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"Nay, nay!" cried the Ferret "It would be a sad thing if a man of my position orth less than five thousand"

"A thousand will suffice, fair sir, to pay ain play the spy, nor do us harm until the truce is broken"

"That I will swear"

"And lastly there is a journey that you shall thened "Where you order I o," said he; "but I pray you that it is not to the Holy Land"

"Nay," said Nigel; "but it is to a land which is holy to me You will make your way back to Southampton"

"I knoell I helped to burn it down so of that h to London until you come to a fair town na hath a hunt there"

"The saues fro hill"

"I will bear it in ht named Sir John Buttesthorn, and you will ask to have speech with his daughter, the Lady Mary"

"I will do so; and what shall I say to the Lady Mary, who lives at Cosford on the slope of a long hill two leagues froreeting, and that Saint Catharine has beenmore And now leave me, I pray you, for my head is weary and I would fain have sleep"

Thus it came about that a month later on the eve of the Feast of Saint Matthew, the Lady Mary, as she walked front Cosford gates, - shrewdly about him with quick blue eyes, which twinkled froht of her he doffed his hat and reined his horse

"This house should be Cosford," said he "Are you by chance the Lady Mary ells there?"

The lady bowed her proud dark head

"Then," said he, "Squire Nigel Loring sends you greeting and tells you that Saint Catharine has been his friend" Then turning to his servant he cried: "Heh, Raoul, our task is done! Your master is a free man once more Come, lad, come, the nearest port to France! Hola! Hola! Hola!" And so without a word alloped likeslope of Hindhead, until as she looked after theh in the ling and the bracken