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Meanwhile
Cedric
and
Athelstane
,
the
leaders
of
the
troop
,
conversed
together
on
the
state
of
the
land
,
on
the
dissensions
of
the
royal
family
,
on
the
feuds
and
quarrels
among
the
Norman
nobles
,
and
on
the
chance
which
there
was
that
the
oppressed
Saxons
might
be
able
to
free
themselves
from
the
yoke
of
the
Normans
,
or
at
least
to
elevate
themselves
into
national
consequence
and
independence
,
during
the
civil
convulsions
which
were
likely
to
ensue
.
On
this
subject
Cedric
was
all
animation
.
The
restoration
of
the
independence
of
his
race
was
the
idol
of
his
heart
,
to
which
he
had
willingly
sacrificed
domestic
happiness
and
the
interests
of
his
own
son
.
But
,
in
order
to
achieve
this
great
revolution
in
favour
of
the
native
English
,
it
was
necessary
that
they
should
be
united
among
themselves
,
and
act
under
an
acknowledged
head
.
The
necessity
of
choosing
their
chief
from
the
Saxon
blood-royal
was
not
only
evident
in
itself
,
but
had
been
made
a
solemn
condition
by
those
whom
Cedric
had
intrusted
with
his
secret
plans
and
hopes
.
Athelstane
had
this
quality
at
least
;
and
though
he
had
few
mental
accomplishments
or
talents
to
recommend
him
as
a
leader
,
he
had
still
a
goodly
person
,
was
no
coward
,
had
been
accustomed
to
martial
exercises
,
and
seemed
willing
to
defer
to
the
advice
of
counsellors
more
wise
than
himself
.
Above
all
,
he
was
known
to
be
liberal
and
hospitable
,
and
believed
to
be
good-natured
.
But
whatever
pretensions
Athelstane
had
to
be
considered
as
head
of
the
Saxon
confederacy
,
many
of
that
nation
were
disposed
to
prefer
to
the
title
of
the
Lady
Rowena
,
who
drew
her
descent
from
Alfred
,
and
whose
father
having
been
a
chief
renowned
for
wisdom
,
courage
,
and
generosity
,
his
memory
was
highly
honoured
by
his
oppressed
countrymen
.
It
would
have
been
no
difficult
thing
for
Cedric
,
had
he
been
so
disposed
,
to
have
placed
himself
at
the
head
of
a
third
party
,
as
formidable
at
least
as
any
of
the
others
.
To
counterbalance
their
royal
descent
,
he
had
courage
,
activity
,
energy
,
and
,
above
all
,
that
devoted
attachment
to
the
cause
which
had
procured
him
the
epithet
of
The
Saxon
,
and
his
birth
was
inferior
to
none
,
excepting
only
that
of
Athelstane
and
his
ward
.
These
qualities
,
however
,
were
unalloyed
by
the
slightest
shade
of
selfishness
;
and
,
instead
of
dividing
yet
farther
his
weakened
nation
by
forming
a
faction
of
his
own
,
it
was
a
leading
part
of
Cedric
's
plan
to
extinguish
that
which
already
existed
,
by
promoting
a
marriage
betwixt
Rowena
and
Athelstane
.
An
obstacle
occurred
to
this
his
favourite
project
,
in
the
mutual
attachment
of
his
ward
and
his
son
and
hence
the
original
cause
of
the
banishment
of
Wilfred
from
the
house
of
his
father
.
This
stern
measure
Cedric
had
adopted
,
in
hopes
that
,
during
Wilfred
's
absence
,
Rowena
might
relinquish
her
preference
,
but
in
this
hope
he
was
disappointed
;
a
disappointment
which
might
be
attributed
in
part
to
the
mode
in
which
his
ward
had
been
educated
.
Cedric
,
to
whom
the
name
of
Alfred
was
as
that
of
a
deity
,
had
treated
the
sole
remaining
scion
of
that
great
monarch
with
a
degree
of
observance
,
such
as
,
perhaps
,
was
in
those
days
scarce
paid
to
an
acknowledged
princess
.
Rowena
's
will
had
been
in
almost
all
cases
a
law
to
his
household
;
and
Cedric
himself
,
as
if
determined
that
her
sovereignty
should
be
fully
acknowledged
within
that
little
circle
at
least
,
seemed
to
take
a
pride
in
acting
as
the
first
of
her
subjects
.
Thus
trained
in
the
exercise
not
only
of
free
will
,
but
despotic
authority
,
Rowena
was
,
by
her
previous
education
,
disposed
both
to
resist
and
to
resent
any
attempt
to
control
her
affections
,
or
dispose
of
her
hand
contrary
to
her
inclinations
,
and
to
assert
her
independence
in
a
case
in
which
even
those
females
who
have
been
trained
up
to
obedience
and
subjection
,
are
not
infrequently
apt
to
dispute
the
authority
of
guardians
and
parents
.
The
opinions
which
she
felt
strongly
,
she
avowed
boldly
;
and
Cedric
,
who
could
not
free
himself
from
his
habitual
deference
to
her
opinions
,
felt
totally
at
a
loss
how
to
enforce
his
authority
of
guardian
.
It
was
in
vain
that
he
attempted
to
dazzle
her
with
the
prospect
of
a
visionary
throne
.
Rowena
,
who
possessed
strong
sense
,
neither
considered
his
plan
as
practicable
,
nor
as
desirable
,
so
far
as
she
was
concerned
,
could
it
have
been
achieved
.
Without
attempting
to
conceal
her
avowed
preference
of
Wilfred
of
Ivanhoe
,
she
declared
that
,
were
that
favoured
knight
out
of
question
,
she
would
rather
take
refuge
in
a
convent
,
than
share
a
throne
with
Athelstane
,
whom
,
having
always
despised
,
she
now
began
,
on
account
of
the
trouble
she
received
on
his
account
,
thoroughly
to
detest
.
Nevertheless
,
Cedric
,
whose
opinions
of
women
's
constancy
was
far
from
strong
,
persisted
in
using
every
means
in
his
power
to
bring
about
the
proposed
match
,
in
which
he
conceived
he
was
rendering
an
important
service
to
the
Saxon
cause
.
The
sudden
and
romantic
appearance
of
his
son
in
the
lists
at
Ashby
,
he
had
justly
regarded
as
almost
a
death
's
blow
to
his
hopes
.
His
paternal
affection
,
it
is
true
,
had
for
an
instant
gained
the
victory
over
pride
and
patriotism
;
but
both
had
returned
in
full
force
,
and
under
their
joint
operation
,
he
was
now
bent
upon
making
a
determined
effort
for
the
union
of
Athelstane
and
Rowena
,
together
with
expediting
those
other
measures
which
seemed
necessary
to
forward
the
restoration
of
Saxon
independence
.
On
this
last
subject
,
he
was
now
labouring
with
Athelstane
,
not
without
having
reason
,
every
now
and
then
,
to
lament
,
like
Hotspur
,
that
he
should
have
moved
such
a
dish
of
skimmed
milk
to
so
honourable
an
action
.
Athelstane
,
it
is
true
,
was
vain
enough
,
and
loved
to
have
his
ears
tickled
with
tales
of
his
high
descent
,
and
of
his
right
by
inheritance
to
homage
and
sovereignty
.
But
his
petty
vanity
was
sufficiently
gratified
by
receiving
this
homage
at
the
hands
of
his
immediate
attendants
,
and
of
the
Saxons
who
approached
him
.
If
he
had
the
courage
to
encounter
danger
,
he
at
least
hated
the
trouble
of
going
to
seek
it
;
and
while
he
agreed
in
the
general
principles
laid
down
by
Cedric
concerning
the
claim
of
the
Saxons
to
independence
,
and
was
still
more
easily
convinced
of
his
own
title
to
reign
over
them
when
that
independence
should
be
attained
,
yet
when
the
means
of
asserting
these
rights
came
to
be
discussed
,
he
was
still
"
Athelstane
the
Unready
,
"
slow
,
irresolute
,
procrastinating
,
and
unenterprising
.
The
warm
and
impassioned
exhortations
of
Cedric
had
as
little
effect
upon
his
impassive
temper
,
as
red-hot
balls
alighting
in
the
water
,
which
produce
a
little
sound
and
smoke
,
and
are
instantly
extinguished
.
If
,
leaving
this
task
,
which
might
be
compared
to
spurring
a
tired
jade
,
or
to
hammering
upon
cold
iron
,
Cedric
fell
back
to
his
ward
Rowena
,
he
received
little
more
satisfaction
from
conferring
with
her
.
For
,
as
his
presence
interrupted
the
discourse
between
the
lady
and
her
favourite
attendant
upon
the
gallantry
and
fate
of
Wilfred
,
Elgitha
failed
not
to
revenge
both
her
mistress
and
herself
,
by
recurring
to
the
overthrow
of
Athelstane
in
the
lists
,
the
most
disagreeable
subject
which
could
greet
the
ears
of
Cedric
