le the young Princess's affections were very warm, she had
been little accustomed to defer to any wishes but her own or those of
her two brothers. The pair of boys governed their sister, but they
swayed different sceptres. Edward ruled by fear, Richard by love.
"Ned" must be attended to, because his wont was to make himself very
disagreeable if he were not; but "Dickon" must have every thing he
wanted, because Constance could not bear to deny her darling any thing.
Bertram told Maude, however, that nobody could be more fascinating than
Edward when he liked: the unfortunate item being that the happy
circumstance very rarely occurred.

But Bertram's information was not exhausted.

"Hast heard that the Lady of Buckingham cometh hither?"

"When?" Maude whispered back.

"To-morrow, to sup and bide the night. So thou mayest search her
following for thy Mistress Hawise."

"But shall all her following follow her?" inquired Maude.

"Every one, for she goeth anon unto her place in London to tarry the
winter, and shall be here on her way thither. And hark thou, Maude! in
her train--as thou shalt see--is the fairest lady in all the world."

"And what name hath she?" was Maude's answer.

"The fair Lady de Narbonne, widow of Sir Robert de Narbonne, a good
knight and true, that fell in these late wars. She hath but some twenty
years e'en now, and 'tis full three summers sithence his death."

"And what like is she?"

"Like the angels in Paradise!" said Bertram enthusiastically. "I tell
thee, there is none like her in all the world."

Maude awaited the following evening with two-fold interest. She might
possibly see Hawise, and she should certainly see some one who was like
the angels in Paradise. The evening came, and with it the guests. One
look at the Countess of Buckingham was enough. She certainly did not
resemble the angels, unless they looked very cross and discontented.
Her good qualities were not apparent to Maude, for they consisted of two
coronets and an enormous fortune. Her ladies were much more interesting
to Maude than herself. The first who entered behind her was a stiff
middle-aged woman with dark hair.

"That is Dame Edusa," [A fictitious person] whispered Bertram, "the Lady
Mistress. Here is Mistress Polegna--yonder little damsel with the dark
locks; and the high upright dame is Mistress Sarah. She that cometh
after is the Lady de Say."

Not one of these was the golden-haired Cousin Hawis