ilous a passage."
"alas! good youth," she answered, "i have a humor in the eyes,
and though i can see that there is a stone there i can by no
means be sure as to where it lies."
"that is easily amended," said he cheerily, and picking her
lightly up, for she was much worn with time, he passed across
with her. he could not but observe, however, that as he placed
her down her knees seemed to fail her, and she could scarcely
prop herself up with her staff.
"you are weak, mother," said he. "hast journeyed far, i wot."
"from wiltshire, friend," said she, in a quavering voice; "three
days have i been on the road. i go to my son, who is one of the
king's regarders at brockenhurst. he has ever said that he would
care for me in mine old age."
"and rightly too, mother, since you cared for him in his youth.
but when have you broken fast?"
"at lyndenhurst; but alas! my money is at an end, and i could but
get a dish of bran-porridge from the nunnery. yet i trust that i
may be able to reach brockenhurst to-night, where i may have all
that heart can desire; for oh! sir, but my son is a fine man,
with a kindly heart of his own, and it is as good as food to me
to think that he should have a doublet of lincoln green to his
back and be the king's own paid man."
"it is a long road yet to brockenhurst," said alleyne; "but here
is such bread and cheese as i have left, and here, too, is a
penny which may help you to supper. may god be with you!"
"may god be with you, young man!" she cried. "may he make your
heart as glad as you have made mine!" she turned away, still
mumbling blessings, and alleyne saw her short figure and her long
shadow stumbling slowly up the slope.
he was moving away himself, when his eyes lit upon a strange
sight, and one which sent a tingling through his skin. out of
the tangled scrub on the old overgrown barrow two human faces
were looking out at him; the sinking sun glimmered full upon
them, showing up every line and feature. the one was an oldish
man with a thin beard, a crooked nose, and a broad red smudge
from a birth-mark over his temple; the other was a negro, a thing
rarely met in england at that day, and rarer still in the quiet
southland parts. alleyne had read of such folk, but had never
seen one before, and could scarce take his eyes from the fellow's
broad pouting lip and shining teeth. even as he gazed, however,
the two came writhing out from among the heather, and came down
towards him with such a guilty, slinking carriage, that the clerk
felt that there was no good in them, and hastened onwards upon
his way.
he had not gained the crown of the slope, when he heard a sudden
scuffle behind him and a feeble voice bleating for help. looking
round, there was the old dame down upon the roadway, with her red
whimple flying on the breeze, while the two rogues, black and
white, stooped over her, wresting away from her the penny and
such other poor trifles as were worth the taking. at the sight
of her thin limbs struggling in weak resistance, such a glow of
fierce anger passed over alleyne as set his head in a whirl.
dropping his scrip, he bounded over the stream once more, and
made for the two villains, with his staff whirled over his
shoulder and his gray eyes blazing with fury.
the robbers, however, were not disposed to leave their victim
until they had worked their wicked will upon her. the black man,
with the woman's crimson scarf tied round his swarthy head, stood
forward in the centre of the path, with a long dull-colored knife
in his hand, while the other, waving a ragged cudgel, cursed at
alleyne and dared him to come on. his blood was fairly aflame,
however, and he needed no such challenge. dashing at the black
man, he smote at him with such good will that the other let his
knife tinkle into the roadway, and hopped howling to a safer
distance. the second rogue, however, made of sterner stuff,
rushed in upon the clerk, and clipped him round the waist with a
grip like a bear, shouting the while to his comrade to come round
and stab him in the back. at this the negro took heart of
grace, and picking up his dagger again he came stealing with
prowling step and murderous eye, while the two swayed backwards
and forwards, staggering this way and that. in the very midst of
the scuffle, however, whilst alleyne braced himself to feel the
cold blade between his shoulders, there came a sudden scurry of
hoofs, and the black man yelled with terror and ran for his life
through the heather. the man with the birth-mark, too, struggled
to break away, and alleyne heard his teeth chatter and felt his
limbs grow limp to his hand. at this sign of coming aid the
clerk held on the tighter, and at last was able to pin his man
down and glanced behind him to see where all the noise was coming
from.
down t
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