"Childishness! all trades must live. Besides I have my reasons. Be not you wiser than your elder." "No. Only if I am to lean on him I must have my hand in my bosom, still grasping the haft of my knife." [Illustration: IN THAT STRANGE AND MIXED ATTITUDE OF TENDER OFFICES AND DEADLY SUSPICION THE TRIO DID WALK] "It is a new attitude to walk in; but please thyself." And in that strange and mixed attitude of tender offices and deadly suspicion the trio did walk. I wish I could draw them: I would not trust to the pen. The light of the watch-tower at Dusseldorf was visible as soon as they cleared the wood; and cheered Gerard. When, after an hour's march, the black outline of the tower itself and other buildings stood out clear to the eye, their companion halted and said gloomily, "You may as well slay me out of hand as take me any nearer the gates of Dusseldorf town." On this being communicated to Denys, he said at once, "Let him go then, for in sooth his neck will be in jeopardy if he wends much further with us." Gerard acquiesced as a matter of course. His horror of a criminal did not in the least dispose him to active co-operation with the law. But the fact is, that at this epoch no private citizen in any part of Europe ever meddled with criminals but in self-defence, except by-the-by in England, which, behind other nations in some things, was centuries before them all in this. The man's personal liberty being restored, he asked for his axe. It was given him. To the friends' surprise he still lingered. Was he to have nothing for coming so far out of his way with them? "Here are two batzen, friend." "And the wine, the good Rhenish?" "Did you give aught for it?" "Ay! the peril of my life." "Hum! what say you, Denys?" "I say it was worth its weight in gold. Here, lad, here be silver groshen, one for every acorn on that gallows tree: and here is one more for thee--who wilt doubtless be there in due season." The man took the coins, but still lingered. "Well? what now?" cried Gerard, who thought him shamefully overpaid already. "Do'st seek the hide off our bones?" "Nay, good sirs; but you have seen to-night how parlous a life is mine. Ye be true men, and your prayers avail: give me then a small trifle of a prayer, an't please you; for I know not one." Gerard's choler began to rise at the egotistical rogue; moreover, ever since his wound he had felt gusts of irritability. However, he bit his lip and said, "There go two words to that bargain; tell me first, is it true what men say of you Rhenish thieves, that ye do murder innocent and unresisting travellers as well as rob them?" The other answered sulkily, "They you call thieves are not to blame for that; the fault lies with the law." "Gramercy! so 'tis the law's fault that ill men break it?"