"The miserable coward! I could
kill him as I would a wasp!"

The afternoon glided slowly by, and the detachment kept to a walk, for
the heat was great, there was no special haste needed, and Fred wanted
to spare his horses as much as possible. But after a short halt for
refreshment at a roadside inn, where the landlord dispensed cider and
bread-and-cheese liberally to either side, so long as he was well paid,
but all the same with a strong leaning toward the Royalists, the little
party rode on at a trot, very much to the disgust of the landlord, who
stood watching them from his door.

"Poor lad!" he said. "Must be Sir Godfrey Markham's son from over
yonder toward the sea. How glad he seemed of that draught of milk the
lass gave him! Seems hard to be a prisoner, and to his old
schoolfellow, for that's young Forrester, sure enough. I've a good mind
to. No; it's interfering, and I might be found out, and have to hang on
one of my own apple-trees as a traitor. But I've a good mind to. Yes,
I will. Dick!"

"Yes, master," came from the stable, and a stout boy with some oat chaff
in his rough hair made his appearance.

"How long would it take you to get to Brownsand?"

"On the pony?"

"Of course."

"Four hours by road. Two hours across the moor."

"Take the pony, then, and go across the moor. There's a regiment of
horse there."

"Them as went by day afore yesterday?"

"Yes. Ride straight there and tell the officer. No, I can't do it."

"Oh, do, father, please--please!"

"You here, Polly?"

"Yes, father," said his rosy-cheeked daughter, who had fetched the mug
of milk from the dairy. "You were going to send and ask them to save
the prisoners."

"Was I, mistress? And pray how do you know?"

"I guessed it, father. That poor boy!"

"Perhaps I was," grumbled the landlord; "but I'm not going to do so
now."

"Oh, don't say that, father!"

"But I have said it; and now, both of you go about your work."

"Oh, father, pray, pray send!"

"Do you want to see me hung, madam?"

"No, no, father; but nobody will know."

"I know--you know--he knows; and there's an end of it. Be off!"

The girl and boy both went out, and directly after the former made a
sign which the latter interpreted to mean "Come round to the kitchen."

As soon as the landlord was left alone he drew himself a mug of cider,
lit his pipe, and chuckled.

"Wonder how my apples are getting on?" he said. "I must have a good
cid