The introductions over, Mary gave her hand to the Earl to be
conducted from the hall up the broad staircase, and along the great
western gallery to the south front, where for many days her
properties had been in course of being arranged.

Lady Shrewsbury followed as mistress of the house, and behind, in
order of precedence, came the Scottish Queen's household, in which
the dark, keen features of the French, and the rufous hues of the
Scots, were nearly equally divided. Lady Livingstone and Mistress
Seaton, two of the Queen's Maries of the same age with herself, came
next, the one led by Lord Talbot, the other by Lord Livingstone.
There was also the faithful French Marie de Courcelles, paired with
Master Beatoun, comptroller of the household, and Jean Kennedy, a
stiff Scotswoman, whose hard outlines did not do justice to her
tenderness and fidelity, and with her was a tall, active, keen-faced
stripling, looked on with special suspicion by the English, as Willie
Douglas, the contriver of the Queen's flight from Lochleven. Two
secretaries, French and Scottish, were shrewdly suspected of being
priests, and there were besides, a physician, surgeon, apothecary,
with perfumers, cooks, pantlers, scullions, lacqueys, to the number
of thirty, besides their wives and attendants, these last being
"permitted of my lord's benevolence."

They were all eyed askance by the sturdy, north country English, who
naturally hated all strangers, above all French and Scotch, and
viewed the band of captives much like a caged herd of wild beasts.

When on the way home Mistress Susan asked her little boy why he would
not make his obeisance to the pretty lady, he sturdily answered, "She
is no pretty lady of mine. She is an evil woman who slew her