Then Lady De Aldithely with a relieved smile gave him the postern key
and he withdrew.

The day was now drawing to a close, and an air of solemnity was upon
the castle. Each man knew he was facing death; each man was anxious for
the safety of Lady Aldithely and her son; and each man cast a sober eye
on Hugo and Humphrey. The effect upon Hugo was visibly depressing,
while upon Humphrey it was irritating.

Humphrey had been thinking: and while he would be ostensibly Hugo's
servant, he had decided that he would be in reality the master of the
expedition. "I like not this obeying of strangers," he said to himself.
"Moreover, it is not seemly that any other lad than our own young lord
should rule over a man of my years. Let the lad Hugo think I follow
him. He shall find he will follow me. And why should these men-at-arms
look at us both as if we went out to become food for crows? Did I not
dream of acorns last night, and in my dream did I not eat one? And what
doth that betoken but that I shall gradually rise to riches and honor?
Let the men-at-arms look to themselves. They will have need of all
their eyes when that rascal Robert Sadler cometh galloping again to the
castle with the king's minions at his back."

Now all this grumbling was not done in idleness. For all the time
Humphrey was busy filling certain bags which were to be swung across
the haunches of the horses he and Hugo were to ride. Brawn, meal for
cakes, grain for the horses, and various other sundries did Humphrey
stow away in the bags which were to supply their need at such times as,
on account of pursuit, they would not dare to venture inside a town.
"And what care I that the interdict forbiddeth us meat as if we were in
Lent," grumbled Humphrey as he packed the brawn. "Were the king a good