“Nothing but watching,” said Parley; “I have, to be sure, many pleasures, and meat sufficient; and plenty of chat in virtue of my office; and I pick up a good deal of news of the comers and goers by day; but it is hard that at night I must watch as narrowly as a housedog, and yet let in no company without orders, only because there are said to be a few straggling robbers here in the wilderness, with whom my master does not care to let us be acquainted.  He pretends to make us vigilant through fear of the robbers, but I suspect it is only to make us mope alone.  A merry companion, and a mug of beer, would make the night pass cheerfully.”

Parley, however, kept all these thoughts to himself, or uttered them only when no one heard—­for talk he must.  He began to listen to the nightly whistling of the robbers under the windows with rather less alarm than formerly; and he was sometimes so tired of watching, that he thought it was even better to run the risk of being robbed once, than to live always in fear of robbers.

There were certain bounds in which the gentleman allowed his servants to walk and divert themselves at all proper seasons.  A pleasant garden surrounded the castle, and a thick hedge separated it from the wilderness, which was infested by the robbers.  In this garden they were permitted to amuse themselves.  The master advised them always to keep within these bounds.  “While you observe this rule,” said he, “you will be safe and well; and you will consult your own safety, as well as show your love to me, by not venturing even to the extremity of your bounds.  He who goes as far as he dares, always shows a wish to go farther than he ought, and commonly does so.”

It was remarkable, that the nearer these servants kept to the castle, and the farther from the hedge, the more ugly the wilderness appeared.  And the nearer they approached the forbidden bounds, their own home appeared more dull, and the wilderness more delightful.  And this the master knew when he gave his orders, for he never either did or said any thing without a good reason.  And when his servants sometimes desired an explanation of the reason, he used to tell them they would understand it when they came to the other house; for it was one of the pleasures of that house, that it would explain all the mysteries of this, and any little obscurities in the master’s conduct would be then made quite plain.

Parley was the first who promised to keep clear of the hedge, and yet was often seen looking as near as he durst.  One day he ventured close up to the hedge, put two or three stones one on another, and tried to peep over.  He saw one of the robbers strolling as near as could be on the forbidden side.  This man’s name was Flatterwell, a smooth, civil man, “whose words were softer than butter, having war in his heart.”  He made several low bows to Parley.