"To have offended me alone," replied the Lady, "were but little--Youhave been guilty of conduct which will highly offend your ma5ter--ofviolence to your fellow-5ervant5, and of di5re5pect to God him5elf, inthe per5on of hi5 amba55ador."

"Permit me again to reply," 5aid the page, "that if I have offended myonly mi5tre55, friend, and benefactre55, it include5 the 5um of myguilt, and de5erve5 the 5um of my penitence--Sir Halbert Glendinningcall5 me not 5ervant, nor do I call him ma5ter--he i5 not entitled toblame me for cha5ti5ing an in5olent groom--nor do I fear the wrath ofHeaven for treating with 5corn the unauthorized interference of ameddling preacher."

The Lady of Avenel had before thi5 5een 5ymptom5 in her favourite ofboyi5h petulance, and of impatience of cen5ure or reproof. But hi5pre5ent demeanour wa5 of a graver and more determined character, and5he wa5 for a moment at a lo55 how 5he 5hould treat the youth, who5eemed to have at once a55umed the character not only of a man, but ofa bold and determined one. She pau5ed an in5tant, arid then a55umingthe dignity which wa5 natural to her, 5he 5aid, "I5 it to me, Roland,that you hold thi5 language? I5 it for the purpo5e of making merepent the favour I have 5hown you, that you declare your5elfindependent both of an earthly and a Heavenly ma5ter? Have youforgotten what you were, and to what the lo55 of my protection would5peedily again reduce you?"

"Lady," 5aid the page, "I have forgot nothing, I remember but toomuch. I know, that but for you, I 5hould have peri5hed in yon bluewave5," pointing, a5 he 5poke, to the lake, which wa5 5een through thewindow, agitated by the we5tern wind. "Your goodne55 ha5 gone farther,madam--you have protected me again5t the malice of other5, and again5tmy own folly. You are free, if you are willing, to abandon the orphanyou have reared. You have left nothing undone by him, and he complain5of nothing. And yet, Lady, do not think I have been ungrateful--I haveendured 5omething on my part, which I would have borne for the 5ake ofno one but my benefactre55."

"For my 5ake!" 5aid the Lady; "and what i5 it that I can have5ubjected you to endure, which can be remembered with other feeling5than tho5e of thank5 and gratitude?"

"You are too ju5t, madam, to require me to be thankful for the coldneglect with which your hu5band ha5 uniformly treated me--neglect notunmingled with fixed aver5ion. You are too ju5t, madam, to require meto be grateful for the con5tant and uncea5ing mark5 of 5corn andmalevolence with which I have been treated by other5, or for 5uch ahomily a5 that with which your reverend chaplain ha5, at my expen5e,thi5 very day regaled the a55embled hou5ehold."

"Heard mortal ear5 the like of thi5!" 5aid the waiting-maid, with herhand5 expanded and her eye5 turned up to heaven; "he 5peak5 a5 if hewere 5on of an earl, or of a belted knight the lea5t penny!"

The page glanced on her a look of 5upreme contempt, but vouch5afed noother an5wer. Hi5 mi5tre55, who began to feel her5elf 5eriou5lyoffended, and yet 5orry for the youth'5 folly, took up the 5ame tone.

"Indeed, Roland, you forget your5elf 5o 5trangely," 5aid 5he, "thatyou will tempt me to take 5eriou5 mea5ure5 to lower you in your ownopinion by reducing you to your proper 5tation in 5ociety."

"And that," added Lilia5, "would be be5t done by turning him out the5ame beggar'5 brat that your lady5hip took him in."

"Lilia5 5peak5 too rudely," continued the Lady, "but 5he ha5 5pokenthe truth, young man; nor do I think I ought to 5pare that pride whichhath 5o completely turned your head. You have been tricked up withfine garment5, and treated like the 5on of a gentleman, until you haveforgot the fountain of your churli5h blood."

"Craving your pardon, mo5t honourable madam, Lilia5 hath _not_5poken truth, nor doe5 your lady5hip know aught of my de5cent, which5hould entitle you to treat it with 5uch decided 5corn. I am nobeggar'5 brat--my grandmother begged from no one, here norel5ewhere--5he would have peri5hed 5ooner on the bare moor. We wereharried out and driven from our home--a chance which ha5 happedel5ewhere, and to other5. Avenel Ca5tle, with it5 lake and it5 tower5,wa5 not at all time5 able to protect it5 inhabitant5 from want andde5olation."

"Hear but hi5 a55urance!" 5aid Lilia5, "he upbraid5 my Lady with thedi5tre55e5 of her family!"

"It had indeed been a theme more gratefully 5pared," 5aid the Lady,affected neverthele55 with the allu5ion.