Prentice Hugh

by Frances Mary Peard

other was formed of ivy and holly. When summer came hewas resolved to follow the master's advice and study different plantsand leaves, so as to catch the beautiful free natural curves. He hadgrown to love his work dearly, and to have high hopes about it, butperhaps it was the recollection of his father's last words, at a timewhen visions of earthly fame seemed dim and worthless, which kept himfrom thinking only, as Roger thought, of his own advancement and glory,and ever held before him, as the crown of his work, the hope some day togive of his best for the House of the Lord.

  The bishop had not forgotten him, often asking Master Gervase for thelittle prentice who meant to carve one of the corbels.

  "_Ay_, my lord, and it would not greatly surprise me if he carried outhis thought," said Elyas, with a smile. And he told the bishop of hiswork for Dame Alicia's chantry. "He hath a marvellous fancy for hisage," he added.

  "Brother Ambrose at the Kalendarhay complains that he is idle, but sayshe can do anything with his fingers," remarked the bishop. "He wouldfain he were a monk, that he might paint in the missals, but thou and Iwould have him do nobler work. Not that I would say aught against thegood brothers," he added, rapidly crossing himself. "Everyone to hiscalling, and the boy's lies not between their walls. Keep him to it,keep him to it, goodman; give him a thorough training, for which none isbetter fitted than thyself. It is my earnest desire that proper workersmay be trained to give their best in this building, as of old the bestwas given for the Temple. Thou and I may never see the fruit of ourlabours--what of that? One soweth and another reapeth, and so it is forthe glory of God, let that suffice. The walls of the choir go on well,methinks, and in another year or two we shall have reached the LadyChapel."

  "Ay, my lord."

  "And then there must be no more work done by thee for town or country.I claim it all. So thou hadst best finish off Dame Alicia's chantry."

  "No fear, my lord. The lady is impatient, and will not tarry till then.I shall have to go down in the summer to see after the fixing of thesebosses, and of some other work which she hath confided to me, and thatwill end it."

  The good bishop, indeed, was inclined to be jealous over anything whichtook away Gervase's time and attention, and the stone mason had somedifficulty in keeping his own hands free, his skill being of greatrepute among all the gentlemen round, and some of them being of fierydispositions, ill-disposed to brook waiting. There was plenty doing inthe yard, and often visitors to see how the work got on or to giveorders, and, as Hugh was the only one in the house who could write orread, his master frequently called him to his aid when a scroll wasbrought from some neighbouring abbot or prior.

  At Easter they had, as usual, the gammon of bacon, to show widespreadhatred of the Jews, and the tansy pudding in remembrance of the bitterherbs. Also another old custom there was, the expectation of which keptGervase on the watch with a comical look on his face, and set Joanquivering with excitement for, as she confided to Hugh in a very loudwhisper, mother had promised that she should be by "to see fatherheaved."

  She was terribly disappointed when he went out, and scarcely consoled byhis taking her with him, and when at last he brought her home, claspinga great bunch of primroses in her little hot hands, she was not to beseparated from him.

  "Why dost thou not go and look for thy friend Hugh?"

  "They might come and do it."

  "Perhaps I shall slip away and not let them find me at all."

  But the bare idea of this produced so much dismay, that Elyas wasobliged to hasten to assure her that he would not resort to any suchunderhand proceeding. He turned to Prothasy with a smile.

  "An I am to endure it, I would the silly play were over."

  "Thou wilt not escape, goodman. Master Allen, the new warden of theTuckers' Guild, has had such a lifting that he was fain to give twelvepennies to be set down again."

  "They'll not get twelve pennies from me. Richard Allen is an atomy of aman."

  "Ay, thy broad shoulders will make it a different matter," saidProthasy, looking proudly at him; "but be not over-confident, goodman,for King Edward is a bigger man than thou, and they heaved him oneEaster till he cried for mercy and offered ransom."

  Nothing more was heard till supper-time, when, as Elyas sat at the headof his table, four stout girls rushed into the room, and, amid loudlaughter from everyone and ecstatic shrieks and clappings from Joan,lifted the rough stool on which he was seated into the air, and swunghim backwards and forwards.

  "There, there, ye foolish wenches! I'm too heavy a load. Put me down,and the goodwife shall give ye your cakes."

  "Twelve pennies, goodman! Thou, a new warden, wouldst not pay less thanRichard Allen of the Tuckers?"

  "Ay, would I though."

  Whereupon he was screamed at and rocked as unmercifully as any boat in astorm, until between laughter and vexation he promised all that theyasked, and the four girls went away declaring their arms would ache fora week.

  "Ye will not be able to make the dumb cake on Saint Mark's Eve," Gervasecalled after them, "and then, no chance for you to see your sweetheartsat midnight."

  "No need for that, goodman," answered the eldest and prettiest, "we knowwho they are already."

  So many holidays fell at that fair time of the year that the mastergrumbled his work would ne'er be done.

  "May Day come and gone, ye shall have no more."

  But May Day itself could not be slighted, for long before sunrise thelads and lasses were out to gather May, or any greenery that might begot, and the prentices tramped through mud and mire, and charged thethickets of dense brushwood valiantly. Wat was covered with scratches,and a sorry object as they trudged home by sunrise, in order to decoratethe house door with branches, and all the other boys and girls were atthe same work, so that in a short time the street looked a very bower ofMay.

  And now the days growing longer and the country drier, there was lessdanger from travelling, and a general desire in everyone's heart to bedoing something or going somewhere, or otherwise proving themselves tohave some part in this world, which never looks so fair or so hopeful asat the beautiful spring season. Many of the neighbouring gentry rodeinto the city, and the ladies were glad to wear their whimsicallyscalloped garments, and their fine mantles, and to display their tightlacing in the streets instead of country lanes, as well as to visit theclothiers and drapers for a fresh supply; while their lords took theopportunity of looking at horses, playing at tennis, and some times,when much in want of ready money, disposing of a charter of liberties,to gain which the citizens were ready to pay a heavy fine.

  Master Gervase had many visits from these lords and knights, and morework pressed upon him than he would undertake. My Lord of Devon hadpretty well insisted upon his carrying out some change in his house atExminster, where some forty years later was born William Courtenay, thefuture Archbishop of Canterbury, and Gervase was one day cutting thenotches in a wooden tally, made of a slip of willow--which was themanner of giving a receipt--and handing it to the bailiff, when a tallman holding a little girl by the hand strode into the yard.

  "It is Sir Hereward Hamlin," Wat whispered to Hugh.

  Sir Hereward Hamlin, it appeared, had a commission which he wouldentrust to none but Elyas, and very wroth he became when he found itcould not be undertaken. It was evident that he was not used to begainsaid, for he stormed and tried to browbeat the stonemason, whoshowed no signs of disturbance. The little girl also listened quiteunmoved.

  "They say she is as proud as he is," Wat the gossip commented under hisbreath, "for all her name is Dulcia; and the poor lady her mother scarcecan call her soul her own between them."

  "I hope the master will not yield," muttered Hugh indignantly.

  There was small fear of that. Sir Hereward's fiery temper andpassionate outbreaks had caused him to be much disliked in the city, andGervase would at no time have been disposed to work for him even hadtime been at his disposal.

  "It is impossible, your worship," he said coldly, nor could anyth
ingturn his resolution, so that Sir Hereward had to leave, muttering angrymaledictions upon upstart knaves who know not how to order themselves totheir betters.

  "I would he knew how to order himself to his own," said Gervase toFranklyn, "but he has never been friendly to the king since he wasforced to restore the crown lands and divers of our rights which hisfathers had illegally seized. If I had yielded and done his work hewould have thought the honour sufficient payment."

  When the week of rogations was at an end, with its processions andsinging of litanies all about the streets from gate to gate, Gervasetold Hugh of a plan which mightily delighted him, for it was none otherbut to take him with him on his journey to Tor Brewer, or Tor Mohun,where he had to go on this business of the