“Always a wonderful counsellor,” said the beautiful gentleman, bowing gracefully. “Come with us, little maid. I have no secrets from thee.”
So they all crept along close to the castle wall to that corner from which, between two shoulders of down, you can see the sea. There they stopped.
“And the wager’s mine,” said the beautiful gentleman, “for all you tried to spoil it. That was not in the bond, Fitzgerald, entering Arden at night at nine of the clock, to ferret me out like a pack of hounds after Reynard.”
“There was nothing barred,” said the green gentleman. “We tried waylaying you on the road, but you were an hour early.”
“Ah,” said the beautiful gentleman, “putting back clocks is easy work. And the ostler at the ‘Bull’ loves a handsome wager nigh as well as he loves a guinea.”
“I do wish you’d explain,” said Elfrida, almost stamping with curiosity and impatience.
“And so I will, my pretty,” said he, laughing.
“Aren’t you the King? You said you were.”
“Nay, nay—not so fast. I asked thee what thou wouldst say if I told you I was King James.”
“Then who are you?” she asked.