r liking. I have a mind to smash your
face. What do you say?"

The soldier drew his sword.

"No," said Matthew, striking it down with the bar; "I don't want iron.
It's so noisy. I have the sound of iron all day in my smithy. Give me a
little change." He kicked the sword along the passage, and threw his
bar after it.

"Now," said he, "we are equal. Come!"

So saying, the blacksmith tapped the Roundhead on the chin. The soldier
made an attempt to defend himself, but fisticuffs were out of his line,
and Matthew had a series of easy openings. The smith punished him badly
for a while, and then, remarking that he had set his heart on spoiling
one or two more Roundheads before he died, followed the words with a
blow on the soldier's nose that laid him low.

The blacksmith pulled himself together, and then, opening a cupboard
door near by, pushed the sentry into it and turned the key.

The next thing was to liberate Barbara, who, when she heard what had
happened, asked with nice tact if Matthew did not think that they could
talk more comfortably in the kitchen, and Matthew replied that his
brain was always more fertile in the presence of cold pasty and ale
than at any other time.

"WAS THAT ALL RIGHT?" GODFREY FAIRFAX ASKED GREGORY.

"FIRST-RATE," HE SAID. "I CAN'T THINK WHY YOUR BOOKS DON'T SUCCEED."

"PERHAPS THIS IS THE BEST OF THEM," ROBERT SUGGESTED.

"BARBARA IS VERY BRAVE," SAID JANET. "I ADMIRE HER TREMENDOUSLY."

"AND PHILIP, TOO," SAID HESTER.

"OH, BUT JACK AND THE STONE IS BEST," SAID GREGORY. "I COULD HAVE DONE
THAT."

"SO COULD I," SAID HORACE CAMPBELL; "IT'S JUST WHAT I WANT TO
DO--THINGS LIKE THAT."

"YOU'RE RATHER BLOOD-THIRSTY LITTLE BOYS," SAID GODFREY FAIRFAX.
"PERHAPS I HAD BETTER BEGIN AGAIN. IT IS GOING TO BE QUIETER NOW."

Once in the kitchen, Barbara and Philip and the blacksmith took rapid
counsel together as to the best course of action. It was now late in
the afternoon; the Captain might be back with another bodyguard at any
time, and, once he returned, there would be no chance of getting the
stranger away. It was therefore important to furnish him with the
disguise--Rupert's clothes--and spirit him out of the house at once. On
the other hand, as he did not count upon being at sea till midnight,
this would simply mean exchanging one hiding-place for another; but,
all things considered, it was imperative that he should stay no longer
at the Hall.

This decided, Rupert was c