The Prince and the Page: A Story of the Last Crusade

rs of the s

to Christ

Hou

river. Leonillo ran down the stone stairs with a wistful look of entreaty and it occurred to both Richard and Adam, that,

's knee, eating the comfits with which the Princess had provided her, and making him cut a

inquiries for a blind man who had lost his child were little heeded, or met with no satisfactory answer. Bessee herself was bewildered, and incapable of finding her father's late station; and Richard was be

ight of something familiar. "Good red monks," sh

their house at Spitalfields, and doffing his bonnet, intimated a desire to address the tall old war-worn knight with a ben

night, as his eye fell on the white cross on Richard's mantle. "W

to seek for the father of this little one, who fell into the river i

n black, coming eagerly forward; "the villeins on the green told me

exclaimed Sir Robert. "Poor fool!

e crowd. Hal was thrown down, and the child thrust away till they feared she had fallen over the bank. Hob and his wife were fain to get the poor man away, for his moans and fierce words were

is best healing.-He must have been a good soldier once," he added to Richard;

interested in all his father's old follow

ing-brother; "but twice or thrice a week he co

t! She turns the heads of all our brethren," said Sir

open-faced youth in his novitiate. "I shall some day warn Hal how our brethre

brethren of the Temp

for a moment.-"Young S

th us; we would glad

ll Gr

but I am of Prince Edward's household-Richard Fowe

e little plaything of the Spital. "Our young brother, Engelbert von Fuchstein, has leave to tarry this night with his brother in the train of the King of the Roma

ghts of the Hospital. He therefore dismissed Gourdon and the other man-at-arms with a message explaining the matter; and warmly thanking the old

d Sir Robert, "it is easy to see

nce can," said Richard,-"ta

reserved for the one cause and purpose." He crossed himself; and in the meantime, Bessee intimated her imperious purpose of not riding before Brother Hilary, but

s of Europe, which are good for nothing but food for foul birds in the East. Purvey yourself of an Arab as soon as you land. There is a rogu

m but a landless page, and the Prince mounts me. Said

should be wasted on your own petty feuds. This same Barons' war now hath cost as much downright courage

use," Richard cou

atters of taxes and laws to ask a man to shed his blood for? Alack, the temper of the cross-bearer is dying out! I pray I

ith such leaders as the

" said

y counsel from Rome, belike, or some barefooted hermit-very holy, no doubt, but who does not know a Greek from a Saracen, or a horse's head from his tail-and will go to some pestilential hole like that foul Egyptian swamp,

th King Louis?" eager

so well as the hospital business, and for the last five years I have had to stay here training young brethren! Oh, young man! I envy you your first stroke for the Holy Sepulchre! Would that the Grand-Master would hear my entreaty. I am too old to be worth sparing, and I would fain have one more chance of dyi

se strangely mingling together the deepest enthusiasm with a business-like common-sense appreciation of ways and means, and with minute directions, precautions, and anecdote

beginning to rise, below which the little muddy stream called the Flete stagnated along its way, meandering to the Thames. Thatched hovels and wooden booths left so narrow a passage that the horsemen were forced to move in single file, and did not gain a clearer space even when the stone houses of merchants began to stand thick on Ludgate Hill, their carved wooden balconies so projecting, that it would seem to have been an object with the citizens to be able to shake hands across the street. The city was comparatively empty and quiet, as all the world were keeping holiday at Westminster; but even as it was, the passengers seemed to swarm in the streets, and knots o

ns then of St. Dominic, the great friend of Richard's stern grandfather, the persecutor of the Albigenses. Sir Robert drew up, and declared he must buy one for the little maid a

th Richard, "in memory of the talk that hath taug

from the East. They are so great a boon to our poor sick folk that I wish I had brought twice as many, but t

t yet closed for the night; and the party came forth beyond the walls, with the desolate Moorfi

obert, sending home the rest of his troop, turned aside with Richard and Brother Hilary towa

ed door, it had a wretched appearance; but the old woman who came to the door was not ill clad. "Blessings on you, holy

ir Robert, springing to the ground with the a

the child, he hath done nought but moan and rave, and lie as one dead ever since they brought

called on with all her might, disregarding the caresses of the old woman, and the endeavour made by Richar

held the blind man sitting up on his pallet with arms outstretched. "My

his strength to withhold the chi

exclaimed. "Her spirit is pure! My sins

" said Sir Robert, at the same time as Bessee sprang from

im. "Living, living, indeed! Yet how may it be! Surely this

e youth who saved thy

io

him speak again!"

for you, good ma

strange start and

n's sake tell m

vestigating, threw himself on the blind man in a transport of caresses. "Off, Leon-off!" cried Richard. "It is but a dog!-Fear not, little one!-Tell me, tell me," h

d?" returned a suppres

d fell upon the foot of the low bed,

father meet unknown-one with a changed name, the other with

sitting crouched on the wretched bed, the left arm a mere stump, a bandage where the bright sarcastic eyes used to flash forth their dark fire, deep scars on all the small portion of the face that was visible through the over-grown masses of hair and beard, so plentifully sprinkled with white, that it would have seemed incredible that this man was but eight month

spectacle as this was far more terrible to him, and his cheek blanched at the

s brother, "even as I deem

y, thou kn

errupted the blind ma

with a gesture that

his eldest brother

I heard ano

Hospital! I will either leave thee, or keep thy secret as though it w

are matters that must be spoken between me and this young brother of mine ere he quits this hut; and

nd it was so cold! And he took me in his arms and pulled me out, and put me in a boat; and the

aid Richard; but Henry,

eld out his remaining hand, somewhere toward

ight, was kneeling by Henry, accepting and returning his embrace with agitation and gratitude, such as showed how their relative positions in the family still main

e as much terrified as was Richard, who thought his brother dying; but calling in the serving-brother, the old Hospitalier did all that was needed, and the blind man presently recovered and explained in a feeble voice that he had been jostled, thr

ertain sarcasm in his tone. "It is the beggars' harvest wherever King He

xclaimed Rich

retorted Henry, wit

patient there will soon be nothing if ye continue in

, "not so, good Father. H

with him,"

ay him outright. Return to the Spital with me; and at morn, if he

with him, Richard; but mark me. Be s

e was, Richard was