aint Paul's they parted, the husband and wife going towards
Warwick Inner Ward, whither Ambrose, fleeter of foot, would follow, so
soon as he had ascertained at the Dragon court whether Stephen was at
home.

Alas! at the gate he was hailed with the inquiry whether he had seen his
brother or Giles. The whole yard was disorganised, no work going on.
The lads had not been seen all night, and the master himself had in the
midst of his displeasure and anxiety been summoned to the Guildhall.
The last that was known was Giles's rescue, and the assault on Alderman
Mundy. Smallbones and Steelman had both gone in different directions to
search for the two apprentices, and Dennet, who had flown down unheeded
and unchecked at the first hope of news, pulled Ambrose by the sleeve,
and exclaimed, "Oh! Ambrose, Ambrose! they can never hurt them! They
can never do any harm to _our_ lads, can they?"

Ambrose hoped for the same security, but in his dismay, could only hurry
after his uncle and aunt.

He found the former at the door of the old stable--whence issued wild
screams and cries. Several priests and attendants were there now, and
the kind Dean with Lucas was trying to induce Aldonza to relax the grasp
with which she embraced the body, whence a few moments before the brave
and constant spirit had departed. Her black hair hanging over like a
veil, she held the inanimate head to her bosom, sobbing and shrieking
with the violence of her Eastern nature. The priest who had been sent
for to take care of the corpse, and bear it to the mortuary of the
Minster, wanted to move her by force; but the Dean insisted on one more
gentle experiment, and beckoned to the kindly woman, whom he saw
advancing with eyes full of tears. Perronel knelt down by her,
persevered when the poor girl stretched out her hand to beat her off,
crying, "Off! go! Leave me my father! O father, father, joy of my
life! my one only hope and stay, leave me not! Wake! wake, speak to thy
child, O my father!"

Though the child had never seen or heard of Eastern wailings over the
dead, yet hereditary nature prompted her to the lamentations that
scandalised the priests and even Lucas, who broke in with, "Fie, maid,
thou mournest as one who hath no hope." But Dr Colet still signed to
them to have patience, and Perronel somehow contrived to draw the girl's
head on her breast and give her a motherly kiss, such as the poor child
had never felt since she, when almost a