rt her, nor tried to. She's sick,
maybe. I'll step down and have a talk with Jane."

On the landing outside Mrs. Stephen's room the two men shook hands, and
Trevarthen hurried down to go the round of his posts in the out-buildings.
They never saw one another again. Roger hesitated a moment, then tapped
at the door.

After a long pause Jane opened it with a scared face. She whispered with
him, and he turned and went heavily down the stairs; another moan from
within followed him.

At the front door Malachi met him, his face twitching with excitement.
The Sheriff (said he) was at the gate demanding word with Master Stephen.

For the moment Roger did not seem to hear. Then he lounged across the
courtlage, fingering and examining the lock of his musket, with ne'er a
glance nor a good morning for the dozen men posted beside their loopholes.
Another half-dozen waited in the path for his orders; he halted, and told
them curtly to march upstairs and man the attic windows, whence across the
wall's coping their fire would sweep the approach from the fields; and so
walked on and up to the gate, on which the Sheriff was now hammering
impatiently.

"Who's there?" he demanded.

"Are you Roger Stephen?" answered the Sheriff's voice.

"Roger Stephen of Steens--ay, that's my name."

"Then I command you to open to me, in the name of King George."

"What if I don't?"

"Then 'twill be the worse for you and the ignorant men you're misleading.
I'll give you five minutes to consider your answer."

"You may have it in five seconds. What you want you must come and take.
Anything more?"

"Yes," said the Sheriff, "I am told that you have taken violent possession
of the plaintiff in this suit. I warn you to do her no hurt, and I call
upon you to surrender her."

Roger laughed, and through the gate it sounded a sinister laugh enough.
"I doubt," said he, "that she can come if she would."

"I warn you also that any agreement or withdrawal of claim which you may
wrest from her or force her to sign will under the circumstances be not
worth the paper 'tis written on."

Roger laughed again. "I never thought of such a thing. I leave such
dirty tricks to your side. Go back with ye, Master Sheriff, and call up
your soldiers, if you must."

They tell that the first assault that day came nearest to succeeding.
The Sheriff had provided himself with scaling ladders, and, concentrating
his attack on the front, ordered his storming