CHAPTER XV
In Middle Forest it was market morning, high May weather and manyabroad. Country folk, town folk, folk from across river made a hummingand buzzing in High Street and the market place. The sun was an hourup, and all thrifty marketers out of house. Saint Ethelred’s bellsrang, the Carmelites’, the Poor Clares’. Father Edmund walked about;there were two of Leofric’s friars from over river. May sun struckthe castle, up the steep hill from market. The bells stopped. Eyes,thoughts, turned this way and that.
A Silver Cross monk sped like an arrow through the market place. He wasat town cross, on the lower step, on the upper step. He faced around.“Middle Forest! Ho, Middle Forest!”
They recognized him. All the countryside, flocking now to Silver Crosschurch, had sought with their eyes for Brother Richard. Near or atdistance, he had been pointed out to many. A cry arose and spread.“The monk of Silver Cross!” Those close at hand came closer; thoseafar hastened to the thickening centre. He flung his arms out and up.He seemed to appeal to Middle Forest, but also to high heaven,--orhe seemed to threaten high heaven. His voice rang and reached likeMontjoy’s trumpets. He told what he had to tell, and all those earsdrank it in and all those eyes stared and mouths gaped. He had power,and now it was power at the top of its straining. As he told, what hetold they believed.
He paused, gasping, his face working. From the step beside him sprangforth another voice, that of Father Edmund, master-preacher and scourgeof the vices of the time. “Who alone, in all earth around us, woulddare so to blacken the Mother of God, the Bride of Heaven? Have I notcried that she was never gone but hidden hereabouts--the harlot andsorceress, Morgen Fay!”
Richard Englefield heard. He knew not the name or its associations,but his mind leaped fiercely upon it. Mind leapt like a famished wolf.Then, straight up from a dark well, rose memory of a chance-heard talkamong the coarser sort, in the Brothers’ common room,--talk of MiddleForest from which one had come. That day he had risen and gone away andstopped his ears with work. So she was Morgen Fay, the harlot!
Enormous commotion rose around him. There ran and jangled a multitudeof voices. Impossible to Middle Forest to forego the presentsensation! But the good and glory now flowing from Silver Cross!Equally impossible to question and forego that! Out of it all burstfinally the great cry, “Is there no Blessed Well, no Cavern ofOur Lady, no Rose in reliquary? But we know there are the healed!Here’s one was healed! The monk is mad!” Came like a bolt from SaintEthelred’s porch one whom all knew,--Friar Martin, the Black Friar.He, too, stood on town cross steps,--and half Middle Forest was here!The Black Friar’s eyes gleamed and that which gleamed in them waslove of the glory of Saint Leofric. Out poured the bull voice. “Thehealed? They will stay healed! They need not fear! Their faith in goodmade them--makes them whole! What! The stars are above the tavernlights! But here, verily, hath been tavern lights, pothouse lights. Buthealing! You shall not lack healing while stands Saint Leofric!”
The place was grown like an angered hive. Father Edmund and FriarMartin were a pair to change bewilderment into passion. Father Edmundhunted sin calling itself Morgen Fay. The Black Friar had a pointingfinger for the leper spot in Silver Cross. Middle Forest grew to soundof forest in tempest. So much swayed with Father Edmund, so much wentwith Saint Leofric over Silver Cross, so much beat against the two,asserting Silver Cross’s total innocence, save maybe for a monk’sdeceit and madness! So many held purely for self and sought out theprofit. Market place grew pandemonium.
Out came a strong citizen voice, Master Eustace Bettany’s. “HaveBrother Richard up to the castle! Let Montjoy hear!”
It was a channel and brought relief of pouring into channel. Hands wereupon the monk to urge him. “Montjoy! Yes, tell Montjoy!”
The castle hill was sunny, the castle gate was dim, the castle courtsunny, the castle hall dim. So many folk buzzed on castle road, belowwall; so many were let into court and buzzed there, so many enteredhall. From castle hill, if you looked Silver Cross way, you might seerapidly moving dust, growing larger, coming nearer. That was Abbot Markand Prior Matthew.