for a spectre, the more especially as, to prevent my being
recognised, I drew the corpse-hood over my face. I had not gained
admittance into my own castle, had I not been supposed to be the
attendant of a juggler who is making the people in the castle-yard
very merry, considering they are assembled to celebrate their lord's
funeral--I say the sewer thought I was dressed to bear a part in the
tregetour's mummery, and so I got admission, and did but disclose myself
to my mother, and eat a hasty morsel, ere I came in quest of you, my
noble friend."

"And you have found me," said Cedric, "ready to resume our brave
projects of honour and liberty. I tell thee, never will dawn a morrow so
auspicious as the next, for the deliverance of the noble Saxon race."

"Talk not to me of delivering any one," said Athelstane; "it is well I
am delivered myself. I am more intent on punishing that villain Abbot.
He shall hang on the top of this Castle of Coningsburgh, in his cope and
stole; and if the stairs be too strait to admit his fat carcass, I will
have him craned up from without."

"But, my son," said Edith, "consider his sacred office."

"Consider my three days' fast," replied Athelstane; "I will have their
blood every one of them. Front-de-Boeuf was burnt alive for a less
matter, for he kept a good table for his prisoners, only put too much
garlic in his last dish of pottage. But these hypocritical, ungrateful
slaves, so often the self-invited flatterers at my board, who gave
me neither pottage nor garlic, more or less, they die, by the soul of
Hengist!"

"But the Pope, my noble friend,"--said Cedric--

"But the devil, my noble friend,"--answered Athelstane; "they die, and
no more of them. Were they the best monks upon earth, the world would go
on without them."

"For shame, noble Athelstane," said Cedric; "forget such wretches in the
career of glory which lies open before thee. Tell this Norman prince,
Richard of Anjou, that, lion-hearted as he is, he shall not hold
undisputed the throne of Alfred, while a male descendant of the Holy
Confessor lives to dispute it."

"How!" said Athelstane, "is this the noble King Richard?"

"It is Richard Plantagenet himself," said Cedric; "yet I need not remind
thee that, coming hither a guest of free-will, he may neither be injured
nor detained prisoner--thou well knowest thy duty to him as his host."

"Ay, by my faith!" said Athelstane; "and my duty as a subject besides,
for I here t