eyes,
which were very bright, flitted restlessly and swiftly to and fro. He
went round and round the room, striking here and there upon the hangings;
but Dick, by a miracle, escaped his notice. Then he looked below the
furniture, and examined the lamp; and, at last, with an air of cruel
disappointment, was preparing to go away as silently as he had come, when
down he dropped upon his knees, picked up something from among the rushes
on the floor, examined it, and, with every signal of delight, concealed
it in the wallet at his belt.

Dick's heart sank, for the object in question was a tassel from his own
girdle; and it was plain to him that this dwarfish spy, who took a malign
delight in his employment, would lose no time in bearing it to his
master, the baron. He was half-tempted to throw aside the arras, fall
upon the scoundrel, and, at the risk of his life, remove the telltale
token. And while he was still hesitating, a new cause of concern was
added. A voice, hoarse and broken by drink, began to be audible from the
stair; and presently after, uneven, wandering, and heavy footsteps
sounded without along the passage.

"What make ye here, my merry men, among the greenwood shaws?" sang the
voice. "What make ye here? Hey! sots, what make ye here?" it added,
with a rattle of drunken laughter; and then, once more breaking into
song:

"If ye should drink the clary wine,
Fat Friar John, ye friend o' mine--
If I should eat, and ye should drink,
Who shall sing the mass, d'ye think?"

Lawless, alas! rolling drunk, was wandering the house, seeking for a
corner wherein to slumber off the effect of his potations. Dick inwardly
raged. The spy, at first terrified, had grown reassured as he found he
had to deal with an intoxicated man, and now, with a movement of cat-like
rapidity, slipped from the chamber, and was gone from Richard's eyes.

What was to be done? If he lost touch of Lawless for the night, he was
left impotent, whether to plan or carry forth Joanna's rescue. If, on
the other hand, he dared to address the drunken outlaw, the spy might
still be lingering within sight, and the most fatal consequences ensue.

It was, nevertheless, upon this last hazard that Dick decided. Slipping
from behind the tapestry, he stood ready in the doorway of the chamber,
with a warning hand upraised. Lawless, flushed crimson, with his eyes
injected, vacillating on his feet, drew still unsteadily nearer. At