March, were portents sufficiently formidable to account for any
succeeding political events whatever. The Church was busy introducing
the Order of Saint Francis into England. The populace were discovering
how to manufacture cider, hitherto imported: and were, quite unknown to
themselves, laying the foundation of their country's commercial
greatness by breaking into the first vein of coal at Newcastle. In
fact, the importance of this last discovery was so little perceived,
that a hundred and fifty years were suffered to elapse before any
advantage was taken of it.

Belasez's work was done, and entirely to the satisfaction of the
Countess. So much, also, did the Princess Marjory admire it, that she
requested another scarf might be worked for her, to be finished in time
for her approaching marriage. She was now affianced to Gilbert de
Clare, the new Earl of Pembroke. It was not without a bitter pang that
Marjory had resigned her proud hope of wearing the crown of England, and
had consented to become merely the wife of an English noble. But the
crown was gone from her beyond recall. The fickle-hearted King, who had
been merely attracted for a season by her great beauty, was now as
eagerly pursuing a foreign Countess, Jeanne of Ponthieu, whom report
affirmed to be equally beautiful: and perhaps Marjory was a little
consoled, though she might not even admit it to herself, by the fact
that Earl Gilbert was at once a much richer man than the King, and very
much better-looking. She made him a good wife when the time came, and
she grieved bitterly over his loss, when six years afterwards he was
killed in a tournament at Hereford.

Marjory was not so particular as her sister about the work being done
under her own eyes. She left pattern and colours to Belasez's taste,
only expressing her wish that red and gold should predominate, as they
were the tints alike of the arms of Scotland and of Clare. The Princess
was to be married on the first of August, and Belasez promised that her
father should deliver the scarf during his customary hawker's round in
July.

The young Jewess had suffered less than might have been supposed from
Levina. The Countess, without condescending to assign any reason, had
quietly issued orders that Belasez's meals should be served in the
ante-chamber, half an hour before the general repast was ready in the
hall. In the presence of the young ladies, and not unfrequently of the
Countess herself,