The sun., 1891-05-24

1T passed by the blRhted beeoh there" sal
Alleyns. pointing. and the hounds were har
at its heels"
1T is WE'LL" Dried Edward. still speaking II
French; for. though hs could understand
English. he had never learned to express him
self In so bsrbsrous and unpublished q tongue
by my faith. sirs," he continued, half turn
Ing in his saddle to address his escort. "unles
my woodcrsit Ia sadly at fault. IL is a stag o
six tines. and the flnest that we have rouset
this journey A golden 81. Hubert to tho moi
who is the nrst to sound the mort Ho shool
his bride as he spoke. and thundered away
his knights lying low upon their horses ant
GalopinG as hard IS whip and spur woult
drive them. in the hope Of winning tho King'i
prize Away they drove down the long greer
glade. bay horses. black and gray. riders clnt
in every shade OF velvet, fur, or silk. with glin
| OF brazen horn aud flash Of knife and spear
One only fingered. the black-browsd Baror
| Brocks, who, making gambade which brough
him within arm sweep OF the serf slashed hin
across tho face with his riding whip. Don
dog. don" he hissed. whom q monarch deigns
| to lower his eyes to such as your then spurrsd
| through tho underwood and was gone. with a
| CLEAN OF steel shoes and nutter OF dead leaves.
Tho villein took the cruel blow without wlnoe
| or cry, as ono to whom stripes are birthriRht
and an inheritance. His eyes flashed. however
and he shook his bony hand with herce wild
gesture after the retreating figure.
BLACK hound Of Gascony." he muttersd
"evil the day that you and those like you set
foot In free England know thy kennel oi
| Rochecourt. The night will como when may
do to thee and thino what you and your class
have wrought upou mine AMI mo- May God
smite me IL I fan to smito thee. thou French
robber. with thy wife and thy child and all that
ts under thy castle roof!''
"Forbear!' cried Alleyne. Mix not Gods
name with these unhalowed threntsi And yet
1t was cowsrd's blow, and one to stir the
blood and loose the tongue Of the most peace
full. Let mo find some soothing simpes and
lay them on tho veal to draw the sting"
Nay. thore Is but one thing that con draw
tho sting. and that tho future may bring to me.
But. clerk II you would SEQ your brother you
must on. for there Is meeting to-day, and his
merry men will await him ere tho shadows
turn from west to east. I pray you not to
hold him back. for 1t would be an
evil thing II all the stout lads were there
and tho leader a-misslnR. would come with
you. but sooth to say am stationed hero and
may not move. The path over yonder. betwixt
the oak and the thorn. should bring you out
into his neither f1eld.'
Alleyne lost no time in following the dlrec-
tlons OF the wild. masterless man. whom he
left among the trees where he had found him.
His heart was the heavier for the encounter.
not only because all bitterness and wrath were
abhorrent to his gentle nature, but also be-
cause 1t disturbed him to hear his brother
spoken Of as though he were chief OF outlaws
or the leader Of party against the State. In-
decd. OF all tho things which he had seen yet
IN the world to surprise him there was mono
more strange than the hate which class ap-
peared to bear to class. The talk OF laborer,
woodman. and villeln in tho inn had all pointed
to the widespread mutiny. and now his broth.
er's name was spoken rs though he were tho
very centre OF the universal discomfort In
good truth. the commons throughout tho
length and breadth Of the land were heart
weary OF this fine game Of chlvalry which had
boon played so long at their expense. So long
as knight and baron were a strength and
guard to the kingdom they might be
endured. but now. whom all men knew that the
great battles In France had been won by Eng
ush yeomen and Welsh stabbers. warlike fame,
tho only fame to which his class had ever
sspired. appeared to have deserted the plate
clad horseman. The sports OF tho lists had
done much In days gone BY to impress the
minds OF the people: but the plumed and un-
wteldy champion was no longer an object
either OF fear or Of reverence to mon whose
fathers and brothers had shot into the press at
Creoy or Poitsrs. and seen the proudsst chiv-
airy In the world unable to MAKE head against
the weapons OF Disciplined peasants. Power
had changed hands. The protector had become
the protected. and the whole fabric OF the feudal
system was tottsring to q fall. Hence the
fierce mutterines OF the lower classes and the
constant discomfort. breaking out into local
tumult and outrage. and oulmin sting some
years later in thslRreat rising Of Tyler What
Allsyne saw and wondered at in Hampshire
would have appealed equally to the traveller
In any other English county from the Channel
to the marches Of Scotland.
Hs was following the track. his misgivings
increasing with every step which took him
nearer to that homo which To had never seen.
when Of sudden the trees began to
thin and the sward to spread out into
Q broad green lawn. whore i've COWS lay
in the sunshine. and drovss of black swine
wondered unchecked. brown forest stream
swtrled down the centre of this clearing with
rude bridge nunR across It, and on tho other
side was second field sloping up to a long,
lov-lying wooden house. with matched roof
and open squares for windows. Allsyne gazed
across at 1t with flushed checks and sparkling
eyes: for this. he know. must be the home Of
bis fathers. wreath Of blue smoke doated |
up through hole in the thatch. and was tho |
only sign OF life In the place. save great black
post In tho yellow simmer of the autumn |
sunshine 1t lay as peacefully and as still as no |
had oft pictured It to himself in his dreams.
BE was reused. however. from his pleasant
reverie BY the sound Of voices, and two people
from tho forest some little way to his
right and moved across the field In the dirso-
hon OF the bridge. The one was man with
Yellow flowing beard and very long hair Of the
'ame tint dropping over his shoulders; his
1ress Of good Norwich cloth and his assured
bearing marked him as man OF position. while
he sombre hue OF his clothes and the absence
II all ornament contrasted with tho flash and
litter which had marked tho kings retinue.
By his side walked a woman. tall and
light and dark. with 1.-the graceful
lgurs and clcar-cut. composed features.
Ter jst-black hair was gathered back
lndsr light pink colt her head poised
'roudly upon her neck. and her step long an d
pringy. like that OF some wild. tirsless wood
and creature She held her left hand in front
I her. covered with q red velvet glove,
nd on the wrist little brown falcon,