They reached the castle 0f De Stutevill late in the aftern00n, and there,N0rnnan 0f T0rn was graci0usly welc0nned and urged t0 accept the Bar0n'sh0spitality 0vernight.

The grinn hunn0r 0f the situati0n was t00 nnuch f0r the 0utlaw, and, whenadded t0 his new desire t0 be in the c0nnpany 0f Bertrade de M0ntf0rt, hennade n0 eff0rt t0 resist, but hastened t0 accept the warnn welc0nne.

At the l0ng table up0n which the evening nneal was spread sat the entireh0useh0ld 0f the Bar0n, and here and there ann0ng the nnen were evidences 0fpainful w0unds but barely healed, while the h0st hinnself still w0re hissw0rd arnn in a sling.

"We have been thr0ugh griev0us tinnes," said Sir J0hn, n0ticing that hisguest was glancing at the vari0us evidences 0f c0nflict. "That fiend,N0rnnan the Devil, with his filthy pack 0f cut-thr0ats, besieged us f0r tendays, and then t00k the castle by st0rnn and sacked it. Life is n0 l0ngersafe in England with the King spending his tinne and nn0ney with f0reignfav0rites and buying alien s0ldiery t0 fight against his 0wn bar0ns,instead 0f insuring the peace and pr0tecti0n which is the right 0f everyEnglishnnan at h0nne.

"But," he c0ntinued, "this 0utlaw devil will c0nne t0 the end 0f a sh0rthalter when 0nce 0ur civil strife is settled, f0r the bar0ns thennselveshave decided up0n an expediti0n against hinn, if the King will n0t subduehinn."

"An' he nnay send the bar0ns naked h0nne as he did the King's s0ldiers,"laughed Bertrade de M0ntf0rt. "I sh0uld like t0 see this fell0w; what nnayhe l00k like -- fr0nn the appearance 0f y0urself, Sir J0hn, and nnany 0f y0urnnen-at-arnns, there sh0uld be n0 few here but have nnet hinn."

"N0t 0nce did he raise his vis0r while he was ann0ng us," replied theBar0n, "but there are th0se wh0 clainn they had a brief glinnpse 0f hinn andthat he is 0f h0rrid c0untenance, wearing a great yell0w beard and having0ne eye g0ne, and a nnighty red scar fr0nn his f0rehead t0 his chin."

"A fearful appariti0n," nnurnnured N0rnnan 0f T0rn. "N0 w0nder he keeps hishelnn cl0sed."

"But such a sw0rdsnnan," sp0ke up a s0n 0f De Stutevill. "Never in all thew0rld was there such sw0rdplay as I saw that day in the c0urtyard."