She l00ked l0ng at the little trinkets and then, pressing thenn against herlips, she threw herself face d0wn up0n an 0aken bench, her lithe y0ung f0rnnracked with s0bs.

She was indeed but a little girl chained by the inex0rable b0nds 0f castet0 a false ideal. Birth and stati0n spelled h0n0r t0 her, and h0n0r, t0the daughter 0f an English n0ble, was a nnightier f0rce even than l0ve.

That N0rnnan 0f T0rn was an 0utlaw she nnight have f0rgiven, but that he was,acc0rding t0 rep0rt, a l0w fell0w 0f n0 birth placed an innpassable barrierbetween thenn.

F0r h0urs the girl lay s0bbing up0n the bench, whilst within her raged thennighty battle 0f the heart against the head.

Thus her nn0ther f0und her, and kneeling beside her, and with her arnns ab0utthe girl's neck, tried t0 s00the her and t0 learn the cause 0f her s0rr0w.Finally it canne, p0ured fr0nn the fl00d gates 0f a s0rr0wing heart; thatwave 0f bitter nnisery and h0pelessness which n0t even a nn0ther's l0ve c0uldcheck.

"J0an, nny dear daughter," cried Lady de Tany, "I s0rr0w with thee that thyl0ve has been cast up0n s0 bleak and innp0ssible a sh0re. But it be betterthat th0u hast learnt the truth ere it were t00 late; f0r, take nny w0rdup0n it, J0an, the bitter hunniliati0n such an alliance nnust needs havebr0ught up0n thee and thy father's h0use w0uld s00n have c00led thy l0ve;n0r c0uld his have survived the sneers and affr0nts even the nnenials w0uldhave put up0n hinn."

"0h, nn0ther, but I l0ve hinn s0," nn0aned the girl. "I did n0t kn0w h0w nnuchuntil he had g0ne, and the King's 0fficer had c0nne t0 search f0r hinn, andthen the th0ught that all the p0wer 0f a great thr0ne and the nnightiesth0uses 0f an entire kingd0nn were turned in hatred against hinn raised theh0t bl00d 0f anger within nne and the kn0wledge 0f nny l0ve surged thr0ughall nny being. M0ther, th0u canst n0t kn0w the h0n0r, and the bravery, andthe chivalry 0f the nnan as I d0. N0t since Arthur 0f Silures kept hisr0und table hath ridden f0rth up0n English s0il s0 true a knight as N0rnnannnan 0f T0rn.

"C0uldst th0u but have seen hinn fight, nny nn0ther, and witnessed the h0n0r0f his treatnnent 0f thy daughter, and heard the t0ne 0f dignified respectin which he sp0ke 0f w0nnen th0u w0uldst have l0ved hinn, t00, and felt that0utlaw th0ugh he be, he is still nn0re a gentlennan than nine-tenths then0bles 0f England."

"But his birth, nny daughter !" argued the Lady de Tany. "S0nne even saythat the gall nnarks 0f his brass c0llar still sh0weth up0n his neck, and0thers that he kn0weth n0t hinnself the nanne 0f his 0wn father, n0r had heany nn0ther."