nd on he went, unconscious of the distance, till night closed in,
when, heartsick and weary, he flung his little body down at the foot of
a majestic oak, and covered his face with his hands.

He had not lain long when he was startled by a sound close at hand; a
sigh, much deeper than his own, and a half-suppressed moan--what could
it be?

In an instant Wattie was on his feet, peering to right and left, trying
to discover whence those signs of distress proceeded.

The moon had just risen, and by her pale light he fancied he saw
something glitter among the dried leaves of the forest. Cautiously
little Wattie crept closer; and there, to his astonishment, lay extended
the form of a knight in armour. He rested on his elbow, and his head was
supported by his arm, and his face, which was uncovered, wore an
expression of sadness and anxiety. He gazed with an air of calm dignity
rather than surprise on the dwarf, when the latter, after walking once
or twice round him, cried out, "Noble knight, noble knight, pray what is
your grief, and can I do aught to relieve it? Say, wherefore these
groans and sighs?"

"Foes and traitors, sorrow and shame!" returned the warrior. "But tell
me, young man, canst thou show me the road to Langaffer?"

"That I can, noble sir," answered Wattie, impressed by the stranger's
tone. "Do I not dwell in Langaffer myself!"

"Then perhaps, young man, thou knowest the Castle of Ravenspur?"

"The ruined tower of Count Colin of Ravenspur!" cried Wattie, "why, that
is close to Langaffer. Our village folk call it 'the fortress' still,
although wild and dismantled since the time it was forsaken by----"

"Name not Count Colin to me!" cried the knight, impatiently. "The base
traitor that left his own land to join hands with the enemy! His sable
plume shall ne'er again wave in his own castle-yard!... But come,
hasten, young man, and guide me straight to Ravenspur. Our men, you say,
are encamped at Langaffer?"

"That they are," returned Wattie; "well-nigh every house is filled with
them. They arrived in high spirits this morning; and doubtless, by this
time, are sleeping as heavily as they were carousing an hour ago."

"All the better," cried the knight, "for it will be a different sort of
sleep some of them may have ere the morrow's setting sun glints through
the stems of these forest trees! And now, let us hasten to Ravenspur."

So saying, he drew himself up to his full height, lifted his sword from
the