ender him my allegiance, heart and hand."

"My son," said Edith, "think on thy royal rights!"

"Think on the freedom of England, degenerate Prince!" said Cedric.

"Mother and friend," said Athelstane, "a truce to your
upbraidings--bread and water and a dungeon are marvellous mortifiers of
ambition, and I rise from the tomb a wiser man than I descended into
it. One half of those vain follies were puffed into mine ear by that
perfidious Abbot Wolfram, and you may now judge if he is a counsellor to
be trusted. Since these plots were set in agitation, I have had nothing
but hurried journeys, indigestions, blows and bruises, imprisonments
and starvation; besides that they can only end in the murder of some
thousands of quiet folk. I tell you, I will be king in my own domains,
and nowhere else; and my first act of dominion shall be to hang the
Abbot."

"And my ward Rowena," said Cedric--"I trust you intend not to desert
her?"

"Father Cedric," said Athelstane, "be reasonable. The Lady Rowena cares
not for me--she loves the little finger of my kinsman Wilfred's glove
better than my whole person. There she stands to avouch it--Nay, blush
not, kinswoman, there is no shame in loving a courtly knight better than
a country franklin--and do not laugh neither, Rowena, for grave-clothes
and a thin visage are, God knows, no matter of merriment--Nay, an thou
wilt needs laugh, I will find thee a better jest--Give me thy hand, or
rather lend it me, for I but ask it in the way of friendship.--Here,
cousin Wilfred of Ivanhoe, in thy favour I renounce and abjure---Hey!
by Saint Dunstan, our cousin Wilfred hath vanished!--Yet, unless my eyes
are still dazzled with the fasting I have undergone, I saw him stand
there but even now."

All now looked around and enquired for Ivanhoe, but he had vanished.
It was at length discovered that a Jew had been to seek him; and that,
after very brief conference, he had called for Gurth and his armour, and
had left the castle.

"Fair cousin," said Athelstane to Rowena, "could I think that this
sudden disappearance of Ivanhoe was occasioned by other than the
weightiest reason, I would myself resume--"

But he had no sooner let go her hand, on first observing that Ivanhoe
had disappeared, than Rowena, who had found her situation extremely
embarrassing, had taken the first opportunity to escape from the
apartment.

"Certainly," quoth Athelstane, "women are the least to be trusted of all
animals, monk