“Bad news, then?” exclaimed both sisters in a breath, their hearts audibly beating.
“Is it anything from Gloucester?” gasped out the elder one, the other mentally echoing the question.
“No, my ladies. It be all ’bout Monnerth.”
This some little relieved them, and more tranquilly they waited to hear what the news was.
“Them be’s bad, as ye ha’ guessed,” continued the cadgeress. “Him have been took by the Cavalières.”
“Him! Who?” simultaneously exclaimed the sisters, again greatly excited.
“Monnerth, mistresses; I sayed Monnerth, didn’t I?”
“Oh! yes, yes.” They were too glad to give assent, without noticing her ungrammatic provincialism. “Monmouth taken by the Cavaliers, you say?”
“Yes, my ladies. They’s be back into it, an’ ha’ shut up the Parliamentaries in prison—all as didn’t get away.”
“Where have you heard this, Win? You haven’t been to Monmouth yourself, have you?”