The Caged Lion

ffer your slave to fall at

e, Sir. I knew no

ot away the joy that h

art was wont to hung

ceased to be a

was better than

have become mere haunts for the sluggard, who will not face the world; and that honour, glory, and

lest to you; but with me it can never be so; and if any friendship were shown to you on my part, it was when I deemed t

alcolm. 'It cannot be evil to have wa

Joan Beaufort faithless to your king, Lord Malcolm? What then must

colm; 'but if such troth we

r power to cancel min

ntreated, 'your k

room is mighti

t were you free in your own mind to wed, at least you wou

ling. 'But, Sir,' she added gravely, 'you have no right to put

England,' sighed Malcolm

as one like-minde

tep, pray with you, bestow alms with you, found churches, endow your Béguines, and render our change from our childish purpose a blessin

ve had enough of this, Sieur de Glenuskie. You know that with me it is no matter of l

of misery, stood lost to all the world, kneeling in the window-seat, where she had left him resting his

unpropitious? Never mind, you shall have her yet. We will see

ace to face with the free-s

good, madame,'

prelates hate nothing so much as the religious orders; and all the pride of the Luxemburgs is in arms against Clairette's fancy for those beggarly nursing Sisters; so it drives him mad to hear her say she only succoured you for charity. He thinks it a family disgrace,

e loved no one else; she had even allowed that she had once thought him like-minded; she had formerly distinguished him; and nothing lay between them but her scruples; and when they were overcome, by whatever mean

tables, open to the whole world without question. And to this Henry had conformed on his first visit to the city; but he had learnt that the costly and lavish feast had been of very little benefit to

be limited to the official guests, and that the cost of the promiscuous banquet should be distributed to those who

as well as by foreign wars; and famines, pestilences, murders, and tyrannies had held sway, so as to form an absolute succession of reigns of terror. The poor perished like flies in a frost; the homeless o

be very grateful for aid from Esclairmonde in some of his conferences, and for

ufferers, collect the outcast children, feed the hungry, follow with balm wherever a wound had been. To found a Béguinage at Paris seemed to her the most befitting mode of devoting her wealth; and her little admi

Béguinage, to her the real romance. Never did she see a beggar crouching at the church door, without a whisper to herself that there

f mercy, it was that the holy Canon of St. Agnes should be induced to come

e present real master of Paris, he reported that the tears had stood in the King's eyes for a moment, as he said, 'Blessings

ured to hope that the King's influence, and likewise the fact that her intention was not to enrich one of the regular monastic orders, might lead him to lend a favo

; but the young gentleman's birth being equal to yours, after the spectacle you have presented, you

mistaken,' sai

ur father culled for you out of his books of chivalry. You have given a lesson to the whole Court and city on the conseq

my purpose as well as

cy is ended for ever now, since to send you

is to dedicate my labour and my substance to the foundation of a h

lth should be devoted to support the factious poor of Paris was preposterous. Neither the Duke of Burgundy, nor her uncle of St. Pol, would allow a sou to pass out of their grasp for so absurd a purpose; the Pope would give no license-above all to a vain girl, who

, Monseigneur,' said Esclairmonde. 'Wa

hat what was possible for a man, a mere merchant's son, an inspired saint besides, was not possible to a damse

proud of her years of constancy to her high purpose; and she looked just so far abashed that the uncle saw his advantage, and discoursed on the danger of attempting to be better than other people, and of t

replied, with lofty meekness;

the glory of being the foundress of a new order of beneficence, but to be married, just like everybody el

shudder; 'any one rather than the Burgund

ith a brave man you have only his own sins, while a co

ly in battle,' said the

ly on the gentle daughter of a bold race: 'Ay, where

rs,' she added, smiling; and, as Alice likewise smiled and blushed, 'Now, if it were not for this

ll you do, E

ns, and become a mere serving sister, to learn true humility. Anyhow, I verily trust to my Heavenly Spouse to gua

cent certainty in their full efficiency. 'And King Harry will interfere; and we w

human pride, and what God's

up his abode at the H?tel de Bourgogne, whence he came at once to pay his respects to the

seated on a tall charger, whose great dappled head, jewelled and beplumed, could alone be seen amid his sweeping housings, bowing right and left, waving his embroidered gloved hand in courtesy, was seen the stately Duke,

to Henry, and had been presented by him to King James, Alice, standing close behind her queen, recollected

sparency, of King Henry's face, the grand and melancholy majesty of the royal Stewart's, or even the spare, keen, irregular visage of John of Bedford. And while his robes were infinitely more costly than-and his ornaments tenfold outnumbered-all that the three island princes wore, yet no critical eye could take him for the

d been made over to England more by his revenge for his father's murder at Montereau than by the victory at Agincourt. Therefore the King endured his grand talk about our arms and our intentions; an

nd his two sisters, Marguerite, widow of the second short-lived Dauphin, and Anne, still unmarried; but when Henry further e

eby! They make no noise; whereas if you affront the other

slave to the rasc

ese cares; but for a poor little prince like me, it is

est men-on the necks

n; for he had all the audible voices in Paris on his side, while

ad begun to rise to take leave; and he pointed out a knight of some thirty years, glittering with gay devices

nd murmured, 'Such a

rward, intimated to the Duke that he w

h and State; but ended by inviting the King of Scotland to sup with him that

by Sir Nigel and Malcolm, with a few archers of the roya

James said, as if honest steel and good cloth were reckoned as churls, and as if this were the very land of Cockaigne, as Sir Richard Whi

ng than when, in simple crimson robe, the pure white cross on his breast, his auburn hair parted back from his noble brow, he stood towering above all heads, passively r

hal's tasting each dish presented to the Duke, a recognition of the presence

though not beautiful, had a kindly hearty countenance and manner, and won his heart by asking whether the Demoiselle de Luxemburg were still in the suite of Madame of Hainault; and then

enter his cabinet, where-with a gold cup before each, a dish of comfi

dies' love,' said James, as the Duke hande

mighty neighbour; nor would I be hard as to her dowry. Send me five score yearly of such knaves as came with Buchan, and I

r,' said James, smiling; 'tho

ress Madame la Dauphine on you instead of Anne, though it were better for us all if she could hav

ity, 'I spake not of myself, deeming that i

hich even King Henry with all his insolence could not expect you to wed in earnest. However, we may keep our int

n captivity, began politely to expres

ppressed, must command the aid of all that is chiv

ghtiness: 'Of myself, Sir Duke, there is no question. My ransom waits England's willingness to accept it;

sister, nor my interces

no readier friend than the Duke of Burgundy could be found. I did in effect com

ish vows against my brother Bo?mond, fled with that other hoyden of Hainault, and now defies me by coming here. I'll

tle seignoralties that lay so thick in these border lands of the Empire; and what he desired above all, was to keep them from either passing into the hands of the Church, or from consolidating into some powerful principality, as would have been the case had Esclairmonde either entered a convent or married young Waleran de Luxemburg, her cousin. Therefore he had striven to force on her his half-brother, who would certainly never unite any inheritance to hers; but

ce, and giving a written bond, that so soon as he obtained the hand of the Demoiselle de Luxemburg he would resig

ent home exulting and exalted, his doubts as to Esclairmonde's consent almo

lairmonde for perverseness and obstinacy in not accepting the only male thing she had ever favoured. The Bishop of Thérouenne threatened and argued; and the Duke of Burgundy himself

o her lands, so they would leave her person free; her vow

was only extended to those who obeyed lawful authority; and hints were thrown out that, if she did not submit wil

is king-consent to he

whole management of the affair to Esclairmonde's own guardians; and they would probably avoid driving matters to extremities that would revolt him, while he was near enough for an appeal. And Esclairmonde was too uncertain whether her guardians would resort to such lengths, or whether it we

'My only hope is in Go

cannot interfere; but while you are in my house,

eneralship of an army, with all its garrisons, rested on him, his work would hardly have been accomplished but for his brother's aid. It was never acknowledged, often angrily disdained. But when John of Bedford had watched the terrible lassitude and lethargy that weighed on the King at times in the midst of his cabinet work, he was constantly on the watch to relieve

is needing care; and though he sometimes relieved oppression by causing himself to be bled by a servant, he never allowed that anything ailed hi

ompliments that must be answered-had been always his aversion, and were now so heavy an oppression that Bedford would have persuaded the Queen to curtail them. But to the fair Catherine this appeared an unkind endeavour of her disagreeable brother-in-law, to prevent her from shining in her native city, a

orned the notion. Her old father would know nothing, or would smile in his foolish way to see her so brave; and for her mother, she recked not so long as she ha

long days had to be constantly repressing him; not that he often durst make her any direct compliment, for he was usually quelled into anxious wistful silence, and merely eyed her earnestly, paying her every attention in his power. And such a silent tedious me

er countenance, usually so guarded, relaxed into the bright, sweet smile of cheerfulness that was most natural to her. Isolated as the pairs at the table were, and with music braying in a gallery just above, there was plenty of scope for

e music was at the loudest, he said 'Lady, I have watched for this moment. You are persecuted. Look not on me as one of your pers

monde, amazed at these words

to be hunted down into the hands of yon silly lad, I cannot but thrust between. My brother would willingly consen

cut nostril; and then he was silent, until, having recovered the self-restraint that had been failing him, he prevented the words she was trying to form by sa

h as she saw Henry lavish on the shallow Queen, but which she could meet and requite in John. The brutal Bo?mond, the childish Malcolm, had aroused no feeling in her but dislike or pity, and to them a convent was infinitely pr

ld do, bred as she had been in the sensual, violent, and glittering Burgundy of the fifteenth century. In truth, as Malcolm had thought the cloister the only refuge from the harshness and barbarism of Scotland, so Esclairmonde had thought piety and purity to be found nowhere else; and both had found the Court of Henry V. an infinitely better world than they had supposed possible; but, until the present moment, Esclairmonde had never felt the slightest call to take a permanent place there. Now however the cloister, even if it w

o Him whom she received as her spiritual Spouse; and though the sense at this moment only brought her disappointment and self-reproach, her will was loyal.

guerite of Burgundy, at last had taken advantage of an endless harangue from all the Virtues, and had dropped asleep. The Lady Anne was seen making a sign to her sister not to disturb him; and Bedford murmured, with a sigh,

most difficult not to falter, 'this

ord, slowly. 'You h

ht. My vows were renewed of my own free will and it were sac

strange sweet light, quenched as his lip trembled, his nostril quivered, his eye even moistened, as he said, 'It is enough, lady; I wil

Esclairmonde, hardly

held her hand fast, and murmured: 'There then it rests, sweet lady unless, having taken counsel with your own heart, you should change your decr

ladies were cloaking for their return, when her hands wer

we must! How is it with you? Like you the limping Scot better than Bo?mond?'

'the Scot seems a gentle youth; and

m 2000 crowns. Besides, it would be well to get the Scottish king for an ally. Do you know what we two are here for, Clairette? We are both t

iest part of the disclosure, 'the King of Sco

rguerite 'he does not displease me; and

clairmonde, 'if such be your

whom Catherine tells such t

never crosses her but when he would open

l not live a year; and if Catherine have no better luck with her child th

iend with swimming eyes, 'she will have the b

rmonde's own troubles; but the other ladies were arrayed, and Esclairmon

nfided to any, even Alice Montagu. And while the maiden lay smiling in her quiet sleep, after having fondly told her friend that Sir Richard Nevil had really noticed her ne

; and she passionately detested the obligation that held her back from affection, usefulness, joy, and excellence-not ambition, for the greatest help to her lay in Bedford's posit

e hallowed by the One all-sufficient Sacrifice. She offered all those capacities for love that had been newly revealed to her; she offered up the bliss, whose golden dawn she had seen; she tried to

port, ineffable love, that kept her kneeling in a calm, almost ecstat