"That I cannot say surely, Tom; but Sir Eustace has news that the
Burgundians have already seized several towns and placed garrisons there,
and that armed bands are traversing the country, burning and pillaging.
Whether they will feel strong enough to make an attack on this castle I
know not, but belike they will do so, for Sir Eustace, belonging as he
does, and as his fathers have done before him, to the English party,
neither of the others will feel any good-will towards him, and some of his
neighbours may well be glad to take advantage of this troubled time to
endeavour to despoil him of his castle and possessions."

"They will want to have good teeth to crack this nut, Master Guy--good
teeth and strong; and methinks that those who come to pluck the feathers
may well go back without their own. We have a rare store of shafts ready,
and they will find that their cross-bowmen are of little use against
picked English archers, even though there be but twenty-five of us in
all."

"You know very well, Long Tom, that you would have come over here whether
there was any chance of your drawing your bow on a Frenchman or not."

"That is true enough, Master Guy. Our lady wanted some bowmen, and I, who
have been born and bred on the estate, was of course bound to go with her.
Then you see, Master Guy, haven't I taught you to use the bow and the
quarter-staff, and carried you on my shoulder many a score of times when
you were a little lad and I was a big boy? It would not have been natural
for you to have gone out with a chance of getting into a fight without my
being there to draw a shaft when you needed it. Why, Ruth Gregory, whose
sworn bachelor you know I am, would have cried shame on me if I had
lingered behind. I told her that if I stayed it would be for her sake, and
you should have seen how she flouted me, saying that she would have no