eatened and swore at him! Moreover, one of the other
fools had told him, in the way of boasting that he had heard Master
Cromwell, formerly the Cardinal's secretary, informing the King that
this rogue was no true "natural" at all, but was blessed, (or cursed),
with as good an understanding as other folks, as was well known in the
Cardinal's household, and that he had no doubt been sent to serve as a
spy, so that he was to be esteemed a dangerous person, and had best be
put under ward.

Hal had not been able to discover whether Cromwell had communicated his
name, but he suspected that it might be known to that acute person, and
he could not tell whether his compeer spoke out of a sort of good-
natured desire to warn him, or simply to triumph in his disgrace, and
leer at him for being an impostor. At any rate, being now desperate, he
covered his parti-coloured raiment with the gown Ambrose had brought,
made a perilous descent from a window in the twilight, scaled a wall
with the agility that seemed to have returned to him, and reached
Windsor Forest.

There, falling on a camp of gipsies, he had availed himself of old
experiences in his wild Shirley days, and had obtained an exchange of
garb, his handsome motley being really a prize to the wanderers. Thus
he had been able to reach London; but he did not feel any confidence
that if he were pursued to the gipsy tent he would not be betrayed.

In this, his sagacity was not at fault, for he had scarcely made his
explanation, when there was a knocking at the outer gate, and a demand
to enter in the name of the King, and to see Alderman Sir Giles Headley.
Several of the stout figures of the yeomen of the King's guard were
seen crossing the court, and Stephen, committing the charge of his uncle
to Kit, threw off his apron, washed his face and went up to the hall,
not very rapidly, for he suspected that since his father-in-law knew
nothing of the arrival, he would best baffle the inquiries by sincere
denials.

And Dennet, with her sharp woman's wit, scenting danger, had whisked
herself and her children out of the hall at the first moment, and taken
them down to the kitchen, where modelling with a batch of dough occupied
both of them.

Meantime the alderman flatly denied the presence of the jester, or the
harbouring of the gipsy. He allowed that the jester was of kin to his
son-in-law, but the good man averred in all honesty that he knew nought
of any escape, and was abso