staff, and Myles noted stupidly how it trembled in
his hand.

"Ye wenches," said he at last, in a hard, harsh voice--"ye wenches, what
meaneth this? Would ye deceive me so, and hold parlance thus secretly
with this fellow? I will settle with him anon. Meantime get ye
straightway to the house and to your rooms, and there abide until I give
ye leave to come forth again. Go, I say!"

"Father," said Lady Anne, in a breathless voice--she was as white as
death, and moistened her lips with her tongue before she spoke--"father,
thou wilt not do harm to this young man. Spare him, I do beseech thee,
for truly it was I who bade him come hither. I know that he would not
have come but at our bidding."

The Earl stamped his foot upon the gravel. "Did ye not hear me?" said
he, still pointing towards the house with his trembling staff. "I bade
ye go to your rooms. I will settle with this fellow, I say, as I deem
fitting."

"Father," began Lady Anne again; but the Earl made such a savage gesture
that poor Lady Alice uttered a faint shriek, and Lady Anne stopped
abruptly, trembling. Then she turned and passed out the farther door of
the summerhouse, poor little Lady Alice following, holding her tight
by the skirts, and trembling and shuddering as though with a fit of the
ague.

The Earl stood looking grimly after them from under his shaggy eyebrows,
until they passed away behind the yew-trees, appeared again upon the
terrace behind, entered the open doors of the women's house, and were
gone. Myles heard their footsteps growing fainter and fainter, but he
never raised his eyes. Upon the ground at his feet were four pebbles,
and he noticed how they almost made a square, and would do so if he
pushed one of them with his toe, and then it seemed strange to him that
he should think of such a little foolish thing at that dreadful time.

He knew that the Earl was looking gloomily at him, and that his face
must be very pale. Suddenly Lord Mackworth spoke. "What hast thou to
say?" said he, harshly.

Then Myles raised his eyes, and the Earl smiled grimly as he looked his
victim over. "I have naught to say," said the lad, huskily.

"Didst thou not hear what my daughter spake but now?" said the Earl.
"She said that thou came not of thy own free-will; what sayst thou to
that, sirrah--is it true?"

Myles hesitated for a moment or two; his throat was tight and dry.
"Nay," said he at last, "she belieth herself. It was I who first came
into t