Atherton Author:Mary Russell Mitford Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: THE KING'S WARD. " I havo no joy of this contract to-night." Silakspeahe. " What ! not a word to thy poor old nurse, or thy faithful bower-women ? Not a... more » nod, or a smile, or a kindly look, to show that thou heedest us ? Thou that wast wont to be the merriest and kindliest damsel in merry Cumberland, the fair and bold Edith Clifford, the wealthiest maiden north of Trent; about to be wedded, too, to the young Lord Howard, the goodliest and the bravest knight of King Henry's court, for whose favor the gay dames of the south have been trying and vying at pageant, at joust, and at tournament, ever since his return from the wars! Men say that, for all that he hath fought against the Soldan, and carried the ' blanche-lion,' the old banner of his house, foremost among the proud chivalry of France and Italy, he hath rather the mien of a young page than of a stalwart warrior, so smooth and fair is his brow, so graceful his form, so gentle and courteous his bearing. Still amort, Sweeting! mute as a marble image on thy very bridal eve!" And the good old Margaret, seeing her lady still unmoved, paused for very vexation. " So generous a wooer, too!" exclaimed one of the attendant maidens, glancing at the profusion of rich gifts with which a heavy wain had been laden, and which had arrived that very day at the castle, under convoy of the good knight's squire, and a score or two of pages and men-at-arms, and which now lay in magnifieent profusion about the tapestried chamber, scattered amidst the quaint antique furniture, highbacked ebony chairs, oaken screens, cut into mimic lace-work; marble slabs, resting on gilded griffins, or some such picturesque monsters of heraldry ; and huge cabinets, composed of the rarest woods, an entire history, profane or sacred, carved upon the doors, an...« less