For a little time after my encounter with Brown, all my skill was needed to ward off the frantic hero.  He quickly rose to his feet, and, with the help of his friends, seemed determined to spread the gospel by tearing me to pieces.  My sword point kept the rabble at a respectful distance for a while, but they crowded closely upon me, and I should have been compelled to kill some of them had I not been reenforced by two men who came to my help and laid about them most joyfully with their quarterstaffs.  A few broken heads stemmed for a moment the torrent of religious enthusiasm, and during a pause in the hostilities I hurriedly retreated with Madge, ungratefully leaving my valiant allies to reap the full reward of victory should the fortunes of war favor them.

Madge was terribly frightened, and with her by my side I, of course, would not have remained to fight the redoubtable Bayard himself.

We hurried forward, but before we reached the inn we were overtaken by our allies whom we had abandoned.  Our friends were young men.  One wore a rich, half-rustic habit, and the other was dressed as a horse boy.  Both were intoxicated.  I had been thankful for their help; but I did not want their company.

“How now, Cousin Madge?” said our richly dressed ally.  “What in the devil’s name has brought you into this street broil?”

“Ah, Cousin James, is it you?” replied the trembling girl.

“Yes, but who is your friend that so cleverly unloaded his quarrel upon us?  Hell’s fires! but they were like a swarm of wasps.  Who is your friend, Madge?”

“Sir Malcolm Vernon,” replied Madge.  “Let me present you, Sir Malcolm, to my cousin, Lord James Stanley.”

I offered my hand to his Lordship, and said:—­

“I thank you much for your timely help.  I should not have deserted you had I not felt that my first duty was to extricate Lady Madge from the disagreeable situation.  We must hasten away from here, or the mad rabble will follow us.”

“Right you are, my hearty,” returned Stanley, slapping me on the shoulder.  “Of course you had to get the wench away.  Where do you go?  We will bear you company.”

I longed to pay the fellow for his help by knocking him down; but the possibilities of trouble ahead of us were already too great, and I forced myself to be content with the prowess already achieved.

“But you have not told me what brought you into the broil,” asked his Lordship, as we walked toward the inn.

“Sir Malcolm and I were walking out to see the town and—­”

“To see the town?  By gad, that’s good, Cousin Madge.  How much of it did you see?  You are as blind as an owl at noon,” answered his Lordship.

“Alas!  I am blind,” returned Madge, clinging closely to me, and shrinking from her cousin’s terrible jest.  I could not think of anything sufficiently holy and sacred upon which to vow my vengeance against this fellow, if the time should ever come when I dared take it.