ot tell him as much, I did not know
who McDonnell, his father, might be; or what he meant by Sassenach.

"But he will feast in Dunluce once more," cried he, "and I shall be
there too. And the usurper woman Elizabeth shall--"

Here I sprang at him, and felled him to the ground!

The blood left my heart as I saw what I had done. As he lay there, I
could hardly believe it was I who had done it; for I loved him as my own
brother, and never more so than when he leapt to his feet, and with
white lips and heaving chest stood and faced me.

I was so sure he would fly at me, that I did not even wait for him to
begin, but flung myself blindly on him. But he only caught me by the
arm and shoulder, and flung me off with such strength that I reeled and
staggered for a dozen yards before I finally fell headlong with my face
in the dust.

Then he turned on his heel and walked on slowly.

It was no light thing, after that, to pick myself up and, spitting the
dust from my mouth, go after him. But I did. He never turned as I came
up behind, or heeded me till I stood before him and said:

"Sir Ludar, I smote you just now for speaking ill of my Queen. A man
who is disloyal to her is no friend of mine; therefore farewell."

He glanced me over, and his face had lost all its anger.

"She is no Queen of mine," said he. "I was born her enemy. For all
that, you did well to strike when I spoke ill of her. I would do as
much to you were you to speak evil of my Queen." And here he raised his
cap.

"Your Queen?" said I. "And who may she be? There is but one Queen in
these realms."

"I know it," said he. "Her I serve."

"Do you mean," said I, "that you serve--"

"Hush!" said he, with his hand at his belt. "I serve Queen Mary, and
all the saints in Heaven preserve her! Now, Humphrey Dexter, is it
peace or war?"

"I pray every day for the confusion of her Majesty's enemies."

"Why not?" said he, "so you pray not aloud. I do the same."

"Not so," said I, "or I should not have struck you. Nor shall it be
peace if you dare to breathe her Majesty's name again in my hearing."

"Heaven is my witness I have no wish to breathe it," said he, with a
curl of his lips. "Nor, if you breathe the name of mine, need you look
for so gentle a tumble as I dealt you just now. Come, your hand on it."

So we struck hands for the third time and went on.

My conscience troubled me sore the rest of that day. What had I come
to, to ass