" Her maidens, who love her none too well, tell me every-thing." " And dost thou encourage them in evil speaking of their mistress, by listening to their idle tales ?" " Nay, I told them they were sinners, and that the father of evil would surely get them ; but they only laughed, and said, in that case, I should certainly bear them company." Eleanora, looking gravely, said, " I fear my darling is learning sad ways, and I must henceforth keep her always by my side." Eva threw her arms around the princess, and pillowing her fair cheek upon her bosom, Whispered, " Let not my noble mistress omit this punishment, for in her presence 'tis easy to be good." There was a pause of some minutes, when the child gently resumed, " My lady will one day be a queen, shall Eva then speak only the words of adula-tion, such as the false dames d'honneur employ in the pres-ence of her majesty ? 1 heard them whispering low con-cerning the queen's gold, and the extortions and exactions she had brought upon the people, and when she inquired what they whispered, they turned it with some fine com-pliment. I sought to tell her of the falsehood, but the ladies would not give me entrance to her apartment. I will tell thee, for thou art wise and mayest perchance warn her of her false friends. What first caught my ear was the name of my lord, Prince Edward. They said that when he was a lad of eight years, his royal father brought him forth with his brother Edmund and his sisters Margaret and Beatrice, and had them all weighed up like the calves at the butchers, and then scattered their weight in coin among the ragged beggar children that stood in the court below, laughing at the screams of the royal babies." * Eva ! Eva ! How couldst thou listen to such vain par-lance ?" " Oh ! my lady, this is not the half of the vile things they told. They said that when the king had oppressed the people till he could wring no more money from them, he broke up his court, and then, to avoid the expense of keep- 362 HEROINES OF THE CRUSADES.