feed me,
for I'm terribly hungry again."

An attractive meal was waiting; and to have seen mother and son soon
after at the table, no one would have imagined that they were in a
beleaguered castle with a strong body of the enemy close at hand.

Roy sat till the clock struck nine, and then rose.

"Then you will get no proper sleep to-night, my boy?" said Lady Royland,
as she helped her son to resume his arms.

"Oh, yes; I shall lie down as I am, and jump up at twelve to take the
round. I shall be back in my room in a quarter of an hour if the enemy
is quiet, and sleep again till four, when I go my round again. I say,
isn't it wonderful how one wakes at the right time when one has had a
little practice."

"Roy, my boy, it is wearing you out. Let me go and see if the men are
doing their duty to-night."

"What nonsense, mother!" cried the lad, merrily. "Just as if this was
going to wear me out. To-morrow night old Ben will make the round, and
I shall be snoring in my bed. There, good-night."

"Good-night, my darling," cried Lady Royland, pressing him to her
breast.

"I say, what a hard-hearted creature I must feel with this on," said
Roy, laughing merrily.

"I never notice the cuirass," said Lady Royland, embracing her son
again. "I only feel my boy's warm, true heart beating against mine."

She followed him to the door, and he turned and kissed her again, and
then hurried away, depressing his sword-hilt to keep the steel end of
the scabbard from clinking on the pavement.

"Why did I do that?" said Roy to himself. "It was not as if--as if--Oh,
what nonsense! It's the weather makes me feel low; and she feels low
too. I was obliged to try and cheer her up."

He mounted to the battlements, whence he entered the room over the
guard-chamber where, according to custom now, Ben was waiting with his
lighted lantern, and wearing his long cloak, one side of which he threw
over the light when he took it up.

"All well, Ben?"

"All's well, sir. Enemy as still as mice. I'm beginning to think that
one of these mornings we shall get up and find they've gone without
saying good-bye."

"Hope you're right, Ben. Ready?"

"Ready, sir."

"Then march."

They ascended to the top of the gate tower, where they were challenged,
and then descended to the rampart to be challenged by the sentinel
posted half-way between the towers, and again by the sentry on each
tower in turn. It was everywhere the same. The men