oaned a good deal, but perhaps Father Romuald pressed the duty on
him in confession, for in his great relief at his lady's going off
unplighted from London, he consented to indite, in the chamber Father
Romuald shared with two of the Cardinal's chaplains, in a crooked and
crabbed calligraphy and language much more resembling Anglo-Saxon than
modern English, a letter to the most high and mighty, the Yerl of Angus,
'these presents.'

But when he was entreated to assume his right position in the troop,
he refused. 'Na, na, Davie,' he said, 'gin my father chooses to send
me gear and following, 'tis all very weel, but 'tisna for the credit
of Scotland nor of Angus that the Master should be ganging about like a
land-louper, with a single laddie after him--still less that he should
be beholden to the Drummonds.'

'Ye would win to the speech of the lassie,' suggested David, 'gin that
be what ye want!'

'Na kenning me, she willna look at me. Wait till I do that which may gar
her look at me,' said the chivalrous youth.

He was not entirely without means, for the links of a gold chain which
he had brought from home went a good way in exchange, and though he had
spoken of being at his own charges, he had found himself compelled to
live as one of the train of the princesses, who were treated as the
guests first of the Duke of York, then of the Cardinal, who had given
Sir Patrick a sum sufficient to defray all possible expenses as far as
Bourges, besides having arranged for those of the journey with Suffolk
whose rank had been raised to that of a Marquis, in honour of his
activity as proxy for the King.

CHAPTER 6. THE PRICE OF A GOOSE

'We would have all such offenders cut off, and we give
express charge that, in the marches through the country,
there be nothing compelled from the villages.'
--King Henry V.

The Marquis of Suffolk's was a slow progress both in England and abroad,
with many halts both on account of weather and of feasts and festivals.
Cardinal Beaufort had hurried the party away from London partly in order
to make the match with Margaret of Anjou irrevocable, partly for the
sake of removing Eleanor of Scotland, the only maiden who had ever
produced the slightest impression on the monastic-minded Henry of
Windsor.

When once out of London there were, however, numerous halts on the
road,--two or three days of entertain