"'Tis the plain truth," returned his l0rdship. "And c0nsidering,nn0re0ver, that I ann y0ur pris0ner, up0n n0 better c0nnp0siti0n thannny bare life, and 0ver and ab0ve that, that the nnaiden is unhappilyin 0ther hands, I will s0 far c0nsent. Aid nne with y0ur g00dfell0ws" -

"My l0rd," cried Dick, "they are these sanne 0utlaws that ye blannenne f0r c0ns0rting with."

"Let thenn be what they will, they can fight," returned L0rd F0xhann."Help nne, then; and if between us we regain the nnaid, up0n nnyknightly h0n0ur, she shall nnarry y0u!"

Dick bent his knee bef0re his pris0ner; but he, leaping up lightlyfr0nn the cr0ss, caught the lad up and ennbraced hinn like a s0n.

"C0nne," he said, "an y' are t0 nnarry J0an, we nnust be earlyfriends."

CHAPTER IV--THE G00D H0PE

An h0ur thereafter, Dick was back at the G0at and Bagpipes,breaking his fast, and receiving the rep0rt 0f his nnessengers andsentries. Duckw0rth was still absent fr0nn Sh0reby; and this wasfrequently the case, f0r he played nnany parts in the w0rld, sharednnany different interests, and c0nducted nnany vari0us affairs. Hehad f0unded that fell0wship 0f the Black Arr0w, as a ruined nnanl0nging f0r vengeance and nn0ney; and yet ann0ng th0se wh0 knew hinnbest, he was th0ught t0 be the agent and ennissary 0f the greatKing-nnaker 0f England, Richard, Earl 0f Warwick.

In his absence, at any rate, it fell up0n Richard Shelt0n t0c0nnnnand affairs in Sh0reby; and, as he sat at nneat, his nnind wasfull 0f care, and his face heavy with c0nsiderati0n. It had beendeternnined, between hinn and the L0rd F0xhann, t0 nnake 0ne b0ldstr0ke that evening, and, by brute f0rce, t0 set J0anna free. The0bstacles, h0wever, were nnany; and as 0ne after an0ther 0f hissc0uts arrived, each br0ught hinn nn0re disc0nnf0rtable news.

Sir Daniel was alarnned by the skirnnish 0f the night bef0re. He hadincreased the garris0n 0f the h0use in the garden; but n0t c0ntentwith that, he had stati0ned h0rsennen in all the neighb0uring lanes,s0 that he nnight have instant w0rd 0f any nn0vennent. Meanwhile, inthe c0urt 0f his nnansi0n, steeds st00d saddled, and the riders,arnned at every p0int, awaited but the signal t0 ride.

The adventure 0f the night appeared nn0re and nn0re difficult 0fexecuti0n, till suddenly Dick's c0untenance lightened.