rebuke, but Giles held out his hand imploringly,
and she paused a moment to hear the sweet full note of the "ouzel cock,
with orange tawny bill," closely imitated on a tiny bone whistle. "He
will sell it to me for two farthings," cried the boy, "and teach me to
sing on it like all the birds--"

"Yea, good mistress," said the gipsy, "I can whistle a tune that the
little master, ay, and others, might be fain to hear."

Therewith, spite of the wild dress, Dennet knew the eyes and the voice.
And perhaps the blackbird's note had awakened echoes in another mind,
for she saw Stephen, in his working dress, come out to the door of the
shop where he continued to do all the finer work which had formerly
fallen to Tibble's share.

She lifted her boy from his perch, and bade him take the stranger to his
father, who would no doubt give him the whistle. And thus, having
without exciting attention, separated the fugitive from the rest of her
pensioners, she made haste to dismiss them.

She was not surprised that little Giles came running back to her,
producing unearthly notes on the instrument, and telling her that father
had taken the gipsy into his workshop, and said they would teach him
bird's songs by and by.

"Steve, Steve," had been the first words uttered when the boy was out of
hearing, "hast thou a smith's apron and plenty of smut to bestow on me?
None can tell what Harry's mood may be, when he finds I've given him the
slip. That is the reason I durst not go to my poor dame."

"We will send to let her know. I thought I guessed what black ouzel
'twas! I mind how thou didst make the like notes for us when we were no
bigger than my Giles!"

"Thou hast a kind heart Stephen. Here! Is thy furnace hot enough to
make a speedy end of this same greasy gipsy doublet? I trust not the
varlet with whom I bartered it for my motley. And a fine bargain he had
of what I trust never to wear again to the end of my days. Make me a
smith complete, Stephen, and then will I tell thee my story."

"We must call Kit into counsel, ere we can do that fully," said Stephen.

In a few minutes Hal Randall was, to all appearance, a very shabby and
grimy smith, and then he took breath to explain his anxiety and alarm.
Once again, hearing that the Cardinal was to be exiled to York, he had
ventured on a sorry jest about old friends and old wine being better
than new; but the King, who had once been open to plain speaking, was
now incensed, thr