第 7 页

"At the monastery of the Grey Friars, where we put up on our way

from London. It will not be a long ride, but we started late.

To-morrow we shall of course make a long day's journey to Guildford.

I don't know what travellers would do were it not for the priories."

"Sleep in the woods, Wulf, and be none the worse for it. For myself,

I would rather lie on the sward with a blazing fire and the greenwood

overhead, than sleep on the cold stones in a monk's kitchen,

especially if it happened to be a fast-day and one had gone to rest

on a well-nigh empty stomach."

"It is never so bad as that," Wulf laughed; "as a rule, however

much the monks may fast, they entertain their guests well."

"If it is an English monastery they do," Osgod admitted, "but not

where there is a Norman prior, with his new-fangled notions, and

his vigils and fasts and flagellations. If I ever become a monk,

which I trust is not likely, I will take care to enter a Saxon

house, where a man may laugh without its being held to be a deadly

sin, and can sleep honestly without being wakened up half a dozen

times by the chapel bell."

"You would assuredly make but a bad monk, Osgod, and come what will

I do not think you will ever take to that vocation. But let us urge

on our horses to a better pace, or the kitchen will be closed, and

there will be but a poor chance of supper when we reach the priory."

"Well, Osgod," Wulf asked the next morning as they rode on their

way, "how did you fare last night?"

"Well enough as to the eating, there was a haunch of cold venison

that a king needn't have grumbled at, but truly my bones ache now

with the hardness of my couch. Couch! there was but the barest

handful of rushes on the cold stone floor, and I woke a score of

times feeling as if my bones were coming through the skin."

"You have been spoilt, Osgod, by a year of sleeping softly I marked

more than once how thickly the rushes were strewn in that corner

in which you always slept. How will it be when you have to stand

the hardships of a soldier's life?"

"I can sleep well on the ground with my cloak round me," Osgod said

steadily, "and if the place be hard you have but to take up a sod

under your hip-bone and another under your shoulder, and you need

not envy one who sleeps on a straw bed. As to cold and wet, I have

never tried sleeping out of doors, but I doubt not that I can stand

it as well as another. As to eating and drinking, they say that

Earl Harold always looks closely after his men, and holds that if

soldiers are to fight well they must be fed well. At any rate,

Master Wulf, I shall be better off than you will, for I have never

been accustomed, as you have, to such luxuries as a straw bed; and

I doubt whether you ever went hungry to bed as I have done many and

many a time, for in the days when my father hoped to make an armourer

of me I was sent off supperless whenever I bungled a job or neglected

his instructions. I wonder what the earl can want you for in such

haste?"

"I do not suppose he wants me in any haste at all. He may have

spoken to the king about me, and when Edward again spoke of my

returning he would simply send for me to come at once."

Such indeed proved to be the case. When he waited on Harold as soon

as he arrived the latter held out his hand; "I am glad to see you

back again, Wulf. A year of country air and exercise has done wonders

for you, and though you are not as tall as you might be, you have

truly widened out into fair proportions, and should be able to swing

a battle-axe of full weight. Thinking it was time for you to return

here, I spoke to the king, who was in high good-humour, for he had

been mightily pleased that morning at some of the figures the monks

have wrought in stone for the adornment of his Church of St. Peter;

therefore he not only consented to your return, but chided me gently

for not having called you up to town before. 'The matter had

altogether slipped my mind,' he said; 'I told you that he might

return directly it was shown that it was the bishop's page who was

in fault, and from that day I have never thought of it.'

"I told the king that I had purposely kept silence, for I thought

the day had come when you should learn your duties down there instead

of dawdling away your time at court. You need not put on a page's

attire any more. You will remain here as my ward, and I have had

so good an account from the good prior of Bramber that in a short

time I shall be able to receive your oath as Thane of Steyning. You

will attend me to court this evening as one of my gentlemen, and I

will then present you to the king, whom it is well that you should

thank for having pardoned you. I hear from the prior that the varlet

you took down with you has grown into a big man, and is well-nigh

as tall as I am already. He must have lodging with my followers

while you are here."

Finding that he was to remain for the present at Westminster, Wulf

sent off a messenger at once to request Egbert to forward the rest

of his clothes immediately. That evening the earl took him into a

chamber, where the king was seated surrounded by a few of his

favourites.

"This is Wulf of Steyning, my lord king," Harold said, "the youth

who was unfortunate enough to incur your royal displeasure a year

since, and who has upon your order returned from his estates. I

have had excellent accounts of him from my good friend the prior

of Bramber, who speaks well alike of his love of study and his

attention to the affairs of his estate. I have also heard from other

hands of his progress in military exercises, and that he bids fair

to become a valiant and skilful soldier of your majesty. He has

prayed me to express his thanks to your majesty for having pardoned

him, and having authorized me to enrol him again in the ranks of

my followers here."

The king nodded pleasantly in answer to the deep bow that Wulf made.

"I was somewhat hasty in your matter," he said graciously, "and

dealt out somewhat hard measure to you, but doubtless, as Earl

Harold said, your stay in the country has been for your good, and

I am glad to hear that the worthy prior of Bramber speaks so well

of you."

The earl gave a little nod to Wulf, and the latter, gathering that

his case was concluded, and that he could now go at once, retired

with another deep obeisance.

Leaving the palace he made his way to the armourer's, whither he

had sent Osgod as soon as they arrived. The smith doffed his cap

as he entered. "I am right glad to see you back again, young master.

My son gave me a rare surprise, for truly when he walked in I did

not know him again, not having had him in my thoughts or having

heard of his arrival. The varlet saw that I did not know him, and

said, 'Canst mend me a broken dagger, master armourer?'

"'That can I,' I answered, and would have said more, when a laugh

came from his great mouth that well-nigh shook the house, and I

knew that it was my son, though the note was deeper than his used

to be, and was, as I told him, more like the bellow of a bull than

the laugh of a young fellow of eighteen. His mother looked in from

behind the shop and said, 'Surely that must have been Osgod's laugh.'

'It was,' I said, 'and there he stands before you. The impudent

rascal has topped me by over half a head, though I am a fair height

myself.' Then she carried him away, and I saw no more of him until

I had finished my work. Since supper he has been telling me somewhat

of what he has been doing down with you, which, as far as I can

learn, amounts to nothing, save the exercising of his arms and the

devouring of victuals."

"He did all there was to do, Ulred, except that he could not bring

that long body and those loose arms of his to offer me cup or platter

without risk to my garments, and even Egbert was forced to agree

that he should never be able to make a courtly servant of him; but

save in that matter Osgod has got on right well. He has always been

ready when I wanted him, and prepared at once to start with me

either on foot or horseback whenever I wished to go out. He is

growing into a mighty man-at-arms, and well-nigh broke the skull

as well as the casque of the captain and teacher of my house carls.

Another two years, if he goes on as he has done and we go into

battle again, no thane in the land will have a stouter body-guard."

"Are you going to stay in London, Master Wulf?"

"Yes; that is, while the earl is here. When he is away hunting or

attending to the affairs of the state I suppose I shall go with

him. Osgod of course will go with me. While here I shall have but

little use for his services, and he can be at home most part of the

day."

"Then I trust you will soon be off," the smith said bluntly, "for

to have a youth six feet and a hand in height hanging about doing

nothing would set all the men thinking it well that they too should

be idle. Osgod was always ready enough for a talk, though I do not

say he could not work when it was necessary, but now that he is in

your worship's service and under no orders of mine, his tongue will

never cease wagging."

"Oh, I am ready to work a bit, father. I know how long it took me

to hammer out a bar before, and I shall be curious to find out in

what time I can do it now."

"I doubt you will spoil more than you make, Osgod. Still, I too

shall be curious to see how many strokes you can give with the big

hammer, and how quickly you can beat a bar into a blade."

The stay in town was, however, of short duration, for four days

later the earl told him that he was going down to his house at

Bosham, and that he was to accompany him.

"'Tis three months since I was away from London," he said. "The

king is going down into Hereford to hunt, and I am therefore free

for a while, as there are no matters of state that press at present,

though I fear that ere very long the Welsh will be up again. I hear

that their King Griffith, not content with the beating he had a

short time since, is again preparing for war. Still it may be some

time before the storm bursts, and I am longing to be down again

among the green woods or afloat on the water."

Harold took with him a large party of personal friends, his brother

Wulfnoth, and his nephew Hakon. Among the party was Beorn, a young

thane, who also was a ward of the earl. He was two years older

than Wulf, but there had been a close friendship between them at

Edward's court. Shortly after Wulf's departure Beorn had also been

sent by the earl to his estates in Hampshire, and had been recalled

at the same time.

Beorn was far less strong and active than Wulf, having been very

weakly during the early years of his life, nor had he had the same

advantages of education, as he only became Harold's ward a year

after Wulf was installed as a page at Westminster. He was a youth

of good and generous disposition, and looked with feelings of

admiration upon the strength and skill in arms of the younger lad,

and especially at his power of reading.

"I can never be like you there, Wulf," he would say, "but I hope I

may some day grow as strong as you and as skilful in arms."

Beorn's stay in the country had done much for him, his thin tall

frame had filled out and there was a healthy colour on his cheek.

He had practised diligently at military exercises, and although he

found when, on the first day after Wulf's arrival in London, he

challenged him to a trial in arms, he was still very greatly his

inferior in skill and strength, he bade fair to become a gallant

fighter.

"It is a disappointment to me, Wulf," he said as he picked up the

battle-axe that had been struck from his hand and sent flying across

the hall by a sweeping blow of Wulf's weapon. "I have really worked

very hard, and I did think that I ought to have caught you up,

seeing that I am two years the elder. But you have gained more than

I have. I did as well as the other youths who were taught with me

by the house-carl Harold sent down with me, but I am sure I shall

never be as quick or hit as strongly as you do."

"Oh yes, you will, Beorn. Age is nothing. You see you were sick and

ailing till you were fifteen years old, so those years counted for

nothing, and instead of being two years older than I am you are

many years younger. In another four or five years you will come to

your full strength, and will be able to strike a far heavier blow

than I can now; although I do not say heavier than I may be able

to do then, as you are neither so wide nor so deep chested as I am.

But what does it matter, one only fights sometimes. You have other

advantages, you are gentler in speech and manner and have a handsome

face. When we were pages together the bower-maidens of the queen

always made much of you, while they called me impudent, and would

give me many a slap on the cheek."

"Well, you deserved it richly, Wulf, for you were always playing

tricks upon them-hiding their distaffs or tangling their thread,

and giving them pert answers when they wanted you to do their

errands. Well, I hope we shall be always great friends, Wulf. Your

estates lie not far from mine, and though we can scarce be called

neighbours we shall be within a day's ride of each other, and I

trust that we shall fight together under the good earl, and often

spend our time at each other's houses, and hunt and feast together."

"I hope we shall be much together, Beorn," Wulf said warmly, "and

that we shall be sworn friends; but as for feasting, I care but

little for it. We Saxon thanes are too fond both of food and wine-cup,

and though I am no monk I would that our customs could be altered.