waited for permission to
march in.

All this was rigorously carried out in true military style by the old
sergeant's management; and as Roy descended, it was to find the little
garrison drawn up fully armed under Ben's command, he and the three
troopers forming the regular staff who never left the castle.

Ben looked as fresh as if he had not made a night's rest out of two
hours on a form in the guard-room; and giving the word as Roy appeared,
there was the twinkling and glittering of headpiece and weapon as the
men presented arms, and then stood again at attention as it was carried
out some two hundred and fifty years ago.

Then a short inspection by the castellan followed, orders were given,
and four men marched to the door-way, tramped up the staircase, and a
few minutes later the ponderous drawbridge began to descend, till it
spanned the moat; and at a word the men fresh from their homes marched
across, to halt by the portcullis, which then began to rise slowly, the
capstans creaking and cracking, till the row of spikes alone was visible
as they hung like iron stalactites overhead.

Another sharp order rang out, and the new-comers filed into the
guard-room, from whence came the clashing of metal and the buzzing of
voices as the men assumed their arms and came out one by one to fall in
opposite to those whose places they were to take, and who would, in a
few minutes, go into the guard-room to deposit their arms in the racks,
and then be free till their short term of service recommenced, but of
course ready to hurry to the castle at the first summons should a
necessity arise.

Everything went on according to the regular routine; the fresh men were
all drawn up now, armed, the order given, and the relieved tramped into
the guard-room and soon began to straggle out again, eager to troop over
to a kind of buttery-hatch by the great kitchen, where a mug of milk and
a hunch of bread for a refresher would be waiting for distribution, by
Lady Royland's orders, for every man.

All this went on then as usual, and the old warder Jenkin had just come
tottering out of the guard-room, to go and take up his customary post at
the gate, the trumpeter had raised his instrument to his lips to blow a
blast, and the new-comers were ready to march off to their several
duties of mounting guard, drilling at the guns, and cleaning
accoutrements, when there was the sound of hoofs rapidly beating the
road across the moat, and directly