It was six o’clock before any of the birds flew home; and the first to come was John Avery, who said he had left Robin in charge of Dr Thorpe,—“or Dr Thorpe in charge of Robin, as it may please thee to take it. I know not when they will be back. In all my life did I never see a man so unweary and unwearyable as that our old friend.”
“And what hast thou seen, Jack?” said Isoult.
“Three very fine ladies and three very fine gentlemen,” answered he; “with a great many more ladies and gentlemen, not quite so fine.”
“What ware they?” asked Kate.
“Was the King there?” Isoult inquired.
“What ware they, Moppet?” said John, taking up Kate; “why, many a yard of cloth of gold, and satin, and velvet, and I cannot tell thee what else. They were as fine as ever the tailor could make them.—Ay, dear heart, the King was there.”
But his voice changed, so that Isoult could read in it a whole volume of bad news.
“Is he sick, then, as we heard?” she asked.
“Hardly,” he answered in a low voice, “say rather dying.”
“O Jack!” cried she.