Dismount, my children, and do your office briskly." Trois Eschelles and Petit Andre were in an instant on foot, and Quentin observed that they had each, at the crupper and pommel of his saddle, a coil or two of ropes, which they hastily undid, and showed that, in fact, each coil formed a halter, with the fatal noose adjusted, ready for execution.

The blood ran cold in Quentin's veins, when he saw three cords selected, and perceived that it was proposed to put one around his own neck.

He called on the officer loudly, reminded him of their meeting that morning, claimed the right of a free born Scotsman in a friendly and allied country, and denied any knowledge of the persons along with whom he was seized, or of their misdeed.
The officer whom Durward thus addressed, scarce deigned to look at him while he was speaking, and took no notice whatever of the claim he preferred to prior acquaintance.

He barely turned to one or two of the peasants who were now come forward, either to volunteer their evidence against the prisoners, or out of curiosity, and said gruffly, "Was yonder young fellow with the vagabonds ?" "That he was, sir, and it please your noble Provostship," answered one of the clowns; "he was the very first blasphemously to cut down the rascal whom his Majesty's justice most deservedly hung up, as we told your worship." "I'll swear by God, and Saint Martin of Tours, to have seen him with their gang," said another, "when they pillaged our metairie [a small farm]." "Nay, but," said a boy, "yonder heathen was black, and this youth is fair; yonder one had short curled hair, and this hath long fair locks." "Ay, child," said the peasant, "and perhaps you will say yonder one had a green coat and this a gray jerkin.

But his worship, the Provost, knows that they can change their complexions as easily as their jerkins, so that I am still minded he was the same." "It is enough that you have seen him intermeddle with the course of the King's justice, by attempting to recover an executed traitor," said the officer.--"Trois Eschelles and Petit Andre, dispatch." "Stay, signior officer!" exclaimed the youth in mortal agony; "hear me speak--let me not die guiltlessly--my blood will be required of you by my countrymen in this world, and by Heaven's justice in that which is to follow." "I will answer for my actions in both," said the Provost, coldly, and made a sign with his left hand to the executioners; then, with a smile of triumphant malice, touched with his forefinger his right arm, which hung suspended in a scarf, disabled probably by the blow which Durward had dealt him that morning.
"Miserable, vindictive wretch!" answered Quentin, persuaded by that action that private revenge was the sole motive of this man's rigour, and that no mercy whatever was to be expected from him.
"The poor youth raves," said the functionary: "speak a word of comfort to him ere he make his transit, Trois Eschelles; thou art a comfortable man in such cases when a confessor is not to be had.