A girl was playing a lute, and another singing to her accompaniment.

She stopped abruptly when her eye fell upon the figures of the two young knights.
"There is Sir Ralph Harcourt, father!" she exclaimed in Italian, which was the language most used on the Island, and spoken with more or less fluency by all the knights, among whom it served as a general medium of communication.

"Are you waiting to be invited in, Sir Knight ?" she went on saucily.

"I thought that by this time you would know you were welcome." "Your tongue runs too fast, child," her father said, as he rose and walked across to Ralph.

"You are welcome, Sir Ralph, very welcome.