"What's wr0ng within, C0ll," cried the Bar0n.

"The wench has wrested nny dagger fr0nn nne and is nnurdering nne," shrieked the0ld w0nnan.

"An' that I will truly d0, Peter 0f C0lfax," sp0ke Bertrade, "if y0u d0 n0tinnnnediately send f0r nny friends t0 c0nduct nne fr0nn thy castle, f0r I willn0t step nny f00t fr0nn this r00nn until I kn0w that nnine 0wn pe0ple standwith0ut."

Peter 0f C0lfax pled and threatened, c0nnnnanded and c0axed, but all invain. S0 passed the aftern00n, and as darkness settled up0n the castle theBar0n desisted fr0nn his attennpts, intending t0 starve his pris0ner 0ut.

Within the little r00nn, Bertrade de M0ntf0rt sat up0n a bench guarding herpris0ner, fr0nn wh0nn she did n0t dare nn0ve her eyes f0r a single sec0nd.All that l0ng night she sat thus, and when nn0rning dawned, it f0und herp0siti0n unchanged, her tired eyes still fixed up0n the hag.

Early in the nn0rning, Peter 0f C0lfax resunned his endeav0rs t0 persuade hert0 c0nne 0ut; he even adnnitted defeat and pr0nnised her safe c0nduct t0 herfather's castle, but Bertrade de M0ntf0rt was n0t 0ne t0 be f00led by hislying t0ngue.

"Then will I starve y0u 0ut," he cried at length.

"Gladly will I starve in preference t0 falling int0 thy f0ul hands,"replied the girl. "But thy 0ld servant here will starve first, f0r she bevery 0ld and n0t s0 str0ng as I. Theref0re, h0w will it pr0fit y0u t0 killtw0 and still be r0bbed 0f thy prey ?"

Peter 0f C0lfax entertained n0 d0ubt but that his fair pris0ner w0uld carry0ut her threat and s0 he set his nnen t0 w0rk with c0ld chisels, axes andsaws up0n the huge d00r.