Chapter 22 - Page 2

sufficient that
doors and bridges were to be opened and lowered; there was,
besides, an escort to get under arms, who, on foot or horseback as
the case might require, attended for the security of the Lady
Eveline's person. Without this military attendance they could not
in safety move even so far as the mills, where honest Wilkln
Flammock, his warlike deeds forgotten, was occupied with his
mechanical labours. But if a farther disport was intended, and the
Lady of the Garde Doloureuse proposed to hunt or hawk for a few
hours, her safety was not confided to a guard so feeble as the
garrison of the castle might afford. It was necessary that Raoul
should announce her purpose to Damian by a special messenger
despatched the evening before, that there might be time before
daybreak to scour, with a body of light cavalry, the region in
which she intended to take her pleasure; and sentinels were placed
in all suspicious places while she continued in the field. In
truth, she tried, upon one or two occasions, to make an excursion,
without any formal annunciation of her intention; but all her
purposes seemed to be known to Damian as soon as they were formed,
and she was no sooner abroad than parties of archers and spearmen
from his camp were seen scouring the valleys, and guarding the
mountain-pass, and Damian's own, plume was usually beheld
conspicuous among the distant soldiers.

The formality of these preparations so much allayed the pleasure
derived from the sport, that Eveline seldom resorted to amusement
which was attended with such bustle, and put in motion so many
persons.

The day being worn out as it best might, in the evening Father
Aldrovand was wont to read out of some holy legend, or from the
homilies of some departed saint, such passages as he deemed fit
for the hearing of his little congregation. Sometimes also he read
and expounded a chapter of the Holy Scripture; but in such cases,
the good man's attention was so strangely turned to the military
part of the Jewish history, that he was never able to quit the
books of Judges and of Kings, together with the triumphs of Judas
Maccabeus; although the manner in which he illustrated the
victories of the children of Israel was much more amusing to
himself than edifying to his female audience.

Sometimes, but rarely, Rose obtained permission for a strolling
minstrel to entertain an hour with his ditty of love and chivalry;
sometimes a pilgrim from a distant shrine, repaid by long tales of
the wonders which he had seen in other lands, the hospitality
which the Garde Doloureuse afforded; and sometimes also it
happened, that the interest and intercession of the tiring-woman
obtained admission for travelling merchants, or pedlars,