e embrasures to right and left,
and they had scarce set foot upon the causeway ere a hoarse blare
burst from a bugle, and, with screech of hinge and clank of chain, the
ponderous bridge swung up into the air, drawn by unseen hands. At the
same instant the huge portcullis came rattling down from above, and shut
off the last fading light of day. Sir Nigel and his lady walked on in
deep talk, while a fat under-steward took charge of the three comrades,
and led them to the buttery, where beef, bread, and beer were kept ever
in readiness for the wayfarer. After a hearty meal and a dip in the
trough to wash the dust from them, they strolled forth into the bailey,
where the bowman peered about through the darkness at wall and at keep,
with the carping eyes of one who has seen something of sieges, and is
not likely to be satisfied. To Alleyne and to John, however, it appeared
to be as great and as stout a fortress as could be built by the hands of
man.

Erected by Sir Balwin de Redvers in the old fighting days of the twelfth
century, when men thought much of war and little of comfort, Castle
Twynham had been designed as a stronghold pure and simple, unlike those
later and more magnificent structures where warlike strength had been
combined with the magnificence of a palace. From the time of the Edwards
such buildings as Conway or Caernarvon castles, to say nothing of Royal
Windsor, had shown that it was possible to secure luxury in peace as
well as security in times of trouble. Sir Nigel's trust, however, still
frowned above the smooth-flowing waters of the Avon, very much as the
stern race of early Anglo-Normans had designed it. There were the broad
outer and inner bailies, not paved, but sown with grass to nourish the
sheep and cattle which might be driven in on sign of danger. All round
were high and turreted walls, with at the corner a bare square-faced
keep, gaunt and windowless, rearing up from a lofty mound, which made it
almost inaccessible to an assailant. Against the bailey-walls were rows
of frail wooden houses and leaning sheds, which gave shelter to the
archers and men-at-arms who formed the garrison. The doors of these
humble dwellings were mostly open, and against the yellow glare from
within Alleyne could see the bearded fellows cleaning their harness,
while their wives would come out for a gossip, with their needlework in
their hands, and their long black shadows streaming across the yard.
The air was full of t