Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-01-14

| swered with lame evasion or more often
not at all.
The shadow of the Lord of Machecoul lay
| heavy upon them all
Clerk Henriet stood awhile watching the
| lads and listening to their talk behind the
| carved lattice of Caen stone, with its lace
like tracery of buds and flowers through
which the natural roses pushed their way
and over which the clematis tangled its
twining stems.
stand up and prove on my body that |
am a rank Irelander' Laurence was say
| ing defantly to the world at large, with
his fists up and his head thrown back. st.
| Christopher but I will take the lot of you
with one hand tied behind my back. Stand
| up and [ will teach you how to sing 'Mser-
able sinners are we all to a new and I'M
kennel tune!'
''Tis easy for you to boast, Irelander,' -
retorted Blaise Renouff, the son of the lay
chormaster who had been brought special
ly from Rome to teach the choir boys of
the marshal's chapel the latest fashions in
holy song. I'VE will either fight you with
swords or not at all. We do not fight with
our bare knuckes, being civilized. And
that indeed proves that you are no true
unknightly birth"
This retort still further irritated the hot
headed son of Mailse.
81 will fight you or any galley slave of a
French frog with the sword, or spit you
upon the rapier. / will cleave you with the
ak, transfix you with the arrow, blow
you to the pit with the devils sulphur
will fight any of you or all of you with any
weapons from battering ram to tooth
pck-and God assist the better man. And
there you have Laurence O'Haloran, at
your service!'
You are a 1oud-crowing young cock for
a newcomer" said Henret, the confidential
clerk of the marshal, suddenly appearing
in the doorway. you are desired to follow
me to my lords chamber Immediately.
There we will see if you will flap your
wings so bodIyi'
Laurence could not help noticing the
blank alarm which this announcement
caused among the youth with whom he had
been playing the ancient game of brag.
1t was Blaise Renouf who first recovered
He looked across the little rose-grown space
of the cloister to see that Henriet had turn
ed his back, and then came quickly up to
Laurence MacKim.
Listen to me- he said; you are a game
lad enough, but you do not know where
you are going, nor yet what may happen to
you there. We will fight you if you come
back safe, but meantime you are one of
ourselves, and we of the choir have sworn
to stand by one another. Can you keep a
pea in your mouth without swallowing it?"
why, of course | can" said Laurence
wondering what was to come next; Il can
keep dozen and shoot them through
bore of alder tree at penny without miss
ing once, which L wot is more than any
Frenchman ever
We'll. then" whispered the lad Renouf
breaking in on his boast with white coun-
tenance, "hearken well to me. When you
enter the chamber of the marshal, put this
in your mouth. And if nothing happens
keep 1t there. but be careful neither to
swallow it nor yet to bite upon it. But If
1t should chance that either Henriet of
Potion or Giles de Sille seize hold of your
arms. bite hard upon the pellet till you
feel bitter taste and then swallow. That
is all. You are indeed cock whose comb
wants cutting, and If all is well, we will
incise it for your souls good. But in the
fellowship. So for Gods sake and your
own do as you are bid. Fare you WE'LL
AS he followed Clerk Henriet, Laurence
looked at the round pellet in his hand 1t
was white. soft like ripe fruit, of an elastic
consistency, and of the largeness of pea
AS Laurence assembled the stairs he heard
the practice of the choir beginning in the
chapel. Precentor Renouf, the father of
Blaise, had summoned the youths from the
cloisters with long, mellow whistle upon
his Italian pitch pipe, running up and down
the scale and ending with fourished "a
a-menr'
The open windows and the pierced stone
railing of the great staircase of Machecoul
brought up the sound of that sweet singing
from the chapel to the ear of the adven.
turous Scot as through a funnel. They
were beginning the practice for the Christ
mas services, though the time was not vet
near.
Unto God be the glory
In the highest,
Peace be on the earth,
On the earth,
Unto men who have good win.
So they chanted in their white robes In