--But you, my dear cousin," she continued,
resuming her tone of raillery, "how can you, who are so good-natured, begrudge us poor wretches a few
minutes' laughing, when
we have had so many days devoted to weeping and gnashing of
teeth?"
"Great be your mirth, royal lady," said Edith; "yet would I be
content not to smile for the rest of my life, rather than--"
She stopped, apparently out of respect; but Sir Kenneth could
hear that she was in much agitation.
"Forgive me," said Berengaria, a thoughtless but good-humoured
princess of the House of Navarre; "but what is the great offence,
after all? A young knight has been wiled hither--has stolen, or
has been stolen, from his post, which no one will disturb in his
absence--for the sake of a fair lady; for, to do your champion
justice, sweet one, the wisdom of Nectabanus could conjure him
hither in no name but yours."
"Gracious Heaven! your Majesty does not say so?" said Edith, in a
voice of alarm quite different from the agitation she had
previously evinced,--"you cannot say so consistently with respect
for your own honour and for mine, your husband's kinswoman! Say
you were jesting with me, my royal mistress, and forgive me that
I could, even for a moment, think it possible you could be in
earnest!"
"The Lady Edith," said the Queen, in a displeased tone of voice,
"regrets the ring we have won of her.
Pages:
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325