e all
occasions of strife, insisted on sending a knight and half-a-dozen men
to escort the Scottish travellers as far as Durham. David Drummond and
the young ladies murmured to one another their disgust that the English
pock-pudding should not suppose Scots able to keep their heads with
their own hands; but, as Jean sagely observed, 'No doubt he would not
wish them to have occasion to hurt any of the English, nor Jamie to have
to call them to account.'

This same old knight consorted with Sir Patrick, Dame Lilias, and
Father Romuald, and kept a sharp eye on the little party, allowing no
straggling on any pretence, and as Sir Patrick enforced the command, all
were obliged to obey, in spite of chafing; and the scowls of the English
Borderers, with the scant courtesy vouchsafed by these sturdy spirits,
proved the wisdom of the precaution.

At Durham they were hospitably entertained in the absence of the Bishop.
The splendour of the cathedral and its adjuncts much impressed Lady
Drummond, as it had done a score of years previously; but, though
Malcolm ventured to share her admiration, Jean was far above allowing
that she could be astonished at anything in England. In fact, she
regarded the stately towers of St. Cuthbert as so much stolen family
property which 'Jamie' would one day regain; and all the other young
people followed suit. David even made all the observations his own
sense of honour and the eyes of his hosts would permit, with a view to a
future surprise. The escort of Sir Patrick was asked to York by a Canon
who had to journey thither, and was anxious for protection from the
outlaws--who had begun to renew the doings of Robin Hood under the laxer
rule of the young Henry VI, though things were expected to be better
since the young Duke of York had returned from France.

Perhaps this arrangement was again a precaution for the preservation of
peace, and at York there was a splendid entertainment by Cardinal Kemp;
but all the 'subtleties' and wonders--stags' heads in their horns,
peacocks in their pride, jellies with whole romances depicted in them,
could not reconcile the young Scots to the presumption of the Archbishop
reckoning Scotland into his province. Durham was at once too monastic
and too military to have afforded much opportunity for recruiting
the princesses' wardrobe; but York was the resort of the merchants of
Flanders, and Christie was sent in quest of them and their wares, for
truly the black serge