The Knowledge Stone

by Jack McGinnigle

  ‘I am guilty,’ she screamed again and again as loudly as she could, ‘I did it, I stole the medallion!’ Slowly, the men eased her back a little to the sound of ripping fabric. Then she was held at fingertip reach of the grasping, tearing hands; although flesh contact was now minimal, her clothing continued to be torn.

  ‘Why did you steal it?’

  ‘To get money, just as you said.’ All her answers were screams of terror.

  ‘Where have you hidden it.’

  ‘I buried it in the ground, just as you said.’

  ‘Where?’

  ‘I can’t remember.’

  ‘You must remember.’

  ‘I can’t, I can’t, I can’t …’

  ‘Why did you betray the trust of your Mistress?

  ‘To get money, to become a fine lady, just as you said.’

  ‘How did you think you would not be caught and accused?’

  ‘I don’t know, I didn’t think, I don’t know, I don’t know …’

  The men pulled her away from the grasping hands and sat her down on a rough wooden bench against the opposite wall. When she had recovered sufficiently to be able to walk, the men helped her back to the jailer’s room and sent her out to change into her own clothes.

  The girl crept back into the room, her face drawn with the horror of her ordeal.

  ‘Sit here with us,’ the First Jailer said. ‘Do you remember what I told you about us?’

  The girl was still traumatised, white, shaking uncontrollably.

  ‘No, Sir.’

  An almost inaudible whisper. ‘Something about truth.’ After another long pause: ‘That you are experts in the truth.’

  ‘That’s right, Miss, I’m glad you remembered. My friend and I, we know truth. Now I know you’re upset but listen carefully to what I’m saying. My friend and I, we know you were definitely not telling the truth outside that cell door. You were telling us lies, weren’t you? You did not steal the medallion, did you?’

  ‘No Sir, I did not and I never would do such a thing.’ The girl wept hopelessly. ‘And now that I have confessed you will make me a criminal and my life will be finished. I want to die!’

  The man looked at her and smiled: ‘Miss, you do not understand. Listen carefully. We know that you lied to us about stealing the medallion. You are innocent, we know that, too. And that will be our report to the Court Jailer. And I am sure our report will be believed by your master, too.’

  The girl’s head was now in a complete whirl. She had admitted guilt. She had confessed to the crime. But the jailers would report she was innocent? She was confused but gradually, a feeling of relief developed into pure elation! She had been examined and found innocent of the crime! Meanwhile, the two men talked together quietly, giving her time to recover.

  After some time, the First Jailer said to her: ‘Miss, we have now completed our examination on the matter of the medallion but there is one other thing we would ask you to do for us.’

  ‘What can I possibly do for you?’ The girl was mystified and fearful.

  ‘Do you remember the stable boy at the Manor House who attacked the Master’s daughter?’

  ‘Yes, I knew him. I could never understand why he did that. He always seemed to be such a nice boy.’ The jailers looked at each other.

  ‘Miss, the stable boy is here in the Jail, awaiting his time at the Court. He is in a single cell and we are looking after him. He is well. We wondered if you would speak to him? He never sees anyone but us and we are sure he would like to speak to someone from his previous life. We could bring him here to this room and you could talk together.’

  The girl thought for a moment or two: ‘I feel very sorry for the stable boy,’ she said. ‘I will speak with him for a while if you think that will please him.’

  The stable boy was fetched from his cell by the Second Jailer. He stood in the doorway, thin and rather dishevelled, blinking in the light and very surprised to see the girl sitting at the table: ‘Miss,’ he said in a surprised tone, ‘what are you doing in this place? This is no place for you to be.’

  The First Jailer intervened: ‘This young lady has agreed to speak with you for a while.’ Turning to the girl, the man said: ‘We have some work to do; can we leave you alone to talk?’

  The girl looked into the stable boy’s eyes, seeing nothing but kindness and honesty.

  ‘Yes,’ she said simply.

  ‘Sit at the table, boy, and don’t touch the young lady.’ Then, addressing the girl: ‘We will be nearby, just call if you want us to attend you.’

  So saying, both jailers left the room, not to do other work but in fact to eavesdrop on the conversation between the stable boy and the girl, this being the real purpose of the meeting.

  ‘We might learn a lot more about what goes on at the Manor House,’ the men had whispered together, ‘in our position you can never have too much information.’

  ‘I am sorry you are suffering here,’ the girl said, ‘but why did you do it?’

  ‘Miss, I did not do it. This is what happened on that day. I was the one who caught the horse. It was my friend the stable hand who went to help Miss Kati and he only held her hands to help her to her feet.’

  ‘But why did Miss Kati accuse you?’

  The boy looked sad and explained: ‘Earlier, I had been insolent to her. I had spoken without permission.’

  ‘What did you say?’

  ‘I told her she looked lovely. She was furious. She told me I’d be sorry.’

  ‘Let me understand this clearly. You never touched Miss Kati?’

  ‘No Miss; earlier, I had been insolent but I did not mean to anger or upset her.’

  There was silence for a few moments. Then the girl asked: ‘Why then are you pleading guilty for your attendance at Court?’

  The boy flushed: ‘The Court Jailer wished me to plead guilty and gave me a confession to sign.’

  ‘Why did you sign it if you were innocent?’

  The boy spoke quietly: ‘The jailers were instructed to obtain my confession. This is what happens here.’

  At that moment, the girl understood. Looking at the boy wide-eyed, she remembered the little apple thief and the means of obtaining his confession earlier in the day.

  ‘What did they do to you?’ The girl’s voice was soft.

  After a pause, the boy averted his eyes.

  ‘It is no matter what they did. I put my mark upon the confession and that is what will be produced at the Court.’ Outside the door, the jailers fidgeted uneasily and looked down at the floor.

  ‘But this is monstrous!’ The girl’s voice was loud. ‘What can be done?’

  ‘Nothing, I am afraid. I will be convicted and must accept my punishment.’

  The boy and girl sat together silently for a moment. Then the boy spoke: ‘Enough about me. Why do I find you here at the Jail?’

  The girl’s face clouded: ‘I, too, am in trouble.’

  ‘You? How can you possibly be in such trouble that brings you to this terrible place?’

  So the girl told the whole story of the theft of the medallion and how, as the only servant with access to the key of the jewel box, she had been accused of theft and been sent to the Jail for examination. The examination was now over and she thought the jailers believed in her innocence.

  The boy’s face darkened: ‘Have you been beaten or ill-treated?’

  The girl’s hesitation was momentary: ‘No, I have not been ill-treated but the examination has been rigorous.’

  The boy nodded and asked: ‘So has the medallion now been found?’

  ‘No, everywhere and everyone has been searched but nothing has been found.’

  The boy sat back and was deep in thought for a few moments: ‘Miss Kati!’ Th
e girl jumped at the sudden, explosive exclamation!

  ‘You startled me. What do you mean, “Miss Kati”?’

  ‘I bet she has something to do with this. I bet it was she who stole the medallion.’

  ‘Surely not!’ The girl was shocked and protested against the boy’s theory.

  ‘Look, think about it.’ The boy’s voice was incisive. ‘It can’t be the Master or the Mistress because it’s their own medallion. We know it’s not you, the only other person with access to the key, so it must be someone who knows secretly where the key is hidden. Miss, is the key hidden in a difficult place?’

  ‘Yes, I can assure you it is very well hidden.’

  ‘So the thief needs to be a clever person. Now listen, most of the servants at the Manor House are not permitted in the Great Hall – for instance, as a stable boy, I was not. Of the house servants that are permitted to work there, many are not so clever and would not be able to find the key, even if they wanted to. Of those who are clever, I am sure none would dare to open the Mistress’s jewellery box, let alone steal something from it, even if they knew where the key was hidden. That leaves only the two children of the family. The boy is young (nine or ten?) and he is a quiet, timid character. It is impossible to think that he would steal from his mother. What could a little boy like that possibly do with a gold medallion? That leaves Miss Kati, who, as I know to my cost, is capable of anything!’

  The girl listened with an open mouth: ‘But …’

  The boy paid no attention to her and continued his line of thought: ‘Let us think about Miss Kati. As a stable boy, I only saw her when she went riding and she was always very rude and unpleasant to the stable servants. And I saw her bullying her young brother a number of times. And wasn’t there a time last year when she nearly killed the boy by neglecting him when they went swimming in the river? There was something about nettle stings, too. I always felt very sorry for that little boy. Then there was her horse, a fine animal that she had used for many years. I’m not exactly sure what she did to the horse but the horse bolted and finally threw her off in the stable yard. She insisted on being present when the horse was killed later that day. By then she had falsely accused me of attacking her and everybody believed her. I bet she is involved in what is happening to you, too!’ The boy finished his analysis triumphantly.

  The girl was quiet, introspective.

  ‘You know, you may be right,’ she murmured.

  Outside the door, the two jailers looked at each other with knowing eyes and were pleased with their strategy. The First Jailer whispered: ‘I think we have a lot more information, now. We must think on this very carefully.’

  Breezily, the two men re-entered the room.

  Kati

  Kati was absolutely furious when the maidservant was brought back from the Town Jail. She had heard about the conditions for women prisoners in the Jail and had been congratulating herself that she had finally been able to criminalise the unfortunate maidservant whom she hated. She had assumed that the maidservant would be ill-treated and, hopefully, beaten as well. Although it was known that the male prisoners bore the brunt of most of the beatings, she understood that female prisoners were not immune either. She had heard they were stripped and flogged. Kati licked her lips at the thought. But now the maidservant had returned and, to Kati’s great disappointment, she was told that the girl was unharmed and had been treated kindly by the jailers.

  The maidservant had been delivered to the Housekeeper by the Court Jailer’s assistant. The Housekeeper welcomed the girl back to the Manor House and spoke gently to her, saying: ‘I have been instructed to take you to your room and lock you in it for tonight. Tomorrow I think the Mistress will speak to you. Meanwhile, I will send you food and drink and I wish you well. If there is anything else you need, please let me know.’

  The maidservant was deeply grateful: ‘Madam, I thank you for your kindness. I wish to tell you that I have been rigorously examined by the jailers at the Town Jail and it is my belief that they have found nothing against me. However, this is not for me to judge and I must await the Mistress’s decision tomorrow. My fate is in her hands and, of course, in the Master’s hands, too. Whatever they decide will be my fate.’

  The Court Jailer arrived on horseback early the next morning and requested a meeting with the Master. The Master received him and, after polite greetings, the Court Jailer gave this report: ‘Master, my jailers have carried out the work you required me to do and I wish to report that they are unanimous in their judgement of this case. As you know, the maidservant girl spent the whole day with my men in the Jail. During that time, she was examined rigorously using, as I explained before, the most modern questioning techniques, which do not involve violence or injury. Both my men have concluded that the girl is innocent of any involvement in the theft of the medallion and they have stated this unequivocally. Master, here is the paper inscribed with the report. I am pleased to be of service to you and thank you for your confidence in me.’

  The Master accepted the written report and thanked the Court Jailer, who then left.

  After a night of fitful sleep, the maidservant prepared with great care to meet the Mistress.

  Shortly after the morning meal, the Housekeeper came to her room: ‘I have heard nothing from the Mistress as yet but I understand that the Court Jailer has visited the Master. This means that the report of your examination will now be in his hands. We can only wait.’

  Towards midday, the Housekeeper returned to the girl’s room. ‘Now I am to take you to see the Mistress. I say again to you what I said yesterday. Listen to this – it is good advice: “Be brave and always tell the truth.”’

  ‘Both of you come to my desk and sit here,’ the Mistress said. Then she addressed the girl: ‘The Master has received the report of your examination at the Town Jail. Do you know what it says?’

  ‘Yes, Mistress, I believe it says I am innocent of the crime of theft. I pray to God it does.’

  ‘That is exactly what it says, child. Furthermore I have never believed in your guilt. Of course the Master had to examine you rigorously – that is his duty – but he too is content that you are not the thief in this house. I have said to the Master that I wish you to continue as my Personal Maidservant and the Master has given his permission for this.’ The woman smiled as the girl burst into tears of happiness:

  ‘Mistress, I thank you. You are so good to me. I will work so hard for you. I will be the best maidservant ever …’

  ‘Hush, girl. Go and compose yourself and then come back here to start your work.’

  ‘Your day in the Town Court is next week on Friday.’ This was the message the First Jailer delivered to the stable boy as he brought him his morning meal. ‘Between now and then we will need to make sure you are healthy and well. To make sure of this, you will eat the same food we have. Also, I’ll get you good clean clothes to wear.’

  The boy was always polite: ‘Thank you, Sir, for treating me so well.’

  The jailer put down the tray of food and, avoiding the boy’s eyes said: ‘After you’ve eaten, I will fetch you so that you can wash thoroughly. Then you can spend the morning in the yard. You may do that every day until the day of the Court.’

  ‘Thank you, Sir, I shall enjoy that. You are very kind.’

  Simultaneously, the message about the Court was delivered to the Master at the Manor House. When he informed the Mistress, this was overheard by some of the house servants and, before long, the news was common knowledge throughout the workers at the Manor.

  When Kati heard the news, she immediately approached her father: ‘Father, is it true that the stable boy’s Court is on Friday of next week? If it is, I must prepare, for I am an important witness who will have much to say on that day.’

  Her father looked up from his papers: ‘Yes, Kati, it is true that the Court will judge
the stable boy next week. However, there is no need for you to be present.’

  ‘But Father, why? I am an important …’

  ‘There is no need for your witness, Kati. I think you already know that the boy has signed a confession of his guilt. Therefore, there is no doubt that he will be convicted of the crime against you. There is absolutely no need for you to be there. I will be there, as the accuser and the head of this family.’

  After a short silence, Kati said: ‘But Father, I would greatly like to be there.’

  Her father looked at the girl sharply: ‘Really, Kati? Why would you like to be there?’ Kati hesitated:

  ‘Because I wish to see justice done for the terrible thing this boy did to me.’

  Her father looked at her impassively: ‘I would have thought, Kati, that you would have preferred to wipe that very unpleasant crime from your memory. I would have thought that you would not want to see your attacker face to face again. Seeing him would bring back all the horror that happened to you. You would be upset greatly. Is this not so?’

  ‘Of course I know you are very wise in all things, Father, but I just want to be sure that the Court knows everything about the terrible thing he did. He should never have spoken to me without permission.’

  The room quieted suddenly. After some moments, the man spoke in a very soft voice, looking piercingly at his daughter: ‘What is this about speaking without permission, Kati? It is the first I have heard of it.’

  Kati was stricken. She had spoken without thinking! Now, she must think quickly and retrieve the situation: ‘Oh, Father, I am sorry. I am so confused. That was another occasion at the stable yard. Then, that same stable boy spoke to me without permission. I was very cross with him.’

  ‘What did he say, Kati?’

  ‘I cannot remember, Father.’ Kati’s eyes filled with tears.