was not very

advanced, for all that had befallen him. when a man is afoot at

cock-crow much may be done in the day. if he walked fast he

might yet overtake his friends ere they reached their

destination. he pushed on therefore, now walking and now

running. as he journeyed he bit into a crust which remained from

his beaulieu bread, and he washed it down by a draught from a

woodland stream.

it was no easy or light thing to journey through this great

forest, which was some twenty miles from east to west and a good

sixteen from bramshaw woods in the north to lymington in the

south. alleyne, however, had the good fortune to fall in with a

woodman, axe upon shoulder, trudging along in the very direction

that he wished to go. with his guidance he passed the fringe of

bolderwood walk, famous for old ash and yew, through mark ash

with its giant beech-trees, and on through the knightwood groves,

where the giant oak was already a great tree, but only one of

many comely brothers. they plodded along together, the woodman

and alleyne, with little talk on either side, for their thoughts

were as far asunder as the poles. the peasant's gossip had been

of the hunt, of the brocken, of the grayheaded kites that had

nested in wood fidley, and of the great catch of herring brought

back by the boats of pitt's deep. the clerk's mind was on his

brother, on his future--above all on this strange, fierce,

melting, beautiful woman who had broken so suddenly into his

life, and as suddenly passed out of it again. so distrait was he

and so random his answers, that the wood man took to whistling,

and soon branched off upon the track to burley, leaving alleyne

upon the main christchurch road.

down this he pushed as fast as he might, hoping at every turn and

rise to catch sight of his companions of the morning. from

vinney ridge to rhinefield walk the woods grow thick and dense up

to the very edges of the track, but beyond the country opens up

into broad dun-colored moors, flecked with clumps of trees, and

topping each other in long, low curves up to the dark lines of

forest in the furthest distance. clouds of insects danced and

buzzed in the golden autumn light, and the air was full of the

piping of the song-birds. long, glinting dragonflies shot across

the path, or hung tremulous with gauzy wings and gleaming bodies.

once a white-necked sea eagle soared screaming high over the

traveller's head, and again a flock of brown bustards popped up

from among the bracken, and blundered away in their clumsy

fashion, half running, half flying, with strident cry and whirr

of wings.

there were folk, too, to be met upon the road--beggars and

couriers, chapmen and tinkers--cheery fellows for the most part,

with a rough jest and homely greeting for each other and for

alleyne. near shotwood he came upon five seamen, on their way

from poole to southampton--rude red-faced men, who shouted at him

in a jargon which he could scarce understand, and held out to him

a great pot from which they had been drinking--nor would they let

him pass until he had dipped pannikin in and taken a mouthful,

which set him coughing and choking, with the tears running down

his cheeks. further on he met a sturdy black-bearded man,

mounted on a brown horse, with a rosary in his right hand and a

long two-handed sword jangling against his stirrup-iron. by his

black robe and the eight-pointed cross upon his sleeve, alleyne

recognized him as one of the knights hospitallers of st. john of

jerusalem, whose presbytery was at baddesley. he held up two

fingers as he passed, with a "benedice, filie meus!" whereat

alleyne doffed hat and bent knee, looking with much reverence at

one who had devoted his life to the overthrow of the infidel.

poor simple lad! he had not learned yet that what men are and

what men profess to be are very wide asunder, and that the

knights of st. john, having come into large part of the riches of

the ill-fated templars, were very much too comfortable to think

of exchanging their palace for a tent, or the cellars of england

for the thirsty deserts of syria.

yet ignorance may be more precious than wisdom, for alleyne as he

walked on braced himself to a higher life by the thought of this

other's sacrifice, and strengthened himself by his example which

he could scarce have done had he known that the hospitaller's

mind ran more upon malmsey than on mamalukes, and on venison

rather than victories.

as he pressed on the plain turned to woods once more in the

region of wilverley walk, and a cloud swept up from the south

with the sun shining through the chinks of it. a few great drops

came pattering loudly down, and then in a moment the steady swish

of a brisk shower, with the dripping and dropping of the leaves.

alleyne, glancing round for shelter, saw a thick and lofty holly-

bush, so h