ereditary feu, to pass down
from you to your heirs, irrevocably; the other will be a service feu,
to support the expenses caused by your extra services, and revocable
under the usual conditions."

A week later there was a formal ceremonial at the castle, and in the
presence of the earl, Hotspur, and the knights and gentlemen of their
service, Oswald took the oath of allegiance to Sir Henry Percy; and
afterwards, as required by law, to the king; and received from Hotspur
deeds appointing him to two knight's feus, including the villages of
Stoubes and Rochester, in Reddesdale. There were, at the time, six
knight's feus vacant; and as Percy had left it to him to choose which
he liked, he had selected these, as they lay but a twelve miles' ride,
over the hills, from his father's place in Coquetdale.

The oath of allegiance to the king, as well as to the feudal lord, was
enacted by Henry the Second; with the intention of curbing, to some
extent, the power of the great vassals; but although taken by all
knights, on being presented with a feu, it was deemed of no effect in
the case of the immediate lord being at war with the king; and whenever
troubles arose, the lord's vassals always sided with him, it being
universally understood that the oath to him, from whom they had
received their land, was paramount over that to the king.

There having been several formalities to be observed, and matters to be
discussed, Oswald was unable to ride home until after this ceremony had
taken place; but upon the following morning he and Roger started early,
and arrived, that evening, at Yardhope. His welcome was a warm one, and
the satisfaction of his father, and the delight of his mother, at
seeing him in knightly armour was great, indeed; and it increased when
he told them that he had received knighthood at the hands of the king
himself, and that Hotspur had granted him the feus of Stoubes and
Rochester.

"Then we shall have you within a ride of us," his mother exclaimed.
"That will be pleasant, indeed."

"The feus have always gone together," John Forster said, "and Stoubes
castle, although small, is a strong one. How many tenants will you
have?"

"Twenty-three. That, at least, was the number of names set down in the
parchments."

"That is not bad, as a beginning. Of course, you will keep some ten or
twelve retainers in the castle; and with such men as will come in from
the villages, at the approach of danger, you will be able to m