The Young Visiters or, Mr. Salteena's Plan

from the cathedral, and he was very weary with having sung a solemn mass for the soul of Sir Leofric Bertram, one that had, in times past, been

one the day before; for the Prince Bishop and his household were bled upon the first day o

the monastery, but, in all his canonicals, walked across the green from the cathedral down to the castle with the people all kneeling and candles and a great cross and his crozier carried

reat pegs and wooden bases upon which armour was hung or displayed. Upon three of these pegs were three helmets, the gauntlets hanging beneath them. Below each were the breastplates, the thigh pieces and so on. The great swords, with their crossed hilts, and scabbards covered in yellow velvet, were in stands along the bottom of the wall, like a fence. Above them were the more splendid and bejewelled plumed hoods for his falcons, their jesses, and leashes for his hounds; and tall steel maces made, as it were, panels

nd kneepieces were hammered and graved and inlaid in gold with scenes from the life of Our Lady. Her Coronation in Heaven was shown upon the visor. This fine piece the Bishop wore only upon occasions of great state, such as if he should make a progress through the Palatinate with the King upon his right hand out of courtesy, since, of right, his left alone belonged to the King and the right to the Pope of Rome alone. This Bishop Pal

d. The crozier leant against an oaken case in the corner; and a great cross was against the heavy table where the Bishop sat. The Bishop had sent away his pages and attendants, saying that his head ached so that he could not bear the opening and closing of cases where these things should be placed. He had sent for some wine, a manchet of bread and a little sa

The sunlight was streaming in. The vestiarius considered with disfavour-for he was a sour old priest-that the Bishop was undoubtedly ill, and God knew when he should get t

shop said, "my ey

ut at that window upon the sunlight. You have tired them with l

m twenty years, and would not let him do as he would. So he continued for a little looking at the napkin they had

efore him. Both were of white silk stuff, very curiously and beautifully sown, but one was high and the other more squat. The Bishop was

e vestiarius went to it, and, opening it by a crack, whis

mes and seasons." The Bishop made a sign with the hand, that hung over the arm of his chair, that that monk s

peril from the North went-and mostly from Alnwick way-he knew no man, monk or laymen, that could more swiftly warn him. Besides, the Bi

stic simplicity; the monks of Durham were too haughty; those of Belford too learned; those of Alnwick too set upon the glory of their abbey. The ecclesiastical lawyer

robes had knelt beside his chair. Then the Bishop stretched his hand languidly out and the monk

"it has just come to me from

is looked upon

tching in silver," he said.

ce of the Church Militant it is more fitting. It

im, and seeing that the Bishop

another panel over the forehead. The old one, you perceive, has only a picture of the crucifixion of our Lord worked in pearls

e vestiarius could not g

the greater glory of God;" and then he said: "Prince Bishop, I wo

ent down upon his knees. So the Bishop blessed him and

d me to my cha

us cried, "shall I not firs

op to be cold and weak with the blood that had been let from him the day before as the custom was. Upon the Bishop's head he set a furred cap, covering his ears, and hung round his neck once more the silver chain with the great crucifix in

tural wool and yellow, sat about on the floor or between the arcades, playing at dice together or drinking from flagons. Their immensely long pikes

n shelves. A great many manuscripts in rolls lay upon other shelves, and papers that overflowed from chests, of which there were five, along one wall. There was a pallet bed in this room; a three-cornere

the history of the translation of St. Cuthbert. All in little squares this history was, monks with shaven heads crouching down as if the space would not contain them, and the head of Dun Cow showing yellow against a back

and down before the long window space-backwards and forwards over the tiles, with an imme

ou bring me

g, out of respect, at the ti

is rather

ishop

again he resumed his pacing, biting his lip

the iron frame of the open window, there appeared a blue pigeon that craned its head to one s

k's face gre

said in a low voice,

shoulder, when he saw the pigeon that gazed anx

window on to his shoulder. And immediately another pigeon took its place in the opening. "Brother Francis," he continued, "you are a stern man, yet be indulgent to my weakness. It was your namesake that was

of the monk

for this. For those very words I used tw

ncis to tell a page that he should find amongst the men-at-arms in the gallery that the Lord Bishop would have his guests sit down to dinner and eat with a good appetite; whereas he himself was a little indisposed and would have his own cook send up to him four eggs with a little saffron and some of the drink called clary, such as the cook knew he wished for when he was ill. So, the monk Francis went out and,

called clary. And so the Bishop ate his meal, sprinkling the saffron upon the eggs. He scattered fragments of the hard yolk amongst the pigeons. And when

hat is to say that, of late years, he had grown thin with his cares, but his purpl

amongst people of a simple piety. And in such a day I could have done well. But, as I have often told you, my brother, in this place I cannot see my way. I am troubled with many doubts. If these were again the days of St. Thomas of Canterbury, I could at least extend my neck to the butcher's sword. I think I should have had that courage.... B

lion, that lightened his labours and the soli

could see clearly, I should raise up the standard of this my see and call to me the barons and the knights and so, in a crusade, march to the dethroning of this King. But, as you know, I am not framed for such a part. I am no commander, neither has God given me the golden gift of oratory to inflame men's hearts to a holy war. Nor yet, in this age, is the spirit of piety abroad among the people, and I know not w

some time longer upon the

e are certain contractors for the building of our Tower in Belford, and one of them is called Richard Chambre, a burgess of Newcastle. And because I have lent him now and then a little money and much good advice, this contractor is my good friend and child. So one day, last September, this Richard Chambre told me, whilst devising of other things, that there was one, John of Whitley, a burgess of Newcastle, that went gathering news for a knight of the King's court called Sir Bertram, of Ly

seen him often upon the affairs of the K

Bertram's," the monk said. "Now le

shop said. "All this spying and treachery i

, to Framwell Gate Bridge, just as they opened it. And because I would speak certain private words with that lord I had ridden with him a mile ahead of his spears. So we waited at the bridge for them to come up. Then I fell a-talking with the captain of the bridge as to the news and s

y upon that steward, I crept up that stairway, my sandals making no sound, and going higher than the door, I stood upon the stairs and had a fair view of this Sir Be

it for the time. The Bishop stood before him, clasping and unclasping his hands; the pigeons, having dispersed abou

gather them under his wing to be a potent engine against that see of Durham, that powerful kingdom within his kingdom. Thus, for the time being, the monk perceived no danger for that see. He thought-and time would very likely prove him right-that that Sir Bertram would begin, to the Bishop as to the great lords, with kind and soothing words, or even with presents. So, peace be

the Bishop said. "I had rather the King wo

d bring him down. He is not strong enough for that." He paused for a mom

," the Bishop said. "W

is very poor, he having great expenses for wars in France and elsewhere where rebellions break out. And acts of graciousness, in this world, end either in gifts of money or the remission of fines, rents and amercements. These this King cannot come to do, or he will starve. But all these things you can do very easily. If he can spare the

y be right," t

the grace of God. Now I will talk to you of

said, "I have been talking

k Franc

ht. And it was with that bail

. "He seemed a worthy and a pious man a

the Young Lovell under a writ of sorcery, and so divide them between yourself and the Knights of Haltwhistle and Cullerford.

," the Bishop said. "He urged the see

the monk said. "It is tha

the Young Lovell, as you say, was come again, but said that he was dead and that Cullerford and Haltwhistle, being b

d come to you. So with that he would have earned great disgrace for you and this see. But what I would have you do is to confirm, as far as the see goes, that Young Lovell in his inheritance. So it will rest with the King, the Earl of Northumberland, and

if the Bishop had divided these lands with foul knights like Sir Walter Limousin and Symonde Vesey and Vesey the outlaw and the Decies. But if the Bishop would confirm Sir Paris Lovell i

y the Prince Bishop himself in the name of the Young Lovell, had all the rights forfeited by that lording. He would very willingly resign a portion of his rights by way of fine; it was, moreover, in the protocol of the Bishops of Durham that no Bishop could refuse such a gift freely made, to t

if,' or the book of decretals which begins 'Nullain res est' and ends: 'in causa negligenciae.' Also I have spoken with the most learned of our brethren upon this case and with your sergeants of law and your justices and all with one accord agree that a long law case

nly to make appeal to you through a person of the Church as his best friend. Then you shall give him licence,

ishop asked. "I am not very learned in these laws;

der of his half-brother, for that the Decies is, the Decies shall at my complaint to your officers and, after a fair trial, be broken upon the wheel. For before

rather than that the bishopric should suffer from the King's hatred of his person. But he could see very well that the bishopric of Durham would lose rather than gain by taking the lands of a young lord, well loved and deserving well of those parts. The Church, as he was aware, was called, in those days, avaricious, gluttonous and avid of lands and rent. But here, by a shining instance, he might show that the see-palatine of Durham held its hand and so that see should gain in credit and renown at the expense even of all other bishoprics in the

canon law and the rest, he, the Bishop, would commit them to memory, and, that evening he would call before him the lawyer Stone,

egan to write. The Bishop walked up and down behind his back, rubbing his hands delicately together with

house of the Princess Rohtraut of Croy, Lady mother