He was a man of meagre frame, who had left his youth. He was not old to himself, but he was to her. His right eye had been lost on a dagger’s point. His left arm (he said) was of little use, a sinew having been cut across. For these hurts, and his little frame, he stood excused from the war. But to one who watched him move at his work he appeared hardy and strong.
Venetia understood him well, for he was like herself, though of lower kind. He would be traitor to any for the best price he could get, which need not be much. She knew well what he wanted of her, which she had sold to others before. But she thought that she had made it worth a better price than she had taken at first. Now she saw two difficulties, even if she had been disposed to go to market with him. The one was that he did n
