ng that Myles was
dismissed, to enter, before five minutes had passed, into the first
really great fight of his life.

Besides Gascoyne and Wilkes, he found gathered in the dormitory six
or eight of the company of squires who were to serve that day upon
household duty; among others, Walter Blunt and three other bachelors,
who were changing their coarse service clothes for others more fit for
the household.

"Why didst thou tarry so long, Myles?" said Gascoyne, as he entered.
"Methought thou wert never coming."

"Where goest thou, Falworth?" called Blunt from the other end of the
room, where he was lacing his doublet.

Just now Myles had no heart in the swimming or sport of any sort, but he
answered, shortly, "I go to the river to swim."

"Nay," said Blunt, "thou goest not forth from the castle to-day. Hast
thou forgot how thou didst answer me back about fetching the water
this morning? This day thou must do penance, so go thou straight to the
armory and scour thou up my breastplate."

From the time he had arisen that morning everything had gone wrong with
Myles. He had felt himself already outrated in rendering service to
the bachelors, he had quarrelled with the head of the esquires, he had
nearly quarrelled with Gascoyne, and then had come the bitterest and
worst of all, the knowledge that his father was an outlaw, and that
the Earl would not stretch out a hand to aid him or to give him any
countenance. Blunt's words brought the last bitter cut to his heart,
and they stung him to fury. For a while he could not answer, but stood
glaring with a face fairly convulsed with passion at the young man, who
continued his toilet, unconscious of the wrath of the new recruit.

Gascoyne and Wilkes, accepting Myles's punishment as a thing of course,
were about to leave the dormitory when Myles checked them.

"Stop, Francis!" he cried, hoarsely. "Thinkest thou that I will stay
behind to do yon dog's dirty work? No; I go with ye."

A moment or two of dumb, silent amazement followed his bold words; then
Blunt cried, "Art thou mad?"

"Nay," answered Myles in the same hoarse voice, "I am not mad. I tell
thee a better man than thou shouldst not stay me from going an I list to
go.

"I will break thy cockerel head for that speech," said Blunt, furiously.
He stooped as he spoke, and picked up a heavy clog that lay at his feet.

It was no insignificant weapon either. The shoes of those days were
sometimes made of cloth, and