"Oh! you shall have anything you will, only give it--for pity, give it me! Amy!" she cried to Amy Evans, who, never far from her lady's side, had by this time made her appearance; "fetch my casket: nay, here, take the key, and bring hither my purse; it is in the embossed casket, and give the fellow what he will. And now, my friend, the letter--the letter." "I think the lady's one that loves him; but nobody has yet assured me that she is his lordship's wife," continued the undaunted boor, with a knowing glance round the room: "all wives are not in such a taking about their husbands," he added, wishing, with a sort of low craft, which he deemed prudence, to delay delivering the letter till he had made sure of the money. "Oh, trifle not with me! Give it me, as you hope to meet with mercy yourself!" "Well, here it is, then; the poor soul shall have the letter any how." She snatched it quickly from his hand, and throwing herself upon her knees before the fire, she hastened to devour its contents. Her eyes, blinded by tears, could not decipher the lines as fast as her wishes prompted. "Bring lights!" she exclaimed; "why are there no lights?" The servants hastened to fetch the tapers; and the peasant remained near the door, watching the lady with an expression half compassionate, half comic. "Sure enough, the poor soul loves that darkbrowed fellow," he muttered; "she tucks back her hair, as if she could tear off the curl that falls between the fire light and the paper; and she thinks no more of me! But I shall not depart without the pay I have been promised, I can tell her." Amy re-entered with the purse at the same moment that the serving-men returned with lights; and Amy, showering into the hands of the messenger several gold pieces, led the way into the hall, that her lady might be left to peruse her packet in privacy. The peasant clinked the money in his hard palm; then looking cunningly at Amy, "Your lady said I should have what I would." "Well, and have I not rewarded you handsomely?" "Why, pretty fairly, pretty fairly; but I should not mind another gold piece or so. You must bear in mind that my journey has been somewhat perilous, all through the royal armies and the loyal inhabitants, with a letter in my pouch from a rebel lord to a rebel lady." "Nay, you are unreasonable, you should not be covetous: but here are a couple more, for my dear mistress will not think anything can be too much for one who brings her news from her husband." "Thanks, fair mistress! I am one who always keep the eleventh commandment, even if I keep no other." "The eleventh, fellow! Why, Protestant and Catholic agree there are no more than ten!" "Ah, but I know the eleventh, and I know it best of all, and so do most people; and if they all kept the ten others as strictly as they do that one, why the world would be a better world than it is, that's all!" "You speak in riddles, friend; explain yourself."