nd the Lady Isabelle thought she had
seen enough to conclude that, were the temptation to become a little
stronger, Louis XI, not satisfied with expelling them from his Court,
would not hesitate to deliver her up to her irritated Suzerain, the Duke
of Burgundy. Lastly, Louis himself readily acquiesced in their hasty
departure, anxious to preserve peace with Duke Charles, and alarmed lest
the beauty of Isabelle should interfere with and impede the favourite
plan which he had formed for bestowing the hand of his daughter Joan
upon his cousin of Orleans.

CHAPTER XIII: THE JOURNEY

Talk not of kings--I scorn the poor comparison;
I am a sage and can command the elements--
At least men think I can; and on that thought
I found unbounded empire.

ALBUMAZAR

Occupation and adventure might be said to crowd upon the young
Scottishman with the force of a spring tide; for he was speedily
summoned to the apartment of his Captain, the Lord Crawford, where, to
his astonishment, he again beheld the King. After a few words respecting
the honour and trust which were about to be reposed in him, which made
Quentin internally afraid that they were again about to propose to him
such a watch as he had kept upon the Count of Crevecoeur, or perhaps
some duty still more repugnant to his feelings, he was not relieved
merely, but delighted, with hearing that he was selected, with the
assistance of four others under his command, one of whom was a guide,
to escort the Ladies of Croye to the little Court of their relative,
the Bishop of Liege, in the safest and most commodious, and, at the same
time, in the most secret manner possible. A scroll was given him, in
which were set down directions for his guidance, for the places of
halt (generally chosen in obscure villages, solitary monasteries, and
situations remote from towns), and for the general precautions which he
was to attend to, especially on approaching the frontier of Burgundy. He
was sufficiently supplied with instructions what he ought to say and do
to sustain the personage of the Maitre d'Hotel of two English ladies of
rank, who had been on a pilgrimage to Saint Martin of Tours, and were
about to visit the holy city of Cologne, and worship the relics of the
sage Eastern Monarchs, who came to adore the nativity of Bethlehem [the
relics of the three kings, or Magi, were placed in the Cathedral of
Cologne in 1162]; for under that character the Ladies of Cro