The story opens with preparations for a grand tournament. Ivanhoe, the son of a Saxon lord, has secretly returned from the Holy Land, where he has served with Richard, and takes part in the tourney, winning the crown on the first day and choosing Rowena, his cousin, the Queen of Love. But he has seen and been fascinated by Rebecca, a beautiful Jewess, whose father had lent him armour. On the second day Ivanhoe is overcome, but he is saved by the entrance of a strange black knight, in reality Richard himself returned. The Black Knight wins the crown, but instantly disappears and leaves Ivanhoe to be adjudged the victor of the day. One of the most amusing scenes is that in the woods when the king feasts with Friar Tuck, the confessor of Robin Hood’s men, for Robin Hood and his outlaws play an important part in this story. One of the most dramatic scenes is the burning of the castle in which De Bracy has imprisoned the beautiful Rowena, the Jewess Rebecca, and the wounded Ivanhoe. Scott’s novels are filled with splendid descriptions, his characters are noble gentlemen and ladies, and he tells of historic events worth chronicling. They are sometimes too long; but it is easy to skip the less interesting passages. Scott can never be said to be tiresome. Kenilworth is a story of Leicester, Queen Elizabeth’s lover. He has married Amy Robsart; but that there may be no barrier to his marriage with the Queen, he causes Amy to be made away with. In the course of the story Queen Elizabeth visits the castle of Kenilworth, and we have a splendid description of the historic shows and games, as we had of the tournament in Ivanhoe. Our sympathies are with Amy Robsart, and the story of her death is intensely dramatic. Quite different is the story of Quentin Durward--a young Englishman in France in the days of Louis XI. Quentin was sent to escort a certain beautiful Isabelle and her aunt to the Bishop of Liege, on an understanding that a certain outlaw was to capture the girl and marry her. Quentin Durward succeeded in defending his charge, and after many adventures and escapes, was given the girl in marriage. To many the best of Scott’s novels are his Scottish stories. The best of these is Old Mortality, a strictly historical tale of the seventeenth century. But to many a more fascinating tale is the Bride of Lammermoor, with its pathetic story of Effie and Jeanie Deans. Other good Scotch novels of Scott’s are The Monastery, Redgauntlet and The Antiquary. Guy Mannering is an English historical story, in which Scott himself is said to figure as Alan Fairford. Other good novels are Robin Hood, Woodstock, The Abbot, The Heart of Midlothian, and The Pirate. The only poor stories he ever wrote are Count Robert of Paris and Castle Dangerous, both written when he was declining to his death and kept on writing merely in the hope that he might finish paying off his debts before he died.