d the boys had seen all that they wished of the
castle, Mr. George gave the soldier a shilling, and they went out as
they had gone in, under the great archway. They passed across the
esplanade, and then came to a small, level piece of ground, with a high
rock beyond it, overlooking it. The level place was an ancient tilting
ground; that is, a ground where, in ancient times, they used to have
tilts and tournaments, for the amusement of the people of the palace,
and of the guests who came to visit them. The ladies used to stand on
the top of the rock to witness the tournaments. There was a large, flat
area there, with room enough upon it for twenty or thirty ladies to
stand and see. The rock was called the Lady's Rock. The tournaments and
tiltings have long since ceased, but it retains the name of the Lady's
Rock to the present day.

"Let us go up on it," said Rollo, "and see where the ladies stood."

There were a number of children playing about these grounds, and several
of them were upon the top of the Lady's Rock. They looked ragged and
poor. Rollo and Waldron climbed up to the place. The path was steep and
rugged. When they reached the top they looked down to the level area
where the tournaments were held.

"I don't think the place is big enough for a tournament," said Rollo.

"What is a tournament?" asked Waldron.

"A sort of sham fight of horsemen," said Rollo, "that they used to have
in old times, when they wore steel armor, and fought with spears and
lances. They used to ride against each other with blunt spears, and see
who could knock the other one off his horse. What are you laughing at,
uncle George?"

Rollo perceived that Mr. George was smiling at his very unromantic mode
of describing a tournament. "Is not that what they used to do at the
tournaments?"

"Yes," said Mr. George, "that is a pretty fair account of it, on the
whole. And now, boys," he continued, "I have got a plan of having a
picnic to-day, out under the castle walls here, instead of going to the
hotel for dinner; and we will go and find a good place for it."

The boys said that they would like this plan very much. "But then,"
said they, "we have not got any thing to eat."

Mr. George then explained to them that the plan which he had formed, was
for them to go down into the town, and buy something at the shops for a
picnic dinner, while he remained on the rocks, or on some seat on the
side of the Castle Hill, writing in his journal.