CHAPTER XII.
_WINTER DAYS WITHIN THE CASTLE._
All Oxford was thrown into excitement by the news. Hugh le Barbier,whose disappearance after the jousting in Beaumont meadows two monthsbefore had created a certain stir in some quarters, had now been foundin fetters in the Magician's Tower, as people sometimes called it, andhad been carried off to the Castle for security by the Constable.
It was in all mouths that the foreign magician, whose doings and wondershad attracted no small notice during the Fair of St. Frideswyde, wasnone other than the Italian youth Tito Balzani, who had grown up intheir midst, and had therefore an intimate knowledge of those whoconsulted him. It was further said that both he and Roger de Horn hadbeen in the plot for abducting and imprisoning the missing man, and thatthey were now being searched for all through the neighbouring forests,to which they had most likely fled for safety so soon as they foundthemselves discovered.
Jack Dugdale was forward to tell the tale to the gaping throng whosurrounded him whenever he appeared in the streets.
He had spent pretty nigh three days himself searching for the fugitives,and had often been hot upon their trail; but they had eluded him and theother pursuers with a cunning which had in it almost a touch of thesupernatural, some thought, and now the chase had been reluctantlyabandoned, and it was admitted that the quarry had escaped for thepresent.
But the excitement did not immediately die down. The story was in everyone's mouth. Pedro Balzani's house was thronged with guests, all eagerto learn what was to be known; and though the house was watched closelyby the authorities, the man himself was not interfered with. He had madeit plain that he was ignorant of the doings of his son, and as hehimself bore a good character, the misdeeds of Tito were not visitedupon his head.
But great anger prevailed against that young man throughout the town.Numbers of the citizens, and still more their wives and daughters, hadconsulted the magician, and had paid him what to them were large sumsfor scraps of information which had seemed to them marvellous as comingfrom the lips of a stranger from beyond the seas, but which lost alltheir value when it was known that Tito was the speaker. Others had beenlured by him to the tower, and had paid heavily for a glance into themagic mirror, the crystal bowl, or that other bowl the thought of whosedark contents now made them shudder. Some still declared that he haddealings with the Evil One, and that the things they had seen could onlybe produced by the co-operation of spirits; but others vowed that itwas nothing but trickery from first to last, and longed to see Titobrought back into the city, that he might be made to disgorge hisill-gotten gains, which doubtless he had kept securely fastened upon hisperson, so as to be ready for any emergency.
As for the other members of the Balzani household, the mother was deeplyindignant at the trick which had been played upon her daughter by thegirl's half-brother and his friend. She saw clearly that they sought toimpose upon her credulity, and to induce her by that means to pledge herhand to Roger de Horn as the price of the life and liberty of her lover,Hugh. The mother learned much from the delirious ravings of the girl,who had been stricken with brain-fever, and lay in a most precariouscondition. Indeed so dangerous was her state, and so imperative was itthat she should be kept perfectly quiet, that after three days she hadbeen conveyed by water up the river to the little village of Eynsham,where her mother's sister lived; and there, far away from the tumult ofthe city, which always set up excitement and paroxysms of fear, it washoped she would recover from the shock to her system, and regain hernormal health.
"And learn to forget the past," spoke the mother to her sister, beforeleaving the patient in her kindly care. "She is full young for thoughtsof love. Methinks in these troublous days the less a maid dreams of suchthings the better. Hugh le Barbier is a goodly youth, and I desire nonebetter for child of mine; but he is above her in rank. When he sees moreof life and of the world, he will make more fitting choice. It would bebetter that they should not meet--that both should learn to forget.Naught but trouble and peril have followed from their early affection.Better it should be put aside and forgotten. Wherefore I will the moregladly leave Linda here, where, amid new scenes and surroundings, shemay well forget the past, and cease to think of him for whom she is nofitting spouse in the eyes of the world."
Bridget Marlow, who had no child of her own, was willing enough to havethe care of her sister's daughter. She promised to guard her jealouslyand tend her lovingly, and to keep her as long as her mother could spareher.
"I always said, when I did hear of thy twin daughters, that one oughtsurely to be mine," she said with a smile. "Fear not for her, sister--Iwill guard her like the apple of mine eye; and she shall find a secondfather and mother in us. In this quiet place few, save the good monks ofthe Abbey hard by, pass our way. My husband, as thou dost know, acts asporter of the gate by day; and living as we do neath the shadow of thecloister wall, we are not molested by the comings and goings ofworldlings from the city. The maid will have peace and quiet here, andmay well forget the troubles through which she has passed."
So Linda was, after a few days, left in that quiet place by her mother,in the fond hope that she and Hugh would now forget one another, andthat the troubled dream of love would be effaced by illness from herdaughter's brain.
Lotta nodded with approval when she learned what had been done.
"She had better take the veil herself, and live the life of a nun," shesaid, tossing her handsome, haughty head. "She is not fit for the battleof life. She is a poor, puling creature at best! She is not fit to bethe bride of any save a man of dreams and books. The clash of arms turnsher cheek white; the thought of peril to one she loves drives her out ofher senses. She had better forget Hugh, and he her. They are no fittingmates one for the other."
As for Hugh himself, he had been carried to the Castle by order of theConstable, when his case had been made known there. A guard had beensent to search the tower, to take possession of everything found there,and to convey the young man to the Castle, where he received everyattention and care.
The father of Hugh and the Constable of the Castle had been friends intheir youth, and Sir Humphrey was not only interested in Hugh for thatreason, but was deeply indignant at the treatment he had received, andthe trick which had been played upon the authorities of the city bythese two lawless youths.
For some days Hugh was unable to give an account of what had occurred,lying in a state of exhaustion which was almost like that of trance.Indeed so strange was his condition that Brother Angelus (at the earnestsolicitation of Leofric) was asked to come and look at him; and he shookhis head somewhat gravely over his state, and spoke words not altogetherunderstood by those about him.
In those days the friars were the best leeches and surgeons to be had.Their work amongst the sick poor gave to them a skill and insight notalways found amongst those who professed greater lore. Brother Angelushad no small store of knowledge regarding sickness, and it was well forHugh that he was called to his side; for he strictly forbade any furtherbleeding (always the favourite remedy for fevers), declaring that thisfever was itself the result of excessive bleedings practised with anunholy purpose, and he detected other symptoms about the young man whichcaused his face to take a stern and anxious aspect.
"He has been made the unwilling accomplice in deeds of darkness," hesaid, as he observed the comatose symptoms which often seized thepatient. "They have sought to subdue his spirit and will, and to throwhim into those unhallowed trances wherein men see and hear things whichour Maker has thought it good to hide from us. There are ways by whichone man may obtain this unrighteous power over his fellow, and this iswhat yon evil men have sought to do with their captive. By weakening hisbody they have sought to gain ascendency over his spirit. But it isplain that he has resisted manfully, and to the very last. God bethanked for that! We will pray that the malice of the enemy may in thiscase be frustrated!"
And daily, before he left the bed of the patient, the friar would kneeldown beside him, whilst th
ose in the room would follow his example; andhe would pray earnestly against those wiles which had been used uponhim, and ask release for the spirit which had been in some sort fetteredand bound.
Mysterious as all this was to those who saw and heard, it was plain tothem that Hugh responded better to the ministrations of Brother Angelusthan to any skill of leeches. In presence of the friar he was nevertormented by harassing dreams, nor did he start up as though in answerto some call unheard by others. He grew calm and tranquil, and wouldfall into a natural sleep; and at the end of ten days the fever fitsleft him altogether, and he wakened to a full knowledge of hissurroundings, and an interest in life.
When this advance was made, he was permitted to pass the day withEdmund, in the pleasant upper chamber hard by his own, where, lying uponanother couch in the cheerful glow of the fire, he could enjoy thesociety of his friends, and by-and-by tell them of those things whichhad happened to him since his mysterious disappearance on the day of thejoustings.
"I was suddenly and furiously set upon by three of those strange blackfigures which we had noted moving in the crowd. There was such a tumultall around that I scarce knew what was passing, nor who was friend orwho was foe; but it was plain that these men were bent upon mydestruction or overthrow, and I set myself to the task of fighting them,though calling for assistance the while. But I seemed to be in the heartof foes, for none heeded my cry, and though I laid low one of thefellows, I presently felt a heavy blow upon my head which made me reelin the saddle, and the next instant I was lying upon the ground with ahand upon my throat, and just as my senses deserted me I thought I sawthe fiery eyes of Roger de Horn glaring into mine through the holes inhis mask."
"Ah! I thought as much," said Amalric, through his shut teeth. "Wouldthat we could lay hands upon the villain now!"
"And what befell you then?" asked the fair Alys, who had grown mightilyinterested in Hugh during these past days, and was as eager as any tohear his tale when he should be allowed to tell it, which he had notbeen at first.
By this time Hugh seemed quite like an old friend; he had been at theCastle for a considerable time, and both Edmund and his sister felttowards him almost as though he were a brother. Any comrade and friendof Amalric's would have been welcomed, but Hugh was liked for his ownsake, and for the romantic history of which he was now the hero.
"That I cannot say with certainty, fair mistress. For I lost my sensesthen; and when I recovered them, it was to find myself bound by an ironfetter to my ankle, in a strange circular chamber with a dome-like roof,the like of which I had never seen before."
"The Magician's Tower!" whispered Alys, with a little shiver of horror.
"So I afterwards made out, from the words of the men who haunted it, andfrom mine own knowledge of the city. I could sometimes hear the wash ofthe river, or the voices of men in boats by day. But though I criedaloud whenever I thought I might be heard, never an answer came; and mycaptors, if they heard me, would punish me with blows and kicks, if notwith more refined forms of cruelty."
"These men were Tito Balzani and Roger de Horn?" questioned Amalricsternly.
"Yes; and soon I became aware that they were engaged upon other mattersthan those which directly concerned me, and that I was to be made usefulto them in the practice of their evil arts. I will not speak too much ofthese things. The thought is hateful and repulsive. Suffice it to saythat they were eagerly pursuing the study of certain black arts, andthat they had books and instruments, either belonging to Tito, or foundby them in this strange tower, whereby they sought to prosecute theirstudies. They had dupes too, who visited them, and strove to peer intothe future, and they would use incantations and burn strange pungentdrugs, and methinks they ofttimes so bewildered their visitors that theyimagined they saw in the smoke wreaths strange things which were neverthere at all. However that may be, there were some who came again andagain, and brought gold with them each time. And as the conjurors grewbolder they would ask larger fees. I trow they have grown rich upon theproceeds of those weeks of fraud and devilry."
"And how didst thou come to hear and see so much?"
"They grew careless of my presence in the upper chamber, whereeverything was prepared. As I grew weak from hunger and from loss ofblood--for blood seemed a necessity to them for every experiment, and itwas part of their purpose to reduce me to a mere shadow--they spokefreely of all they did and wished to do. I am certain they neverintended me to escape their clutches; and I believe that upon the nightof the rescue, had you been but a few minutes longer in forcing thedoor, they would have taken my life without pity, so fearful were theyof what I might reveal. But they could not spare time in their haste tocollect their gold, and as it was, they were almost caught as theyclimbed through the window-slits."
"And was it real magic?" asked Alys in a low voice; "or was it alltrickery and jugglery?"
"That is hard to tell," answered Hugh; "but methinks they did all intheir power to invoke the aid of the Evil One. I trow well that theysought to throw me into trances, that I might aid them in this. Theystudied their books, and tried their wicked spells upon me; and therewere moments when I felt them succeeding, albeit I fought might andmain. If I could keep my mind fixed on holy things, and continue topray, I was safe from them. But there were moments when I was so weakthat I felt my hold slipping away, and I trow that then I did fall insome sort beneath some evil spell; and the horror of it is but passingaway now, since Brother Angelus has spoken and prayed with me. Trickerythere was in much they did. I know my face was shown again and again inthe magic mirror, and that I was dressed up to look sometimes as a maid,sometimes as an aged man, sometimes as a mailed warrior--my face paintedand my hair arranged to suit the part. This was when I was wellnighdead through loss of blood, and could not resist them. They had gainedsuch power over me that ofttimes I could not make a sound, greatly as Ilonged to do so. When I guessed, from what they had said in my hearing,that Linda was to be brought to see my face in the mirror, I strovemight and main to cry aloud, and tell who and what these men were; butmy voice would not obey--no sound could I utter."
"If we can but catch them," cried Amalric, "they shall pay for theirdevilries!"
But Roger and Tito were too wary to be caught. They had fled beyond theprecincts of Oxford, and pursuit was abandoned at last as hopeless. Hughrecovered his wonted vigour with more rapidity than could at first havebeen anticipated; but he showed no disposition to return to his oldquarters at Dagville's Inn. Once he asked after Linda, and on hearingwhat had befallen her he heaved a long sigh.
"Methinks that I have brought her nothing but woe and sorrow," he said;"she will be happier there than in the tumult of this strange city. Someday I will see her again; but for the present let her remain in peaceand safety. I am glad she should be in so tranquil a place."
But the house of the Balzanis had lost its charm for him. He had no wishto face the father of Tito or the witcheries of Lotta, of which he wasnot unconscious.
"Stay here within the Castle," said Amalric, "and enter at St. George's,as I have done. There be a few poor, turbulent Welsh students there, butfor the most part we are a quiet and studious company. We will make youwelcome amongst us. Come and be my comrade there."
Hugh was easily persuaded to this course. St. George's in the Castle wasa very ancient building, dating back from the reign of William theConqueror. It had been founded by Robert d'Oilly for secular Canons, andhis successor had transferred it to the Canons Regular of Osney.Subsequently it had become a house for University students, although itremained to a certain extent under the jurisdiction of the Abbot ofOsney.
This was shown by the fact that there was a Custos or Warden appointedfrom among the Canons of Osney to be over the College of St. George's inthe Castle. He was not a permanent resident there, but paid adomiciliary visit about Christmas time, which was regarded as a part ofthe season's festivities.
"Thou wilt join us in a good time," said Amalric to Hugh, when thelatter had installed himself with as much co
mfort as might be in thosedays in his new quarters, having arranged to share a small and fairlycommodious chamber with young De Montfort: "for upon the Feast of theNativity, or a few days later, the Warden will come from Osney, toremain to the Feast of the Epiphany; and we shall go forth with torchesand songs to welcome him, and bring him hither in state. They say welive right merrily whilst he is with us. Fair Mistress Alys is all agogto see the torchlight procession. I trust the night will be fair andfine, that she be not disappointed."
Alys, indeed, was all alive for any bit of entertainment in herpleasant but rather monotonous life. The Christmas revellings were notof a character greatly to attract one of a gentle spirit. She knew thatshe would scarce be permitted during those days of feasting to sallyforth into the city at all. Riot and disorder too often characterizedthe events of that season. The lectures of the Regent Masters weresuspended for a short period, although other lecturers continued theirdiscourses. Some amongst the richer scholars, or those from theneighbourhood, went to their homes; but the greater number remained inthe city, and made night hideous with their revellings and disorder. ALord of Misrule was chosen for the occasion, and misrule was the orderof the day. The citizens themselves were little better behaved at thisholiday season, and for a week disorder and roistering prevailed indefiance of any action on the part of the authorities. If they couldprevent an open riot or a pitched battle in the streets, it was as muchas they could hope to do; and Alys knew that she would be kept closelywithin the Castle walls. Indeed, after her experience of a students'holiday once before, she had little desire to witness another.
Hugh was not sorry himself to be free of the turmoil of the city, hishealth being not altogether what it had been before his strangecaptivity. The greater seclusion and quiet within the Castle wallsbetter suited him, and companionship with Amalric and the Constable'schildren was pleasant. He rather liked, too, the small solemnities withwhich he was admitted to be a scholar of that place. He was taken beforethe high altar of the chapel, and bidden to swear to be faithful andobedient to the Warden and to the Abbot of Osney, and not to raisedebates between them, not to clamber over the Castle walls at night, orto be guilty of nocturnal vagaries; and if promoted to wealth in afterlife, to leave something to the College. Then he paid some small feesfor the registration of his name, for a supper to his fellow-scholars,and towards the common stock of money; after which he became a scholarof the College, and shared in the life of his companions.
Three days after Christmas, upon a clear starlight night, the scholarssat down to their supper attired in their best habits, each of thembeing provided with a torch dipped in pitch and resin.
That meal having been disposed of, they all marched in procession toOsney in decorous silence, and with their torches yet unlighted. Theywere admitted into the courtyard by a silent monk, and once there theydrew up in a circle round the enclosure, and waited, mute and patient.
But they had not to wait long. A door in the building was flung open,and out stepped the Abbot, and by his side was the Warden of St.George's, the Canons Regular being grouped in the background. At sightof these reverend men the scholars all bent the knee in token ofrespect, and the Abbot advancing a few steps forward gave to them hisblessing.
Then the Warden stepped forward, and saluted the scholars in Latin, theyreplying in the same tongue, after which two of the seniors advanced,lighted their torches, and placed themselves before him.
The rest of the scholars drew up in rank behind, their torches yetunlighted, and the procession filed out of the courtyard, and along thewet, muddy road which led towards the Castle. Midway between the Abbeyand the Castle a halt was called. Rapidly and in orderly fashion thescholars kindled their torches and struck up the appointed hymn. Theprocession formed up again, and passing between rows of gaping citizens,who had come out into King's Meadow to see the show go by, troopedacross Quaking Bridge and through the gateway, till they foundthemselves within the precincts of the College itself.
Here a new hymn was sung, and the Warden was conducted with greatceremony to his own lodging, where he bid farewell to his body-guard anddismissed them with kindly words of thanks.
Alys from her upper window watched the picturesque grouping of thegowned scholars, and the flashing of torches in the open space below;and as Amalric and Hugh looked up and held theirs aloft, they wererewarded by the waving of a slim white hand, which told them they hadbeen seen and recognized.