CHAPTER XXIII.
THE FALSE AND PERJURED KNIGHT.
As the band of knights and their retainers issued from the gate atrumpeter blew a parley, and the three knights advanced alone toward thegroup of archers.
"Sir Cuthbert de Lance," Sir Hubert said, "in the name of myself and mytwo friends here we ask your pardon for having so far taken part in thisfoul action. We did so believing only that Sir Rudolph intended thecapture of your lady mother as a threat. Now that we see he was inearnest, we wash our hands of the business; and could we in any wayatone for our conduct in having joined him, we would gladly do soconsistently only with our allegiance to the prince regent."
Cuthbert bowed courteously.
"Thanks for your words, Sir Hubert. I had always heard yourself and theknights here spoken of as brave and gallant gentlemen, whose sole faultwas that they chose to take part with a rebel prince rather than withthe King of England. I rejoice that you have cleared your name of sofoul a blot as this would have placed upon it, and I acknowledge thatyour conduct now is knightly and courteous. But I can no more parley.The sun is within a few minutes of twelve, and I must surrender, to meetsuch fate as may befall me."
So saying, with a bow he left them, and again advanced to the castlegate.
"Sir Rudolph," he shouted, "the hour is at hand. I call upon you todeliver, outside the gate, the lady, my mother. Whether she wills it ornot, I call upon you to place her beyond the gate, and I give you myknightly word that as she leaves it I enter it."
Dame Editha would then have attempted resistance; but she saw that itwould be useless. With a pale face she descended the steps, accompaniedby the men-at-arms. She knew that any entreaty to Sir Rudolph would bevain, and with the courage of her race she mentally vowed to devote therest of her life to vengeance for her son.
As the gate opened and she was thrust forth, for a moment she foundherself in the arms of her son.
"Courage, mother!" he whispered; "all may yet be well."
Cnut was waiting a few paces behind, and offering his hand to DameEditha, he led her to the group of archers, while Cuthbert, alone,crossed the drawbridge and entered the portal, the heavy portcullisfalling after him.
Cnut, immediately ordering four of his men to escort Dame Editha to thewood with all speed, advanced with his men toward the walls. All hadstrung their bows and placed their arrows on the ground in front of themin readiness for instant use. Cnut himself, with two others carrying therope, advanced to the edge of the moat. None observed their doings, forall within the castle were intent upon the proceedings there.
In the courtyard Sir Rudolph had taken his post, with the captain of themercenaries beside him, and the men-at-arms drawn up in order. He smiledsardonically as Cuthbert entered.
"So, at last," he said, "this farce is drawing to an end. You are in mypower, and for the means which I have taken to capture you, I willaccount to the prince. You are a traitor to him; you have attacked andslaughtered many of my friends; you are an outlaw defying the law; andfor each of these offenses your head is forfeited."
"I deny," Cuthbert said, standing before him, "your right to be myjudge. By my peers only can I be tried. As a knight of England and asrightful lord of this castle, I demand to be brought before a jury of myequals."
"I care nothing for rights or for juries," said Sir Rudolph. "I have theroyal order for your execution, and that order I shall put into effect,although all the knights and barons in England objected."
Cuthbert looked round to observe the exact position in which he wasstanding. He knew, of course, every foot of the castle, and saw that buta short distance behind a single row of armed men was the staircaseleading to the battlements.
"False and perjured knight," he said, taking a step forward, "I may die;but I would rather a thousand deaths than such a life as yours will bewhen this deed is known in England. But I am not yet dead. For myself, Icould pardon you; but for the outrage to my mother--" and with a suddenmovement he struck Sir Rudolph in the face with all his strength withhis mailed hand.
With the blood gushing from his nostrils, the knight fell backward, andSir Cuthbert, with a bound, before the assembly could recover from theirastonishment at the deed, burst through the line of men-at-arms, andsprang up the narrow staircase. A score of men-at-arms started inpursuit; but Sir Cuthbert gained the battlements first, and without amoment's hesitation sprang upon them and plunged forward, falling intothe moat fifty feet below. Here he would have perished miserably, for inhis heavy armor he was of course unable to swim a stroke, and hisweight took him at once into the mud of the moat. At its margin,however, Cnut stood awaiting him, with one end of the rope in his hand.In an instant he plunged in, and diving to the bottom grasped Cuthbertby the body, and twisted the rope round him. The two archers on the bankat once hauled upon it, and in a minute Sir Cuthbert was dragged to thebank.
By this time a crowd of men-at-arms appeared upon the battlements. Butas they did so the archers opened a storm of arrows upon them, andquickly compelled them to find shelter. Carried by Cnut and the men withhim--for he was insensible--Sir Cuthbert was quickly conveyed to thecenter of the outlaws, and these at once in a compact body began theirretreat to the wood. Cuthbert quickly recovered consciousness, and wassoon able to walk. As he did so the gates of the castle were thrownopen, and a crowd of men-at-arms, consisting of the retainers of thecastle and the mercenaries of Prince John, sallied forth. So soon asCuthbert was able to move the archers started at a brisk run, several ofthem carrying Cuthbert's casque and sword, and others assisting him tohurry along. The rear ranks turned as they ran and discharged flights ofarrows at the enemy, who, more heavily armed and weighted, gained butslowly upon them.
Had not Sir Rudolph been stunned by the blow dealt him by Cuthbert hewould himself have headed the pursuit, and in that case the foresterswould have had to fight hard to make their retreat to their fastness.The officer in command of the mercenaries, however, had no great stomachfor the matter. Men were hard to get, and Prince John would not havebeen pleased to hear that a number of the men whom he had brought withsuch expense from foreign parts had been killed in a petty fray.Therefore after following for a short time he called them off, and thearchers fell back into the forest.
Here they found Dame Editha, and for three days she abode among them,living in a small hut in the center of the forest. Then she left, totake up her abode until the troubles were past with some kin who livedin the south of Gloucestershire.
Although the lady abbess had assured Cuthbert that the retreat of LadyMargaret was not likely to be found out, he himself, knowing how great astake Sir Rudolph had in the matter, was still far from being easy. Itwould not be difficult for the latter to learn through his agents thatthe lady superior of the little convent near Hereford was of kin to herof St. Anne's, and, close as a convent is, yet the gossiping of theservants who go to market was certain to let out an affair so importantas the arrival of a young lady to reside under the charge of thesuperior. Cuthbert was not mistaken as to the acuteness of his enemy.The relationship between the two lady superiors was no secret, and afterhaving searched all the farmhouses and granges near the forest, andbeing convinced that the lady abbess would have sent her charge ratherto a religious house than to that of a franklin, Sir Rudolph soughtwhich of those within the circuit of a few miles would be likely to bethe one selected. It was not long before he was enabled to fix upon thatnear Hereford, and spies going to the spot soon found out from thecountry people that it was a matter of talk that a young lady of rankhad been admitted by the superior. Sir Rudolph hesitated whether to gohimself at the head of a strong body of men and openly to take her, orto employ some sort of device. It was not that he himself feared theanathema of the church; but he knew Prince John to be weak andvacillating, at one time ready to defy the thunder of the pope, the nextcringing before the spiritual authority. He therefore determined toemploy some of his men to burst into the convent and carry off theheiress, arranging that he himself, with some of his
men-at-arms, shouldcome upon them in the road, and make a feigned rescue of her, so that,if the lady superior laid her complaint before the pope's legate hecould deny that he had any hand in the matter, and could even takecredit for having rescued her from the men who had profaned the convent.That his story would be believed mattered but little. It would beimpossible to prove its falsity, and this was all that he cared for.
This course was followed out. Late one evening the lady superior wasalarmed by a violent knocking at the door. In reply to questions askedthrough the grill, the answer was given, "We are men of the forest, andwe are come to carry the Lady Margaret of Evesham off to a securehiding-place. The Lord of Evesham has discovered her whereabouts, andwill be here shortly, and we would fain remove her before he arrives."
"From whom have you warrant?" the lady superior said. "I surrender herto no one, save to the lady abbess of St. Anne's. But if you have awritten warrant from Sir Cuthbert, the rightful Lord of Evesham, I willlay the matter before the Lady Margaret, and will act as it may seem fitto her."
"We have no time for parleying," a rough voice said. "Throw open thegate at once, or we will break it down."
"Ye be no outlaws," the lady superior said, "for the outlaws are men whofear God and respect the church. Were ye what ye say, ye would beprovided with the warrants that I mention. I warn you, therefore, thatif you use force, you will be excommunicated, and placed under the banof the church."
The only answer was a thundering assault upon the gate, which soonyielded to the blows. The sisters and novices ran shrieking through thecorridors at this rude uproar. The lady superior, however, stood calmlyawaiting the giving way of the gate.
"Where is the Lady Margaret?" the leader of the party, who were dressedin rough garb, and had the seeming of a band of outlaws, demanded.
"I will say nothing," she said, "nor do I own that she is here."
"We will soon take means to find out," the man exclaimed. "Unless infive minutes she is delivered to us, we will burn your place to theground."
The lady abbess was insensible to the threat; but the men rushing in,seized some sisters, who, terrified out of their wits by this irruption,at once gave the information demanded, and the men made their way to thecell where the Lady Margaret slept.
The girl had at once risen when the tumult commenced, doubting not inher mind that this was another attempt upon the part of her enemy tocarry her off. When, therefore, she heard heavy footsteps approachingalong the gallery--having already hastily attired herself--she openedthe door and presented herself.
"If you seek the Lady Margaret of Evesham," she said calmly, "I am she.Do not harm any of the sisters here. I am in your power, and will gowith you at once. But I beseech you add not to your other sins that ofviolence against holy women."
The men, abashed by the calm dignity of this young girl, abstained fromlaying hands upon her, but merely motioned to her to accompany them.Upon their way they met the man who appeared to be their leader, and he,well pleased that the affair was over, led the way to the courtyard.
"Farewell, my child," the abbess exclaimed. "God will deliver you fromthe power of these wicked men. Trust in Him, and keep up your courage.Wickedness will not be permitted to triumph upon the earth; and beassured that the matter shall be brought to the ears of the pope'slegate, and of Prince John himself."
She could say no more, for the men, closing round the weeping girl,hurried her out from the convent. A litter awaited them without, and inthis the young lady was placed, and, borne upon the shoulders of fourstout men, she started at a fast pace, surrounded closely by the rest ofthe band.
It was a dark night, and the girl could not see the direction in whichshe was being taken; but she judged from the turn taken upon leaving theconvent that it was toward Evesham. They had proceeded some miles, whena trampling of horses was heard, and a body of armed men rode up. For amoment Lady Margaret's heart gave a leap, for she thought that she hadbeen rescued by her friends. There was a loud and angry altercation, aclashing of swords, and a sound of shouting and cries outside thelitter. Then it was placed roughly on the ground, and she heard thesound of the footsteps of her first captors hurrying away. Then thehorsemen closed round the litter, and the leader dismounted.
"I am happy indeed, Lady Margaret," he said, approaching the litter, "tohave been able to save you from the power of these villains.Fortunately, word came to me that the outlaws in the forest were aboutto carry you off, and that they would not hesitate even to desecrate thewalls of the convent. Assembling my men-at-arms, I at once rode to yourrescue, and am doubly happy to have saved you, first, as a gentleman,secondly, as being the man to whom our gracious prince has assigned youas a wife. I am Sir Rudolph, Earl of Evesham."
As from the first the girl had been convinced that she had fallen intothe power of her lawless suitor, this came upon her as no surprise.
"Whether your story is true, Sir Rudolph," she said, "or not, God knows,and I, a poor weak girl, will not pretend to venture to say. It isbetween you and your conscience. If, as you say, you have saved me fromthe power of the outlaws, I demand that, as a knight and a gentleman,you return with me at once to the convent from which I was taken byforce."
"I cannot do that," Sir Rudolph said. "Fortune has placed you in myhands, and has enabled me to carry out the commands of the prince.Therefore, though I would fain yield to your wishes and so earn yourgood-will, which above all things I wish to obtain, yet my duty towardthe prince commands me to utilize the advantage which fate has thrown inmy hands."
"You must do as you will, Sir Rudolph," the girl said with dignity. "Ibelieve not your tale. You sought before, in person, to carry me off,but failed, and you have now employed other means to do so. The tale ofyour conduct to Dame Editha has reached my ears, and I hold you aforesworn knight and a dishonored man, and as such I would rather diethan become your wife, although as yet I am but a child, and have noneed to talk of weddings for years to come."
"We need not parley here," the knight said coldly. "We shall have plentyof time when at my castle."
The litter was now lifted, placed between two horses, and proceededrapidly on its journey. Although the hope was but faint, yet until thegates of the castle closed upon them the Lady Margaret still hoped thatrescue might reach her. But the secret had been too well kept, and itwas not until the following day that the man who had been placed in acottage near the convent arrived in all haste in the forest, to say thatit was only in the morning that he had learned that the convent had beenbroken open by men disguised as archers, and the Lady Margaret carriedoff.
Four days elapsed before Sir Rudolph presented himself before the girlhe had captured. So fearfully was his face bruised and disfigured by theblow from the mailed hand of Cuthbert three weeks before, that he didnot wish to appear before her under such unfavorable circumstances, andthe captive passed the day gazing from her casement in one of the roomsin the upper part of the keep, toward the forest whence she hoped rescuewould come.
Within the forest hot discussions were going on as to the best course topursue. An open attack was out of the question, especially as upon theday following the arrival there of Lady Margaret three hundred moremercenaries had marched in from Worcester, so that the garrison was nowraised to five hundred men.
"Is there no way," Cnut exclaimed furiously, "by which we might creepinto this den, since we cannot burst into it openly?"
"There is a way from the castle," Cuthbert said, "for my dear lord toldme of it one day when we were riding together in the Holy Land. He saidthen that it might be that he should never return, and that it were wellthat I should know of the existence of this passage, which few besidesthe earl himself knew of. It is approached by a very heavy slab of stonein the great hall. This is bolted down, and as it stands under the greattable passes unnoticed, and appears part of the ordinary floor. He toldme the method in which, by touching a spring, the bolts were withdrawnand the stone could be raised. Thence a passage a quarter of a milelong leads to the li
ttle chapel standing in the hollow, and which, beinghidden among the trees, would be unobserved by any party besieging thecastle. This of course was contrived in order that the garrison, or anymessenger thereof, might make an exit in case of siege."
"But if we could escape," Cnut asked, "why not enter by this way?"
"The stone is of immense weight and strength," Cuthbert replied, "andcould not be loosed from below save with great labor and noise. Thereare, moreover, several massive doors in the passage, all of which aresecured by heavy bolts within. It is therefore out of the question thatwe could enter the castle by that way. But were we once in, we couldeasily carry off the lady through this passage."
The large force which Sir Rudolph had collected was not intended merelyfor the defense of the castle, for the knight considered that with hisown garrison he could hold it against a force tenfold that which hisrival could collect. But he was determined if possible to crush out theoutlaws of the forest, for he felt that so long as this formidable bodyremained under an enterprising leader like Sir Cuthbert, he would neverbe safe for a moment, and would be a prisoner in his own castle.
Cuthbert had foreseen that the attack was likely to be made, and hadstrengthened his band to the utmost. He felt, however, that against solarge a force of regularly armed men, although he might oppose a stoutresistance and kill many, yet that in the end he must be conquered.Cnut, however, suggested to him a happy idea, which he eagerly grasped.
"It would be a rare sport," Cnut said, "when this armed force comes outto attack us, if we could turn the tables by slipping in, and takingtheir castle."
"The very thing," Cuthbert exclaimed. "It is likely that he will use thegreater portion of his forces, and that he will not keep above fifty orsixty men, at the outside, in the castle. When they sally out we will atfirst oppose a stout resistance to them in the wood, gradually fallingback. Then, at a given signal, all save twenty men shall retire hastily,and sweeping round make for the castle. Their absence will not benoticed, for in this thick wood it is difficult to tell whether twentymen or two hundred are opposing you among the bushes; and the twenty whoremain must shoot thick and fast to make believe that their numbers aregreat, retiring sometimes, and leading the enemy on into the heart ofthe wood."
"But supposing, Sir Cuthbert, that they should have closed the gates andlifted the drawbridge? We could not gain entrance by storming, even ifonly twenty men held the walls, until long after the main body wouldhave returned."
Cuthbert thought for some time, and then said, "Cnut, you shallundertake this enterprise. You shall fill a cart high with faggots, andin it shall conceal a dozen of your best men. You, dressed as a serf,shall drive the oxen, and when you reach the castle shall say, in answerto the hail of the sentry, that you are bringing in the tribute of woodof your master the franklin of Hopeburn. They will then lower thedrawbridge and open the gates; and when you have crossed the bridge andare under the portcullis, spring out suddenly, cut loose the oxen sothat they will not draw the cart further in, cut the chains of thedrawbridge so that it cannot be drawn off, and hold the gate for aminute or two until we arrive."
"The plan is capital," Cnut exclaimed. "We will do the proud Norman yet.How he will storm when he finds us masters of his castle! What thenwill you do, Sir Cuthbert?"
"We can hold the castle for weeks," Cuthbert said, "and every day is inour favor. If we find ourselves forced to yield to superior numbers, wecan at last retire through the passage I have spoken of, and must thenscatter and each shift for himself until these bad days be past."