CHAPTER XIII
OF THE INCIDENT OF THE COBBLER'S FEAST
"Noble gentlemen," said Douglas when he had returned into his room, "Iam here confronted by a problem that I would fain crave thy learnedassistance in solving. MacGregor," he added, handing Henry's warrant tothe lean scrivener, "recite to us the contents of this parchment."
MacGregor at once proceeded to read the document, which abounded inpompous tautology and redundant sentences. When he had finished withthe preamble he came to the meat of the warrant, which ran: "LordDouglas, friend and ally, we beg of thee the favor that this youngknight, Sir Richard Rohan, Kt., bearer of this paper, shall be engagedin fair and honorable conflict by men of thine own choice to the endthat he return not again into England. We pray thee further to keepfrom Sir Richard Rohan, Kt., all knowledge of the purport of thiswarrant upon thee, Lord Douglas. And as thou shalt bear out its intent,so shalt thy divers affairs prosper before our court. Signed, HenryVII."
"Well, what think you of it, gentlemen?" inquired Douglas whenMacGregor had finished his sing-song droning of the sentences.
"By thy leave, my lord," said the venerable spokesman of the conclave,a very aged man, according to all appearances, whose snowy beardswept to the cord knotted about his waist, "by thy leave and thatof my compeers, I would say that it might be wise to fulfill KingHenry's wishes in so small a matter. This Perkin Warbeck, to whomLady Anna is teaching the manners of a noble, is not yet prepared toassume successfully the part of the dead prince. Not until the youth'sschooling is complete shalt thou, my lord, be justified in setting thybrave men at his back and speeding them across the borders of England.And even then it is not thy wish, as we understand it, to be recognizedas the instigator of this movement. To that end it would be prudent, itbeseemeth me, to set the burden of obligation upon Henry by carryingout his wishes with respect of this Sir Richard Rohan."
"Well and ably said," commented Lord Douglas. "But what cause, thinkyou, had Henry for dispatching the youth from Kenilworth to Yewe toaccomplish a thing that could as well and more surely have been doneupon the tower block?"
"Marry, my lord, an it be not a senseless wine-wager begot at cock-crowafter a night of wild feasting, I am much mistaken withal," observedanother member of the council.
"Belike it is," Douglas agreed. "Belike it is. But 'tis sinful, I takeit, thus to waste an honest body. I like me the young knight's looksmightily, gentlemen, and I say to thee now, an he vanquish in singlecombat those whom thou shalt choose to be his adversaries, I'll appointhim chief of horse when the time grows ripe to send our expeditionagainst the usurper and tyrant, Henry. This is Lady Anna's suggestion,and in her judgment of character I repose the utmost of confidence.Now, noble gentles, lay me thy heads together and appoint me a list offighting men, each of whom shall, according as thou mayst order, insultand duel with the young knight. Let Henry be apprised of our intentionto comply with his behest. Counselors, that is all."
The members of the council thereupon bowed gravely and withdrew totheir own room for the purpose of making out the list in compliancewith Lord Douglas's request.
During the whole of this time, in the curtained alcove below, LadyAnna had been conversing with Sir Richard. From the inception oftheir acquaintance, the young knight had accorded to her a sincereadmiration, and in a very short space she had won his confidence tothe extent that he was now narrating to her the experiences of hisjourney. When he came to the incident of the cutting of saffron velvet,which he had withheld when telling his story to Lord Douglas, LadyAnna displayed a more than passive interest, expressing an earnestwish to see and examine the bit of cloth. When he obediently gave itto her, she took it within her shapely fingers, crumpling it into manywrinkles, arching her fine brows, and making a pretense of feelingjealousy. In fact, whenever opportunity offered, she set his cup tobrimming with sweetest flattery. Like all men of whom she chose to makeinstruments in the furthering of her husband's schemes, Sir Richardbecame a mere creature of clay in her deft hands.
"Lord Douglas told you, Richard," said she, when they were donediscussing the subject of his adventures, "that to-day is the day ofthe Cobbler's Feast. But he was remiss in not adding that it is also mybirthday, and that we have arranged that you shall have seat at tablebetween my lord and me, ... the guest of honor. Though the honor shallbe ours in claiming you as such, brave knight." Thereupon she arosewith a pretty show of reluctance from the cushioned window-seat. "Howold would you take me to be?" she concluded with an arch look.
Sir Richard, extremely sensible of the intimacy of Lady Anna'squestion, flushed with embarrassment. He begged to be excused fromanswering, averring that he had ever been an ill judge of women's ages.When she pressed him for a reply, which she contrived to do withoutseeming to be over bold, he ventured a surmise that she must be nearlyof an age with himself.
"Why, what a flatterer you are to be sure, Richard," she said, laughinggaily. "Beshrew me for a witch, an you are anything more than a mereboy! I am thirty-three, sir knight. Thirty-three this day. But come,"she added, taking his hand, pressing it gently and casting sidelongglances out of a pair of wonderfully expressive brown eyes; "it isnot my wish to keep you altogether to myself. Permit me to acquaintyou with the company in the hall," Lady Anna pursued, as she led SirRichard into the throng of courtiers and maidens. "Till we meet besidethe wassail board, make you merry," she said then. "And forget not toaddress a word or two in my direction. I shall esteem each one of thema ... jewel, Richard."
The young knight perceived, the while he was moving from group to groupreceiving introductions, that the council of powdered jackdaws had beenadjourned. Its members were spread out over the hall, singling out men,one after another, and engaging them in a momentary conversation. Hewas curious to know why, after each of these brief exchanges, he atonce became the object of these men's scrutinizing glances. But, thoughhe recalled the incident later, it was temporarily lost and forgottenamid the banalities of polite talk to which he was obliged to lendconstant ear. Sir Richard entered wholly into the holiday spiritpervading the company, however, and served out honeyed words with azest quite equal in degree with that which he drank them in. He foundthe change from his ardorous and lonely journey to this atmosphere ofgood cheer and loud merriment to be most agreeable. His message hadbeen delivered, his work was now done, and he felt altogether care-freeand happy.
Before the hour set for the feast in the great hall, he was singledout by a page and conducted to a room, which he was told was to be hisduring his stay in Castle Yewe. It was ample in size and magnificentlyfurnished. Its walls and ceiling were trimmed in deep oaken paneling.Over the fireplace, which occupied quite two-thirds of the west side ofthe chamber, the woodwork was fretted and scrolled from mantel-shelfto ceiling. Upon the massive oak bed were neatly arranged a suit ofslashed silk and velvet, a fine lace and linen upper garment, and bootsof soft leather to match. There was also an elegantly fashioned rapierto take the place of the service-blade that he habitually carried athis side. His saddle-bags were flung across a holder fashioned for thepurpose of bearing these inseparable companions of the traveler.
Sir Richard sat down upon the edge of the bed, and before startingto change his dress, took out the cutting of saffron velvet from thebreast of his doublet. He held it at arm's length, regarding it forquite a space with an expression of deep melancholy. He thought againof the beautiful Lady Anna's parting, whispered words--"I shall esteemeach one of them a ... jewel, Richard." They had recurred to him manytimes, and in each instance his heart had undeniably responded in atenderly sentimental way. It occurred to his imaginative fancy thatthe bit of cloth had eyes, and that they were looking at him with sad,reproachful glances. He felt less guilty after he had taken up hissword and solemnly renewed his vow. He made up his mind that neveragain would he be untrue to the cutting of velvet and the maid by whomit had been relinquished into his keeping, but whom he had not yet seen.
With a clearer conscience he went about unbuckling his armor andb
edecking himself in the rich finery that had been so thoughtfullyprovided for him. Sir Richard was the last guest to come down thewide stairway to the floor of the hall. Along each balustrade was arow of carved sockets in which wax torches had been set, and when theyoung knight stepped slowly down between their soft light, full many alanguishing glance sped upward toward him; full many a feminine heartbeat in a perfect rhythm with his tread upon the gray stone steps.
Following Sir Richard's appearance there was a concerted movement inthe direction of the dining hall, with Lord Douglas, Lady Anna, and thebelated arrival in the lead. The room in which the feast of Crispianhad been spread was of vast dimensions. Its ceiling seemed low incomparison with its great length and breadth, and was paneled in highlypolished red cedar. Wainscoting of the same wood, extending to a heightof five feet above the floor, stretched around its four sides. Abovethis the walls were covered with rich tapestries, with designs woven inarras, representing a brave array of martial scenes, pictures of thechase and conflicts within the lists. Stretching from end to end of thehall stood the magnificently decorated table, which had been spreadwith lavish and bountiful hands. Forty wax torches shed a bright glowover the scene of princely festivities.
Sir Richard was indeed the guest of honor, having a seat above the saltbetween the lord and lady of the castle. A silken canopy, dependingfrom gilded chains fastened to the ceiling, swung just above theirheads. Musicians, dressed in the fantastic garb of the troubadoursof that time, filled the room with delightful melodies. Merrily thefeast progressed, with constantly augmenting talk and laughter asthe delicately chased silver flagons emptied their sparkling streamsinto the tankards held beneath them. There was wassail on wassail,downed amid the tinkling of golden cups and the hoarse bellowing ofbearded, tipsy knights. Sir Richard took his full measure of enjoymentout of the occasion, though he suffered a secret regret because ofhis inability to keep up his end with some of the old campaignersin the matter of the drink. Even now he was sensible of the factthat surrounding objects were assuming an exaggerated brilliancy andbeauty, combined with a certain vagueness that rendered their charmindefinably more alluring. He felt his blood coursing like moltensilver through his veins. His only outward manifestations of the wine'sstimulating influence, however, were a fastidious politeness andsolicitous interest on behalf of those about him.
When Lady Anna pressed his foot softly beneath the board, the youngknight again committed the sin of being untrue to the cutting ofsaffron velvet.
"'Tis now your turn to give us wassail, Richard," said she, with aslight uplifting of her brows that went to his head with a greatereffect than the wine.
"Give thee all bonnie Scotland, ... her good sovereign, ... LordDouglas, our good host, the lovely Lady Anna, and the King of England,"Sir Richard shouted, getting to his feet, with brimming glass stretchedhalf across the table.
A brawny knight, dressed handsomely in brown leather slashed withcrimson velvet, reached across and rudely struck his hand, slopping agood portion of the wine about among the guests. Without a moment'shesitation Sir Richard gave his insulter the remainder of it in hisface, amid a transitory silence, profound and tomblike.
Followed then, upon the instant, the excited babbling of many voices,from which entanglement of sound Sir Richard contrived to isolate thefact that he had been challenged, and that they were to meet in thecastle yard at dawning of that morning.
"There are here, around this board to-night, a dozen better blades thanhe," Lady Anna whispered low in the young knight's ear when somethingapproaching order had been restored. "For my sake, Richard, you mustnot fail to vanquish him," she added, with another pressure of herdainty foot.
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