"Ay. So I took ship and came over. I was ill at the time, but that was no matter. When we landed we stayed the night at an inn--an infamous place. The landlord would have murdered me. The servant who was with me ran away--custom of servants, you will observe,--the landlord seized my baggage. His wife helped me to escape in these rags of her husband's. I took, perforce, to the road, for I was penniless and a stranger, and your cousin found me. And," he turned himself round with a comical movement of his hands towards his tattered person, "behold me!" he said. Dick laughed. "And your master, Giles; where is he?" "Ah, boy! where is every man's master in these days? He is riding up and down England, fighting and flying." "A soldier?" Dick asked. "Be sure of it," Giles answered. "We shall meet soon, doubtless." Then he laughed. "Faith, he wouldn't know me if we met to-day," he said. "Have you been in other countries besides France?" Dick questioned. "Ay. Germany, the Low Countries, and Spain, and Russia, and Italy." "With your master?" "I have served many masters," said Giles shortly. Silence fell. Then Dick suddenly sprang up. "Look!" he cried, "look!" He pointed to a cloud of dust on the highroad. "They come!" he said. CHAPTER III THE ENEMY AT DENT The cloud of dust rolled nearer. Presently a dark mass could be seen on the level road. Then, before Dick's wondering eyes, a body of cavalry unrolled itself over the plain in the mellow light of the September evening. He caught the heavy tramp, tramp of the horses, the jingle of bridle-chains, the ring of steel on steel. Nearer they came and nearer, blue-gray lines of armed men, with the flutter of an orange scarf here and there, with here a tossing crest and there a white charger to relieve the sombre hues of the Puritan horse. Giles swept his gray eyes over the moving lines. "Grand!" he muttered. "My faith! what won't drilling do?" Dick moved restlessly at his side. "Giles, Giles, what next?" he cried, as the word of command rang out crisply, and the long lines of horsemen swayed and stopped as if turned to stone. Then three or four officers rode to the front and paused, looking at the old walls of Dent, and pointing to the flag that flapped idly over Dick's young head. "Their worships are puzzled," said Giles, watching keenly, but appearing quite calm. "You see, they thought they were coming to their own house, so to speak." Dick laughed a little excited laugh. "They thought wrong," he bubbled. Giles looked round at him with his friendly eyes. "They will come and ask our meaning in a moment, Captain," he said. "They shall hear," said Dick. Sure enough, an officer with a white flag came galloping towards the castle. "Come along," said Giles. "I mean, your honour had better speak from the gate-house."