ok,

both from the ship 'la rose de gloire,' of southampton, who did

set upon the flanders merchant and rob him of his spicery and his

mercery, for which, as we well know, you hold a warrant against

us."

"there is little merit in this confession," quoth the bailiff

sternly. "thou hast done evil within my bailiwick, and must

die."

"but, sir," urged alleyne, who was white to the lips at these

bloody doings, "he hath not yet come to trial."

"young clerk," said the bailiff, "you speak of that of which you

know nothing. it is true that he hath not come to trial, but the

trial hath come to him. he hath fled the law and is beyond its

pale. touch not that which is no concern of thine. but what is

this boon, rogue, which you would crave?"

"i have in my shoe, most worshipful sir, a strip of wood which

belonged once to the bark wherein the blessed paul was dashed up

against the island of melita. i bought it for two rose nobles

from a shipman who came from the levant. the boon i crave is

that you will place it in my hands and let me die still grasping

it. in this manner, not only shall my own eternal salvation be

secured, but thine also, for i shall never cease to intercede for

thee."

at the command of the bailiff they plucked off the fellow's shoe,

and there sure enough at the side of the instep, wrapped in a

piece of fine sendall, lay a long, dark splinter of wood. the

archers doffed caps at the sight of it, and the bailiff crossed

himself devoutly as he handed it to the robber.

"if it should chance," he said, "that through the surpassing

merits of the blessed paul your sin-stained soul should gain a

way into paradise, i trust that you will not forget that

intercession which you have promised. bear in mind too, that it

is herward the bailiff for whom you pray, and not herward the

sheriff, who is my uncle's son. now, thomas, i pray you

dispatch, for we have a long ride before us and sun has already

set."

alleyne gazed upon the scene--the portly velvet-clad official the

knot of hard-faced archers with their hands to the bridles of

their horses, the thief with his arms trussed back and his

doublet turned down upon his shoulders. by the side of the track

the old dame was standing, fastening her red whimple once more

round her head. even as he looked one of the archers drew his

sword with a sharp whirr of steel and stept up to the lost man.

the clerk hurried away in horror; but, ere he had gone many

paces, he heard a sudden, sullen thump, with a choking,

whistling sound at the end of it. a minute later the bailiff and

four of his men rode past him on their journey back to

southampton, the other two having been chosen as grave-diggers.

as they passed alleyne saw that one of the men was wiping his

sword-blade upon the mane of his horse. a deadly sickness came

over him at the sight, and sitting down by the wayside he burst

out weeping, with his nerves all in a jangle. it was a terrible

world thought he, and it was hard to know which were the most to

be dreaded, the knaves or the men of the law.

chapter v.

how a strange company gathered at the "pied merlin."

the night had already fallen, and the moon was shining between

the rifts of ragged, drifting clouds, before alleyne edricson,

footsore and weary from the unwonted exercise, found himself in

front of the forest inn which stood upon the outskirts of

lyndhurst. the building was long and low, standing back a little

from the road, with two flambeaux blazing on either side of the

door as a welcome to the traveller. from one window there thrust

forth a long pole with a bunch of greenery tied to the end of it-

-a sign that liquor was to be sold within. as alleyne walked up

to it he perceived that it was rudely fashioned out of beams of

wood, with twinkling lights all over where the glow from within

shone through the chinks. the roof was poor and thatched; but in

strange contrast to it there ran all along under the eaves a line

of wooden shields, most gorgeously painted with chevron, bend,

and saltire. and every heraldic de-vice. by the door a horse

stood tethered, the ruddy glow beating strongly upon his brown

head and patient eyes, while his body stood back in the shadow.

alleyne stood still in the roadway for a few minutes reflecting

upon what he should do. it was, he knew, only a few miles

further to minstead, where his brother dwelt. on the other hand,

he had never seen this brother since childhood, and the reports

which had come to his ears concerning him were seldom to his

advantage. by all accounts he was a hard and a bitter man.

it might be an evil start to come to his door so late and claim

the shelter of his root: better to sleep here at this inn, and

then travel on to minstead in the morning. if his brother would

take him in, well and good.