they call their enemies, but ruggedly
faithful and well-willing to their friends; and now, while Sir Oliver
entered the next house to write, in his swift, exquisite penmanship, a
memorandum of the last occurrences to his master, Sir Daniel Brackley,
Bennet came up to his pupil to wish him God-speed upon his enterprise.

"Ye must go the long way about, Master Shelton," he said; "round by the
bridge, for your life! Keep a sure man, fifty paces afore you, to draw
shots; and go softly till y' are past the wood. If the rogues fall upon
you, ride for 't; ye will do naught by standing. And keep ever forward,
Master Shelton; turn me not back again, an ye love your life; there is
no help in Tunstall, mind ye that. And now, since ye go to the great
wars about the king, and I continue to dwell here in extreme jeopardy of
my life, and the saints alone can certify if we shall meet again below,
I give you my last counsels now at your riding. Keep an eye on Sir
Daniel; he is unsure. Put not your trust in the jack-priest; he
intendeth not amiss, but doth the will of others; it is a hand-gun for
Sir Daniel! Get you good lordship where ye go; make you strong friends;
look to it. And think ever a paternoster-while on Bennet Hatch. There
are worse rogues afoot than Bennet. So, God-speed!"

"And Heaven be with you, Bennet!" returned Dick. "Ye were a good friend
to me-ward, and so I shall say ever."

"And look ye, master," added Hatch, with a certain embarrassment, "if
this Amend-All should get a shaft into me, ye might, mayhap, lay out a
gold mark or mayhap a pound for my poor soul; for it is like to go stiff
with me in purgatory."

"Ye shall have your will of it, Bennet," answered Dick. "But, what
cheer, man! we shall meet again, where ye shall have more need of ale
than masses."

"The saints so grant it, Master Dick!" returned the other. "But here
comes Sir Oliver. An he were as quick with the long-bow as with the pen,
he would be a brave man-at-arms."

Sir Oliver gave Dick a sealed packet, with this superscription: "To my
ryght worchypful master, Sir Daniel Brackley, knyght, be thys delyvered
in haste."

And Dick, putting it in the bosom of his jacket, gave the word and set
forth westward up the village.

BOOK I

THE TWO LADS

CHAPTER I

AT THE SIGN OF THE "SUN" IN KETTLEY

Sir Daniel and his men lay in and about Kettley that night, warmly
quartered and well patrolled. But the Knight of Tunstall was one who