onotony, and eluding the skilful
lashes of the coachmen's long whips with considerable agility. It was
not a very great distance to the Tower, and the children thought the
drive far too short, and were quite loath, indeed, to come down when the
horses stopped before the gray old gateway, and the guards, who had been
rivalling one another in solos on the horn, joined in a farewell duet to
the appropriate air of "Meet me again in the evening."

The ruined castle made a charming spot for an out-door party. Situated
at the foot of a tall wooded hill called the Scar, its battered walls
faced the long valley to the north, up which in the olden days a strict
watch must have been kept for Border raiders. The ancient turreted keep,
with its tiny loophole windows, was still standing, half covered with
ivy, the hairy stems of which were as thick as small trees, and a narrow
winding staircase led on to the battlements, from whence you might see,
on the one hand, the green slopes of the woods, and on the other the
yellow cliffs which bounded the blue waters of the bay. Inside the keep
was a large square courtyard, where in times gone by the neighbouring
farmers would often drive their cattle for safety when the gleam of the
Scottish pikes and the smoke of burning roofs were seen to northward.
The heavy portcullis hung yet in the gateway, and though the drawbridge
was long ago gone, and the moat was dry, the fragments of an outer wall
and a portion of a barbican remained to show how powerful a protection
was needed in the days when might was right, and each man must guard his
goods by the strength of his own hand. The courtyard now was covered
with short green grass spangled with daisies, where a pair of tame
ravens were solemnly hopping about, while the ivy was the home of
innumerable jackdaws that flapped away at the approach of strangers,
uttering their funny spoilt "caw," as if indignant at having their
haunts disturbed.

Visitors were admitted to the castle by an old woman, who looked almost
as ancient as the ruin itself, and who insisted upon giving a full
account of the dimensions, situation, and history of the place, which
she had learnt from the guide-book, and which she repeated in a high,
sing-song voice, without any pauses or stops, as if she were saying a
lesson. She followed the various members of the party for some time,
trying to make them keep together and listen to her explanations; but as
they much preferred to ex