The Worthington advance., 1880-09-09
Twice were the shield and child nearly

Twice were the shield and child uearl,
swallowed up in the waters.
The mother alone did not finch amonf
all who watched this test.
Twice-then, again, the shield wa.
seen TRANQUILITY descending the current
All present clapped their hands, AMI
shouted, 1.-THE boat the boat |"
Two men rushed forward, launched .
bark into the river, and, rowing rapidly
soon reached the shield, and drew il
from the water.
The motion of the water had soothec
the child, and rocked it to sleep-a STATE
of things which, in all probability, wa.
the cause of its safety, for had the chile
moved at all the frail craft must have
been overturned.
Now, as the shield was taken from thu
water, Vindor, whose face had become a.
bright and hopeful as it had previously
been gloomy and foreboding, ran toward
his wife, lis arms outstretched, calling
"Albra, Albra, thou art my faithful
wife /"
But she showed no sign Of responding
to his welcome.
"Stand back" she said. II have
been suspected, and cannot forgive !"
It was custom with the wives of the
ancient Saxons thus to prove their limo
cence when suspected by their husbands
If the shield did not sink, then th@
wife was innocent; while if it and the
child went below the water, then she was
considered. guilty, and, as a rule, leapeo
into the water after her sacrificed child
They were, indeed. strange and terri.
bic times in which to live.
As we have said, the wife Abra showed
neither signs Of joy nor forgiveness.
At this moment, handsome, darl
man thrust himself forward, crying
Fair Sister Albra, what dost thou here
by the side of the river?"
Vindor, looking at the newcomer
trembled.
"Did I not tell thee" said Albra
"that many Of my people were dark
See, here is my brother, who has beer
in Gaul these five years. Is not h<
dark? Our infant is like my father,
people"
Wife-dear wife !" cried Vindor.
"No longer wife Of thine," she said
"A woman outraged is woman lost.
Good-by-good-byl
And, before any one there had com
plete knowledge Of what she was abou
to do, she had leaped into the fast-fow
ing river.
Twenty men rushed into the rivel
after her, nor was she immersed during
more than a score seconds. But wheI
they removed her from the stream sht
was dead.
In all probability herhear had broken
Certainly she had not been long enough
in the water to account for her death b,
way of drowning.
Sad, indeed, did the sun set upon Vim
dor that night. They had bound hin
with cords, that he might not do him
self injury, perhaps even to the taking
away of his own life.
. He neither spoke nor stirred. Agar
and again his friends addressed him, re-
minding the wretched man that he wa:
q warrior, and that he must live for thu
sake of that vengeance which it wa.
hoped by the Saxons they would takt
against the Normans.
But he answered not, nor responded
even by look. His senses appeared tt
be completely dormant.
At last, his mother, an ageing and wist
woman of her kind, took the infant and
placing the little hand upon the father
neck. whispered:
"Son, live for your child's sake.''
Then he trembled, and the great down
pour of tears saved him from the stony
horrid death which had been SLOWLY
creeping over him.
He lived, but lost the love, as he los
the habit, of work, and what little wealth
he possessed dwindled away.
Fortunately his two brothers were mel
Of steady industry, and, only one of then
being married, the little child Roth wa:
well cared for. Vindor lived only to bt
revenged.
No man yet who lived only for venge
ance but punished himself far more
than he did his enemy.
Therein lies the wisdom Of forgive
ness, which of course does not mea1
renewed trustf1llness. By forgiving you
enemy you clear the air for yourself.
II will never cease to hate Sir Rolanc
until I see him deadr'
This oath Vindor took over his wife.
grave Us they lowered her poor body K
its last resting place.
Sir Roland, when riding past Vindor'.
house one day had Sen him playing with
his little child, and said that which hat
aroused the fathers jealousy and had lee
him to accuse his wife Of infdelity.
You know to what these few ight
words on the part of the Norman knight
had led.
The sudden appearance of his wife.
brother had more thoroughly convinced
Vindor Of the error of his mistrust thar
had even the test Of the shield.
A month after the death of his wifi
he said to his mother, Ulfaa:
II am going away from London,
mother"
"Why, my son p
II cannot rest here"
"Go you to the North?"
"Ay, mother.
"To Richmount?"
Yes, mother
"That is whittier Sir Roland de Bois
has gone"
He nodded.
"Take heed, fair son. Thou wilt wea,
away thy life with the thought of venge.
ance. Perhaps the Norman meant nc
harm when speaking as he did"
But my fair young wife died, good
mother"
"That is true. But remember she
was naughty woman. Had ahe been
wiser, she would have laughed at thee,
and so cleared away thy jealousy
"But she is dead r.
"Work for thy child. Do not waste
thy life in thoughts Of vengeance"
II must follow Sir Roland de Bois in.
- 49, N.~A1. -