ry
portentous was about to befall him. The Earl sat at the table, and in
the seat that Sir James Lee usually occupied; Lord George half sat, half
leaned in the window-place. Sir James stood with his back to the
empty fireplace, and his hands clasped behind him. All three were very
serious.

"Give thee good den, Myles Falworth," said the Earl, as Myles bowed
first to him and then to the others; "and I would have thee prepare
thyself for a great happening." Then, continuing directly to the point:
"Thou knowest, sirrah, why we have been training thee so closely these
three years gone; it is that thou shouldst be able to hold thine own
in the world. Nay, not only hold thine own, but to show thyself to be
a knight of prowess shouldst it come to a battle between thee and thy
father's enemy; for there lieth no half-way place for thee, and thou
must be either great or else nothing. Well, sir, the time hath now come
for thee to show thy mettle. I would rather have chosen that thou hadst
labored a twelvemonth longer; but now, as I said, hath come a chance to
prove thyself that may never come again. Sir James tells me that thou
art passably ripe in skill. Thou must now show whether that be so or no.
Hast thou ever heard of the Sieur de la Montaigne?"

"Yea, my Lord. I have heard of him often," answered Myles. "It was he
who won the prize at the great tourney at Rochelle last year."

"I see that thou hast his fame pat to thy tongue's end," said the Earl;
"he is the chevalier of whom I speak, and he is reckoned the best knight
of Dauphiny. That one of which thou spokest was the third great tourney
in which he was adjudged the victor. I am glad that thou holdest his
prowess highly. Knowest thou that he is in the train of the Comte de
Vermoise?"

"Nay," said Myles, flushing; "I did hear news he was in England, but
knew not that he was in this place."

"Yea," said Lord Mackworth; "he is here." He paused for a moment; then
said, suddenly. "Tell me, Myles Falworth, an thou wert a knight and of
rank fit to run a joust with the Sieur de la Montaigne, wouldst thou
dare encounter him in the lists?"

The Earl's question fell upon Myles so suddenly and unexpectedly that
for a moment or so he stood staring at the speaker with mouth agape.
Meanwhile the Earl sat looking calmly back at him, slowly stroking his
beard the while.

It was Sir James Lee's voice that broke the silence. "Thou heardst thy
Lord speak," said he, harshly. "Hast tho