THE PRINCE

AND

THE PEDLAR.

CHAPTER I.

Sayes, reade me, reade me, dear brothère,
My reade shall ryde at thee,

Which waye we best may turne and fighte,
To save this fair ladyè.

Now hearken to me, sayes Adler Younge,
And your reade must rise at me

I quickly will devise a way
To sette thy ladye free.

It shall be written in our forheads
All and in grammaryè,
That we two are the boldest men
That are in all Christentyè.

He strucke upon his harpe agayne,
And play'd both fayre and free:
The ladye was so pleased thereatt,
She laught loud laughters three.

THE sun had risen some hours, and th ing's mist had cleared away in the foregr the landscape, leaving only a gauzy vei the more distant hills. A light fresh swept over the Bristol Channel, whose waters danced along with a joyous motion here and there a wave, crested with s foam, rose above its fellows, glittering in beams, as though crowned with a rainbow

Beyond Portishead, further away Somersetshire coast, and partly shelter the observation of those within the for projecting point of low earthy cliff, sat man dressed as a sailor; but with pistol belt, and a short tuck, or straight narrow by his side. He was of a dark complexi long black hair hanging in disorder over some and intelligent countenance.

There he had sat almost since break ever looking seaward, his eagle eye anxiously to the tongue of land on wh fort was built, as though expecting th vessel would dash round the point; o

and the mornforeground of zy veil before

fresh breeze

whose crisped motion, whilst

ith sparkling g in the sunbow diadem. way on the

eltered from

fort by a

sat a young stols in his

Tow sword, exion, with er a hand

- of day, • turned hich the

at some

across

the channel to the Welsh coast, with looks as longing, as if uncertain in which direction the

expected object would appear. Hitherto his watching had been in vain; yet he had sat with such exemplary patience that the gulls had overcome the fear which his first appearance had excited, and fished or flew around heedless of his presence, sometimes pitching nearly at his feet.

He never saw them-he never heard them and was not aware that he had ceased to be alone till roused by the impatient address of a stranger, who had approached him from the landward side.

"How many waves have danced by within the hour? and how many gulls have caught fish for their dinner ?" questioned the new-comer.

"Ha! come at last I have been expecting you for hours!" exclaimed the patient watcher, starting up at the voice.

"Are your expectations to be realised, think you, and those of all others disappointed ?" asked the stranger, whose looks and speech bespoke him vexed and angry.

B 2