cause I was dark, and seemingly
inattentive to some new grace of hers as to the tying of her hair or
fastening of her kerchief.

"Did she indeed say that, Harry, and do you think she had me in mind?"
cried Sir Humphrey.

"Are you not a fair man?"

"Yes, yes, I am a fair man, am I not, Harry? What else? Sure you
have heard her say more than that."

"I have heard her say she liked a hearty laugh, and one who counted
not costs when his mind were set on aught, but rode straight for it
though all the bars were up."

"That sure is I, Harry, unless my mother stand in the way. A man
cannot bring his mother's head low, Harry, but sure if she forbid
nor know not, as in this case of this tobacco plot, I stop for
naught. Sure she meant me, then, Harry."

"And I have heard her say that she liked a young man, a man no older
than she."

"Sure, sure she meant me by that, Harry, for I am the youngest of
them all--not yet twenty. Oh, dear Harry, she had me in mind by
that. Do you not think so?"

"I know of no one else whom she could have had in mind," I answered.

The lad was blushing with delight and confusion like a girl. He cast
down his eyes before me; he stammered when he spoke. "Harry, if she
but love me, I swear I could do as brave deeds as Bacon," he said.
"I would die would she but carry about a lock of my hair on her
bosom as she does his. I would, Harry. And you think I have some
chance?"

My heart smote me lest I had misled him, for I knew with no
certainty the maid's mind. "As much chance as any, and more than
many, lad," I said, "and I will do what I can for thee."

"Harry," he said, then paused and blushed and twisted his great body
about as modestly as a girl, "Harry."

"What, Sir Humphrey?"

"Once, once--I never told of it, and no one ever knew since I was
alone, and it would have been boasting--but once--I--fought
single-handed with that great Christopher Little, whom I met by
chance when I was out in the woods, and 'twas two years since,
and I, with scarce my full growth, and he pleading for mercy at
the second round, with an eye like a blackberry and a nose like a
gillyflower, and--and--Harry, you might tell her of it, and say not
where you got the news, if you thought it no harm. And, Harry, you
will mind the time when I killed the wolf with naught but an oak
club for weapon, and she, maybe, hath not heard of that. And I
should have been to the front with Bacon, boy as I was, had it not
been for m