The Lady of Loyalty House: A Novel
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XIV
A PASSAGE AT ARMS
The vane of Halfman's attitude towards the captive had veeredstrongly in the past half-hour. He had been ready to treat him well,for such was Brilliana's pleasure; he was willing to make friends andtaste the agreeables of the magnanimous victor. But the conquered manhad gained no ground that morning in the heart of one of hisconquerors. He ate little, which Halfman pitied; he drank little,which Halfman despised; and it was with a much-augmented disdain thathe beheld Evander dash his solitary cup with water.
"Craftily qualified, curse him," he thought; "the fellow's a damnedCassio, and will be fumbling with his right hand and his left in atwinkle."
In this he was disappointed; Evander's draught wrought no havoc inhis speech or demeanor; Halfman was more disappointed that theprisoner took so coldly his laudations of his lady.
"The Roundpoll is so mad to be mastered by a woman that he has notenough gentility in his thin wits to spur him to a compliment."
His hostile thoughts brewed in his heated brain-pan till their fumesfevered him. As he led the way by stair and corridor, his mood forquarrel grew the keener that he knew his choler could find no hope ofventage with a prisoner committed to his care. And even as he thoughtthis, chance seemed to furnish him with some occasion forsatisfaction. They were passing by the open door of a room which hadlong been used as a place of arms at Harby, and its walls were hungwith weapons of the time and weapons of an earlier generation.Halfman had passed much time there with the brisker fellows of thegarrison, breaking them in to feats of weapon-play, and he smiled atthe memory and the magnitude of his own dexterity. He paused for amoment at the threshold and looked round at Evander.
"Here," he said, with a smile that was half a leer and an intonationthat was little less than a sneer--"here is a spot that will scarcehave enough attraction for your worship to merit your worship'sstay."
Evander, who had been following his guide almost mechanically,enveloped in his own gray reflections, took surprised note of hiscompanion's changed bearing. Up to now he had been civil enough, evenif his civility had not been of a quality greatly to Evander'sliking, yet now his blustering good-humor gave place to somethingakin to deliberate offence. But he might be mistaken, and it was notfor a prisoner to snatch at straws of quarrel. Therefore heprotested, courteously:
"Why should you think that a soldier takes no interest in a soldier'stools?"
Halfman gave a shrug to his shoulders that might or might not beintended to annoy.
"Your worship is too raw a soldier to know much of these same tickersand tappers. Let us rather to the library for volumes of divinity."
This time the intention to affront was so patent, so patent, too,that Halfman's temper was getting the better of whatever discretionhe possessed, that Evander's face hardened, and yet for his ownreasons he still spoke mildly enough:
"There is no need to call me worship, for I can claim no such title.But I think I know something of these trinkets, and with your leavewill examine them."
He passed by Halfman as he spoke and entered the room, where heimmediately busied himself in the examination of some of the weaponsdisplayed there, and apparently ignoring Halfman's existence. Halfmanwatched him with a scowl for a moment and then followed him into theroom.
"Your honor," he said--"since you will not be called worship--yourhonor really has a use for these toys of gentlefolk?"
Evander had taken a handsome Italian rapier from its case against thewall, and, after glancing at its blade, was weighing and testing theweapon in the air. As he gave Halfman no answer, the latter took upthe talk again, provocatively:
"I cannot deny that your honor showed fight briskly enough yesterevening, but then it seemed little less than fight or die, and even arat, if you corner him, will snap for dear life. Moreover, you werewell ambushed, and there was a gentle lady present who would not seea rat butchered unnecessarily."
Evander, still weighing the fine Italian blade, turned to Halfman andaddressed him with an exasperating composure.
"Friend," he said, "I have told you that I am not unacquainted witharms. When I am a free man I enforce belief in my word. As it is--"
He left his sentence uncompleted, and with a contemptuous shrug ofhis shoulders proceeded on his journey round the room, still carryingthe Italian rapier in his hand. Under his tan Halfman's face blazedand his eyes glittered, but he spoke with a forced calm and a feignedcivility:
"Say you so much? Why, I believe your honor, surely. Yet, as theysay, seeing is believing, and if you are in the vein for a gentle andjoyous passage with buttoned arms, I that am here to entertain yourhonor would not for the world's width gainsay you."
Evander eyed him quietly. "Are you ready at fence?" he inquired. "Ishall be pleased to take a lesson from you."
Halfman's heart warmed at his words. "The coney creeps towards thegin," he thought, exultantly; then he answered, aloud:
"Why, if you have a stomach for it you shall not be crossed. Here betwo buttoned rapiers, true twins--length, weight, workmanship. I willbeleather them in a twink. I promise you I would not hurt yourhonor."
"You are very good," Evander answered, gravely. Halfman was alreadybusy tying two large pads of leather the size of small oranges ontothe buttoned blades. While he was at work Evander occupied himselfwith the contents of the room until Halfman, having finished his job,advanced towards him with the weapons extended. Suddenly he paused.
"Stop!" he said. "Let us make a wager on our game. I always play withmore heart so. Here is my stake."
He began to fumble at his doublet, and presently produced from aninner pocket a great thumb-ring with a ruby in it.
"I gained that," he said, "at the sacking of a Spanish town. 'Tisworth a pope's ransom. Set what you please against it."
Evander lifted the ring from the table where Halfman placed it andtook it to the window to look at it closely. Presently he laid it onthe table again.
"It is a goodly ring," he observed. "The setting is old and curious,and the stone, though it has a slight flaw in it, as you have beendoubtless told before now, is worth more than any poor possessions Ihave about my person. Wherefore I would rather we contended forlove."
Halfman shook his head. He was a thought dashed by Evander'sdiscovery of the blemish in the stone, and he carried off hisdiscomfiture by bravado.
"Nay, nay," he answered; "there is my stake. Set what you pleaseagainst it, were it no more than a silver groat. I do not ask to bepaid well for my lesson."
Evander said nothing, but drew his purse from his pocket and laid iton the table. Through the meshes Halfman could see the gleam of a fewpieces of gold, and the gleam cheered him, as it always did. He wasever greedy of gold, and thought the death of Crassus not unkingly.
"Choose your blade," he said. Evander, with a quick glance at the twoweapons, selected the one nearest to him, flung his hat onto a chair,stripped off his doublet, and quietly waited for his adversary.Halfman did not keep him long. He flung his hat and doublet on thefloor and advanced.
"Are you ready?" he asked. Evander saluted in silence, and in anothermoment the antagonists engaged and the mock duello began. Halfmanexpected that it would be short, but it proved much shorter than heexpected. He was far too good a swordsman not to know when he hadencountered a better. The thing had not happened to him very often;it happened very flagrantly now. In less than five minutes Evanderhad placed the muffled button of his blade three times on Halfman'sperson--once upon either breast, and the third time fair on theforehead, just between the eyes. The last blow was so surelydelivered that had it been given with greater force it might haveknocked the receiver senseless. As it was, however, it was given withsuch deliberate delicacy that, though Halfman's head hummed for themoment and his eyes saw stars, he rallied quickly enough to stare atEvander where he stood with lowered point and to tender him asalutation of honest admiration.
"Great Jove of glory!" he gasped; "who was it that ran liquid steelinto your spare body?"
"I learned a little fencing when I was in Paris," he admitted. "Ifear I was over-inclined for the pastime."
"A little fencing!" Halfman ejaculated. "A little fencing! Why, man,that botte between the eyes would have done for me, even if you hadnot spitted both my lungs first. No one can ever say of you that youheld your sword like a dancer. Give me your hand--by God! I must gripyour hand."
"Sir," said Evander, as the pair clasped hands with the hearty claspof true combatants, "you overpraise me; yet for your friendlypraises I have a favor to ask of you."
"Name it and it is done," Halfman asseverated, with an oath, "were itto pluck a purple hair for you from the beard of the Grand Chamhimself."
"'Tis no such matter," Evander answered. "I do but entreat you ofyour courtesy to take back your ring, for which in very truth I haveno use."
Halfman protested a little for form's sake, then gave way, gladenough to pouch his jewel again.
"You are a gentleman," he declared. "Come, let us taste the air inthe gardens."