“It is well,” said Dick, at length; “they have not heard us, praise the saints! But, now, what shall I do with this poor spy? At least, I will take my tassel5 from his wallet.”
So saying, Dick opened the wallet; within he found a few pieces of money, the tassel, and a letter addressed to Lord Wensleydale, and sealed with my Lord Shoreby’s seal. The name awoke Dick’s recollection; and he instantly broke the wax and read the contents of the letter. It was short, but, to Dick’s delight, it gave evident proof that Lord Shoreby was treacherously6 corresponding with the House of York.
The young fellow usually carried his ink-horn and implements7 about him, and so now, bending a knee beside the body of the dead spy, he was able to write these words upon a corner of the paper:
My Lord of Shoreby, ye that writt the letter, wot ye why your man is ded? But let me rede you, marry not.
Jon Amend-All.
He laid this paper on the breast of the corpse8; and then Lawless, who had been looking on upon these last manoeuvres with some flickering9 returns of intelligence, suddenly drew a black arrow from below his robe, and therewith pinned the paper in its place. The sight of this disrespect, or, as it almost seemed, cruelty to the dead, drew a cry of horror from young Shelton; but the old outlaw only laughed.
“Nay, I will have the credit for mine order,” he hiccupped. “My jolly boys must have the credit on’t—the credit, brother;” and then, shutting his eyes tight and opening his mouth like a precentor, he began to thunder, in a formidable voice:
“If ye should drink the clary wine”—
“Peace, sot!” cried Dick, and thrust him hard against the wall. “In two words—if so be that such a man can understand me who hath more wine than wit in him—in two words, and, a-Mary’s name, begone out of this house, where, if ye continue to abide10, ye will not only hang yourself, but me also! Faith, then, up foot! be yare, or, by the mass, I may forget that I am in some sort your captain and in some your debtor11! Go!”
The sham12 monk13 was now, in some degree, recovering the use of his intelligence; and the ring in Dick’s voice, and the glitter in Dick’s eye, stamped home the meaning of his words.
“By the mass,” cried Lawless, “an I be not wanted, I can go;” and he turned tipsily along the corridor and proceeded to flounder down-stairs, lurching against the wall.
So soon as he was out of sight, Dick returned to his hiding-place, resolutely14 fixed15 to see the matter out. Wisdom, indeed, moved him to be gone; but love and curiosity were stronger.
Time passed slowly for the young man, bolt upright behind the arras. The fire in the room began to die down, and the lamp to burn low and to smoke. And still there was no word of the return of any one to these upper quarters of the house; still the faint hum and clatter16 of the supper party sounded from far below; and still, under the thick fall of the snow, Shoreby town lay silent upon every side.
At length, however, feet and voices began to draw near upon the stair; and presently after several of Sir Daniel’s guests arrived upon the landing, and, turning down the corridor, beheld17 the torn arras and the body of the spy.
Some ran forward and some back, and all together began to cry aloud.
At the sound of their cries, guests, men-at-arms, ladies, servants, and, in a word, all the inhabitants of that great house, came flying from every direction, and began to join their voices to the tumult18.
Soon a way was cleared, and Sir Daniel came forth19 in person, followed by the bridegroom of the morrow, my Lord Shoreby.
“My lord,” said Sir Daniel, “have I not told you of this knave21 Black Arrow? To the proof, behold23 it! There it stands, and, by the rood, my gossip, in a man of yours, or one that stole your colours!”
“In good sooth, it was a man of mine,” replied Lord Shoreby, hanging back. “I would I had more such. He was keen as a beagle and secret as a mole24.”
“Ay, gossip, truly?” asked Sir Daniel, keenly. “And what came he smelling up so many stairs in my poor mansion25? But he will smell no more.”
“An’t please you, Sir Daniel,” said one, “here is a paper written upon with some matter, pinned upon his breast.”
“Give it me, arrow and all,” said the knight26. And when he had taken into his hand the shaft27, he continued for some time to gaze upon it in a sullen28 musing29. “Ay,” he said, addressing Lord Shoreby, “here is a hate that followeth hard and close upon my heels. This black stick, or its just likeness30, shall yet bring me down. And, gossip, suffer a plain knight to counsel you; and if these hounds begin to wind you, flee! ’Tis like a sickness—it still hangeth, hangeth upon the limbs. But let us see what they have written. It is as I thought, my lord; y’ are marked, like an old oak, by the woodman; to-morrow or next day, by will come the axe31. But what wrote ye in a letter?”
Lord Shoreby snatched the paper from the arrow, read it, crumpled32 it between his hands, and, overcoming the reluctance33 which had hitherto withheld34 him from approaching, threw himself on his knees beside the body and eagerly groped in the wallet.
He rose to his feet with a somewhat unsettled countenance35.
“Gossip,” he said, “I have indeed lost a letter here that much imported; and could I lay my hand upon the knave that took it, he should incontinently grace a halter. But let us, first of all, secure the issues of the house. Here is enough harm already, by St. George!”
Sentinels were posted close around the house and garden; a sentinel on every landing of the stair, a whole troop in the main entrance-hall; and yet another about the bonfire in the shed. Sir Daniel’s followers36 were supplemented by Lord Shoreby’s; there was thus no lack of men or weapons to make the house secure, or to entrap37 a lurking38 enemy, should one be there.
Meanwhile, the body of the spy was carried out through the falling snow and deposited in the abbey church.
It was not until these dispositions39 had been taken, and all had returned to a decorous silence, that the two girls drew Richard Shelton from his place of concealment40, and made a full report to him of what had passed. He, upon his side, recounted the visit of the spy, his dangerous discovery, and speedy end.
Joanna leaned back very faint against the curtained wall.
“What!” cried her friend. “And here is our paladin that driveth lions like mice! Ye have little faith, of a surety. But come, friend lion-driver, give us some comfort; speak, and let us hear bold counsels.”
Dick was confounded to be thus outfaced with his own exaggerated words; but though he coloured, he still spoke41 stoutly42.
“Truly,” said he, “we are in straits. Yet, could I but win out of this house for half an hour, I do honestly tell myself that all might still go well; and for the marriage, it should be prevented.”
“I crave45 your excuse,” said Dick. “I speak not now in any boasting humour, but rather as one inquiring after help or counsel; for if I get not forth of this house and through these sentinels, I can do less than naught46. Take me, I pray you, rightly.”
“Why said ye he was rustic47, Joan?” the girl inquired. “I warrant he hath a tongue in his head; ready, soft, and bold is his speech at pleasure. What would ye more?”
“Nay,” sighed Joanna, with a smile, “they have changed me my friend Dick, ’tis sure enough. When I beheld him, he was rough indeed. But it matters little; there is no help for my hard case, and I must still be Lady Shoreby!”
“Nay, then,” said Dick, “I will even make the adventure. A friar is not much regarded; and if I found a good fairy to lead me up, I may find another belike to carry me down. How call they the name of this spy?”
“Rutter,” said the young lady; “and an excellent good name to call him by. But how mean ye, lion-driver? What is in your mind to do?”
“To offer boldly to go forth,” returned Dick; “and if any stop me, to keep an unchanged countenance, and say I go to pray for Rutter. They will be praying over his poor clay even now.”
“The device is somewhat simple,” replied the girl, “yet it may hold.”
“Nay,” said young Shelton, “it is no device, but mere48 boldness, which serveth often better in great straits.”
“Ye say true,” she said. “Well, go, a-Mary’s name, and may Heaven speed you! Ye leave here a poor maid that loves you entirely49, and another that is most heartily50 your friend. Be wary51, for their sakes, and make not shipwreck52 of your safety.”
“Ay,” added Joanna, “go, Dick. Ye run no more peril53, whether ye go or stay. Go; ye take my heart with you; the saints defend you!”
Dick passed the first sentry54 with so assured a countenance that the fellow merely figeted and stared; but at the second landing the man carried his spear across and bade him name his business.
“Pax vobiscum,” answered Dick. “I go to pray over the body of this poor Rutter.”
“Like enough,” returned the sentry; “but to go alone is not permitted you.” He leaned over the oaken balusters and whistled shrill55. “One cometh!” he cried; and then motioned Dick to pass.
At the foot of the stair he found the guard afoot and awaiting his arrival; and when he had once more repeated his story, the commander of the post ordered four men out to accompany him to the church.
“Let him not slip, my lads,” he said. “Bring him to Sir Oliver, on your lives!”
The door was then opened; one of the men took Dick by either arm, another marched ahead with a link, and the fourth, with bent56 bow and the arrow on the string, brought up the rear. In this order they proceeded through the garden, under the thick darkness of the night and the scattering57 snow, and drew near to the dimly-illuminated windows of the abbey church.
At the western portal a picket58 of archers59 stood, taking what shelter they could find in the hollow of the arched doorways61, and all powdered with the snow; and it was not until Dick’s conductors had exchanged a word with these, that they were suffered to pass forth and enter the nave22 of the sacred edifice62.
The church was doubtfully lighted by the tapers63 upon the great altar, and by a lamp or two that swung from the arched roof before the private chapels64 of illustrious families. In the midst of the choir65 the dead spy lay, his limbs piously66 composed, upon a bier.
A hurried mutter of prayer sounded along the arches; cowled figures knelt in the stalls of the choir, and on the steps of the high altar a priest in pontifical67 vestments celebrated68 mass.
Upon this fresh entrance, one of the cowled figures arose, and, coming down the steps which elevated the level of the choir above that of the nave, demanded from the leader of the four men what business brought him to the church. Out of respect for the service and the dead, they spoke in guarded tones; but the echoes of that huge, empty building caught up their words, and hollowly repeated and repeated them along the aisles69.
“A monk!” returned Sir Oliver (for he it was), when he had heard the report of the archer60. “My brother, I looked not for your coming,” he added, turning to young Shelton. “In all civility, who are ye? and at whose instance do ye join your supplications to ours?”
Dick, keeping his cowl about his face, signed to Sir Oliver to move a pace or two aside from the archers; and, so soon as the priest had done so, “I cannot hope to deceive you, sir,” he said. “My life is in your hands.”
“Richard,” he said, “what brings you here, I know not; but I much misdoubt it to be evil. Nevertheless, for the kindness that was, I would not willingly deliver you to harm. Ye shall sit all night beside me in the stalls: ye shall sit there till my Lord of Shoreby be married, and the party gone safe home; and if all goeth well, and ye have planned no evil, in the end ye shall go whither ye will. But if your purpose be bloody71, it shall return upon your head. Amen!”
With that, he spoke a few words more to the soldiers, and taking Dick by the hand, led him up to the choir, and placed him in the stall beside his own, where, for mere decency73, the lad had instantly to kneel and appear to be busy with his devotions.
His mind and his eyes, however, were continually wandering. Three of the soldiers, he observed, instead of returning to the house, had got them quietly into a point of vantage in the aisle70; and he could not doubt that they had done so by Sir Oliver’s command. Here, then, he was trapped. Here he must spend the night in the ghostly glimmer74 and shadow of the church, and looking on the pale face of him he slew75; and here, in the morning, he must see his sweetheart married to another man before his eyes.
But, for all that, he obtained a command upon his mind, and built himself up in patience to await the issue.
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1
passionate
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的 | |
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bustle
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| v.喧扰地忙乱，匆忙，奔忙；n.忙碌；喧闹 | |
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outlaw
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| n.歹徒，亡命之徒；vt.宣布…为不合法 | |
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shrub
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| n.灌木，灌木丛 | |
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tassel
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| n.流苏，穗；v.抽穗， （玉米）长穗须 | |
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6
treacherously
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| 背信弃义地； 背叛地； 靠不住地； 危险地 | |
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7
implements
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| n.工具( implement的名词复数 )；家具；手段；[法律]履行（契约等）v.实现( implement的第三人称单数 )；执行；贯彻；使生效 | |
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8
corpse
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| n.尸体，死尸 | |
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flickering
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| adj.闪烁的，摇曳的，一闪一闪的 | |
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10
abide
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| vi.遵守；坚持；vt.忍受 | |
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debtor
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| n.借方，债务人 | |
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12
sham
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| n./adj.假冒(的)，虚伪(的) | |
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13
monk
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| n.和尚，僧侣，修道士 | |
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resolutely
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| adj.坚决地，果断地 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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16
clatter
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| v./n.(使)发出连续而清脆的撞击声 | |
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17
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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18
tumult
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| n.喧哗；激动，混乱；吵闹 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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wed
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| v.娶，嫁，与…结婚 | |
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knave
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| n.流氓；（纸牌中的）杰克 | |
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nave
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| n.教堂的中部；本堂 | |
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23
behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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24
mole
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| n.胎块；痣；克分子 | |
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mansion
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| n.大厦，大楼；宅第 | |
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knight
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| n.骑士，武士；爵士 | |
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shaft
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| n.(工具的)柄，杆状物 | |
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28
sullen
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| adj.愠怒的，闷闷不乐的，(天气等)阴沉的 | |
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29
musing
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| n. 沉思，冥想 adj. 沉思的, 冥想的 动词muse的现在分词形式 | |
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30
likeness
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| n.相像，相似（之处） | |
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31
axe
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| n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减 | |
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32
crumpled
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| adj. 弯扭的, 变皱的 动词crumple的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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33
reluctance
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| n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿 | |
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34
withheld
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| withhold过去式及过去分词 | |
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35
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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36
followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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37
entrap
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| v.以网或陷阱捕捉，使陷入圈套 | |
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38
lurking
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| 潜在 | |
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39
dispositions
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| 安排( disposition的名词复数 )； 倾向； （财产、金钱的）处置； 气质 | |
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40
concealment
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| n.隐藏, 掩盖，隐瞒 | |
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41
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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42
stoutly
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| adv.牢固地，粗壮的 | |
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44
mimicked
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| v.（尤指为了逗乐而）模仿( mimic的过去式和过去分词 )；酷似 | |
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45
crave
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| vt.渴望得到，迫切需要，恳求，请求 | |
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46
naught
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| n.无，零 [=nought] | |
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47
rustic
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| adj.乡村的，有乡村特色的；n.乡下人，乡巴佬 | |
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48
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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49
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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50
heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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51
wary
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| adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的 | |
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52
shipwreck
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| n.船舶失事，海难 | |
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53
peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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54
sentry
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| n.哨兵，警卫 | |
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55
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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56
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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57
scattering
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| n.[物]散射；散乱，分散；在媒介质中的散播adj.散乱的；分散在不同范围的；广泛扩散的；（选票）数量分散的v.散射(scatter的ing形式)；散布；驱散 | |
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58
picket
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| n.纠察队；警戒哨；v.设置纠察线；布置警卫 | |
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59
archers
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| n.弓箭手，射箭运动员( archer的名词复数 ) | |
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60
archer
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| n.射手，弓箭手 | |
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61
doorways
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| n.门口，门道( doorway的名词复数 ) | |
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62
edifice
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| n.宏伟的建筑物(如宫殿，教室) | |
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63
tapers
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| （长形物体的）逐渐变窄( taper的名词复数 )； 微弱的光； 极细的蜡烛 | |
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64
chapels
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| n.小教堂， （医院、监狱等的）附属礼拜堂( chapel的名词复数 )；（在小教堂和附属礼拜堂举行的）礼拜仪式 | |
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65
choir
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| n.唱诗班，唱诗班的席位，合唱团，舞蹈团；v.合唱 | |
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66
piously
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| adv.虔诚地 | |
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67
pontifical
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| adj.自以为是的，武断的 | |
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68
celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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69
aisles
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| n. (席位间的)通道, 侧廊 | |
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70
aisle
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| n.（教堂、教室、戏院等里的）过道，通道 | |
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71
bloody
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| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
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72
devoutly
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| adv.虔诚地，虔敬地，衷心地 | |
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73
decency
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| n.体面，得体，合宜，正派，庄重 | |
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74
glimmer
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| v.发出闪烁的微光；n.微光，微弱的闪光 | |
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75
slew
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| v.（使）旋转；n.大量，许多 | |
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