Red Eve

ate Street through the driving snow to the door of the grey Preceptory of the Knights Templar. In a window above the

, but do you two go lay hold of the ring of the church door," and she nodded toward a grey

this Temple ground is sanctuary, or at least we will ris

s. Then the door opened, revealing a tall man, white-bearded, ancient, and clad in

oes some soul pass that yo

s have passed, and souls are near to pass

tered with the others, pushed to th

id the old priest. "Eve of

f the Blythe, frozen with the snows of Dunwich Heath, where she has lain hid for hours with a furze bush for shelter. Eve who seeks shriving, a d

, and laughe

at he was, a knight arrayed in priestly robes, had run to a door at the

to boil. It is meet now that you wear a tonsure that you who are no longer a ce

to his "centurion" days, dived into the kitchen, to reappear presently dragging a

er food, warm her, and bring her back to me. Short? What care I if the robe be short? Obey, or it wi

urning, led Hugh and Grey Dick up a broad oak stair to what

g the cobwebs of the ancient roof, the shields of past masters with stately blazonings were carved in stone upon the walls. But of all this departed splendour but little could be seen, since the pl

ssi," he said, "w

of Clavering, Father, a

ery fair fight,"

urderer?" asked the priest. "And you,

arrows-at least they should be dead-and another

also. Come into my chamber; I can furnish you with garments of a sort. And, Richard, set that black bow of yours near the fire, but not too fire.

Sunday wear of Mother Agnes for twenty years past and more, which reached but little below her knees, and was shaped like a sack. On her feet were no shoes, and for sole adornment her curling black hair fell about her shoulders, for so she had arra

now he lent it to his godson Hugh because, as he said, he had nothing else. Also, it may have crossed the minds of bot

d round him with a rope, his quiver of arrows slung over it for ornament. He sat by the f

old, and Father Arnold

time," he said, "but never, I think, one stranger

ause of the slaying of John Clavering and ot

on from the Church or pardon from the King; and you but a merchant's younger son an

e Norman, my Lord of Acour. John struck Hugh in the face with his hand and slandered him with his tongue. John was given his

say a year. At least I'll not marry you at once, and cannot, if I would, with both your fathers living

ed it away past Hinton to the Ipswich road, keeping but just ahead in the snow and talking in three voi

s pay the price of it, or a bloody feud break out between the Claverings of Blythburgh and the de Cressis of Dunwich. Daughter Eve, get you to bed with old Agnes. You are so weary that you wi

night to her lover with her fine eyes. Presently Grey Dick also went to sleep, l

e got away safely, there is still a shaft that you may shoot more deadly than any that ever left Grey Dick's quiver. But yesterday I told you for your comfort-when we spoke

his knightly honour, and, though I had no time to take note of faces

t the words are said, and there's an end. Now hearken. I told neither you nor any one

's power in these

housand Normans upon our Suffolk coast. They are to sail hither this coming summer and set the c

me! Is th

gers, a priest, came a week ago to Dunwich, and spent the night in a tavern waiting for his ship to sail in the morning. The good wife who keeps that tavern-ask not her name-would go far to serve me. That night this priest slept sound, and while he slept a letter was cut from the lining of his cassock, and another without wr

lish I can spell out, but t

listening eager

ord

l father. While pretending to hunt or hawk I have found three places along this seaboard at any one of which the army

ere for sundry reasons, which you know, hoping to draw those of whom you speak to me to your cause, which, God aiding me, I shall do, since he of Engla

hman who cannot be won, but a man of great power and repute. This courtship, which began in jest, has ended in earnest, since the girl is very haughty and beautiful, and as she will not be played with I p

r, as I doubt not God will bring about before this year is out. I have made a map of the road by which your army should march on London after landing, and of the towns to be sacked upon the way thither. This, however, I keep, since although not one in

with my hand from Blythburgh, in Suffolk

d of

ased reading, an

l is this k

tter, which he thought so safe, will save England to Edward and his race, you from many dangers, yo

to, F

with another that I will

ing to me, who have bitter enemies awaiting me, an

him with his soft and

pick your bones, Hugh, though at the las

ng John of Clavering thought as much, and now

ugh, and will you keep it

I would

as one who takes a sudden resolution. "Well, I'll tell you, leaving you to

ay, though in truth it has many other names, and I alon

Arnold had travelled much in his youth, he never dreamed that he had reached the m

lgrimage to Jerusalem, where our blessed Saviour died. That was the beginning. Thence I travelled with Arabs to the Red Sea, where wild

rneyings. There I dwelt in honour for three more years, moving from place to place, since never before had its inhabitants seen a Western man, and they made much of me, a

ing to do with you. Whilst I dwelt in Kambaluc as the guest of the Emperor Timur, I made study of the religion of this mighty people, who, I was told, worshipped gods in th

o so, since I, who worshipped the only true God, feared no other. Whereon, growing angry, he commanded some of his servants to 'take this fool to the house of Murgh and let him see whether his God co

likely to happen to me at his hands. Still, I would not show any fear, and, strong in t

oot of the hill they set me down upon a road, and told me to walk up it, and that at dawn I should see the House of Murgh, whereof the gates were always open, and could enter there if I wished. I asked

return?' asked their captain, pointing to

reof the doors appeared to be open. Now, at first I thought I would pass this gateway at once and see what lay beyond. But from this I was held back by some great fear, for which

dead. Indeed, the silence was that of the dead. No voice spoke, no hound barked, no leaf stirred. Only far above me I heard a

e in darkness! Now I saw that I was on a hilltop where grew great groves of cedar trees,

by two black dragons of stone or iron, was very great, so great that

set forward toward the mighty gateway. Oh, never, never till that hour had I understood how lowly a thing is man! On that broad road, travelling toward the awful, drag

rick, which had doors in it that seemed to be of dark stone or iron. Whither these doors led I do not know, since the wall cut off the sight of any bui

paused, and

adornments or images. But perhaps this was

ult grim with bones, or a torture-pit where victims quiver out their souls midst shrieks and groanings. And yet I could see nothing of which to be afraid, and hear nothing save that soughing of invisible wings whereof I have spoken. An empty chair, a pool of water,

ne thing-that he must be very strong, though not bigger than other men. Strength seemed to flow from him. I sho

ke, Father? Sam

hance his face grew no hair. His lips were thick and still and his features did not change like those of other men. He looked as though he could not change; as though he had been thus for infinite ages, and yet remained neither young nor old. As for his dress, he wore a cloak of flaming red, such a cloak as your Eve loves to wear, and white san

hat birds were coming to and leaving him in countless numbers, and thought that it must be th

birds were t

man they appeared out of nothingness. They were of two colours, snow-white and coal-black. The white appeared upon his right side, the black upon his left side. Each bird in those never-ceasing streams

that erran

were born into the world, and souls departing from the world, perchance, making report to one of God's ministers clothed in flesh.

was awakened by a cold, soft voice, the sound of which seemed to flow through my veins like ice, tha

you praying just

who dwell in Cathay, where I am a str

s of my soul. 'In the same way that I know your heart,' he said. 'But do not ask

rist,' I faltered, 't

lowers are few in the world as yet. But do you think tha

plucking up courage, who would not

h my dominion, and you are quite right to pray to one of the lords of that into which you go. No

then ceased, for I kn

understand to that which is not; and lo! you have found that which is behind all idols and all priests. You sought an incensed and a golden shrine and you have found only the black and iron portals which every man must pass but which few desire to enter until they

and I knew that within the circle of those arms lay my death. Still I, who in my youth was held brave, went on and rushed, striving to clasp him. Next moment, before ever I touched him-oh, well w

ld voice above me, '

y must be broken, was stronger than I had ever been before. It was as thoug

ou think to touch Murgh and live? Did you think to wrestle with him as in a book of one of your prophets

who spoke my tongue and knew the tale of

of my Order I may refuse no challenge from one who is not a Christian, I came on to do my best. But before ever I laid hand on you I was cast

used you. Yet you will meet him again, as all flesh must when its hour comes, and because you are bold and have not cringed before my strength, for your comfort I will show you when and how. Stan

I saw, not a picture, but a scene so real that I could have sworn it was alive about me. Yes, those who took part in it stood in front of me as though the pool were solid ground that

ou see?" wh

here was the rough moorland over which the east wind piped, for the dead bracken bent before it, and not twenty paces from me leaped a hare, disturbed suddenly from its form by a hungry fox, whose red head peeped through the reeds. Yes, yes, I saw

Hugh. "I'd show you such to

ck held the axe in one hand and his black bow in the other, while Red Eve, your Eve, stood at its edge and stared into it like one in a dream. Then at the

upon your shield. You with drawn sword in hand, and facing you, also with drawn sword, rage and despair on his dark face, a stately, foreig

t each other like the teeth of the wicked in hell, strangely capped and clad in black, his arms crossed upon his bre

of the pool the man was seated in his chair, and to right and to left of him came the black doves and the white doves in countless multitudes, all the thousands of them that had been stayed in