abbey the venerable abbot read the holy service, and
administered the rites of religion to all who sought. It was in the deep
silence of individual prayer which preceded the chanting of the
conclusion of the service that a shrill, peculiar blast of a trumpet was
heard. On the instant it was recognized as the bugle of the warder
stationed on the centre turret of the keep, as the blast which told the
foe was at length in sight. Once, twice, thrice it sounded, at irregular
intervals, even as Nigel had commanded; the notes were caught up by the
warders on the walls, and repeated again and again. A sudden cry of "The
foe!" broke from the soldiers scattered round, and again all was
silence. There had been a movement, almost a confusion in some parts of
the church, but the officers and those who had followed them from the
mountains neither looted up nor stirred. The imperative gesture of the
abbot commanded and retained order and silence, the service proceeded;
there might have been some faltering in the tones of the choir, but the
swelling notes of the organ concealed the deficiency.

The eye of Agnes voluntarily sought her betrothed. His head was still
bent down in earnest prayer, but she had not looked long before she saw
him raise it, and lift up his clasped hands in the evident passionate
fervor of his prayer. So beautiful, so gloriously beautiful was that
countenance thus breathing prayer, so little seemed that soul of earth,
that tears started to the eyes of Agnes, and the paleness of strong
emotion over-spread the cheek, aye, and the quivering lip, which the war
and death-speaking trumpet had had no power to disturb.

"Let me abide by him, merciful Father, in weal or in woe; oh, part us
not!" she prayed again and yet again, and the bright smile which now
encircled his lips--for he had caught her glance--seemed an answer to
her prayer.

It was a beautiful, though perhaps to many of the inmates of Kildrummie
a terrible sight, which from the roof of the turret now presented itself
to their view. The English force lay before them, presenting many a
solid phalanx of steel, many a glancing wood of spears. Nor were these
all; the various engines used in sieges at this time, battering-rams,
and others, whose technical names are unfortunately lost to us, but used
to fling stones of immense weight to an almost incredible distance;
arbalists, and the incomparable archer, who carried as many lives as
arrows in his belt; wagons,