HERBERT JTRANGCT 5ADERJ RADE "I FIGHT NOT WITH FLAT-CAPS' READERS PAGE-OR PRENTICE 1 BY H.ELRINGTON ^v '< WAT IS IN TROUBLE. 58 PAGE OR PRENTICE one. Wat was not really much hurt, and Joan the baker's wife, who had been watch- ing her husband shoot, now bustled up and put her house-door key down his back, with such good effect that the bleeding at his nose speedily stopped, though he roared louder at the cold touch of it than he had done at the blow itself. Ralph stood aside, glad that Wat was not much hurt, but not at all sorry for what he had done, since the churl had got no more than he deserved for his insolence. But Dickon was cross, and saying there should be no more shooting for the boys that day, got them out of the crowd as soon as he could and himself saw them safely home. The next day Ralph found that Dickon and Wat had brought the tale of the fray at the Butts to his uncle's ears, and it had lost nothing in the telling. When his uncle spoke to him in a tone of grave reproof for his violent conduct, he answered impatiently that he struck the village boys when they were insolent, but they knew their place and made no stir. THE QUARREL AT THE BUTTS 59 "It may be that you had the power to strike the village boys," was his uncle's reply, " though I have no doubt you were in the wrong to do so; but you have neither the power nor the right to strike your fellow prentices." "Fellow prentices!" stammered Ralph, growing scarlet. "Ay," said his uncle, "I intend to have you bound apprentice to my craft, and have already notified the matter to the Mayor. You will be an apprentice like Hal and Wat." "An apprentice?" cried Ralph in a tone of disgust and dismay. "Am I to be a common boy like the others ? " " No one need be a common boy unless he chooses," said his uncle very coldly. " Had my own sons lived they would have been bound apprentices to my trade." "I care not! I will not be an appren- tice!" said Ralph passionately. "I am the son of a knight." "Ay, of a knight who I have no doubt would approve my action." But Ralph paid no heed, and Giles Tylott 60 PAGE OR PRENTICE went on, speaking now very sternly, "You have no choice in the matter; besides, it seems to me that you have a gift for all that concerns my craft." Now it was true that in his heart Ralph loved all he had seen of his uncle's business, but his blood boiled at the idea of being placed on a level with Wat and the others, so instead of answering he only hung his head sulkily. Had he taken the matter in a better spirit his uncle might have explained to him that, besides believing that he was fitted for the work by his keen cleverness, he was desirous of having him enrolled a member of his craft at once, for his own greater safety. Though the townsfolk had not meddled greatly in the struggle between York and Lancaster, there were one or two men on the Town Council who nourished a bitter hatred to the Red Rose, and Ralph's violent conduct at the Butts had drawn attention to the fact that he was the son of an adherent of it. Tylott feared that Ralph might be taken out of his hands altogether, and per- haps harshly treated, if he were not quickly THE QUARREL AT THE BUTTS 61 established on the same footing in his house- hold as the other boys. His first outburst of passion over, Ralph realised that he must submit ; but he did so with a bad grace, and secretly rebelled at every rule of his new position. He hated the blue jerkin and flat cap and square-toed shoes that made him look exactly the same as the others, and dearly as he was beginning to love his aunt and Cicely, he avoided the parlour and the garden. During these days, when his pride was up in arms, he took no pains to do his work well, and Dubber was grieved at the change in him. But Dickon was pleased, for, like Wat, he felt envious of the newcomer. One thing that Ralph disliked very much was having to take his share in waiting at table quite forgetting that, had he been a knight's page, the same kind of work might have fallen to his lot. Also he no longer cared to go to St. Mary's Church, where he now had to stand in a side aisle, herded with the other apprentices, instead of being with his aunt in one of the pews set apart for the families of members of the Council. 62 PAGE OR PRENTICE At this time Giles Tylott was contem- plating a serious change in his business. He had a great longing to try his hand at the new s invention of printing with moveable types, but as yet he had not seen his way to do so, since the new art had not so far been introduced into England. Either he or Dubber, sometimes both of them together, had to make journeys to London and Oxford, the two places where there was the best chance of obtaining information, and Dickon, when left in charge, did not seek to make things pleasant for Ralph. He was not indeed spiteful like Wat, who once stuck out his foot that Ralph might trip over it when serving, so that he upset a saucepan of gravy over the Town Clerk; but he made life hard for him in the workshop, and sought every occasion for giving him dull and menial jobs to do. FLIGHT 63 CHAPTER VI FLIGHT IT was market-day in Norminster. Ralph was busy in the cellar, clearing a space for a fresh supply of paper that was expected to arrive that morning, when Job put his head in and said : "You are to go up to the market-place, Ralph, and see if the carrier from Gran- bourne has brought the paper." Ralph ran off, glad enough to escape from his dull work. There had been times lately when he had been minded to escape alto- gether and throw himself on Sir Reynard Lane's mercy; but the white pony, which he had brought out once or twice for Cicely to have a ride on, was no longer capable of a long journey. Besides, Dickon had the key of the stable, and would ask what it was wanted for. Though he was in no mood to make the best of things, his spirits rose in spite of himself when he saw the cheerful stir in the market-place. It was thronged with 64 PAGE OR PRENTICE people, and a row of country carts mere boxes on two wheels was drawn up oppo- site the Gild Hall, while their owners were busy selling all kinds of country produce. There were heavily laden packhorses standing patiently in the middle of the square, and sturdy country wives who had ridden in with baskets of eggs and fowls swung in front of them. There was much talking and shouting, and to add to the clamour two unruly pigs which had escaped from their owner uttered frantic squeals when he endeavoured to recapture them by catching hold of a tail or a leg. Undis- turbed however by all the din and turmoil, the portly, prosperous toll-collector with his leathern pouch made his way from group to group, collecting the market dues. There were plenty of cakes and sweet- meats for sale, as well as more useful things, and there were groups of jugglers and minstrels before whom Ralph would have dearly liked to pause. But fearing to delay, he ran round the market-place in search of the carrier from Granbourne. Outside the door of a tavern was a party FLIGHT 65 of men-at-arms, evidently the following of some knight or noble who had come into the town on business or to purchase stores. As Ralph elbowed his way through the crowd some one called out angrily : " Have a care, Flat-cap ! " He found he had knocked up against a boy of his own age smartly dressed as a page, his tunic coming scarcely below his waist, it was so short, while his sleeves were so wide at the shoulders that they gave him the appearance of a top. He carried a cane in his hand, with which he struck Ralph sharply across the shoulders. "Take that for your insolence!" cried Ralph, knocking his velvet cap into the mire. The other turned sharply now, and Ralph saw that the lad was Gilbert Moulay, a boy for whom both Walter and he had a great contempt, partly because he was cowardly and selfish, partly because his father, whose estate was near that of Ditchley, was known to be really true neither to York nor Lan- caster, but only to the winning side. Gilbert took one long look at Ralph 66 PAGE OR PRENTICE and then burst into a peal of mocking laughter. " I fight not with Flat-caps and churls ! 9 ' he said. It is hard to say what Ralph might or might not have done in his rage and shame at this boy of all others seeing his fallen position, had not a calf which had escaped from its pen come tearing across the square, followed by a little crowd in hot pursuit. The boys were parted. At the same moment Ralph caught sight of a cart laden with what might be bales of paper just coming up the Ghepe. " Ay," said the driver when Ralph went up to him, "I am from Granbourne near Tollerton, and I have goods for Master Tylott." At his words Ralph gave a great start, for Tollerton was, he knew, the nearest town to the castle of Sir Reynard Lane. "I should have been here three hours agone," added the man, " but my helper fell ill on the way, and I am a cripple, not able to fend for myself single-handed." " I know of a boy would help you home," FLIGHT 67 said Ralph as a sudden idea came into his mind. " He wants to go to Tollerton, so he would need no wage." "Well," said the man, "tell him then to be at Peter the Webster's in East Street off the Ghepe at sunset, for I do not sleep here but at my cousin's tavern seven miles off, where I left the other lad ill." Ralph worked so steadily, sorting and unloading, in the cellar for the rest of the morning as to win praise even from surly Dickon ; but this had no power now to salve his angry spirit. He had made up his mind to get away by means of the carrier to the Castle, where he could learn to be a page. Dickon should never have the chance of flouting him again. Under the plea of feel- ing hot he flung his flat cap the badge of servitude into a corner ; but he never meant to wear it more. When supper was over that evening Cicely called to him to come and play in the garden ; but he managed to slip out into the street instead, and to linger unperceived in the alley next the house until the hour the man had named. Then, carrying a 68 PAGE OR PRENTICE bundle, he made his way to the Chepe, and was already rejoicing at the ease of his escape when an old woman ran out of a house and, seizing him tightly by the collar, shouted loudly for the city constable. She had a booth on market-days against St. Mary's Church, where she sold cakes, and that day a couple of idle apprentices had knocked it down, and on pretence of help- ing her to pick up her goods, had stolen some of her cakes and escaped scot free. FLIGHT 69 Now to her dim eyes one apprentice boy was very like another, and when she saw a boy stealing in a guilty way down the street, she made sure it was one of the culprits, and pounced on him. Though she looked frail she was in truth strong, and Ralph could not free himself without hurting her. " Let me go, you wretched old Yorkist ! " cried Ralph, forgetting caution in his rage and fear at the delay, for he knew the con- stable was in the market-place and might come up at any moment He had noticed that she had a white rose, clumsily made of paper, pinned in the front of her drugget gown. But instead of being angry at his words her grasp relaxed. "You hate them too," she said in a whisper ; " so thief or no, you may go free. Old Molly will not seek to hurt you; for though I must get my living in a Yorkist town, I still love the Red Rose dearly." Ralph had just time to escape before the constable came round the corner, and was soon safely concealed under the tilt of the carrier's cart. Yet though he had succeeded 70 PAGE OR PRENTICE in his plan, there was a little ache in his heart when he thought of Cicely calling for him in vain. CHAPTER VII LANE'S CASTLE "YONDER is Sir Reynard Lane's Castle, and here you must get down if you really want to go there, and there is a groat for your pains." But Ralph shook his head, and bidding the carrier good-bye, ran off in the direction pointed out. The "man looked after him curiously. " He must be silly to refuse a groat," he thought, " and to want to go to Lane's Castle. Howbeit 'tis no affair of mine/ 1 And he drove on. The Castle, which was surrounded by a high wall, stood up grim and forbidding in front of Ralph.^Something in its aspect LANE'S CASTLE 71 made his heart sink, though he did not yet regret the hasty impulse which had made him seize the opportunity to get away from Norminster. Making his way into the shade of a clump of trees, he opened his bundle, and took out of it the clothes he had worn at Ditchley. Then he approached the Castle. Apparently he had been seen coming, for a man dressed in a greasy tunic opened the gate and asked roughly, "Who are you?" "I am Ralph Tankerville, and I seek service with Sir Reynard Lane." Ralph tried to speak boldly, but his voice quavered. Two men as ill-looking as the first now came forward, and Ralph might have thought that he had mistaken the place, were it not that he saw Sir Reynard's badge a fox on their shoulders. "Follow me, young sir/' said one of them; and Ralph thought, "At least they know I am no churl." He followed the man across the court- yard and up a winding stair, to a gloomy hall dimly lit by the evening light and a smoul* dering fire. 72 PAGE OR PRENTICE The thought that he was escaping to live at a place where he would learn to grow up into such a gallant knight as his father had been, had mingled with more foolish thoughts when he ran away from Norminster. But now as he gazed on the squalid scene before him, his heart and his hopes failed, and the very atmosphere of the place made him feel sick. The floor was strewn with rushes that had not been changed for days, amongst which two or three dogs routed for bones that had lain there for a fortnight. Mingled with the evil smell of the rushes was that of stale beer and wine that had been spilt on floor and table. There was food enough on the table, and various flagons of wine and a huge salt-cellar to mark the barrier of rank ; yet there seemed little to choose in looks between the three men who sat at the upper end and the group who quarrelled at the lower. Sir Reynard's face, no longer con- cealed by a bandage, was as ruffianly as that of his men, and the squire who sat beside him was no better. The third person, Walter Tankerville, lifted his flushed face with what LANE'S CASTLE 73 could scarcely be called a look of greeting to his brother; he had a weary, hang-dog air, such as Ralph had never seen on him before. " So you have come, youngster, in spite of my warning/' said Sir Reynard with a great laugh. " Well, since you have come we must e'en make a man of you. Eh, Kester ? " and he turned to his squire. " Here, one of you fellows, give him some food." He took no further notice of Ralph, and presently left the room, taking a flagon with him and bidding Walter follow him. When Ralph had eaten his supper one of the men, pulling out a truss of straw, told the boy he could lie upon that in a corner of the hall. Ralph awoke from an uneasy sleep to find his brother sitting beside him. Now there was welcome in Walter's eyes, but he put his fingers to his lips, and glanced round the hall in a way that made Ralph under- stand that he must tell his tale in a whisper. "Would that you had stayed in Nor- minster in spite of all," he said, " for though 74 PAGE OR PRENTICE I am fain to have you with me, this is an evil place, full of evil men." " But, Walter, you would not wish me to be an apprentice ? I want to grow to be a knight as my father was." " And that you will never do here ! " said Walter bitterly. "Sir Reynard proves to be no better than a common robber and murderer, and I have seen things done here, aye and helped in them too, that sicken my soul to think of." " Why, then, we must e'en go away." " Nay, that is not so easy as it is to come here. He would kill me if we failed, be- cause I know his evil secrets. I must go," he added, as the men showed signs of stir- ring, " and for the present all you can do is to obey Sir Reynard, and take little notice of me." "But, Walter if he orders me to do something base ? " Walter's only answer was a miserable look, and then he stole away quietly. Ralph was greatly troubled. As he sniffed the heavy air and thought of the cleanly comfort of his uncle's house, he sighed, LANE'S CASTLE 75 though even yet he would not allow that he had done foolishly. But as the days went by child though he was he saw that he and Walter had made a grievous mistake. The knight's service he had dreamed of was not to be found in Lane's Castle. Life in it was not only squalid, but very dull duller even than it had been in the last months at the Manor House. The courtyard was big, but he grew quickly tired of it when he found that it was not an easy matter to get outside it. The surly porter at the gate kept such a watch that there was no passing him, and he swore and threatened if Ralph tried to persuade him to let him out. As the long weary days went by with nothing to do but to loll on a settle in the hall, or wander aimlessly round the court- yard, he longed more and more for the full and varied life of which he had had a glimpse in his uncle's home. The griev- ances on which his mind had dwelt began to shrink in size, and even Wat at his worst was better company than Jan the porter. He missed the music in the Minster 76 PAGE OR PRENTICE Church where, before he let his temper get the mastery of him, he had felt peace of mind as he knelt with his aunt and Cicely. Then he missed the companionship of the other boys ; he wished for the Butts and the free outdoor life of the Common ; and longed for the pleasant garden, and little Cicely running up to ask him to play ball with her. But almost more than all, as he sat idle and listless, he missed the workshop where he had seen a new world of art and learning opening before his eyes, a world in which he himself, he now too late realised, wanted to be up and doing. In his own mind, too, he could not avoid com- paring his uncle and Sir Reynard, and was fain to confess that it was not the trader but the knight who was the churl. One day, when a pedlar called and was allowed to exhibit his wares in the hall, Sir Reynard bade Ralph choose a fine new tunic for himself and a pair of scarlet hosen. But Ralph, though he dared not refuse the gift, could take no pleasure in it because of his distrust of the giver. The day after this Sir Reynard bade LANE'S CASTLE 77 Ralph put on his new clothes and go out with Kester and the other men. " 'Tis time for you to see something of life," he said. And Ralph was glad enough to go, for he was very tired of life in the Castle. They rode for some miles until they arrived at a bridge over a river. Crossing this they came out on the high road to the east. They passed two parties of travellers, all well armed and mounted, and Ralph noticed that Kester swore at these when they were out of hearing, though they had molested him in no way. After what appeared to be an aimless ride, Kester returned to the Castle, in a very bad temper. Ralph would have liked to ask Walter the meaning of this, but he never now got the chance of speaking to him alone. A few days afterwards Ralph, peering about the courtyard at the rear of the Castle in search of some means of amusement, made a discovery. He saw a hole rather high up in the stone-work of the wall, and putting his hand into it found a key. Now Jan always brought the keys of the Castle to Sir Reynard at night, but Ralph, being keen- 78 PAGE OR PRENTICE witted, made a good guess at the truth, which was that Kester, who had a mind sometimes to go to and fro without his master's knowledge, possessed a second key of the postern. Ralph tried the key, and found it turned easily, though he did not venture to open the door. He put the key hurriedly back in its place; here he felt was a possible means of escape, if he could only get Walter to come with him. CHAPTER VIII THE TRAVELLERS FROM BRUGES NOT long after the finding of the key, Ralph was told again to ride out with Kester. He hoped that this time they might go in the direction of the town of Tollerton, as the other road had been dull enough. But once more Kester turned towards the river and crossed the bridge. THE TRAVELLERS FROM BRUGES 79 After they had gone some distance be- yond, they saw two travellers with heavily laden packhorses coming towards them. The elder of these men, though travel- stained, had the air of a well-to-do mer- chant, and the other looked like his servant. Now, with the decay of chivalry and the civil discords of the Wars of the Roses, there had arisen certain evil knights, who, sheltering themselves under the wing of some powerful noble who tolerated their doings for the sake of their services in war, were in the habit of robbing and even mur- dering those who were not strong enough to resist them. In lonely parts of the country they made travelling dangerous except for those who went in large parties and well protected. To this class Sir Reynard belonged. More cunning than most, he had even now devised the plan of using an innocent boy to allay suspicion. Ralph was too young to understand much of all this, but he was naturally intelligent ; moreover, Walter's words, as well as things he had seen himself at Lane's Castle, had 80 PAGE OR PRENTICE told him a good deal ; and now, when Kester rode up to the two strangers, he felt vaguely uneasy, though he could not hear what he said. However, when the two strangers conferred together, and Kester drew aside, Ralph, who had very sharp ears, pushed a little nearer and heard what they said. " I like not the looks of these men," said the younger man. " If the bridge be indeed broken down as they say, let us return to Hollingford for the night." "Tut, Alwyn, the bad weather crossing from Flanders has made you squeamish! Look at yonder lad ; a face like his does not grow from a bad stock." And forthwith he accepted Kester's offer to show the way by the ford, and give the travellers shelter for the night at Lane's Castle. Now Ralph, knowing well from this that Kester had lied about the bridge, scented evil, yet he had no means of warning them, though he trembled when he heard the elder man speak freely to Kester of the treasure in his packs. Kester, to bear out his lying story, led them a long round to a point where the river could be forded ; but THE TRAVELLERS FROM BRUGES 81 all the time he kept close to the bridle-rein of the merchant, while one of the men-at- arms stuck closely to the servant, and they reached the Castle before Ralph could think of any plan. But when he had them safely within the walls Kester's vigilance relaxed; no objec- tion was made to their seeing themselves to the bestowing of their horses and goods in the stable, and in the bustle of arrival Ralph was able to join them there unobserved. He was able in a few hasty words to warn them of their danger and tell them of the key in the wall : also that the door in the Castle which led to the courtyard at the back was barred, but not locked. " God bless you, lad ! ' ! said the mer- chant. "Thanks to your timely warning, we may yet escape this evil man. But we must cloak our fears for the present and wait for nightfall." Then as Ralph was about to slip away he caught him by the arm : " Come with us ; this man may vent his wrath on you when he finds his prey has escaped." " Nay, sir, for I cannot leave my brother, 82 PAGE OR PRENTICE lest he slay him in his fury, for I think he fears not God nor man." The merchant, who had a kind and very thoughtful face, laid his hand on Ralph's head. " God have you in His keeping," he said, "and should ever a chance to escape arise, remember you have a friend in William Gaxton, whose dwelling henceforth, if all goes well, will be at the sign of the 'Red Pale,' Westminster, hard by the City of London." Ralph gave a gasp. "The man of the New Printing ! " The merchant started. " How came you to know of such things in this kennel ? " he asked. " Nay, sir, not here, but in the house of my uncle, Giles Tylott of Norminster, he " but some one shouted angrily, "Ralph!" And he was obliged to hurry away. Ralph, whose own heart beat so loudly that it seemed to him that every one must hear its throbs, wondered greatly at the calmness of the merchant. Not only did he eat his supper leisurely, but he kept up a RALPH GAVE A GASP. 84 PAGE OR PRENTICE conversation with Sir Reynard, who ques- tioned him a good deal about Bruges, from whence he had come, saying he had heard it was a marvellous, rich city. He was in high good humour, and so was Kester, and this, even without Walter's gloomy looks, would have made Ralph uneasy, for he knew by this time that it was a sign that they hoped to succeed in their evil plans. There was a room opening off the hall on the opposite side from Sir Reynard's, and in this the strangers were to sleep. This room had also a door into a narrow corridor, which led to the courtyard at the rear. Ralph wished that he had warned the merchant that the best time for attempt- ing escape would be when Sir Reynard and his men were still stupid and sleepy, after their heavy meal and deep drinking. There was no chance of giving the warning now, unless he was able to keep awake until the men had dropped asleep and Sir Reynard had gone to his room. But Ralph was already feeling sleepy from the long ride in the open air; he nodded over his plate, THE TRAVELLERS FROM BRUGES 85 started, and opened his eyes, only to find a mist creeping up before them again. To his sleepy gaze Sir Reynard looked now as if he had two heads, and the merchant's face got mixed up with Walter's. He fancied he heard a kind voice say, "The boy is tired out," and then some one, he knew not who, laid him down on his bed in the corner of the hall. " What is it ? Oh, spare them ! " Ralph started up, for it seemed to him that the hall was full of noise, and he had been dreaming that Kester was murdering the travellers. It was not yet daylight, but some one held a torch, and by its light he saw that there were only two men standing by the table in the centre of the room ; the others were snoring heavily. Sir Reynard, his face distorted with passion, was raging at Kester, who listened sulkily, waiting for a pause to speak. When he did, Ralph breathed more freely, for he said, " 'Tis no fault of mine that they have stolen away in this manner, and I wot not how they did it. They must have gone 86 PAGE OR PRENTICE hastily, for they have forgotten one of their precious boxes." Sir Reynard's anger cooled a little at that "A box, say you? Bring it hither at once that we may examine its contents." Kester then dragged into the centre of the hall a small but very heavy box, which he prised open by means of the strong knife he had in his belt. Sir Reynard, holding the torch, peered down eagerly at the contents, then uttered an angry oath. "What foolery is this? Tis full of nothing but little metal letters." At that Ralph's curiosity got the better of his fears, and he stole across the hall and stood in the shadow; but Kester seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. " What do you prying here ? " he growled. "I but wanted to see the letters," murmured Ralph. " Here, look if you will, and then Kester can throw the rubbish away." Ralph needed no second bidding, and kneeling down beside the box, looked for the first time at the wonderful letters that meant so THE TRAVELLERS FROM BRUGES 87 much to him and to the world, but nothing at all to Sir Reynard and Kester. The box was carefully packed, but one or two of the letters had got loose, and he took one in his hand so that he could see it clearly. It was at one end of a slender shank of some soft metal like lead, about an inch long and an eighth of an inch thick. So busy was he looking at it that he did not see Sir Reynard and Kester exchange meaning glances over his head. "Now get you gone to your lair!" said Kester, pushing him roughly aside, when it seemed to him he had scarcely looked for a moment; but he dared not disobey, so lay down again. CHAPTER IX HOME "See here, Ralph, we must have food and shelter, and yonder bush promises 88 PAGE OR PRENTICE both." So saying Walter pointed to a bush slung on a pole outside a house which announced to the wayfarer that refreshment was to be had within. Ralph's unwary exclamation on awaking, and his delight at the sight of the famous type his uncle dreamed of, had drawn sus- picion on himself of having had some hand in the escape of the travellers. Walter dis- covered this by some words Sir Reynard and Kester let fall in his hearing while he feigned to be in a heavy sleep, and creep- ing to Ralph's side in the early dawn he whispered to him that if it was indeed true that he had helped the travellers to escape, they must now get off themselves by the same means. This they had succeeded in doing, and had now come safely as far as the outskirts of a town that lay about half-way between Lane's Castle and Norminster. At first, in their dread of pursuit, they had been obliged to waste time lurking in thickets and woods, and wandering in miry lanes; and by the time that they could venture to regain the high road they were half starved. HOME 89 The tavern was one of the poorer sort, and empty except for a couple of smock- frocked countrymen, who were drinking beer at a table near the door, and a man who sat by himself near the fire. Walter thrust his hand into his pouch to see what money he had, and as he did so a groat slipped through his fingers and fell on the floor. As he stooped to pick it up the light from the fire fell full on his face. The man sitting near looked keenly at him, then got up quietly and left the room. " I arrest you in the King's name." Ralph, who had been half asleep, sprang to his feet to see two men, who looked like constables, grasping Walter by the shoulders. Beside them stood the man who had been at the table near him, and another man in a fur-trimmed gown with a gold chain round his neck. "This is one of the rascals," said the first man, "who was in the fray the night my brother was murdered at Gaswell Bridge." 90 PAGE OR PRENTICE " But I lifted no hand against him," urged Walter. " That avails nothing. Your very words prove you guilty." "That is true," said the Bailiff, wagging his head solemnly, "and to-night you shall lodge in the town gaol. There will be a Court on Monday that you will be tried at, and I warrant your shrift will be a short one, for men are weary of all this robbing and murdering." HOME 91 " Oh, sir," cried Ralph, " surely you will not hang him for what he did not do ! We are but now escaping ourselves from Sir Reynard's Castle." "Tut! tut! Here's another of them!" said the Bailiff. But the other man shook his head. "Nay, this one was not with them; he can go." "Ay, go, Ralph, ere it is too late," said Walter, "and leave me to the fate that my folly has earned me." But Ralph exclaimed desperately, "My uncle Giles Tylott of Norminster will stand surety for him." "Are you really kin to Master Tylott, with whom I have had dealings ? " the Bailiff asked doubtfully. "Well, if that be so he shall have a week's grace. If you do not come back in that time I shall know there is no truth in your story. And, mark this also," he added, "much as I respect Master Tylott, even his word cannot save a criminal from his just due." In after years Ralph looked back on the struggle to get to Norminster in time 92 PAGE OR PRENTICE as a horrible nightmare, of which he only remembered clearly falling exhausted by the roadside, and being roused from a sort of faint to find himself in his uncle's arms, and the grave, kind face of William Gaxton looking down at him. In his haste to secure help for Walter he had never even asked his uncle's pardon, but somehow he knew he had it all the same. Tylott was at the moment on his way with a strong party to rescue the lads from their peril in Lane's Castle. When Ralph had told his story Gaxton said, " I will go straight to London and see the King. It will be easy to see him, for he is deeply interested in this matter of printing, and I will crave from him the boon of this lad's life. I owe his brother already a debt that cannot be easily repaid." Meanwhile Walter in his prison cell did not even know that Ralph had reached Norminster, and felt his hopes grow fainter every day, for he had been found guilty before the Sheriff's Court and any day now might have to suffer the extreme penalty of the law. HOME 93 One evening as he lay on his straw bed, he heard a great clatter of horses' hoofs on the street outside, as if some one rode in hot haste, and then a great clamour of voices ; but he could make out no word. Presently the door opened, and an old priest, who had been permitted to visit him and had done much to comfort his soul in his present strait, entered. "Is my time come, Father?" asked Walter, rising on his elbow. "Nay, my son, God grant that you will have time now to grow into a noble knight. The King's messenger has come, and he brings a pardon." " Welcome home ! " This time the words rang in Walter's ears as well as Ralph's, and he, no less than his young brother, had learnt their value. In the first fervour of his gratitude to Gaxton and Tylott for saving his life, Walter prayed to be bound apprentice to the latter, but Tylott refused his request. "You can work for me," he said, "if 94 PAGE OR PRENTICE you will, but I doubt you were not born to be a craftsman." Ralph's submission, on the other hand, he accepted readily, saying, "Have but patience, lad, and your eye and brain will take you far." So it came about that for three years Walter served Giles Tylott as an unskilled workman, and at the end of that time, thanks to Caxton's influence with the King, the Manor of Ditchley was restored to him. Ralph also went bravely through his apprenticeship, and though Wat was always a trial because of his spiteful temper, and Dickon also was seldom friendly, he made many friends amongst the apprentices as well as Hal and Job. He loved to serve his uncle, and later learned to love serving Norminster too, becoming in time one of its most distinguished citizens. With Cicely he was always her dear brother Ralph, but Walter she came to love with a different kind of love. So it was that once again there was a Dame Cicely at Ditchley Manor, for Walter, though he was not clever, managed his little estate uprightly HOME 95 and well, and attained in time to the dignity of knighthood. So the brothers prospered, and each in his own way served God and his neighbour faithfully. Their positions and their duties were different; but none might say which was the truer gentleman he who bore the knight's surcoat, or he who wore the trader's gown. 466643 p> L^xu^L^^v- UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY .N^* ^ ,%%V^.I* S '