Providence." He broke
off to laugh with silent, hateful laughter, as mirthful as the grin of a
death's-head.

"I know, I know!" said my lord impatiently. "We are not overnice,
Nicolo. But between me and those who then stood in my way there had
passed no challenge. This is my mortal foe, through whose heart I would
drive my sword. I would give my ruby to know whether he's in the town or
in the forest."

"He's in the forest," I said.

Black Lamoral and the brown mare were beside them before either moved
hand or foot, or did aught but stare and stare, as though men and horses
had risen from the dead. All the color was gone from my lord's face,--it
looked white, drawn, and pinched; as for his companion, his countenance
did not change,--never changed, I believe,--but the trembling of the
feather in his hat was not caused by the wind.

Jeremy Sparrow bent down from his saddle, seized the Italian under the
armpits, and swung him clean from the ground up to the brown mare's
neck. "Divinity and medicine," he said genially, "soul healer and body
poisoner, we'll ride double for a time," and proceeded to bind the
doctor's hands with his own scarf. The creature of venom before him
writhed and struggled, but the minister's strength was as the strength
of ten, and the minister's hand held him down. By this I was off Black
Lamoral and facing my lord. The color had come back to his lip and
cheek, and the flash to his eye. His hand went to his sword hilt.

"I shall not draw mine, my lord," I told him. "I keep troth."

He stared at me with a frown that suddenly changed into a laugh, forced
and unnatural enough. "Then go thy ways, and let me go mine!" he cried.
"Be complaisant, worthy captain of trainbands and Burgess from a dozen
huts! The King and I will make it worth your while."

"I will not draw my sword upon you," I replied, "but I will try a fall
with you," and I seized him by the wrist.

He was a good wrestler as he was a good swordsman, but, with bitter
anger in my heart and a vision of the haunted wood before my eyes, I
think I could have wrestled with Hercules and won. Presently I threw
him, and, pinning him down with my knee upon his breast, cried to
Sparrow to cut the bridle reins from Black Lamoral and throw them to me.
Though he had the Italian upon his hands, he managed to obey. With my
free hand and my teeth I drew a thong about my lord's arms and bound
them to his sides; then took my knee from his chest and my ha