s helped up behind him, and with a final farewell to Dame La
Theyn, who stood in the doorway, they rode forth on their way to Oakham
Castle. Three days' journey brought them to their destination, and they
were witnesses of a curious ceremony just as they reached the Castle
gate. All over the gate horseshoes were nailed. A train of visitors
were arriving at the Castle, and the trumpeter sounded his horn for
entrance.

"Who goes there?" demanded the warder. "The right noble and puissant
Prince Edmund, Earl of Lancaster, Leicester, and Derby; and his most
noble lady, Blanche, Queen Dowager of Navarre, Countess of the same,
cousins unto my gracious Lord of Cornwall."

"Is this my said noble Lord's first visit unto the lordship of Oakham?"
asked the warder, without opening the gate. "It is."

"Then our gracious Lord, as Lord of the said manor, demands of him one
of the shoes of the horse whereon he rides as tribute due from every
peer of the realm on his first coming to this lordship."

"My right noble and puissant Lord," returned the trumpeter, "denies the
said shoe of his horse; but offers in the stead one silver penny, for
the purchase of a shoe in lieu thereof."

"My gracious Lord deigns to receive the said silver penny in lieu of the
shoe, and lovingly prays your Lord and Lady to enter his said Castle."

Then the portcullis was drawn up, and the long train filed noisily into
the courtyard. This ceremony was observed on the first visit of every
peer to Oakham Castle; but the visitor was allowed, if he chose, as in
this instance, to redeem the horse-shoe by the payment of money to buy
one. The shoes contributed by eminent persons were not unfrequently
gilded.

The modest train of Sir Gilbert and Clarice crept quietly in at the end
of the royal suite. As he was only a knight, his horse-shoe was not in
request Sir Gilbert told the warder in a few words his name and errand,
whereupon that functionary summoned a boy, and desired him to conduct
the knight and maiden to Mistress Underdone. Having alighted from the
horse, Clarice shook down her riding-gown, and humbly followed Sir
Gilbert and the guide into the great hall, which was built like a
church, with centre and aisles, up a spiral staircase at one end of it,
and into a small room hung with green say [Note 3]. Here they had to
wait a while, for every one was too busily employed in the reception of
the royal guests to pay attention to such comparatively me