"He owes his worthless life to your intercession, sweet Mary," cried Careless, spurning Urso from him. "If he is not sufficiently grateful for the obligation, let me know, and I will sharpen his gratitude. Adieu, till to-morrow!" And sheathing his sword, he strode away. Quite crestfallen at his discomfiture, and eager to escape from the jeers of the neighbours who had come forth, Urso picked up his tuck-sword and hurried back to the house with Mary. What passed between them need not be recounted. It will be sufficient to state the result. Not till the second evening after the occurrence just described, did Careless return to Angel lane. His duties to the king had detained him in the interval. After tapping softly at the door of Mary's dwelling, he raised the latch, but the door was fastened, and he was compelled to knock more loudly. Still, no answer to the summons. He listened intently, but not the slightest sound was to be heard within; neither was any light visible through the little lattice window. While he was making another ineffectual attempt to obtain admittance, a glover, who lived next door, came forth and told him that Dame Rushout and Mary were gone. "Gone! whither?" cried Careless. "That is more than I am able to inform your honour," replied the glover; "but you are not likely to see Mary again, since Master Gives has taken her way." "'Sdeath! did she consent to go with him?" "She could not very well refuse, seeing that she has become his wife," responded the glover. "Amazement!" cried Careless. "I could not have believed she would wed him." "No one expected it, though the marriage has been long talked of," said the glover. "But we think her grandam must have wrought upon Mary to consent--for she herself seemed wondrously reluctant. Be this as it may, and I cannot speak for certain, she and Urso were married by the Rev. Laban Foxe, an Independent minister, and soon after the ceremony--if ceremony it can be called--Urso and his bride, with the old dame, quitted Worcester." Careless had heard enough, and strode away to hide his vexation. CHAPTER XIII. SHOWING HOW THE KING HAD FORTIFIED THE CITY. The fortifications of Worcester having now been completely repaired and considerably extended by Charles, it may be necessary to take another survey of them.[5]