"This is the beginning of the park," said Lady Glencora, pointing to a grand old ruin of an oak tree, which stood on the wide margin of the road, outside the rounded corner of the park palings, propped up with a skeleton of supporting sticks all round it.

"And that is Matching oak, under which Coeur de Lion or Edward the Third, I forget which, was met by Sir Guy de Palisere as he came from the war, or from hunting, or something of that kind.

It was the king, you know, who had been fighting or whatever it was, and Sir Guy entertained him when he was very tired.

Jeffrey Palliser, who is my husband's cousin, says that old Sir Guy luckily pulled out his brandy-flask.

But the king immediately gave him all the lands of Matching,--only there was a priory then and a lot of monks, and I don't quite understand how that was.