? I never let 'em know I was hearkening, or they'd have 'greed in
a moment for to give me a hiding. Besides, I had no need to cudgel my
brains; I'd only to ask you plump. You'll tell _me_, I know. Which is
it, Mistress? I'm for Gaunt, you know, in course. Alack, Mistress,"
gabbled this voluble youth, "sure you won't be so hard as sack my
Squire, and him got a bullet in his carcass, for love of you, this day."

Kate started, and looked at him in surprise.

"Oh," said she, "a bullet! Did they fight again the moment they saw my
back was turned? The cowards!"

And she began to tremble.

"No, no," said Tom; "that was done before ever you came up. Don't ye
remember that single shot while we were climbing the Nob? Well, 't was
Squire Gaunt got it in the arm that time."

"Oh!"

"But I say, wasn't our man game? Never let out he was hit while you was
there; but as soon as ever you was gone, they cut the bullet out of him,
and I seen it."

"Ah!--ah!"

"Doctor takes out his knife,--precious sharp and shiny 't was!--cuts
into his arm with no more ado than if he was carving a pullet,--out
squirts the blood, a good un."

"Oh, no more! no more! You cruel boy! how could you bear to look?"

And Kate hid her own face with both hands.

"Why, 't wasn't _my_ skin as was cut into Squire Gaunt, he never
hollered; a winced, though, and ground his teeth; but 't was over in a
minute, and the bullet in his hand.

"'That is for my wife,' says he, 'if ever I have one,'--and puts it in
his pocket.

"Why, Mistress, you be as white as your smock!"

"No, no! Did he faint, poor soul?"

"Not he! What was there to faint about?"

"Then why do I feel so sick, even to hear of it?"

"Because you ha'n't got no stomach," said the boy, contemptuously. "Your
courage is skin-deep, I'm thinking. However, I'm glad you feel for our
Squire, about the bullet; so now I hope you will wed with _him_, and
sack Squire Neville. Then you and I shall be kind o' kin: Squire Gaunt's
feyther was my feyther. That makes you stare, Mistress. Why, all the
folk do know it. Look at this here little mole on my forehead. Squire
Gaunt have got the fellow to that."

At this crisis of his argument he suddenly caught a glimpse of his
personal interest; instantly he ceased his advocacy of Squire Gaunt, and
became ludicrously impartial.

"Well, Mistress; wed whichever you like," said he, with sublime
indifference; "only whichever you _do_ wed, prithee speak a word to th