ing's men lie, is it not?"

"Well, no, sir, I don't think so now. Those is them that you had to
fight with. They were at Brownsand t'other day."

"You have a horse here, have you not?"

"No, sir, only a pony; and if I took the short cut it would not be a
long journey."

"But could the pony do the journey to-day?"

"Do it to-day, sir? Yes; she's as hard as a stag."

"That will do for the present," said Colonel Forrester.

"Shall I ride over for the doctor, sir?"

"No. Send up your master."

The lad went down quite sulkily, and delivered his message, while
Colonel Forrester smiled at his son.

"Well, Fred," he said, "I suppose you see now?"

Fred's answer was cut short off by the heavy step of the landlord, who
came up with a sympathising look in his face, and seemed eager to serve.

"The young gentleman's not worse, sir, I hope."

"You are sorry for him, then?" said the colonel, quietly.

"Sorry for him, sir? Why of course I am."

"As sorry as you were for the young prisoner he brought by here."

"Oh yes, sir, I was sorry for him, too; but he was not wounded."

"You treacherous dog!" cried the colonel, in a voice of thunder, as he
seized the landlord by the throat, and forced him to his knees; "so
nothing would do but you must bid that boy take the pony and ride over
to Brownsand so as to betray the fact that an escort of prisoners had
halted at your house and were gone on by the Brownsand road."

"No, sir; I never--I never did."

"You lie, you old villain: tell the truth before I hand you over to my
men, and have you hung for a spy on the nearest tree."

"I swear, colonel, I never did anything of the kind," cried the
landlord, piteously.

"No, sir, it is not true," cried a girlish voice; and the landlord's
little daughter appeared in the doorway.

"Then pray who did?" cried Colonel Forrester.

"I did, sir," said the girl, undauntedly.

"And pray, why?"

"Because I heard that the young officer was Sir Godfrey Markham's son,
and it seemed so horrible that he should be dragged off a prisoner."

"What do you know of Sir Godfrey Markham?" asked the colonel, sternly.

"I had heard my father speak of him, sir."

"And so you planned all this and executed it yourself?"

"Yes, sir; I sent our lad off with a message to where the king's men
lay."

"I need not ask, I suppose, whether you are telling the truth," said the
colonel, grimly.

"No, sir. Why should I tell a lie?" replied the gir