THE KING AND THE BONDMEN

 that the day of liberty was indeed at hand. After-
 wards he went through the city with the throng of
 peasants, wondering at the extraordinary sights that
 met his eye; but when the plunder and rioting began,
 his heart failed him, and he stole away and wan-
 dered up and down all the narrow streets wherever
 there was any noise of work going on, in the hope
 of finding his brother. He had nearly given up the
 search in despair, when he heard the sound of a
 hammer upon an anvil, and looking in at the smithy
 from whence it proceeded, there he saw Roger, hard
 at work, making the sparks fly from the red-hot iron
 with vigorous strokes of his sturdy arm. The meet-
 ing was a joyful one, and Roger had kept him concealed
 until all danger was past, and now they had both come
 home together.
 Many were the exclamations of surprise and
thankfulness that interrupted Ralph's story; and
Cicely seemed as though she could never grow tired
of asking questions about the great city of London,
with its palaces, and churches, and long streets of
shops, and hundreds of people walking about, many
of them wearing fine dresses, such as were never seen
in country places: and so in cheerful talk, all troubles
were for a time forgotten.
 The next day was an important one for all who
dwelt on the estate of the Lord de Hedingham. At
an early hour the cottars, borderers, and villains might
be seen making their way across the fields, and
through the forest to the castle. In the court-yard
of the ancient building the retainers or fighting-men
were drawn up in regular array, the serving-men
were all dressed in new liveries, and ran nimbly
about in performance of their duties, or waited in
the places allotted to them. Gradually the throng of