I am from the south; but does that prevent me from being a good
fisherman, my lord?"

"Oh! not at all; I shall buy your fish. And now speak frankly; for whom
did you destine them?"

"My lord, I will conceal nothing from you. I was going to Newcastle,
following the coast, when a party of horsemen who were passing along
in an opposite direction made a sign to my bark to turn back to your
honor's camp, under penalty of a discharge of musketry. As I was not
armed for fighting," added the fisherman, smiling, "I was forced to
submit."

"And why did you go to Lambert's camp in preference to mine?"

"My lord, I will be frank; will your lordship permit me?"

"Yes, and even if need be shall command you to be so."

"Well, my lord, I was going to M. Lambert's camp because those gentlemen
from the city pay well--whilst your Scotchmen, Puritans, Presbyterians,
Covenanters, or whatever you chose to call them, eat but little, and pay
for nothing."

Monk shrugged his shoulders, without, however, being able to refrain
from smiling at the same time. "How is it that, being from the south,
you come to fish on our coasts?"

"Because I have been fool enough to marry in Picardy."

"Yes; but even Picardy is not England."

"My lord, man shoves his boat into the sea, but God and the wind do the
rest, and drive the boat where they please."

"You had, then, no intention of landing on our coasts?"

"Never."

"And what route were you steering?"

"We were returning from Ostend, where some mackerel had already been
seen, when a sharp wind from the south drove us from our course; then,
seeing that it was useless to struggle against it, we let it drive us.
It then became necessary, not to lose our fish, which were good, to go
and sell them at the nearest English port, and that was Newcastle.
We were told the opportunity was good, as there was an increase of
population in the camp, an increase of population in the city; both,
we were told, were full of gentlemen, very rich and very hungry. So we
steered our course towards Newcastle."

"And your companions, where are they?"

"Oh, my companions have remained on board; they are sailors without the
least instruction."

"Whilst you--" said Monk.

"Who, I?" said the _patron_, laughing; "I have sailed about with my
father; and I know what is called a sou, a crown, a pistole, a louis,
and a double louis, in all the languages of Europe; my crew, therefore,
listen to me as they would to an o