ndsor, Philip Sidney and Fulke Greville
undertook to impress the visitors with a magnificent display worthy of the
occasion which brought them to London.

In the tilt-yard at Whitehall, nearest to the Queen's windows, a 'Fortress
of Perfect Beauty' was erected, and the four knights were to win it by
force of arms.

All that the ingenuity of the artificers of the time could do was done. The
Fortress of Beauty was made of canvas stretched on wooden poles, gaily
painted with many quaint devices, and wreathed about with evergreens and
garlands, which were suspended from the roof. It was erected on an
artificial mound; and, as the day drew near, those who had to control the
admission of the hundreds who clamoured to be allowed to be spectators of
the tournament, were at their wit's end to gratify the aspirants for good
places.

The ladies about the Court were, of course, well provided with seats in the
temporary booths erected round the tilt-yard, and the Countess of Pembroke
and her following of gentlewomen in attendance occupied a prominent
position. Lady Mary Sidney and her youngest son, Thomas, were also present.
Robert was in his brother's train. Lady Rich, blazing with diamonds, was
the admired of many eyes--upon whose young, fair face might be seen the
trace of that unsatisfied longing and discontent with her lot, for which
the splendour of her jewels and richness of the lace of her embroidered
bodice were but a poor compensation. Amongst Lady Pembroke's attendants
there was one to whom all the show had the charm of novelty.

Lucy Forrester could scarcely believe that she was actually to be a witness
of all the magnificence of which she had dreamed on the hillside above
Penshurst. Her young heart throbbed with triumph as she saw Mistress
Ratcliffe and Dorothy vainly struggling to gain admittance at one of the
entrances, and at last, hustled and jostled, only allowed to stand on the
steps of one of the booths by Humphrey's help, who was awaiting the signal
from Philip's chief esquire to go and prepare his horse for the
passage-of-arms.

Lucy had gone through some troubles that morning with Mistress Crawley,
whom she did not find easy to please at any time, and who, seeing Lucy was
in favour with the Countess of Pembroke, did her best to prevent her from
taking too exalted a view of her own merits.

She had ordered that Lucy, as the youngest of the bower-women, should take
a back bench in the booth, where it was d