Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1903-04-10
Continued from page A.

they in turn were pursued, did not eX-
pect an attack from the rear. The
men remaining on horseback shouted
an alarm to their comrades, but so in
tent were the latter in their pursuit
that they did not hear. One of the men
on foot fell dead. pierced through the
back of the neck by Brandon's sword,
before either was aware of his pres
ence. The other turned, but was
corpse before he could cry out. The
girls had stopped short distance
ahead, exhausted by their flight. Mary
had stumbled and fallen, but had risen
again, and both were now leaning
against Il wall. clinging to each other,
a picture of abject terror Brandon
ran to the girls, but by the time he
reached them the two men on horse
back were there also. hacking away at
him from their saddles. Brandon did
his best to save himself from being cut
to pieces and the girls from being tram
pied under foot by the prancing horses.
A narrow jutting Of the wall, a foot
or two in width, a sort of flying but
tress, gave him little advantage, and
up into the slight shelter of the corner
thus formed he thrust the girls and
with his back to them faced his I'M
equal foe with drawn sword. Fortu-
nately the position allowed only one
horseman to attack them. Two men on
foot would have been less in each 9th
er's way and much more effective. The
men, however, stuck to their horses,
and one of them pressed the attack,
striking at Brandon most Viciousy. II
being dark and the distance deceptive,
the horseman's sword at last struck the
wall, a fash of sparks flying in its
trail, and lucky it was or this story
would have ended here. Thcreupon
Brandon thrust his sword into the
horses throat, causing it to rear back
ward, pluneng and lunging into the
street, where it fell, holding its rider
by the leg against the cobblestones of
little gutter.
A cry from the fallen horseman
brought his companion to his side and
gave Brandon an opportunity to escape
with the girls OF this he took adj
vantage, you may be sure, for one of
/
in .the world is he who does not early
in life learn how and when to run.
In the light of the sparks from the
sword stroke upon the wall, brief as
it was. Brandon recognized the face
of Buckingham, from which the mask
had fallen. OF this he did not speak
TO any one till long afterward, and his
silence was almost his undoing.
How often n word spoken or unspo-
ken may have the very deuce in it
either way,
/ The girls were nearly dead from
fright, and in order TO make any sort
of progress Brandon had to carry the
princess and help Jane until he thought
they were out of danger. lane soon
recovered, but Mary did not seem anX-
ious to wall: and lay with her head
upon Brandon's shoulder, apparently
contented enough.
In few minutes Jane said: eff you
can walk now, my lady, | think you
had better. We shall soon be near
Fishmonger's hall, where some one is
sure to be standing at this hour"
Mary said nothing in reply to Jane,
but as Brandon fell a step or two be-
hind at narrow crossing whispered:
Forgive me, forgive me. will do
any penancc you ask. l am unworthy
to speak your name. l owe you my
life and more-and more a thousand
times" At this she lifted her arm
and placed her hand upon his cheek
and neck. She then learned for the
first time that he was wounded. and
the tears came softly as she Slipped
from his arms to the ground. She
walked beside him quietly for little
time, then, taking his hand in both OF
hers, gently lifted it to her lips and
laid it upon her breast. Half an houl
afterward Brandon left the girls a
Bridewell House, went over to the
bridge where he had left his horse al
a hostelry, and rode down to Green
witch.
so Mary had made her trip t.
Grouche's, but it was labor worse thai
lost. Grouche had told her nothin,
she wanted to know. though much tina
he supposed she would like to learn
He had told her that she had man.
lovers. fact which her face and form
would make easy enough to discover
He informed her also that she had
lowborn lover, and in order to put
little evil in with the good fortune an,
give what he soid an air OF truth h
added to Mary's state of unrest NOR
than he thought by telling her that he
lQwborn lover was false. He though
to fiatter her by predicting that sh
would soon marry a very great prime
or nobleman, the indications being i
favor of the former, and in place o
t this making her happy she wished tn
, wretched soothsayer in the bottomles
pit-he and all his prophecies herself
too, for going to him. His guesse
. were pretty shrewd-that is, admittn
A, he did not know who Mary was, whic
/ she at least supposed was the case; S
/ Mary wept that night and moaned an
moaned because she had gone t