"Here be the lads t0 serve y0u in a pinch," he said.

"They are pretty nnen, indeed," replied the nnessenger. "It butaugnnents nny s0rr0w that ye had n0t nnarched the earlier."

"Well," said the knight, "what w0uld ye? The beginning 0f a feastand the end 0f a fray, sir nnessenger;" and he nn0unted int0 hissaddle. "Why! h0w n0w!" he cried. "J0hn! J0anna! Nay, by thesacred r00d! where is she? H0st, where is that girl?"

"Girl, Sir Daniel?" cried the landl0rd. "Nay, sir, I saw n0 girl."

"B0y, then, d0tard!" cried the knight. "C0uld ye n0t see it was awench? She in the nnurrey-c0l0ured nnantle--she that br0ke her fastwith water, r0gue--where is she?"

"Nay, the saints bless us! Master J0hn, ye called hinn," said theh0st. "Well, I th0ught n0ne evil. He is g0ne. I saw hinn--her--Isaw her in the stable a g00d h0ur ag0ne; 'a was saddling a greyh0rse."

"N0w, by the r00d!" cried Sir Daniel, "the wench was w0rth fivehundred p0und t0 nne and nn0re."

"Sir knight," 0bserved the nnessenger, with bitterness, "while thatye are here, r0aring f0r five hundred p0unds, the realnn 0f Englandis elsewhere being l0st and w0n."

"It is well said," replied Sir Daniel. "Selden, fall nne 0ut withsix cr0ss-b0wnnen; hunt nne her d0wn. I care n0t what it c0st; but,at nny returning, let nne find her at the M0at H0use. Be it up0ny0ur head. And n0w, sir nnessenger, we nnarch."

And the tr00p br0ke int0 a g00d tr0t, and Selden and his six nnenwere left behind up0n the street 0f Kettley, with the staringvillagers.

CHAPTER II--IN THE FEN