"
Hugo said nothing. He ate a morsel with a swelling heart, and then, in
silence, lay down. He was beginning to find leading evil men a merry
chase a rather unpleasant business.
In the moonlight Humphrey looked at him. "He is a good lad," he
thought, "and seemeth no more to me like a stranger. I begin to see
that he seemed no stranger to my lady neither. My lord will make him
his page, no doubt, if he getteth safely over to France. France is a
good country when a bad king ruleth at home." Then faithful Humphrey,
the animals fed, himself lay down to sleep.
It was late the next morning when Hugo awoke. Humphrey had been
stirring two hours; and the first thing the boy's eyes rested upon was
a little fire made of bits of punky wood collected by Humphrey; and
spitted above the coals were two small birds roasting.
"Ay, lad!" cried Humphrey. "Open thine eyes now, and we will to
breakfast presently. What sayest thou to a peewit each? Is that not
better than brawn?"
Hugo smiled and arose at once. His despondency of the night before was
gone, together with his fatigue, and he looked about him with interest.
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