over, and Adela and Stephen were left to the free inter-change of their own thoughts, the countess, who suspected that some misadventure had occasioned this unannounced arrival, led the way to an explanation. " And wherefore comes not Robert with thee ?" she inquired. " Methinks thou mightest spare thine asking," said Ste-phen, looking fondly upon her. " Robert has not those ties that draw me to my native land. Adventure and war are wife and children to him." " Did wife and children draw my husband from the paths of glory and the cause of God ?" replied the countess, apprehensively. " Those paths which thy imagination invests with glory," said Stephen, " are but the tracks where reptiles and sav-age beasts have found their way, among craggy rocks and thorny bushes, bleeding deadly venom. We followed them through deplorable suffering, and were conducted to disas-ter and defeat. And as for the cause of God, if thou hadst seen the vices of these holy croises, and the hardships they endured, thou wouldst have deemed either that they were not the people of God, or that the Almighty took little note of the sufferings of his faithful servants." " 'Tis the faint heart that feels the toils of the way, and distrusts the care of Providence," said Adela, reproach-fully. " Did not the vows of knighthood alone forbid thee to abandon the holy cause ?" " To abandon a cause forsaken by God and man, were the dictate of prudence," retorted Stephen, stung by the censure of his beloved countess. " Prudence is born of cowardice," replied she, with un-abated warmth. " I have hitherto heard of deeds of valor, not of desertion ; of victory, not of defeat." " Thine ignorance then excuses thy violence," said Ste-phen ; " but if thou wilt listen patiently to thy lord, thou mayest perchance become better informed." " I will listen to nothing that brands my Stephen with cowardice !" exclaimed Adela. " My heart exulted in the thought that the president of the chiefs would counsel them ADELA. 99