“It could not have turned out better,” said Edred, speaking stiffly with his bandaged face and swollen lips.

“I fear me thou dost suffer somewhat.”

“It is naught.  I scarce feel it, now mother has bound it up.  And thy stroke was wondrous skilful, Julian—­brow and eye and mouth all scratched.”

“The praise should be thine for standing thus rigid to let me thus mark thee.  Hadst thou flinched, as many another would have done—­as I should have done, I trow—­it could not have been done a tithe as well.  Wrapped and bandaged as thou must be these next days to come, not a creature could know thee.  Everything can be carried out according to the plan.  Not even our father will suspect aught.  The only fear is lest thou shouldst take a fever or somewhat of that sort, so that they say thou must not ride forth a few miles with our father when he fares forth to Windsor at the dawning of the next morrow after tomorrow’s dawn.”

“No fear of that,” answered Edred boldly.  “I am not wont to trouble a sickbed.  I have had knocks and blows as hard as this before.  Art sure thou hast enough of the linen and the strapping to serve the purpose?  And dost think thou canst apply it rightly?  It will be thy hands, not mine, that must do all that.  I shall be far away when the moment comes.  Art sure that thou canst do all as it should be done?  Thou and Bertram will have all the last arrangements to carry through.  How my heart will be in my mouth until I see thee and my double approaching in the gray light of the morning!”

“I trow we shall not disappoint thee!” cried the boy excitedly; adding after a moment’s pause, “Methinks in the matter of artifice both Bertram and I can beat thee, albeit thou art the best of us in other matters.  What a boon that that fat, slothful, ignorant monk no longer shares this room!  That might have been a rare trouble.  But since he loves well the soft bed of the guest chamber in lieu of these hard pallets, he is not like to trouble us again.  They put their trust in the spies around the house.  Let their spies do their worst, I trow we shall outwit them yet.”

And the boys took hands again and renewed their impromptu triumph dance.  Their hearts were brimming over with satisfaction and hope.  They had had a tough problem to think out during the past days, but now it seemed in a fair way of solution.

When the prior had left Chad after the banquet prepared for him, he professed himself perfectly satisfied that the missing Brother Emmanuel was not concealed upon the premises yet for all that, since the Lord of Mortimer had declared himself still dissatisfied, and because the escape of the monk was difficult to credit, nothing having been seen or heard of him abroad, he judged it wise still to keep his watch upon the place, that all might be satisfied that no precaution had been left untaken.