my man. Here, Jan, Jan, I say," bawled out our friend
Frank, to what he was pleased to style a straw-yard savage in the
disguise of a gentleman's servant on horseback, who, whilst engaged in
the pleasant employment of munching an apple, had allowed the ladies he
was attending to canter off some distance a-head, and was then in the
act of passing, at a very moderate pace, close by our two heroes, but
pulled up his nag at the summons, and, touching his hat, replied, in the
singing accent of the western Cornishmen--" Your sarvant, gen'lmen both;
what 'ud ye plaze to have, sir?--though my name b'aint Jan, plaze yer
honours."

"What is it then?--Bill, Dick, Tom, Harry, Ben, Jim, Nic, Mike, Mathey,
or Peter?"

"Neither, maester, plaze your honour, sir," said the man, with a grin
that denoted he was entering into the humour of the thing, and who, as
well as Frank, was a bit of a wag in his way. "Timothy's my name, at
your sarvice, gen'lmen--what 'ud your honours plaze to have of I?"

"What I would have, Timothy," answered Frank, "is for you to tell me who
those two young ladies are that you are in attendance upon?"

"Maester's two dafters," replied Timothy.

"And who's maester?" asked Frank.

"The squire, to be sure," answered his man.

"And what's squire's name?" inquired Frank.

"Potts--Squire Potts," replied Timothy--at which announcement Vernon
Wycherley lifted up both eyes and hands in unfeigned amazement.

"And the young ladies?" resumed the questioner.

"Lor, sir! I ha'n't a got time to bide and tell'ee no more. See they be
'most out of sight a'ready, and I shall have to ride a brave pace to
catch mun again--and most dead wi' thest, too, I be's a'ready."

Frank, who plainly saw Timothy's drift, dived his hand into the deep
recesses of his trousers' pockets.--Timothy, who witnessed the act, not
altogether an unexpected one, drew nearer and nearer, and when close
alongside of Frank, cramming the remainder of the apple into his mouth,
he dropped the hand that had conveyed it there, as if by the merest
accident in the world, within easy reach of the interrogator's, who,
slipping into it a coin of sufficient importance, small as it was, to
raise a grin of delight in the groom's countenance, again asked him the
names of the two young ladies.

"Heerken, and I'll tell'ee," he answered. "She with the light hair and
eyes, she's Miss Bessie; and she with the dark hair and eyes, she's
called Miss Molly--that's she's n