Page:Tudor Jenks--The defense of the castle.djvu/136

112 having been used to much outdoor exercise, became restless at being shut up in the narrow grounds of the castle, and complained bitterly to Lady Mortimer that she was only a useless burden.

"And yet," the young girl said, "I am without any ties in the world, except to you, who are not even relatives. I am young, strong, and afraid of nothing. I could do as much as many of the soldiers, and I must be always cautious. If I but go to walk upon the ramparts, Edgar is as uneasy as a hen with one chicken. He seems to think Count Ferrers' men are ever on the lookout for me, and will let fly an arrow if I poke my head through an embrasure, or pause to gaze through a slit in the wall. It is becoming unbearable, and I will not be answerable for myself if the siege lasts ten days more!"

"But what can we do?" Lady Mortimer asked kindly. "Fortunately, we are so well cared for that there is little we can attend to about the castle except the usual work. No one has been seriously wounded, and there is not any nursing of the sick or injured. If you were as old as I, you would be thankful that the siege has not been more exciting to us. If we had not been so well defended, your desire to be a heroine might be grati-