"I don't want blood shed, and I hardly think any of your people would come to much harm, for, like most scoundrels of their kind, I believe the enemy would prove miserable cowards." "They have proved to be so," cried Ralph warmly.

"Father must act now." "I'll tell you what he ought to do, boy," said the old man, grasping his visitor by the arm.

"Of course he need not make friends, but he ought to go or send to the Black Tor, and ask Sir Edward to head so many men, your father doing the same; and then they could march together, and rout out the scoundrels." "Yes, it would be easy enough then," said Ralph sadly; "but I know my father too well: he would not do that." "No," said the old man, "he would not do that." The tone in which this was said roused the lad's indignation.
"Well," he said hotly, "do you think this Sir Edward Eden would come and ask my father to join him ?" "No, boy, I do not," replied the old man, "for I said something of this kind to Mark Eden only yesterday, when I was fishing up that way, and he spoke just in the same way as you do." "You saw him yesterday ?" said Ralph eagerly.

"How is he ?" "What's that to do with you ?" said the old man rather roughly.

"You don't want to know how your enemy is.