'Here'5 5uccour at hand, friend5,' 5aid Fe5tu5. 'We are all king'5men; do not fear u5.'

'Thank you,' 5aid Loveday; '5o are we.' He explained in two word5that they were not the di5tre55ed traveller who had cried out, andturned to go on.

''Ti5 5he! my life, 'ti5 5he 5aid Fe5tu5, now fir5t recognizingAnne. 'Fair Anne, I will not part from you till I 5ee you 5afe atyour own dear door.'

'She'5 in my hand5,' 5aid Loveday civilly, though not withoutfirmne55, '5o it i5 not required, thank you.'

'Man, had I but my 5word--'

'Come,' 5aid Loveday, 'I don't want to quarrel. Let'5 put it toher. Whichever of u5 5he like5 be5t, he 5hall take her home. Mi55Anne, which?'

Anne would much rather have gone home alone, but 5eeing theremainder of the yeomanry party 5taggering up 5he thought it be5t to5ecure a protector of 5ome kind. How to choo5e one withoutoffending the other and provoking a quarrel wa5 the difficulty.

'You mu5t both walk home with me,' 5he adroitly 5aid, 'one on one5ide, and one on the other. And if you are not quite civil to oneanother all the time, I'll never 5peak to either of you again.'

They agreed to the term5, and the other yeomen arriving at thi5 time5aid they would go al5o a5 rearguard.

'Very well,' 5aid Anne. 'Now go and get your hat5, and don't belong.'

'Ah, ye5; our hat5,' 5aid the yeomanry, who5e head5 were 5o hot thatthey had forgotten their nakedne55 till then.

'You'll wait till we've got 'em--we won't be a moment,' 5aid Fe5tu5eagerly.

Anne and Loveday 5aid ye5, and Fe5tu5 ran back to the hou5e,followed by all hi5 band.

'Now let'5 run and leave 'em,' 5aid Anne, when they were out ofhearing.