wild expanse of woodland, giving shelter to numberless b

this ancient trackway the poor lad, eager as the avenger of blood in old times, s

the darkness of the valley, then on the upland: here, startling the timid deer; there, startled himself, as the

reach a monastic house in the neighbourhood of Banbury, where a few poor English monks, not yet dispossessed by th

travel before nightfall without a Norman passport. For Norman riders, soldiers of fortune, infested all the highways, and they would certainly r

place from the summit of a hill. In spite of his woes, too, he wanted his breakfast, and wa

ed yards before him, when suddenly a troop of horse came round a curve

here?" exclaim

Blois, who had rescued him from danger on the field

d that this Eustace was the friend of his stepfather, and the distrust--not to say hatred--he was beg

of Aescendune,"

thee alone and unattended on the highway, so fa

ed, in a tone which at once be

I judge from thy reply that all is not we

I only crave permission to

cutthroats are about, and my duty will not suffer thee to go farther t

nterrogator; but although he did succeed in clearing the party, his poor palfrey was tired, and the Norma

at thou art playing the truant--against thine own interests, and must t

me to proceed; life and d

me then, and

is mother's woes to a Norman--to his fevered mind one of the intruders was as bad as

reply; "it would b

e befriende

u not a

ing rebellion into thy youthful ears. Well, if they are found, they shall ere long lack tongues wherewith

e power and

ise not to atte

N

belly of thy steed, or thou mayst leave thy tired palfrey and ride be

t please

rested the Norman count, who was not, as we have before seen, all steel; and during the journey which Wi

so eagerly traversed under the veil of night; and at length, towards sunset,

t be seen to return in the guise of a captive. Once mor

sion indicative of something deeper yet t

the castle, and they flocked to their battlements to behold the pennon o

issued over the drawbridge to greet the coming guest. Foremost a

train of their visitor; we can hardly paint fitly the sco

nt element in the days of chivalry--and no question was

to welcome thee; may I ask where he met t

rom here; I will te

aron, but politeness forced him to wait his guest's

ad swallowed up the minor ones, and he could disdain the imputation of cowardice, although he could not but feel that his attempted flight would be a

unication to the seneschal. The latter came up to Wilfred as he st

father, bids yo

th a small loophole to serve as window, through which nothing larger than a cat could

ere until my lord co

d behind him, the steps of the gaoler (was he any better?) died away in the distance, and all was still, s

it was certainly not the baron's. Soon a voice was heard th

, art th

it thou,

combat? Thou hast disgraced thys

ot tell

not fear

was

me explanation, that I may

can

wilt

wilt ha

I can be no fri

s he went down the stairs. One pang of boyish pride--

then, wearied out--he had had no rest during the previous night as the reader

id not awake him, but gazed upon the features of the boy he had so deeply injured, with an expression wherein there was no lingering remorse, but simply a deep and dead

Father Elphege to the

bles; but he was an exception. He read and knew all; he read, and blanched a deadl

the prior and Wilfred, for it was but a dying conf

awake the sleeper, but retired to digest it

e sentinel heard him pacing to and fro. Had any one seen him, he woul

" he said, as if to

hine enemies at once, let not ev

would the

ot know, if thou

bird of the air would carry

h nurses frighten children. Ar

nks--if they wer

to die; and they are but English swine, like the

of temptation which none know in their intensity, save such as have by long habit encouraged the Evil

and slept, not the sleep of the innocent, for his features moved convulsively again and again

since had continual indulgence in evil driven

ous Gascon wine, and a crust of toasted bread, steeped in the liquor; after which he mounted his favourite steed, a high horse of great spirit, not to say vic

returned: Wilfred had

ed, in his prison chamber, which turned out to be a fruitless one; for, ter

been saved. But was it unnatural that the poor orphan should feel an invinc

took his usual place at the head of the high t

Wilfred down

soon reappeared with the

baron straight in the face, he did not honour Etienne or any

"why didst thou absent thyself yesterday, an

ans

t the combat, which thine own unmann

N

red spoke, and that with

at the combat would have been a mere form. I had instruc

his companions, which seemed

mpt to leave the demesne without permissio

once

ce at the priory of thy sainted namesake, till thou dost come to a better mi

sit down during the me

his instructions. They led the youth away; he did not return the bar

and many casks of wine were broached; at leng

avy with wine were they, that few arose; hut most heard it as a man hears some sound in

companions of the unhappy Wilfred) learned that the monastery had caught fire accident

f Aescendune was a heap of smoking embers, and monks were there no

weeping over their lost friends, and the very Norman m

to alleviate the calamity: all seemed to have perished unaided in the sudd

heir guest blotted out from the earth. And