"Do not fear it," said Lucy, when upon one occasion a hint of such
suspicion escaped her lover; "the mirrors which receive the reflection
of all successive objects are framed of hard materials like glass or
steel; the softer substances, when they receive an impression, retain it
undefaced."
"This is poetry, Lucy," said Ravenswood; "and in poetry there is always
fallacy, and sometimes fiction."
"Believe me, then, once more, in honest prose," said Lucy, "that, though
I will never wed man without the consent of my parents, yet neither
force nor persuasion shall dispose of my hand till you renounce the
right I have given you to it."
The lovers had ample time for such explanations. Henry was now more
seldom their companion, being either a most unwilling attendant upon the
lessons of his tutor, or a forward volunteer under the instructions of
the foresters or grooms. As for the Keeper, his mornings were spent in
his study, maintaining correspondences of all kinds, and balancing in
his anxious mind the various intelligence which he collected from every
quarter concerning the expected change of Scottish politics, and the
probable strength of the parties who were about to struggle for power.
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