sovereign; and the husband of his daughter.

"Fear not, sir prior," said Douglas. "I despise the childish boy
too much to raise a finger against him. But I will return insult
for insult. Here, any of you who love the Douglas, spurn me this
quean from the monastery gates; and let her be so scourged that
she may bitterly remember to the last day of her life how she gave
means to an unrespective boy to affront the Douglas."

Four or five retainers instantly stepped forth to execute commands
which were seldom uttered in vain, and heavily would Louise have
atoned for an offence of which she was alike the innocent, unconscious,
and unwilling instrument, had not the Duke of Rothsay interfered.

"Spurn the poor glee woman!" he said, in high indignation; "scourge
her for obeying my commands! Spurn thine own oppressed vassals,
rude earl--scourge thine own faulty hounds; but beware how you
touch so much as a dog that Rothsay hath patted on the head, far
less a female whose lips he hath kissed!"

Before Douglas could give an answer, which would certainly have been
in defiance, there arose that great tumult at the outward gate of
the monastery, already noticed, and men both on horseback and on
foot began to rush headlong in, not actually fighting with each
other, but certainly in no peaceable manner.

One of the contending parties, seemingly, were partizans of
Douglas, known by the cognizance of the bloody heart; the other
were composed of citizens of the town of Perth. It appeared they
had been skirmishing in earnest when without the gates, but, out of