for sundry reasons, he said nothing, and of
the fight from which Acour had fled in Venice before the earthquake but
little. He told them, however, that he had heard that this Acour had
been or was in Avignon and that he had learned from a notary named
Basil, whom he, Hugh, had retained, that Acour had won from the Pope a
confirmation of his marriage.

"A lie!" interrupted Sir Andrew. "His Holiness caused me to be informed
expressly that he would give no decision in this cause until all the
case was before him."

As he said the words a disturbance arose in the outer room, and the
harsh voice of Grey Dick was heard saying:

"Back, you dog! Would you thrust yourself into the chamber of the lady
of Clavering? Back, or I will cast you through the window-place."

Sir Andrew went to see what was the matter, and Hugh, breaking off his
tale, followed him, to find the notary, Basil, on his knees with Grey
Dick gripping him by the collar of his robe.

"Sir Knight," said Basil, recognizing Hugh, "should I, your faithful
agent, be treated thus by this fierce-faced squire of yours?"

"That depends on what you have done, Sir Lawyer," answered Hugh,
motioning to Dick to loose the man.

"All I have done, Sir Knight, is to follow you into a house where I
chanced to see you enter, in order to give you some good tidings. Then
this fellow caught me by the throat and said that if I dared to break
in upon the privacy of one whom he called Red Eve and Lady Clavering, he
would kill me."

"He had his orders, lawyer."

"Then, Sir Knight, he might have executed them less roughly. Had he but
told me that you were alone with some lady, I should have understand and
withdrawn for a while, although to do so would have been to let precious
moments slip," and the lean-faced knave leered horribly.

"Cease your foul talk and state your business," interrupted Sir Andrew,
thrusting himself in front of Hugh, who he feared would strike the
fellow.

"And pray, who may you be?" asked the lawyer, glancing up at the tall
figure that towered above him.

Sir Andrew threw back his hood, revealing his aged, hawk-like
countenance, his dark and flashing eyes and his snow-white hair and
beard.

"If you would learn, man," he said, in his great voice, "in the world
I was known as Sir Andrew Arnold, one of the priors of the Order of the
Templars, which is a name that you may have heard. But now that I have
laid aside all worldly pomp and greatness, I am but