r sight. Now Guiscard, who had thus all
unwittingly attracted Ghismonda's attention and finally won her heart, was
a young Norman of no great lineage and of small means, but being discreet,
upright and sensible-minded, had obtained a high place in Prince Tancred's
estimation. Skilfully questioning her maids of honour without exciting
their suspicions, the Princess gained all she wished to know concerning
Guiscard's position and attainments, and it was not long before she found
means of conveying the secret of her affection to the youth, who in fact
had already fallen head over ears in love with the beautiful Duchess who
so often leaned from the casement above. She now sent him a letter hidden
in a pair of bellows, wherein she explained to him the existence of a
secret passage, long disused, that led from a hollow in the hillside below
the castle walls up to her own apartment. Over-joyed at receiving this
missive, the infatuated page took the first occasion, as we may well
imagine, to make use of this friendly clue, and before many hours had
passed after receiving the letter, the young man, flushed and triumphant,
was standing in the chamber of his beloved mistress, who had meanwhile
taken every necessary preparation for receiving her lover in secret. Many
a time were the pair able to meet thus without awakening the least
suspicion in the minds of Prince Tancred or of the maids of honour, and
all would doubtless have gone well for an indefinite period of time, but
for a most unforeseen accident. It appears that one morning the old Prince
of Salerno, wishing to confer with his daughter on some matter of state,
came to her private apartment, and on learning that she had gone out
riding settled himself upon a couch that stood within a curtained alcove,
and whilst waiting for her return fell sound asleep. After some hours of
repose the prince was suddenly roused from his heavy slumber by the sound
of two voices in the room, that of his daughter and of a strange man.
Peeping stealthily through the folds of the draperies, he now beheld to
his fury and amazement the Duchess alone with his page Guiscard. But the
descendant of Robert the Wiseacre well knew how to temper vengeance with
dissimulation. Dreading the scandal that would follow an open exposure,
the Prince, in spite of his years and the stiffness of his joints,
contrived to quit the chamber unperceived by means of a convenient window.
That very night the unsuspecting Guisc