Year: 1876

then there was u Jumping noise and
great clatter. and Friar Richard chuckle,
with pride and delight at the success o
his throw. However he waited some min
utes before he emerged, and then walked
brisk1y out, like a new conner There LAY
John flat, and the chair upset Brothe
Richard ran to him, charged with hypo
critical sympathy, and found his enemy
face very white. He got alarmed, ant
felt his heart; he was stone dead


The poor monk, whose hatred was of
mere feminine sort and had never beer
deadly, was seized with remorse, and he
beat his breast, and prayed in earnest in
stead Of repeating Pater nosters, ''preces
sine mente dictas," as the great Erasmus
call them.


But other feelings soon succeeded. Hi
enmity to the deceased was well known
and this would be called murder, if the
body was found IN that yard, and his OWL
life would pay the forfeit.


Casting his eyes round for place where
he might hide the body he saw a ladder
standing against the wall. This surprised
him, but he was in no condition to puzzle
over small riddles. Terror gave him force
he lifted the body, crawled up the ladder,
and placed the body on the wall-it was
wider than they build now-then he drew
! up the laddeE, set it on the other side, and
took his ghastly load down safely. Then,
being natu ally cunning and having his
neck to save, he went and hid the ladder,
took up the body, staggered with it as far
rs the porch of the Knights house, and set
it there bolt upright against one of the pill
| lars


AS he carried it out Of the yard he heard
a window in the Knights house open. lie
could not see where the window was, nol
whether he was watched and recognized
but he feared the worst, and such was his
terror, he resolved to fly the place and
bury himself in some distant monastery
under another name


| But how? lie was lame, and could not
go ten miles in a day. whereas hundred
miles was little enough to make him secure.


After homicide, theft is no great matter
he resolved to borrow the masters mare,
and turn her adritt when she had carried
him beyond the hue and cry. So he went
and knocked up the malster and told him
the convent wanted flour, and he was to
/ 90 between times to the miller for sack
thereof Now the convent was good Gus
toner to the nalster, SO he lent Friar
Richard the mare at a word, and told him
where to find the saddle and bride.
! Richard fed the mare for 4 Journey and
saddled her; then he mounted and rode
at 1ootpace past the convent, meaning
to go quietly through the town, making
no stir, then away like the wind.


But, as he passed by the knights house
he cast a look askant to see if that ghast-
| ly object still sat in the porch


No; the porch was empty


What might that mean ? Had lie come
to life ? Had the murder been discovered
He began to wonder and tremble.
While he was in this mood there was a
great clatter behind him of horses feet
and clashing armor, and he felt he was
| pursued.


The Knight and his man sat together,
drinking hot spiced wine and awaiting
daylight. The Knight would not 90 to
bed, Yet he wanted a change. "Win day
| light never come ?n said he


"Twill be here anon" said the soldier
lin half an hour"


The soldier said he would 90 and look


Be not ionS aWay, saId the hnlgnl,
with Il shiver, ''or the dead friar will De
taking thy place here, and pledging me. y


Stuff - said the soldier; ''he1I never
| trouble you more"


With this he marched out to consult the
night aud almost ran against the dead
triar seated in the porch, white and glar-
ing this was too much even for the iron
soldier; he uttered a sharp yell, staggered
back, and burst into the room gasping for
breath. He got close to his master and
stammered out, "The dead man sitting
in the porch - and crossed himself ener-
getically, the first time these thirty years.


The Knight stared and trembled and
so they drew close together, with their
eyes over their shoulders.


Wine ~ cried the Knight


"Ay," said the soldier; "but go not
alone. He'll be squatting on the cask else. >


SO they went together to the cellar. Of
ten looking round, and fetched two bottles


They drank them out and the good
wine, falling upon more of the sort, made
them madder and bolder. They rolled
along, holding on by one another, to the
porch, and there they stood and looked Al
the dead irar and shuddered.


But the soldier swore Il great oath and
vowed he should not stay there to get
them hanged. Thereupon a furious fit OF
recklessness succeeded to their terror:
they got Il suit OF rusty armor and fastened
it on the body, then they saddled an ole
war-horse that waskept in the stable only
us "reminiscences, and tied the triar's body
on him with many cords; then opened the
stable doors and pricked the old war-horse
with their daggers, and he clattered ou
into the road with u bound and great rat
tling OF armor.


Now, as ill-luck would have it, Frial
Richard and his borrowed mare were pac-
ing demurely through the town scarcely
fifty yards ahead The old horse nosel
the mare, and, being left to choose hi
own road, took very naturally after her
but when he got near her the monk lookeC
round and saw the CHASTITY rider. He gave
yell so piercing it waked the whole
: street, and Tor lack OF spurs, drove hi
bare heels into the mares side; she can
tered down the street at an easy pace; tn,
!, fearful pageant cantered after; the fria
kept turning and yelling, and the win
dows kept opening and heads popped ou
to see. and by and by doors opened and ;
few early risers joined in the pursuit
, wondering and curious


The cavalcade never cleared the tow
of Norwich the friar, in the blindness 0
despair, turned his mare up what seemed
to be an open lane but there was no exit
his dead pursuer came up with him, ant
he threw himself off and cried "Mercy
: mercy mea culpa II confess it! con
fess it only take that horrible face iron
| me ~ and in his despair he owned that h
had slain brother John.


Then some led the horse and his ghast
} ly load away, and wondered sore; bu
others hauled Friar Richard to justice
and he believing it was miracle, an
Heavens hand upon him, persisted in hi
confession, and was cast into prison t.
| abide his trial


He had not long to wait. In those day
7 the law did not tarry for judges of ASST
} to come round the country now and then
Each town had its Mayor and its Alder
man, any one of whom could try and han
man if need was. So Richard was trie
! next week


h;ct ~, h,l l.,