a thought sad.

"Well," quoth I, "what is the tale for the ballad-maker?"

"As Jack Straw said it would be," said he, "'the end of the day and the
end of the fray;'" and he pointed to the brave show of the sky over the
sunken sun; "the knights fled and the sheriff dead: two of the lawyer
kind slain afield, and one hanged: and cruel was he to make them cruel:
and three bailiffs knocked on the head--stout men, and so witless, that
none found their brains in their skulls; and five arbalestiers and one
archer slain, and a score and a half of others, mostly men come back
from the French wars, men of the Companions there, knowing no other
craft than fighting for gold; and this is the end they are paid for.
Well, brother, saving the lawyers who belike had no souls, but only
parchment deeds and libels of the same, God rest their souls!"

He fell a-musing; but I said, "And of our Fellowship were any slain?"

"Two good men of the township," he said, "Hob Horner and Antony Webber,
were slain outright, Hob with a shaft and Antony in the hand-play, and
John Pargetter hurt very sore on the shoulder with a glaive; and five
more men of the Fellowship slain in the hand-play, and some few hurt,
but not sorely. And as to those slain, if God give their souls rest it
is well; for little rest they had on the earth belike; but for me, I
desire rest no more."

I looked at him and our eyes met with no little love; and I wondered to
see how wrath and grief within him were contending with the kindness of
the man, and how clear the tokens of it were in his face.

"Come now, old lad," said he, "for I deem that John Ball and Jack Straw
have a word to say to us at the cross yet, since these men broke off
the telling of the tale; there shall we know what we are to take in
hand to-morrow. And afterwards thou shalt eat and drink in my house
this once, if never again."

So we went through the orchard closes again; and others were about and
anigh us, all turned towards the cross as we went over the dewy grass,
whereon the moon was just beginning to throw shadows.

CHAPTER VII

MORE WORDS AT THE CROSS

I got into my old place again on the steps of the cross, Will Green
beside me, and above me John Ball and Jack Straw again. The moon was
half-way up the heavens now, and the short summer night had begun, calm
and fragrant, with just so much noise outside our quiet circle as made
one feel the world alive and happy.

We waited silently unt