No, he who hath been so
vigilant throughout the day must needs tire of the task as night draws on.
Fare thee well, wakeful Dudley; if thine eyes should open on the morrow,
be thankful that the maidens have not stitched thy garments to the
palisadoes!"
Notwithstanding the efforts of the young man to detain her, the
light-footed girl eluded his grasp, and, bearing her burden towards the
dairy, she tripped along the path with a half-averted face, in which
triumph and repentance were already struggling for the possession.
In the mean time, the leader of the messengers and his military
subordinate had a long and interesting conference. When it was ended, the
former took his way to the apartment in which Mark Heathcote was wont to
pass those portions of his time that were not occupied in his secret
strivings for the faith, or in exercise without, while superintending the
laborers in the fields. With some little circumlocution, which was
intended to mask his real motives, the agent of the King announced his
intention to take his final departure that very night.
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