Page:Tudor Jenks--The defense of the castle.djvu/260

232 Edgar called the careless sentry before him, after dinner in the great hall, and depriving him of his rank—for he was a petty officer—reprimanded him before all his comrades. This was done with much consideration for the man's previous good conduct, but the offense was one that deserved the severest punishment, and Edgar did not dare to let it go unnoticed.

But to the sentry, it seemed that he had been, wronged. He had not meant to desert his post, and had gone where he believed he could still keep on the watch over the rear of the castle; so he resented both the reprimand and the degradation in rank. Then, most unfairly, he blamed the Lady Amabel because it was her discovery that had led to his disgrace. He became sullen, and brooding over his wrong, he had resolved to retaliate upon her. Consequently, he had kept a watch upon all that she did, and thus was a witness to her parting with Hugh and the Friar. At the first glance he had not recognized her in the boy's costume, but, seeing the deference shown to her by Hugh and the Friar, he had been surprised; and stealing closer, he detected the disguise. Though he did not see her actually leave the castle, yet he very soon concluded she had done so because she no longed appeared in the great hall, nor with Lady Mortimer, yet nothing was