“I shall not hush, Aline. I wish that mother would not act like that to you. Do you know,” she went on, “that whenever Aline made the stitches just the least little bit too big or turned down the hem the least bit too much or too little, she hit her. Aline, if I were you I would not stand it; I would tell my father.” Ian half rose in his bed with anger and then fell back again. “There you see what you have done,” said Aline, as Ian went as white as the sheet. It was some moments before he was able to speak and the children watched him anxiously. “What a shame,” he went on, in calmer tones. “Well, we won’t talk about that now,” said Aline; “let us talk of something nicer. Master Mowbray is going to give me a falcon and I am going to ride like Audry.” “I thought that I heard you say that you did not care about riding, little one,” he said. “I do not know that I do particularly, but Master Mowbray wished it for the sake of Audry. I do not think he cared about me one way or the other. I thought that it might help us in several ways in feeding you.” “I am afraid I do not quite see that,” he said. “Well, for one thing, the falcon would have to be fed and sometimes there would be things that I could give to you and I could get other things for the falcon instead. I do not like taking things from the house, and that is why I have tried as far as possible to snare you rabbits or catch fish in the river. So far we have done very well, but it is meal or bread that is the chief difficulty.” “And do you think the falcon or the horse is going to get the bread?” he asked playfully. “If you were not ill,” she said, shaking her little hand at him, “I would punish you.” He caught the hand and kissed it. “Well, never mind, but I do not see how either the horse or the falcon is going to help you.” “It is this way. If we go riding it will be a reason for going expeditions, and then we can make it an excuse to buy food. If I were to go and buy food round about here, there would be all manner of questions asked at once.” “But, child, you have not any money, and if you had it would not be right to spend it on me.” “But I have some; I have five pounds Scots that my father gave me long ago that I have been keeping in a safe place, and I have six florins that have been given me by other people.” “You never told me that you were so rich,” said Audry. “Why, think what you could buy for all that!” “Can you get down my jerkin, Audry?” asked Ian,--“Thank you! See if you can find in the inner pocket a leathern purse?--That’s right, now in that you will find ten gold rose angels. Take out two of them and let me know all that is spent on my account. I would not hear of you spending money on me.”