Chapter IX: The Search.
"If Brother Emmanuel is found, Chad will be forfeit."
Such was the burden of Edred's thoughts as he rode homeward at hisbrothers' side, just behind their father and mother, at the closeof that eventful day's proceedings.
It was a thought that could not but be fraught with some terror tothe boy, who knew that he had been instrumental in hiding thethreatened monk, and that if by some gruesome chance the secretwere to be discovered, their bitter enemy would make it an excusefor prosecuting his malicious and covetous purpose towards Chadwith redoubled ardour, and with every prospect of success. Atpresent the prior was standing neutral betwixt the two foes; atpresent the king was well disposed towards Sir Oliver. But shouldit be proved beyond dispute that he had set the Church at defiance,and had harboured a suspected heretic within his walls, then theprior would at once turn against him, and representations would bemade to the king which would almost force him to turn away hisfavour. The Lord of Chad would be a disgraced and suspected person,whilst in all probability the wiles of the ambitious Mortimer wouldprove successful, and the claim of Sir Edward Chadwell would beadmitted, and the estate pass into his hands.
The thought was maddening. The bare idea of being forced to leavethe old home sent the hot blood coursing through the boy's body. Ifsuch a thing as that were to befall them, it would break theirfather's heart. And how should he ever hold up his head again,knowing that in some sort he had been the author of the mischief?
All the brothers had been heart and soul together in their desireto hide the brother from the wrath and unjust tyranny of the prior;but Edred felt as though the greatest responsibility had been his,though he could scarcely have said why.
Julian had certainly taken the lead in the final act of the drama;but Julian was yet a boy, and did not thoroughly realize the perilswhich might follow such a course. Edred did, and his face was graveand thoughtful; and when from time to time he stole a glance atBertram, he saw that his elder brother's face was overcast andanxious, too.
They did not dare to exchange a single word upon the subjectnearest to their hearts as they rode decorously behind theirparents and the two monks. The whole train had to restrain theirhorses to the ambling pace of the steed bestridden by the monks,who were by no means skilled riders; and dusk had fallen ere theyall rode into the courtyard of Chad, where the bustle ofdismounting afforded the brothers the chance of escaping for a fewminutes to their upper chamber together.
"We must not stay a minute; the spies will be after us!" whisperedBertram. "But one question I must ask. Is he there?"
"Yea, verily; and none need visit him for many days. It were betternot.
"But, brothers both, lend me your strong arms here. I would movethis great chest across the fireplace. Ask no question; I will showyou why anon."
Edred was the speaker, and he indicated an enormous carved oakchest quite twelve feet in length, which was kept in this room tohold the clothing of the three lads. They did from time to timechange its position in the room, so that no remark would be excitedby the fact that it had been moved. As Edred wished to place itnow, it would stand right across the fireplace, blocking entirelythe secret door; but Bertram looked a little doubtfully at it whenit was in place, saying tentatively:
"Thou dost not think it would draw attention to the carved pillarsof the fireplace? We shall have cunning and crafty men to deal withon the morrow."
Edred smiled slightly.
"Wait till the morrow comes, and thou shalt see," he answered; andthen the brothers hastened down again, knowing that any suddendisappearance on their part might be marked and held as suspicious.
They had not, however, been gone long enough to be missed, and thetwo monks who had been told off to keep watch within this house hadbut just made their way into the hall, where hot spiced wine wasbeing dispensed, and the table set out for supper.
Notwithstanding the feast recently partaken of at the priory, thebrothers appeared by no means loath to sit down once again, andEdred could not but observe how differently they comportedthemselves from Brother Emmanuel, and how thoroughly theyappreciated the dainty viands which were brought out in theirhonour.
He did not mean to sit in judgment--he scarcely knew that he wasdoing so; yet as be watched their deep potations, and marked howthey chose the best portions, and stinted themselves in no goodthing, his stern young mind could not but rise up in revolt, themore so that these very men were actually here on purpose to striveto capture a brother of their own order, and deliver him over todeath. And so far as the youth understood the matter, the offencefor which it was resolved he should suffer was that he was toofaithful to the vows he had taken upon himself, and too ardent instriving to enforce upon others the rules he held binding uponhimself.
But at least if these brothers ate and drank merrily, they were nottherefore the better watchers. They had smiled a little scornfullyas he contrasted their good feeding and deep drinking andsubsequent visible sleepiness with the spare and frugal meal alwaystaken by Brother Emmanuel, to be followed as often as not by a longnight vigil in the chantry. There was small look of watchfulnessabout these men. Any vigil kept by them would be but a mockery ofthe term. It was all they could do to stumble through the office ofcompline when the meal was ended and the household about to retire,and there was no suggestion on their part of wishing to remain tokeep vigil.
But Edred resolved that he would watch again that night. He haddone so the previous night with Brother Emmanuel, both thinkingthat it might be the last watch they would ever hold together. Nowthe boy felt that he could not sleep, at least for many hours; andsince their mother had whispered to them that Brother Fabian was toshare their room, since he said it was his duty to keep watch uponthe boys till next morning, it seemed well to leave his bed for thedrowsy monk, aid keep vigil himself in the silent chantry.
The brother looked puzzled when he heard what one of his youngcharges proposed to do. Edred looked him full in the face as heanswered:
"Brother Emmanuel taught us that it were not well that all withinthe house should be sleeping. We know not when the Lord mayappear--at midnight, at cock crowing, or in the morning; andmethinks whenever He may come, He would gladly find one soulholding vigil and waiting for His appearing. Lock the door of thechantry upon me, my father. Thou canst see that there is but theone door by which we may come or go. If thou fearest to leave mehere, lock the door upon me until such time as it pleases thee torelease me."
The brother regarded the boy with perplexed looks, and slowly shookhis head, as though such an attitude of mind were whollyincomprehensible. But he did not oppose his resolve. It would notdo to appear astonished at the idea of keeping vigil. He passed outof the chantry muttering to himself, and Edred prostrated himselfbefore the altar, above which the solitary lamp burned clear andbright, and offered up most earnest prayers for the safety ofBrother Emmanuel, for the failure and discomfiture of his foes, andfor his safe escape when the time was ripe into some country wherehis enemies were not like to find him.
How the hours of the night passed he scarcely knew. He mightperhaps have slept at his post awhile, or have remained in a dreamyand passive state; for it did not seem long before the morning suncame glinting in at the eastern window, and the boy saw that theday had come which was to be a momentous one to Chad.
Before very long, sounds of life about, and later on within thehouse, warned him that he was not the only watcher now; and feelingvery drowsy and weary, he resolved to creep upstairs and shareJulian's couch for the remaining hours before the working dayshould commence.
He had not been locked into the chantry. Perhaps Brother Fabianfelt a little shame in his suspicions, or perhaps he forgot to takethe precaution. The door yielded to his touch, and he found himselfat liberty to go where he would.
But before turning his steps to his room upstairs, he made anexpedition to an outhouse on what appeared to be a curious errand.It was a dirty, neglected place, and was full of dust and flue andcob
web. The boy began deliberately collecting masses of this flueand web, and presently he swept up carefully a good-sized heap ofdust, which he as deliberately placed in a wooden box, andproceeded to make in one end a number of small holes.
Carefully carrying away this strange load, and bearing it withgreat secrecy, the boy mounted the stairs very softly, and put downthe handkerchief in which the flue was placed in the small unusedroom beside their sleeping chamber. With the box still in his handshe stole on tiptoe into the room and looked carefully round him.
His brothers were sleeping lightly, looking as though they would beeasily and speedily aroused. But the monk was snoring deeply, andthe bloated face which was turned towards him displayed thatabandonment of repose which bespeaks a very sound and even sottishslumber.
The boy looked with repulsion at the flushed face, the open mouth,and dropped jaw. Something in the expression of that sleeping facefilled him with scorn and loathing. No danger of this man'sawakening; his half-drunken sleep was far too heavy and sodden.
Edred stepped lightly across the room towards the chest which hehad had moved the previous evening, and lying at full length alongthe floor, he proceeded to shake his box after the manner of apepper pot until he had made beneath the chest a soft layer of dustwhich looked like the accumulation of weeks. It was deftly andskilfully done, and although he looked critically at the aftereffect, to make sure there was nothing artificial about the aspect,he could not detect anything amiss.
The next step was to carry away his box, empty it out of a window,and break in pieces the perforated part, that there might be notracing his action in this matter. Then gaining possession of hishandkerchief full of flue, he stole softly back again, and laidgreat flakes between the legs of the chest and the wall, stuffedlight fragments into the interstices of the carving, and laid themupon any projecting ledge that was likely to have caught such lightdirt as it filtered through the air.
A soft movement in the room told him that his brothers were awakeand watching him, though the monk still snored on in his stertorousfashion. One after the other the pair stole from their beds andlooked for a moment at this skilful travesty of nature's handiwork,and both nodded in token of approval and congratulation.
Edred had an artist's eye for effect, and did not spoil hishandiwork by overdoing it. The result produced was exactly as ifthe chest had stood for some time in its present position, so thatthe dust had gathered beneath it and the flue had clung to the wallbehind it. No one looking at its position there could doubt that ithad been there for a period of some weeks.
Satisfied with the result of his manoeuvre, the boy flung away therest of his spoil, and throwing himself upon one of his brothers'beds was soon lost in healthy sleep.
When he awoke the sun was high in the sky, and he found himselfalone with Father Fabian, who appeared likewise only just to haveawakened.
Brother Emmanuel would long ago have held early mass in thechantry, but this new inmate appeared by no means disposed tofollow in the footsteps of his predecessors. He rubbed his eyes,and seemed scarce to know where he was; but he accepted Edred'soffers of assistance, and was soon ready to leave the room insearch of the meal to which he was accustomed.
All Chad was in a stir of expectation. It was known throughout thehouse that a great search was to be instituted after the missingpriest, who had, as it were, disappeared into thin air.
Everybody knew that he had been within the precincts of Chad uponthe previous day. Some amongst the few servants who had been leftbehind to take care of the house had seen him moving quietly aboutfrom the chantry to the courtyard and back. It was now well knownthat spies were lurking in the forest round Chad with a view ofintercepting any attempt at flight, and it was plain they had seennothing of him. Therefore, unless he had escaped their vigilance bycunning and artifice, he must still be somewhere within theprecincts of the house; and on the whole this appeared the mostprobable theory. In a place like Chad, where there were all mannerof outbuildings, sheds, and lofts; to say nothing of all thecorners and hiding places within the house itself, it would be verytempting to take refuge in one of these nooks and crannies, and totrust to the chance of concealment rather than run the gauntlet ofmeeting foes in the open.
Brothers from the monasteries, to say nothing of hunted heretics,had the reputation of being marvellous cunning in their methods. Itwas like enough that Brother Emmanuel had long been planning somesuch concealment for himself, and had made his plans cleverly andastutely. Such was the prevailing opinion at Chad, and scarcely amember of the household but hoped and trusted his hiding placewould not be detected, even though they did not know how seriouslythe fortunes of their master might be affected were the monk to befound hidden in his house.
They all loved Brother Emmanuel for his own sake, and hated theLord of Mortimer. And it was well known that that haughty baron wasmaking common cause with the prior of Chadwater in this matter,doubtless in the hope of disgracing Sir Oliver in the eyes of theecclesiastical powers.
So a general feeling of excitement and uncertainty prevailed duringthe early hours of the morning. Sir Oliver and his wife strove toappear calm and tranquil, but inwardly they were consumed byanxiety. They felt something very much approaching certainty thattheir own sons knew what had befallen the monk--probably his veryhiding-place; and they were by no means certain that it might notbe within the very precincts of Chad itself. The knight'sgenerosity and love of justice were sufficiently stirred to makehim willing to run some risk in the cause; he had resolved to askno question, and to let matters take their own course. But he couldnot help feeling a tremor run through him as he heard the windingof the horn which bespoke the presence of the visitors at his gate,and he went forth to meet them with a sinking heart, albeit hismien was calm and untroubled and his bearing dignified and assured.
The prior and the Lord of Mortimer headed the train, and behindfollowed a goodly retinue of men wearing the livery of the baron,to say nothing of the lay brothers and the cowled monks, who wereskilful in matters pertaining to search, and who had come to assistin the examination of the whole of the great house.
Upon the face of Lord Mortimer and upon that of his son-in-lawthere was an ill-disguised look of vindictive triumph. It was easyto see that they were fully assured of the presence of the fugitivewithin these walls, and that they did not mean to leave until hehad been dragged forth from his hiding place.
The guests of the better quality were respectfully conducted intothe great hall, and refreshments were placed before them. SirOliver put his whole house and possessions into the hands of theprior, who was invited to make any kind of investigation andexamination that he thought necessary. The knight repeated what hehad said the previous day as to his entire ignorance where the monkwas hiding, and whether he was hiding at all. But no obstacle ofany kind would be placed by him against the most stringent search,and he would either accompany the searchers or remain passive wherehe was, exactly as the reverend father judged best.
This statement was well received by the prior, who turned to theLord of Mortimer and suggested that in the first place his armedtroopers, who were well used to this kind of work, should make astrict search through all the outbuildings of whatever kind,posting his men wherever he thought needful, and taking any stepssuch as the smoking of chimneys and kindred methods that might inany wise be likely to dislodge the fugitive. Meantime the rest ofthe party would remain where they were, and the house should onlybe searched if it was made clear that the monk was not hidingwithout.
Lord Mortimer retired to give his orders, and the rest of thecompany remained in the hall. The boys would better have liked thehouse searched first, that their anxiety might be the soonerrelieved. It was keeping them on tenterhooks all this time, as theyknew well that no result could accrue from any search of the outeryards or buildings, and it was hard to wait all that time inuncertainty and suspense.
But they heard the order given without making any sign. It was wellfor them at this crisis that they had b
een trained in habits ofself control and reserve. No one, to look at the three boys, wouldhave guessed them to be greatly interested in the proceedings. Theyremained standing in the background, with an air of quiet respectand submission appropriate to the young in presence of theirspiritual superiors. The prior, as his keen eye travelled over thefaces in the hall, never suspected for a moment that those threequiet lads knew aught of this matter. But, pleased by their air andbearing, he called them to him and asked them some questions, toassure himself that they had been properly taught by therecalcitrant monk whom now he had resolved to find and to punishfor his rebellion and temerity.
The boys replied with such ready intelligence and so much actuallearning that he could not but be pleased with them. Edred, inparticular, showed such readiness and aptitude that the prior wassurprised, and laying a kindly hand upon the boy's head, asked himhow soon they would be welcoming him at Chadwater.
The youth looked up with grave, thoughtful eyes.
"I know not that, my father. I have had thoughts of the religiouslife; but--"
"Well, boy, what is the 'but'?" asked the prior with a smile, but akeen flash of the eye which did not pass unheeded.
Edred saw the flash, and was put at once upon his guard. This wasnot Brother Emmanuel, to whom he could open his whole soul and askcounsel and advice.
"I misdoubt me at times if I be fit for the life," he answered."There is too much of the world in my heart, I fear me. I used tothink I was fit to be a monk, but I am the less sure now."
"Well, well, I would fain have a promising lad like thee beneath mycare; but there is time to talk of that later.
"Well, my Lord of Mortimer, how goes the search? Is all in trainfor it?"
"Ay, reverend father; and I trow if the miscreant be in hidinganywhere without the house, he will shortly be brought before us. Iam no novice in this manner of work, and I have laid my plans thathe will scarce escape us. If that fail, we must try the houseitself. It will go hard if we find him not somewhere. We have fullinformation that he has not left the place;" and here he flashed aninsolent look of triumph at Sir Oliver, who took not the smallestnotice either of the speech or the look.
Edred retired to his former place beside his brothers, and theparty awaited the result of the search with what patience theymight. Now and then shouts and calls broke the stillness, and faceswould flush with excitement at the sound; but the shouts alwaysdied away again into silence, and at last there came a trooper intothe hall to salute the company and report that there was no onehidden in any of the places without. Not a rat or a mouse couldhave failed to be turned out after the stringent search to whichthe premises had been subjected.
The Lord of Mortimer then rose and said:
"Keep the men posted as I have given orders. Let none stir from hisvantage ground. And be thou there to see that the closest watch iskept. We go in person to search the house, and if any living thingseeks to make escape by door or window, it will be thine office andthat of thy men to seize and hold him."
"We will not fail, my lord," said the man, who again saluted andwithdrew.
Then the prior rose and called his monks about him, whilst the Lordof Mortimer did the like with his followers.
"Sir Oliver," said the prior, "I would have spared you thisunwelcome formality had it been possible, but my duty must be done.I will ask you to be our conductor throughout the house, and willcrave permission to post my servants hither and thither about thepassages as seems to me best, and to take such steps as shallappear needful for proving to the satisfaction of all that thistraitor monk is not hidden within your walls."
Sir Oliver bent his head.
"Take what steps you will, reverend father; I and mine are at yourdisposal. Whatever means you desire to use, do so withouthesitation. Shall my people arm themselves with tools to removepanelling or flooring? You have but to command them; they shallinstantly obey."
The Lord of Mortimer again looked taken aback for a moment. Therewas a confidence in Sir Oliver's manner that did not appear to beassumed. He would have preferred another aspect in his foe.
"We have brought all things needful for a rigorous search,"answered the prior. "We hope and trust nothing will be needed. Isit true that there are secret hiding places in the house, my son?It would be well, perhaps, to visit any such first."
"There be two," answered Sir Oliver quietly, though his heart beatrather fast. What if Brother Emmanuel had learned the secret ofeither of those places, and had sought refuge in one? True, itwould have been worse than useless to deny their existence. Many inthe household knew of them and how they might be entered.
Probably the prior or some of his monks had the trick of thosechambers by heart. Chad had been through many vicissitudes, and themonks had often been its guests. Secrets once known to them werenever allowed to be lost. It would have been idle to seek to putthe searchers off the scent. He led the way to the places where themasked doors lay--one was much after the pattern of that in theboys' chamber--and in each case himself opened the door, lettinghis guests go in to examine for themselves.
Those were terrible moments for him; but the hearts of the boys didnot palpitate. Each time the search party came forth with looks ofbaffled disappointment. Each time the Lord of Mortimer's face wasdark and gloomy. He had reckoned somewhat confidently on findingthe fugitive in one of these known hiding places. He had hoped SirOliver would profess an ignorance of at least one of the two. Hisface was fierce and vindictive as the second was "drawn blank."
But the excitement of the boys was slowly augmenting as the partymoved higher and higher in the house, leaving scouts posted invarious places, and, as it were, spreading a cleverly-constructednet all through Chad, which it would be impossible for any personbeing hunted from spot to spot finally to escape.
The prior's idea now was that the monk might be gliding before themfrom place to place, confident that his knowledge of theintricacies of the house would give him the chance of evading themat the last. It was a desperate game, to be sure, but one that hadbeen successfully tried by others on more than one occasion. Hetherefore posted his men with great skill and acumen; and knowingthe house accurately, was able to feel secure that if this were thegame being played, the prey would sooner or later be his.
Lord Mortimer, on the other hand, gave his attention to thepanelled walls, the carved chimney pieces, the flooring of the oldrooms; and many were the blows struck here and there by his orders,and great was the damage done to certain panelled rooms, in thehopes of coming upon some masked door or passage.
It was this energy on his part that caused such anxiety to theboys. Suppose he were to attack the carving which really concealedthe masked door in their room? Might not his eagle eye light uponthat, too, and might not all be discovered? The boys felt almostsick with apprehension as they approached the door of their room,and Edred's whole heart went up in a voiceless prayer that nodiscovery might be made.
Nothing in the aspect of the room attracted comment. All lookedmatter of fact and innocent enough, and the prior was growingsomething weary with the unavailing search. The usual thumping onthe walls was commenced; but even the carved mantel pillars were sosolid that no hollow sound was given forth when they were struck.The prior turned away.
"There is naught here, methinks, my Lord of Mortimer."
"Wait one moment," replied the baron. "This carving be somethingdeep and ponderous. I always suspect traps when I see such painsbestowed upon it. Let me examine a while further. These grapes lookto me as if they had been fingered something often. Let me examinefurther."
Edred's heart was in his mouth. It was all he could do to restrainhimself from seeking to attract the prior's attention in anotherdirection; but his sound sense told him that this suddeninterruption would be suspicious. Julian nipped him by the arm, asthose strong fingers went travelling over the carved work with direintent. Both started when the Lord of Mortimer exclaimed:
"Take away yon chest; it encumbers me."
The servants
did his bidding in a moment; and then a sudden changecame over his face. The eager look died away. He remained awhilelooking down at the floor, which was covered with dust and flue, aswas also the carving which had been concealed behind the chest. Theprior looked down too, and shrugged his shoulders.
"That tells a tale, my lord. Naught has been disturbed here formany a long day. Let us pursue our search elsewhere. No fugitivecould have passed by that spot since yesterday, when BrotherEmmanuel was last seen."
The baron could not but assent. He looked once again at thecarving, but he had had no real reason to suspect aught, and heturned away to go elsewhere. Another grip of the arm showed Edredhow Julian's feelings had been stirred; but the lads did not evenlook at each other as they moved on behind the company, and theynow hardly heard or heeded what passed during the remaining hour ofthat long search.
For them the crisis had passed when they turned from the room wherethe secret lay. If not discovered at that awful moment when LordMortimer's hand was actually upon the bunch of grapes beneath whichlay the spring, they surely need not fear any other manoeuvre onhis part.
And at last the long search ended. Even the Lord of Mortimer had toown himself beaten. Reluctantly and with scowling brow he followedthe prior back to the long banqueting hall, where the tables hadalready been laid with savoury viands. He had been worsted where hehad been most confident of success, and he was as furious as a bearrobbed of her whelps.
The prior was taking Sir Oliver by the hand and speaking words ofgoodwill, professing great satisfaction at the result of thisstringent search; his only vexation being that the monk hadcontrived to give them the slip. In the back of his head the priorhad a lurking feeling that Sir Oliver had been in some sortconcerned in Brother Emmanuel's escape, and was rejoicing at it;but inasmuch as he had entirely failed to bring home any chargeagainst him, and as in all other respects he was a good neighbourand true son of the Church, he was willing enough to restore him tofavour and confidence, and was not sorry on the whole that thehaughty Lord of Mortimer was not going to have it all his own way.
The astute ecclesiastic knew very well that he himself did betterfor holding a neutral position between two adversaries bothdesiring his friendship and good opinion, than he would do wereChad and Mortimer to be in the same hands. He was disappointed atnot finding the monk, but not sorry Sir Oliver stood vindicated. Heset himself down to the board with a hearty goodwill; but the baronrefused the proffered hospitality of his rival, and summoned hisattendants about him.
"I will say farewell this time, Sir Oliver," he said haughtily."But remember I still hold that we have only been foiled by yourcunning; not that you are innocent in this matter. If ever I canprove this thing against you, I shall do so; and I recommend thereverend prior to keep his watch still upon this house, as I fullybelieve yon traitor monk is in hiding here."
"And I, my lord baron," said Sir Oliver proudly, "will give youfair warning that I will speedily to the king, to lay before himthe history of this day and the insults to which I have beensubjected through you and your groundless suspicions of me. I havenot resisted what you have chosen to do, knowing well the use youwould have made of such resistance. But I have not forgotten themany acts of aggression and hostility of which you have beenguilty; and this last day's work, in which your servants have madethemselves, as it were, masters of Chad, shall be answered for atsome future day. You have thought good to threaten me. I too willthreaten you. I threaten you with the displeasure of the king whenthis thing comes to his ears; and I shall seek him now withoutdelay, and tell him all I have suffered at your hands."
Chapter X: From Peril To Safety.
"My son, what hast thou done to thyself?"
Edred was stumbling across the courtyard, supported by Julian, hisface streaming with blood and muffled in a great kerchief. He wasunable to speak himself, but Julian spoke eagerly for him.
"I trow the fault is half mine. It was done in tilting. I wascareless, and saw not that Edred's guard was down. I fear me I havesomething hurt him. I trust it is not the eye. Look to it quickly,sweet mother. It was a nasty blow."
"It is not of serious nature," muttered Edred through hiswrappings; "it will be well right quickly."
The mother hurried the two boys into a small room of her own whereshe kept medicaments of various kinds, and where all wounds of atrifling character were washed and dressed. Julian hurried to fetchher all she needed; and just at that moment Sir Oliver came hastilyin looking for his wife.
"How now, Edred?" he exclaimed. "Hast thou been in the wars again?"for Edred was something famed for getting hard knocks and uglyscratches in his mimic encounters with his more skilled anddexterous brothers. "Why, boy, but this is a worse business thanusual. I am sorry for it, for I had something purposed to take theewith me to Windsor on the next morrow, as well as Bertram, and showthee to the king, and give thee a glimpse of the world of court.But if thou be in such plight as this, thou wilt scarce be fit togo."
"I must await another time," muttered Edred, in the same indistinctway, and Julian added with an air of chagrin:
"It was a villainous mischance. I would I had been more careful. Iam always having the ill luck to hurt Edred."
"Nay, the fault is mine!" exclaimed the other boy.
"And now thou wilt be hindered from seeing the king and his finecourt."
"Perchance thou wilt go in my stead."
"Nay, that will I not. An thou stayest at home for fault of mine, Iwill stay to keep thee company.
"Now, gentle mother, prithee see if he be much hurt. I cannot resttill I know."
The lady was ready now to make her examination, and gently removedthe rude wrappings the boys had made for themselves. Edred's facepresented an ugly appearance as these were taken away. He had agreat gash across his brow, which passed dangerously near to theeye, and had laid open the cheek almost as far as the mouth, andknocked out one back tooth. The knight looked concerned at themagnitude of the damage, and spoke rather sharply to Julian.
"Thou must have a care with these weapons of thine, or thou wilt dothy brother a fatal mischief one of these days. See, boy, had thatblow of thine swerved but the half of an inch, thy brother wouldhave lost the sight of an eye forever--nay, he might have lost hislife; for an injury to the eye oft penetrates to the brain, andthen the skill of the leech is of no avail.
"Good wife, is thy skill sufficient for these hurts? or shall wesend to seek a surgeon's aid?"
"Methinks I can do all that is needful. They are ugly scratches andpainful, but not over deep. The lad will not be scarred, methinks,when the wound is well healed. See, it looks better already afterthe bathing.
"Run, Julian, for the roll of lint and the strapping in yoncupboard.
"The boy will be a sorry spectacle for a few short days, but afterthat I trow he will feel none the worse."
"It is but a scratch," said Edred, speaking more freely now, thoughwith a mumbling accent, as though his lips were swollen, which,indeed, one of them was. "I scarce feel it, now it is bathed. Donot look so grave anent the matter, my father."
Sir Oliver, relieved to find matters no worse, went on his way; andLady Chadgrove proceeded to bind up and plaster the bruised facewith the skill and dexterity of which she was mistress. She had noattention to spare for Julian, or she might have been surprised tonote that he secreted for himself a certain amount of the dressingshe had used, and looked on very intently whilst she applied theremainder to his brother's face.
When her ministrations were accomplished, Edred was greatlydisguised. His face was almost entirely swathed in linen, and oneeye was completely bandaged up. Julian laughed aloud as he saw theobject presented by his brother; and Edred would have joined in thelaugh if he had had free play with his facial muscles.
The mother looked gently scandalized.
"Sure, it is no laughing matter, Julian. I am not wont to make muchof these boyish mischiefs. Lads must learn to give and to take hardblows as they grow to manhood. Yet I would that thou we
rt somethingmore careful. Thou mightest have killed thy brother, or have causedhim life-long injury, today."
Julian looked grave enough then; but Edred caressed his mothergently, saying:
"Nay, chide him not. He is the best of brothers. It was as much myfault as his."
And then the pair went away together, and did not pause until theyhad reached their own room, when they suddenly seized each other bythe hand and commenced cutting extraordinary capers, indicative ofa secret understanding and triumph.
"It could not have turned out better," said Edred, speaking stifflywith his bandaged face and swollen lips.
"I fear me thou dost suffer somewhat."
"It is naught. I scarce feel it, now mother has bound it up. Andthy stroke was wondrous skilful, Julian--brow and eye and mouth allscratched."
"The praise should be thine for standing thus rigid to let me thusmark thee. Hadst thou flinched, as many another would have done--asI should have done, I trow--it could not have been done a tithe aswell. Wrapped and bandaged as thou must be these next days to come,not a creature could know thee. Everything can be carried outaccording to the plan. Not even our father will suspect aught. Theonly fear is lest thou shouldst take a fever or somewhat of thatsort, so that they say thou must not ride forth a few miles withour father when he fares forth to Windsor at the dawning of thenext morrow after tomorrow's dawn."
"No fear of that," answered Edred boldly. "I am not wont to troublea sickbed. I have had knocks and blows as hard as this before. Artsure thou hast enough of the linen and the strapping to serve thepurpose? And dost think thou canst apply it rightly? It will be thyhands, not mine, that must do all that. I shall be far away whenthe moment comes. Art sure that thou canst do all as it should bedone? Thou and Bertram will have all the last arrangements to carrythrough. How my heart will be in my mouth until I see thee and mydouble approaching in the gray light of the morning!"
"I trow we shall not disappoint thee!" cried the boy excitedly;adding after a moment's pause, "Methinks in the matter of artificeboth Bertram and I can beat thee, albeit thou art the best of us inother matters. What a boon that that fat, slothful, ignorant monkno longer shares this room! That might have been a rare trouble.But since he loves well the soft bed of the guest chamber in lieuof these hard pallets, he is not like to trouble us again. They puttheir trust in the spies around the house. Let their spies do theirworst, I trow we shall outwit them yet."
And the boys took hands again and renewed their impromptu triumphdance. Their hearts were brimming over with satisfaction and hope.They had had a tough problem to think out during the past days, butnow it seemed in a fair way of solution.
When the prior had left Chad after the banquet prepared for him, heprofessed himself perfectly satisfied that the missing BrotherEmmanuel was not concealed upon the premises yet for all that,since the Lord of Mortimer had declared himself still dissatisfied,and because the escape of the monk was difficult to credit, nothinghaving been seen or heard of him abroad, he judged it wise still tokeep his watch upon the place, that all might be satisfied that noprecaution had been left untaken.
Sir Oliver had briefly, and with a slight accent of scorn, agreedwith all the prior said, and had professed himself perfectlyagreeable to the arrangement. He had nothing to hide either in hisown comings and goings or in those of any member of his household.So long as his movements were not interfered with or his libertiesinfringed, the whole forest might be alive with spies for all thathe cared. He had not known of the first watch set upon his house,and he was indifferent to the second. He should be soon leavinghome to seek the king, and all he demanded was that the sanctity ofhis house should be duly regarded in his absence. Of course theprior fully agreed to that. Indeed, after the rigorous andexhaustive search that had been already made, there was no reasonwhy any further entrance should be made into Chad.
But although Sir Oliver had heard this mandate with indifferenceand contempt, it had filled the hearts of the boys with dismay. Ina week's time the vessel would sail that was to carry BrotherEmmanuel away to foreign soil, and out of the clutches of hispresent enemies; and if this guard around the house were to bemaintained all that while, what chance had they of smuggling theirfugitive away and down to the coast, as they had set their heartson doing?
But inasmuch as necessity has ever been the mother of invention,and the lads were not only bold and fearless but ready of resource,they had laid their heads together with some good effect, and nowthe first and one of the most important steps of the little dramahad been carried to a successful conclusion.
The next day was a busy and bustling one at Chad. Upon the morrowits lord and master rode forth to Windsor with his eldest son andthe best of his followers. There was a great burnishing of arms andgrooming and feeding of steeds. Every man was looking up his bestriding dress and putting it into spic-and-span order, and the wholeplace rang with the sound of cheery voices and the clash of steel.
In and out and backwards and forwards throughout the day passed thethree boys, watching everything, asking eager questions of all, andexpressing keen interest in the whole expedition.
Edred was of course a great figure. His face was all swathed up.One side was completely concealed by the wrappings, and as he foundthe light trying to even the other eye, his plumed hat was drawnlow down over his brow, so that no one would have guessed who hewas but for the fact that his mishap was well known by this time toall the household.
Even after supper the restless boys could not keep still. Edred andJulian had won their father's consent to riding some few miles withhim on the morrow towards Windsor, and they ran off as soon as themeal was concluded to visit their steeds and see that their saddleswere in order. After they had done this, they sallied out by one ofthe smaller gates to take an evening stroll in the wood, callingout to the custodian of the portal that they should return by thegreat gate.
They wandered away some distance into the wood; but when theyreturned it was only Bertram and Julian who entered the gate andwent up to their sleeping room. However, as nobody at the largerentrance had seen the three sally forth, no remark was occasionedby the return of only two; and it was supposed that Edred wouldhave retired early, since he was in somewhat battered plight, andhad to recover strength for the early start upon the morrow.
When they reached their room that night, Bertram and Juliancarefully locked the door behind them--a precaution they did notoften take; and when they took from the great chest their own bestriding suits, they also took out Edred's and looked it well over.
"It will fit him to a nicety," said Bertram. "He and Edred arealmost of a height, and both slim and slightly built. His paleface, so much as may be seen beneath the white linen, will lookmightily like Edred's in the gray light of the early morn. This hathas a mighty wide brim--well that Edred affects such headgear.Pulled over his eyes, as he wore it yesterday, there be scarce afeature to be seen. We have but to say he is something late, takehim his breakfast to eat up here, and get him on to horsebackwhilst all the bustle is going on, and not even our father willknow him. He may ride past the spies with head erect and fearlessmien, for there is not one of them but saw Edred this day, and willknow at a glance who rides betwixt us twain with the white linenabout his head!"
Sir Oliver had decided rather late in the day to take his lady withhim. She was in great favour always with the queen, and of latethey had heard that the health of that gracious lady was somethingfailing. It would be a graceful attention on the part of themistress of Chad to visit her and learn of her welfare, and it wasknown that the queen had considerable influence with the king, andhe might well give more favourable notice to Sir Oliver's plea werehis wife to urge it upon him in response to what the lady mighttell to her of their recent troubles with their haughty neighbour.
So that there was even more stir and excitement than usuallyattended an early morning's start. The sun was not yet up, and thegray dimness of the coming summer's day enshrouded the greatcourtyard as Bertram and Julian descended
to it with a slim figurebetween them clad in a riding dress similar to their own, theslouched hat drawn over the face, which face was well wrapped andmuffled in white linen, as Edred's had been the previous day.
The lady of the house came out with a look of preoccupation uponher face. She noted that the boys were already in the saddle, andsmiled.
"Always in such haste," she said, as her own palfrey was led up."But, Edred my son, why didst thou not come to me to have thy hurtslooked to this morn? I was expecting thee."
"Sweet mother, I bound them for him today!" cried Julian eagerly."Methought I must learn to be his leech since thou wast going withour father, and we knew that thou wouldst have much to do and tothink of. Methinks I have not done amiss. It scarce looks as neatas though thy skilful fingers had had the care of it; but he saysit feels not amiss, and that is a great thing."
"Ay, verily; and I am glad thou hast skill enough for his needs.
"Be cautious, Edred my son, that the cold gets not to the hurts.Draw up the collar of thy mantle well over that left cheek ofthine, and do not talk whilst the air bites so keenly. When the sunis up all will be well; but be cautious in the first chill of thedawn."
The brothers went towards their companion, and rearranged thecollar of his riding cloak so as still more to conceal his face.The hands of the younger lad were trembling somewhat; there was aquivering of the muscles of the face which betokened some repressedemotion. The muffled rider did not speak or make much movement. Heobeyed the injunction of the lady of Chad to the letter.
Sir Oliver now appeared, and lifted his wife upon her palfrey. Hegave a look to see that his sons were mounted, and his servantsstanding ready to follow his example when he sprang to the saddle.
Then his charger was led up, and he mounted and gave the word, andthe little cavalcade moved out through the gate and into the still,dim forest track, watched intently by more than one pair of keen,sharp, suspicious eyes.
"I trust when I come back," remarked the knight to his lady, "thatyon spies will have grown weary of their bootless watch, and willhave taken themselves off. It is but the malice and suspicion ofthe Lord of Mortimer which causes the prior to act so. Alone hewould never trouble himself. He knows that Brother Emmanuel is notat Chad, and has not been these many days. Wherever he be, he hasescaped the malice of his foes this time. Heaven send that he maylong escape! He was a godly and a saintly man, and no more hereticthan thou or I. If the Church will persist in warring thus againsther own truest sons, then indeed will she provoke some greatjudgment upon her own head. A house divided against itself cannever stand, and she above all others should know that."
The spies had been some time passed before Sir Oliver spoke thesewords, and when he did so they were only loud enough to reach theears of his wife and of his sons, who rode immediately behind him.Two of these turned their heads for a moment to look at him whorode between them, but his face was far too well concealed for itsexpression to be seen.
A few miles further on and a pause was made. Julian suggested thathe and Edred should be turning back; whilst the mother, who thoughtthat Edred was scarce fit for the saddle yet, seconded the ideawith approbation.
They were passing through a very dark part of the forest, where thetrees grew dense, and where on one side the sandstone rose up in awall, quite keeping out the level rays of the rising sun. It wasalmost as dim as night in this overgrown spot.
Julian sprang to his feet, and went and dutifully kissed the handboth of father and mother, and the bandaged lad with the concealedface followed his example, touching both hands reverently andgratefully, and murmuring some words of farewell that were onlyindistinctly heard in the champing of bits and stamping ofimpatient horse hoofs. Then whilst the mother still laid manycharges upon Julian to be careful of his brother, and bent a fewanxious regards upon the injured lad himself, Sir Oliver gave thesignal for riding on again, as they had a long day's journey beforethem; and the little cavalcade vanished quickly into the forest,leaving the two companions and their respective steeds standingalone in that dim place.
When the last of the horses had quite vanished, and the sound oftheir steps was no longer to be heard, Julian flung his capsuddenly into the air, and uttered a long and peculiar cry.
Almost immediately that cry was answered from some place near athand, and in a few minutes more a figure strangely like the onestanding at Julian's side emerged from the sheltering underwood,leading by the rein a small forest pony, such as were much used inthat part of the country. With bandaged face, hat drawn over thebrows, and collar turned up to the ears, the newcomer was the verycounterpart of the motionless figure in the path, save that thelatter wore the better dress. Julian burst into a great laugh asthe two stood facing each other; but for Edred the meeting wasfraught with too much of thankful relief for him to be able to joinin his brother's hilarity, and after standing very still for amoment, he suddenly bent his knee, and felt a hand laid upon hishead in mute blessing.
Then Brother Emmanuel removed the wrappings from his head, andlooked from one brother to the other with a world of gratitude inhis dark eyes. But it was a time for action, not words, and thatmute, eloquent gaze was all that passed at present.
"We have a servant's dress ready in the hut hard by," said Edredquickly; "and then we must to horse again and get to the coast asfast as may be. Yon sturdy little pony good Warbel has providedwill serve us as well as any stouter nag, and look more in keepingwith the humble part thou must play this day, Brother Emmanuel.Come, let us change our dress quickly. I love not to linger in thisforest, even though we be five good miles from Chad."
Julian took care of the three horses, whilst Edred and thedisguised monk made their way through the thick growth ofunderwood.
When they reappeared it seemed to the boy as though the monk was asgreatly disguised now as he had been with the wrappings of linenabout his face. Certainly none but a spy on the watch and on theright scent would recognize in this serving man the youngecclesiastic of a few weeks back.
There was a stubble of beard upon his lips and chin which was initself a marvellous disguise. He wore a loose riding dress, with aslouch hat and a high collar to the cloak which shaded and changedthe outline of his features. There was nothing of the monk in hislook, save perhaps in the steady glance of his eyes, where a brightintelligence and keen devotion beamed.
Julian flung his cap into the air again as he cried joyously:
"Why, not even the lord prior himself would know thee now. Sure,thou mightest almost have ridden past the spies themselves thushabited. We may push on in open daylight now, and none will heedthy presence."
Edred had now put on the riding dress which Brother Emmanuel hadhitherto worn, so that on their return the same pair might be seento re-enter the house. The disguised monk mounted the forest ponyand followed his young masters, who pushed on quietly to the coast,feeling a greater and greater security with every mile they putbetween themselves and their home.
It was the day for the sailing of the sloop that would carry themonk away to a safe retreat. They were not afraid of losing theboat, for it was not to sail till nightfall; but their impatienceacted like a spur, and drove them steadily forward; and save forthe needful halts to refresh themselves and their beasts, they didnot tarry or draw rein.
It was growing towards the westering of the sun when they beheldthe great sea lying before them far below, and Edred's eyes glowedwith joy as he saw the white-winged shallops flitting hither andthither on the wide expanse of blue water, and pictured how soonBrother Emmanuel would be sailing away out of the reach of peril.Truly God had been very good in hearing and answering prayer. Edredhad, by some instinct for which he could not account, addressed hisprayers of late less to the blessed Virgin and more to the Son ofGod Himself--struck, perhaps, by the words he had heard from thelips of the heretic peddler about the "one Mediator, the man ChristJesus." He now turned in his saddle and waited till BrotherEmmanuel came up. It was too solitary a place for them to care tokeep up the appear
ance of master and servant.
Riding thus side by side, Brother Emmanuel talked with the boys outof the fulness of his heart. His week of captivity had been spentin deep and earnest thought, and some of these thoughts wereimparted to the boys in that last serious talk. He bid them hold inall reverence and godly fear that Church which was the body ofChrist, and those ordinances which had been given at the beginningfor the perfecting of the saints, and which were God's ways ofdealing with man. But he warned them in solemn tones of the fearfuldisease which had attacked the body, and which threatened a fearfulremedy before that body could be cleansed; he warned them also ofthe perils which beset the path of those who should live to see thecoming struggle. There would be men who would vow that whatever theChurch said and did must be right because the Church was the bodyof Christ, not knowing that even that body can become corrupt(though never the Head) if the will of man be put in the stead ofthe will of God; and these would cling to the corruptions asclosely as to the ordinances of God, and become bitter persecutorsof those who would arise and seek to cleanse and renew the body byGod-given remedies. But again there would be men who would ariseand deny that there was a body, would condemn the very name of theChurch, and avow that what the Lord wanted was not a body, but anumber of individuals each seeking light and salvation in his ownfashion. That would be a fearful evil--an evil which would rend thebody into a thousand schisms, and bring down at last the heavywrath of God, who has from the beginning taught men that the bodymust be without spot or wrinkle or any such thing before it can befit to be the bride of the Lamb.
The young monk earnestly strove to show the perils of both theseways to the boys who rode beside him, and his words were earnestlylistened to, and, by one at least, laid seriously to heart, to beremembered in after days almost as the words of prophecy, anddestined to have a lasting effect upon his own future career.
From that day Edred renounced all thought of the monastic life,feeling that such a life would but trammel his conscience andstultify his judgment. He resolved to live his life in the world,whilst seeking to be not of the world. How that resolve was keptthere is no space in these pages to tell.
Slowly and quietly the three friends jogged down into the littlefishing and trading hamlet that lay at the base of the cliffs. Inthe small bay lay one or two sloops and frigates, and it was nothard to find the owner of the one which was to sail that night andcarry Brother Emmanuel away. Julian found the man, and made allarrangements; whilst Edred saw that Brother Emmanuel made asufficient meal, and sat talking with him to the very last,drinking in new thoughts and aspirations with every word, andstriving, in the joy of knowing his beloved preceptor to be safe,to still the ache at heart which this parting involved.
The sun was just setting as the boat bearing Brother Emmanuel tothe sloop pushed off from shore. The skipper resolved to set sailforthwith, and the boys stood watching whilst she shook out hercanvas to the favouring breeze, and glided like a white-winged seabird out from the shelter of the bay and into the wide ocean.
There were smarting tears in Edred's eyes despite his joy andrelief. But Julian had room only for the latter feeling, and wavedhis cap with an air of exultant triumph as the sails expanded moreand more and the little vessel went skimming its way over theshining sea.
"He is safe, and we have saved him!" he cried with flashing eyes."Let men say what they will, but he was no heretic. I fear not butthat we have done right in the sight of God, even though we may notwhisper in the confessional this deed, nor receive priestlyabsolution therefor."
"God will give us His pardon if we have done amiss," said Edredthoughtfully. "But I have no fear that He regards this deed as asin. It was done in His name, and as such will He receive it."
"Yes, verily; though perchance it were better to leave such wordsunsaid. And now we must to horse and make all speed back to Chad.As it is we shall not reach it till after nightfall, and they willsomething wonder at our delay."
"They will but think we went far and rested long for thy sake. Wehave travelled leisurely today to keep the horses fresh. We cantravel back in the cool right merrily. It is but twenty miles. Wecan take the most of it at a hand gallop."
The boys and the horses were alike refreshed and ready for a gallopthrough the cool evening air, rushing on as fast as the nature ofthe road would let them, they reached Chad in three hours, and rodebeneath the gateway just as the old seneschal was wondering howmuch longer he must wait before he closed the gate for the night.
The spies saw them ride in, as they had (to their thinking) seenthem ride out; and all unconscious that the prey had escaped theirvigilance, continued their weary and fruitless watch with thepertinacity which in so many like cases had given them success atthe last.
One bright evening some three weeks later the bugle at the gate wasloudly blown, and Edred and Julian came flying out to welcome theireldest brother, who had ridden hither with some dozen servants tobring news to his brothers at home.
"We have had marvellous good hap. The king received us rightgraciously, and heard our story with kingly friendliness andgoodwill. He is none of your bigoted, priest-ridden monarchs; andalthough he hates true heresy, and would destroy it root andbranch, he cries shame that all enlightened men who would cleansethe Church from some of her corrupt practices should be branded bythat evil term. The great and worthy Dean Colet was called in, andhe knows well the pamphlet Brother Emmanuel wrote, and says it is awork which should be read and taken to heart by all. That such aman should be dubbed a heretic is vile and wicked; and right gladwere all to hear that he had escaped the malice of his enemies, andfled where they could not reach him. I did not dare even then totell all the tale, but I said how we had laid our heads togetherand had helped him to escape. The king and the queen themselvespraised me for our courage, and called me a good lad and a braveone not even to trouble our father with the knowledge of a secretthat might have made ill work for him.
"My Lord of Mortimer had not been idle. He had been before us inseeking the king; but as good chance befell, he had a quarrel withyoung Henry, the king's fiery son; and the prince was mightilyoffended, and made his sire offended likewise. Wherefore Mortimerwas something in disgrace even before we got there, and when ourstory was told he was called up before the king and prince. And allour old forest rights have been restored to us--nay, have beenwidened and increased, and that at the expense of Mortimer. Yeshould have seen his face when that mandate was brought forth andduly signed and sealed with the royal seal and delivered to ourfather! And the prior has been warned to take his spies from Chad,and the prince has promised to come and visit us, and to enjoy aweek's hunting in the forest."
Bertram's breath gave out before he had well finished outpouringhis story, and the pause was filled by a great huzza, led off byJulian, and taken up by all the company, who were hearing scraps oflike information from the men-at-arms who had conducted home theheir.
"Our parents are constrained to remain awhile longer at court; butI hungered to bring the news to Chad, and to hear the end of thestory."
Bertram here dismounted, and taking his brothers by the arm, ledthem up to their own room, which was always their favourite haunt.
"I see that thy face is well-nigh recovered, Edred; but it stood usin marvellous good stead. Tell me, how fared you when you partedfrom us? All went well?"
"Excellent well in all truth. Not a soul accosted us by the way. Wesaw him take boat to the sloop, and saw the sloop sail out of thebay. In truth, it seems like a dream now that it is all passed. Butit was a fearful time whilst it lasted."
"Yet it has led to good. We are higher in favour with the king thanever, and I trow it will be long ere our haughty neighbour dares toraise his crest against us."
Bertram paused smiling, and laid his hand upon the masked doorwhich had kept its secret so long.
"And if it be that our gracious prince doth in very truth visit ushere, methinks that to him and to him alone will we tell the wholeof the strange story, and disclose to him the t
rick of the secretchamber at Chad!"
The End.
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