o have seen shoot at the butts with
admirable force and skill. Another minute and the youth stood before
them. Margaret looked up and dropped her work, and uttered a faint cry,
and was white and red by turns. But these signs of emotion were swiftly
dismissed, and she turned far more chill and indifferent than she would
if she had not betrayed this agitation.

"What! is it you, Master Gerard? What on earth brings you here, I
wonder?"

"I was passing by and saw you; so I thought I would give you good day,
and ask after your father."

"My father is well. He will be here anon."

"Then I may as well stay till he comes."

"As you will. Good Martin, step into the village and tell my father here
is a friend of his."

"And not of yours?"

"My father's friends are mine."

"That is doubtful. It was not like a friend to promise to wait for me,
and then make off the moment my back was turned. Cruel Margaret you
little know how I searched the town for you; how for want of you nothing
was pleasant to me."

"These are idle words; if you had desired my father's company, or mine,
you would have come back. There I had a bed laid for you, sir, at my
cousin's, and he would have made much of you, and, who knows, I might
have made much of you too. I was in the humour that day. You will
not catch me in the same mind again, neither you nor any young man, I
warrant me."

"Margaret, I came back the moment the Countess let me go; but you were
not there."

"Nay, you did not, or you had seen Hans Cloterman at our table; we left
him to bring you on."

"I saw no one there, but only a drunken man, that had just tumbled
down."

"At our table? How was he clad?"

"Nay, I took little heed: in sad-coloured garb."

At this Margaret's face gradually warmed; but presently, assuming
incredulity and severity, she put many shrewd questions, all of which
Gerard answered most loyally. Finally, the clouds cleared, and they
guessed how the misunderstanding had come about. Then came a revulsion
of tenderness, all the more powerful that they had done each other
wrong; and then, more dangerous still, came mutual confessions. Neither
had been happy since; neither ever would have been happy but for this
fortunate meeting.

And Gerard found a MS. Vulgate lying open on the table, and pounced upon
it like a hawk. MSS. were his delight; but before he could get to it two
white hands quickly came flat upon the page, and a red face over them.

"Nay, take