"To us in our island home," said L'Isle. "The improvement is more
doubtful here. There was a time when your forefathers and mine thus
kept watch against each other; when our own border hills were crowned
with similar watch-towers; but never did any country continue so long
a debatable land, and need, for so many centuries, the watch-tower and
the signal fire on its hills, as this peninsula during the slow
process of its redemption from the crescent to the cross."

"From this point," said Lady Mabel, "Elvas and Badajoz look like two
giant champions facing each other, in arms, each, for the defence of
his own border, yet one does not see here any of those great natural
barriers that should divide nations."

"They are wanting, not only here," said L'Isle, "but on other parts of
the frontier. The great rivers, the Duoro, the Tagus and the Guadiana,
and the mountain chains separating their valleys, instead of dividing
the two kingdoms, run into Portugal from Spain. The division of these
countries is not natural, but accidental; and in spite of some points
of contrast, the Portuguese are almost as much like the Spaniards, as
these last are like each other--for Spain is in truth a variety of
countries, the Spaniards a variety of nations."

"At length, however," said she, "Spain and Portugal are united in one
cause."

"Yet the Portuguese still hates the Spaniards," said L'Isle, "and the
Spaniard contemns the Portuguese."

"And we despise both," said Lady Mabel.