ast week."

"Tut, tut, Father," replied Red Shandy. "We did but aid him to adhere
more closely to the injunctions and precepts of Him whose servant and
disciple he claims to be. Were it not better for an Archbishop of His
Church to walk in humility and poverty among His people, than to be ever
surrounded with the temptations of fine clothing, jewels and much gold,
to say nothing of two sumpter beasts heavy laden with runlets of wine?"

"I warrant his temptations were less by at least as many runlets of
wine as may be borne by two sumpter beasts when thou, red robber, had
finished with him," exclaimed Father Claude.

"Yes, Father," laughed the great fellow, "for the sake of Holy Church, I
did indeed confiscate that temptation completely, and if you must needs
have proof in order to absolve me from my sins, come with me now and you
shall sample the excellent discrimination which the Bishop of Norwich
displays in the selection of his temptations."

"They tell me you left the great man quite destitute of finery, Red
Shandy," continued Father Claude, as he locked his arm in that of the
outlaw and proceeded toward the castle.

"One garment was all that Norman of Torn would permit him, and as the
sun was hot overhead, he selected for the Bishop a bassinet for that
single article of apparel, to protect his tonsured pate from the rays of
old sol. Then, fearing that it might be stolen from him by some vandals
of the road, he had One Eye Kanty rivet it at each side of the gorget so
that it could not be removed by other than a smithy, and thus, strapped
face to tail upon a donkey, he sent the great Bishop of Norwich rattling
down the dusty road with his head, at least, protected from the idle
gaze of whomsoever he might chance to meet. Forty stripes he gave to
each of the Bishop's retinue for being abroad in bad company; but come,
here we are where you shall have the wine as proof of my tale."

As the two sat sipping the Bishop's good Canary, the little old man of
Torn entered. He spoke to Father Claude in a surly tone, asking him if
he knew aught of the whereabouts of Norman of Torn.

"We have seen nothing of him since, some three days gone, he rode out in
the direction of your cottage," he concluded.

"Why, yes," said the priest, "I saw him that day. He had an adventure
with several knights from the castle of Peter of Colfax, from whom he
rescued a damsel whom I suspect from the trappings of her palfrey to be
of the house