hursts. By every law of right and
justice, it is he who should reap the reward, and find Basildene
restored to its former beauty before he comes to dwell within it."

"And he shall so find it if I have means to compass it," answered the
uncle, with glad pride.

His eye was then drawn to another part of the hall; for Sir Hugh
Vavasour had just come galloping up to the door in hot haste, having
heard all manner of strange rumours: the first being that his daughter
had been found, and was in hiding at Basildene; the second, which had
only just reached his ears, that Peter Sanghurst was dead -- hanged by
order of the Prince, and that Basildene had been formally granted as the
perpetual right of Raymond de Brocas and his heirs.

"And Raymond de Brocas is the plighted husband of thy daughter, good Sir
Hugh," said Master Bernard, coming up to help his old friend out of his
bewilderment -- "plighted, that is, by themselves, by the right of a
true and loyal love. Thy daughter will still be the Lady of Basildene,
and I think that thou wilt rather welcome my nephew as her lord than yon
miscreant, whose body is swinging on some tree not far away. Thou wert
something too willing, my friend, to sell thy daughter for wealth; but
fortune has been kind to her as well as to thee, and thou hast gained
for her the wealth, and yet hast not sacrificed her brave young heart.
Go to her now, and give her thy blessing, and tell her she may wed young
Raymond de Brocas so soon as he comes to claim her hand."

CHAPTER XXX. WITH THE PRINCE.[i]

"Sanghurst dead! Joan free! her father's consent won! I the Lord of
Basildene! Gaston, thou takest away my breath! Art sure thou art not
mocking me?"

"Art sure that thou art indeed thyself, my lord of Basildene?" was
Gaston's merry response, as he looked his brother over from head to foot
with beaming face; "for, in sooth, I scarce should know thee for the
brother I left behind -- that wan and wasted creature, more like a
corpse than a man. The good Brothers have indeed done well by thee,
Raymond. Save that thou hast not lost thine old saintly look, which
stamps thee as something different from the rest of us, I should scarce
have thought it could be thee. This year spent in thine own native clime
has made a new man of thee!"

"In truth I think it has," answered Raymond, who was indeed wonderfully
changed from the time when Gaston had left him, rather more than ten
months before. "We had no