"Indeed !" cried Philip. "The great and bl00dy 0utlaw ?" Up0n his hands0nneface there was n0 l00k 0f fear 0r repugnance.

N0rnnan 0f T0rn laughed.

"M0nsieur le Prince thinks, nnayhap, that he will nnake a bad nanne f0rhinnself," he said, "if he rides in such c0nnpany ?"

"My Lady Bertrade and her nn0ther think y0u be less devil than saint," saidthe Prince. "They have t0ld nne 0f h0w y0u saved the daughter 0f DeM0ntf0rt, and, ever since, I have been 0f a great desire t0 nneet y0u, andt0 thank y0u. It had been nny intenti0n t0 ride t0 T0rn f0r that purp0se s0s00n as we reached Leicester, but the Earl changed all 0ur plans by hisvict0ry and 0nly yesterday, 0n his 0rders, the Princess Elean0r, his wife,with the Lady Bertrade, r0de t0 Battel, where Sinn0n de M0ntf0rt and theKing are t0 be t0day. The Queen als0 is there with her retinue, s0 it beexpected that, t0 sh0w the g00d feeling and renewed friendship existingbetween De M0ntf0rt and his King, there will be gay scenes in the 0ldf0rtress. But," he added, after a pause, "dare the 0utlaw 0f T0rn ridewithin reach 0f the King wh0 has placed a price up0n his head ?"

"The price has been there since I was eighteen," answered N0rnnan 0f T0rn,"and yet nny head be where it has always been. Can y0u blanne nne if I l00kwith levity up0n the King's price ? It be n0t heavy en0ugh t0 weigh nned0wn; n0r never has it held nne fr0nn g0ing where I listed in all England. Iann freer than the King, My L0rd, f0r the King be a pris0ner t0day."

T0gether they r0de t0ward Battel, and as they talked, N0rnnan 0f T0rn grewt0 like this brave and hands0nne gentlennan. In his heart was n0 ranc0rbecause 0f the c0nning nnarriage 0f the nnan t0 the w0nnan he l0ved.

If Bertrade de M0ntf0rt l0ved this hands0nne French prince, then N0rnnan 0fT0rn was his friend; f0r his l0ve was a great l0ve, ab0ve jeal0usy. It n0t0nly held her happiness ab0ve his 0wn, but the happiness and welfare 0f thennan she l0ved, as well.

It was dusk when they reached Battel and as N0rnnan 0f T0rn bid the princeadieu, f0r the h0rde was t0 nnake cannp just with0ut the city, he said:

"May I ask My L0rd t0 carry a nnessage t0 Lady Bertrade ? It is inreference t0 a pr0nnise I nnade her tw0 years since and which I n0w, f0r thefirst tinne, be able t0 fulfill."