ed a good school
of gentle manners and sound learning."

I had listened sadly enough to the story of my father's fall, and its
recital grieved me.

"And has my lord vicomte seen my father since? Has he inquired of me?" I
asked.

"Nay, I must tell thee no more," she said. "Maybe I have told thee too
much already."

"At least, tell me of my mother," said I.

"Poor child," said she, "thou hast never known mother's love! Thy mother
was most fair and gentle, and indeed thine eyes and smile are hers."

"Of what race came she, lady?"

"Child," said she, sadly, "I will not tell thee that to-day. Know only
her name was of the noblest."

Thus, in the chamber of the vicomtesse, that afternoon I learned
something of the secrets that I had wondered over in my boyhood. Sadly I
kissed her hand, when I knew she would tell me no more, and thanked her
courteously for her tender words.

"Indeed," said she, "I long to number thee soon among mine own sons,
when thou leavest the monks thy tutors."

"And I," said I, right gallantly, "will strive to be worthy of honours
so high, of a race so noble."

Now, next morning we rode forth gaily, on our last stage, as we hoped,
to Valognes, and a company of grooms and men-at-arms rode with us, such
as beseemed my uncle's rank. And for many miles we rode along the
western bank of the river Douve, that runs by my uncle's castle, but at
length the stream took a great bend to the west, and we had to cross
within some twelve miles of Valognes.

Here was a stout timber bridge on four piers, over which our road ran;
and it was on the west side of the bridge that my lord stayed, it being
a convenient place to send fit messengers to my lord duke to tell of our
approach. Therefore a courtly gentleman of my lord's retinue--by name De
Norrey--with a groom were sent forward in advance.

Their horses' hoofs clattered on the wooden way as they sped forth. But
lo! great was our wonder and terror to see a sore disaster befall them
there in the midst of the passage over the stream. We saw suddenly the
road give way beneath them, as though it were clean sawn asunder, and
both horsemen in a moment cast down suddenly into the stream below.
Then, too, we heard a loud thunder of the beams falling, and there was a
great mass of woodwork in the river, that dammed up for a while the
flood.

The gentleman, the vicomte's envoy, was alas! killed, thrown headlong by
his horse against a pier ere he struck the wat