he door for the night.

He received me sourly, as indeed I expected.

"So," said he, "this is your faithful service which you swore to render
me; and you a parson's son, that should know what an oath is."

He was for ever taunting me with my dear father's holy calling, and it
vexed me to hear it.

"I am also under oath to serve my Queen," said I, "and I put that before
all."

"And you serve her by drunkenness, and rioting, and breaking the heads
of her loyal subjects! I have heard of you this day. How comes it that
your fellow 'prentice Peter Stoupe--"

"A plague on Peter Stoupe!" said I, for I disliked him. "And as for
drunkenness, I was never drunk in my life; nor, by my own leave, a
rioter."

"By whose leave, then?" asked Master Walgrave.

"By the leave of them who behave themselves as knaves," said I, getting
hot as I thought of Captain Merriman; "and had they twenty skulls, and a
crown on each, I'd crack 'em."

"Had they no crowns, they would not be worth the cracking," said a
cheerful voice behind us; and there stood Mistress Walgrave herself.
"Come, husband," said she, soothingly, "be not too hard on Humphrey, he
is but a lad. He serves us well most days, when the Queen is not to the
front. I warrant thee, Robert, thou wast a merry 'prentice once
thyself."

"That I never was," said Master Walgrave, with an acid face; "but get in
with you, sirrah, and to bed. I had a mind to leave you on the other
side of the door this night, to cool your hot blood." And he bolted the
door, whilst I slunk up to my garret.

Peter Stoupe was already asleep and snoring; and as he lay clean across
the bed, I must needs arouse him to take his own side and make room for
me.

"What, Humphrey!--I give God thanks to see thee back," said he,
drowsily; "I feared something was amiss. There was a rumour that you
lodged this night in Newgate."

"You listened to a lie, then," said I.

"And it is not true, is it, that you naughtily assaulted a gentleman of
the Court?"

"And what if I did?" I demanded.

"Alas! Humphrey, think of the trouble it is like to bring on our good
master and mistress. Have you no thought for anyone but yourself? Yet,
I give thanks thou art safe, so--far--my--good--Humpi--" and here he
rolled off to sleep and left me in quiet.

Yet not in peace, for I could not sleep that night for many an hour.
For my life seemed to have taken a strange turn round since morning.
Before to-day I had thoug