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her away."

"Whither has she gone?" Sir Rudolph demanded, half mad with passion.

"That I decline to say," the lady abbess replied. "She is in good

hands; and when King Richard returns, his ward shall be delivered to

him at once."

"Will you take oath upon the Bible that she is not within these walls?"

Sir Rudolph exclaimed.

"My word is sufficient," the lady abbess replied calmly. "But should it

be necessary, I should be ready to swear upon the relics that she is

not here."

A few hours later Sir Rudolph, attended by his own party and by 100 of

Sir Charles Everest's mercenaries, returned to his castle.

Three days afterwards, as Cuthbert was sitting at a rude but hearty meal

in the forest, surrounded by Cnut and his followers, a hind entered

breathless. Cuthbert at once recognized him as one of the servitors of

his mother.

"What is it?" he exclaimed, leaping to his feet.

"Terrible news, Master Cuthbert, terrible news!" exclaimed the man. "The

wicked earl came down this morning, with fifty of his men, set fire to

the house, and all its buildings and stacks, and has carried off the

lady, your mother, a prisoner to the castle, on a charge, as he said, of

harbouring traitors."

A cry of fury broke from Cnut and his men.

"The false traitor shall bitterly regret this outrage," Cuthbert

exclaimed.

He had in the first excitement seized his arms, and his followers

snatched up their bows, as if for instant warfare. A few moments'

reflection, however, showed to Cuthbert the impossibility of his

attacking a fortress like Evesham, garrisoned by a strong body of

well-armed men, with only the archers of the forest, without implements

necessary for such an assault.

"Send at once, Cnut," he said, "and call in all the band. We cannot take

the castle; but we will carry fire and sword round its walls. We will cut

off all communication from within or from without. If attacked by large

forces, we will retire upon the wood, returning to our posts without the

walls as soon as the force is withdrawn. These heavily armed men can move

but slowly; while we can run at full speed. There cannot be more than

some twenty horsemen in the castle; and methinks with our arrows and

pikes we can drive these back if they attempt to fall upon us."

Cnut at once sent off swift-footed messengers to carry out Cuthbert's

orders, and on the following day the whole of the band were again

assembled in the woods. Just as Cuthbert was setting them in motion, a

distant blast of a horn was heard.

"It is," Cuthbert exclaimed, "the note calling for a parley. Do you,

Cnut, go forward, and see what is demanded. It is probably a messenger

from Sir Rudolph."

After half-an-hour's absence, Cnut returned, bringing with him a

pursuivant or herald. The latter advanced at once towards Cuthbert, who,

now in his full knightly armour, was evidently the leader of the party.

"I bear to you, Sir Cuthbert, falsely calling yourself Earl of Evesham, a

message from Sir Rudolph. He bids me tell you that the traitress, Dame

Editha, your mother, is in his hands, and that she has been found guilty

of aiding and abetting you in your war against Prince John, the Regent of

this kingdom. For that offence she has been condemned to die."

Here he was interrupted by a cry of rage which broke from the assembled

foresters. Continuing unmoved, he said,--

"Sir Rudolph, being unwilling to take the life of a woman, however justly

forfeited by the law, commands me to say, that if you will deliver

yourself up to him by to-morrow at twelve, the Dame Editha shall be

allowed to go free. But that if by the time the dial points to noon you

have not delivered yourself up, he will hang her over the battlements of

the castle."

Cuthbert was very pale, and he waved his hand to restrain the fury which

animated the outlaws.

"This man," he said to them, "is a herald, and, as such, is protected by

all the laws of chivalry. Whatsoever his message, it is none of his. He

is merely the mouthpiece of him who sent him." Then, turning to the

herald, he said, "Tell the false knight, your master, on my part, that he

is a foul ruffian, perjured to all the vows of knighthood; that this act

of visiting upon a woman the enmity he bears her son, will bring upon him

the execration of all men; and that the offer which he makes me is as

foul and villainous as himself. Nevertheless, knowing his character, and

believing that he is capable of keeping his word, tell him that by

to-morrow at noon I will be there; that the lady, my mother, is to leave

the castle gates as I enter them; and that though by his foul device he

may encompass my death, yet that the curse of every good man will light

upon him, that he will be shunned as the dog he is, and that assuredly

heaven will not suffer that deeds so foul should bring with them the

prize he seeks to gain."

The herald bowed, and, escorted by two archers to the edge of the forest,

returned to Evesham Castle.

After his departure, an animated council took place. Cnut and the

outlaws, burning with indignation, were ready to attempt anything. They

would, had Cuthbert given the word, have attacked the castle that very

night. But Cuthbert pointed out the absolute impossibility of their

carrying so strong a place by such an assault, unprovided with engines

for battering down the gates. He said that surprise would be impossible,

as the knight would be sure to take every precaution against it; and that

in the event of such an attack being attempted, he would possibly carry

his threat into execution, and murder Dame Editha before their eyes. Cnut

was like a madman, so transported with fury was he; and the archers were

also beside themselves. Cuthbert alone retained his calmness. Retiring

apart from the others, he paced slowly backwards and forwards among the

trees, deliberating upon the best course to be pursued. The archers

gathered round the fire and passed the night in long and angry talk, each

man agreeing that in the event of their beloved leader being sacrificed

by Sir Rudolph, they would one and all give their lives to avenge him by

slaying the oppressor whensoever he ventured beyond the castle gates.

After a time, Cuthbert called Cnut to him, and the two talked long and

earnestly. Cnut returned to his comrades with a face less despairing than

that he had before worn, and sent off at once a messenger with all speed

to a franklin near the forest to borrow a stout rope some fifty feet in

length, and without telling his comrades what the plans of Sir Cuthbert

were, bade them cheer up, for that desperate as the position was, all

hope was not yet lost.

"Sir Cuthbert," he said, "has been in grievous straits before now, and

has gone through them. Sir Rudolph does not know the nature of the man

with whom he has to deal, and we may trick him yet."

At eleven o'clock the next day, from the walls of Evesham Castle a body

of archers 150 strong were seen advancing in solid array.

"Think you, Sir Rudolph," one of his friends, Sir Hubert of Gloucester,

said to him, "that these varlets think of attacking the castle?"

"They might as well think of scaling heaven," Sir Rudolph said. "Evesham

could resist a month's siege by a force well equipped for the purpose;

and were it not that good men are wanted for the king's service, and

that these villains shoot straight and hard, I would open the gates of

the castle and launch our force against them. We are two to one as

strong as they, and our knights and mounted men-at-arms could alone

scatter that rabble."

Conspicuous upon the battlements a gallows had been erected.

The archers stopped at a distance of a few hundred yards from the castle,

and Sir Cuthbert advanced alone to the edge of the moat.

"Sir Rudolph of Eresby, false knight and perjured gentleman," he shouted

in a loud voice, "I, Sir Cuthbert of Evesham, do denounce you as

foresworn and dishonoured, and do challenge you to meet me here before

the castle in sight of your men and mine, and decide our quarrel as

heaven may judge with sword and battle-axe."

Sir Rudolph leant over the battlements, and said,--

"It is too late, varlet. I condescended to challenge you before, and you

refused. You cannot now claim what you then feared to accept. The sun on

the dial approaches noon, and unless you surrender yourself before it

reaches the mark, I will keep my word, and the traitress, your mother,

shall swing from that beam."

Making a sign to two men-at-arms, these brought forward Dame Editha and

so placed her on the battlements that she could be seen from below. Dame

Editha was still a very fair woman, although nigh forty years had rolled

over her head. No sign of fear appeared upon her face, and in a firm

voice she cried to her son,--

"Cuthbert, I beg--nay, I order you to retire. If this unknightly lord

venture to carry out his foul threats against me, let him do so.

England will ring with the dastardly deed, and he will never dare show

his face again where Englishmen congregate. Let him do his worst. I am

prepared to die."

A murmur rose from the knights and men-at-arms standing round Sir

Rudolph.

Several of his companions had from the first, wild and reckless as they

were, protested against Sir Rudolph's course, and it was only upon his

solemn assurance that he intended but to frighten Sir Cuthbert into

surrender, and had no intention of carrying his threats against the lady

into effect, that they had consented to take part in the transaction.

Even now, at the fearless words of the Saxon lady several of them

hesitated, and Sir Hubert of Gloucester stepped forward to Sir Rudolph.

"Sir knight," he said, "you know that I am your true comrade and the

faithful servant of Prince John. Yet in faith would I not that my name

should be mixed up in so foul a deed. I repent me that I have for a

moment consented to it. But the shame shall not hang upon the escutcheon

of Hubert of Gloucester that he stood still when such foul means were

tried. I pray you, by our long friendship, and for the sake of your own

honour as a knight, to desist from this endeavour. If this lady be

guilty, as she well may be, of aiding her son in his assaults upon the

soldiers of Prince John, then let her be tried, and doubtless the court

will confiscate her estates. But let her son be told that her life is in

no danger, and that he is free to go, being assured that harm will not

come to her."

"And if I refuse to consent to allow my enemy, who is now almost within

my hand, to escape," Sir Rudolph said, "what then?"

"Then," said the knight, "I and my following will at once leave your

walls, and will clear ourselves to the brave young knight yonder of all

hand in this foul business."

A murmur of agreement from several of those standing round showed that

their sentiments were in accordance with those of Sir Hubert.

"I refuse," said Rudolph passionately. "Go, if you will. I am master of

my actions, and of this castle."

Without a word, Sir Hubert and two others of the knights present turned,

and briefly ordering their men-at-arms to follow them, descended the

staircase to the courtyard below. Their horses were brought out, the men

fell into rank, and the gates of the castle were thrown open.

"Stand to arms!" Sir Cuthbert shouted to the archers. "They are going to

attempt a sortie." And hastily he retired to the main body of his men.

CHAPTER XXIII.

THE FALSE AND PERJURED KNIGHT.

As the band of knights and their retainers issued from the gate, a

trumpeter blew a parley, and the three knights advanced alone towards the

group of archers.

"Sir Cuthbert de Lance," Sir Hubert said, "in the name of myself and my

two friends here we ask your pardon for having so far taken part in this

foul action. We did so believing only that Sir Rudolph intended the

capture of your lady mother as a threat. Now that we see he was in

earnest, we wash our hands of the business; and could we in any way atone

for our conduct in having joined him, we would gladly do so, consistently

only with our allegiance to the Prince Regent."

Cuthbert bowed courteously.

"Thanks for your words, Sir Hubert. I had always heard yourself and the

knights here spoken of as brave and gallant gentlemen, whose sole fault

was that they chose to take part with a rebel prince, rather than with

the King of England. I rejoice that you have cleared your name of so foul

a blot as this would have placed upon it, and I acknowledge that your

conduct now is knightly and courteous. But I can no more parley. The sun

is within a few minutes of twelve, and I must surrender, to meet such

fate as may befall me."

So saying, with a bow he left them, and again advanced to the

castle gate.

"Sir Rudolph," he shouted, "the hour is at hand. I call upon you to

deliver, outside the gate, the lady, my mother. Whether she wills it or

not, I call upon you to place her beyond the gate, and I give you my

knightly word that as she leaves it I enter it."

Dame Editha would then have attempted resistance; but she saw that it

would be useless. With a pale face she descended the steps, accompanied

by the men-at-arms. She knew that any entreaty to Sir Rudolph would be

vain, and with the courage of her race she mentally vowed to devote the

rest of her life to vengeance for her son.

As the gate opened and she was thrust forth, for a moment she found

herself in the arms of her son.

"Courage, mother!" he whispered; "all may yet be well."

Cnut was waiting a few paces behind, and offering his hand to Dame

Editha, he led her to the group of archers, while Cuthbert, alone,

crossed the drawbridge, and entered the portal, the heavy portcullis

falling after him.