"Wilt thou give me thine honor that ye will hold your hands from harming
us whiles we talk together?"

"Yea," said Myles, "I will pledge thee mine honor."

"I accept thy pledge. See! here we throw aside our stones and lay
down our knives. Lay ye by your clubs, and meet us in parley at the
horse-block yonder."

"So be it," said Myles, and thereupon, standing his cudgel in the angle
of the wall, he stepped boldly out into the open court-yard. Those of
his party came scatteringly from right and left, gathering about him;
and the bachelors advanced in a body, led by the head squire.

"Now what is it thou wouldst have, Walter Blunt?" said Myles, when both
parties had met at the horse-block.

"It is to say this to thee, Myles Falworth," said the other. "One time,
not long sin, thou didst challenge me to meet thee hand to hand in the
dormitory. Then thou didst put a vile affront upon me, for the which I
ha' brought on this battle to-day, for I knew not then that thou wert
going to try thy peasant tricks of wrestling, and so, without guarding
myself, I met thee as thou didst desire."

"But thou hadst thy knife, and would have stabbed him couldst thou ha'
done so," said Gascoyne.

"Thou liest!" said Blunt. "I had no knife." And then, without giving
time to answer, "Thou canst not deny that I met thee then at thy