Page:Tudor Jenks--The defense of the castle.djvu/303

Rh would fire a volley upward, hoping to do some damage.

During the forenoon of the next day Edgar and Hugh were upon the top of the keep, when suddenly a blunt arrow, coming from the river side fell upon the floor not ten feet from where they stood. Startled by this shaft, that must have been shot by a bowman either on the river or close to the foot of the keep, they were relieved, on picking it up, to find that it was a messenger of peace rather than of war, and bore, tied close to the head, a little slip of parchment. Edgar cut it loose from its wrappings and unrolled it. Upon the parchment, written in a very small handwriting, was this message:

Leaving the parchment with Hugh, whose delight made his eyes sparkle while he read the words over and over, Edgar descended into the keep to inform Lady Mortimer and the Friar that Amabel had safely accomplished her task, and would soon be with them again. Lady Mortimer seemed to forget all the unpleasant happenings of