"Ay, and was driven forth with blows and curses."

"Thou hast heard it? But thinkest thou he will take that for an
answer? Nay, Petronella, thou wilt one day be his bride; and I will
give thee to him with a joyful heart, for he loved thee in the days
of our poverty and distress; so that one knows his love is for thee
and thee alone, not for the fair dowry thou wilt presently bring."

Petronella hid her happy, blushing face on her brother's shoulder,
and thus they stood awhile, till the girl drew back with a light
shiver and said:

"Cuthbert, can it be right for us thus to stand thinking of our own
happiness, whilst he lies there so still and cold?"

"I was just about to bid thee give me leave to bury him, whilst
thou dost rest thyself awhile. We will not grudge him that last
service; and it will be safer and better to do it here than to give
notice of his death to the gipsies and outlaws, and so bring them
down upon us in this place, provoking perchance their vengeance
upon ourselves. I have here a spade, brought to dig after the
treasure. I little thought it would first be used to dig Long
Robin's grave. But the task had better be done, and that quickly.
The man is dead as a stone. We will bury him away out of our sight
ere we do aught beside."

Petronella assented with a slight shudder. She could not regret the
death of the giant gipsy, who himself made so light of human life,
and would have slain her brother before her eyes without a qualm.
But she shivered each time she looked at the motionless form, and