lace, and with your leave,
sir, I will accompany you and your daughter thither, after which I must
be allowed to go in search of Widow Pitt's cow, and carry the animal
back to her. I shall have time to do that and give a few of the
apprentices a drubbing before dinner-time."

Saying this, Jack Deane, putting his arms again into the sleeves of his
coat, adjusted his dress, which had been somewhat disordered by the
scuffle; then placing his hand on the reins of Miss Harwood's palfrey,
he walked by her side towards the house at which he had pointed.

"Well, well! I must leave you to keep order in the town, Master Deane,"
said Mr Harwood, laughing; "when there is so good a guardian of the
peace as you appear to be, it would be useless for me to interfere; and
I would not stop you from restoring the cow to the poor widow. At the
same time, I may suggest that it might be as well to let alone the
drubbing of the apprentices till a more convenient season, or you may
get somewhat overheated and fatigued before your appearance at the
dinner-table."

"Oh, that will be nothing, sir!" answered Jack, clutching his stout
cudgel; "though to be sure the chances are that they will keep out of my
way. When they get cool they will think better of it, before they will
wish to encounter me. I only hope Miss Harwood's palfrey has not
suffered, or her habit either; I am sure the poor animal did not wish to
do her harm."

"Oh, no! thanks to you, Mr Deane, both my horse and I have escaped
harm," said Alethea, looking at the young man with a kind smile.

On reaching the door of Mr Deane's house, Jack held the young lady's
bridle while she dismounted, and then insisted on taking her horse and
her father's round to the stables while they entered the house. Having
unsaddled the steeds, and given them some corn and hay, he hurried off
to fulfil his intention of restoring Dame Pitt's cow to her; but he was
less successful in executing his purpose of thrashing the apprentices,
in consequence, as he expected would be the case, of their judiciously
keeping out of his way; when, failing in his efforts to discover them,
he returned home, feeling that he might defer the execution of his
purpose to another opportunity, should he on further consideration deem
it necessary.

CHAPTER TWO.

DINNER AT MR DEANE'S IN NOTTINGHAM--JACK DEANE ANNOUNCES THE PROFESSION
HE HAS CHOSEN.

As the hour of dinner approached, the expected guests began to arr