world of Scotland.

He knew that his king was well satisfied with Patrick, and also that a
man of sound heart and prompt, hard hand was far fitter to rule as a
secular lord than his own more fine-drawn mature could ever be; but as a
priest, with the influence that his birth and the King's friendship would
give him, he already saw chances of raising the tone of the clergy, and
thus improving the wild and lawless people.

A deep purpose of self-devotion was growing up in his soul, but without
saddening him, only rendering him more energetic and cheerful than his
sister had ever known him.

As they walked together over the long stretches of moor, many were Lily's
questions; and Malcolm beguiled the way with many a story of camp and
court, told both for his own satisfaction in her sympathy, and with the
desire to make the Scottish lassie see what was the life and what the
thoughts of ladies of her own degree in other lands, so that the Lady of
Glenuskie might be awake to somewhat of the high purpose of virtuous home
government to which Alice of Salisbury had been trained.

As to the Flemish heiress, no representation would induce Lilias to love
her. Reject Malcolm for a convent's sake! It was unpardonable; and as
to a bedeswoman, working uncloistered in the streets, Lily viewed that as
neither the one thing nor the other, neither religious nor secular; and
she was persuaded that a little exertion on the part of the brother, whom
she viewed as a paladin, would overcome all coyness on the lady's part.

Malcolm found it vain to try to show his sister his sense of his own
deserts, and equally so to declare that if the maiden should so yield,
she would indeed be the Demoiselle de Luxemburg to whom he was pledged,
but not the Esclairmonde whom his better part adored. So he let the
matter pass by, and both enjoyed their masquing in one another's company
as a holiday such as they could never have again.

They had no serious alarms; the pursuit must have been disconcerted, and
the two young scholars were not worth the attention of freebooters. Their
winsomeness of manner won them kindness wherever they harboured; and
thus, after many days, without molestation they came to the walls of
Berwick. And now, while Malcolm thought his difficulties at an end, a
horror of bashfulness fell upon Lilias. She had been Clerk Davie merrily
enough while there was no one to suspect her, but the transmutation into
her proper self filled h