s driven to kill or else be slaughtered; were there
less of this unreasonable gibbeting on the highroad, there should be
less enforced cutting of throats in dark woods, my masters."

"Fewer words had served," replied Gerard coldly. "I asked a question, I
am answered," and suddenly doffing his bonnet--

"'Obsecro Deum omnipotentem, ut, qua cruce jam pendent isti quindecim
latrones fures et homicidae, in ea homicida fur et latro tu pependeris
quam citissime, pro publica salute, in honorem justi Dei cui sit gloria,
in aeternum, Amen.'"

"And so good day."

The greedy outlaw was satisfied last. "That is Latin," he muttered, "and
more than I bargained for." So indeed it was.

And he returned to his business with a mind at ease. The friends
pondered in silence the many events of the last few hours.

At last Gerard said thoughtfully, "That she-bear saved both our lives-by
God's will."

"Like enough," replied Denys; "and talking of that, it was lucky we did
not dawdle over our supper."

"What mean you?"

"I mean they are not all hanged; I saw a refuse of seven or eight as
black as ink around our fire."

"When? when?"

"Ere we had left it five minutes."

"Good heavens! and you said not a word."

"It would but have worried you, and had set our friend a looking back,
and mayhap tempted him to get his skull split. All other danger was
over; they could not see us, we were out of the moonshine, and indeed,
just turning a corner. Ah! there is the sun; and here are the gates of
Dusseldorf. Courage, l'ami, le diable est mort!"

"My head! my head!" was all poor Gerard could reply.

So many shocks, emotions, perils, horrors, added to the wound, his
first, had tried his youthful body and sensitive nature too severely.

It was noon of the same day.

In a bedroom of "The Silver Lion" the rugged Denys sat anxious, watching
his young friend.

And he lay raging with fever, delirious at intervals, and one word for
ever on his lips.

"Margaret!--Margaret Margaret!"

CHAPTER XXVI

It was the afternoon of the next day. Gerard was no longer lightheaded,
but very irritable and full of fancies; and in one of these he begged
Denys to get him a lemon to suck. Denys, who from a rough soldier had
been turned by tender friendship into a kind of grandfather, got up
hastily, and bidding him set his mind at ease, "lemons he should have in
the twinkling of a quart pot," went and ransacked the shops for them.

They were not s