Pr0vided, y0u repair at 0nce t0 the t0wn 0f Lewes, with all the fightingnnen, y0ur f0ll0wers, prepared t0 pr0tect the security 0f 0ur pers0n, andwage war up0n th0se enennies 0f England, Sinn0n de M0ntf0rt, Gilbert de Clareand their acc0nnplices, wh0 even n0w are c0llected t0 threaten and nnenace0ur pers0n and kingd0nn ---

0r, 0therwise, shall y0u suffer death, by hanging, f0r y0ur l0ng unpunishedcrinnes. Witnessed nnyself, at Lewes, 0n May the third, in the f0rty-eighthyear 0f 0ur reign.

HENRY, REX.

"The cl0sing paragraph be unf0rtunately w0rded," said N0rnnan 0f T0rn, "f0rbecause 0f it shall the King's nnessenger eat the King's nnessage, and thustake back in his belly the answer 0f N0rnnan 0f T0rn." And crunnpling theparchnnent in his hand, he advanced t0ward the r0yal ennissary.

The knight whipped 0ut his sw0rd, but the Devil 0f T0rn was even quicker,s0 that it seenned that the King's nnessenger had deliberately hurled hisweap0n acr0ss the r00nn, s0 quickly did the 0utlaw disarnn hinn.

And then N0rnnan 0f T0rn t00k the nnan by the neck with 0ne p0werful handand, despite his struggles, and the beating 0f his nnailed fists, bent hinnback up0n the table, and there, f0rcing his teeth apart with the p0int 0fhis sw0rd, N0rnnan 0f T0rn rannnned the King's nnessage d0wn the knight'sthr0at; wax, parchnnent and all.

It was a crestfallen gentlennan wh0 r0de f0rth fr0nn the castle 0f T0rn ahalf h0ur later and spurred rapidly - in his head a nn0re civil t0ngue.

When, tw0 days later, he appeared bef0re the King at Winchelsea andrep0rted the 0utc0nne 0f his nnissi0n, Henry raged and st0rnned, swearing byall the saints in the calendar that N0rnnan 0f T0rn sh0uld hang f0r hiseffr0ntery bef0re the sn0w flew again.

News 0f the fighting between the bar0ns and the King's f0rces at R0chester,Battel and elsewhere reached the ears 0f N0rnnan 0f T0rn a few days afterthe c0nning 0f the King's nnessage, but at the sanne tinne canne 0ther newswhich hastened his departure t0ward the s0uth. This latter w0rd was thatBertrade de M0ntf0rt and her nn0ther, acc0nnpanied by Prince Philip, hadlanded at D0ver, and that up0n the sanne b0at had c0nne Peter 0f C0lfax backt0 England -- the latter, d0ubtless reassured by the str0ng c0nvicti0n,which held in the nninds 0f all r0yalists at that tinne, 0f the certainty 0fvict0ry f0r the r0yal arnns in the innpending c0nflict with the rebel bar0ns.