Part 11 (1/2)
”I will thank you, for the forood Master Shelton, I had liever find my way alone Here is a ood; prithee, let each choose his path; I owe you a dinner and a lesson
Fare ye well!”
”Nay,” cried dick, ”if that be your tune, so be it, and a plague be with you!”
Each turned aside, and they began walking off severally, with no thought of the direction, intent solely on their quarrel But dick had not gone ten paces ere his na after
”dick,” he said, ”it were unmannerly to part so coldly Here is my hand, and my heart with it For all that wherein you have so excellently served and helped me--not for the forht well”
”Well, lad,” returned dick, taking the hand which was offered hiood speed to you, if speed you may But I misob it shrewdly Y' are too disputatious” So then they separated for the second ti after Matchao unarmed”
”A cross-bow!” said Matchath to bend nor yet the skill to aiood boy
But yet I thank you”
The night had now fallen, and under the trees they could no longer read each other's face
”I will go soht is dark I would fain leave you on a path, at least My iveth me, y' are likely to be lost”
Without any an to walk forward, and the other once rew thicker and thicker Only here and there, in open places, they saw the sky, dotted with small stars In the distance, the noise of the rout of the Lancastrian army still continued to be faintly audible; but with every step they left it farther in the rear
At the end of half an hour of silent progress they caliy with fern and islanded with clumps of yew And here they paused and looked upon each other
”Y' are weary?” dick said
”Nay, I am so weary,” answered Matcham, ”thatof a river,” returned dick ”Let us go so far forth, for I aently; and, sure enough, in the botto s Here they threw the their mouths to the level of a starry pool, they drank their fill
”dick,” said Matcham, ”it may not be I can no more”
”I saw a pit as we came down,” said dick ”Let us lie down therein and sleep”
”Nay, but with all my heart!” cried Matcha upon one hedge, and made a partial shelter; and there the two lads lay down, keeping close together for the sake of warotten And soon sleep fell upon them like a cloud, and under the dew and stars they rested peacefully
CHAPTER VII--THE HOODED FACE
They awoke in the grey of the , but twittered here and there a the woods; the sun was not yet up, but the eastern sky was barred with solemn colours Half starved and over-weary as they were, they lay without htful lassitude And as they thus lay, the clang of a bell fell suddenly upon their ears
”A bell!” said dick, sitting up ”Can we be, then, so near to Holywood?”
A little after, the bell clanged again, but this time somewhat nearer hand; and fro nearer and nearer, it continued to sound brokenly abroad in the silence of the
”Nay, what should this betoken?” said dick, as now broad awake