The Abbot

  Chapter the Fourth.

  Amid their cups that freely flow'd, Their revelry and mirth, A youthful lord tax'd Valentine With base and doubtful birth. VALENTINE AND ORSON.

  When Roland Graeme was a youth about seventeen years of age, hechanced one summer morning to descend to the mew in which Sir HalbertGlendinning kept his hawks, in order to superintend the training of aneyas, or young hawk, which he himself, at the imminent risk of neck andlimbs, had taken from the celebrated eyry in the neighborhood, calledGledscraig. As he was by no means satisfied with the attention which hadbeen bestowed on his favourite bird, he was not slack in testifying hisdispleasure to the falconer's lad, whose duty it was to have attendedupon it.

  "What, ho! sir knave," exclaimed Roland, "is it thus you feed theeyas with unwashed meat, as if you were gorging the foul brancher of aworthless hoodie-crow? by the mass, and thou hast neglected its castingsalso for these two days! Think'st thou I ventured my neck to bring thebird down from the crag, that thou shouldst spoil him by thy neglect?"And to add force to his remonstrances, he conferred a cuff or two on thenegligent attendant of the hawks, who, shouting rather louder than wasnecessary under all the circumstances, brought the master falconer tohis assistance.

  Adam Woodcock, the falconer of Avenel, was an Englishman by birth, butso long in the service of Glendinning, that he had lost much of hisnotional attachment in that which he had formed to his master. He wasa favourite in his department, jealous and conceited of his skill, asmasters of the game usually are; for the rest of his character he wasa jester and a parcel poet, (qualities which by no means abated hisnatural conceit,) a jolly fellow, who, though a sound Protestant, loveda flagon of ale better than a long sermon, a stout man of his handswhen need required, true to his master, and a little presuming on hisinterest with him.

  Adam Woodcock, such as we have described him, by no means relished thefreedom used by young Graeme, in chastising his assistant. "Hey, hey,my Lady's page," said he, stepping between his own boy and Roland, "fairand softly, an it like your gilt jacket--hands off is fair play--if myboy has done amiss, I can beat him myself, and then you may keep yourhands soft."

  "I will beat him and thee too," answered Roland, without hesitation, "anyou look not better after your business. See how the bird is cast awaybetween you. I found the careless lurdane feeding him with unwashedflesh, and she an eyas." [Footnote: There is a difference amongstauthorities how long the nestling hawk should be fed with flesh whichhas previously been washed.]

  "Go to," said the falconer, "thou art but an eyas thyself, childRoland.--What knowest thou of feeding? I say that the eyas should haveher meat unwashed, until she becomes a brancher--'twere the ready wayto give her the frounce, to wash her meat sooner, and so knows every onewho knows a gled from a falcon."

  "It is thine own laziness, thou false English blood, that dost nothingbut drink and sleep," retorted the page, "and leaves that lither lad todo the work, which he minds as little as thou."

  "And am I so idle then," said the falconer, "that have three cast ofhawks to look after, at perch and mew, and to fly them in the fieldto boot?--and is my Lady's page so busy a man that he must take meup short?--and am I of false English blood?--I marvel what blood thouart--neither Englander nor Scot--fish nor flesh--a bastard from theDebateable Land, without either kith, kin, or ally!--Marry, out uponthee, foul kite, that would fain be a tercel gentle!"

  The reply to this sarcasm was a box on the ear, so well applied, that itoverthrew the falconer into the cistern in which water was kept forthe benefit of the hawks. Up started Adam Woodcock, his wrath no wayappeased by the cold immersion, and seizing on a truncheon which stoodby, would have soon requited the injury he had received, had not Rolandlaid his hand on his poniard, and sworn by all that was sacred, thatif he offered a stroke towards him, he would sheath the blade in hisbowels. The noise was now so great, that more than one of the householdcame in, and amongst others the major-domo, a grave personage, alreadymentioned, whose gold chain and white wand intimated his authority.At the appearance of this dignitary, the strife was for the presentappeased. He embraced, however, so favourable an opportunity, to readRoland Graeme a shrewd lecture on the impropriety of his deportment tohis fellow-menials, and to assure him, that, should he communicate thisfray to his master, (who, though now on one of his frequent expeditions,was speedily expected to return,) which but for respect to his Lady hewould most certainly do, the residence of the culprit in the Castle ofAvenel would be but of brief duration. "But, however," added the prudentmaster of the household, "I will report the matter first to my Lady."

  "Very just, very right, Master Wingate," exclaimed several voicestogether; "my Lady will consider if daggers, are to be drawn on us forevery idle word, and whether we are to live in a well-ordered household,where there is the fear of God, or amidst drawn dirks and sharp knives."

  The object of this general resentment darted an angry glance around him,and suppressing with difficulty the desire which urged him to replyin furious or in contemptuous language, returned his dagger into hisscabbard, looked disdainfully around upon the assembled menials, turnedshort upon his heel, and pushing aside those who stood betwixt him andthe door, left the apartment.

  "This will be no tree for my nest," said the falconer, "if thiscock-sparrow is to crow over us as he seems to do."

  "He struck me with his switch yesterday," said one of the grooms,"because the tail of his worship's gelding was not trimmed altogether soas suited his humour."

  "And I promise you," said the laundress, "my young master will sticknothing to call an honest woman slut and quean, if there be but a speckof soot upon his band-collar."

  "If Master Wingate do not his errand to my Lady," was the generalresult, "there will be no tarrying in the same house with RolandGraeme."

  The master of the household heard them all for some time, and then,motioning for universal silence, he addressed them with all thedignity of Malvolio himself.--"My masters,--not forgetting you, mymistresses,--do not think the worse of me that I proceed with as muchcare as haste in this matter. Our master is a gallant knight, and willhave his sway at home and abroad, in wood and field, in hall and bower,as the saying is. Our Lady, my benison upon her, is also a noble personof long descent, and rightful heir of this place and barony, and shealso loves her will; as for that matter, show me the woman who dothnot. Now, she hath favoured, doth favour, and will favour, thisjack-an-ape,--for what good part about him I know not, save that as onenoble lady will love a messan dog, and another a screaming popinjay,and a third a Barbary ape, so doth it please our noble dame to set heraffections upon this stray elf of a page, for nought that I can thinkof, save that she--was the cause of his being saved (the more's thepity) from drowning." And here Master Wingate made a pause.

  "I would have been his caution for a gray groat against salt water orfresh," said Roland's adversary, the falconer; "marry, if he crack not arope for stabbing or for snatching, I will be content never to hood hawkagain."

  "Peace, Adam Woodcock," said Wingate, waving his hand; "I prithee, peaceman--Now, my Lady liking this springald, as aforesaid, differs thereinfrom my Lord, who loves never a bone in his skin. Now, is it for me tostir up strife betwixt them, and put as'twere my finger betwixt the barkand the tree, on account of a pragmatical youngster, whom, nevertheless,I would willingly see whipped forth of the barony? Have patience, andthis boil will break without our meddling. I have been in service sinceI wore a beard on my chin, till now that that beard is turned gray, andI have seldom known any one better themselves, even by taking the lady'spart against the lord's; but never one who did not dirk himself, if hetook the lord's against the lady's."

  "And so," said Lilias, "we are to be crowed over, every one of us, menand women, cock and hen, by this little upstart?--I will try titles withhim first, I promise you.--I fancy, Master Wingate, for as wise as youlook, you will be pleased to tell what you have seen to-day, if my ladycommands you?"

  "To speak the trut
h when my lady commands me," answered the prudentialmajor-domo, "is in some measure my duty, Mistress Lilias; alwaysproviding for and excepting those cases in which it cannot bespoken without breeding mischief and inconvenience to myself or myfellow-servants; for the tongue of a tale-bearer breaketh bones as wellas Jeddart-staff." [Footnote: A species of battle-axe, so called asbeing in especial use in that ancient burgh, whose armorial bearingstill represent an armed horseman brandishing such a weapon.]

  "But this imp of Satan is none of your friends or fellow-servants," saidLilias; "and I trust you mean not to stand up for him against the wholefamily besides?"

  "Credit me, Mrs. Lilias," replied the senior, "should I see the timefitting, I would, with right good-will give him a lick with the roughside of my tongue."

  "Enough said, Master Wingate," answered Lilias; "then trust me his songshall soon be laid. If my mistress does not ask me what is the matterbelow stairs before she be ten minutes of time older, she is no bornwoman, and my name is not Lilias Bradbourne."

  In pursuance of her plan, Mistress Lilias failed not to present herselfbefore her mistress with all the exterior of one who is possessed ofan important secret,--that is, she had the corners of her mouth turneddown, her eyes raised up, her lips pressed as fast together as if theyhad been sewed up, to prevent her babbling, and an air of prim mysticalimportance diffused over her whole person and demeanour, which seemed tointimate, "I know something which I am resolved not to tell you!"

  Lilias had rightly read her mistress's temper, who, wise and good asshe was, was yet a daughter of grandame Eve, and could not witness thismysterious bearing on the part of her waiting-woman without longing toascertain the secret cause. For a space, Mrs. Lilias was obdurate to allinquiries, sighed, turned her eyes up higher yet to heaven, hoped forthe best, but had nothing particular to communicate. All this, as wasmost natural and proper, only stimulated the Lady's curiosity;neither was her importunity to be parried with,--"Thank God, I am nomakebate--no tale-bearer,--thank God, I never envied any one's favour,or was anxious to propale their misdemeanour-only, thank God, there hasbeen no bloodshed and murder in the house--that is all."

  "Bloodshed and murder!" exclaimed the Lady, "what does the queanmean?--if you speak not plain out, you shall have something you willscarce be thankful for."

  "Nay, my Lady," answered Lilias, eager to disburden her mind, or, in,Chaucer's phrase, to "unbuckle her mail," "if you bid me speak outthe truth, you must not be moved with what might displease you--RolandGraeme has dirked Adam Woodstock--that is all."

  "Good Heaven!" said the Lady, turning pale as ashes, "is the man slain?"

  "No, madam," replied Lilias, "but slain he would have been, if therehad not been ready help; but may be, it is your Ladyship's pleasure thatthis young esquire shall poniard the servants, as well as switch andbaton them."

  "Go to, minion," said the Lady, "you are saucy-tell the master of thehousehold to attend me instantly."

  Lilias hastened to seek out Mr. Wingate, and hurry him to his lady'spresence, speaking as a word in season to him on the way, "I have setthe stone a-trowling, look that you do not let it stand still."

  The steward, too prudential a person to commit himself otherwise,answered by a sly look and a nod of intelligence, and presently afterstood in the presence of the Lady of Avenel, with a look of greatrespect for his lady, partly real, partly affected, and an air of greatsagacity, which inferred no ordinary conceit of himself.

  "How is this, Wingate," said the Lady, "and what rule do you keep in thecastle, that the domestics of Sir Halbert Glendinning draw the dagger oneach other, as in a cavern of thieves and murderers?--is the wounded manmuch hurt? and what--what hath become of the unhappy boy?"

  "There is no one wounded as yet, madam," replied he of the golden chain;"it passes my poor skill to say how many may be wounded before Pasche,[Footnote: Easter.] if some rule be not taken with this youth--not butthe youth is a fair youth," he added, correcting himself, "and able athis exercise; but somewhat too ready with the ends of his fingers, thebutt of his riding-switch, and the point of his dagger."

  "And whose fault is that," said the Lady, "but yours, who should havetaught him better discipline, than to brawl or to draw his dagger."

  "If it please your Ladyship so to impose the blame on me," answered thesteward, "it is my part, doubtless, to bear it--only I submit to yourconsideration, that unless I nailed his weapon to the scabbard, I couldno more keep it still, than I could fix quicksilver, which defied eventhe skill of Raymond Lullius."

  "Tell me not of Raymond Lullius," said the Lady, losing patience, "butsend me the chaplain hither. You grow all of you too wise for me, duringyour lord's long and repeated absences. I would to God his affairs wouldpermit him to remain at home and rule his own household, for it passesmy wit and skill!"

  "God forbid, my Lady!" said the old domestic, "that you should sincerelythink what you are now pleased to say: your old servants might wellhope, that after so many years' duty, you would do their service morejustice than to distrust their gray hairs, because they cannot rule thepeevish humour of a green head, which the owner carries, it may be, abrace of inches higher than becomes him."

  "Leave me," said the Lady; "Sir Halbert's return must now be expecteddaily, and he will look into these matters himself--leave me, I say,Wingate, without saying more of it. I know you are honest, and I believethe boy is petulant; and yet I think it is my favour which hath set allof you against him."

  The steward bowed and retired, after having been silenced in a secondattempt to explain the motives on which he acted.

  The chaplain arrived; but neither from him did the Lady receive muchcomfort. On the contrary, she found him disposed, in plain terms, tolay to the door of her indulgence all the disturbances which the fierytemper of Roland Graeme had already occasioned, or might hereafteroccasion, in the family. "I would," he said, "honoured Lady, that youhad deigned to be ruled by me in the outset of this matter, sith it iseasy to stem evil in the fountain, but hard to struggle against it inthe stream. You, honoured madam, (a word which I do not use according tothe vain forms of this world, but because I have ever loved and honouredyou as an honourable and elect lady,)--you, I say, madam, have beenpleased, contrary to my poor but earnest counsel, to raise this boy fromhis station, into one approaching to your own."

  "What mean you, reverend sir?" said the Lady; "I have made this youtha page--is there aught in my doing so that does not become my characterand quality?"

  "I dispute not, madam," said the pertinacious preacher, "your benevolentpurpose in taking charge of this youth, or your title to give him thisidle character of page, if such was your pleasure; though what theeducation of a boy in the train of a female can tend to, save to ingraftfoppery and effeminacy on conceit and arrogance, it passes my knowledgeto discover. But I blame you more directly for having taken little careto guard him against the perils of his condition, or to tame and humblea spirit naturally haughty, overbearing, and impatient. You have broughtinto your bower a lion's cub; delighted with the beauty of his fur, andthe grace of his gambols, you have bound him with no fetters befittingthe fierceness of his disposition. You have let him grow up as unawed asif he had been still a tenant of the forest, and now you are surprised,and call out for assistance, when he begins to ramp, rend, and tear,according to his proper nature."

  "Mr. Warden," said the Lady, considerably offended, "you are myhusband's ancient friend, and I believe your love sincere to him andto his household. Yet let me say, that when I asked you for counsel,I expected not this asperity of rebuke. If I have done wrong in lovingthis poor orphan lad more than others of his class, I scarce thinkthe error merited such severe censure; and if stricter discipline wererequired to keep his fiery temper in order, it ought, I think, to beconsidered, that I am a woman, and that if I have erred in this matter,it becomes a friend's part rather to aid than to rebuke me. I wouldthese evils were taken order with before my lord's return. He loves notdomestic discord or domestic brawls; and I would
not willingly that hethought such could arise from one whom I favoured--What do you counselme to do?"

  "Dismiss this youth from your service, madam," replied the preacher.

  "You cannot bid me do so," said the Lady; "you cannot, as a Christianand a man of humanity, bid me turn away an unprotected creature againstwhom my favour, my injudicious favour if you will, has reared up so manyenemies."

  "It is not necessary you should altogether abandon him, though youdismiss him to another service, or to a calling better suiting hisstation and character," said the preacher; "elsewhere he maybe an usefuland profitable member of the commonweal--here he is but a makebate, anda stumbling-block of offence. The youth has snatches of sense and ofintelligence, though he lacks industry. I will myself give him letterscommendatory to Olearius Schinderhausen, a learned professor at thefamous university of Leyden, where they lack an under-janitor--where,besides gratis instruction, if God give him the grace to seek it, hewill enjoy five merks by the year, and the professor's cast-off suit,which he disparts with biennially."

  "This will never do, good Mr. Warden," said the Lady, scarce able tosuppress a smile; "we will think more at large upon this matter. In themeanwhile, I trust to your remonstrances with this wild boy and with thefamily, for restraining these violent and unseemly jealousies and burstsof passion; and I entreat you to press on him and them their duty inthis respect towards God, and towards their master."

  "You shall be obeyed, madam," said Warden. "On the next Thursday Iexhort the family, and will, with God's blessing, so wrestle with thedemon of wrath and violence, which hath entered into my little flock,that I trust to hound the wolf out of the fold, as if he were chasedaway with bandogs."

  This was the part of the conference from which Mr. Warden derived thegreatest pleasure. The pulpit was at that time the same powerful enginefor affecting popular feeling which the press has since become, and hehad been no unsuccessful preacher, as we have already seen. It followedas a natural consequence, that he rather over-estimated the powers ofhis own oratory, and, like some of his brethren about the period, wasglad of an opportunity to handle any matters of importance, whetherpublic or private, the discussion of which could be dragged into hisdiscourse. In that rude age the delicacy was unknown which prescribedtime and place to personal exhortations; and as the court-preacher oftenaddressed the King individually, and dictated to him the conduct heought to observe in matters of state, so the nobleman himself, or any ofhis retainers, were, in the chapel of the feudal castle, often incensedor appalled, as the case might be, by the discussion of their privatefaults in the evening exercise, and by spiritual censures directedagainst them, specifically, personally, and by name. The sermon, bymeans of which Henry Warden purposed to restore concord and good orderto the Castle of Avenel, bore for text the well-known words, "_He whostriketh with the sword shall perish by the sword,_" and was a singularmixture of good sense and powerful oratory with pedantry and bad taste.He enlarged a good deal on the word striketh, which he assured hishearers comprehended blows given with the point as well as withthe edge, and more generally, shooting with hand-gun, cross-bow, orlong-bow, thrusting with a lance, or doing any thing whatever by whichdeath might be occasioned to the adversary. In the same manner,he proved satisfactorily, that the word sword comprehended alldescriptions, whether backsword or basket-hilt, cut-and-thrust orrapier, falchion, or scimitar. "But if," he continued, with stillgreater animation, "the text includeth in its anathema those who strikewith any of those weapons which man hath devised for the exercise of hisopen hostility, still more doth it comprehend such as from their formand size are devised rather for the gratification of privy malice bytreachery, than for the destruction of an enemy prepared and standingupon his defence. Such," he proceeded, looking sternly at the placewhere the page was seated on a cushion at the feet of his mistress, andwearing in his crimson belt a gay dagger with a gilded hilt,--"such,more especially, I hold to be those implements of death, which, inour modern and fantastic times, are worn not only by thieves andcut-throats, to whom they most properly belong, but even by those whoattend upon women, and wait in the chambers of honourable ladies. Yes,my friends,--every species of this unhappy weapon, framed for all eviland for no good, is comprehended under this deadly denunciation, whetherit be a stillet, which we have borrowed from the treacherous Italian, ora dirk, which is borne by the savage Highlandman, or a whinger, which iscarried by our own Border thieves and cut-throats, or a dudgeon-dagger,all are alike engines invented by the devil himself, for readyimplements of deadly wrath, sudden to execute, and difficult to beparried. Even the common sword-and-buckler brawler despises the use ofsuch a treacherous and malignant instrument, which is therefore fit tobe used, not by men or soldiers, but by those who, trained under femalediscipline, become themselves effeminate hermaphrodites, having femalespite and female cowardice added to the infirmities and evil passions oftheir masculine nature."

  The effect which this oration produced upon the assembled congregationof Avenel cannot very easily be described. The lady seemed at onceembarrassed and offended; the menials could hardly contain, underan affectation of deep attention, the joy with which they heard thechaplain launch his thunders at the head of the unpopular favourite, andthe weapon which they considered as a badge of affectation and finery.Mrs. Lilias crested and drew up her head with all the deep-felt pride ofgratified resentment; while the steward, observing a strict neutralityof aspect, fixed his eyes upon an old scutcheon on the opposite sideof the wall, which he seemed to examine with the utmost accuracy, morewilling, perhaps, to incur the censure of being inattentive to thesermon, than that of seeming to listen with marked approbation to whatappeared so distasteful to his mistress.

  The unfortunate subject of the harangue, whom nature had endowed withpassions which had hitherto found no effectual restraint, could notdisguise the resentment which he felt at being thus directly held up tothe scorn, as well as the censure, of the assembled inhabitants of thelittle world in which he lived. His brow grew red, his lip grew pale, heset his teeth, he clenched his hand, and then with mechanical readinessgrasped the weapon of which the clergyman had given so hideous acharacter; and at length, as the preacher heightened the colouring ofhis invective, he felt his rage become so ungovernable, that, fearfulof being hurried into some deed of desperate violence, he rose up,traversed the chapel with hasty steps, and left the congregation.

  The preacher was surprised into a sudden pause, while the fiery youthshot across him like a flash of lightning, regarding him as he passed,as if he had wished to dart from his eyes the same power of blightingand of consuming. But no sooner had he crossed the chapel, and shutwith violence behind him the door of the vaulted entrance by whichit communicated with the castle, than the impropriety of his conductsupplied Warden with one of those happier subjects for eloquence, ofwhich he knew how to take advantage for making a suitable impression onhis hearers. He paused for an instant, and then pronounced, in a slowand solemn voice, the deep anathema: "He hath gone out from us becausehe was not of us--the sick man hath been offended at the wholesomebitter of the medicine--the wounded patient hath flinched from thefriendly knife of the surgeon--the sheep hath fled from the sheepfoldand delivered himself to the wolf, because he could not assume thequiet and humble conduct demanded of us by the great Shepherd. Ah! mybrethren, beware of wrath--beware of pride--beware of the deadly anddestroying sin which so often shows itself to our frail eyes inthe garments of light! What is our earthly honour? Pride, and prideonly--What our earthly gifts and graces? Pride and vanity. Voyagersspeak of Indian men who deck themselves with shells, and anointthemselves with pigments, and boast of their attire as we do of ourmiserable carnal advantages--Pride could draw down the morning-star fromHeaven even to the verge of the pit--Pride and self-opinion kindled theflaming sword which waves us off from Paradise--Pride made Adam mortal,and a weary wanderer on the face of the earth, which he had else been atthis day the immortal lord of--Pride brought amongst us sin, and doublesevery sin it has brought.
It is the outpost which the devil and theflesh most stubbornly maintain against the assaults of grace; and untilit be subdued, and its barriers levelled with the very earth, there ismore hope of a fool than of the sinner. Rend, then, from your bosomsthis accursed shoot of the fatal apple; tear it up by the roots, thoughit be twisted with the chords of your life. Profit by the example of themiserable sinner that has passed from us, and embrace the means ofgrace while it is called to-day 'ere your conscience is seared as witha fire-brand, and your ears deafened like those of the adder, andyour heart hardened like the nether mill-stone. Up, then, and bedoing--wrestle and overcome; resist, and the enemy shall flee fromyou--Watch and pray, lest ye fall into temptation, and let the stumblingof others be your warning and your example. Above all, rely not onyourselves, for such self-confidence is even the worst symptom of thedisorder itself. The Pharisee, perhaps, deemed himself humble while hestooped in the Temple, and thanked God that he was not as other men, andeven as the publican. But while his knees touched the marble pavement,his head was as high as the topmost pinnacle of the Temple. Do not,therefore, deceive yourselves, and offer false coin, where the purestyou can present is but as dross--think not that such--will pass theassay of Omnipotent Wisdom. Yet shrink not from the task, because, asis my bounden duty, I do not disguise from you its difficulties.Self-searching can do much--Meditation can do much--Grace can do all."

  And he concluded with a touching and animating exhortation to hishearers to seek divine grace, which is perfected in human wakness.

  The audience did not listen to this address without being considerablyaffected; though it might be doubted whether the feelings of triumph,excited by the disgraceful retreat of the favourite page, did notgreatly qualify in the minds of many the exhortations of the preacherto charity and to humility. And, in fact, the expression of theircountenances much resembled the satisfied triumphant air of a set ofchildren, who, having just seen a companion punished for a fault inwhich they had no share, con their task with double glee, both becausethey themselves are out of the scrape, and because the culprit is in it.

  With very different feelings did the Lady of Avenel seek her ownapartment. She felt angry at Warden having made a domestic matter,in which she took a personal interest, the subject of such publicdiscussion. But this she knew the good man claimed as a branch of hisChristian liberty as a preacher, and also that it was vindicated by theuniversal custom of his brethren. But the self-willed conduct of herprotege afforded her yet deeper concern. That he had broken through inso remarkable a degree, not only the respect due to her presence, butthat which was paid to religious admonition in those days with suchpeculiar reverence, argued a spirit as untameable as his enemies hadrepresented him to possess. And yet so far as he had been under her owneye, she had seen no more of that fiery spirit than appeared to her tobecome his years and his vivacity. This opinion might be founded insome degree on partiality; in some degree, too, it might be owing to thekindness and indulgence which she had always extended to him; but stillshe thought it impossible that she could be totally mistaken in theestimate she had formed of his character. The extreme of violence isscarce consistent with a course of continued hypocrisy, (although Liliascharitably hinted, that in some instances they were happily united,) andthere fore she could not exactly trust the report of others against herown experience and observation. The thoughts of this orphan boy clungto her heartstrings with a fondness for which she herself was unable toaccount. He seemed to have been sent to her by Heaven, to fill up thoseintervals of languor and vacuity which deprived her of much enjoyment.Perhaps he was not less dear to her, because she well saw that he wasa favourite with no one else, and because she felt, that to give him upwas to afford the judgment of her husband and others a triumph overher own; a circumstance not quite indifferent to the best of spouses ofeither sex.

  In short, the Lady of Avenel formed the internal resolution, that shewould not desert her page while her page could be rationally protected;and, with a view of ascertaining how far this might be done, she causedhim to be summoned to her presence.