a soft golden light, such as in
the Scots tongue we call a "boyn," that ofttimes, men say, travels with
the blessed saints. Yet some may deem it but a glancing in my own eyes,
from the blood flying to my head; howsoever it be, I had never seen the
like before, nor have I seen it since, and, assuredly, the black branches
and wild weeds were lit up bare and clear.

The tramp of the horses passed, there was no cry of "Pax vobiscum," no
twang of bows, and slowly the ring of hoofs died away on the road to
Chinon. Then came a rustling of the boughs on the further side of the
way, and a noise of footsteps stealthily crossing the road, and now I
heard a low sound of weeping from the violer woman, that was crouching
hard by where I lay. Her man struck her across the mouth, and she was
still.

"You saw it? Saints be with us! You saw them?" he whispered to Brother
Thomas.

"Fool, had I not seen, would I not have given the word? Get you gone,
all the sort of you, there is a fey man in this company, be he who he
will. Wander your own ways, and if ever one of you dogs speak to me
again, in field, or street, or market, or ever mention this night . . .
ye shall have my news of it. Begone! Off!"

"Nay, but, Brother Thomas, saw'st thou what we saw? What sight saw'st
thou?"

"What saw I? Fools, what should I have seen, but an outrider, and he a
King's messenger, sent forward to warn the rest by his fall, if he fell,
or to raise the country on us, if he passed, and if afterward they passed
us not. They were men wary in war, and travelling on the Dauphin's
business. Verily there was no profit in them."

"And that was all? We saw other things."

"What I saw was enough for me, or for any good clerk of St. Nicholas, and
of questions there has been more than enough. Begone! scatter to the
winds, and be silent."

"And may we not put the steel in that Scotch dog who delayed us? Saints
or sorcerers, their horses must have come down but for him."

Brother Thomas caught me up, as if I had been a child, in his arms, and
tossed me over the ditch-bank into the wood, where I crashed on my face
through the boughs.

"Only one horse would have fallen, and that had brought the others on us.
The Scot is safe enough, his mouth is well shut. I will have no blood to-
night; leave him to the wolves. And now, begone with you: to Fierbois,
if you will; I go my own road--alone."

They wandered each his own way, sullen and murmuring,