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2. CHAPTER II.
THE BRAZEN NOSE.

It was midnight, within about ten minutes, and Sir
Hildebrand Hellytisplit still slept. At this moment a
slight noise was heard at the door, and, bearing in his
hand a tin lantern, a knight of gigantic size, — some five
feet six in height, — in complete armor, strode into the
tent. He gazed intently upon the sleeper, and then, in

a suppressed voice, of great anguish, sighed out, “Ah!
oh! um!” and sank into a seat, like a cooking-stove.
His face could not be seen, but there was a dignity about
the strange knight that betokened a genteel bringing-up,
which had won the respect of the man-at-arms, who had
been bribed by a ninepence to admit him to the tent, on
the plea of “special business.”

His armor was of complete black, with no distinguishing
mark, save a huge nose of brass, borne upon the
casque, which gleamed in the light of the lantern like a
quart pot. Taking a pencil from one pocket, and a card
from another, he wrote a few hurried lines; when, whispering
to the man-at-arms for an envelope and a wafer, he
sealed the missive, and deposited it by the side of the
sleeping Sir Hildebrand, saying to the admiring attendant,
“No trouble, sirrah, about mailing letters here;
we can mail them with our own mailed hands, eh!” It
were better he had not uttered this; for the man, who
hoped for further largess, laughed loudly at the pleasantry.

The light in the lantern disappeared, as Sir Hildebrand
Hellytisplit awoke, and, starting upon his elbow, he cried
aloud, “What, ho! without there? What 'n thunder 's
all that noise about?” The men-at-arms and squires
came rushing in, rubbing their eyes. None had heard
the noise, and, at the suggestion of Walter de Coursey
Stubbs, that he had been awakened by his own snoring,
Sir Hildebrand turned over and went to sleep again.

“Keep shady,” was the parting word of the stranger
knight, as he placed a quarter in the hand of Walter, and
strode forth from the tent. Mystery crowned the hour.