have dispatched the little Prince at the same time that he killed the Lady
Maud and her lover, had such been his desire.

The most eager factor in the search for Prince Richard was Simon de
Montfort, Earl of Leicester, whose affection for his royal nephew had
always been so marked as to have been commented upon by the members of the
King's household.

Thus for a time the rupture between De Montfort and his king was healed,
and although the great nobleman was divested of his authority in Gascony,
he suffered little further oppression at the hands of his royal master.




CHAPTER IV

As De Vac drew his sword from the heart of the Lady Maud, he winced, for,
merciless though he was, he had shrunk from this cruel task. Too far he
had gone, however, to back down now, and, had he left the Lady Maud alive,
the whole of the palace guard and all the city of London would have been on
his heels in ten minutes; there would have been no escape.

The little Prince was now so terrified that he could but tremble and
whimper in his fright. So fearful was he of the terrible De Vac that a
threat of death easily stilled his tongue, and so the grim, old man led him
to the boat hidden deep in the dense bushes.

De Vac did not dare remain in this retreat until dark, as he had first
intended. Instead, he drew a dingy, ragged dress from the bundle beneath