"We have not searched the prisoners," said the lieutenant; "they may
have some gold in their pouches."

"Marry, when Will Somers storms a hive, little time does he leave to
the bees to fly away with much money. Nathless, thou mayest search
the old knight, but civilly, and with gentle excuses."

"And the damsel?"

"Nay! that were unmannerly, and the milder our conduct, the larger the
ransom,--when we have great folks to deal with."

The lieutenant accordingly fell back to search Adam's gipsire, which
contained only a book and a file, and then rejoined his captain,
without offering molestation to Sibyll.

The mistake made by the bravo was at least so far not wholly
unfortunate that the notion of the high quality of the captives--for
Sir John Bourchier was indeed a person of considerable station and
importance (a notion favoured by the noble appearance of the scholar
and the delicate and highborn air of Sibyll)--procured for them all
the respect compatible with the circumstances. They had not gone far
before they entered a village, through which the ruffians marched with
the most perfect impunity; for it was a strange feature in those civil
wars that the mass of the population, except in the northern
districts, remained perfectly supine and neutral. And as the little
band halted at a small inn to drink, the gossips of the village
collected round them, with the same kind of indolent, careless
curiosity which is now evinced in some hamlet at the halt of a stage-
coach. Here the captain learned, however, some intelligence important