eyes towards
her? Did not her very dignity of birth and of condition reverse, in her
case, the usual rules which impose silence on the lady until her lover
shall have first spoken? To these arguments, which he boldly formed into
syllogisms and avowed to himself, his vanity might possibly suggest one
which he cared not to embody even mentally with the same frankness--that
the merit of the party beloved might perhaps warrant, on the part of the
lady, some little departure from common rules, and, after all, as in the
case of Malvolio [Olivia's steward in Twelfth Night], there was example
for it in chronicle. The Squire of low degree, of whom he had just been
reading, was, like himself, a gentleman void of land and living, and yet
the generous Princess of Hungary bestowed on him, without scruple, more
substantial marks of her affection than the billet he had just received:

"'Welcome,' she said, 'my swete Squyre,
My heart's roots, my soul's desire,
I will give thee kisses three,
And als five hundrid poundis in fee.'"

And again the same faithful history made the King of Hongrie himself
avouch--

"I have yknown many a page,
Come to be Prince by marriage."

So that, upon the whole, Quentin generously and magnanimously reconciled
himself to a line of conduct on the Countess's part by which he was
likely to be so highly benefited.

But this scruple was succeeded by another doubt, harder of digestion.
The traitor Hayraddin had been in the apartments of the ladies, for
aught Quentin knew, for the space of four hours, and, considering the
hints which he had thrown out of possessing an influence of the most
interesting kind over the fortunes of Quentin Durward, what should
assure him that this train was not of his laying? And if so, was it not
probable that such a dissembling villain had set it on foot to conceal
some new plan of treachery--perhaps to seduce Isabelle out of the
protection of the worthy Bishop? This was a matter to be closely looked
into, for Quentin felt a repugnance to this individual proportioned to
the unabashed impudence with which he had avowed his profligacy, and
could not bring himself to hope that anything in which he was concerned
could ever come to an honourable or happy conclusion.

These various thoughts rolled over Quentin's mind like misty clouds, to
dash and obscure the fair landscape which his fancy had at first drawn,
and his couch was that night a sle