nswered the King. "Thou knowest" (and he crossed
himself) "my devotion for the blessed Saint Julian. I had been saying my
orisons to that holy Saint late in the night before last, wherein (as he
is known to be the guardian of travellers) I made it my humble petition
that he would augment my household with such wandering foreigners as
might best establish throughout our kingdom unlimited devotion to our
will; and I vowed to the good Saint in guerdon, that I would, in his
name, receive, and relieve; and maintain them."

"And did Saint Julian," said Oliver, "send your Majesty this long legged
importation from Scotland in answer to your prayers?"

Although the barber, who well knew that his master had superstition in
a large proportion to his want of religion, and that on such topics
nothing was more easy than to offend him--although, I say, he knew the
royal weakness, and therefore carefully put the preceding question in
the softest and most simple tone of voice, Louis felt the innuendo which
it contained, and regarded the speaker with high displeasure.

"Sirrah," he said, "thou art well called Oliver the Devil, who darest
thus to sport at once with thy master and with the blessed Saints. I
tell thee, wert thou one grain less necessary to me, I would have thee
hung up on yonder oak before the Castle, as an example to all who scoff
at things holy--Know, thou infidel slave, that mine eyes were no sooner
closed; than the blessed Saint Julian was visible to me, leading a young
man whom he presented to me, saying that his fortune should be to escape
the sword, the cord, the river, and to bring good fortune to the side
which he should espouse, and to the adventures in which he should be
engaged. I walked out on the succeeding morning and I met with this
youth, whose image I had seen in my dream. In his own country he hath
escaped the sword, amid the massacre of his whole family, and here
within the brief compass of two days, he hath been strangely rescued
from drowning and from the gallows, and hath already, on a particular
occasion, as I but lately hinted to thee, been of the most material
service to me. I receive him as sent hither by Saint Julian to serve me
in the most difficult, the most dangerous, and even the most desperate
services."

The King, as he thus expressed himself, doffed his hat, and selecting
from the numerous little leaden figures with which the hat band was
garnished that which represented Saint Julian, h