Forest Days: A Romance of Old Times

by G. P. R. James

  CHAPTER V.

  Such events as we have described in the last chapter were by no meansuncommon in the fairs and merry-makings of England at the period ofhistory in which our tale is laid. The sunshiny gaiety of the morning,in the April day of states and societies, is too often changed intosorrow and clouds ere night.

  The sports were not resumed upon the village green; and all theamusements and occupations with which a May-day generally closed--thefresh dances by the moonlight, on the delights of which old FitzStephen so fondly dwells, the parting of the garlands, the gifts offlowers, the light song, and the gay tale amongst the young; with themerry jest, the wassail cup, and the game of chance amongst the elder,were all forgotten. The villagers and country people dispersed each totheir several homes, and the inn, with such conveniences as it couldafford, was given up to the nobles and their train. Arrangements weremade for accommodating all the men of high degree with chambers, if notsuitable to their rank, at least possessing some degree of comfort.Truckle beds were found for pages and squires, and straw was laid downfor the yeomen, who were accustomed to lie across the doors of theirmasters' rooms. Much bustle and confusion was of course created by allthese proceedings; horses had to be taken care of as well as men; andthe voice of the good host was heard frequently shouting aloud for hisdaughter Kate, or grumbling low at her giddy idleness in being absentat such a moment as that.

  "Ay, Master Greenly, Master Greenly!" said the tapster--"it is May-dayevening, remember. Pretty Kate has twenty lads courting her by thistime, if you could but see. I should not wonder if she and youngHarland were kissing and making-up behind the church, at this moment."

  "Not they," replied the host; "it will take her a fortnight to get overthat matter. Kate's a silly girl, she could'nt do better for herselfthan young Harland. Why his father, old Ralph, is as rich as an abbey,and as hospitable as a county knight; his table is never without a pieor a pasty from ten in the morning till vespers, and there's ale forwhoever chooses to draw it. I would sooner be a franklin in these daysthan a baron by half. Run out, Bessy, and see if you can find Kateanywhere."

  In the meanwhile, after some conversation on the green at the door ofthe inn, the lords had taken possession of the little room of commonreception, while their chambers were prepared for sleeping; and a cook,who had been brought with the party, established himself in thekitchen, and, aided by his own particular assistant, or knave, as hecalled him, together with two women belonging to the household of JohnGreenly, was preparing a supper for his masters from all that he couldlay hands on in the place, in addition to a large body of capons, youngducks, and pigeons, which, as well as spices and other rich condiments,had been brought thither on two sumpter horses. The scanty number ofpersonages assembled in the little hall, indeed, did not justify thegreat profusion of good things which the cook was so busily concocting,but he very prudently considered that he himself was to be fed as wellas the host, to whom, in case of civility and obedience, he made apoint of extending his bounties, and that all the chief servants of thedifferent gentlemen present, with his special favourites and friends inthe retinue of his own master, would also expect to be regaled, atleast as well as their several lords.

  To that master and his companions, however--amounting, in the whole, tothe number of ten personages--we must now turn; but it is only of four,out of the whole party, that we shall give any particular description,having already said enough of Richard de Ashby, and the five othersbeing gentlemen, whose history, though mixed up in some degree with thefate of those we are most interested in, did not affect it soimmediately as to require us to present a minute portrait of each tothe eye of the reader.

  The Earl of Ashby himself was a man considerably past the prime oflife, and of what was then called a choleric temperament, which doesnot alone mean that he was hot in temper and disposition, but that hewas constitutionally so. Age, indeed, had in some degree tamed hisfiery blood; and a good deal of indulgence in the pleasures of thetable, with no great distaste for good old wine of any country, hadtended to enfeeble him more than even time had done.

  He had still a great opinion of his own importance, however, and lookedupon his skill in arms, wisdom in council, and judgment in matters oftaste, as by no means inferior to the first in the land; and, to saythe truth, when once upon his horse's back, and armed at all points, hewould bide a blow, or lead a charge, with any man, although his kneesbent somewhat under him when on foot, and he was glad enough to befreed from the weight of his armour as soon as possible. His judgment,too, was a sound one when not biassed by passion, though there was acertain degree of wavering unsteadiness in his character, proceedingmore from temper than from weakness of mind, which rendered him aninsecure ally in trying circumstances. He piqued himself much uponbeing just, too, but like many other people who do so, his justice hadalmost always a tinge of prejudice in it, and was in fact but aperception of specious arguments in favour of the side that heespoused.

  His son, Alured de Ashby, resembled his father in many points; but manyof his mother's qualities entered into his character likewise. The oldEarl had married a foreigner, a sister of the King of Minorca--kingdomsbeing, in those days, very often but small things. Her dowry had beenin proportion to her brother's territory; but to her husband shebrought an accession of dignity, and increased his pride by her own.That pride was, perhaps, her only bad quality, for a strong andpertinacious determination of character, which she also possessed, was,of course, good or bad according to the direction in which it wasguided. She, herself, being of a fine mind, and a high-spirited thoughtender heart, had employed the resolute firmness of which we speak tostruggle against the misfortunes that beset her father and her brotherduring her early years, and to give them support and strength inresisting a torrent which seemed destined to sweep them away.

  Her son, however, nurtured in prosperity, and pampered by praises andindulgence, possessed her pride in its full force, without themitigating influence of her kindness and tenderness of heart; and,neither having so good a judgment, nor such high motives, as herself,what was firmness in her became obstinacy in him--an obstinacy of aharsh and unpleasant kind. He was by no means without talents,indeed,--was as stout a man-at-arms as ever sat in the saddle, had anatural taste and genius for war, and had distinguished himself in manyof the expeditions, or _chevauch?es_, of the time. He was a high andhonourable man, too, kept his word strictly, wronged no one but throughpride, and was generous and liberal of his purse. Thus he was esteemedand respected more than liked, and was more popular with his inferiorsthan with his equals.

  One knightly quality, it is true, he wanted. He cared little for love,there being only one person in the world, after his mother's death, forwhom he ever felt anything like real tenderness. That person was hissister. She was nine years younger than himself; he had held her on hisknee when she was an infant; she had been a plaything to him in herchildhood, and an object of interest during her whole life. Perhaps thereason that he so loved her was, that she was the very reverse ofhimself in all respects: gentle, yet gay, and lively almost towildness; tenderhearted, clinging, and affectionate, yet with a spiceof saucy independence withal, which often set rules and regulations atdefiance, and laughed at anger which she knew would fall but lightly onher head.

  As we shall have to speak more of her hereafter, however, we will nowturn to another of our group, and talk of the good Earl, whose trustyman, Blawket, we have already introduced to the reader's notice. Hugh,Lord of Monthermer, or Mo'thermer, as it was generally pronounced--andwhom, as his name is not a very musical one, we shall more frequentlycall "the Earl"--was in the fifty-ninth or sixtieth year of his age;and--as he had seen many perils by land and sea, had been in warsagainst the heathen, both in Spain and Palestine, and had spent thegreater part of his life in the tented field, and on the battleplain--his frame was somewhat worn and shaken, though he had once wellmerited the name which had been bestowed upon him in early years, whenpeople, from the hardships which
he endured unshrinkingly, hadcalled him _Iron Monthermer_. He was still strong and powerful,however--though gaunt and meagre; a brown tint of health was upon hisface, and the light of clear and strong intelligence was in his eye.His features were aquiline, and somewhat harsh, his chin prominent, hisbrow strongly marked, and his forehead high and capacious, with hiswhite hair lying lightly upon it, like snow upon a mountain.Notwithstanding several defects in point of beauty, and a sternness ofoutline in almost every feature, there was something uncommonlypleasing, as well as striking, in the whole expression of hiscountenance, and one read there kindness of heart, as well as firmnessand decision of character. He was habited richly enough, but notgorgeously so; and, though not what was considered armed in those days,he carried more weapons, but of a different sort, about his person thanis required for any modern trooper.

  The fourth person, of whose appearance we shall now give some account,was the young man who had ridden forward to speak with Ralph Harland,Hugh de Monthermer by name, but commonly called by all who knew him,"The Lord Hugh." He was the only nephew of the Earl, and presumptiveheir to his title and estates. At the same time, however, he wasaltogether independent of his uncle, being the son of that James deMonthermer, who was summoned to parliament in the first year of thereign of Henry the Third, as Baron Amesbury, having married the heiressof that ancient house. His father had long been dead; and as he hadreceived his military education under his uncle, he still attachedhimself to that nobleman--respecting him as a parent, and treated byhim as a son. He was some four or five years younger than Alured deAshby, but had nevertheless gained considerable renown in arms, bothunder his uncle, and in service, which he had taken for a time with theKing of Castile, in order to win his knightly spurs with honour. Inperson, he somewhat resembled the Earl, though he was taller, and hisfeatures were both softened by youth, and were smaller in themselves.His complexion was of a dark, warm brown, his hair short and curling,his hazel eyes full of light and fire, and a frank, but somewhatsarcastic smile, playing frequently about his well-cut lip. On thewhole, it is seldom that a handsomer face meets the eye, and hiscountenance well expressed the spirit within, which was gay andcheerful, but none the less thoughtful and imaginative. There might bea slight touch of satirical sharpness in his disposition, which oftenprompted a laugh or a jest at any of the many follies that an observingeye, in all ages, and all states of society, must meet at every turn.But a kind heart and a well regulated mind taught him to repress,rather than to encourage such a disposition, and it seldom broke forthunless the absurdity was very gross.

  In those ages it was rare to find a man in his station who possessedeven a very low degree of learning. To read and write was anaccomplishment, and anything like elegance of composition, or aknowledge of classical lore, was hardly, if ever, dreamt of. In theserespects, however, circumstances had given Hugh de Monthermer anadvantage over many of his contemporaries. Various foreign languages hehad acquired in following his uncle; and having been crushed and nearlykilled, by his horse falling in one of the passes of the Taurus, he hadbeen left for several months in a convent amongst the mountains, whilebroken bones were set, and health restored, by the skill of the monks.There, some of the friars, more learned than the rest, had taken apleasure in solacing his weary hours, by communicating to him what wasthen considered a rich store of knowledge. With a quick and intelligentmind, he had thus gained, not only much information at the time, but ataste for reading, which in after years excited some envy, and calledforth many a scoff from others, who had themselves no inclination forany exercises but those of the body.

  Amongst these was Alured de Ashby, who affected to hold his militarytalents cheap, and called him a book-worm; but, nevertheless, Hugh deMonthermer quietly pursued his course, although, to say the truth, forreasons of his own, he was not a little anxious to gain the friendshipof the house of Ashby, which during many years had been separated fromhis own by one of those fierce and bloody feuds that so often existedin those days between the noble families of the land. Thereconciliation of the two houses had been but lately effected, andcould scarcely yet be called cordial, though the bond of party feelingbrought them frequently into long and intimate communication with eachother.

  The dress of the young Lord was not so homely as that of his uncle;there might, indeed, be a little foppery in it; for though the colourswere dark, yet the embroidery which appeared in every part was rich andcostly, and the long and hanging sleeves of the loose coat he wore, wasin itself one of the distinguishing marks of a petit ma?tre of thatday. Into the extreme, however, he did not go: there was no long andbraided hair, there were no devils, and angels, and cupids, hangingover his head on a fanciful hood; but instead of that most ugly part ofour ancient garments, he wore a cap or hat, a mode then common inFlanders and in Italy, with a long feather crossing from right to left,and nearly touching his shoulder. With the exception of the loosetunic, or gown, all the rest of his dress fitted as closely aspossible, leaving nothing to embarrass the free action of his limbs,except, indeed, the long points of his shoes, which, though verymoderate for that period, were certainly not less than twenty incheslonger than necessary.

  The rest of the party was composed of several noblemen, wealthy andpowerful, but of less distinction than the two Earls we have mentioned,and evidently looking up to them as to their leaders; and besidesthese, was a distant cousin of the Earl of Monthermer, brought, as itwere, to balance the presence of Richard de Ashby, though, to say thetruth, if he more than outweighed that gentleman in wealth andrespectability, he was very much his inferior in cunning and talents.

  As a matter of course, the events which had just taken place upon thegreen formed the first subject of conversation with the personagesassembled in the inn. The younger men only laughed over the occurrence."You must get some fair lady to darn the hole in your hood, Richard,"said the Lord Alured.

  "I wonder," added another of the young noblemen, "that the arrow didnot carry away one of those soft tresses."

  "It might well have been called Scathelock, then," observed a third.

  "It only disturbed a little of the perfume," rejoined Alured. The eldergentleman, however, treated the matter more seriously. The Earl ofAshby rated his kinsman with an angry brow for his licentiousness, andrepresented to him with great justice the evil of nobles bringingthemselves into bad repute with the people.

  "Do you not know," he said, "that at the present moment, between theking and his foreign minions on the one hand, and the people on theother, the English noblemen have to make their choice?--and, of course,it is by the people that we must stand. They are our support, and ourstrength, and we must avoid in all things giving them just cause ofcomplaint. Scathelock?--Scathelock?--I have heard that name."

  "You must have heard if often, my father," said Alured de Ashby. "It isthe name of one of our good forest outlaws of Sherwood. I have seen theman twice in the neighbourhood of our own place, and though I did notmark this fellow with the arrow much, he has the same look and air."

  "Seen him twice, and did not arrest him?" cried Richard de Ashby, withmarked emphasis.

  "Heaven forefend!" exclaimed Alured laughing. "What, arrest a goodEnglish yeoman, on account of a taste for the King's venison! If Harrywould throw open his forests to us, and not give to proud Frenchmen andSpaniards rights that he denies to his English nobles, we might helphim in such matters; but as it is, no free-forester shall ever bearrested by our people, or on our land."

  The Earl of Monthermer and his nephew had both been silent, leaving therebuke of Richard de Ashby to his own relations; for they well knew thejealousy of the nobles with whom they were leagued, and were anxious toavoid every matter of offence. The poor kinsman, however, hadestablished a right to sneer even at the proud Earl of Ashby and his noless haughty son, upon grounds which at first sight would seem toafford no basis for such a privilege. His poverty and partialdependence upon them had taught them to endure much at his hands whichthey would have borne from no other man on earth; and he
, keen-sightedin taking advantage of the higher as well as the lower qualities of allthose he had to do with, failed not to render their forbearance amatter of habit, by frequently trying it as far as he dared to venture.

  "Forgive an old proverb, Alured," he replied, "but you know, it issaid, that 'fowls of a feather flock together.' Perhaps, as you loveforest thieves so well, you have no distaste for the King's venisonyourself?"

  "An unlucky proverb for you, Richard," said the young lord, while hisfather's cheek got somewhat red; "if what we have heard be true, thefowls you flock with are not quite those that suit our presentpurposes."

  "What you have heard!" exclaimed Richard de Ashby, turning somewhatpale. "If you have heard aught against me," he added, after aninstant's thought, turning at the same time towards Hugh de Monthermer,and bowing low, "I know to what noble hands I may trace it."

  "You are mistaken, sir," said Hugh, sternly. "Respect for these twonoble lords, your kinsmen, has made me eager that no charge should bebrought against you by any of our people. Of this they are well aware."

  "And they are aware also," added the Earl, "that both I and my nephewdeclared from the first that we believe you utterly innocent of allknowledge of the fact, even if it should prove to be true."

  "What fact?" demanded Richard, in a low tone, and with a wandering eye,which did not produce a very favourable impression on the minds Ofthose who observed his countenance. "What fact, my lord?--but anycharge brought by a Monthermer, or one of a Monthermer's followers,against an Ashby; should be viewed with some slight caution, methinks."

  "Certainly!" said Alured de Ashby, in a marked tone.

  But to the surprise of both, the Earl of Monthermer added likewise,"Certainly!--Old feuds, even after they are happily laid at rest," hecontinued, calmly, "will leave rankling suspicions, especially in theminds of the low and the uneducated, and such I doubt not may be, insome degree at least, the origin of a charge to which I would not havelistened for a moment, if it had not been that my good lord and friendhere, who was present when it was made this morning, insisted that itshould be inquired into.--The charge is this, sir, that you have withyou, disguised as one of your servants, a spy of the King's. Thisaccusation was brought by my good yeoman, Blawket, who vows he saw thatman with you when I sent him to meet you and others here but a few daysago.--Sir, you seem agitated, and I know that such a charge mustnecessarily affect any gentleman deeply; but my Lord of Ashby herepresent is well aware that, from the first, I declared my conviction ofyour innocence of all share in the transaction."

  "I assure you, my lord,--on my honour, gentlemen believe me," criedRichard de Ashby, hesitating, "it is not true--the man is a liar!"

  "No, Sir Richard, no," said Hugh de Monthermer at once, "the man is noliar, but as honest a yeoman as ever lived. You may have been deceived,Sir Richard," he added, with a slight smile curling his lip; "we areall of us subject to be deceived, occasionally. Blawket may have beendeceived, too; but that I should say may soon be proved, for hedeclares that the leopards of Henry of Winchester will be found uponthe breast of your servant, Richard Keen."

  "Fool!" muttered Richard de Ashby to himself, but at the same momenthis kinsman, the Earl, exclaimed, "Let him be sent for--let him be sentfor!"

  "I will call him immediately," said Richard de Ashby, turning towardsthe door; "but I declare, so help me Heaven! if this man have ever beenin the King's service, it is more than I know."

  "Stay, stay, Richard!" exclaimed the Lord Alured. "Let some one else goand call him, and let no word be said to him of the matter in hand."

  "Do you doubt me, my lord?" demanded his kinsman, turning upon him witha frowning brow. "If I am to have no support from my own relations----"

  "An honest man needs no support, sir, but his own honesty," said LordAlured, interrupting him. "Not that I doubt thee, Richard," hecontinued; "but I would fain have thee tell me how that fellow cameinto thy service, while some one else calls him hither. Sir Charles LeMoore, I pr'ythee bid them send hither this Richard Keen. Now, goodcousin, tell us how this man came to thee, for he is not one of our ownpeople born, that is evident. Richard Keen! I never heard the name."

  "How he came to me, matters not much to the question," replied Richardde Ashby. "I hired him in London. I was told he was a serviceableknave, had been in France and Almaine, and--but here comes Sir CharlesLe Moore. Have you not found him?"--and as he spoke he fixed his eyeseagerly, but with a dark smile, upon the face of the gentleman whoentered, as if some anticipations of triumph had crossed his mind.

  "The people have gone to seek him," said Sir Charles; "he is somewhereabout the green, and it is growing dark; so I let them go, as I knownot the place."

  A moment or two elapsed, but before the conversation could be generallyrenewed, one of the attendants of the Earl of Ashby appeared at thedoor, bringing intelligence that Richard Keen was nowhere to be found,and that his horse and saddle-bags had disappeared also.

  The kinsman of the Earl of Ashby affected to be furious at thenews--"The villain has robbed me of the horse," he said, "and,doubtless, of other things also. My lord," he continued, tuning to theEarl of Monthermer, "I beg your pardon; doubtless your servant wasright, and this man has fled, having obtained same intimation of thecharge against him. Did any of you see him go?" he added, addressingthe servant who had appeared.

  "No, sir," replied the yeoman. "We were all upon the green, for it musthave been, while these noble lords were talking with you, before theycame in, that he went away. The host saw him go toward the stable, justbefore the arrow was shot that stuck in your hood."

  Richard de Ashby frowned, for the man's tone was certainly not the mostrespectful. But before any observation could be made, a noise andbustle was heard without, which suspended the reply upon the lips ofthe Earl's kinsman; and the next moment, the landlord himself, with hisfull round face on fire with anger and grief, pushed his way into theroom, exclaiming--"Noble lords and gentlemen, I claim justice and help.They have taken away my daughter from me--they have corrupted andcarried off my poor Kate.--You, sir, you are at the bottom of this!" hecontinued, turning furiously to Richard de Ashby. "I have seen yourwhisperings and your talkings!--My good lords and gentlemen, I claimjustice and assistance."

  "How now!" cried Richard de Ashby, in as fierce a tone as his own, butnot quite so natural a one. "Dare you say that I have anything to dowith this? Your light-o'-love daughter has made mischief enough to-nightalready. Let us hear no more of her. Doubtless you will find her insome cottage, if not in the woods, with her lover, trying to make up bycourtesies for her fickle conduct of this morning."

  "No, sir--no, no, no!" replied the host, vehemently; "she is in neitherof those places! She was seen, some half an hour ago, going out at theend of the village with your servant beside her; and a boy says that hefound a black mare tied to a tree not a quarter of a mile along theroad. Gentlemen, I pray you do me right, and suffer not my child to betaken from me in this way by any one, be he gentle or simple."

  "Was your daughter going willingly!" demanded the Earl of Ashby.

  "I know not, sir--I know not!" cried the host, wringing his hands; "allI know is, they have taken her, and I am sure this is the man who hascaused it to be done."

  "I know nothing of her, fellow!" replied Richard de Ashby. "You musthold your daughter's beauty very high to suppose that I would take thetrouble of having her carried off."

  "Why, Richard, you are not scrupulous," said his cousin.

  "London and Winchester," cried another gentleman, with a laugh, "areindebted to him for many a fair importation, I believe."

  "His taste lies amongst country wenches," added a third. Andnotwithstanding the misery of the injured father, a great deal ofmerriment and jesting was the first effect produced by the complaint ofthe host.

  "If this tale be true," said Hugh de Monthermer, who had been lookingdown with a frowning brow, "I would strongly advise Sir Richard deAshby to mount his horse, put his spurs to the flanks, and not draw arein till
he is safe in Nottingham. There be people about thisneighbourhood who are likely to render such a course expedient."

  "I shall do no such thing, sir," replied Richard de Ashby; "this goodman's suspicions are false as far as they regard me, though it is notat all improbable that the knave, Keen, who has, it seems, deceivedme--and is a good-looking varlet, moreover has played the fool with abuxom light-headed country wench, whose cheek I may once or twice havepinched for lack of something better to do."

  "Such being the case, my Lord of Ashby," said the Earl, drily, "as yourkinsman has nought to do with the affair, and as this servant of hishas cheated and robbed him, injured this good man, and is suspected ofbeing a spy--by your leave, I will send some of my people after himwithout farther delay. Without there! Is Blawket to be found?"

  "Here, my lord," replied the man, standing forward as upright as alance and as stiff as a collar of brawn, from amidst a group of six orseven servants, who were all discussing as vehemently on the one sideof the door the events which had just taken place as their masters wereon the other.

  "Mount in a minute," said the Earl of Monthermer. "Take with you threeof your fellows whose horses are the freshest; follow this RichardKeen, from the best information you call get, and bring him hither withall speed, together with the girl he has carried off."

  "Shall I beat him, my lord?" asked the yeoman.

  "Not unless he resists," replied the Earl; "but bring him dead oralive, and use all means to get information of his road."

  "I will bring him, my lord," replied Blawket, and retired, followed bythe host, who ceased not, till the man was in the saddle, to give himhints as to finding his daughter, mingled with lamentations over fateand praises of the house of Monthermer.

  "Now," said the Earl, when they were alone, "let us speak of moreimportant things;" but it being announced that supper was well-nighready, the Earl of Ashby, who had an affection for the good things ofthis life, proposed that any farther conversation should be put offtill after that meal. The other Earl, knowing that his placabilitydepended much upon the condition of his stomach, agreed to thesuggestion; and after the ceremony of washing hands had been performed,the supper was served and passed over as such proceedings usually didin those days, with huge feeding on the part of several present, andmuch jesting on the part of the younger men. A good deal of wine wasalso drank, notwithstanding a caution from the Earl of Monthermer to bemoderate. But moderation was little known at that time. Malvoisie wasadded to Bordeaux, and the spiced wine, then called claret, succeededthe Malvoisie; a cup of hippocras was handed round to sweeten theclaret, and the Earl of Ashby fell asleep at the very moment theconference should have begun.