Annanwater, and hunted to the river head, for so far went the ancient rights of the house of Halliday, while she was left bird-alone in her father's hunting tower, and into that tower had the rovers entered at midnight. and mastered the guards, and carried her to sea, with all the riches, and arms, and splendid dresses, which pertained to her race.

"Alas for the young lady of Corehead," said the old man, "for the descendants of her house are a kind and a gentle race. I believe the tale, though I have heard a far different story told; it has been said that she was no daughter of this earth, but an evil spirit let loose in the world to bring to the dust the noble house of Heron, but it cannot be, and yet I have heard it said as truth, that on Midsummer eve she has been seen with flashing eyes and flowing hair, sailing along the bosom of the lake, and raising a wail so piercing and so dolorous, that all the wild herons started on the wing with a shriek and a scream. I have heard such things, and as a Christian I may not credit them, though few people in this land would laugh at me for the belief."

"When the mother of Sir Hugh Heron heard the story of the young maiden, she called her attendants, and they bathed her in milk, and clothed her in satin, and put a chain of gold around her neck, and a string of pearls among her hair, and they all stood and marvelled at her beauty. But the one who was most moved by her sweetness and beauty was Sir Hugh Heron, he said little, but his eyes followed her wheresoever she went; and having gazed his fill, he went and disarmed himself, and mused long on her story and on her beauty. And his kinsman came and rallied him about his love, and uttered old saws, and quoted old romances, and said, who shall interpret between thee and the lady who speaks with a strange tongue? And Sir Hugh Heron smiled, and said not a word, but, full of thought, and his mind bearing the maiden's image, he went into the

tower in the lake, and, sitting on its summit he saw a fearful vision, or he dreamed a dreary dream. He lay and dreamed, for I shall imagine he was in slumber, that he sat upon the summit of the Eagle cliff, and looked on sea and land. He heard on a sudden the sound of flute and pipe, and minstrel's song, and saw a crowd of dames in bridal dresses moving from his mother's tower towards the chapel of our lady. And girls ran before and strewed the way with flowers, and men shouted and cried, 'Joy to the noble house of Heron.' And amid them all he saw the lady whom he had saved from the rovers, dressed like a bride, but with a pale face, and eyes shining with tears, led to the shrine by one of her kinsmen. And he looked again, and he saw the bridegroom,-tall he seemed and handsome, but he saw not his face, for it was turned away from him, and he thought his step was like that of his own kinsman, Sir Aymer. But before the procession reached the altar, the air began to darken, a cloud covered the bay, and out of the cloud there came a human form, and in his hand there was a sword. And the form followed the bridal throng into the shrine of our lady, and there arose a scream, and the sound of men in strife, and the groan as of one smote down in battle was heard, and the marble floor ran with blood. And he awoke with a start.

"On the morrow his mother saw that his face had lost its usual joy, and she took him into her chamber, and laying her hand on his fair hair, said,

My sweet son, you have ever been a dutiful child to me, and the name of Heron has lost nought of its high fame since the death of thy father. The wild Scots have heard thy name with fear; and with such a name, and such a form and face, you may look up to the noblest of the land. Now hearken to my words, I love to see a free young heart lavish out its affections; but there is an hour, my son, even when you step out of the stripling into the man,-when

the heart is warm, the hopes high, and the judgment unripe, which is full of good and evil to future life. In that time of trial you now stand, and it behoves you to look on beauty with caution, and keep your heart free, though fancy wanders at will. I have looked on this young lady,-her eyes and her words are full of sweetness and modesty, and though extremely young, she has a sense and a spirit far beyond her years. I see your blood mount to your brow, my son, while I say this, and I love you the more, because you feel the influence of youth and of beauty. But keep your heart yet for a while,-you will then see with other eyes,-the daughters of thy native land are as lovely as those of the Scot, and to wed a daughter of your enemies is to war against your own fame. Thy Scottish wife's love will blunt the edge of thy sword, and take away the sharpness of thine arrows. The house of Corehead is a gallant house, and has given warriors to Scotland since the crusade of Richard the Lion,-but never let it give a wife to the heir of thy father's fame and name.'

"And she sat silent for a little space, -then removing her hand from his head, she arose and said, When thy father was thy age, I had not then seen him; but his fame came home before him, and many of the noblest and fairest of the land went to welcome him ashore. I will not say how proud I was to win him, and how strong our love was, stronger than that which unites common minds. But in many a battle he fought, and in many a tournament he was victor, before he led me to the altar-go, therefore, my son, and do as thy father did. A fair army is about to sail for Normandy, and when some strong castle is stormed, and some glorious battle is won, let me hear that the foremost and the bravest was my own son, Hugh Heron.' And he bowed his head, and his mother blessed him.

"He now became a changed and an altered man. He roamed, it is true,

among the hills and along the sea shore, and with hawk and with hound pursued the deer and the heathcock. But when he returned at night he came no longer with a smile and a hasty step to his mother's feet, and laid before her the fruits of the chace. He approached her with reverence, and asked her blessing with modest lips,-but he was wan and thoughtful, and the buoyancy of youth, and alacrity of early spirit, seemed to have forsaken him. His dogs, as he' sat on the hill top and looked towards the ocean, came and looked in his face, and gambolled before him, and whined to obtain his notice and his caresses,he laid his hands upon their heads,-it was only to still them, for his thoughts were elsewhere."

"I could show you," said my companion," a seat of stone, commanding the whole bay, in which Sir Hugh Heron used to sit, with his chace dogs at his feet, and gaze till night came upon the water. To this place maidens in my young days went on the first morning of May, and strewed flowers, and sung songs in honour of constant love. I will take you to the place,-I love to sit there and look on the wide ocean."

"The Scottish lady, when she saw him, ever turned her eyes away ;-she prepared the choicest dishes, and placed them before him, she fed his hawks and caressed his hounds,-she set the plume aright in his helmet, and hung his sword and banner fair on the wall, -and she wrought on a pennon of silk many a fair device; and while she traced them out in silver and in gold, she sung songs which she had learned in her own country, and her gentle tongue gave them a sweetness which sent them to the hearts of all who heard them. And Sir Hugh Heron listened, and gazed upon the beautiful stranger, and as he saw the tears drop glistening beneath her long dark eye-lashes, and saw her bosom heaving with a sigh as she thought on her native land, he thought he never saw aught so fair.

"One morning a knight came spur

ring to the gate, and while he winded the horn which hung by the castle wall, a fleet filled all the bay, and the decks were shining with shields and spears, and the broad banner of England was unfurled in their van. The knight bore a message from the King to the Lady of Heron tower, commanding that her son and a hundred of her retainers should follow to the French wars. His mother fell on his neck, and wept aloud, and all his father's companions in the wars gathered around him and shouted, --while his kinsman took down his helmet and pennon, and said, Now woe to the dames of France,' and the young Scottish lady came near him, and stood with a downcast eye, and a bosom ill

at rest.

"And Sir Hugh Heron led his kinsman to the top of the tower, and said, 'I go to a far land, and where danger is, there shall I be found. Now hearken to my words, I love the lady whom I saved from the rovers, and we have each of us vowed a vow of constancy and truth. This vow with me shall never be broken, and whosoever seeks to win my love from me by evil report, or by dishonourable wiles, seeks his own destruction, and shall surely find it. I am never the first who offers insult and wrong, and I never forgive it to those who offer it. To you, my kinsman, the keeping of my tower is given, and as you use your power, so shall you be rewarded. That sea shall flow where yon mountain top is, if I live and perfidy goes unpunished. Remember, the Scottish lady is thy kinsman's love.' He waited no reply, but raised his banner, spread his sails, and moved swiftly away while the eyes of his mother and Beatrice gazed till they grew weary at the receding ships and the diminishing sails.

"A whole year passed, and news of cities stormed, and battles won, from time to time reached England: and crowds of fiery and impetuous spirits followed, some to fall nameless in

fortunate, and perhaps. less brave, to share in the glory which has ever pertained to successful warriors. But from Sir Hugh Heron nothing was heard,--. nor letter, nor message, nor token, reached his native place,-rumour gave him indeed honour enough, and the foreign minstrels ranked him with the Richards and Edwards, and the Howards and Percys. His mother marvelled at the silence of her son, and Beatrice would sit for hours on the turret top, looking upon the sea, and watching every sail, and singing all the while some of the wild and sorrowful ballads of her native land. One faithful hound of her lover's was her constant companion; it followed her wherever she went,-it walked by her side, lay at her feet, and when she went to rest, kept watch at her chamber door. She caressed the noble creature, fed him with her own hand, tied a garland round his neck, and when no one was near, she would speak to him of his master, and weep. He seemed to know what she said, and whined and fawned, and, when any one offered to come close, his eyes glared, and he uttered a fierce growl.

"In the meantime wars were waged on the borders with the people of Scotland, and every week Sir Aymer brought tidings of skirmishes, and battles, and invasions. Though the tower stood remote from scenes of strife, it was the practice of those warlike times to keep watch and ward, and maintain all the vigilance necessary to prevent surprise by night or attack by day. It is true. that the new captain kept a strict discipline, that he questioned all comers, that he received all letters and messages, and acted with a care and vigilance which to many seemed over-scrupulous. The minstrels, then a privileged order,

wandering from tower to hall, singing the actions of the living as well as of the dead, turned with a poetic curse from the jealous wicket and the closed gate, and sung of the generosity and bravery of other names. Other ladies

had tokens from their sons, their loves, or their husbands, but no such tokens came to those of Heron tower,-Beatrice sighed, Lady Heron wept, and Sir Aymer made lamentation with them both, and so one whole year passed by.

"It happened about the beginning of summer that Beatrice had walked out by the sea-side, and was seated on a little rock; past the base of which a footpath winded along the shore. The faithful dog of her lover lay by her side, a small banner of silk was in her hand, on which she was working a heron in flight; her eyes were often turned towards the water, and she watched the motion of every ship with the anxiety of one whose heart is at sea. While she sat in that place, a maimed soldier stood before her, and holding out the reliques of a leathern head-piece bordered with steel, asked alms, in the name of our Lady, for one who had gone far and seen much,-had fought in seventeen battles and twenty-four sieges, besides skirmishes and encounters which he had neglected to number. She took a piece of silver in her hand; and Where have ye fought?" she said, on the border or abroad ?”. "On the border, lady' said the soldier, nay, nay, I never bent my bow against the crest of a Scot;-nay, nay, -I was abroad, lady, I was abroad, among the French, and sore strokes were given, some of which, and sad ones too, fell to my share. Seven sword wounds, and thirteen lance wounds, all in the front, lady; never to speak of arrow shot;-the shafts flew as thick as goose-down at Christmas,-sharp and unsonsie, as ye say in the north country. God defend ye from war, lady, and may no one that ye love ever go where the lances are levelled, and the cross-bows are strained,―a perilous trade lady, a perilous trade,-perilous work, and poor pay.'

"When the old soldier named the French wars, Beatrice coloured deeply and trembled a little, and changing the silver into gold, said, Soldier,-among

the English, who is the gallantest knight,

arms.

and who do the ladies of France love and the minstrels laud? Ah,' said the soldier, is it easy to say which of the stars of the sky are the fairest,and which of the flowers of the field are the loveliest? when there are Howards, and Dacres, and Percys, there will be gallant knights, and noble deeds of But in my poor mind, the gallantest soldier, and the one whom minstrels laud and ladies love, is one who sleeps on the grass with his mantle over him, eats coarse food, drinks only water, and has a black hound ever by his side. He is meek of speech and lisps a little. I fought under his banner, and need hath he to bear him bravely who follows him, for he is ever with the foremost, and wherever the shout of "a Heron, a Heron," arises, there are gory spurs and bloody lances, and many a brave one in the dust.' He looked on the gold as she laid it in his hand, and with many a bow, and 'God save you, lady,' he went halting along;-it was the first news she had heard of Sir Hugh Heron, and blithely went she home, and many a face was glad.

"Several weeks passed, and the lady was again seated on the same stone, and with her dog at her foot looked out upon the sea Sir Aymer came and sat down by her; and looked with her upon the waters. The wind which moves the sea, lady,' he said,comes from the French shore, and has not many minutes ago been fanning the hot brows and nodding plumes of Sir Hugh Heron and his chivalry.' And while he spoke, a boat came swiftly along the coast, pushed into a little creek; a man, in the garb of a soldier, leaped lightly out, and advancing towards their seat, said,

Who can show me the way to Heron tower, and take me to Beatrice Halliday? There stands the tower,' said Sir Aymer, and here sits Beatrice Halliday;-fellow, saw ye ever a fairer ?" The soldier stood and looked on the lady for a moment or two,- Aye, Sir,

"Knight, fair enough for a Scottish woman, but be she of the north or of the south, or fair or foul, I am the bearer of a message to her if she knows aught of Sir Hugh Heron.' Her bosom fluttered and her colour changed. Sir Aymer started up,-Fellow, fellow,' he said, if ye have aught evil to relate, let it be in my ear alone.'-Shame fall me, then,' said the messenger, and may frequent hunger, and hard battles, and bad billets, be my luck in life, if I deliver my message to another ear than the lady's own. But it's soon saidit's soon said; at the siege of Caen Sir Hugh Heron was sore wounded with an arrow in a sortie, and was taken by the French. Nay, nay, lady, never weep for that, for he's well now,ye shall hear it all. A fair damea duke's daughter, no less,-took the arrow barb from the wound, and cured him with a lily white hand, and a kindly tongue. A wily dame and a dainty one, she needs must be if all tales be true. I take St. George to witness that no soft hand salved my wounds,-luck's all,-war rains hard knocks to some and good fortune to others: when Mary Grubson's son was winning knocks on the poll, Sir Hugh Heron was winning a duke's daughter,-luck's all, say I.'

6

"While the soldier ran on with this rude discourse, the young lady looked on the messenger, and then on Sir Aymer, and moving a little apart from them, she said, That Sir Hugh Heron is wounded, and prisoner, is the chance of battle, but that he is faithless is a falsehood;-and untrue to his country too?-I wonder, Sir Aymer, you break not the false messenger's head. If all men were to swear it,if all the birds of heaven were to sing it, and the winds to find a tongue, and do nothing but cry Sir Hugh Heron is disloyal,-Ï would not credit it. No, his heart is pure, and his mind is noble, and what he says is stronger than other men's oaths, and were this dame queen of the west instead of a duke's daughter,

were she as beautiful as Eve was when she came fresh from heaven's hand with the marks of the divine artist upon her, and every look a charm, and every word a spell, she would not win the heart of Sir Hugh Heron.' I am pleased to hear thy faith is so strong in my cousin's loyalty,' said Sir Aymer, and he puts the like faith in the lady, for sorely has he tried thy love by his long silence.' long silence.' Sir Aymer,' said the lady, your words are ungentle and unkind, and with her to whom you utter them they weigh not,'-and she waved her hand, and said, Soldier, begone; and if you wish not for stripes that are not numbered, and a dwelling where daylight never comes, name not falsehood and Hugh Heron together again.' And the soldier went muttering away, and was heard of no more.

"The tale which he told spread far and wide; it was told with many a strange embellishment, and all the people mourned for the wound and capti vity of Sir Hugh Heron. To no one it seemed to bring sincerer sorrow than to his kinsman, Sir Aymer; he demeaned himself with all the humility of grief; and though at times he affected to reckon the soldier's tale an idle fiction, and declared that the faith of a Heron was unchangeable, he nevertheless frequently alluded to the dangers of battle, and the mutable faith of man. He ever sought opportunities of being near Beatrice sometimes he would ask her with à smile, if she dreamed of the French lady, and how she thought the Lily and the Thistle would quarter on her lover's shield? And then he said it was a pity such a stain should come upon an old and gallant name. Beatrice listen ed to all that was said, but her faith in her lover's vows remained unshakent The mother of Sir Hugh was deeply moved by the story; wounds she cared little for,-young wounds soon healed; captivity she regarded not, for gold would mend that, but what could cure the hurts of faith and loyalty? In love with a French lady! was ever the like