.

"Now shame upon thee, Montague, Earl of Salisbury," she cried, and
because of her indignation her voice rang out clear as a trumpet. "Open
my gates to _thee_, forsooth! go to London with _thee_, and be married
to _thee_ there, and bear thy name, and ride in the chase with thy
horses and hounds, as if I were thy lawful Countess. Shame on thee, I
say. I trow thou callest thyself a belted Earl, and a Christian Knight,
and thou comest to me, the wife of a belted Earl--who, thank God, is
also a Christian Knight, and a good man and true, moreover, which is
more than thou art--with words like these. Yea," and she drew a dainty
little glove from her girdle, and threw it down at the Earl's feet, "I
cry thrice shame on thee, and here I fling defiance in thy face. Keep
thy cloth-of-gold for thine own knights' backs; and as for thy squires
and pages, if thou hast so many of them, give them each a sword, and set
them on a horse, and bring them here to swell thy company. Bring them
here, I say, and let them try to batter down these walls, for in no
other way wilt thou ever set foot in Dunbar Castle."

A subdued murmur, as if of applause, ran through the ranks of the armed
men, who stood drawn up in a body behind the English Earl. For men love
bravery wherever they chance to meet it, and I trow we must have seemed
to them but a feeble company to take upon us the defence of the Castle,
and to throw defiance in the teeth of their lord.

But the bravery of the Countess did not seem to strike their leader;
possibly he was not accustomed to receive such answers from the lips of
women. His face flushed an angry red as his squire picked up my lady's
little white glove and handed it to him.

"Now, by my soul, Madam," he cried, "thou shalt find that it is no light
matter to jeer at armed men. I have come to thee with all courtesy,
asking thee to open thy Castle gates, and thou hast flouted me to my
face. Well, so be it. When next I come, 'twill be with other words, and
other weapons. Mayhap thou wilt be more eager to treat with me then."

"Bring what thou wilt, and come when thou wilt," answered my lady
passionately, "thou shalt ever find the same answer waiting thee. These
gates of mine open to no one save my own true lord."

With a low mocking bow the Earl turned his horse's head to the South,
and galloped away, followed by his men.

We stood on the top of the tower and watched them, I, with a heart full
of anxious thoughts for the