The monastery; The abbot.

THE ABBOT. 401
Drought back to his recollection his late good-humoured and accommodating
associate and guiae, Adam Woodcock; and from that topic his imagination
made a short flight to Avenel Castle, to the quiet and unconfined life of its
inhabitants, the goodness of his early protectress, not forgetting the denizens of its stables, kennels, and hawk-mews. In a brief space, all these
subjects of meditation gave way to the resemblance of that riddle of
womankind, Catherine Seyton, who appeared before the eye. of his mindnow in her female form, now in her male attire-now in both at once-like
some strange dream, which presents to us the same individual under two
different characters at the same instant.* Her mysterious present also
recurred to his recollection-the sword which he now wore at his side, and
which he was not to draw save by command of his legitimate Sovereign!
But the key of this mystery he judged he was likely to find in the issue of
his present journey.
With such thoughts passing through his mind, Roland Grneme accompanied the party of Lord Lindesay to the Queen's-Ferry, which they passed
In vessels that lay in readiness for them. They encountered no adventure
whatever in their passage, excepting one horse being lamed in getting into
the boat, an accident very common on such occasions, until a few years
ago, when the ferry was completely regulated. What was more peculiarly
characteristic of the olden age, was the discharge of a culverin at the party
from the battlements of the old castle of Rosythe, on the north side of the
Ferry, the lord of which happened to have some public or private quarrel
with the Lord Lindesay, and took this mode of expressing his resentment.
The insult, however, as it was harmless, remained unnoticed and unavenged, nor did any thing else occur worth notice until the band had come
where Lochleven spread its magnificent sheet of waters to the beams of a
bright summer's sun.
The ancient castle, which occupies an island nearly in the centre of the
lake, recalled to the page that of Avenel, in which he had been nurtured.
But the lake was much larger, and adorned with several islets besides that
on which the fortress was situated; and instead of being embosomed in
hills like that of Avenel, had upon the southern side only a splendid mountainous screen, being the descent of one of the Lomond hills, and on the
other was surrounded by the extensive and fertile plain of Kinross. Roland
Grieme looked with some degree of dismay on the water-girdled fortress,
which then, as now, consisted only of one large donjon-keep, surrounded
with a court-yard, with two round flanking-towers at the angles, which
contained within its circuit some other buildings of inferior importance. A
few old trees, clustered together near the castle, gave some relief to the air
of desolate seclusion; but yet the page, while he gazed upon a building so
sequestrated, could not but feel for the situation of a captive Princess
doomed to dwell there, as well as for his own. " I must have been born,"
he thought, "under the star that presides over ladies and lakes of water,
for I cannot by any means escape from the service of the one, or from
dwelling in the other. But if they allow me not the fair freedom of my
sport and exercise, they shall find it as hard to confine a wild-drake, as a
youth who can swim like one."
The band had now reached the edge of the water, and one of the party
advancing displayed Lord Lindesay's pennon, waving it repeatedly to and
fro, while that Baron himself blew a clamorous blast on his bugle. A
banner was presently displayed from the roof of the castle in reply to these
signals, and one or two figures were seen busied as if unmooring a boat
which lay close to the islet.
" It will be some time ere they can reach us with the boat," said the companion of Lord Lindesay; "should we not do well to proceed to the town,
and array ourselves in some better order, ere we appear before-"
"You may do as you list, Sir Robert," replied Lindesay, "I have neither
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