"

"It will not matter much to Ivo, so he be not taken," said the knight.
"Nor, in a sense, to you, Father, as your frock protects you. I shall
come off the worst."

"You'll come off well enough," responded Ivo. "You made an excellent
mercer this morrow. You only need go on chaffering till you have sold
all your satins, and by that time you will have your pockets well lined;
and if you choose your route wisely, you will be near the sea."

"Well and good! if we are not all by that time eating dry bread at the
expense of our worthy friend Sir Godfrey."

"Mind _you_ are not, Sir Roland," said Ivo. "Every man for himself. I
always fall on my feet like a cat, and have nine lives."

"Nine lives come to an end some day," replied Sir Roland, grimly.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

"On what art thou a-thinking thus busily, Phyllis?"

"Your pardon, Mistress Perrote; I was thinking of you."

"Not hard to guess, when I saw thine eyes look divers times my ways.
What anentis me, my maid?"

"I cry you mercy, Mistress Perrote; for you should very like say that
whereon I thought was none of my business. Yet man's thoughts will not
alway be ruled. I did somewhat marvel, under your pleasure, at your
answer to yon pedlar that asked how you came to be hither."

"Wherefore? that I told him no more?"

"Ay; and likewise--"

"Make an end, my maid."

"Mistress, again I cry you mercy; but it seemed me as though, while you
sore pitied our Lady, you had no list to help her forth of her trouble,
an' it might be compassed. And I conceived [Note 1] it not."

"It could not be compassed, Phyllis; and granting it so should, to what
good purpose? Set in case that she came forth this morrow, a free
woman--whither is she to wend, and what to do? To her son? He will
have none of her. To her daughter? Man saith she hath scantly more
freedom than her mother in truth, being ruled of an ill husband that
giveth her no leave to work. To King Edward? It should but set him in
the briars with divers other princes, the King of France and the Duke of
Bretagne more in especial. To my Lady Princess? Verily, she is good
woman, yet is she mother of my Lady Duchess; and though I cast no doubt
she should essay to judge the matter righteously, yet 'tis but like that
she should lean to her own child, which doubtless seeth through her
lord's eyes; and it should set her in the briars no less than King