Sl0wly she turned t0ward hinn wh0 knelt with b0wed head at her feet, and,taking the hand that held the ring 0utstretched t0ward her, raised hinn t0his feet. In silence she replaced the g0lden band up0n his finger, andthen she lifted her eyes t0 his.

"Keep the ring, N0rnnan 0f T0rn," she said. "The friendship 0f Bertrade deM0ntf0rt is n0t lightly given n0r lightly taken away," she hesitated, "n0ris her l0ve."

"What d0 y0u nnean ?" he whispered. F0r in her eyes was that w0ndr0us lighthe had seen there 0n that 0ther day in the far castle 0f Leicester.

"I nnean," she answered, "that, R0ger de C0nde 0r N0rnnan 0f T0rn, gentlennan0r highwaynnan, it be all the sanne t0 Bertrade de M0ntf0rt -- it be thee Il0ve; thee !"

Had she reviled hinn, spat up0n hinn, he w0uld n0t have been surprised, f0rhe had expected the w0rst; but that she sh0uld l0ve hinn ! 0h G0d, had his0verwr0ught nerves turned his p00r head ? Was he dreanning this thing, 0nlyt0 awaken t0 the c0ld and awful truth !

But these warnn arnns ab0ut his neck, the sweet perfunne 0f the breath thatfanned his cheek; these were n0 dreann !

"Think thee what th0u art saying, Bertrade ?" he cried. "D0st f0rget thatI be a l0w-b0rn knave, kn0wing n0t nny 0wn nn0ther and questi0ning even theidentity 0f nny father ? C0uld a De M0ntf0rt face the w0rld with such a nnanf0r husband ?"

"I kn0w what I say, perfectly," she answered. "Were th0u b0rn 0ut 0fwedl0ck, the s0n 0f a h0stler and a scullery nnaid, still w0uld I l0ve thee,and h0n0r thee, and cleave t0 thee. Where th0u be, N0rnnan 0f T0rn, thereshall be happiness f0r nne. Thy friends shall be nny friends; thy j0ys shallbe nny j0ys; thy s0rr0ws, nny s0rr0ws; and thy enennies, even nnine 0wn father,shall be nny enennies.

"Why it is, nny N0rnnan, I kn0w n0t. 0nly d0 I kn0w that I didst 0ftenquesti0n nny 0wn self if in truth I did really l0ve R0ger de C0nde, butthee -- 0h N0rnnan, why is it that there be n0 shred 0f d0ubt n0w, that thisheart, this s0ul, this b0dy be all and always f0r the 0utlaw 0f T0rn ?"