'But any terms would be better than that!' he replied with vehemence.
'What if they demand the expulsion of the Catholic girl, my lord, whom the Countess has taken under her protection?'
'They will not!' he said.
'They may,' I persisted.
'Then we will not give her up.'
'But the alternative--starvation?'
'Pooh! It will not come to that!' he answered lightly. 'You leap before you reach the stile.'
'Because, my lord, there will be no leaping if we do reach it.'
'Nonsense!' he cried masterfully. 'Something must be risked. To give up a strong place like this to a parcel of clodhoppers--it is absurd! At the worst we could parley.'
'I do not think my lady would consent to parley.'