And after a little he became much more friendly.
"Why do you stand with your match alight ?" I asked of him after we had been a while silent.
"Why, to keep a border knife out of Jorian's back, of course, while he is turning the fry in the pan," said he, as simply as if he had said that 'twas a fine night without, or that the moon was full.
"I wish I could help," I sighed, a little wistfully, for I wished him to think well of me.
"What!" he exclaimed--"with the frying-pan?
Well, there is the basting ladle!" he retorted, and laughed in his old manner.
I own that, being yet little more than a lad, the tears stood in my eyes to be so flouted and made nothing of.
"I will show you perhaps sooner than you think that I am neither a coward nor a babe!" I said, in high dudgeon.
And so went and stood by myself over against the farther door of the three, which led from the outer hall to the apartments in which I could hear the murmur of women's voices.

And it was lucky that I did so.

For even as I reached the door a sharp cry of terror came from within, and there at the inner portal I caught sight of a narrow, foxy, peering visage, and a lean, writhing figure, prone like a worm on its belly.

The rascal had been crawling towards Helene's room, for what purpose I know not.

Nor did I stop to inquire, for, being stung by the taunt of the man-at-arms, I was on Foxface in a moment, stamping upon him with my iron-shod feet, and then lifting him unceremoniously up by the slackness of his back covertures, I turned him over and over like a wheel, tumbling him out of the doorway into the outer hall with an astonishing clatter, shedding knives and daggers as he went.
It was certainly a pity for the fellow that Boris had taunted me so lately.