The Life And Death Of Richard Yea And Nay Volume 91 by Maurice Hewlett (free books to read .txt) π
I Like This Good Man's Account Of Leopards, And Find It More Pertinent
To My Matter Than You Might Think. Milo Was A Carthusian Monk, Abbot Of
The Cloister Of Saint Mary-Of-The-Pine By Poictiers; It Was His
Distinction To Be The Life-Long Friend Of A Man Whose Friendships Were
Few: Certainly It May Be Said Of Him That He Knew As Much Of Leopards As
Any One Of His Time And Nation, And That His Knowledge Was Better
Grounded.
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- Author: Maurice Hewlett
Read book online Β«The Life And Death Of Richard Yea And Nay Volume 91 by Maurice Hewlett (free books to read .txt) πΒ». Author - Maurice Hewlett
'I Cannot Tell You Where The Countess Of Anjou May Be,' He Was Answered.
'She Is Not Here, And Is Not In France. I Believe She Is In Palestine.'
'Palestine! Palestine! Lord Christ, Have You Turned Her Away?' Gilles
Cried, Beside Himself. Again King Richard Looked At Him, But Afterwards
Shrugged.
'You Speak After Your Kind. Now, Gurdun, Get You Home. Go To My Friends
In Normandy, To My Brother Mortain, To My Brother Of Rouen; Bid Them
Raise A Ransom. I Must Go Back. You Have Disturbed Me, Sickened Me Of
Assassination, Reminded Me Of What I Intended To Forget. If I Get Any
More Assassins I Shall Break Prison And The Archduke's Head, And I
Should Be Sorry To Do That, As I Have No Grudge Against Him. Find Des
Barres, Gurdun, Raise All Normandy. Find Above All Mercadet, And Set Him
To Work In Poictou. As For England, My Brother Geoffrey Will See To It.
Aquitaine I Leave To The Lord Of BΓ©arn. Off Now, Gurdun, Do As I Bid
You. But If You Speak Another Word To Me Of Madame D'anjou, By God's
Death I Will Wring Your Neck. You Are Not Fit To Speak Of Me: How Should
You Dare Speak Of Her? You! A Stab-I'-The-Dark, A Black-Entry Cutter Of
Throats, A Hedgerow Knifer! Foh, You Had Better Speak Nothing, But Be
Off. Stay, I Will Call The Castellan.' And So He Did, Roaring Through
The Key-Hole. The Gaoler Came Up Flying.
'Conduct This Animal Into The Fresh Air, Dietrich,' Said King Richard;
'Send Him About His Business. Tell Your Master He Will Now Do Better.
And When That Is Done, Let Me Go On To The Leads That I May Walk A
Little.'
Gurdun Followed His Guide Speechless; But The Archduke Was Very Vexed,
And Declined To See Him. 'I Decide To Be A Villain, And He Makes Me A
Vain Villain,' Said The Great Man. 'Bid Him Go To The Devil.' So Then
Gilles With Head Hanging Came Out Of The Gate, And Jehane Leaped From
Her Angle To Confront Him.
To Say That He Dropped Like A Shot Bird Is To Say Wrong; For A Bird
Drops Compact, But Gilles Went Down Disjunct. His Jaw Dropped, His Hands
Dropped, His Knees, Last His Head. 'Ha, Heart Of Jesus!' He Said, And
Covered His Eyes. She Began To Talk Like A Hissing Snake.
'What Have You Done With The King? What Have You Done?' King Richard On
The Roof Peered Down And Saw Her. He Turned Quite Grey.
'I Could Do Nothing, Jehane,' Gilles Whimpered; 'I Went To Kill Him.'
'You Fool, I Know It. I Saw You Go. I Could Have Stayed You As I Do Now.
But I Would Not.'
'Why Not, Jehane?'
She Spurned Him With A Look. 'Because I Love King Richard, And Know You,
Gilles, What You Can Do And What Not. Pshutt! You Are A Rat.'
'Rat,' Says Gilles, 'I May Be, But A Rat May Be Offended. This King
Robbed Me Of You, And Slew My Father And Brothers. Therefore I Hated
Him. Is It Not Enough Reason?'
Her Eyes Grew Cold With Scorn. 'Your Father? Your Brothers?' She Echoed
Him. 'Pooh, I Have Given Him More Than That. I Have Burned My Heart
Volume 91 Book 2 (The Book Of Nay) Chapter 12 (The Chapter Of Strife In The Dark) Pg 177Quite Dry. I Have Accepted Shame, I Have Sold My Body And Counted As
Nothing My Soul. Robbed You? Nay, But I Robbed Myself, And Robbed Him
Also, When I Cut Him Out Of My Own Flesh. From The Day When, Through My
Prayers Against Blood, He Was Affianced To The Spanish Woman, I Held Him
Off Me, Though I Drained More Blood To Do It. Then, That Not Sufficing
To Save Him, I Gave Myself To The Old Man Of Musse; To Be His Wife, One
Of His Women, Do You Understand? His Wife, I Say. And You Talk Now Of
Father And Brothers And Your Robbery, To Me Who Am Become An Old Man's
Toy, One Of Many? What Are They To My Soul, And My Heart's Blood, To My
Life And Light, And The Glory That I Had From Richard? Oh, You Fool, You
Fool, What Do You Know Of Love? You Think It Is Embracing, Clipping,
Playing With A Chin: You Fool, It Is Scorching Your Heart Black, It Is
Welling Blood By Drops, It Is Fasting In Sight Of Food, Death Where
Sweet Life Offers, Shame Held More Honourable Than Honour. Oh, Saint
Mary, Star Of Women, What Do Men Know Of Love?' Dry-Eyed And Pinched,
She Looked About Her As If To Find An Answer In The Sullen Moors. If She
Had Looked Up To The Heavy Skies She Might Have Had One; For On The
Tower's Top Stood King Richard Like A Ghost.
'Listen Now To Me, Jehane,' Said Gilles, Red As Fire. 'I Have Hated Your
King For Four Years, And Three Times Sought His Life. But Now He Has
Beaten Me Altogether. Too Strong, Too Much King, For A Man To Dare
Anything Singly Against Him. What! He Slept, And I Could Not Do It; And
Then I Slept, And He Awoke And Let Me Lie. Then Once Again I Woke And
Thought Him Still Sleeping, And Stabbed The Bed; And He Came Behind Me,
Stealthy As A Cat, And Trounced Me Over His Knee Like A Child. Oh, Oh,
Jehane, He Is More Than Man, And I By So Much Less. And Now, And Now, He
Sends Me Out To Win His Ransom As If I Were An Old Lover Of His, And I
Am Going To Do It! Why, God In Glory Look Down Upon Us, What Is The
Force That He Hath?'
Gilles Now Shivered And Looked About Him; But Jehane, Having Mastered
Her Breath, Smiled.
'He Is King,' She Said. 'Come, Gilles, I Will Go With You. You Shall
Find The Abbot Milo, And I The Queen-Mother. I Have The Ear Of Her.'
'I Will Do As I Am Bid, Jehane,' Said The Cowed Man, 'Because I Needs
Must.'
As They Went Away Together, King Richard On The Roof Threw Up His Arms
To The Sky, Howling Like A Night Wolf. 'Now, God, Thou Hast Stricken Me
Enough. Now Listen Thou, I Shall Strike If I Can.'
After A While Came Cogia The Assassin; To Whom Jehane Said, 'Cogia, I
Must Take A Journey With This Man. You Shall Put Us On The Way, And Wait
For Me Until I Come Again.'
'Mistress,' Replied Cogia, 'I Am Your Slave. Do As You Will.'
She Put On The Dress Of A Religious, Gilles The Weeds Of A Pilgrim From
Jerusalem. Then Cogia Bought Them Asses In Gratz And Led Them Down To
Trieste. They Found A Ship Going To Bordeaux, Went On Board, Had A Fair
Passage, Passed The Pillars Of Hercules On Their Tenth Day Out, And Were
In The Gironde In Five More. At Bordeaux They Separated. Gilles Went To
Poictiers In A Company Of Pilgrims; Jehane, Having Learned That Queen
Berengère Was At Cahors, Turned Her Face To The Gascon Hills. But She
Had Left Behind Her A Prisoner To Whom Death Could Bring The Only Ransom
Worth A Thought.
Volume 91 Book 2 (The Book Of Nay) Chapter 13 (Of The Love Of Women) Pg 178
'Ask Me No More How I Did In Those Days,' Writes Abbot Milo. 'Mercy
Smile Upon Me In The Article Of Death, But I Worked For The Ransom Of
King Richard As (I Hope) I Should For That Of King Christ. Many An Abbey
Of Touraine Goes Lean Now Because Of Me; Many A Mass Is Wrought In A
Pewter Chalice That Richard Might Come Home. Yet I Soberly Believe That
Madame Alois, King Philip's Sister, Was Precious Above Rubies In The
Work.'
I Think He Is Right. That Stricken Lady, In The Habit Of A Grey Nun Of
Fontevrault, Came By Night To Paris, And Found Her Brother With John Of
Mortain. They Had Been Upon The Very Business. Philip, Not All Knave,
Had Been Moved By The News Of Richard's Immobility. He Had Had Some Of
De Gurdun's Report.
'Christ-Dieu,' He Said, 'A Great King Calm In Chains! And My Brother
Richard. Yet God Knows I Hate Him.' So He Went Muttering On. The Count
Edged In His Words As He Could.
'He Hates You, Indeed, Sire. He Hates Me. He Hates All Of Us.'
'I Think We Could Find Him Reasons For That, My Friend, If He Lacked
Them,' Said Philip Shrewdly. 'Do You Know That De Gurdun Is In Poictou
Come From Styria?'
Count John Said Nothing; But He Did Know It Very Well. When They
Announced Madame Alois The King Started, And The Count Went Sick White.
'We Will Receive Her Grace,' Said Philip, And Advanced Towards The Door
For The Purpose. In She Came In Her Old Eager, Stumbling, Secret Way,
Knelt In A Hurry To Kiss Her Brother's Hand, Then Rose And Looked
Intently At John Of Mortain.
The King Said, 'You Visit Us Late, Sister; But Your Occasions May Drive
You.'
'They Do Drive Me, Sire. I Have Seen The Sieur Gilles De Gurdun. King
Richard Is In Hold At Gratz, And Must Be Delivered.'
'By You, Sister?'
'By Me, Sire.'
'You Grow Christian, Madame.'
'It Is My Need, Sire. I Have Done King Richard A Great Wrong. This Is
Not Tolerable To Me.'
'Eh,' Says Philip, 'Not So Fast. Was No Wrong Done To You?'
'Wrong Was Done Me,' Said The White Girl, 'But Not By Him.'
Volume 91 Book 2 (The Book Of Nay) Chapter 13 (Of The Love Of Women) Pg 179'The Wrong Lies In His Blood. What Though The Wrong-Doer Is Dead? His
Blood Must Answer It.'
Alois Shivered, And So, For That Matter, Did One Other There. She
Answered, 'I Pray For His Death. Dying Or Dead, His Blood Shall Answer
It.'
'You Speak Darkly, Sister.'
'I Live In The Dark,' Said Alois.
'King Richard Has Affronted My House In You Sister.'
But She Said, 'I Have Affronted King Richard Through His House.'
'Is This All You Have To Say, Alois?'
'No, Sire,' She Told Him, With A Fierce And Biting Look At Mortain; 'But
It Is All I Need Say Now.'
It Was. A Cry Broke Strangling From The Count. 'Ha, Jesus! Sire! Save My
Brother!' The Wretch Could Bear No More. The Woman's Eyes Were Like
Swords.
King Philip Marvelled. 'You!' He Said, 'You!' John Put Out His Hands.
Oh,
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