Even the old Baron was delighted with this contrivance,
and the pleasure it gave his daughter. He remembered playing at
draughts in that portion of his youth which had been a shade more
polished, and he felt as if the game were making Ermentrude more hike
a lady. Christina was encouraged to proceed with a set of chessmen,
and the shaping of their characteristic heads under her dexterous
fingers was watched by Ermentrude like something magical. Indeed,
the young lady entertained the belief that there was no limit to her
attendant's knowledge or capacity.
Truly there was a greater brightness and clearness beginning to dawn
even upon poor little Ermentrude's own dull mind. She took more
interest in everything: songs were not solely lullabies, but she
cared to talk them over; tales to which she would once have been
incapable of paying attention were eagerly sought after; and, above
all, the spiritual vacancy that her mind had hitherto presented was
beginning to be filled up. Christina had brought her own books--a
library of extraordinary extent for a maiden of the fifteenth
century, but which she owed to her uncle's connexion with the arts of
wood-cutting and printing.
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