had the ring upon his finger and Morano went unpaid the thought
could not help occurring, even to a generous mind, that one of
these windy nights Morano might come for his wages.

"Master," said Morano looking at the sapphire now on his own
little finger near the top joint, the only stone amongst his row
of rings, "you must surely have great wealth."

"Yes," said Rodriguez slapping the scabbard that held his
Castilian blade. And when he saw that Morano's eyes were staring
at the little emeralds that were dotted along the velvet of the
scabbard he explained that it was the sword that was his wealth:

"For in the wars," he said, "are all things to be won, and nothing
is unobtainable to the sword. For parchment and custom govern all
the possessions of man, as they taught me in the College of San
Josephus. Yet the sword is at first the founder and discoverer of
all possessions; and this my father told me before he gave me this
sword, which hath already acquired in the old time fair castles
with many a tower."

"And those that dwelt in the castles, master, before the sword
came?" said Morano.

"They died and went dismally to Hell," said Rodriguez, "as the old
songs say."

They walked on then in silence. Morano, with his low forehead and
greater girth of body than of brain to the superficial observer,
was not incapable of thought. However slow his thoughts may have