Part 20 (1/2)

Two days later Sir Daniel's garrison had grown to such a strength that he ventured on a sally, and at the head of some two score horsemen, pushed without opposition as far as Tunstall hamlet Not an arro, not a uarded, but stood open to all corners; and as Sir Daniel crossed it, he saw the villagers looking ti heart of grace, came forward, and with the lowliest salutations, presented a letter to the knight

His face darkened as he read the contents It ran thus:

_To the ht_, _These_:

I fynde ye were untrue and unkynd fro the first Ye have my father's blood upon your hands; let be, it will not wasshe Some day ye shall perish by my procurement, so much I let you to wytte; and I let you to wytte farther, that if ye seek to wed to any other the gentylworeat oath to wed myself, the bloill be very swift The first step therinne will be thy first step to the grave

RIC SHELTON

BOOK III--MY LORD FOXHAM

CHAPTER I--THE HOUSE BY THE Shore

Months had passed away since Richard Shelton uardian These land The party of Lancaster, which was then in the very article of death, had once more raised its head The Yorkists defeated and dispersed, their leader butchered on the field, it see upon the events already recorded, as if the House of Lancaster had finally triumphed over its foes

The small town of Shoreby-on-the-Till was full of the Lancastrian nobles of the neighbourhood Earl Risingham was there, with three hundred men-at-arh in favour and oncerich on confiscations, lay in a house of his own, on the ed indeed

It was a black, bitter cold evening in the first week of January, with a hard frost, a high wind, and every likelihood of snow before the

In an obscure alehouse in a by-street near the harbour, three or four s They were all likely, lusty, weather-beaten fellows, hard of hand, bold of eye; and though they wore plain tabards, like country ploughht have looked twice before he sought a quarrel in such coer h it was easy to see by his looks that he was better born, and ht have worn a sword, had the time suited

”Nay,” said one of the men at the table, ”I like it not Ill will come of it This is no place for jolly fellows A jolly fellow loveth open country, good cover, and scarce foes; but here we are shut in a town, girt about with enemies; and, for the bull's-eye of ”

”'Tis for Master Shelton there,” said another, nodding his head towards the lad before the fire

”I will do much for Master Shelton,” returned the first; ”but to coallows for any man--nay, brothers, not that!”

The door of the inn opened, and another man entered hastily and approached the youth before the fire

”Master Shelton,” he said, ”Sir Daniel goeth forth with a pair of links and four archers”

dick (for this was our young friend) rose instantly to his feet

”Lawless,” he said, ”ye will take John Capper's watch Greensheve, folloith me Capper, lead forward We will follow hio to York”

The next moment they were outside in the dark street, and Capper, the man who had just come, pointed to where two torches flared in the wind at a little distance

The toas already sound asleep; no oneeasier than to follow the party without observation

The two link-bearers went first; next followed a singlecloak blew about hiht up by the four archers, each with his bow upon his ar the intricate lanes and drawing nearer to the shore

”He hath gone each night in this direction?” asked dick, in a whisper

”This is the third night running, Master Shelton,” returned Capper, ”and still at the sah his end were secret”