ty; and Robert, as if he
understood it, could read all she was enduring, hastened towards her,
and took both her cold hands in his.

"I give thee joy," he said, in accents that reassured her on the
instant. "Nobly, gallantly, hath thy patriot boy proved himself thy son;
well and faithfully hath he won his spurs, and raised the honor of his
mother's olden line. He bade me greet thee with all loving duty, and say
he did but regret his wounds that they prevented his attending me, and
throwing himself at his mother's feet."

"He is wounded, then, my liege?" Robert felt her hands tremble in his
hold.

"It were cruel to deceive thee, lady--desperately but not dangerously
wounded. On the honor of a true knight, there is naught to alarm, though
something, perchance, to regret; for he pines and grieves that it may be
yet a while ere he recover sufficient strength to don his armor. It is
not loss of blood, but far more exhaustion, from the superhuman
exertions that he made. Edward and Alexander are with him; the one a
faithful guard, in himself a host, the other no unskilful leech: trust
me, noble lady, there is naught to fear."

He spoke, evidently to give her time to recover the sudden revulsion of
feeling which his penetrating eye discovered had nearly overpowered her,
and he succeeded; ere he ceased, that quivering of frame and lip had
passed, and Isabella of Buchan again stood calm and firm, enabled to
inquire all particulars of her child, and then join in the council held
as to the best plan to be adopted with regard to the safety of the queen
and her companions.

In Scone, it was evident, they could not remain, for already the towns
and villages around, which had all declared for the Bruce, were hurrying
in the greatest terror to humble themselves before Pembroke, and entreat
his interference in their favor with his sovereign. There was little
hope, even if Scone remained faithful to his interests, that she would
be enabled to defend herself from the attacks of the English; and it
would be equally certain, that if the wife of Bruce, and the wives and
daughters of so many of his loyal followers remained within her walls,
to obtain possession of their persons would become Pembroke's first
object. It remained to decide whether they would accompany their
sovereign to his mountain fastnesses and expose themselves to all the
privations and hardships which would inevitably attend a wandering
life, or that they should depart