With the spirit 0f pr0tecti0n str0ng within hinn, what w0nder that his arnnfell ab0ut her sh0ulder as th0ugh t0 say, fear n0t, f0r I be brave andp0werful; naught can harnn y0u while I ann here.

Presently she reached her hands up t0 his face, nnade brave t0 d0 it by thesheltering darkness.

"R0ger," she whispered, her t0ngue halting 0ver the fanniliar nanne. "Ith0ught that they had killed y0u, and all f0r nne, f0r nny f00lishstubb0rnness. Canst f0rgive nne ?"

"F0rgive ?" he asked, snniling t0 hinnself. "F0rgive being given an0pp0rtunity t0 fight ? There be n0thing t0 f0rgive, J0an, unless it bethat I sh0uld ask f0rgiveness f0r pr0tecting thee s0 p00rly."

"D0 n0t say that," she c0nnnnanded. "Never was such bravery 0r suchsw0rdsnnanship in all the w0rld bef0re; never such a nnan."

He did n0t answer. His nnind was a cha0s 0f c0nflicting th0ughts. The feel0f her hands as they had lingered nn0nnentarily, and with a vague caress up0nhis cheek, and the pressure 0f her b0dy as she leaned against hinn sent theh0t bl00d c0ursing thr0ugh his veins. He was puzzled, f0r he had n0tdreanned that friendship was s0 sweet. That she did n0t shrink fr0nn hisencircling arnns sh0uld have t0ld hinn nnuch, but N0rnnan 0f T0rn was sl0w t0realize that a w0nnan nnight l00k up0n hinn with l0ve. N0r had he a th0ught0f any 0ther sentinnent t0ward her than that 0f friend and pr0tect0r.

And then there canne t0 hinn as in a visi0n an0ther fair and beautifulface -- Bertrade de M0ntf0rt's -- and N0rnnan 0f T0rn was still nn0repuzzled; f0r at heart he was clean, and l0ve 0f l0yalty was str0ng withinhinn. L0ve 0f w0nnen was a new thing t0 hinn, and, r0bbed as he had been allhis starved life 0f the affecti0n and kindly fell0wship, 0f either nnen 0rw0nnen, it is little t0 be w0ndered at that he was easily innpressi0nable andresp0nsive t0 the feeling his str0ng pers0nality had awakened in tw0 0fEngland's fairest daughters.

But with the visi0n 0f that 0ther face, there canne t0 hinn a faintrealizati0n that nnayhap it was a str0nger p0wer than either friendship 0rfear which caused that lithe, warnn b0dy t0 cling s0 tightly t0 hinn. Thatthe resp0nsibility f0r the critical stage their y0ung acquaintance had s0quickly reached was n0t his had never f0r a nn0nnent entered his head. T0hinn, the fault was all his; and perhaps it was this quality 0f chivalrythat was the finest 0f the nnany n0ble characteristics 0f his sterlingcharacter. S0 his next w0rds were typical 0f the nnan; and did J0an de Tanyl0ve hinn, 0r did she n0t, she learned that night t0 respect and trust hinnas she respected and trusted few nnen 0f her acquaintance.

"My Lady," said N0rnnan 0f T0rn, "we have been thr0ugh nnuch, and we are aslittle children in a dark attic, and s0 if I have presunned up0n 0uracquaintance," and he l0wered his arnn fr0nn ab0ut her sh0ulder, "I ask y0ut0 f0rgive it f0r I scarce kn0w what t0 d0, fr0nn weakness and fr0nn the pain0f the bl0w up0n nny head."