ch a fierce temper as when, after they had gone
above-stairs, I could hear one of them weeping. D'ri stood quietly
beside me, his arms folded.

"Whut ye goin' t' dew with them air women?" he asked, turning to
the young man.

"I beg you will give me time to consider," said his Lordship,
calmly, as he lighted a cigarette.

There was a quick move in the big tower of bone and muscle beside
me. I laid hold of D'ri's elbow and bade him stop, or I fear his
Lordship's drawing-room, his Lordship, and ourselves would
presently have had some need of repair. Four guards who seemed to
be waiting in the hall entered hurriedly, the shackles in hand.

"No haste," said his Lordship, more pleasantly than ever. "Stand
by and wait my orders."

"D' ye wan' t' know whut I think o' you?" said D'ri, looking down
at him, his eyes opening wide, his brow wrinkling into long furrows.

"I make a condition," said his Lordship: "do not flatter me."

"Yer jest a low-lived, mis'able, wuthless pup," said D'ri,

"Away with them!" said his Lordship, flicking the ashes off a
cigarette as he rose and walked hurriedly out of the room.

XIII

The waiting guards laid hold of us in a twinkling, and others came
crowding the doors. They shackled our hands behind us, and covered
our eyes again. Dark misgivings of what was to come filled me, but
I bore all in silence. They shoved us roughly out of doors, and
there I could tell they were up to no child's play. A loud jeer
burst from the mouths of many as we came staggering out. I could
hear the voices of a crowd. They hurried us into a carriage.

"We demand the prisoners!" a man shouted near me.

Then I could hear them scuffling with the guards, who, I doubt not,
were doing their best to hold them back. In a moment I knew the
mob had possession of us and the soldiers were being hustled away.
D'ri sat shoulder to shoulder with me. I could feel his muscles
tighten; I could hear the cracking of his joints and the grinding
of the shackle-chain. "Judas Pr-r-i-e-st!" he grunted, straining
at the iron. Two men leaped into the carriage. There was a crack
of the whip, and the horses went off bounding. We could hear
horsemen all about us and wagons following. I had a stout heart in
me those days, but in all my life I had never taken a ride so
little to my liking. We went over rough roads, up hill and down,
for an hour or more.

I could see in prospect no better destination than our gra