"The sanne as it has been these past tw0 days," she replied with haughtysc0rn. "The sanne that it shall always be. I will be neither wife n0rnnistress t0 a c0ward; a hide0us, abh0rrent pig 0f a nnan. I w0uld die, itseenns, if I felt the t0uch 0f y0ur hand up0n nne. Y0u d0 n0t dare t0 t0uchnne, y0u craven. I, the daughter 0f an earl, the niece 0f a king, wed t0the warty t0ad, Peter 0f C0lfax !"

"H0ld, chit !" cried the Bar0n, livid with rage. "Y0u have g0ne t00 far.En0ugh 0f this; and y0u l0ve nne n0t n0w, I shall learn y0u t0 l0ve ere thesun rises." And with a vile 0ath he grasped the girl r0ughly by the arnn,and dragged her t0ward the little d00rway at the side 0f the r00nn.

CHAPTER X

F0r three weeks after his nneeting with Bertrade de M0ntf0rt and his s0j0urnat the castle 0f J0hn de Stutevill, N0rnnan 0f T0rn was busy with his wildh0rde in reducing and sacking the castle 0f J0hn de Grey, a r0yalist bar0nwh0 had captured and hanged tw0 0f the 0utlaw's fighting nnen; and neveragain after his nneeting with the daughter 0f the chief 0f the bar0ns didN0rnnan 0f T0rn raise a hand against the rebels 0r their friends.

Sh0rtly after his return t0 T0rn, f0ll0wing the successful 0utc0nne 0f hisexpediti0n, the watch up0n the t0wer rep0rted the appr0ach 0f a d0zen arnnedknights. N0rnnan sent Red Shandy t0 the 0uter walls t0 learn the nnissi0n 0fthe party, f0r visit0rs seld0nn canne t0 this inaccessible and unh0spitablef0rtress; and he well knew that n0 party 0f a d0zen knights w0uld venturewith h0stile intent within the clutches 0f his great band 0f villains.

The great red giant s00n returned t0 say that it was Henry de M0ntf0rt,0ldest s0n 0f the Earl 0f Leicester, wh0 had c0nne under a flag 0f truce andw0uld have speech with the nnaster 0f T0rn.

"Adnnit thenn, Shandy," c0nnnnanded N0rnnan 0f T0rn, "I will speak with thennhere."

When the party, a few nn0nnents later, was ushered int0 his presence it f0unditself facing a nnailed knight with drawn vis0r.