ed him to sit by her. Perhaps she was unwilling that the
interview with her near relative should be brought to an end sooner than
could be helped. They could from this spot observe what was going
forward without being seen. Merry laughter came from the party of gaily
dressed people who passed along the walks, several approaching near
enough to allow their features easily to be distinguished.

"Who are those?" asked Nigel, as several young people came slowly by,
following a fair girl, whose beautiful countenance and graceful figure
distinguished her from the rest, though many of her companions were
scarcely less lovely. So thought the young Scotchman, as he stood
watching them with admiring eyes.

"The first is our Lady Mary, about to wed the Dauphin of France,"
answered his cousin. "You must, as a loyal Scot, be introduced to her.
Perchance if you are inclined to take service at court you may obtain a
post, though his Majesty King Henry does not generally bestow such
without an ample equivalent."

[Note: Three Scottish young ladies were sent over to France to attend on
Queen Mary. They were Mary Seton, Mary Beaton, and Mary Carmichael, and
were named the Queen's Maries.]

"My taste does not lead me to covet such an honour," said Nigel. "I
should soon weary of having to dress in fine clothes and spend my time
in idleness, waiting in ante-chambers, or dangling after the lords and
ladies of the court. Pardon me, sweet cousin, for saying so. I came to
France to seek for more stirring employment than such a life could
afford. I will do my _devoir_ to our young queen, and must then proceed
on my journey to find the admiral. Had it not been for the packet of
letters with which I was entrusted, as also for the sake of seeing you,
I should not have come to Paris at all. But tell me, who are her
Majesty's attendants? There is one whose countenance, were I long to
gaze at it, would, I am sure, become indelibly fixed on my heart. What
a sweet face! How full of expression, and yet how modest and gentle!"

"They are my two sister Maries, Mary Beaton and Mary Carmichael; but it
is neither of them you speak of. I see now; the damsel you describe is
Constance de Tourville, whose father, by-the-by, is a friend of
Coligny's. The admiral, I am informed, is staying with the count at
this very time, and when I tell Constance who you are, she will, I am
sure, find an excuse for despatching an attendant with you to her
fa