"Thou mayest take her on thy crupper, Sir Goldthred," answered Wayland;
"it will take down thy steed's mettle."
"And how if you--if you forget to leave my horse, as you propose?" said
Goldthred, not without hesitation, for his soul was afraid within him.
"My pack shall be pledged for it--yonder it lies with Giles Gosling,
in his chamber with the damasked leathern hangings, stuffed full with
velvet, single, double, treble-piled--rash-taffeta, and parapa--shag,
damask, and mocado, plush, and grogram--"
"Hold! hold!" exclaimed the mercer; "nay, if there be, in truth and
sincerity, but the half of these wares--but if ever I trust bumpkin with
bonny Bayard again!"
"As you list for that, good Master Goldthred, and so good morrow to
you--and well parted," he added, riding on cheerfully with the lady,
while the discountenanced mercer rode back much slower than he came,
pondering what excuse he should make to the disappointed bride, who
stood waiting for her gallant groom in the midst of the king's highway.
"Methought," said the lady, as they rode on, "yonder fool stared at me
as if he had some remembrance of me; yet I kept my muffler as high as I
might."
"If I thought so," said Wayland, "I would ride back and cut him over the
pate; there would be no fear of harming his brains, for he never had
so much as would make pap to a sucking gosling. We must now push on,
however, and at Donnington we will leave the oaf's horse, that he may
have no further temptation to pursue us, and endeavour to assume such a
change of shape as may baffle his pursuit if he should persevere in it."
The travellers reached Donnington without further alarm, where it became
matter of necessity that the Countess should enjoy two or three hours'
repose, during which Wayland disposed himself, with equal address and
alacrity, to carry through those measures on which the safety of their
future journey seemed to depend.
Exchanging his pedlar's gaberdine for a smock-frock, he carried the
palfrey of Goldthred to the Angel Inn, which was at the other end of the
village from that where our travellers had taken up their quarters. In
the progress of the morning, as he travelled about his other business,
he saw the steed brought forth and delivered to the cutting mercer
himself, who, at the head of a valorous posse of the Hue and Cry, came
to rescue, by force of arms, what was delivered to him without any
other ransom than the price of a huge quantity of ale, drunk out by his
assistants, thirsty, it would seem, with their walk, and concerning
the price of which Master Goldthred had a fierce dispute with the
headborough, whom he had summoned to aid him in raising the country.