host upon his knee and his flaxen head
bent in entreaty.

"What is it, man? What do you crave?"

"A boon, fair liege!"

"Well, well, am I to have no peace to-night, with a traitor kneeling
to me in front, and a true man on his knees behind? Out with it, Nigel.
What would you have?"

"To come with you to Calais."

"By the rood! your request is fair enough, seeing that our plot is
hatched beneath your very roof. How say you, Walter? Will you take him,
armor and all?" asked King Edward.

"Say rather will you take me?" said Chandos. "We two are rivals in
honor, Walter, but I am very sure that you would not hold me back."

"Nay, John, I will be proud to have the best lance in Christendom
beneath my banner."

"And I to follow so knightly a leader. But Nigel Loring is my Squire,
and so he comes with us also."

"Then that is settled," said the King, "and now there is no need for
hurry, since there can be no move until the moon has changed. So I pray
you to pass the flagon once again, and to drink with me to the good
knights of France. May they be of great heart and high of enterprise
when we all meet once more within the castle wall of Calais!"

XI. IN THE HALL OF THE KNIGHT OF DUPLIN

The King had come and had gone. Tilford Manor house stood once more dark
and silent, but joy and contentment reigned within its walls. In one
night every trouble had fallen away like some dark curtain which had
shut out the sun. A princely sum of money had come from the King's
treasurer, given in such fashion that there could be no refusal. With
a bag of gold pieces at his saddle-bow Nigel rode once more into
Guildford, and not a beggar on the way who had not cause to bless his
name.

There he had gone first to the goldsmith and had bought back cup and
salver and bracelet, mourning with the merchant over the evil chance
that gold and gold-work had for certain reasons which only those in the
trade could fully understand gone up in value during the last week, so
that already fifty gold pieces had to be paid more than the price which
Nigel had received. In vain the faithful Aylward fretted and fumed and
muttered a prayer that the day would come when he might feather a shaft
in the merchant's portly paunch. The money had to be paid.

Thence Nigel hurried to Wat the armorer's and there he bought that very
suit for which he had yearned so short a time before. Then and there he
tried it on in the booth, Wat and his boy walking