"I will, to the end, even though you should learn to loathe me. Well, a price was put on their heads."
"Which I paid."
"You paid one-fifth."
"No, no; I paid all, as demanded."
"Hunston returned to the camp with only one hundred pounds, and they voted the death of the two boys. Poor boys! both brave boys. The bravest veteran on the battlefield never faced death with the heroic calmness of those two young heroes, sir."
"Bless you for those words, my girl," exclaimed the gratified Harkaway. "I am proud of my dear boy."
"I demanded their release—I implored—I begged—I prayed in the most abject terms. But they had felt the weight of your hand too often. They and theirs had suffered so much that I was powerless. I could only obtain one small concession."
"Say on, say on!" exclaimed Harkaway. "What was that? I burn with eagerness to know more of my dear boys."
"I was to do the last sad honours to the noble dead. Three were to be executed; one of themselves, a traitor called Lirico. By dissimulating to Hunston—the viper! how I tremble with horror at the very name—I obtained one concession—Lirico was the first to suffer, the boys were to follow."
"Oh, Hunston! villain!" groaned Harkaway, "villain!"