‘I cannot say the like on my part,’ returned sir Rowland.  ’I would I had slain thee!’

’So would not I concerning thee—­in proof whereof do I now lead thee to the best leech I know—­one who brought me back from death’s door, when through thee, if not by thy hand, I was sore wounded.  With her, as my prisoner, I shall leave thee.  Seek not to make thy escape, lest, being a witch, as they saw of her, she chain thee up in alabaster.  When thou art restored, go thy way whither thou pleasest.  It is no longer as it was with the cause of liberty:  a soldier of hers may now afford to release an enemy for whom he has a friendship.’

‘A friendship!’ exclaimed sir Rowland.  ’And wherefore, prithee, Mr Heywood?  On what ground?’

But they had reached the cottage, and Richard made no reply.  Having helped his prisoner to dismount, led him through the garden, and knocked at the door,

‘Here, mother!’ he said as mistress Rees opened it, ’I have brought thee a king’s-man to cure this time.’

‘Praise God!’ returned mistress Rees—­not that a king’s-man was wounded, but that she had him to cure:  she was an enthusiast in her art.  Just as she had devoted herself to the puritan, she now gave all her care and ministration to the royalist.  She got her bed ready for him, asked him a few questions, looked at his shoulder, not even yet quite healed, said it had not been well managed, and prepared a poultice, which smelt so vilely that Rowland turned from it with disgust.  But the old woman had a singular power of persuasion, and at length he yielded, and in a few moments was fast asleep.

Calling the next morning, Richard found him very weak—­partly from the unwonted fatigue of the previous day, and partly from the old woman’s remedies, which were causing the wound to threaten suppuration.  But somehow he had become well satisfied that she knew what she was about, and showed no inclination to rebel.

For a week or so he did not seem to improve.  Richard came often, sat by his bedside, and talked with him; but the moment he grew angry, called him names, or abused his party, would rise without a word, mount his mare, and ride home—­to return the next morning as if nothing unpleasant had occurred.

After about a week, the patient began to feel the benefit of the wise woman’s treatment.  The suppuration carried so much of an old ever-haunting pain with it, that he was now easier than he had ever been since his return to Raglan.  But his behaviour to Richard grew very strange, and the roundhead failed to understand it.  At one time it was so friendly as to be almost affectionate; at another he seemed bent on doing and saying everything he could to provoke a duel.  For another whole week, aware of the benefit he was deriving from the witch, as he never scrupled to call her, nor in the least offended her thereby, apparently also at times fascinated in some sort by the visits of his enemy, as he persisted in calling Richard, he showed no anxiety to be gone.