Oh! they had much to say to each other, so much that the half of itremained unsaid. Still Hugh learned that she and Sir Andrew had cometo Avignon upon the Pope's summons to lay this matter of her allegedmarriage before him in person. When they reached the town they found italready in the grip of the great plague, and that to see his Holinesswas almost impossible, since he had shut himself up in his palace andwould admit no one. Yet an interview was promised through Sir Andrew'shigh-placed friends, only then the sickness struck Eve and she could notgo, nor was Sir Andrew allowed to do so, since he was nursing one wholay ill.
Then Hugh began to tell his tale, to which Eve and Sir Andrew Arnoldlistened greedily. Of Murgh, for sundry reasons, he said nothing, and ofthe fight from which Acour had fled in Venice before the earthquake butlittle. He told them, however, that he had heard that this Acour hadbeen or was in Avignon and that he had learned from a notary namedBasil, whom he, Hugh, had retained, that Acour had won from the Pope aconfirmation of his marriage.
"A lie!" interrupted Sir Andrew. "His Holiness caused me to be informedexpressly that he would give no decision in this cause until all thecase was before him."
As he said the words a disturbance arose in the outer room, and theharsh voice of Grey Dick was heard saying:
"Back, you dog! Would you thrust yourself into the chamber of the ladyof Clavering? Back, or I will cast you through the window-place."
Sir Andrew went to see what was the matter, and Hugh, breaking off histale, followed him, to find the notary, Basil, on his knees with GreyDick gripping him by the collar of his robe.
"Sir Knight," said Basil, recognizing Hugh, "should I, your faithfulagent, be treated thus by this fierce-faced squire of yours?"
"That depends on what you have done, Sir Lawyer," answered Hugh,motioning to Dick to loose the man.
"All I have done, Sir Knight, is to follow you into a house where Ichanced to see you enter, in order to give you some good tidings. Thenthis fellow caught me by the throat and said that if I dared to breakin upon the privacy of one whom he called Red Eve and Lady Clavering, hewould kill me."
"He had his orders, lawyer."
"Then, Sir Knight, he might have executed them less roughly. Had he buttold me that you were alone with some lady, I should have understand andwithdrawn for a while, although to do so would have been to let preciousmoments slip," and the lean-faced knave leered horribly.
"Cease your foul talk and state your business," interrupted Sir Andrew,thrusting himself in front of Hugh, who he feared would strike thefellow.
"And pray, who may you be?" asked the lawyer, glancing up at the tallfigure that towered above him.
Sir Andrew threw back his hood, revealing his aged, hawk-likecountenance, his dark and flashing eyes and his snow-white hair andbeard.
"If you would learn, man," he said, in his great voice, "in the worldI was known as Sir Andrew Arnold, one of the priors of the Order of theTemplars, which is a name that you may have heard. But now that I havelaid aside all worldly pomp and greatness, I am but Father Andrew, ofDunwich, in England."
"Yes, yes, I have heard the name; who has not?" said the lawyer humbly;"also you are here as guardian to the lady Eve Clavering, are you not,to lay a certain cause before his Holiness? Oh! do not start, all thesematters came to my knowledge who am concerned in every great business inAvignon as the chief agent and procurator of the Papal Court, though itis true that this tiding has reached me only within the last few minutesand from the lips of your own people. Holy Father, I pray your pardonfor breaking in upon you, which I did only because the matter is verypressing. Sir Hugh de Cressi here has a cause to lay before the Popewith which you may be acquainted. Well, for two days I have striven towin him an audience, and now through my sole influence, behold! 'tisgranted. See here," and he produced a parchment that purported to besigned by the Pope's secretary and countersigned by a cardinal, andread:
"'If the English knight, Sir Hugh de Cressi, and his squire, the captainRichard, will be in the chamber of audience at the palace at seven ofthe clock this evening' (that is, within something less than half anhour), 'his Holiness will be pleased to receive them as a most specialboon, having learned that the said Sir Hugh is a knight much in favourwith his Grace of England, who appointed him his champion in a combatthat was lately to be fought at Venice.'"
"That's true enough, though I know not how the Pope heard of it,"interrupted Hugh.
"Through me, Sir Knight, for I learn everything. None have so much powerin Avignon as I, although it often pleases me to seem poor and of noaccount. But let that pass. Either you must take this opportunity or becontent not to see his Holiness at all. Orders have been issued becauseof the increase of this pest in Avignon, that from to-night forward noneshall be admitted to the palace upon any pretext whatsoever; no, noteven a king."
"Then I had best go," said Hugh.
"Ay," answered Sir Andrew, "and return here with your tidings as soon asmay be. Yet," he added in a low voice to Grey Dick, "I love not the lookof this scurvy guide of yours. Could not your master have found a betterattorney?"
"Perhaps," answered Dick, "that is if one is left alive in Avignon.Being in haste we took the first that came to hand, and it seems that hewill serve our turn. At least, if he plays tricks, I promise it will bethe worse for him," and he looked grimly at the rogue, who was talkingto David Day and appeared to hear nothing.
So they went, and with them David, who had witnessed the confession ofFather Nicholas. Therefore they thought it best that he should accompanythem to testify to it if there were need.
"Bid my lady keep a good heart and say that I will be with her again erelong," said Hugh as they descended the stairs in haste.
Following the guidance of Basil, they turned first this way and thenthat, till soon in the gathering darkness they knew not where they were.
"What was the name of the street in which Sir Andrew had his lodging?"asked Hugh, halting.
"Rue St. Benezet," answered Basil. "Forward, we have no time to lose."
"Did you tell Sir Andrew where we dwelt, master?" said Dick presently,"for I did not."
"By my faith, Dick, no; it slipped my mind."
"Then it will be hard for him to find us if he has need, master, in thisrabbit warren of a town. Still that can't be mended now. I wish wewere clear of this business, for it seems to me that yon fellow is notleading us toward the palace. Almost am I minded----" and he looked atBasil, then checked himself.
Presently Dick wished it still more. Taking yet another turn they foundthemselves in an open square or garden that was surrounded by many meanhouses. In this square great pest-fires burned, lighting it luridly. Bythe flare of them they saw that hundreds of people were gathered therelistening to a mad-eyed friar who was preaching to them from the topof a wine-cart. As they drew near to the crowd through which Basil wasleading them, Hugh heard the friar shouting:
"Men of Avignon, this pest which kills us is the work not of God, but ofthe Jew blasphemers and of the sorcerers who are in league with them. Itell you that two such sorcerers who pass as Englishmen are in your citynow and have been consorting with the Jews, plotting your destruction.One looks like a young knight, but the other has the face of Deathhimself, and both of them wrought murders in a neighbouring town toprotect the Jews. Until you kill the accursed Jews this plague willnever pass. You will die, every one of you, with your wives and childrenif you do not kill the Jews and their familiars."
Just then the man, rolling his wild eyes about, caught sight of Hugh andDick.
"See!" he screamed. "There are the wizards who in Venice were seen inthe company of the Enemy of Mankind. That good Christian, Basil, hasbrought them face to face with you, as he promised me that he would."
As he heard these words Hugh drew his sword and leapt at Basil. But therogue was watching. With a yell of fear he threw himself among the crowdand there vanished.
"Out weapons, and back to back!" cried Hugh, "for we are snared."
So the
three of them ranged themselves together facing outward. In frontof them gleamed Grey Dick's axe, Hugh's sword and David's great knife.In a moment the furious mob was surging round them like the sea,howling, "Down with the foreign wizards! Kill the friends of the Jews!"one solid wall of changing white faces.
A man struck at them with a halbert, but the blow fell short, for he wasafraid to come too near. Grey Dick leapt forward, and in a moment wasback again, leaving that man dead, smitten through from skull to chin.For a while there was silence, since this sudden death gave them pause,and in it Hugh cried out:
"Are blameless men to be murdered thus? Have we no friends in Avignon?"
"Some," answered a voice from the outer shadow, though who spoke theycould not see.
"Save the protectors of the Jews!" cried the voice again.
Then came a rush and a counter-rush. Fighting began around them in whichthey took no share. When it had passed over them like a gust of wind,David Day was gone, killed or trodden down, as his companions thought.
"Now, master, we are alone," said Grey Dick. "Set your shoulders againstmine and let us die a death that these dogs of Avignon will remember."
"Ay, ay!" answered Hugh. "But don't overreach, Dick, 'tis ever thearcher's fault."
The mob closed in on them, then rolled back like water from a rock,leaving some behind. Again they closed in and again rolled back.
"Bring bows!" they cried, widening out. "Bring bows and shoot themdown."
"Ah!" gasped Dick, "that is a game two can play, now that I have armroom."
Almost before the words had left his lips the great black bow he borewas out and strung. Next instant the shafts began to rush, piercing allbefore them, till at the third arrow those in front of him melted away,save such as would stir no more. Only now missiles began to come inanswer from this side and from that, although as yet none struck them.
"Unstring your bow, Dick, and let us charge," said Hugh. "We have noother chance save flight. They'll pelt us under."
Dick did not seem to hear. At least he shot on as one who was not mindedto die unavenged. An arrow whistled through Hugh's cap, lifting it fromhis head, and another glanced from the mail on his shoulder. He groundhis teeth with rage, for now none would come within reach of his longsword.
"Good-bye, friend Dick," he said. "I die charging," and with a cry of "ACressi! A Cressi!" he sprang forward.
One leap and Dick was at his side, who had only bided to sheath his bow.The mob in front melted away before the flash of the white sword and thegleam of the grey axe. Still they must have fallen, for their pursuersclosed in behind them like hunting hounds when they view the quarry,and there were none to guard their backs. But once more the shrill voicecried:
"Help the friends of the Jews! Save those who saved Rebecca and herchildren!"
Then again there came a rush of dark-browed men, who hissed and whistledas they fought.
So fierce was the rush that those who followed them were cut off, andDick, glancing back over his shoulder, saw the mad-eyed priest, theirleader, go down like an ox beneath the blow of a leaded bludgeon.A score of strides and they were out of the range of the firelight;another score and they were hidden by the gloom in the mouth of one ofthe narrow streets.
"Which way now?" gasped Hugh, looking back at the square where in theflare of the great fires Christians and Jews, fighting furiously, lookedlike devils struggling in the mouth of hell.
As he spoke a shock-headed, half-clad lad darted up to them and Dicklifted his axe to cut him down.
"Friend," he said in a guttural voice, "not foe! I know where you dwell;trust and follow me, who am of the kin of Rebecca, wife of Nathan."
"Lead on then, kin of Rebecca," exclaimed Hugh, "but know that if youcheat us, you die."
"Swift, swift!" cried the lad, "lest those swine should reach your housebefore you," and, catching Hugh by the hand, he began to run like ahare.
Down the dark streets they went, past the great rock where the firesburned at the gates of the palace of the Pope, then along more streetsand across an open place where thieves and night-birds peered at themcuriously, but at the sight of their drawn steel, slunk away. At lengththeir guide halted.
"See!" he said. "There is your dwelling. Enter now and up with thebridge. Hark! They come. Farewell."
He was gone. From down the street to their left rose shouts and thesound of many running feet, but there in front of them loomed theTower against the black and rainy sky. They dashed across the littledrawbridge that spanned the moat, and, seizing the cranks, woundfuriously. Slowly, ah! how slowly it rose, for it was heavy, and theywere but two tired men; also the chains and cogs were rusty with disuse.Yet it did rise, and as it came home at last, the fierce mob, thirstingfor their blood and guessing where they would refuge, appeared in frontof it and by the light of some torches which they bore, caught sight ofthem.
"Come in, friends," mocked Grey Dick as they ran up and down the edge ofthe moat howling with rage and disappointment. "Come in if you wouldsup on arrow-heads such as this," and he sent one of his deadly shaftsthrough the breast of a red-headed fellow who waved a torch in one handand a blacksmith's hammer in the other.
Then they drew back, taking the dead man with them, but as they went onecried:
"The Jews shall not save you again, wizards, for if we cannot come atyou to kill you, we'll starve you till you die. Stay there and rot, orstep forth and be torn to pieces, as it pleases you, English wizards."
Then they all slunk back and vanished, or seemed to vanish, down themouths of the dark streets that ran into the open place in front of thedwelling which Hugh had named the Bride's Tower.
"Now," said Dick, wiping the sweat from his brow as they barred themassive door of the house, "we are safe for this night at least, and caneat and sleep in peace. See you, master, I have taken stock of this oldplace, which must have been built in rough times, for scarce a wall ofit is less than five feet thick. The moat is deep all round. Fire cannotharm it, and it is loop-holed for arrows and not commanded by any otherbuilding, having the open place in front and below the wide fosse ofthe ancient wall, upon which it stands. Therefore, even with this poorgarrison of two, it can be taken only by storm. This, while we havebows and arrows, will cost them something, seeing that we could hold thetower from stair to stair."
"Ay, Dick," answered Hugh sadly, "doubtless we can make a fight for itand take some with us to a quieter world, if they are foolish enough togive us a chance. But what did that fellow shout as to starving us out?How stand we for provisions?"
"Foreseeing something of the sort, I have reckoned that up, master.There's good water in the courtyard well and those who owned this tower,whoever they may have been, laid in great store, perchance for themarriage feast, or perchance when the plague began, knowing that itwould bring scarcity. The cupboards and the butteries are filled withflour, dried flesh, wine, olives and oil for burning. Even if theseshould fail us there are the horses in the stable, which we can kill andcook, for of forage and fuel I have found enough."
"Then the Pope should not be more safe than we, Dick," said Hugh with aweary smile, "if any are safe in Avignon to-day. Well, let us go and eatof all this plenty, but oh! I wish I had told Sir Andrew where we dwelt,or could be sure in which of that maze of streets he and Red Eve arelodged. Dick, Dick, that knave Basil has fooled us finely."
"Ay, master," said Dick, setting his grim lips, "but let him pray hisSaint that before all is done I do not fool him."
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