and Sibyll was the first to persuade her father to submit. She
mildly, however, rejected the mule, and the two captives walked together
in the midst of the troop.

"Pardie!" said the lieutenant, "I see little help to Sir Geoffrey in
these recruits, captain!"

"Fool!" said the chief, disdainfully, "if the rebellion fail, these
prisoners may save our necks. Will Somers last night was to break into
the house of Sir John Bourchier, for arms and moneys, of which the
knight hath a goodly store. Be sure, Sir John slinked off in the siege,
and this is he and his daughter. Thou knowest he is one of the greatest
knights, and the richest, whom the Yorkists boast of; and we may name
our own price for his ransom."

"But where lodge them while we go to the battle?"

"Ned Porpustone hath a hostelry not far from the camp, and Ned is a good
Lancastrian, and a man to be trusted."

"We have not searched the prisoners," said the lieutenant; "they may
have some gold in their pouches."

"Marry, when Will Somers storms a hive, little time does he leave to the
bees to fly away with much money. Nathless, thou mayest search the old
knight, but civilly, and with gentle excuses."

"And the damsel?"

"Nay! that were unmannerly, and the milder our conduct, the larger the
ransom,--when we have great folks to deal with."

The lieutenant accordingly fell back to search Adam's gipsire, which
contained only a book and a file, and then rejoined his captain, without
offering molestation to Sibyll.

The mistake made by the bravo was at least so far not wholly unfortunate
that the notion of the high quality of the captives--for Sir John
Bourchier was indeed a person of considerable station and importance (a
notion favoured by the noble appearance of the scholar and the
delicate and highborn air of Sibyll)--procured for them all the respect
compatible with the circumstances. They had not gone far before they
entered a village, through which the ruffians marched with the most
perfect impunity; for it was a strange feature in those civil wars that
the mass of the population, except in the northern districts, remained
perfectly supine and neutral. And as the little band halted at a small
inn to drink, the gossips of the village collected round them, with the
same kind of indolent, careless curiosity which is now evinced in some
hamlet at the halt of a stage-coach. Here the captain learned, however,
some intelligence important to his objects,--namely