For among other accomplishments which he had learned at the Abbey of Dulce Cor, was that of lying with the serene countenance of an angel.

Indeed, as we have seen, he had the rudiments of the art in him before setting out from the tourneying field at Glenlochar on his way to holy orders.
"Then you will come with me to-morrow ?" said Gilles, smiling.
Laurence listened to make sure that neither his father nor Sholto was approaching the garret.
"I will go with you on two conditions," he said: "you shall not mention my purpose to the others, and when we escape, I must put a bandage over your eyes till we are half a dozen streets away." "Why, done with you--after all you are a right gamesome cock, my Irelander," cried Gilles, whom the conditions pleased even better than Laurence's promise to accompany him.
Then, lending the prisoner his viol wherewith to amuse himself and locking the door, Laurence made an excuse to go to the kitchen, where he laughed low to himself, chuckling in his joy as he deftly handled the saucepans.
"Aha, Master Sholto, you are the captain of the guard and a knight, forsooth, and I am but poor clerk Laurence--as you have ofttimes reminded me.

But I will show you a shift worth two of watching outside the door of the marshal's hotel for tidings of the maids.

I will go where the marshal goes, and see all he sees.

And then, when the time comes, why, I will rescue them single-handed and thereafter make up my mind which of them I shall marry, whether Sholto's sweetheart or the Fair Maid of Galloway herself." Thus headlong Laurence communed with himself, not knowing what he said nor to what terrible adventure he was committing himself.
But Gilles de Sille of the house of the Marshal de Retz, being left to himself in the half darkness of the garret, took up the viol and sang a curious air like that with which the charmer wiles his snakes to him, and at the end of every verse, he also laughed low to himself..