rk. He had,
too--the boy--a valuable hatred for Culpepper that he allowed to
transfer itself to Katharine herself: a brooding hatred that hung in
his blue eyes as he gazed downwards at the barge floor or spat at the
planks of the side. Its ferocity was augmented by the patches of
plaster that stretched over his skull and dropped over one blonde
eyebrow.

'Cod!' he ejaculated. 'Cod! Cod! Cod!' and waved a fist ferociously at
the rushes that spiked the waters of the river in their new green.
'They waited till I was too sick of the sickness of the sea, too sick
to stand--more mortal sick than ever man was. I hung to a rope and
might not let go. And Cod! Cod! Cod! Culpepper lay under the
sterncastle in a hole and set his Lincolnshire beast to baste my
ribs.'

He spat again with gloomy quiescence into the bottom of the boat.

'In the mid of the sea,' he said, 'where the ship pointed at heaven
and then at the fiend his home, I hung to a rope and was basted! And
that whore's son lay in his hole and laughed. For I was a cub, says
he, and not fit for a man's converse or striking.'

Throckmorton's eyes glimmered a little.

'You have been used as befits no gentleman's son,' he said. 'I will
see to the righting of your wrongs.'

Poins swore with an amazing obscenity.

'Shall right 'em myself,' he said, 'so I meet T. Culpepper in this
flesh as a man.'

Throckmorton leaned gently forward and touched his arm.

'I will right thy wrongs,' he said, 'and see to thine advancement; for
if in this service you ha' failed, yet ha' you been persistent and
feal.' He dabbled one white hand in the water, 'Nevertheless,' he said
slowly, 'I would have you consider that your service in this ends
here.' He spoke still more slowly: 'I would have you to understand
this. Aforetime I gave you certain instructions as to using your sword
upon this Culpepper if you might not otherwise stay him.' He held up
one finger. 'Now mark; your commission is ceased. You shall no longer
for my service draw sword, knife or dagger, stave nor club, upon this
man.'

Poins looked at him with gloomy surprise that was changing swiftly to
hot rage.

'I am under oath to a certain one to use no violence upon this man,'
Throckmorton said, 'and to encourage no other to do violence.'

Poins thrust his round, brick-red brow out like a turkey cock's from
the boat cloak into Throckmorton's face.

'I am under no oath of yourn!' he shouted. Throckmorton shrugged his
sh