Heroines of the Crusades

ruth direct thy

ery air where

s, there still w

nd, nor scant th

ight, where dames

ght, and in their

en drawn into a plot against the crown, and betrayed by his Norman wife, Judith, to her uncle, the Conqueror, was beheaded

ed a willing agent of his own purposes, in the person of Simon, a Norman noble, lame and deform

stripped of rank and power, retired to the

the watchful Adela comprehended, that transported to the home of her childhood, in the gaiety of life's early morn, she trod again the breezy upland, and fragrant glade, wandered through wood and wold, with Edwin by her side, or sitting by the star-lit fountain, challenged the ni

refusal of her stepmother. The betrothal was to take place directly on the Conqueror's arrival in Normandy, but the happy oblivio

eloved Queen, had accorded to his refractory son a full pardon for his late rebellion, "promising at the same time,

ominions, and the royal family happy in their reunio

, "pray leave the royal nose of our valiant sire, which thou hast punctured and cross-stitche

istinct impression of thy noble father's visage, since thou canst no

more terror than all the comets since the days of Julius C?sar, as the inhabitants of York will

s noble sire, at the field of Archembraye, but a maiden's needle

ine eyes outdo thy tongue. On the field of Archembraye I did but wound my father

, should be clad in armor," sai

obert. "The Count Stephen, of Blois, bids me entreat the fair Adela to bin

dropping the embroidery. "Is

ch at twilight, and emerging at sunrise, his regards bent upon the ground except, perchance,

" said Adela, blushing, "but wher

e the Yule-clog, as Atheling calls it, has ceased to burn, he will himself lay the accolade of knightho

said Adela, in a t

that range the green pastures of Blois, that he hears not the sound of the busy looms of Char

dly to hide from the penetrating eyes of her brother, the influenc

der the scarf for thy gallant knight," said Robert, rising to withdraw. Adela followed him to th

hful Maude, she wrought upon Tyrian purple the golden lions of Chartres, budded the shining damask with the fleur de lis of Champagne, and sewed the embroidered field azure with the pearly crescent of Blois. The deep tones of the turret clock to

ware thy glance wander not from yon bright star that even now glimmers through the casement. Breathe not a word while I wreathe the silken scarf in the folds of thy canopy, and whisper the mystic cha

y rest," said she, glancing inquiringly at

omise and a fear have bewildered me-com

adjacent provinces, arrayed in the most gorgeous vestments of their several orders, with high-born dames and blushing maidens, sparkling

ical of the purity of his soul, the other of his determination to shed his blood in the cause of heaven. Arrayed in this simple garb, after the celebration of the

e.-Thou must be strong in danger-secret in councils-patient in difficulties-powerful against enemies-prudent in deeds. Lay thy hand upon this h

widows and orphans-to protect the innocent and oppressed-to be humble in all things-to speak the truth from the hear

d the corselet; gracefully he sank upon his knee, when Maude advancing adjusted the helmet upon his closely curling locks, and Constance presented the spear with its drooping pennon; but his head bowed in conscious devotion, and the warm bl

t before the throne while the monarch rose and laid upon his shoulder three gentle blows, saying in a voice whose deep tones ec

th the flash of burnished steel, the man of God again took up the word, blessing him who had newly undertaken, and those who had l

, conducted him to the court below, where vaulting upon their steeds, they rode thro

crisp green sward, in the wild excitement of the chase; but the proud barb of Stephen obedient to the rein, curved his glossy neck and moved with lofty step, by the dappled palfrey of Adela, while the young knight whispered words that the princess loved to hear; and thus i

othal-more solemn than a burial, occasio

of Easter. At the close of the lenten fast, she quitted the scene of her childish pleasures, gazed a last adieu on the hills, vales and streams, over which the early spring of that bright climate was casting its mello

f the matin chime, but neither the happy associations awakened by the place and

to wreathe her dark locks with jewels and gold, and array her fair form for the last time in the garb

of her sister's devotions forced upon her

splendid concourse filled the galleries, and thronge

tenderness overmastered all other emotions, as with gentle force he drew her from the last fond embrace of her weeping mother, and the convulsive clasp of the almost frantic Adela, and resigned her in a

ifix, led the procession, followed by Constance and Gundred, each carrying a lighted taper and bearing between

calm and serene countenance, beaming with such angelic sweetness from beneath the gossamer wreath which ornamented her head, that to Maude's fanciful vision she seemed already crowned with the radiant halo of the saints. A brilliant burst of jub

a her patron-saint. The reverend Father gave her the consecrated name, signe

e immortal bridegroom;-from the fading lustre of an earthly diadem, to the changeless glory of an eternal crown: and scarcely had he concluded with the gracious words, "Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all," when the whole orchestra took up the note of commendation and "Gloria in Excelsis" sounded through the cloistered aisles, echoed along the vaulted roof, and breathed to the

the votaress saw nothing, heard nothing, save the sacred mysteries in which she was engaged. Prostrated as if in deep abasement she lay upon the marble floor, while the choir chanted the litany; gently she inclined to the abbess, to be bound by the girdle of humiliation; reverently she bowed her he

ling dome, and every demonstration of

hared in the sumptuous entertainment; but between Cicely and her family was an impassable barrier of an