go, my lord duke and brother, with your leave," said
Prince Richard, "peaceably and as petitioners. God save ye, friends and
countrymen, pray for us, that King Henry and the parliament may do us
justice. We are not over rich now, but better times may come. Largess!"
and filling both hands with coins from his gipsire, he tossed the bounty
among the peasants.

"Mille tonnere! What means he with this humble talk of King Henry and
the parliament?" whispered Edward to the Lord Say, while the crowd
scrambled for the largess, and Richard smilingly mingled amongst them,
and conferred with the franklin.

"Let him alone, I pray you, my liege; I guess his wise design. And now
for our ships. What orders for the master?"

"For the other vessels, let them sail or anchor as they list. But
for the bark that has borne Edward king of England to the land of his
ancestors there is no return!"

The royal adventurer then beckoned the Flemish master of the ship, who,
with every sailor aboard, had debarked, and the loose dresses of the
mariners made a strong contrast to the mail of the warriors with whom
they mingled.

"Friend," said Edward, in French, "thou hast said that thou wilt share
my fortunes, and that thy good fellows are no less free of courage and
leal in trust."

"It is so, sire. Not a man who has gazed on thy face, and heard thy
voice, but longs to serve one on whose brow Nature has written king."

"And trust me," said Edward, "no prince of my blood shall be dearer to
me than you and yours, my friends in danger and in need. And sith it
be so, the ship that hath borne such hearts and such hopes should, in
sooth, know no meaner freight. Is all prepared?"

"Yes, sire, as you ordered. The train is laid for the brennen."

"Up, then, with the fiery signal, and let it tell, from cliff to
cliff, from town to town, that Edward the Plantagenet, once returned to
England, leaves it but for the grave!"

The master bowed, and smiled grimly. The sailors, who had been prepared
for the burning, arranged before between the master and the prince, and
whose careless hearts Edward had thoroughly won to his person and his
cause, followed the former towards the ship, and stood silently grouped
around the shore. The soldiers, less informed, gazed idly on, and
Richard now regained Edward's side.

"Reflect," he said, as he drew him apart, "that, when on this spot
landed Henry of Bolingbroke, he gave not out that he was marching to the
throne