"
"Ay," said Catherine, half sadly, half bitterly, "like mother, like
daughter; cowardice it is our bane. The others I whiles buffet, or how
would the house fare? but did you, Kate, ever have harsh word or look
from your poor mother, that you--Nay, I will not have ye cry, girl; ten
to one ye had your reason; so rise up, brave heart, and tell me all,
better late than ne'er; and first and foremost when ever, and how ever,
wend you to Sevenbergen wi' your poor crutches, and I not know?"
"I never was there in my life; and, mammy dear, to say that I ne'er
wished to see her that I will not, but I ne'er went nor sought to see
her."
"There now," said Catherine disputatively, "said I not 'twas all unlike
my girl to seek her unbeknown to me? Come now, for I'm all agog.
"Then thus 'twas. It came to my ears, no matter how, and prithee, good
mother, on my knees ne'er ask me how, that Gerard was a prisoner in the
Stadthouse tower."
"Ah"
"By father's behest as 'twas pretended."
Catherine uttered a sigh that was almost a moan. "Blacker than I
thought," she muttered faintly.
"Giles and I went out at night to bid him be of good cheer. And there at
the tower foot was a brave lass, quite strange to me I vow, on the same
errand."
"Lookee there now, Kate."
"At first we did properly frighten one another, through the place his
bad name, and our poor heads being so full o' divels, and we whitened a
bit in moonshine.
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