The monastery; The abbot.

THE ABBOT. 371
with large Formal vases of stone, in which yews, cypresses, and other evergreens, vegetated in sombre sullenness, and gave a correspondent degree of
solemnity to the high and heavy building in front of which they were placed
as ornaments, aspiring towards a square portion of the blue hemisphere,
corresponding exactly in extent to the quadrangle in which they were
stationed, and all around which rose huge black walls, exhibiting windows
in rows of five stories, with heavy architraves over each, bearing armorial
and religious devices.
Through this court Catherine Seyton flashed like a hunted doe, making
the best use of those pretty legs which had attracted the commendation
even of the reflective and cautious Adam Woodcock. She hastened towards
a large door in the centre of the lower front of the court, pulled the bobbin
till the latch flew up, and ensconced herself in the ancient mansion. But,
if she fled like a doe, Roland Groeme followed with the speed and ardour of
a youthful stag-hound, loosed for the first time on his prey. IIe kept her
in view in spite of her efforts; for it is remarkable what an advantage, in
such a race, the gallant who desires to see, possesses over the maiden who
wishes not to be seen-an advantage which I have known counterbalance a
great start in point of distance. In short, he saw the waving of her screen,
or veil, at one corner, heard the tap of her foot, light as that was, as it
crossed the court, and caught a glimpse of her figure just as she entered
the door of the mansion.
Roland Groeme, inconsiderate and headlong as we have described him,
having no knowledge of real life but from the romances which he had read,
and not an idea of checking himself in the midst of any eager impulse;
possessed, besides, of much courage and readiness, never hesitated for a
moment to approach the door through which the object of his search had
disappeared. He, too, pulled the bobbin, and the latch, though heavy and
massive, answered to the summons, and arose. The page entered with the
same precipitation which had marked his whole proceeding, and found
himself in a large hall, or vestibule, dimly enlightened by latticed casements of painted glass, and rendered yet dimmer through the exclusion of
the sunbeams, owing to the height of the walls of those buildings by. which
the court-yard was enclosed. The walls of the hall were surrounded with
suits of ancient and rusted armour, interchanged with huge and massive
stone scutcheons, bearing double tressures, fleured and counter-fleured,
wheat-sheaves, coronets, and so forth, things to which Roland Graeme gave
not a moment's attention.
In fact, he only deigned to observe the figure of Catherine Seyton, who,
deeming herself safe in the hall, had stopped to take breath after her
course, and was reposing herself for a moment on a large oaken settle
which stood at the upper end of the hall. The noise of Roland's entrance
at once disturbed her; she started up with a faint scream of surprise, and
escaped through one of the several folding-doors which opened into this
apartment as a common centre. This door, which Roland Groeme instantly
approached, opened on a large and well-lighted gallery, at the upper end
of which he could hear several voices, and the noise of hasty steps approaching towards the hall or vestibule. A little recalled to sober thought
by an appearance of serious danger, he was deliberating whether he should
stand fast or retire, when Catherine Seyton re-entered from a side door,
running towards him with as much speed as a few minutes since she had
fled from him.
"Oh, what mischief brought you hither?" she said; "fly -fly, or you
are a dead man,-or stay-they come-flight is impossible-say you came
to ask for Lord Seyton."
She sprung from him and disappeared through the door by which she had
made her second appearance; and, at the same instant, a pair of large folding-doors at the upper end of the gallery flew open with vehemence, and