Digital heart book

"A plague upon thee, shrew!" he said. "An ye be so feeble of hand,
ye should keep the closer guard upon your tongue. But I'll be
hanged before I beat you!" and he put on his belt again. "Beat you
I will not," he continued; "but forgive you?--never. I knew ye
not; ye were my master's enemy; I lent you my horse; my dinner ye
have eaten; y' 'ave called me a man o' wood, a coward, and a bully.
Nay, by the mass! the measure is filled, and runneth over. 'Tis a
great thing to be weak, I trow: ye can do your worst, yet shall
none punish you; ye may steal a man's weapons in the hour of need,
yet may the man not take his own again;--y' are weak, forsooth!
Nay, then, if one cometh charging at you with a lance, and crieth
he is weak, ye must let him pierce your body through! Tut! fool
words!"
"And yet ye beat me not," returned Matcham.
"Let be," said Dick--"let be. I will instruct you. Y' 'ave been
ill-nurtured, methinks, and yet ye have the makings of some good,
and, beyond all question, saved me from the river.


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