the archer, with his bow
still at the ready.

"Certainly," quoth Sholto.

"Come, Jock, we are eased," cried Andro the Swarthy up the stair, and
he slid the steel bolt out of its grip with a little click; "faith, my
belly is toom as a last year's beef barrel."

"Did any come hither to vex you?" asked Sholto.

"Not to speak of," said the archer; "there were, indeed, two varlets
of the Frenchmen, and as they would not take a bidding to stand, I had
perforce to send a quarrel buzzing past their lugs into the wall. You
can see it there behind you."

"Rascal," cried David Douglas, indignantly, "you do not say that first
of all you shot it through the arm of the poor clerk Henriet."

"It is like enough," said Andro, coolly, "if his arm were in the way."

Then came a voice down the stairs from above.

"And the wretches would neither let any come to visit us nor yet
permit us to go into the hall that we might speak with our gossips."

"How should we be responsible with our lives for the lasses if we had
let them gad about?" said Andro, preparing to salute and take himself
off.

At this moment the little maid and her elder companion came forward
meekly and kneeled down before Sholto.

"We are your humble prisoners," said Maud Lindesay, "and we know that
our offences against your highness are most heinous; but why should
you starve us to death? Burn us or hang us,--we will bear the extreme
penalty of the law gladly,--but torture is not for women. For dear
pity's sake, a bite of bread. We have had nothing to eat all day,
except two lace kerchiefs and a neck riband."

"Lord of Heaven," cried Sholto, swinging on his heel and darting down
towards the kitchen, "what a fool unutterable I am!"

CHAPTER XXI

THE BAILIES OF DUMFRIES

The combat of the third day was, by the will of the Earl, to be of a
peculiar kind. It was the custom at that time for the _melee_ to be
fought between an equal number of knights in open lists, each being at
liberty to carry assistance to his friends as soon as he had disposed
of his own man. On this occasion, however, the fight was to be between
three knights with their several squires on the one side, and an equal
number of knights and squires on the other.

As the combat of the previous day had decided, young James Douglas of
Avondale was to lead one party, being the successful tilter of the day
of single combat, while the Earl himself was to head the other.

The chances of bat