nal, 'my fair nieces will have good leisure.
While sharing the orisons that I will institute for the repose of your
mother, you can also be taught the French.'

Jean could not help speaking now, so far was this from all her hopes.
'Sir, sir, the Duke and Duchess of York, and the Countess of Salisbury,
and the Queen of the Isle of Wight all bade us to be their guests.'

'They could haply not have been aware of your dool,' said the Cardinal
gravely.

'But, my Lord, our mother hath been dead since before Martinmas,'
exclaimed Jean.

'I know not what customs of dool be thought befitting in a land like
Scotland,' said the Cardinal, in such a repressive manner that Jean
was only withheld by awe from bursting into tears of disappointment and
anger at the slight to her country.

Lady Drummond ventured to speak. 'Alack, my Lord,' she said, 'my poor
Queen died in the hands of a freebooter, leaving her daughters in such
stress and peril that they had woe enough for themselves, till their
brother the King came to their rescue.'

'The more need that they should fulfil all that may be done for the
grace of her soul,' replied the uncle; but just at this crisis of
Jean's mortification there was a knocking at the door, and a sister
breathlessly entreated--

'Pardon! Merci! My Lord, my Lady Mother! Here's the King, the King
himself--and the King and Queen of the Isle of Wight asking licence to
enter to visit the ladies of Scotland.'

Kings were always held to be free to enter anywhere, even far more
dangerous monarchs than the pious Henry VI. Jean's heart bounded up
again, with a sense of exultation over the old uncle, as the Prioress
went out to receive her new guest, and the Cardinal emitted a sort of
grunting sigh, without troubling himself to go out to meet the youth,
whom he had governed from babyhood, and in whose own name he had, as
one of the council, given permission for wholesome chastisements of the
royal person.

King Henry entered. He was then twenty-four years old, tall, graceful,
and with beautiful features and complexion, almost feminine in their
delicacy, and with a wonderful purity and sweetness in the expression
of the mouth and blue eyes, so that he struck Eleanor as resembling the
angels in the illuminations that she had been studying, as he removed
his dark green velvet jewelled cap on entering, and gave a cousinly,
respectful kiss lightly to each of the young ladies on her cheek,
somewhat as if he were