Heiress of Haddon

n craft does r

DLE

n my heart, de

nge are hammer

ESPE

already begun. The falconers brought up their birds, the pages gave up their masters

ich had held the hawks were unloosed; the dogs were s

a rare pace, with the ladies following upon their steeds a little distance in the rear, and, behind all, a

be seen, and Sir Benedict was just thinking that Sir Georg

! See!" shouted the b

too," added De la Zouch,

intense, and away went lord and lady, knight and esquire, ove

was without a hawk, and now she sent it forward to him by her page, and

f came back an

ld no more rob you of your bird than I could steal

were more to my taste to follow on in a more leisurely fashion," she added, seeing that he was about to refuse. "St. George is a

e had collected his scattered senses, Dorothy had gone, and he, left alone, was a long way in the rear. The horns of the hunters, which were continua

of a patch of brushwood, he had seen and heard all, and, with perceptions sharpened by the jealous spirit w

s hiding-place, gnashing his teeth with

d, as he watched the

, that I am to yield m

churl. But no; it shal

x feet of solid earth e

rash, whatever he might have thought, he would have kept his opinions to himself; for hardly had

nd I ween thou hadst rather not have

and fiercely confronted the well-

or a knave," he excla

ll hie me to Sir George, and tell

eying the impulse of the moment, he dealt the

es for that," groaned the man

sly at him and turned to depart

ands upon the shoulders of the nobleman. "And tho

eeing the determined aspect of the man, he pulled

ckman

must have more than tha

e thee; take it or leave it and get thee go

three sorry nobles? I would take that rather than the money, for Manners is a friend to the poo

mping pole, and with blood now thoroughly aroused and life on

n blow after blow they were coolly caught upon the pole, which, used in skilful hands in much t

he rule, and as the man tired, his blows perceptibly weakened. Had Sir Henry by any piece of misfortune failed to protect himself, the end might h

dous force, and easily breaking through the pedlar's guard, it alighted heavily upon his head. With a groan the

he sound of the blows, the youth had experienced little difficulty in attaining the object of his search, and, standing at a respectable distance, he had been a silent

te opponent to notice the arrival of his page, and upon th

tly stroke, my

escaped him as he found it was not a fresh

ke to learn the trick of it; 'tis known to few besid

gh of relief. His maste

poke again, his

seen all?

the end

e comme

I w

I would fain have had thee witness its commencement, fo

ad proceeded many yards they came to a halt. De la Zouch had an

d Sir Henry, as he poin

option but to comply. He stooped down and emptied the capacious pockets of the dead man

le enough to t

ously wide rims, some bootlaces, a broken comb, and a few coins, he carefully scattered them about the scene where the struggle had taken place. He

t alone, but he dared offer no resistance. He could only hope that if

and after lightly covering the body over

oke: the knight deeply wrapped in thought; the page eager and yet fe

Sir Henr

affair. I would not have my name mixed up with i

quired promise. He was used to these little deceptions

have come off victor without a scratch, I have not come out of the tussle w

on ceased, and the two walked on in