at yon blooming Chloe," he continued, leering
significantly at Gillian, "hath more attraction for you than our court
dames? Troth! the quean is not ill-favoured; but ye ha' lost a gude
day's sport, Count, forbye ither losses which we sall na particularize.
We hae had a noble flight at the heron, and anither just as guid after
the bustard. God's santy! the run the lang-leggit loon gave us. Lady
Exeter, on her braw Spanish barb--we ken whose gift it is--was the only
one able to keep with us; and it was her leddyship's ain peregrine
falcon that checked the fleeing carle at last. By our faith the Countess
understands the gentle science weel. She cared not to soil her dainty
gloves by rewarding her hawk with a _soppa_, as his Excellency
Giustiniano would term it, of the bustard's heart, bluid, and brains.
But wha hae ye gotten wi' ye?" he added, for the first time noticing
Jocelyn.

"A young gentleman in whom I am much interested, and whom I would crave
permission to present to your Majesty," replied De Gondomar.

"Saul of our body, Count, the permission is readily granted," replied
James, evidently much pleased with the young man's appearance. "Ye shall
bring him to us in the privy-chamber before we gang to supper, and
moreover ye shall hae full licence to advance what you please in his
behoof. He is a weel-grown, weel-favoured laddie, almost as much sae as
our ain dear dog Steenie; but we wad say to him, in the words of the
Roman bard,

'O formose puer, nimium ne crede colori!'

Gude pairts are better than gude looks; not that the latter are to be
undervalued, but baith should exist in the same person. We shall soon
discover whether the young man hath been weel nurtured, and if all
correspond we shall not refuse him the light of our countenance."

"I tender your Majesty thanks for the favour you have conferred upon
him," replied De Gondomar.

"But ye have not yet tauld us the youth's name, Count?" said the King.

"Your Majesty, I trust, will not think I make a mystery where none is
needed, if I say that my protege claims your gracious permission to
preserve, for the moment, his incognito," De Gondomar replied. "When I
present him of course his name will be declared."

"Be it as you will, Count," James replied. "We ken fu' weel ye hae gude
reason for a' ye do. Fail not in your attendance on us at the time
appointed."

As De Gondomar with a profound obeisance drew back, the King put his
steed in motion. General