ts allowed them were low-toned conversation, chess, draughts, or
illumination. Music, dancing (even by the girls alone), noisy games of
all kinds, and laughter, the Countess strictly forbade. The practical
result was that the young ladies fell back upon gossip and
ghost-stories, until there were few nights in the year when Roisia would
have dared to go to bed by herself for a king's ransom. An hour before
bed-time wine and cakes were served. After this Mistress Underdone
recited the Rosary, the girls making the responses, and at eight
o'clock--a late hour at that time--they trooped off to bed. All were
expected to be in bed and all lights out by half-past eight. The
unlucky maiden who loitered or was accidentally hindered had to finish
her undressing in the dark.

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Note 1. This strange habit of the Countess is a fact, and sorely
distressed the Earl, as he has himself put on record, though with all
his annoyance he shows himself quite conscious of the comicality of the
proceeding.

Note 2. The _depenseur_, or family provider. Hence comes the name of
Le Despenser, which, therefore, should not be spelt Despencer.

CHAPTER THREE.

ON THE THRESHOLD OF LIFE.

"I will not dream of him handsome and strong--
My ideal love may be weak and slight;
It matters not to what class he belong,
He would be noble enough in my sight;
But he must be courteous toward the lowly,
To the weak and sorrowful, loving too;
He must be courageous, refined, and holy,
By nature exalted, and firm, and true."

By the time that Clarice had been six weeks at Oakham she had pretty
well made up her mind as to the characters of her companions. The
Countess did not belie the estimate formed on first seeing her. The
gentle, mournful, loving woman of Clarice's dreams had vanished, never
to be recalled. The girl came to count that a red-letter day on which
she did not see her mistress. Towards the Earl her feeling was an odd
mixture of reverential liking and compassion. He came far nearer the
ideal picture than his wife. His manners were unusually gentle and
considerate of others, and he was specially remarkable for one trait
very rarely found in the Middle Ages--he was always thoughtful of those
beneath him. Another peculiarity he had, not common in his time; he was
decidedly a humourist. The comic side even of his own troubles was
always paten