h a force that left no room
for doubt in my mind.

"'Uh!' sez he, whin he had stopped his foul talk about thee, sor; 'Oi
belave thou hast jist ridden from Northampton, thou villain,' sez he;
as though he had anny roight to call an honest man a villain, But
thin, mayhap he gits other folks mixed up with hissilf, whin he gits
excoited loike," added Michael with prodigious solemness.

I was compelled to laugh, despite the anxiety I felt about this matter.

"'Northampton?' sez Oi, in surprise loike, as though Oi had nivir heard
o' sich a place.

"'Didst thou not roide from Ludlow to Northampton with the King?" sez
he.

"'From whare, sor?' sez Oi.

"'From Ludlow, thou stoopid varlet,' sez he; and he raised his hand as
though he filt loike hittin' me a blow on the ear.

"'Uh! yer honour,' sez Oi, 'it's makin' sport o' poor common souldier
thou art doin'. Hivin knows, sor, whare that place ye spake o' may be;
but fer moy part, yer honour, Oi nivir heard o' it afore.'

"'Oi know not what to make o' thee,' sez he, after he had stood a
starin' at me whoilst a man moight brathe about the quarter o' a score
o' toimes.

"'Mither-o'-Gawd!' sez Oi, a prayin' loike, 'dount lit him make me into
anny thing loike hissilf.'"

This was too much for Harleston. He lay doubled up in his chair like a
wizzled leaf in the fall of the year, and shaking as though the leaf he
resembled was an aspen. He made no sound, but I could see it was all
that he could do to refrain from bursting forth into one roar.

"Go on, Michael," said I, when I had somewhat recovered myself; for I
too was bursting with pent up laughter, "What did he then say?"

"Uh! sure sor, he saw that Oi was but a poor fool, and that he could
not git anny news out o' me, so he shrugged his shoulders loike a
damned Frinchmin and walked on. But still he kipt alookin' back as
though he didn't know whither to belave me or not."

"Ah, Michael, thou art indeed a true soldier and a faithful servant.
From this time forth I do desire thee to attend me as my squire. In
field of battle, or in the lists, do thou attend me; for well do I know
that a truer heart or a stronger arm in England there is not."

"Thou art right, Bradley," said Harleston, with a hearty warmth, "and
hadst thou not made this man the offer that thou hast just made I would
have asked him to serve me."

Poor Michael stood speechless before us. First would he look at me,
and then to my friend. He could