mansion-house, stood, or rather hung, in triple file, six lacqueys in
rich liveries, armed up to the teeth. The rest of the gentry, men and
women, old and young, were on horseback followed by their servants; but
the company, for the reasons already assigned, was rather select than
numerous.

Near to the enormous leathern vehicle which we have attempted to
describe, vindicating her title to precedence over the untitled gentry of
the country, might be seen the sober palfrey of Lady Margaret Bellenden,
bearing the erect and primitive form of Lady Margaret herself, decked in
those widow's weeds which the good lady had never laid aside, since the
execution of her husband for his adherence to Montrose.

Her grand-daughter, and only earthly care, the fair-haired Edith, who was
generally allowed to be the prettiest lass in the Upper Ward, appeared
beside her aged relative like Spring placed close to Winter. Her black
Spanish jennet, which she managed with much grace, her gay riding-dress,
and laced side-saddle, had been anxiously prepared to set her forth to
the best advantage. But the clustering profusion of ringlets, which,
escaping from under her cap, were only confined by a green ribbon from
wantoning over her shoulders; her cast of features, soft and feminine,
yet not without a certain expression of playful archness, which redeemed
their sweetness from the charge of insipidity, sometimes brought against
blondes and blue-eyed beauties,--these attracted more admiration from the
western youth than either the splendour of her equipments or the figure
of her palfrey.

The attendance of these distinguished ladies was rather inferior to their
birth and fashion in those times, as it consisted only of two servants on
horseback. The truth was, that the good old lady had been obliged to make