Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-08-09

ed and bent the knee to him with A
strange and eastern grace, while Wulf
bowed his head. and Goodwin. since his
neck was 700 stiff to stir, held IN his
hand in greeting. The old man looked
ut him, and there was pride in his eye.
$50 you will live after all, my neph.
aw," he said, land for that I thank the
Giver of life and death. since YOU are n
gallant mana worthy child of the
bloods Of the Norman Darcy and of
Uluin The Saxon. Yes, one of the best
Of them"
Speak not so, my uncle said God.
win; ''or at least here is a worthicr."
and he patted the hand of Wulf with
his lean fingers. 1T was Wulf who
More me through"
would that had been there 10 helm
IN that fight" said Sir Andrew Darcy,
tossing his white hair. "My children,
I am jealous Of you. Why, when I
found you lying In each others arms
I could have wept for rage TO think
that such a fray had been within n
league of my w doors and | not
In it,"
II know nothing Of all that story"
said Goodwin.
mo. in truth. How can ycu who have
been senseless this month or more?
But Rosamund knows, and she shah
tell it you. Speak on, Rosamund. Lay
you back, Goodwin, and listen.'
''Tbc tale IS yours, my cousins. and
not mine" said Rosumund. "You babe
me take the water, and into it | spur
red the gray horse, and we sank deep,
so that the w closed above my
head. Then up we came, l floating
from The saddle, but | regained it, and
the horse answered TO my voice and
bride and swan out for the farther
shore. On it swan somewhat slant
wise with the tide, SO that by turning
my head could see all that passed
upon the mole. I raw them come ut
you and men .ail before your swords.
] saw you largo them and run back
again. Lastly. after what seemed q
very long while. whcn ! was far away.
/ saw Wu;f lift Goodwin into the saddle
i knew it must be Goodwin, because
he set him on the black horse-and the
pair Of you galloped down the quay
and vanished
by then | v'Cs near the home shrra,
and the gray grew very weary and
sank deep in the water. But l clIseied
ii on with my voice, and. although
twice its head went beneath the waves,
in the end it found n footing, though a
cDrt ,I Acton rag+I,,r ,rLilo t.
plunged forward with short rushes
through the mud and so at length came
safe TO land. where it stood shaking
with fear and WEAKNESS. SO soon as
the horse got its breath again | press
ed on, for | saw them loosing the boat,
and came home here as the Dark closed
in to meet your uncle watching for
me at the gate. Now, father, do you
take up the tale"
There is little more 10 tell" said
Sir Andrew. "Yru will remember,
nephews. that | was against this ride
of ROsamund's to seek flowers, or l
know not what. ct 81. Peters shrine,
nine miles away, but IS the maid had
set her heart Oh it, and there are but
few pleasures here. why. | let her go
with the pair Of You for escort. That
morning | had been thinking of Sir
Hugh LoZelle-if such a false, pirate
rogue "a be called a knight; not but
that he is stout and brave ~enough-and
his threats after he recovered from the
wound you gave him Goodwin; how
that he would come back and take
your cousin for all we could do TO stay
him. True, we heard that he had sail
ed for the east to war against Saladin
or with him, for be a ever a traitor
but even if this We're so, men return
from the east. Therefore l babe you
arm, having some foresight of what
was to come, Tor doubtless this on
slaught must have been planned by
him."
Il think So" said Wulf, "for, as Ros-
anund here knows. the tall knave
who interpreted for the foreigner whom
he called his master gave Us the name
Of the knight Lozelle as the man who
sought to carry her off"
WAS this master Il Saracen?' asked
Sir Andrew ~anXiously.
"Nny, uncle: how can | tell, seeing
that his face was masked Ike the rest
and he spoke through an Interpreter?
But l pray you 60 on with the story,
which Goodwin has not heard
1T is short. When Iiosamund told
her tale ! got together what mel. l
could. Then, bidding her stay behind,
with some Of them to guard her, and
nurse herself, which she was loath to
do, l set out TO find you or your bodies.
1t was dark, but we rode hard, having
lanterns with us, as we Went rousing
men at every stead, until we came to
where the roads join at Meats. There
we found q black horse-your horse,
Godwin-so badly wounded that he
could travel no farther, and | groaned,
thinking that you We're dead. Still we
went on till we heard another horse
whinny and presently found the oar
standing by the path side with his
head down.
"a man Oh the ground holds him.
cried one, and l sprang from the saddle
to see who it might be, to find that it
was you, the pair of you, locked in each
others arms and scnseless, if not dead,
as well you might be from your
wounds. ! babe the country folk cover
you up and carry you home and others
to run to Stangate and pray the prior
--l @,1a Ia t. 1AA,A 80,