left fair Shirley and the good greenwood. I was a worse fool then
than ever I have been since I wore the cap and bells, and if all had
been brought home to me, it might have brought your father and
mother into trouble--my sweet Moll who had done her best for me. I
deemed, as you do now, that the way to fortune was open, but I found
no path before me, and I had tightened my belt many a time, and was
not much more than a bag of bones, when, by chance, I fell in with a
company of tumblers and gleemen. I sang them the old hunting-song,
and they said I did it tunably, and, whereas they saw I could
already dance a hornpipe and turn a somersault passably well, the
leader of the troop, old Nat Fire-eater, took me on, and methinks he
did not repent--nor I neither--save when I sprained my foot and had
time to lie by and think. We had plenty to fill our bellies and put
on our backs; we had welcome wherever we went, and the groats and
pennies rained into our caps. I was Clown and Jack Pudding and
whatever served their turn, and the very name of Quipsome Hal drew
crowds. Yea, 'twas a merry life! Ay, I feel thee wince and shrink,
my lad; and so should I have shuddered when I was of thine age, and
hoped to come to better things."

"Methinks 'twere better than this present," said Stephen rather
gruffly.

"I had my reasons, boy," said Randall, speaking as if he were
pleading his cause with their father and mother rather than with two
such young lads. "There was in our company an old man-at-arms who
played the lute and the rebeck, and sang ballads so long as hand and
voice served him, and with him went his grandchild, a fair and
honest little maiden, whom he kept so jealously apart that 'twas
long ere I knew of her following the company. He had been a