Ralph looked blandly at his plate.

"Chris did not mention that," he said. "Tell us, Nick."

"No, no," cried Nicholas. "I do not want you to go with tales to town.
Your ears are too quick, my friend. Then there was that about the Host
flying from Calais, eh, Chris? No, no; you said you had heard nothing of
that."

Chris looked up and his face was a little flushed.

"No, Nick," he said.

"There seems to have been a great deal that Chris did not tell us--"
began Ralph.

Sir James glanced swiftly from his seat under the canopy.

"He told us all that was needed," he said.

"Aha!" broke out Nicholas again, "but the Holy Maid said that the King
would not live six months if he--"

Chris's face was full of despair and misery, and his father interrupted
once more.

"We had better not speak of that, my son," he said to Nicholas. "It is
best to leave such things alone."