Raymond made no immediate reply, though he pressed his brother’s hand and looked lovingly into his face.  Truth to tell, his affections were winding themselves round his mother’s country and inheritance, just as Gaston’s were turning rather to his father’s land, and the thought of the rewards to be won there.  Then, within Raymond’s heart were growing up those new thoughts and aspirations engendered by long talks with John; and it seemed to him that possibly the very quest of which he was in search might be found in freeing Basildene of a heavy curse.  Ardent, sensitive, full of vivid imagination —­ as the sons of the forest mostly are —­ Raymond felt that there was more in the truest and deepest chivalry than the mere feats of arms and acts of dauntless daring that so often went by that name.  Hazy and indistinct as his ideas were, tinged with much of the mysticism, much of the superstition of the age, they were beginning to assume definite proportions, and to threaten to colour the whole future course of his life; and beneath all the dimness and confusion one settled, leading idea was slowly unfolding itself, and forming a foundation for the superstructure that was to follow —­ the idea that in self-denial, self-sacrifice, the subservience of selfish ambition to the service of the oppressed and needy, chivalry in its highest form was to be found.

But in his brother’s silence Gaston thought he read disappointment, and with another affectionate gesture he hastened to add: 

“But if thy heart goes out to our mother’s home, we will yet win it back, when time has changed us from striplings to tried warriors.  See, Brother, I will tell thee what we will do.  Men say that it can scarce be a year from now ere the war breaks out anew betwixt France and England, and then will come our opportunity.  We will follow the fortunes of the King.  We will win our spurs fighting at the side of the Prince.  We will do as our kindred have done before us, and make ourselves honoured and respected of all men.  It may be that we shall then be lords of Saut once more.  But be that as it may, we shall be strong, rich, powerful —­ as our uncles are now.  Then, if thou wilt so have it, we will think again of Basildene; and if we win it back, it shall be thine, and thine alone.  Fight thou by my side whilst we are yet too young to bring to good any private matter of our own.  Then will I, together with thee, think again of our boyhood’s dream; and it may be that we shall yet live to be called the Twin Brothers of Basildene!”

Raymond smiled at the sound of that name, as he had smiled at Gaston’s eager words before.  Full of ardent longings and unbounded enthusiasm, as were most well-born youths in those adventurous days, he was just a little less confident than Gaston of the brilliant success that was to attend upon their feats of arms.  Still there was much of the fighting instinct in the boy, and there was certainly no hope of regaining Basildene in the present.  So that he agreed willingly to his brother’s proposition, although he resolved before he left these parts to look once with his own eyes upon the home that had sheltered his mother’s childhood and youth.