"Sit down, sweetheart," whispered one of the young tymbesteres to the
last speaker--

"Come, kiss me, my darling,
Warm kisses I trade for."

"Avaunt!" quoth the mechanic, gruffly, and shaking off the seductive
arm of the tymbestere--"avaunt! I have neither liefe nor halfpence
for thee and thine. Out on thee!--a child of thy years! a rope's end
to thy back were a friend's best kindness!"

The girl's eyes sparkled, she instinctively put her hand to her knife;
then turning to a soldier by her side, she said, "Hear you that, and
sit still?"

"Thunder and wounds!" growled the soldier thus appealed to, "more
respect to the sex, knave; if I don't break thy fool's costard with my
sword-hilt, it is only because Red Grisell can take care of herself
against twenty such lozels as thou. These honest girls have been to
the wars with us; King Edward grudges no man his jolly fere. Speak up
for thyself, Grisell! How many tall fellows didst thou put out of
their pain after the battle of Losecote?"

"Only five, Hal," replied the cold-eyed girl, and showing her
glittering teeth with the grin of a young tigress; "but one was a
captain. I shall do better next time; it was my first battle, thou
knowest!"

The more timid of the bystanders exchanged a glance of horror, and