[begin page 233]

The old man glided away, stooping, stealthy, cat-likeⒶemendation, and brought the low bench. He seated himself upon it, halfⒶalteration in the MS his body in the dim and flickering light, and the other half in shadow; and so, with his cravingⒶalteration in the MS eyes bent upon the slumbering boy, he kept his patient vigil there, heedless of the drift of time, and softly whetted his knife, and mumbled and chuckled; and in aspect and attitude he resembled nothing so much as a grisly,Ⓐalteration in the MS monstrous spider, gloating over some hapless insect that lay bound and helpless in his web.

After a long while, the oldⒶalteration in the MS man, who was still gazing,—yet not seeing, his mind having settled into a dreamy abstraction,—Ⓐalteration in the MSobserved on a sudden, that the boy’s eyes were open—wide open and staring! —staring up in frozen horror at the knife. The smile of a gratified devil crept over the old man’s face, and he said, without changing his attitude or his occupation—

“Son of Henry the Eighth, hast thou prayed?”

The boy struggled helplessly in his bonds; and at the same timeⒶalteration in the MS forced a smothered sound through his closed jaws, which the hermit chose to interpret as an affirmative answer to his question.

“Then pray again. Pray the prayer for the dying!”Ⓐalteration in the MS

A shudder shook the boy’s frame, and his face blenched. Then he struggled again to free himself—turning and twisting himself this way and that; tugging frantically, fiercely, desperately—but uselessly—to burst his fetters: and all the while the old ogre smiled down upon him, and nodded his head, and placidly whetted his knife; mumbling, from [begin page 234] time to time, “The moments are precious, they are few and precious—pray the prayer for the dying!”

The boy utteredⒶalteration in the MS a despairing groan, and ceased from his struggles, panting. The tears came, then, and trickled, one after the other, down his face; but this piteous sight wrought no softening effect upon the savage old man.

The dawnⒶalteration in the MS was coming, now; the hermitⒶalteration in the MS observed it, and spoke up sharply, with a touch of nervous apprehension in his voice—

“I may not indulge this ecstasyⒶhistorical collation Ⓐemendation longer! The night is already gone. It seems but a moment—only a moment; would it had endured a year! Seed of the Church’s spoiler,Ⓐalteration in the MS close thy perishing eyes, an’Ⓐemendation thou fearest to look upon . . . . .”

The rest was lost in inarticulate mutterings. The old man sunkⒶhistorical collation upon his knees, his knife in his hand, and bent himself over the moaning boy—

Hark! There was a sound of voicesⒶalteration in the MS near the cabin—the knife dropped from the hermit’s hand; he cast a sheepskin over the boy and started up, trembling. The sounds increased, and presently the voices became rough and angry; then came blows, and cries for help; then a [begin page 235] clatter of swift footsteps, retreating. Immediately came a succession of thundering knocks upon the cabin door, followed by—

“Hullo-o-o! Open! And despatch, in the name of all the devils!”

OⒶhistorical collation, this was the blessedest sound that had ever made music in the king’s ears; for it was Miles Hendon’s voice!

The hermit, grinding his teethⒶalteration in the MS in impotent rage, moved swiftly out of the bedchamber, closing the door behind him; and straightwayⒶemendation the king heard a talk, to this effect, proceeding from the “chapel:”

“Homage and greeting, reverend sir! Where is the boy—my boy?”

“What boy, friend?”

“What boy! Lie me no lies, sir priest, play me no deceptions!—I am not in the humor for it. Near to this place I caught the scoundrels whoⒶhistorical collation Ⓐemendation I judged did steal him from me, and I made them confess; they said he was at large again, and they had tracked him to your door. They showed me his very footprints. Now palter no more; for look you, holy sir, an’Ⓐemendation thou produce him not— WhereⒶhistorical collation Ⓐemendation is the boy?”

“OⒶhistorical collation, good sir, peradventureⒶalteration in the MS you mean the ragged regal vagrant that tarried here the night. If such as you takeⒶhistorical collation interest in such as he, know, then, that I have sent him of an errand. He will be back anon.”

“How soon? How soon? Come, waste not the timeⒶalteration in the MS—can not I overtakeⒶemendation him? How soon will he be back?”

“Thou needst not stir;Ⓐalteration in the MS he will return quickly.”

“So be it, then. I will try to wait. But stop!Ⓐalteration in the MS—you sent him of an errand?—youⒶemendation!Ⓐalteration in the MS Verily this is a lie—he would not go. He would pull thy old beard, an’Ⓐemendation thou didstⒶalteration in the MS offer him such an insolence. Thou hast lied, friend;Ⓐalteration in the MS thou hast surely lied! He would not goⒶalteration in the MS for thee nor for any man.”

“For any man—no; haply not. But I am not a man.”

“What! Now o’ God’s name what art thou, then?”

“It is a secret—mark thou reveal it not. I am an archangel!”

There was a tremendous ejaculation from Miles Hendon—not altogether unprofane—followed by—

“This doth well and truly account for his complaisance! Right well I knew he would budge nor hand nor foot in the menial service of any mortal; but lord, even a king must obeyⒶhistorical collation Ⓐemendation when an archangel givesⒶhistorical collation Ⓐemendation the word o’ command! Let me—’sh! What noise was that?”

All this while the little king had beenⒶhistorical collation Ⓐemendation Ⓐtextual note yonder, alternately quaking with terror and trembling with hope; and all the while, too, he had [begin page 236] thrown all the strength he could into his anguished moanings, constantly expecting them to reach Hendon’s ear, but always realizing, with bitterness, that they failed, or at least made no impression. So this last remark of his servant came as comes aⒶalteration in the MS reviving breath from fresh fields to the dying; and he exerted himself once more, and with all his energy, just as the hermit was saying—

“Noise? I heard onlyⒶalteration in the MS the wind.”

“Mayhap it was. Yes, doubtless that was it. I have been hearing it faintly all the—there it is again! It is not the wind! What an odd sound! Come, we will hunt it out!”

Now the king’s joy was nearly insupportable. His tiredⒶalteration in the MS lungs did their utmost—and hopefully, too—but the sealed jaws and the muffling sheepskinⒶemendation sadly crippled the effort. Then the poor fellow’s heart sank, to hear the hermit say—

“Ah, it came from without—I think from the copse yonder. Come, I will lead the way.”

The king heard the two pass out, talking; heard their footsteps die quickly away—then he was alone with a boding, brooding, awful silence.

[begin page 237]

It seemed an age till he heard the steps and voices approaching again—and this time he heard an added sound,—Ⓐalteration in the MSthe trampling of hoofs, apparently. Then he heard Hendon say—

“I will not wait longer. I cannot wait longer. He has lost his way in this thick wood. Which direction took he? Quick—point it out to me.”

“He—butⒶalteration in the MS wait; I will go with thee.”

“Good—good! Why, truly thou art better than thy looks. Marry I doⒶhistorical collation think there’s notⒶtextual note another archangel withⒶhistorical collation Ⓐemendation so right a heart as thine. WiltⒶalteration in the MS ride? Wilt take the wee donkey that’s for my boy, or wilt thou fork thy holy legs over this ill-conditioned slaveⒶhistorical collation Ⓐemendation of a mule that I have provided for myself?—Ⓐalteration in the MS Ⓐemendation and had been cheated in, too, had he cost but the indifferent sum of a month’sⒶalteration in the MS usury on a brass farthing let to a tinker out of work.Ⓐemendation Ⓐtextual note”

“No—rideⒶalteration in the MS thy mule, and lead thine ass; I am surer on mine own feet, and will walk.”

“Then prithee mind the little beast for me while I take my life in my hands and make what success I may toward mounting the big one.”

Then followed a confusion of kicks, cuffs, tramplings and plungings, accompanied by aⒶalteration in the MS thunderous intermingling of volleyed curses, and finally aⒶhistorical collation Ⓐemendation bitter apostrophe to the mule,Ⓐalteration in the MS which must have broken its spirit,Ⓐhistorical collation Ⓐemendation for hostilities seemed to cease from that moment.

[begin page 238]

With unutterable misery the fettered little king heard the voices and footsteps fadeⒶalteration in the MS away and die out. All hope forsook him, now, for the moment,Ⓐalteration in the MS and a dull despair settled down upon his heart. “My only friend is deceived and got rid of,” he said; “the hermit will return and—” HeⒶalteration in the MS finished with a gasp; and at once fell to struggling soⒶalteration in the MS frantically with his bonds again, that he shook off the smothering sheepskin.Ⓐalteration in the MS

And now he heard the door open! The sound chilled him to the marrow—already he seemed to feel the knifeⒶalteration in the MS at his throat. Horror made him close his eyes; horror made him open them again—and before him stood John Canty and Hugo!

He would have said “Thank God!” if his jaws had been free.

A moment or two later his limbs were at liberty, and his captors, each gripping him by an arm, were hurrying him with all speed through the forest.