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96 come uppermost. Another instant, and I had smitten him; the son of my own mother, the man whom I have longed to take to my heart. Alas ! that I should still be so weak.'

'Weak!' she exclaimed, raising her black eyebrows. 'I do not think that even my father himself, who is a hard judge of manhood, would call you that. But it is, as you may think, sir, a very pleasant thing for me to hear that you are grieved at what you have done, and I can but rede that we should go back together, and you should make your peace with the Socman by handing back your prisoner. It is a sad thing that so small a thing as a woman should come between two who are of one blood.'

Simple Alleyne opened his eyes at this little spurt of feminine bitterness. 'Nay, lady,' said he, 'that were worst of all. What man would be so and thrall as to fail you at your need? I have turned my brother against me, and now, alas! I appear to have given you offence also with my clumsy tongue. But, indeed, lady, I am torn both ways, and can scarce grasp in my mind what it is that has befallen.'

'Nor can I marvel at that,' said she, with a little tinkling laugh. 'You came in as the knight does in the jongleur's romances, between dragon and damsel, with small time for the asking of questions. Come,' she went on, springing to her feet, and smoothing down her rumpled frock, 'let us walk through the shaw together, and we may come upon Bertrand with the horses. If poor Troubadour had not cast a shoe, we should not have had this trouble. Nay, I must have your arm: for, though I speak lightly, now that all is happily over I am as frightened as my brave Roland. See how his chest heaves, and his dear feathers all awry—the little knight who would not have his lady mishandled.' So she prattled on to her hawk, while Alleyne walked by her side, stealing a glance from time to time at this queenly and wayward woman. In silence they wandered together over the velvet turf and on through the broad Minstead woods,