolm Stewart it verily was. Canon Malcolm Stewart of Dunkeld was his proper title, for he had, as she

knew, long ceased to be Lord of Glenuskie. It was not at first that she knew how he had been brought where

she now saw him; but after some few days of her tender care and skilful leechcraft, he somewhat rallied, and

He had had a time of happy labour in Scotland, fully carrying out the designs with which he and his cousin

James Kennedy had taken upon them the ministry. Their own birth, and the appointments their King gave

them, so soon as their age permitted, made them able to exert an influence that told upon the rude and

unenlightened clergy around. It had been almost a mission of conversion, to awaken a spirit of Christianity in

the country, that had so long been a prey to anarchy. The King's declaration, 'I will make the key keep the

castle, and the brackenbush keep the cow, though I live the life of a dog to bring it about,' had been the

moving spring of their lives. James had fought hour by hour with the foul habits of lawlessness, savagery,

and violence, that had hitherto been absolutely unchecked; and while he strove with the sword of justice, the

two young priests worked within the Word of truth, to implant some sense of conscience in the neglected

It had been a life of constant exertion, but full of hope and cheerfulness. Amid that rude country, James's own

home was always a bright spot of peace, sunshine, and refinement. With his beloved queen, and their fair

little brood of children, the King cast aside his cares, and was all, and more than all, he had been as the

ornament of Henry's Court. There all that was sweet, innocent, and beautiful was to be found; and there

Malcolm, his royal kinsman's confidant, counsellor, and chaplain, was always welcome as one of the home

circle and family, till he broke away from such delights to labour in his task of reviving religion in the land.

A little band of men were gathering round, clergy awakening from their sloth or worldliness, young nobles

who began to see what chivalry meant, burghers who rejoiced in order; and hope and encouragement

But, alas! there were those who deemed James's justice on the savage prince and noble mere sacrilege on

high blood, and who absolutely hated and loathed peace and order. Those thirteen years of cheerful progress

ended in that murder so unspeakably horrible in all its circumstances, which almost merits the name of a

martyrdom to right and justice. Malcolm so shuddered when he did but touch on it, and was so rent with

agitation, that Esclairmonde perceived that when his beloved King had perished, he had indeed received the

He had been actually in the Abbey of Perth; and had been one of those who lifted the mangled corpse from

the vault, and sought in vain for a remnant of life, if but to grant the absolution, for which the victim had so

piteously besought his murderers. No wonder that Fastern's E'en had whitened Malcolm's hair!

But when the assassins were captured, and Joan of Beaufort was resolved that their death should be as

atrocious as their crime, it was Malcolm who strove to bend her to forgiveness. He bade her recollect King

Henry, and how, when dealing with that cruel monster, the Castellane of Meaux, he had merely required

death, without enhancing the agony; but Joan, in her rage and misery, had left the Englishwoman behind her,

and was implacable. All that human cruelty could invent was to be the lot of Robert Graham and his

associates; and whereas they had granted no priest to their victim, none should be granted to them.

And then it was that all Malcolm had learnt of the true spirit of the Christian triumphednot only over the

dark Keltic spirit of revenge, but over the shuddering of a tender and pitiful nature. Where no other priest

durst venture, he went. Through all the frightful and protracted sufferings of Athol, Graham, Hall, and the

rest, it was Malcolm Stewart who, never flinching, prayed with and for them; gathered their agonized sobs of

confession, or strove to soften their hardness; spoke the words of absolution, and commended their departing

When he awoke from the long unconsciousness and delirium that ensued upon the force he had put on

himself, he found himself tended by his sister at Glenuskie. Patrick Drummond had transported him thither;

finding that the angry Queen, in the madness of her vindictiveness, was wellnigh disposed to connect him

with the treasonable designs of Athol and Graham. He slowly and partially recovered, but his influence was

gone; the Queen would not brook the sound of his name, the little king was beyond his reach, James Kennedy

was biding his time, and the country was returned to its state of misrule and violence, wherein an individual

priest could do little: yet Malcolm would have held by his post, had not his health been so utterly shattered

that he was incapable of the work he had hitherto done, as a confessor and a preacher. And therefore, as the

state of his beloved King, 'sent to his account unhouselled, disappointed, unannealed,' hung heavy on his

mind, he determined, so soon as he was in any degree convalescent, to set forth on pilgrimage to Jerusalem,

the object of so many dreams of King Henry; there to offer masses and prayers for the welfare of his departed

prince, as well as of the unhappy murderers, and for the country in its distracted condition.

And there, at the Holy Sepulchre, had Malcolm, in the fervour of his heart, offered the greatest treasure he

possessednay, the only one that he still really cared fornamely his betrothal ring, which Esclairmonde

had worn for so long and had returned to him. As a priest, he had deemed that it was not unlawful for him to

retain the memorial of the link that had bound him to her who had been the light that led him to the true Light

beyond; but as youth passed away, as devotion burned brighter, as the experiences of those years became

more dreamlike, and the horror, grief, and misery of his King's death had been assuaged only by the steadier

contemplation of the Light of Eternity, he had felt that this last pledge of his once lower aims and hopes

ought to be resigned; and that if it cost him a pang, it was well that it should be so, to render the offering a

sacrifice. So the ring that had once been Esclairmonde's protection was laid on the altar of the Holy Tomb.

There Malcolm had wellnigh died, under the influences of agitation, fatigue, and climate; but he had revived

enough to set out on his return from his pilgrimage, and had made his way tardily and wearily, losing his

attendants through death and desertion on the road; and passing from one religious house to another, as his

strength and nearly exhausted means served him. Unable to find any vessel bound for Leith, he had taken

ship for London; concealing his quality, lest, in the always probable contingency of a war, it might lead to his

being made prisoner; and thus he had arrived, sick indeed unto death, but peaceful, rejoicing, and hopeful.

'Sister,' he said, 'the morn that I had offered my ring, I was feeble and faint; and when I knelt on before the

altar in continued prayer I know not whether I slept or whether it were a vision, but it was to me as though

I were again on the river, and again the hymn of Bernard of Morlaix was sung around and above me, by the

voice I never thought to hear again. I looked up, and behold it was I that was in the boatmy King was there

no more. Nay, he stood on the shore, and his eyes beamed on me; while the ghastly wounds that I once strove

in anguish to staunch shone out like a ruby cross on his breastthe hands, that were so sorely gashed, were

to me as though marked by the impress of the Sacred Wounds. He spake not; but by his side stood King

Henry, beautiful and spiritlike, and smiled on me, and seemed as though he pointed to the wounds, as he

said, "Blessed is the king who died by his people's hand, for withstanding his people's sin! Blessed is every

'Then methought they held out their arms to me; and I would have come to them on their shore of rest, but the

river bore me awayand I looked up, to find I was as yet only in the earthly Jerusalem; but I watch for them

{6} Telephus and Peleus, when both are poor and exiled, dismiss boasting and sixfoot words.