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"Night is upon us, too," said the minister, "and this place hath the look of the very valley of the shadow of death If the spirits walk, it is hard upon their tihter,up this stream, you would betray us"
I went over to Diccon, and in a silence as grim as his own cut the rope which bound his hands, which done we all loo on ahead to have the back "The Italian is gone!" he cried
"Gone!" I exclaimed "I told you to tie him fast to the saddle!"
"Why, so I did," he replied "I drew the thongs so tight that they cut into his flesh He could not have endured to pull against theet away?"
"Why," he answered, with a rueful countenance, "I did bind hiht me of how the leather must cut, and of how pain is dreadful even to a snake, and of the injunction to do as you would be done by, and so e'en loosened his bonds But, as I aht that they would yet hold hihter "Theover it After all, we must have loosed him before we entered the town"
"Will you not bring the matter before the Governor?" he asked
I shook ht, he would put in jeopardy his office and his person This is ainst his will Here are the horses, and we had best be gone, for by this tiain"
I mounted Black Lamoral, and lifted Mistress Percy to a seat behind ress, and Diccon, doggedly silent, trudged beside us
We passed through the haunted wood and the painted forest beyond without adventure We rode in silence: the lady behindin his hts to occupy me It was dusk e crossed the neck of land, and as we rode down the street torches were being lit in the houses The upper roohtly illumined, and the as open Black La with their hoofs, and I began to whistle a gay old tune I had learnt in the wars A figure in scarlet and black ca down upon us The lady riding with htened herself and raised her weary head "The next tih voice, "thou 'lt show hter She laughed until we had left behind the guest house and the figure in the upper , and then the laughter changed to soer in her heart, pain and anger were in mine also She had never called er hich to stab at that fierce heart above us