Ivanhoe

Several domestics, whose dress held various proportions betwixt the

richness of their master's, and the coarse and simple attire of Gurth

the swine-herd, watched the looks and waited the commands of the Saxon

dignitary. Two or three servants of a superior order stood behind their

master upon the dais; the rest occupied the lower part of the hall.

Other attendants there were of a different description; two or three

large and shaggy greyhounds, such as were then employed in hunting the

stag and wolf; as many slow-hounds of a large bony breed, with thick

necks, large heads, and long ears; and one or two of the smaller dogs,

now called terriers, which waited with impatience the arrival of the

supper; but, with the sagacious knowledge of physiognomy peculiar to

their race, forbore to intrude upon the moody silence of their master,

apprehensive probably of a small white truncheon which lay by Cedric's

trencher, for the purpose of repelling the advances of his four-legged

dependants. One grisly old wolf-dog alone, with the liberty of an

indulged favourite, had planted himself close by the chair of state, and

occasionally ventured to solicit notice by putting his large hairy head

upon his master's knee, or pushing his nose into his hand. Even he was

repelled by the stern command, "Down, Balder, down! I am not in the

humour for foolery."

In fact, Cedric, as we have observed, was in no very placid state of

mind. The Lady Rowena, who had been absent to attend an evening mass at

a distant church, had but just returned, and was changing her garments,

which had been wetted by the storm. There were as yet no tidings of

Gurth and his charge, which should long since have been driven home from

the forest and such was the insecurity of the period, as to render it

probable that the delay might be explained by some depreciation of the

outlaws, with whom the adjacent forest abounded, or by the violence

of some neighbouring baron, whose consciousness of strength made

him equally negligent of the laws of property. The matter was of

consequence, for great part of the domestic wealth of the Saxon

proprietors consisted in numerous herds of swine, especially in

forest-land, where those animals easily found their food.

Besides these subjects of anxiety, the Saxon thane was impatient for the

presence of his favourite clown Wamba, whose jests, such as they were,

served for a sort of seasoning to his evening meal, and to the deep

draughts of ale and wine with which he was in the habit of accompanying

it. Add to all this, Cedric had fasted since noon, and his usual supper

hour was long past, a cause of irritation common to country squires,

both in ancient and modern times. His displeasure was expressed in

broken sentences, partly muttered to himself, partly addressed to the

domestics who stood around; and particularly to his cupbearer, who

offered him from time to time, as a sedative, a silver goblet filled

with wine--"Why tarries the Lady Rowena?"