en indeed will she provoke some great
judgment upon her own head. A house divided against itself can
never stand, and she above all others should know that."

The spies had been some time passed before Sir Oliver spoke these
words, and when he did so they were only loud enough to reach the
ears of his wife and of his sons, who rode immediately behind him.
Two of these turned their heads for a moment to look at him who
rode between them, but his face was far too well concealed for its
expression to be seen.

A few miles further on and a pause was made. Julian suggested that
he and Edred should be turning back; whilst the mother, who thought
that Edred was scarce fit for the saddle yet, seconded the idea
with approbation.

They were passing through a very dark part of the forest, where the
trees grew dense, and where on one side the sandstone rose up in a
wall, quite keeping out the level rays of the rising sun. It was
almost as dim as night in this overgrown spot.

Julian sprang to his feet, and went and dutifully kissed the hand
both of father and mother, and the bandaged lad with the concealed
face followed his example, touching both hands reverently and
gratefully, and murmuring some words of farewell that were only
indistinctly heard in the champing of bits and stamping of
impatient horse hoofs. Then whilst the mother still laid many
charges upon Julian to be careful of his brother, and bent a few
anxious regards upon the injured lad himself, Sir Oliver gave the
signal for riding on again, as they had a long day's journey before
them; and the little cavalcade vanished quickly into the forest,
leaving the two companions and their respective steeds standing
alone in that dim place.

When the last of the horses had quite vanished, and the sound of
their steps was no longer to be heard, Julian flung his cap
suddenly into the air, and uttered a long and peculiar cry.

Almost immediately that cry was answered from some place near at
hand, and in a few minutes more a figure strangely like the one
standing at Julian's side emerged from the sheltering underwood,
leading by the rein a small forest pony, such as were much used in
that part of the country. With bandaged face, hat drawn over the
brows, and collar turned up to the ears, the newcomer was the very
counterpart of the motionless figure in the path, save that the
latter wore the better dress. Julian burst into a great laugh as
the two stood facing each other;