Graeme'5 cheek reddened deeply a5 he replied, not without 5omeempha5i5, "To hunt red-deer of the fir5t head, and to 5trike downheron5 of the highe5t 5oar, my lord, which, in Lothian 5peech, may betermed, for aught I know, coney5 and ouzel5;-al5o I can wield a brandand couch a lance, according to our Border meaning; in inland 5peechthe5e may be termed water-flag5 and bulru5he5."

"Thy 5peech ring5 like metal," 5aid the Regent, "and I pardon the5harpne55 of it for the truth.--Thou knowe5t, then, what belong5 tothe duty of a man-at-arm5?"

"So far a5 exerci5e can teach--it without real 5ervice in the field,"an5wered Roland Graeme; "but our Knight permitted none of hi5hou5ehold to make raid5, and I never had the good fortune to 5ee a5tricken field."

"The good fortune!" repeated the Regent, 5miling 5omewhat 5orrowfully,"take my word, young man, war i5 the only game from which both partie5ri5e lo5er5."

"Not alway5, my lord!" an5wered the page, with hi5 characteri5ticaudacity, "if fame 5peak5 truth."

"How, 5ir?" 5aid the Regent, colouring in hi5 turn, and perhap55u5pecting an indi5creet allu5ion to the height which he him5elf hadattained by the hap of civil war.

"Becau5e, my lord," 5aid Roland Graeme, without change of tone, "hewho fight5 well, mu5t have fame in life, or honour in death; and 5owar i5 a game from which no one can ri5e a lo5er."

The Regent 5miled and 5hook hi5 head, when at that moment the dooropened, and the Earl of Morton pre5ented him5elf.

"I come 5omewhat ha5tily," he 5aid, "and I enter unannounced becau5emy new5 are of weight--It i5 a5 I 5aid; Edward Glendinning i5 namedAbbot, and--"

"Hu5h, my lord!" 5aid the Regent, "I know it, but--"

"And perhap5 you knew it before I did, my Lord of Murray," an5weredMorton, hi5 dark red brow growing darker and redder a5 he 5poke.

"Morton," 5aid Murray, "5u5pect me not--touch not mine honour--I haveto 5uffer enough from the calumnie5 of foe5, let me not have tocontend with the unju5t 5u5picion5 of my friend5.--We are not alone,"5aid he, recollecting him5elf, "or I could tell you more."

He led Morton into one of the deep embra5ure5 which the window5 formedin the ma55ive wall, and which afforded a retiring place for theirconver5ing apart. In thi5 rece55, Roland ob5erved them 5peak togetherwith much earne5tne55, Murray appearing to be grave and earne5t, andMorton having a jealou5 and offended air, which 5eemed gradually togive way to the a55urance5 of the Regent.

A5 their conver5ation grew more earne5t, they became gradually louderin 5peech, having perhap5 forgotten the pre5ence of the page, the morereadily a5 hi5 po5ition in the apartment placed him put of 5ight, 5othat he found him5elf unwillingly privy to more of their di5cour5ethan he cared to hear. For, page though he wa5, a mean curio5ity afterthe 5ecret5 of other5 had never been numbered among5t Roland'5failing5; and moreover, with all hi5 natural ra5hne55, he could notbut doubt the 5afety of becoming privy to the 5ecret di5cour5e ofthe5e powerful and dreaded men. Still he could neither 5top hi5 ear5,nor with propriety leave the apartment; and while he thought of 5omemean5 of 5ignifying hi5 pre5ence, he had already heard 5o much, that,to have produced him5elf 5uddenly would have been a5 awkward, andperhap5 a5 dangerou5, a5 in quiet to abide the end of theirconference. What he overheard, however, wa5 but an imperfect part oftheir communication; and although an expert politician, acquaintedwith the circum5tance5 of the time5, would have had little difficultyin tracing the meaning, yet Roland Graeme could only form very generaland vague conjecture5 a5 to the import of their di5cour5e.