Men of Iron

by Howard Pyle

  CHAPTER 20

  So for a little while Myles was disposed to congratulate himself uponhaving come off so well from his adventure with the Earl. But after aday or two had passed, and he had time for second thought, he began tomisdoubt whether, after all, he might not have carried it with a betterair if he had shown more chivalrous boldness in the presence of his truelady; whether it would not have redounded more to his credit if he hadin some way asserted his rights as the young dame's knight-errant anddefender. Was it not ignominious to resign his rights and privileges soeasily and tamely at a signal from the Earl?

  "For, in sooth," said he to Gascoyne, as the two talked the matter over,"she hath, in a certain way, accepted me for her knight, and yet I stoodme there without saying so much as one single word in her behalf."

  "Nay," said Gascoyne, "I would not trouble me on that score. Methinksthat thou didst come off wondrous well out of the business. I would nothave thought it possible that my Lord could ha' been so patient withthee as he showed himself. Methinks, forsooth, he must hold thee privilyin right high esteem."

  "Truly," said Myles, after a little pause of meditative silence, "I knownot of any esteem, yet I do think he was passing patient with me in thismatter. But ne'theless, Francis, that changeth not my stand in the case.Yea, I did shamefully, so to resign my lady without speaking one word;nor will I so resign her even yet. I have bethought me much of thismatter of late, Francis, and now I come to thee to help me from my evilcase. I would have thee act the part of a true friend to me--like thatone I have told thee of in the story of the Emperor Justinian. I wouldhave thee, when next thou servest in the house, to so contrive that myLady Alice shall get a letter which I shall presently write, and whereinI may set all that is crooked straight again."

  "Heaven forbid," said Gascoyne, hastily, "that I should be such a foolas to burn my fingers in drawing thy nuts from the fire! Deliver thyletter thyself, good fellow!"

  So spoke Gascoyne, yet after all he ended, as he usually did, byyielding to Myles's superior will and persistence. So the letter waswritten and one day the good-natured Gascoyne carried it with him to thehouse, and the opportunity offering, gave it to one of the young ladiesattendant upon the Countess's family--a lass with whom he had friendlyintimacy--to be delivered to Lady Alice.

  But if Myles congratulated himself upon the success of this newadventure, it was not for long. That night, as the crowd of pages andsquires were making themselves ready for bed, the call came through theuproar for "Myles Falworth! Myles Falworth!"

  "Here I be," cried Myles, standing up on his cot. "Who calleth me?"

  It was the groom of the Earl's bedchamber, and seeing Myles standingthus raised above the others, he came walking down the length of theroom towards him, the wonted hubbub gradually silencing as he advancedand the youngsters turning, staring, and wondering.

  "My Lord would speak with thee, Myles Falworth," said the groom, when hehad come close enough to where Myles stood. "Busk thee and make ready;he is at livery even now."

  The groom's words fell upon Myles like a blow. He stood for a whilestaring wide-eyed. "My Lord speak with me, sayst thou!" he ejaculated atlast.

  "Aye," said the other, impatiently; "get thee ready quickly. I mustreturn anon."

  Myles's head was in a whirl as he hastily changed his clothes for abetter suit, Gascoyne helping him. What could the Earl want with him atthis hour? He knew in his heart what it was; the interview could concernnothing but the letter that he had sent to Lady Alice that day. As hefollowed the groom through the now dark and silent courts, and acrossthe corner of the great quadrangle, and so to the Earl's house, he triedto brace his failing courage to meet the coming interview. Nevertheless,his heart beat tumultuously as he followed the other down the longcorridor, lit only by a flaring link set in a wrought-iron bracket. Thenhis conductor lifted the arras at the door of the bedchamber, whencecame the murmuring sound of many voices, and holding it aside, beckonedhim to enter, and Myles passed within. At the first, he was consciousof nothing but a crowd of people, and of the brightness of many lightedcandles; then he saw that he stood in a great airy room spread with awoven mat of rushes. On three sides the walls were hung with tapestryrepresenting hunting and battle scenes, at the farther end, where thebed stood, the stone wall of the fourth side was covered with cloth ofblue, embroidered with silver goshawks. Even now, in the ripe springtimeof May, the room was still chilly, and a great fire roared and crackledin the huge gaping mouth of the stone fireplace. Not far from the blazewere clustered the greater part of those present, buzzing in talk, nowand then swelled by murmuring laughter. Some of those who knew Mylesnodded to him, and two or three spoke to him as he stood waiting, whilstthe groom went forward to speak to the Earl; though what they said andwhat he answered, Myles, in his bewilderment and trepidation, hardlyknew.

  As was said before, the livery was the last meal of the day, and wastaken in bed. It was a simple repast--a manchette, or small loaf ofbread of pure white flour, a loaf of household bread, sometimes a lumpof cheese, and either a great flagon of ale or of sweet wine, warmand spiced. The Earl was sitting upright in bed, dressed in a furreddressing-gown, and propped up by two cylindrical bolsters of crimsonsatin. Upon the coverlet, and spread over his knees, was a large widenapkin of linen fringed with silver thread, and on it rested a silvertray containing the bread and some cheese. Two pages and three gentlemenwere waiting upon him, and Mad Noll, the jester, stood at the head ofthe bed, now and then jingling his bawble and passing some quaint jestupon the chance of making his master smile. Upon a table near by weresome dozen or so waxen tapers struck upon as many spiked candlesticksof silver-gilt, and illuminating that end of the room with their brighttwinkling flames. One of the gentlemen was in the act of serving theEarl with a goblet of wine, poured from a silver ewer by one of thesquires, as the groom of the chamber came forward and spoke. The Earl,taking the goblet, turned his head, and as Myles looked, their eyes met.Then the Earl turned away again and raised the cup to his lips, whileMyles felt his heart beat more rapidly than ever.

  But at last the meal was ended, and the Earl washed his hands and hismouth and his beard from a silver basin of scented water held by anotherone of the squires. Then, leaning back against the pillows, he beckonedto Myles.

  In answer Myles walked forward the length of the room, conscious thatall eyes were fixed upon him. The Earl said something, and those whostood near drew back as he came forward. Then Myles found himselfstanding beside the bed, looking down upon the quilted counterpane,feeling that the other was gazing fixedly at him.

  "I sent for thee," said the Earl at last, still looking steadily athim, "because this afternoon came a letter to my hand which thou hadstwritten to my niece, the Lady Alice. I have it here," said he, thrustinghis hand under the bolster, "and have just now finished reading it."Then, after a moment's pause, whilst he opened the parchment and scannedit again, "I find no matter of harm in it, but hereafter write no moresuch." He spoke entirely without anger, and Myles looked up in wonder."Here, take it," said the Earl, folding the letter and tossing it toMyles, who instinctively caught it, "and henceforth trouble thou myniece no more either by letter or any other way. I thought haply thouwouldst be at some such saucy trick, and I made Alice promise to let meknow when it happed. Now, I say, let this be an end of the matter. Dostthou not know thou mayst injure her by such witless folly as that ofmeeting her privily, and privily writing to her?"

  "I meant no harm," said Myles.

  "I believe thee," said the Earl. "That will do now; thou mayst go."

  Myles hesitated.

  "What wouldst thou say?" said Lord Mackworth.

  "Only this," said Myles, "an I have thy leave so to do, that the LadyAlice hath chosen me to be her knight, and so, whether I may see her orspeak with her or no, the laws of chivalry give me, who am gentle born,the right to serve her as a true knight may."

  "As a true fool may," said the Earl, dryly. "Why, how now, thou art nota knight yet, nor anything but a raw
lump of a boy. What rights do thelaws of chivalry give thee, sirrah? Thou art a fool!"

  Had the Earl been ever so angry, his words would have been less bitterto Myles than his cool, unmoved patience; it mortified his pride andgalled it to the quick.

  "I know that thou dost hold me in contempt," he mumbled.

  "Out upon thee!" said the Earl, testily. "Thou dost tease me beyondpatience. I hold thee in contempt, forsooth! Why, look thee, hadst thoubeen other than thou art, I would have had thee whipped out of my houselong since. Thinkest thou I would have borne so patiently with anotherone of ye squires had such an one held secret meeting with my daughterand niece, and tampered, as thou hast done, with my household, sendingthrough one of my people that letter? Go to; thou art a fool, MylesFalworth!"

  Myles stood staring at the Earl without making an effort to speak. Thewords that he had heard suddenly flashed, as it were, a new light intohis mind. In that flash he fully recognized, and for the first time,the strange and wonderful forbearance the great Earl had shown to him,a poor obscure boy. What did it mean? Was Lord Mackworth his secretfriend, after all, as Gascoyne had more than once asserted? So Mylesstood silent, thinking many things.

  Meantime the other lay back upon the cylindrical bolsters, lookingthoughtfully at him. "How old art thou?" said he at last.

  "Seventeen last April," answered Myles.

  "Then thou art old enough to have some of the thoughts of a man, and tolay aside those of a boy. Haply thou hast had foolish things in thyhead this short time past; it is time that thou put them away. Harkee,sirrah! the Lady Alice is a great heiress in her own right, and maystcommand the best alliance in England--an Earl--a Duke. She groweth apaceto a woman, and then her kind lieth in Courts and great houses. As forthee, thou art but a poor lad, penniless and without friends to aid theeto open advancement. Thy father is attainted, and one whisper of wherehe lieth hid would bring him thence to the Tower, and haply to theblock. Besides that, he hath an enemy, as Sir James Lee hath alreadytold thee--an enemy perhaps more great and powerful than myself. Thatenemy watcheth for thy father and for thee; shouldst thou dare raise thyhead or thy fortune ever so little, he would haply crop them both, andthat parlously quick. Myles Falworth, how dost thou dare to lift thineeyes to the Lady Alice de Mowbray?"

  Poor Myles stood silent and motionless. "Sir," said he at last, in adry choking voice, "thou art right, and I have been a fool. Sir, I willnever raise mine eyes to look upon the Lady Alice more."

  "I say not that either, boy," said the Earl; "but ere thou dost so dare,thou must first place thyself and thy family whence ye fell. Till then,as thou art an honest man, trouble her not. Now get thee gone."

  As Myles crossed the dark and silent courtyards, and looked up at theclear, still twinkle of the stars, he felt a kind of dull wonder thatthey and the night and the world should seem so much the same, and he beso different.

  The first stroke had been given that was to break in pieces his boyhoodlife--the second was soon to follow.