congratulations of everybody, and repaid them with happy suggestions,
which she poured forth with inexhaustible yet graceful energy. The only
person who had a gloomy air was Endymion. She rallied him. "I shall call
you the Knight of the Woeful Countenance if you approach me with such a
visage. What can be the matter with you?"

"Nothing," repeated Endymion, looking rather away.

The Knight of the Dolphin came up and said, "This is a critical affair
to-morrow, my dear Lady Montfort. If the Count Ferroll is discomfited by
the prince, it may be a _casus belli_. You ought to get Lord Roehampton
to interfere and prevent the encounter."

"The Count of Ferroll will not be discomfited," said Lady Montfort. "He
is one of those men who never fail."

"Well, I do not know," said the Knight of the Dolphin musingly. "The
prince has a stout lance, and I have felt it."

"He had the best of it this morning," said Endymion rather bitterly.
"Every one thought so, and that it was very fortunate for the Count of
Ferroll that the heralds closed the lists."

"It might have been fortunate for others," rejoined Lady Montfort.
"What is the general opinion?" she added, addressing the Knight of
the Dolphin. "Do not go away, Mr. Ferrars. I want to give you some
directions about to-morrow."

"I do not think I shall be at the place to-morrow," muttered Endymion.

"What!" exclaimed Berengaria; but at this moment Mr. Sidney Wilton came
up and said, "I have been looking at the golden helm. It is entrusted
to my care as King of the Tournament. It is really so beautiful, that I
think I shall usurp it."

"You will have to settle that with the Count of Ferroll," said
Berengaria.

"The betting is about equal," said the Knight of the Dolphin.

"Well, we must have some gloves upon it," said Berengaria.

Endymion walked away.

He walked away, and the first persons that met his eye were the prince
and the Count of Ferroll in conversation. It was sickening. They seemed
quite gay, and occasionally examined together a paper which the prince
held in his hand, and which was an official report by the heralds of the
day's jousting. This friendly conversation might apparently have gone on
for ever had not the music ceased and the count been obliged to seek his
partner for the coming dance.

"I wonder you can speak to him," said Endymion, going up to the prince.
"If the heralds had not--many think, too hastily--closed the lists this
morning, you would