or which he was unable to account. Having arrived late one
afternoon at the residence of the Knight, he found, upon inquiring
after him, that he had been absent several days, and was not expected
to return for two or three more. Arundel then asked to see the lady,
but was answered that she was confined sick to her room and unable to
receive any one. Late as it was, for the sun was setting, he was
preparing to return to the settlement, when he heard sounding from the
edge of the forest the Knight's hunting horn. He stepped to the outer
door, and beheld Sir Christopher advancing with the lady.

The former was habited in his usual hunting gear, while the dress of
the lady Geraldine consisted of an over-coat of dark cloth, falling
just below the knee, fitting tightly about the chest, and rising high
into the neck. On her feet were moccasins, of the natural russet shade
of the leather, laced up the calf of the leg, so that they nearly
reached the skirt, and on her head she wore a black leather cap,
ornamented with an ostrich's feather, beneath the protection of which
her hair fell down in plaits upon her back. The dress was a mixture of
the civilized and of the savage, and as she approached, with a little
color in her cheeks, occasioned by the exercise, Arundel thought that
she looked even beautiful. Her manner appeared to him to betray
confusion, but there was no embarrassment on the part of the Knight.
He welcomed his visitor with his customary politeness, merely
inquiring how long it was since he had arrived, adding, that his
cousin had been persuaded to accompany him on a hunting expedition,
for the sake of her health, which would account for the disorder of
his house. The two were accompanied by several natives, among whom was
the little girl; but their hunt it would seem had been unsuccessful,
for they had not much game. A falsehood had been told by the domestic,
evidently to conceal the absence of the lady, which Arundel could
explain only on the supposition that it was designed to mislead others
and not himself, and was said to him only because the servant was
unable to discriminate.

In spite of the vigilance of Spikeman, Arundel, aided by the cunning
of Prudence, and the connivance of the Assistant's wife, had two or
three times seen Eveline; and the lovers, with protestations of
eternal fidelity, encouraged each other to look forward to happier
days. Philip Joy too, though in disobedience to the orders of the
Kn