eat the last day and night than could be purchased for a pair of
shillings."

Pembroke raised his eyebrows, scarce knowing whether to be amused at
this speech or nettled by its cool assurance.

"Some ill fortune?"--he began politely.

"There is no such thing as ill fortune," quoth John Law. "We fail always
of our own fault. Forsooth I must explore Roman roads by night. England
hath builded better, and the footpads have the Roman ways. My brother
Will--he waiteth below, if ye please, good friends, and is quite as
hungry as myself, besides having a pricked finger to boot--and I lost
what little we had about us, and we came through with scarce a good
shirt between the two."

A peal of laughter greeted him as he pulled apart the lapels of his coat
and showed ruffles torn and disfigured. The speaker smiled gravely.

"To-morrow," said he, "I must seek me out a goldsmith and a haberdasher,
if you will be so good as to name such to me."

"Sir," said Sir Arthur Pembroke, "in this plight you must allow me." He
extended a purse which he drew from his pocket. "I beg you, help
yourself."

"Thank you, no," replied John Law. "I shall ask you only to show me the
goldsmith in the morning, him upon whom I hold certain credits. I make
no doubt that then I shall be quite fit again. I have never in my life
borrowed a coin. Besides, I should feel that I had offended my good