o
go where you will.'

'You expect me to sell my sister,' said Eleanor disdainfully.

'Look you here,' broke in Rudiger, bursting out of his shyness. 'She is
the fairest maiden, gentle or simple, I ever saw; I love her with all my
heart. If she be mine, I swear to make her a thousand times more cared
for than your sister the Dauphiness; and if all be true your Scottish
archers tell me, you Scottish folk have no great cause to disdain an
Elsass forest castle.'

An awkward recollection, of the Black Knight of Lorn came across
Eleanor, but she did not lose her stately dignity.

'It is not the wealth or poverty that we heed,' she said, 'but the
nobility and princeliness.'

'There is nothing to be done then, son,' said the old Baron, 'but to
wait a day or two and see whether the maiden herself will be less proud
and more reasonable. Otherwise, these ladies understand that there will
be close imprisonment and diet according to the custom of the border
till a thousand gold crowns be paid down for each of these sisters of a
Scotch king, and five hundred for Madame here; and when that is like to
be found, the damoiselle herself may know,' and he laughed.

'We have those who will take care of our ransom,' said Eleanor, though
her heart misgave her. 'Moreover, Duke Sigismund will visit such an
offence dearly!' and there was a glow on her cheeks.

'He knows better than to meddle with a vassal of Lorraine,' said the old
man.

'King Rene--' began Eleanor.

'He is too wary to meddle with a vassal of Elsass,' sneered the Baron.
'No, no, Lady, ransom or wedding, there lies your choice.'

With this there appeared to be a kind of truce, perhaps in consequence
of the appearance of a great pie; and Eleanor did not refuse to sit
down to the table and partake of the food, though she did not choose to
converse; whereas Madame de Ste. Petronelle thought it wiser to be as
agreeable as she could, and this, in the opinion of the Court of the
Dauphiness, was not going very far.

Long before the Barons and their retainers had finished, little Trudchen
came hurrying down to say that the lady was crying and calling for her
sister, and Eleanor was by no means sorry to hasten to her side, though
only to receive a petulant scolding for the desertion that had lasted so
very long, according to the sick girl's sensations.

Matters remained in abeyance while the illness continued; Jean had a
night of fever, and when that passed, under the expe