Puritan and Cavalier clasped hands in a hearty grip. "I am at your service," Evander said, gravely. "Shall we continue?" Sir Blaise shook his head again. "I have had my bellyful," he grunted. "There was breakfast, dinner, supper in your stroke. I must to the house to find vinegar and brown paper to patch my poll." "Can I aid you?" Evander offered. "I have some slight skill in surgery." "Leave him to me," Halfman interposed. "I have botched as many heads as I have broken." Sir Blaise, leaning heavily on Halfman's arm, replied to Evander's offer in his own way. "I will not have you mend ill what you have marred well. Come, crutch, let us be jogging. We will meet again another time, my fighting Puritan." Evander made him a bow. "At your pleasure," he replied, and stood till Sir Blaise, leaning on Halfman, had hobbled out of the pleasaunce and limped out of sight. Then he drew on his jerkin again with a smile and a sigh. "Truly," he thought, "for a man who has but three days to live, I cannot be said to be wasting much idle time." With that he took up again the book he had laid down and was soon deep in its study. XXI A PUZZLING PURITAN So deep was Evander in his book that he did not hear a lady's footfalls on the grass. When the discomfited Sir Blaise had quitted the arena Brilliana held herself unseen and then swiftly sped back to the pleasaunce. She stood for some seconds on the threshold of a yew arch watching the reading man and wondering why it had pleased Providence to make a Puritan so personable and skilful, wondering why she of all women should take any interest either in his person or in his skill, wondering how long he would remain buried in his tiresome book unconscious of her presence. She decided that she would slip away and leave him ignorant of her coming, and having decided that, she coughed loudly, at which sound, of course, he turned round, saw her, and rose respectfully to his feet. "I fear I trespass in your paradise," he said, wistfully. "My honor, no!" Brilliana cried, pretending to look about her anxiously. "But where is Sir Blaise? I hope you two did not quarrel." "No, no," Evander protested; "we parted on clasped hands. Some pressing matter called him to his quarters." "Did you pay him apology for your equivocal wit?" Brilliana asked, demurely. Evander answered gravely: "He professed himself satisfied." Brilliana feigned a cry of horror. "I trust you did not eat your words." Evander shook his head. "I am not so hungry. Have I your leave to go?" He made as if to depart; Brilliana met his motion with a little frown. "Are you so eager?" she asked, in a voice in which regret and petulance were dexterously commingled. Evander answered her gravely. "Yesterday you said that a Puritan presence was hateful." Brilliana laughed blithely and her curls quivered in the sunshine.