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"Thanks to your munificence," said the Fleming; "I am a simple- minded man, and bound my wishes to the recovery of my own property." "Thou wilt be ready, then, to deliver the castle?" said Jorworth.

"Friend Jorworth," said Wilkin, "if such be thy only message, bear mine answer back to thy master, That wise men trust not to the words of others that safety, which they can secure by their own deeds. We have walls high and strong enough, deep moats, and plenty of munition, both longbow and arblast. We will keep the castle, trusting the castle will keep us, till God shall send us succour."

"No by no means," answered Wilkin; "nevertheless, I will believe thy deed more readily." "To the point, Fleming," said Jorworth "What wouldst thou have of me?" "Let me have some present sight of the money thou didst promise, and I will think of the rest of thy proposal."

"Alas! then," said the Fleming, "this is even what I feared! We must e'en render up the castle, or restore to the Welshman, Jorworth, the cattle, by means of which I had schemed to victual and defend it." "How wherefore what dost thou mean?" said the monk, in astonishment.

I have done so, and have communicated with my ghostly father, who will in no respect hear of my listening to thy proposal." "And wilt thou," said Jorworth, "keep the cattle, which I simply sent into the castle on the faith of our agreement?"

Jorworth, the instant he had flung his dart, hastened to the ambush which he had prepared, and gave them at once the signal and the example of a rapid retreat down the hill. Father Aldrovand would willingly have followed them with a volley of arrows, but the Fleming observed that ammunition was too precious with them to be wasted on a few runaways.

Now, my cattle are of a peculiar stock, brought from the rich pastures of Flanders, and I desire to have them restored ere your axes and Welsh hooks be busy with their hides." "You shall have them this night, hide and horn," said Jorworth; "it is but a small earnest of a great boon."

"I know them not, good Jorworth, but through thee; and well I wot thou art not one who will let thy traffic miscarry for want of aid from the breath of thy mouth." "As I am a Christian man," said Jorworth, hurrying asseveration on asseveration "by the soul of my father by the faith of my mother by the black rood of "

"True," answered Jorworth, "but it would be at the expense of a cord and a noose, whether the Welsh took the place or the Normans relieved it the one would expect their booty entire the other their countryman's treasures to be delivered undiminished." "I may not gainsay that," said the Fleming.

"To those who resist us we are fearful," said Jorworth, "but not to such as shall deserve clemency by surrender. Gwenwyn will forget the contumelies of Raymond, and raise his daughter to high honour among the daughters of the Cymry. For thine own child, form but a wish for her advantage, and it shall be fulfilled to the uttermost. Now, Fleming, we understand each other."