who dares to think, thinks according to
his belief. We have been old friends; our boys have grown up together
as brothers, but the exigencies of our political faith sunder us widely
apart. Ride you your way, sir, and I pray you let me go mine; and may
our ways be farther and farther separated, so that we may never meet
again till it is in peace."

As he spoke, he turned his horse, and rode slowly away down the western
road, leaving Sir Godfrey chafing angrily, and fidgeting with the hilt
of his sword, as he sat gazing after his old friend calmly ignoring his
presence, and followed by his son and his serving-man.

"I ought to arrest him--a man openly in arms against the law; an enemy
to his majesty, who may work him terrible ill. But I cannot do it; I
cannot do it. Old friends--brothers; our wives who have been as
sisters."

He paused for a few moments, gazing after the retiring figures, and then
jerked his horse round so sharply that the poor beast reared.

"Left! Forward!" cried Sir Godfrey then, and he rode on to the east,
followed at a short distance by Nat and his son.

Before they had gone a dozen yards, Nat, who was fidgeting about in his
saddle, evidently in a state of considerable mental perturbation,
wrenched himself round and looked after the Manor people, to see that
Samson was waiting for him to do so; and as soon as he did look, it was
to see a derisive threatening gesture, Samson, by pantomime, suggesting
that if he only had his brother's head under his arm, he would punch his
nose till he made it bleed.

"Ur-r-r-r!" snarled Nat, with a growl like that of an irritated dog.

"What's the matter, Nat?"

"Matter, sir? See that Samson--ah, he's a rank bad 'un--shaking his
fist at me, and pretending to punch me? Here, I must go and give it him
now."

"No, no," cried Scar, catching at Black Adder's rein. "Your orders are
to follow your colonel."

"But are we to let that brother of mine insult his majesty's troops?"

"We can afford to treat it with contempt," said Scarlett, solemnly,
though Nat's words and allusions made him feel disposed to laugh.

"But I want to treat it to a big leathering, Master Scar. Here, sir,
mayn't I ride after him and fetch him off his horse?"

"No; certainly not."

"But, Master Scar, what could your father be thinking of? Here had we
got three of the ugliest Philistines in Coombeland in our hand, and
we've let 'em go to blight and freeze and blast everything.