“Our father and mother will not return for several days yet,” said Joanna to Wendot, whom she had placed between herself and Gertrude; “but we have liberty to do what we wish and to go where we like.

“Say, Gertrude, shall we tell Wendot on what we have set our hearts?  It may be he would help us to our end.”

“I would do anything you bid me, gracious lady,” answered Wendot with boyish chivalry.

The girls were eying each other with flushed faces, their voices were lowered so that they should not reach the ears of the Lady Edeline, Joanna’s governess, who was seated at the board, although she seldom spoke unless directly addressed by Eleanor, who seemed to be on friendly terms with her.

“Wendot,” whispered Joanna cautiously, “have you ever hunted a wolf in your mountains?”

“Ay, many a time, though they be more seldom seen now.  But we never rid ourselves altogether of them, do as we will.”

“And have you killed one yourself?”

“Yes, I have done that, too.”

“And is it very dangerous?”

“I scarce know; I never thought about it.  I think not, if one is well armed and has dogs trained to their duties.”

Joanna’s eyes were alight with excitement; her hands were locked together tightly.  Her animated face was set in lines of the greatest determination and happiest anticipation.

“Wendot,” she said, “there is a wolf up yonder in that wild valley we can see from yon window, as you look towards the heights of Snowdon.  Some of our people have seen and tracked it, but they say it is an old and wily one, and no one has got near it yet.  Wendot, we have set our hearts on having a wolf hunt of our very own.  We do not want all the men and dogs and the stir and fuss which they would make if we were known to be going.  I know what that means.  We are kept far away behind everybody, and only see the dead animal after it has been killed miles away from us.  We want to be in the hunt ourselves —­ Britten, Alphonso, Arthyn, Gertrude, and I. Godfrey would perhaps be won over if Gertrude begged him, and I know Raoul Latimer would —­ he is always ready for what turns up —­ but that would not be enough.  O Wendot, if you and your brothers would but come, we should be safe without anybody else.  Raoul has dogs, and we could all be armed, and we would promise to be very careful.  We could get away early, as Gertrude did that day she slipped off to the Eagle’s Crag.

“Wendot, do answer —­ do say you will come.  You understand all about hunting, even hunting wolves.  You are not afraid?”

Wendot smiled at the notion.  He did not entirely understand that he was requested to take part in a bit of defiant frolic which the young princes and princesses were well aware would not have been permitted by their parents.  All he grasped was that the Lady Joanna requested his assistance in a hunt which she had planned, and with the details of which he was perfectly familiar, and he agreed willingly to her request, not sorry, either for his own sake or for that of his more discontented brothers, that the monotony of the days spent in waiting the return of the king should be beguiled by anything so attractive and exciting as a wolf hunt.