o Gascoyne's chatter of the gay doings of the castle
gentle-life, in which he had taken part so often in the merry days of
his pagehood.

"I do wonder," said Myles, quaintly, "that thou couldst ever find the
courage to bespeak a young maid, Francis. Never did I do so, nor ever
could. Rather would I face three strong men than one young damsel."

Whereupon Gascoyne burst out laughing. "Marry!" quoth he, "they be
no such terrible things, but gentle and pleasant spoken, and soft and
smooth as any cat."

"No matter for that," said Myles; "I would not face one such for
worlds."

It was during the short time when, so to speak, the two owned the
solitude of the Brutus Tower, that Myles told his friend of his father's
outlawry and of the peril in which the family stood. And thus it was.

"I do marvel," said Gascoyne one day, as the two lay stretched in the
Eyry, looking down into the castle court-yard below--"I do marvel, now
that thou art 'stablished here this month and more, that my Lord doth
never have thee called to service upon household duty. Canst thou riddle
me why it is so, Myles?"

The subject was a very sore one with Myles. Until Sir James had told him
of the matter in his office that day he had never known that his father
was attainted and outlawed. He had accepted the change from their
earlier state and the bald poverty of their life at Crosbey-Holt with
the easy carelessness of boyhood, and Sir James's words were the first
to awaken him to a realization of the misfortunes of the house of
Falworth. His was a brooding nature, and in the three or four weeks
that passed he had meditated so much over what had been told him, that
by-and-by it almost seemed as if a shadow of shame rested upon his
father's fair fame, even though the attaint set upon him was unrighteous
and unjust, as Myles knew it must be. He had felt angry and resentful
at the Earl's neglect, and as days passed and he was not noticed in any
way, his heart was at times very bitter.

So now Gascoyne's innocent question touched a sore spot, and Myles spoke
with a sharp, angry pain in his voice that made the other look quickly
up. "Sooner would my Lord have yonder swineherd serve him in the
household than me," said he.

"Why may that be, Myles?" said Gascoyne.

"Because," answered Myles, with the same angry bitterness in his voice,
"either the Earl is a coward that feareth to befriend me, or else he is
a caitiff, ashamed of his own flesh and blood,