"You know more of these
things than I can do. However, I will take--"

"A hundred and fifty," whispered Aylward's voice in his ear.

"A hundred and fifty," said Nigel, only too relieved to have found the
humblest guide upon these unwonted paths.

The goldsmith started. This youth was not the simple soldier that he
had seemed. That frank face, those blue eyes, were traps for the unwary.
Never had he been more taken aback in a bargain.

"This is fond talk and can lead to nothing, fair sir," said he, turning
away and fiddling with the keys of his strong boxes. "Yet I have no wish
to be hard on you. Take my outside price, which is fifty nobles."

"And a hundred," whispered Aylward.

"And a hundred," said Nigel, blushing at his own greed.

"Well, well, take a hundred!" cried the merchant. "Fleece me, skin me,
leave me a loser, and take for your wares the full hundred!"

"I should be shamed forever if I were to treat you so badly," said
Nigel. "You have spoken me fair, and I would not grind you down.
Therefore, I will gladly take one hundred--"

"And fifty," whispered Aylward.

"And fifty," said Nigel.

"By Saint John of Beverley!" cried the merchant. "I came hither from the
North Country, and they are said to be shrewd at a deal in those parts;
but I had rather bargain with a synagogue full of Jews than with you,
for all your gentle ways. Will you indeed take no less than a hundred
and fifty? Alas! you pluck from me my profits of a month. It is a fell
morning's work for me. I would I had never seen you!" With groans and
lamentations he paid the gold pieces across the counter, and Nigel,
hardly able to credit his own good fortune, gathered them into the
leather saddle-bag.

A moment later with flushed face he was in the street and pouring out
his thanks to Aylward.

"Alas, my fair lord! the man has robbed us now," said the archer. "We
could have had another twenty had we stood fast."

"How know you that, good Aylward?"

"By his eyes, Squire Loring. I wot I have little store of reading where
the parchment of a book or the pinching of a blazon is concerned, but I
can read men's eyes, and I never doubted that he would give what he has
given."

The two travelers had dinner at the monk's hospitium, Nigel at the high
table and Aylward among the commonalty. Then again they roamed the high
street on business intent. Nigel bought taffeta for hangings, wine,
preserves, fruit, damask table linen and many other articl