At Agincourt

his armour, for he felt that it was possible the assailants might return after finding that the Burgundian knights and men-at-arms had ridden away. He had told the men-at-arm

e that the watch was being well kept, and to look up a

tace himself could have done no better had he been here. When I next write to my lord I sha

good. It was his shooting that caused the long delay in breaking open the door, and that enab

ange Italian that enabled you to send to the count for aid. I must see his daughter and thank her personally for the part she played in the matter. No, Guy, had it not been for you this house would now have been an empty shell, and all of us would have been lying under its ruins. I have been thinking during the night that you must be most careful when you go abroad; you know that the son of that monster Caboche, the leader of the skinners, and doubtless many leaders

t so close to us, and the dreadful shouts and screams of those people, and to have nothing to do but to wait. Not that I was frightened, I felt quite confident that y

is besieged and her lord is away that a woman may buckle on armour and set an example to her retainers by showing herself on the wall and risking the

y, "I could really have done something. You would

e out I must have done so, and then Charlie would have wanted to go too. No; it was much better that we all

here as you asked her, mother; she looked so scared and white that I do think it wou

o look out at that crowd of horrible creatures below, brandishing their weapons, shouting and yelling, was enough to terrify any quiet and peaceable woman. As a knight's wife and daughter it was o

t oak, and protected by thick sheets of iron; the hinges were to be of great strength to bear the weight. A smith had also arrived to receive instructions for making and setting very st

into it. Several others of my craft similarly protect their shops; and certainly no one can blame me, after the attack of last night, for

t, but they had no defensive armour and were unaccustomed to the use of weapons. Only I would advise you to be

ay be sure, and will engage none save afte

itions and complaints were sent to the king by the provosts of the merchants, the gold and silver smiths, the cloth merchants, the carpenters and others, complaining of the tumults caused by the butchers and their allies, and especially of the attack without cause or reason upon the house of Ma?tre Leroux, the worshipful provost of the silversmiths. Severa

Margaret early in the day to thank her for the assistan

coming would be the means of preserving our lives and property, yet so it has been, for assuredly if it had not been for your esquire and brave retainers we should have been murdered last night. As it is we have not only saved our lives but our property, and save for the renewal of the doors we shall not have been the losers even in t

t-arms. Five of these were to be on duty night and day until the house was made secure by the new doors and iron grill erected in fr

the Armagnacs are fast approaching, and that in a few days they will be within a short distance of Paris. Their approach will assuredly embitter the hostility between the factions here, and should they threaten the town there may be fierce fighting within the walls as well as without. At present, at any rate, there are likely to be no more disturbances such as that of last

cut-throats. But I pray you on your way to the school go round and thank, in my name, this Italian and his daughter, and say that I desire much to thank the young lady personally for the immense servi

re was that young French count, the very next morning when he called here he gave me a purse with thirty crowns, telling me pleasantly that it was at the rate of five crowns for each skull I cracked on his behalf. Then this morning Ma?tre Leroux came to me and said, 'Good fellow, it is greatly to your skill and valour that I owe my life, a

sooner or later you might go into a fray and lose your life,

he risk of the breaking of casques. Are we going to the house we went to the firs

tack the provost's house, by the same messenger who met us before Notre Dame, and who last n

armly, "though I think not that they would have ca

an such as they did for covering themselves while they assaulted the door. But even had

cher said, "and wondered why they should waste men so freely wh

p, they would have fired the house very quickly when they discovered that they could not get at us. But it was the plunder that they wanted, and it was the sight of those chests full of silver-ware that made them venture their

me she said that she had orders to admit him if he called. The

, "I am glad indeed to

id warmly; "we are all

once to your aid, I could not go back and wait until this morning to learn if they arrived in time, so I ran to your street again and hid in a doorway and looked out. Just as I got there they broke in the door and I saw some of them rush in. But there was a pause, though they were all pressing to enter. They went in very slow

heir friends inside were attacking a barricade, and would soon carry it, and then there would be silver enough for all; but that by pressing forward they did but hamper the efforts of their comrades. It seemed, oh, such a long, long time before I saw the Burgundians com

g to keep Master Aylmer there all day with your chattering, Katar

e made a boy of her, and I ought not to be shocked at her acting like one. But she gave me a rare fright last night when

not been for her carrying my message to the Count d'Est

nt while I read the letter. As it was, it lay downstairs till my visitor departed. When I learned the news I sent off Katarina at once. She had but a short time before come in, and was fortunately still in her boy's dress, so there was no time lost. I went out myself at ten o'clock to see what was going on, and mus

and that they had arrived in time. I hear that there is a great stir this morning. The number of men they have lost, and specially the deaths of Legoix and of the young Caboche, have infuriated the butchers and skinners. They have already sent off two of their number to lay their complaint before the Duke of Burgundy of the conduct of some of his knights in attacking them when they were assailing the house of a noted Arma

to attack the house of the silversmith, at any rate until an order comes from the D

aiding to put down disturbances whatsoever may be the duke's orders. And now, Sir Count, I have come hither this morning on behalf of my lady mistress to thank you for sending the news, and still more for the service your d

tion to me than I care for. Therefore I will myself bring Katarina round and will do myself the honour of calling upon your lady. I can wrap the girl up in a cloak so that she shall not attract any observation, for no one knows, save the old woman below, that I have a daughter here; and with so many

come, signor, for she has resolved not to go

ds about a woman being carried off. But it is different with you and your comrade. The butchers know well enough that it was your work that caused their failure last night. Your appearance at the window was noticed, and it was that tall archer of yours who played such havoc among them. Therefore

lways put on breast-and-back piece when you go out. I have been warned that our lives wi

xpend some of my crowns in buying a shirt of mail also. 'Tis better by far than armour, for a man coming up behind could stab one over the line of the back-piece or under the arm, while if you have mail under your coat they will strike at you fair betw

ded for emergencies. He certainly could not ask his mistress for such a sum, for she too might have need of the money that she had brought with her. He was

ll be a royal message for you to attend at the palace. Fortunately we had the first say in the matter this morning. My father returned last night, and as he is rather a favourite of his majesty, we got him to go to the king and obtain audience as soon as he arose, to complain of the conduct of the butchers in attacking the house of the provost of the silversmiths, and where, moreover, Dame Villeroy, wh

and said that he would at once send off a message to the Duke of Burgundy commanding him to pay no attention to any reports the butchers might send to him, but to give them

the duke is away they will see that they had best keep quiet; for when the king

that it might be something private, they had taken up their hats and cloaks. The boy, as he came in, said, 'Which of you is Count Charles d'Estournel?' 'I am,' I said. 'You are the bearer of a message from Guy Aylmer?' 'I am, my lord. He prays you hasten to his assistance, fo

the speed we could it was more than an hour before all were assembled. The men-at-arms were scattered, and had to be roused; then there was the work of getting the stables open, and we had to force the doors in some places to do it. I was on thorns, as you may well imagine, and had little hope when we started that we should find any of you alive. Delighted indeed we were when, on getting near enough, we could see the crowd were stationary, and guessed at

of you received wou

-arms had gashes from the rascals' weapon

of the attendants o

Master Guy Aylmer, and has learned that he will most likely be here. If so, he has the ki

curiosity, and he would fain hear all about it. Make the mos

me to go back to my lodging to put

. Fortunately no time has been wasted so far, as this

ple-like roofs, while in the centre rose another large and almost perpendicular roof, terminating in a square open gallery. The building was further protected by four embattled towers on each side, so that if the outer wall were carried it could still defend itself. In the court-yard between the outer wall and the palace were rows of low barracks, where troops were lodged. Two regiments of the best soldiers of Burgundy were quartered here, as the duke feared that some sudden rising of the Ar

e king," Guy said, as he prepared to follow the attendant; "but I trust that good ma

race with the king-Guy walked with him to the Louvre, which was a short half-mile distant. Accompanied as he was by a royal officer, the guard at the gate offered no interruption to his passage, and pro