The man understood not his words, but comprehended his signs, and nodded assent; then pointing to the work they were busy about, he made Rory aware that he must wait until they had finished it.
“Ou, ay, weel-a-weel,” said Rory, “Ise tarry here till thou be’st ready to do the job;” and sitting down on a stool, he began peering about with his eyes in all directions.
The door of the inner apartment being open, he sent many a long look through the doorway, as Mortimer Sang and Andria Martellino crossed and re-crossed his field of vision. The squire at last appeared, fully armed cap-a-pie.
“Ha!” said he, as he strode forth, well contented with himself, “ha! this will do—this will do bravely.”
“Ou, Maister Sang, art thou bound for the lists too,” said Rory Spears.
“Hey, Master Spears, art thou there?” replied the squire. “By’r lackins, I knew thee not at first. Yea, I am going to try my luck. What! be’st thou bent thither alswa with thy gaud-clip?”
“Na, na, not I,” replied Rory. “I hae other fish to fry, I promise thee. I did come here but to get my gaud-clip sharpened. As I did sit yestreen watchin the salmons loupin at the ess, I did espy an otter creeping over the rock; so I threw my [[309]]gaud at the brute and speared him, but I broke the point on’t, as thou mayest see here. Na, na, I can clip a salmon, or can toss a spear at a rae or red buck i’ the forest, or it may be, at a man in the field; but I kenna about yere galloping and jousting.”
“Signor Martellino, here is thy coin,” said Sang, counting it out to him; “but remember thee thou didst owe me half a broad piece in change the last chevisaunce that did pass between us; I do mean the which thou didst forget to return me in our dealings at Paris, ere thou didst set out for Milan.”
“Ah! signor, non mi recordo niente di quello,” replied Martellino, with a knavish air of pretended forgetfulness.
“Nay, but by St. Bartholomew, thou must remember it,” said Sang sternly. “I higgle never for thy price, but I shall have every penny that is lawfully mine own. It was in paying thee for a morion I had of thee; thou hadst not the change, and thou didst say I should have it next day; but when I did call, thou wert gone to Milan. By St. Barnabas, I will have mine own.”