The Life And Death Of Richard Yea And Nay Volume 91 by Maurice Hewlett (free books to read .txt) 📕

Does Not Deserve.

'Hail, King Of England, O Hail!' He Said, Wheedling, Royally Vested,

Royally Above, Yet Grovelling There To The Prince Below Him. King

Richard Stopped With His Foot On The Next Step, And Let The Count Come

Down.

'How Lies He?' Were His First Words; The Other's Face Grew Fearful.

'Eh, I Know Not,' He Said, Shuddering. 'I Have Not Seen Him.' Now, He

Must Have Been In Fontevrault For A Day Or More.

'Why Not?' Asked Richard; And John Stretched Out His Arms Again.

'Oh, Brother, I Waited For You!' He Cried, Then Added Lower, 'I Could

Not Face Him Alone.' This Was Perfectly Evident, Or He Would Never Have

Said It.

'Pish!' Said King Richard, That Is No Way To Mend Matters. But It Is

Written, "They Shall Look On Him Whom They Pierced." Come You In.' He

Mounted The Steps To His Brother's Level; And Men Saw That He Was Nearly

A Hand Taller, Though John Was A Fine Tall Man.

'With You, Richard, With You--But Never Without You!' Said John, In A

Hush, Rolling His Eyes About. Richard, Taking No Notice, Bid Them Set

Open The Doors. This Was Done: The Chill Taint Of The Dark, Of Wax And

Damp And Death Came Out. John Shivered, But King Richard Left Him To

Shiver, And Passed Out Of The Sun Into The Echoing Nave. Lightly And

Fiercely He Went In, Like A Brave Man Who Is Fretful Until He Meets His

Danger's Face; And John Caught At His Wrist, And Went Tiptoe After Him.

All The Rest, Poictevins And Frenchmen Together, Followed In A Pack;

Then The Two Bishops Vested.

At The Far End Of The Church, Beyond The Great Rood, They Saw The

Candles Flare About A Bier. Before That Was A Little White Altar With A

Priest Saying His Mass In A Whisper. The High Altar Was All Dark, And

Behind A Screen In The North Transept The Nuns Were Singing The Office

For The Dead. King Richard Pushed On Quickly, The Others Trooping

Behind. There In The Midst Of All This Chilly State, Grim And

Sour-Faced, As He Had Always Been, But Now As Unconcerned As All The

Dead Are, Lay The Empty Majesty Of England, Careless (As It Seemed) Of

The Full Majesty; And Dead Anjou A Stranger To The Living.

It Was Not So Altogether, If We Are To Believe Those Who Saw It. The

Hatred Of The Dead Is A Fearful Thing: Of That Which Followed Be God The

Only Judge, And I Not Even The Reporter. Milo Saw It, And Milo (Who Got

Some Comfort Out Of It At Last) Shall Tell You The Tale; 'For I Know,'

Says He, 'That In The End The Hidden Things Are To Be Made Plain, And

Even So, Things Which Then I Guessed Darkly Have Since Been Opened Out

To My Understanding. Behold!' He Goes On, 'I Tell You A Mystery. Lightly

And Adventuring Came King Richard To His Dead Father, And Count John

Dragging Behind Him Like A Load Of Care. Reverently He Knelt Him Down

Beside The Bier, Prayed For A Little, Then, Looking Up, Touched The Grey

Old Face. Before God, I Say, It Was The Act Of A Boy. But Slowly,

Slowly, We Who Watched Quaking Saw A Black Stream Well At The Nostril Of

The Dead, And Slowly Drag A Snake's Way Down The Jaw: A Sight To Shake

Those Fraught With God--And What To Men In Their Trespasses? But While

All The Others Fell Back Gasping, Or Whispering Their Prayers, Scarce

Knowing What I Was Or Did (Save That I Loved King Richard), I Whipt

Forward With A Handkerchief To Cover The Horror Out Of Sight. This I

Would Have Done, Though All Had Seen It; The King Had Seen It, And That

White-Hearted Traitor Count Had Seen It, And Sprung Away With A Wail, "O

Christ! O Christ!" The King Stood Up, And With His Lifted Hand Stopped

Me In The Pious Act. All Held Their Breaths. I Saw The Priest At The

Altar Peer Round The Corner, His Mouth Making A Ring. King Richard Was

Very Pale And Serious. He Began To Talk To His Father, While The Count

Lay Cowering On The Pavement.

'"Thou Thinkest Me Thy Slayer, Father," He Said, "Pointing At Me The

Murder-Sign. Well, I Am Content To Take It; For Be Thou Sure Of This,

That If That Last War Between Us Was Rightfully Begun It Was Rightfully

Ended. And Of Righteousness I Think I Am As Good A Judge As Ever Thou

Wert. Thy Work Is Done, And Mine Is To Do. If I May Be As Kingly As Thou

Wert, I Shall Please Thee Yet; And If I Fail In That I Shall Never Blame

Thee, Father. Now, Abbot Milo," He Concluded, "Cover The Face." So I

Did, And Count John Got Up To His Knees Again, And Looked At His

Brother.

'This Was Not The End. Madame Alois Of France Came Into The Church

Through The Nuns' Door, Dressed All In Grey, With A Great Grey Hood On

Her Head, And After Her Women In The Same Habit. She Came Hastily, With

A Quick Shuffling Motion Of The Feet, As If She Was Gliding; And By The

Bier She Stood Still, Questing With Her Eyes From Side To Side, Like A

Hunted Thing. King Richard She Saw, For He Was Standing Up; But Still

She Looked About And About. Now Count John Was Kneeling In The Shadow,

So She Saw Him Last; But Once Meeting His Deplorable Eyes With Her Own

She Never Left Go Again. Whatever She Did (And It Was Much), Or Whatever

Said (And Her Mouth Was Pregnant), Was With A Fixed Gaze On Him.

'Being On The Other Side Of The Bier From Him She Watched, She Put Her

Arms Over The Dead Body, As A Priest At Mass Broods Upon The Host He Is

Making. And Looking Shrewdly At The Count, "If The Dead Could Speak,

John," She Said, "If The Dead Could Speak, How Think You It Would Report

Concerning You And Me?"

'"Ha, Madame!" Says Count John, Shaking Like A Leafy Tree, "What Is

This?" Madame Alois Removed My Handkerchief. The Horror Was Still There.

'"He Did Me Kindness," She Said, Looking Wistfully At The Empty Face;

"He Tried To Serve Me This Way And That Way." She Stroked It, Then

Looked Again At The Count. "But Then You Came, John; And You He Loved

Above All. How Have You Served Him, John, My Bonny Lad? Eh, Saviour!"

She Looked Up On High--"Eh, Saviour, If The Dead Could Speak!"

'No More Than The Dead Could John Speak; But King Richard Answered Her.

'"Madame," He Said, "The Dead Hath Spoken, And I Have Answered It. That

Is The Kingly Office, I Think, To Stand Before God For The People. Let

No Other Speak. All Is Said."

'"No, No, Richard," Said Madame Alois, "All Is Not Nearly Said. So Sure

As I Live In Torment, You Will Rue It If You Do Not Listen To Me Now."

'"Madame," Replied The King, "I Shall Not Listen. I Require Your

Silence. If I Have It In Me, I Command It. I Know What I Have Done."

'"You Know Nothing," Said The Lady, Beginning To Tremble. "You Are A

Fool."

'"May Be," Said King Richard, With A Little Shrug, "But I Am A King In

Fontevrault."

'The Count Of Mortain Began To Wag His Head About And Pluck At The Morse

Of His Cope. "Air, Air!" He Gasped; "I Strangle! I Suffocate!" They

Carried Him Out Of Church To His, Lodging, And There Bled Him.

'"Once More, King Richard," Said Madame, "Will You Hear The Truth From

Me?"

'The King Turned Fiercely, Saying, "Madame, I Will Hear Nothing From

You. My Purpose Is To Take The Cross Here In This Church, And To Set

About Our Lord's Business As Soon As May Be. I Urge You, Therefore, To

Depart And, If You Have Time, To Consider Your Soul's Health--As I

Consider Mine And My Kingdom's."

'She Began To Cry, Being Overwrought With This Terrible Affair. "O

Richard," She Said, "Forgive Me My Trespasses. I Am Most Wretched."

'He Stepped Forward, And Across The Dead Man Kissed Her On The Forehead.

"God Knows, I Forgive Thee, Alois," He Said.

'So Then She Went Away With Her People, And No Long Time Afterwards Took

(As I Believe) The Whole Vow In The Convent Of Fontevrault.' Thus Milo

Records A Scene Too High For Me.

When They Had Buried The Old King, Richard Sent Letters To His Brother

Of France, Reminding Him Of What They Had Both Undertaken To Do, Namely,

To Redeem The Sepulchre And Set Up Again In Jerusalem The True Cross.

'As For Me,' He Wrote, 'I Do Most Earnestly Purpose To Set About That

Business As Soon As I May; And I Require Of You, Sire And My Brother, To

Witness My Resumption Of The Cross In This Church Of Fontevrault Upon

The Feast Of Monsire Saint John Baptist Next Coming. Let Them Also Who

Are In Your Allegiance, The Illustrious Duke Of Burgundy, Conrad

Marquess Of Montferrat, And My Cousin Count Henry, Be Of Your Party And

Sharers With You In The New Vow.' This Done, He Went To Chinon To Secure

His Father's Treasure, And Then Made Preparations For His Coronation As

Count Of Anjou, And For Jehane's Coronation.

When She Got His Word That She Was To Meet Him At Angers By A Certain

Day There Was No Thought Of Disobedience; The Pouting Mouth Meant No

Mutiny. It Meant Sickening Fear. In Angers They Crown The Count Of Anjou

With The Red Cap, And Put Upon His Feet The Red Shoes. That Would Make

Richard The Red Count Indeed, Whose Cap And Bed The Leper Had Bid Her

Beware. Beware She Might, But How Avoid? She Knew Richard By This Time

For Master. A Year Ago She Had Subjugated Him In The Dark Tower; But

Since Then He Had Handled Her, Moulded Her, Had But To Nod And She

Served His Will. With What Heart Of Lead She Came, Come She Did To Await

Him In Black Angers, Steep And Hardy Little City Of Slate; And The

Meeting Of The Two Brought Tears To Many Eyes. She Fell At His Feet,