The exertions of her friends—­for the Bruce and his followers with one consent had permitted their wanderings to be guided by the old men—­speedily rendered the apartments habitable.  Large fires were soon blazing on the spacious hearths, and ere night fell, all appearance of damp and discomfort had vanished.  The frugal supper was that night a jovial meal; the very look of a cheerful blaze beneath a walled roof was reviving to the wanderers; the jest passed round, the wine-cup sparkled to the health of the countess, and many a fervent aspiration echoed round for the speedy restoration of her strength; for truly she was the beloved, the venerated of all, alike from her sovereign to his lowest follower.

“Trust my experience, my young knight,” had been the Bruce’s address to Alan ere they parted for the night.  “A few days’ complete repose will quite restore your valued parent and my most honored friend.  This hunting-lodge shall be our place of rendezvous for a time, till she is sufficiently restored to accompany us southward.  You are satisfied, are you not, with the diligence of our scouts?”

“Perfectly, your highness,” was Alan’s reply; for well-tried and intelligent men had been sent in every direction to discover, if possible, to what party of the enemy the captors of the Lady Isabella belonged, and to note well the movements and appearance, not only of any martial force, but of the country people themselves.  They had executed their mission as well as the intricate passes and concealed hollows of the mountains permitted, and brought back the welcome intelligence, that for miles round the country was perfectly clear, and to all appearance peaceful.  The hunting-lodge, too, was so completely hidden by dark woods of pine and overhanging crags, that even had there been foes prowling about the mountains, they might pass within twenty yards of its vicinity and yet fail to discover it.  The very path leading to the bottom of the hollow in which it stood was concealed at the entrance by thick shrubs and an arch of rock, which had either fallen naturally into that shape, or been formed by the architects of the lodge.  It seemed barely possible that the retreat could be discovered, except by the basest treachery, and therefore the king and Sir Alan felt perfectly at rest regarding the safety of the countess, even though they could only leave with her a guard of some twenty or thirty men.

So much was she refreshed the following morning, that the hopes of her son brightened, and with that filial devotion so peculiarly his characteristic, he easily obtained leave of absence from his sovereign, to remain by the couch of his mother for at least that day, instead of accompanying him, as was his wont, in the expeditions of the day.  The countess combated this decision, but in vain.  Alan was resolved.  He was convinced, he said, her former capture, and all its ill consequences, would not have taken place had he been by her side; and even were she not now exposed to such indignity, she would be lonely and sad without him, and stay, in consequence, he would.  The king and his officers approved of the youth’s resolution, and reluctantly Isabella yielded.