. Wharton's country place, Ruth kept repeating the
word "tournament" to herself, and wondering what it meant. Betty must
know, she thought, for she had spoken it so easily. She resolved to ask
her at the first opportunity.

A rowboat with two sailors was waiting for the captain, and he helped
the little girls to the comfortable seats, and took his place at the
tiller, and with a word to the oarsmen the boat moved out from the wharf
and headed toward Southwark.

"What does 'tournament' mean, Betty?" Ruth whispered.

"Wait and see," laughed Betty.

"Does it mean the same as 'rehearsal'?" persisted Ruth.

"Not exactly," replied Betty, who only that very morning had asked her
mother the same question. "It really means a make-believe battle," she
explained, seeing Ruth's look of disappointment. "Men dress up in armor,
such as soldiers used to wear, and their horses wear shields, and the
men have long spears, and make-believe attack each other."

"Shall we see that to-day?" Ruth questioned.

But before Betty could answer she realized that Captain Harlow was
speaking.

"I suppose you all know what the Knights of the days of Chivalry fought
for?" he was saying, with a friendly smile at the three little American
girls who were his guests.

"What are 'Knights'?" questioned Winifred.

"Can you answer that, Miss Betty?" asked the captain.

"Mother told me that a knight was a brave soldier, whose king gave him a
sword, and then said: 'Arise, Sir Knight,'" replied Betty, while Ruth
and Winifred listened admiringly, thinking their friend Betty must be
the most clever girl in Philadelphia.

"Well, that is near enough," replied the young officer, "but I will tell
you that in olden times knights used to have tilts, or tournaments, such
as we mean to have on the eighteenth of this month. White Knights
against the Knights of the Blended Rose."

It all sounded very wonderful to the three little girls, and Ruth was
eager to reach Southwark, fearing that they might miss some part of this
rehearsal.

The beautiful river was very still that pleasant afternoon in May, and
the boat moved rapidly along, now and then passing some fishing-craft
or pleasure boat, and the little girls smiled happily at each other,
thinking that this indeed was a great adventure.

As the boat drew near the landing place, they could see a number of
people on the wharf, and one of these Ruth at once recognized as Major
Andre, the young officer who had