Dickie came home to the good Lord Scroope as fast as he could. "Now, Dickie, I’ll neither eat nor drink till thou art hanged on high." "Shame speed the liars, my lord," said Dickie, "this was not the promise ye made me, for I would never have gone to Liddesdale to steal if I had not got leave from thee." "But why did ye steal the Laird’s Jock’s horse? Ye might have lived long in Cumberland before the Laird’s Jock had stolen from thee." "Indeed, I knew ye lied, my lord. I won the horse from fair Johnie Armstrong hand to hand on Cannobie Lee. There is the jacket that was on his back, and the two-handed sword that hung by his side, and the steel cap that was on his head. I brought all these tokens to show thee." "If that be true that thou tellest me (and I think thou durst not lie) I’ll give thee fifteen pounds for the horse, all told out in the lap of thy cloak; I’ll give thee one of my best milk cows to maintain thy wife and three children, and they will be as good as any two of thine would be." "Shame speed the liars, my lord!" said Dickie. "Do ye think aye to make a fool of me? I’ll either have twenty pounds for the horse or else I’ll take him to Mortan fair." So Scroope gave him twenty pounds for the horse, all in gold and good money, and one of his best milk cows to maintain his wife and three children. Then Dickie rode as fast as he could through Carlisle town, and the first man he met was my lord’s brother, Ralph Scroope, Bailiff of Glozenburrie. "Well be ye met, Ralph Scroope!" said Dickie. "Welcome, my brother’s fool!" said Ralph. "Where did ye get Johnie Armstrong’s horse?" "Where did I get him? I stole him," said Dickie. "Wilt thou sell me the bonny horse?" "Ay, if thou count out the money in the lap of my cloak, for never a penny will I trust thee." "I’ll give thee ten pounds for the horse and count it into the lap of thy cloak, and one of my best milk cows to maintain thy wife and three children." "Shame speed the liars, my lord! Do ye think aye to make a fool of me? I’ll either have twenty pounds for the horse, or I’ll take him to Mortan fair." So Ralph gave him twenty pounds for the horse, all in gold and good money, and one of his milk cows to maintain his wife and three children. Then Dickie leaped and laughed, and cried, "May the neck of the third horse be broken if either of the two were better than he!" So he came home to his wife and ye may judge how the poor fool had succeeded. For her three stolen coverlets he gave her two score English pounds, and two cows as good as her own three. "And here," said he, "is a white-footed nag that I reckon will carry us both. But if I stay longer in Cumberland the Armstrongs will hang me." So Dickie took leave of his lord and went to live at Burgh under Stanmuir. *Chapter XXIX* *The Lochmaben Harper*