twenty years of seniority Francis
seemed as young as the Scottish king.

"By Saint Denis, James," he cried, "you are a visitor of good omen,
for you have brought fine weather with you and the breath of spring.
All this winter we have endured the climate of Hades itself, without
its warmth."

The two rulers stood together in the courtyard, entirely alone, for no
man dare frequent their immediate neighbourhood; but in a circle some
distance removed from their centre, the Scotch and the French
fraternised together, a preeminent assemblage numbering a thousand or
more; and from the balconies beautiful ladies looked down on the
inspiring scene.

The gates were still open and the drawbridge down, when a horseman
came clattering over the causeway, and, heedless of the distinguished
audience, which he scattered to right and left, amid curses on his
clumsiness, drew up his foaming horse in the very presence of royalty
itself.

Francis cried out angrily at this interruption.

"Unmannerly varlet, how dare you come dashing through this throng like
a drunken ploughman!"

The rider flung himself off the panting horse and knelt before his
enraged master.

"Sire," he said, "my news may perhaps plead for me. The army of the
Emperor Charles, in Provence, is broken and in flight. Spain has met
a crushing defeat, and no foe insults the soil of France except by
lying dead upon it."

"Now, my good fellow," cried the king with dancing eyes, "you are
forgiven if you had ridden down half of my nobility."

The joyous news spread like wildfire, and cheer upon cheer rose to
heaven like vocal flame to mark its advance.

"Brother," cried the great king to his newly arrived guest, placing
an arm lovingly over his shoulder, his voice with suspicion of
tremulousness about it, "you stalwart Scots have always brought luck
to our fair land of France. This glad news is the more welcome to me
that you are here when I receive it."

And so the two, like affectionate kinsmen, walked together into the
castle which, although James did not then know it, was to be his home
for many months.

There was a dinner of state that evening, so gay and on a scale so
grand that James had little time or opportunity for reflection on his
mission. Here indeed, as Talbot had truly said, was the flower garden
of the human race; and the Scottish king saw many a proud lady to whom
probably he would have been delighted to bend the knee. But his bride
was not among