I trust in Heaven, they will be such friends as their fathers have been, and may God send them more fortunate times!" "Marry, and I thank you for the proposal with all my heart, madam," said the Knight.

"There are so many noble houses decayed, and so many more in which the exercise and discipline for the training of noble youths is given up and neglected, that I have often feared I must have kept Gil to be young master at home; and I have had too little nurture myself to teach him much, and so he would have been a mere hunting hawking knight of Derbyshire.

But in your ladyship's household, and with the noble young Earl, he will have all, and more than all, the education which I could desire." "There shall be no distinction betwixt them, cousin," said the Countess; "Margaret Stanley's son shall be as much the object of care to me as my own, since you are kindly disposed to entrust him to my charge .-- You look pale, Margaret," she continued, "and the tear stands in your eye?
Do not be so foolish, my love--what I ask is better than you can desire for your boy; for the house of my father, the Duke de la Tremouille, was the most famous school of chivalry in France; nor have I degenerated from him, or suffered any relaxation in that noble discipline which trained young gentlemen to do honour to their race.

You can promise your Julian no such advantages, if you train him up a mere home-bred youth." "I acknowledge the importance of the favour, madam," said Lady Peveril, "and must acquiesce in what your ladyship honours us by proposing, and Sir Geoffrey approves of; but Julian is an only child, and----" "An only son," said the Countess, "but surely not an only child.

You pay too high deference to our masters, the male sex, if you allow Julian to engross all your affection, and spare none for this beautiful girl." So saying, she set down Julian, and, taking Alice Bridgenorth on her lap, began to caress her; and there was, notwithstanding her masculine character, something so sweet in the tone of her voice and in the cast of her features, that the child immediately smiled, and replied to her marks of fondness.