serving-wenches who appeared at her back, elevated for the day into
the capacity of waiting gentlewomen.
    These instances of royal favour were decisive; and if Lady Margaret had not
been a confirmed royalist already, from sense of high birth, influence of
education, and hatred to the opposite party, through whom she had suffered such
domestic calamity, the having given a breakfast to majesty, and received the
royal salute in return, were honours enough of themselves to unite her
exclusively to the fortunes of the Stuarts. These were now, in all appearance,
triumphant; but Lady Margaret's zeal had adhered to them through the worst of
times, and was ready to sustain the same severities of fortune should their
scale once more kick the beam. At present she enjoyed, in full extent, the
military display of the force which stood ready to support the crown, and
stifled, as well as she could, the mortification she felt at the unworthy
desertion of her own retainers.
    Many civilities passed between her ladyship and the representatives of
sundry ancient loyal families who were upon the ground, by whom she was held in
high reverence; and not a young man of rank passed by them in the course of the
muster, but he carried his body more erect in the saddle, and threw his horse
upon its haunches, to display his own horsemanship and the perfect bitting of
his steed to the best advantage in the eyes of Miss Edith Bellenden. But the
young cavaliers, distinguished by high descent and undoubted loyalty, attracted
no more attention from Edith than the laws of courtesy peremptorily demanded;
and she turned an indifferent ear to the compliments with which she was
addressed, most of which were little the worse for the wear, though borrowed for
the nonce from the laborious and long-winded romances of Calprenede and Scuderi,
the mirrors in which the youth of that age delighted to dress themselves, ere
Folly had thrown her ballast overboard, and cut down her vessels of the
first-rate, such as the romances of Cyrus, Cleopatra, and others, into small
craft, drawing as little water, or, to speak more plainly, consuming as little
time, as the little cockboat in which the gentle reader has deigned to embark.
It was, however, the decree of fate that Miss Bellenden should not continue to
evince the same equanimity till the conclusion of the day.
 

                                 Chapter Second

 Horsemen and horse confess'd the bitter pang,
 And arms and warrior fell with hollow clang.
                                                              Pleasures of Hope.
 
When the military evolutions had been gone through tolerably well, allowing for
the awkwardness of men and of horses