he slope between the wall and the inner
stockade. Peaceful as the scene appeared, it had been the site of
furious fighting not many years ago. The Downs trended to the south,
where the Romany and the Zingari resided, and a keen watch was kept both
from the wall and from the hills beyond.

They now rode slowly down the slope, and in a few minutes reached the
barrier or gateway in the outer stockade. They had been observed, and
the guard called by the warden, but as they approached were recognised,
and the gate swang open before them. Walking their horses they crossed
to the hill, and were as easily admitted to the second enclosure. At the
gate of the wall they dismounted, and waited while the warden carried
the intelligence of their arrival to the family. A moment later, and the
Baron's son advanced from the porch, and from the open window the
Baroness and Aurora beckoned to them.

CHAPTER VIII

THYMA CASTLE

Soon afterwards the hollow sound of the warden's horn, from the watch
over the gate of the wall, proclaimed the hour of noon, and they all
assembled for dinner in the banqueting chamber. The apartment was on the
ground floor, and separated from the larger hall only by an internal
wall. The house, erected in the time of the ancients, was not designed
for our present style of life; it possessed, indeed, many comforts and
conveniences which are scarcely now to be found in the finest palaces,
but it lacked the breadth of construction which our architects have now
in view.

In the front there were originally only two rooms, extensive for those
old days, but not sufficiently so for ours. One of these had therefore
been enlarged, by throwing into it a back room and part of the entrance,
and even then it was not long enough for the Baron's retainers, and at
feast-time a wooden shed was built opposite, and up to the window, to
continue, as it were, the apartment out of doors. Workmen were busy
putting up this shed when they arrived.

The second apartment retained its ancient form, and was used as the
dining-room on ordinary days. It was lighted by a large window, now
thrown wide open that the sweet spring air might enter, which window was
the pride of the Baroness, for it contained more true glass than any
window in the palace of the Prince. The glass made now is not
transparent, but merely translucent; it indeed admits light after a
fashion, but it is thick and cannot be seen through. These panes were
almost