If anything, the Baron would have preferred Oliver as a suitor for his
daughter; he sympathized with Oliver's fiery spirit, and admired his
feats of strength and dexterity with sword and spear. He had always
welcomed Oliver heartily, and paid him every attention. This, to do
Oliver justice, was one reason why he determined to accompany his
brother, thinking that if he was there he could occupy attention, and
thus enable Felix to have more opportunity to speak with Aurora.

The two rode forth from the courtyard early in the morning, and passing
through the whole length of the enclosure within the stockade, issued at
the South Barrier and almost immediately entered the forest. They rather
checked their horses' haste, fresh as the animals were from the stable,
but could not quite control their spirits, for the walk of a horse is
even half as fast again while he is full of vigour. The turn of the
track soon shut out the stockade; they were alone in the woods.

Long since, early as they were, the sun had dried the dew, for his beams
warm the atmosphere quickly as the spring advances towards summer. But
it was still fresh and sweet among the trees, and even Felix, though
bound on so gloomy an errand, could not choose but feel the joyous
influence of the morning. Oliver sang aloud in his rich deep voice, and
the thud, thud of the horses' hoofs kept time to the ballad.

The thrushes flew but a little way back from the path as they passed,
and began to sing again directly they were by. The whistling of
blackbirds came from afar where there were open glades or a running
stream; the notes of the cuckoo became fainter and fainter as they
advanced farther from the stockade, for the cuckoo likes the woodlands
that immediately border on cultivation. For some miles the track was
broad, passing through thickets of thorn and low hawthorn-trees with