"There now, not a yard from the king's chair, is a balladeer, the son of a sword-slipper in the Shoegaitt of Perth, who hath exchanged the file and hammer for a sword and Parinese poniard--his canvas gaberdine for a dainty doublet of cramosie, because, forsooth, he is master of the king's music, and Margaret of Denmark loves to listen to the twangle of his viols and ghitterns--faugh!" "Men say he will be made a knight and privy councillor." "If so," said Sauchie, "by God I shall forswear my spurs for ever!" "I knew such another clown who was made an earl," said the Steward of Menteith, who had given his tent-cord to hang Cochrane over Lauder Bridge. "There are Falconer and Barton, too, whose fathers were but merchant-skippers!" "But the former is a brave gallant, and the latter is my particular friend," said Drummond. "Well, well," resumed the discontented Angus, impatiently; "but think of him whom I saved at Lauder, when _your_ tent-cord was twisted round his neck--John Ramsay--a mere bonnet laird, who is now, forsooth, _Sir_ John Ramsay, and Lord of Bothwell, Baron of Balmain, Flaskie, and Pitnamore, with the Captainrie of the king's guard. Yet, by St. Bryde, this springald dared but yesterday to pass me in the Baxter's Wynd at Stirling--me, Archibald of Angus--with head erect, and without beck, bow, nod, or recognition!" "The brose these loons shall sup is thickening fast, lord earl," said Drummond, with a dark smile, as he spread his silvered beard over his steel gorget, "and ere long our lances will be at their throats." At that moment the Montrose herald, an officer of the Lyon court, who had been recently created in honour of the Crawford dukedom, exclaimed, "Place for the ambassador of his Majesty, the King of France!" "Sweetheart!" whispered Rothesay, pressing his Margaret's trembling hand, as all eyes were turned towards the entrance, "this is, indeed, a critical day for us! Should my father depart on his long-proposed pilgrimage, I shall be regent, and he must grant us pardon ere he go. If he stays, we shall then be condemned to linger on in secrecy, but only a little longer." "Until the good Bishop of Dunblane returns," said Margaret, with one of her dearest smiles. During the reign of James III. there were an unusual number of solemn treaties and splendid embassies passed between the court of Scotland and those of Louis XI. and Charles VIII. of France; Alphonso _Africanus_ of Portugal, Ferdinand V. of Spain, Christian of Denmark, and Charles _the warrior_, Count of Flanders, by means of nobles, prelates, and heralds. Some of these were exceedingly magnificent, for under the care of kings who were far in advance of their times, Scotland was rapidly rising in the scale of European nations. But on the present occasion the special envoy of Charles VIII. was attended only by two esquires and two pages, who bore his helmet and braque-mart, or short French sword.