CHAPTER IX. JOAN VAVASOUR.
It was with the greatest interest that John de Brocas listened to thestory brought home by the twin brothers after their visit to thewoodman's hut. Such a story of oppression, cruelty, and wrong trulystirred him to the very soul; and moreover, as the brothers spoke ofBasildene, they told him also (under the promise of secrecy) of theirown connection with that place, of their kinship with himself, and ofthe wrongs they had suffered at the hand of the Sanghursts, father andson; and all this aroused in the mind of John an intense desire to seewrong made right, and retribution brought upon the heads of those whoseemed to become a curse wherever they went.
"And so ye twain are my cousins?" he said, looking from one face to theother with penetrating gaze. "I knew from the very first that ye were nocommon youths; and it was a stronger tie than that of Gascon blood thatknit us one to the other. But I will keep your secret. Perchance ye arewise in wishing it kept. There be something too many hangers-on of ourhouse already, and albeit I know not all the cause of the estrangement,I know well that your father was coldly regarded for many years, and itmay be that his sons would receive but sorry welcome if they came ashumble suppliants for place. The unsuccessful members of a house arescarce ever welcomed, and the claim to Basildene might be but ahindrance in your path. Sir Hugh Vavasour is high in favour at Court. Heis a warm friend of my father and my uncle; and he and the Sanghurstsare bound together by some close tie, the nature of which I scarce know.Any claim on Basildene would be fiercely resented by the father and sonwho have seized it, and their quarrel would be taken up by others ofmore power. Gaston is right in his belief that you must first win creditand renown beneath the King's banners. As unknown striplings you have nochance against yon crafty fox of Basildene. Were he but to know who andwhat you were, I know not that your very lives would be safe from hismalice."
The twins exchanged glances. It seemed as though they were threatened onevery hand by the malice of those who had usurped their rights and theirlands; yet they felt no fear, rather a secret exultation at the thoughtof what lay before them. But their curiosity was strongly stirred aboutthe strange old man at Basildene, and they eagerly asked John of thetruth of those reports which spoke of him as being a tool and slave ofthe devil.
A grave light came into John's eyes as he replied:
"Methinks that every man is the tool of Satan who willingly commits sinwith his eyes open, and will not be restrained. I cannot doubt that oldPeter Sanghurst has done this again and again. He is an evil man and awicked one. But whether or no he has visible dealings with the spiritsof darkness, I know not. Men can sin deeply and darkly and yet win nopower beyond that vouchsafed to others."
"But the woodman's son," said Raymond, in awestruck tones, "him he mostcertainly bewitched. How else could he have so possessed him that evenhis own father could not restrain him from going back to the dreadslavery once again?"
A thoughtful look was on John's face. He was lying on his couch in thelarge room where his learned uncle stored all his precious books andparchments, safely locked away in carved presses; and rising slowly tohis feet -- for he was still feeble and languid in his movements -- heunlocked one of these, and took from it a large volume in some deadlanguage, and laid it upon the table before him.
"I know not whether or no I am right, but I have heard before of astrange power that some men may possess over the minds and wills ofothers -- a power so great that they become their helpless tools, andcan be made to act, to see, to feel just as they are bidden, and are ashelpless to resist that power as the snared bird to avoid theoutstretched hand of the fowler. That this power is a power of evil, andcomes from the devil himself, I may not disbelieve; for it has neverbeen God's way of dealing with men to bind captive their wills and makethem blind and helpless agents of the will of others. Could you read thewords of this book, you would find many things therein as strange as anyyou have heard today. For myself, I have little doubt that old PeterSanghurst, who has spent years of his life amongst the heathen Moors,and is, as all men avow, steeped to the lips in their strange andunchristian lore, has himself the art of thus gaining the mastery overthe minds and wills of others, and that it was no demoniacal possession,but just the wicked will of the old man exercised upon that of hishelpless victim, which drew the boy back to him when his father had himsafe at home (as he thought) once more. In this book it is written thatyoung boys, especially if they be beautiful of form and receptive ofmind, make the best tools for this black art. They can be thrown intostrange trances, in which many things are revealed to them. They can besent in the spirit to places they have never seen, and can be made todescribe what is passing thousands of miles away. I cannot tell howthese things may be, unless indeed it is the devil working in them; yethere it is written down as if it were some art which certain men withcertain gifts may acquire, as they may acquire other knowledge andlearning. In truth, I think such things smack of the Evil One himself;yet I doubt if there be that visible bond with Satan that is commonlyreported amongst the unlettered and ignorant. It is a cruel and a wickedart without doubt, and it says here that the children who are caught andsubjected to these trances and laid under this spiritual bondage seldomlive long; and that but for this, there seems no end to the wonders thatmight be performed. But the strain upon their spirits almost alwaysresults in madness or death, and thus the art never makes the stridesthat those who practise it long to see."
John was turning the leaves of the book as he spoke, reading a word hereand there as if to refresh his memory. The Gascon brothers listened withbreathless interest, and suddenly Raymond started to his feet, saying:
"John, thou hast spoken of a knightly quest that would win no praisefrom man, but yet be such as a true knight would fain undertake. Wouldnot the rescue of yon wretched boy from the evil thraldom of that wickedsorcerer be such a task as that? Is not Basildene ours? Is it not for usto free it from the curse of such pollution? Is not that child one ofthe oppressed and wronged that it is the duty of a true servant of theold chivalry to rescue at all costs?
"Gaston, wilt thou go with me? Shall we snatch from the clutches of thisdevilish old man the boy whose story we have heard today? Methinks I cannever rest happy till the thing is done. Will not a curse light upon thevery house itself if these dark deeds go on within its walls? Who canhave a better right to avert such curse than we -- its rightful lords?"
Gaston sprang to his feet, and threw back his head with a proud anddefiant gesture.
"Verily I will go with thee, Brother. I would gladly strike a blow forthe freedom of the boy and against the despoiler of our mother's house.I would fain go this very day."
Both brothers looked to John, as if asking his sanction for the act. Heclosed his book, and raised his eyes with a smile; but he advocatedprudence, and patience too.
"In truth, methinks it would be a deed of charity and true chivalry, yetone by no means without its peril and its risk. Old Sanghurst is a wilyand a cruel foe, and failure would but mean more tyranny and sufferingfor the miserable victim he holds in his relentless hands. It might leadalso to some mysterious vengeance upon you yourselves. There are uglywhispers breathed abroad about the old man and his evil practices.Travellers through these forest tracks, richly laden, have been known todisappear, and no man has heard of them more. It is rumoured that theyhave been seized and done to death by the rapacious owners of Basildene,and that the father and son are growing wealthy beyond what any manknows by the plunder they thus obtain."
"But if they hold the secret of the philosopher's stone, sure they wouldnot need to fall upon travellers by the way!"
John slowly shook his head, a thoughtful smile upon his face.
"For mine own part," he said quietly, "I have no belief in that stone,or in that power of alchemy after which men since the beginning of timehave been vainly striving. They may seek and seek, but I trow they willnever find it; and I verily believe if found it would but prove aworthless boon. For in the hands of a rapacious master, so qu
ickly wouldgold be poured upon the world that soon its value would be lost, and itwould be no more prized than the base metals we make our horseshoes of.It is not the beauty of gold that makes men covet it. It is because itis rare that it is precious. If this philosopher's stone were to befound, that rareness would speedily disappear, and men would cease toprize a thing that could be made more easily than corn may be grown."
The brothers could scarce grasp the full meaning of these words; but itwas not of the philosopher's stone that their minds were full, andJohn's next words interested them more.
"No: I believe that the wealth which is being accumulated at Basildeneis won in far different fashion, and that this miserable boy, who is thehelpless slave and tool of his master's illicit art, is an unwillingagent in showing the so-called magician the whereabouts of haplesstravellers, and in luring them on to their destruction. But that the oldman is wealthy above all those about him may not now be doubted; and itis this growing wealth, gotten no man knows how, that makes men believein his possession of the magic stone."
"And if we rescue the boy, some part of his power will be gone, and hewill lose a tool that he will not easily replace," cried Gaston, witheager animation. "Brother, let us not delay. We have long desired tolook upon Basildene; let us sally forth this very day."
But John laid a detaining hand upon his arm.
"Nay now, why this haste? Thou art a bold lad, Gaston, but somethingmore than boldness is needed when thou hast such a subtle foe to dealwith. Then there is another thing to think of. What will it avail torescue the boy, if his master holds his spirit so in thrall that he canby no means be restrained from rising in the dead of night to return tohim again? There be many things to think of ere we can act. And we musttake counsel of one who knows Basildene, as we do not. I have never seenthe house, and know nothing of its ways. Till these things were recalledto my memory these last days, I had scarce remembered that such a placeexisted."
"Of whom then shall we take counsel?" asked Gaston, with a touch ofimpatience, for to him action and not counsel was the mainspring oflife. "Of thine uncle, who thou sayest is a friend of this unholy man?"
"Scarce a friend," answered John, "albeit he has no quarrel with MasterSanghurst; and if thou knewest more of the temper of the times, thouwouldst know that the King's servants must have a care how they in anywise stir up strife amongst those who dwell in the realm. We haveenemies and to spare abroad -- in Scotland, in Flanders, in France. Athome we must all strive to keep the peace. It behoves not one holdingoffice under the crown to embroil himself in private quarrels, or stirup any manner of strife. This is why I counsel you to make no claim onBasildene for the nonce, and why my uncle could give no help in thematter of this boy, kindly as his heart is disposed towards the poor andoppressed. He moved once in the matter, with the result that you know.It could scarce be expected of him to do more."
"Who then will help or counsel us?"
"I can think of but one, and that is but a slim maiden, whom ye boldlads might despise. I mean Mistress Joan Vavasour herself."
"What!" cried Gaston in amaze -- "the maiden whom Peter Sanghurst is towed? Sure that were a strange counsellor to choose! Good John, thou mustbe dreaming."
"Nay, I am no dreamer," was the smiling answer; and a slight access ofcolour came slowly into John's face. "I have not seen fair Mistress Joanof late; yet unless I be greatly mistaken in her, I am very sure that byno deed of her own will she ever mate with one of the Sanghurst brood. Ihave known her from childhood. Once it was my dream that I might wed hermyself; but such thoughts have long ago passed from my mind never toenter it again. Yet I know her and I love her well, and to me she hasspoken words which tell me that she will never be a passive tool in thehands of her haughty parents. She has the spirit of her sire within her,and I trow he will find it no easy task to bend the will even of a childof his own, when she is made after the fashion of Mistress Joan. IfPeter Sanghurst has gone a-wooing there, I verily believe that the ladywill by this time have had more than enough of his attentions. It may bethat she would be able to give us good counsel; at least I would verygladly ask it at her hands."
"How can we see her?" asked the brothers quickly.
"So soon as I can make shift to ride once more we will to horse and awayto Woodcrych. It is time I paid my respects to fair Mistress Joan, for Ihave not seen her for long. I would that you twain could see her. She isas fair as a lily, yet with all the spirit of her bold sire, as fearlessin the saddle as her brother, as upright as a dart, beautifulexceedingly, with her crown of hair the colour of a ripe chestnut. Ah!if she were but taken to the King's Court, she would be its fairestornament. But her sire has never the money to spend upon her adornment;and moreover if she appeared there, she would have suitors and to sparewithin a month, and he would be called upon to furnish forth a richdower -- for all men hold him to be a wealthy man, seeing the broadlands he holds in fief. Wherefore I take it he thinks it safer tobetroth her to this scion of the Sanghurst brood, who will be heir toall his father's ill-gotten wealth. But if I know Mistress Joan, as Ithink I do, she will scarce permit herself to be given over like achattel, though she may have a sore fight to make for her liberty."
Raymond's eyes brightened and his hands closely clinched themselves.Surely this quest after Basildene was bringing strange things to light.Here was a miserable child to be rescued from bondage that was worsethan death; and a maiden, lovely and brave of spirit, to be saved fromthe clutches of this same Sanghurst faction. What a strange combinationof circumstances seemed woven around the lost inheritance! Might it notbe the very life's work he had longed after, to fulfil his mother'sdying behest and make himself master of Basildene again?
That night his dreams were a strange medley of wizards, beauteousmaidens, and ruinous halls, through which he wandered in search of thevictim whose shrill cries he kept hearing. He rose with the first of thetardy light, to find that Gaston was already off and away upon somehunting expedition planned overnight. Raymond had not felt disposed tojoin it; the attraction of John's society had more charm for him.
The uncle was absent from home on the King's business. The two cousinshad the house to themselves. They had established themselves beside theglowing hearth within their favourite room containing all the books,when the horn at the gate announced the arrival of some guest, and amessage was brought to John saying that Mistress Joan Vavasour was eventhen dismounting from her palfrey, and was about to pay him a visit.
"Nay now, but this is a lucky hap!" cried John, as he went forward to beready to meet his guest.
The next moment the light footfall along the polished boards of theanteroom announced the coming of the lady, and Raymond's eager eyes werefixed upon a face so fair that he gazed and gazed and could not turn hiseyes away.
Mistress Joan was just his own age -- not yet seventeen -- yet she hadsomething of the grace and dignity of womanhood mingling with the freshsweet frankness of the childhood that had scarcely passed. Her eyes werelarge and dark, flashing, and kindling with every passing gust offeeling; her delicate lips, arched like a Cupid's bow, were capable ofexpressing a vast amount of resolution, though now relaxed into a merrysmile of greeting. She was rather tall and at present very slight,though the outlines of her figure were softly rounded, and strength aswell as grace was betrayed in every swift eager motion. She held John'shands and asked eagerly after his well-being.
"It was but two days ago I heard that you lay sick at Guildford, and Ihave been longing ever since for tidings. Today my father had businessin the town, and I humbly sued him to let me ride with him, and rest,whilst he went his own way, in the hospitable house of your good uncle.This is how I come to be here today. And now tell me of thyself thesemany months, for I hear no news at Woodcrych. And who is this fair youthwith thee? Methinks his face is strange to me, though he bears a look ofthe De Brocas, too."
A quick flush mounted in Raymond's cheek; but John only called him bythe name by which he was known to the world, and Mistress Joan spok
e nomore of the fancied likeness. She and John, who were plainly wellacquainted, plunged at once into eager talk; and it was not long beforethe question of Joan's own marriage was brought up, and he plainly askedher if the news was true which gave her in wedlock to Peter Sanghurst.
A change came over Joan's face at those words. A quick gleam shot out ofher dark eyes. She set her teeth, and her face suddenly hardened as ifcarved in flint. Her voice, which had been full of rippling laughterbefore, now fell to a lower pitch, and she spoke with strange force andgravity.
"John, whatever thou hearest on that score, believe it not. I will diesooner than be wedded to that man. I hate him. I fear him -- yes, I dofear him, I will not deny it -- I fear him for his wickedness, his evilpractices, his diabolic cruelty, of which I hear fearful whispers fromtime to time. He may be rich beyond all that men credit. I doubt not hehas many a dark and hideous method of wringing gold from his wretchedvictims. Basildene holds terrible secrets; and never will I enter thathouse by my own free will. Never will I wed that man, not if I have toplunge this dagger into mine own heart to save myself from him. I knowwhat is purposed. I know that he and his father have some strange powerover my sire and my brother, and that they will do all they can to bendmy will to theirs. But I have two hopes yet before me. One is appeal tothe King, through his gentle and gracious Queen; another is the Convent-- for sooner would I take the veil (little as the life of the reclusecharms me) than sell myself to utter misery as the wife of that man.Death shall call me its bride before that day shall come. Yet I wouldnot willingly take my life, and go forth unassoiled and unshriven. No; Iwill try all else first. And in thee, good John, I know I shall find atrusty and a stalwart friend and champion."
"Trusty in all truth, fair lady, but stalwart I fear John de Brocas willnever be. Rather enlist in thy service yon gallant youth, who hasalready distinguished himself in helping to save the Prince in themoment of peril. I trow he would be glad enough to be thy champion indays to come. He has, moreover, a score of his own to settle one daywith the present Master of Basildene."
Joan's bright eyes turned quickly upon Raymond, who had flushed withboyish pride and pleasure and shame at hearing himself thus praised. Heeagerly protested that he was from that time forward Mistress Joan'sloyal servant to command; and at the prompting of John, he revealed toher the fact of his own claim on Basildene (without naming his kinshipwith the house of De Brocas), and gave an animated account of the recentvisit to the woodman's hut, and told the story of his cruel wrongs.
Joan listened with flashing eyes and ever-varying colour. At the closeof the tale she spoke.
"I have heard of that wretched boy -- the tool and sport of the oldman's evil arts, the victim of the son's diabolic cruelty when he has noother victim to torment. They keep him for days without food at times,because they say that he responds better to their fiendish practiceswhen the body is well-nigh reduced to a shadow. Oh, I hear them talk! Myfather is a dabbler in mystic arts. They are luring him on to think hewill one day learn the secret of the transmutation of metals, whilst Iknow they do but seek to make of him a tool, to subdue his will, and todo with him what they will. They will strive to practise next on me --they have tried it already; but I resist them, and they are powerless,though they hate me tenfold more for it, and I know that they arereckoning on their revenge when I shall be a helpless victim in theirpower. Art thou about to try to rescue the boy? That were, in truth, adeed worth doing, though the world will never praise it; though it mightlaugh to scorn a peril encountered for one so humble as a woodman's son.But it would be a soul snatched from the peril of everlasting death, anda body saved from the torments of a living hell!"
And then John spoke of the thoughts which had of late possessed themboth of that chivalry that was not like to win glory or renown, thatwould not gain the praise of men, but would strive to do in the world awork of love for the oppressed, the helpless, the lowly. And Joan's eyesshone with the light of a great sympathy, as she turned her bright gazefrom one face to the other, till Raymond felt himself falling beneath aspell the like of which he had never known before, and which suddenlygave a new impulse to all his vague yearnings and imaginings, and a zestto this adventure which was greater than any that had gone before.
Joan's ready woman's wit was soon at work planning and devising how thedeed might best be done.
"I can do this much to aid," she said. "A day will come ere long whenthe two Sanghursts will come at nightfall to Woodcrych, to try, as theyhave done before, some strange experiments in the laboratory my fatherhas had made for himself. We always know the day that this visit is tobe made, and I can make shift to let you know. They stay far into thenight, and only return to Basildene as the dawn breaks. That would bethe night to strive to find and rescue the boy. He will be almost alonein yon big house, bound hand and foot, I doubt not, or thrown into somestrange trance that shall keep him as fast a prisoner. There be but fewservants that can be found to live there. Mostly they flee away inaffright ere they have passed a week beneath that roof. Those that stayare bound rather by fear than aught beside; and scarce a human beingwill approach that house, even in broadest daylight. There are manydoors and windows, and the walls in places are mouldering away, andwould give easy foothold to the climber. It is beneath the west wing,hard by the great fish ponds, that the rooms lie which are ever closedfrom light of day, and in which the evil men practise their foul arts. Ihave heard of a secret way from the level of the water into the cellarsor dungeons of the house; but whether this be true I do not rightlyknow. Yet methinks you could surely find entrance within the house, forso great is the terror in which Basildene is held that Master Sanghurstfreely boasts that he needs neither bolt nor bar. He professes to havedrawn around the house a line which no human foot may cross. He knowswell that no man wishes to try."
Raymond shivered slightly, but he was not daunted, Yet there was stillthe question to be faced, what should be done with the boy when rescuedto hold him back from the magician's unholy spell. But Joan had ananswer ready for this objection. Her hands folded themselves lightlytogether, her dark eyes shone with the earnestness of her devotion.
"That will I soon tell to you. The spell cast upon the boy is one ofevil, and therefore it comes in some sort from the devil, even though,as John says, men may have no visible dealings with him. Yet, as all sinis of the Evil One, and as the good God and His Holy Saints are strongerthan the devil and his angels, it is His help we must invoke when thepowers of darkness strive to work in him again. And we must ask in thisthe help of some holy man of God, one who has fasted and prayed andlearned to discern betwixt good and evil, has fought with the devil andhas overcome. I know one such holy man. He lives far away from here. Itis a small community between Guildford and Salisbury -- I suppose itlies some thirty miles from hence. I could find out something more,perchance, in time to acquaint you farther with the road. If you oncegain possession of the boy, mount without loss of time, and draw notrein till you reach that secluded spot. Ask to be taken in in the nameof charity, and when the doors have opened to you, ask for Father Paul.Give him the boy. Tell him all the tale, and trust him into his holyhands without fear. He will take him; he will cast out the evil spirit.I misdoubt me if the devil himself will have power over him whilst he iswithin those hallowed walls. At least if he can find entrance there, hewill not be able to prevail; and when the foul spirit is cast out andvanquished, you can summon his father to him and give him back his son-- as the son of the father in Scripture was restored to him again whenthe devil had been cast out by the voice of the Blessed Jesus."
"I truly think that thou art right," said John. "The powers of evil arevery strong, too strong to be combated by us unaided by the prayers andthe efforts of holy men.
"Raymond, it shall be my work to provide for this journey. My uncle willbe long absent. In his absence I may do what I will and go where I will.I would myself pay a pilgrimage to the house where this holy manresides, and make at the shrine of the chapel there my offering oft
hanksgiving for my recovery from this hurt. We will go together. Wewill take the boy with us; and the boy's father shall be one of ourparty. He shall see that the powers of evil can be vanquished. He shallsee for himself the restoration of his child."
In the Days of Chivalry: A Tale of the Times of the Black Prince Page 9