The Life And Death Of Richard Yea And Nay Volume 91, Maurice Hewlett [beautiful books to read .TXT] 📗
- Author: Maurice Hewlett
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Found Her Out Of Humour, Dull, Perverse, Or Otherwise Than Well-Disposed
To All His Desires. Far From That, Every Friday He Gave Thanks In The
Mosque For The Gift Of Such An Admirable Wife--Grave, Discreet, Pious,
Amorous, Chaste, Obedient, Nimble, Complaisant, And Most Beautiful, As
He Hereby Declared That He Found Her. Being A Man Of The Greatest
Possible Experience, This Was High Praise; Nor Had He Been Slow In
Making Up His Mind That She Was To Be Trusted. He Was About To Prove His
Deed As Good As His Opinion.
Volume 91 Book 2 (The Book Of Nay) Chapter 11 (The Chapter Called A Latere) Pg 167Word Was Brought Her On A Day, As She Sat In The Harem With Her Boy On
Her Knee, Singing To Herself And Him Some Winding Song Of France, That
This Redoubtable Lord Of Hers Was Waiting To See Her In Her Chamber. She
Put The Child Down And Followed The Eunuch. Entering The Room Where The
Old Man Sat, She Knelt Down, As Was Customary, And Kissed His Knee. He
Touched Her Bent Head. 'Rise Up, My Child,' Says He, 'Sit With Me For A
Little. I Have Matters Of Concernment For You.' She Sat At Once By His
Side; He Took Her Hand And Began To Talk To Her In This Manner.
'It Appears, Jehane, That I Am Something Of A Prophet. Your Late Master,
The Melek Richard, Has Fallen Into The Power Of His Enemies; He Is Now A
Prisoner Of The Archduke's On Many Charges: First, The Killing Of Your
Brother Eudo, Count Of Saint-Pol; But That Is A Very Trifling Affair,
Which Occurred, Moreover, In Fair Battle. Next, They Accuse
Him--Falsely, As You Know--Of The Death Of Montferrat. We May Have Our
Own Opinion About That. But The Prime Matter, As I Guess, Is Ransom, And
Whether Those Who Wish Him Ill (Not For What He Has Done To Them, But
For What He Has Not Allowed Them To Do To Him) Will Suffer Him To Be
Ransomed. Now, What Have You To Say, My Child? I See That It Affects
You.'
Jehane Was Affected, But Not As You Might Expect. With Great
Self-Possession She Had A Very Practical Mind. There Were Neither Tears
Nor Heart-Beatings, Neither Panic Nor Flying Of Colours. Her Eyes Sought
The Old Man's And Remained Steadily On Them; Her Lips Were Firm And Red.
'What Are You Willing To Do, Sire?' She Asked Him. Sinan Stroked His
Fine Beard.
'I Can Dispose Of The Business Of Montferrat In A Few Lines,' He Said,
Considering. 'More, I Can Reach The Melek And Assure Him Of Comfort.
What I Cannot Do So Easily, Though I Admit No Failure, Mind, Is To
Induce His Enemies At Home To Allow Of A Ransom.'
'I Can Do That,' Said Jehane, 'If You Will Do The Rest.' The Old Man
Patted Her Cheek.
'It Is Not The Custom Of My Nation To Allow Wives Abroad. You, Moreover,
Are Not Of That Nation. How Can I Trust The Melek, Who (I Know) Loves
You? How Can I Trust You, Who (I Know) Love The Melek?'
'Oh, Sire,' Says Jehane, Looking Him Full In The Face, 'I Came Here
Because I Loved My Lord Richard; And When I Have Assured His Safety I
Shall Return Here.' She Looked Down, As She Added--'For The Same
Reason, And For No Other.'
'I Quite Understand You, Child,' Said The Old Man, And Put His Hand
Under Her Chin. This Made Her Blush, And Brought Up Her Face Again
Quickly.
'Dear Sire,' She Said Shyly, 'You Are Very Kind To Me. If I Had Another
Reason For Returning It Would Be That.' Sinan Kissed Her.
'And So It Shall Be, My Dear,' He Assured Her. 'There Is Time Enough.
You Shall Certainly Go, Due Regard Being Had To My Dignity, And Your
Health, Which Is Delicate Just Now.'
'Have No Fear For Me, My Lord,' She Said. 'I Am Very Strong.' He Kissed
Her Again, Saying, 'I Have Never Known A Woman At Once So Beautiful And
So Strong.'
He Wrote Two Letters, Sealing Them With His Own Signet And That Of King
Solomon. To The Archduke He Said Curtly--
Volume 91 Book 2 (The Book Of Nay) Chapter 11 (The Chapter Called A Latere) Pg 168'To The Archduke Luitpold, _Vetus De Monte_ Sends Greeting. If The Melek
Richard Be Any Way Let In The Matter Of His Life And Renown, I Bid You
Take Heed That As I Served The Marquess Of Montferrat, So Also I Shall
Serve Your Serenity.'
But The Emperor Demanded More Civil Advertisement: He Got A Remarkably
Fine Letter.
'To The Most Exalted Man, Henry, By The Grace Of God Emperor Of The
Romans, Happy, Pious, Ever August, The Invincible Conqueror, _Vetus De
Monte_, By The Same Great Chief Of The Assassins, Sends Greeting With
The Kiss Of Peace. Let Your Celsitude Make Certain Acquaintance With
Error In Regard To The Most Illustrious Person Whom You Have In Hold.
Not That Melek Richard Caused The Death Of The Marquess Conrad; But I,
The Ancient, The Lord Of Assassins, Fulness Of Light, For Good Cause,
Namely To Save My Friend The Same Melek From Injurious Death At The
Hands Of The Marquess. And Him, The Said Melek, I Am Resolved At All
Hazards To Defend By Means Of The Silent Smiters Who Serve Me. So
Farewell; And May He Protect Your Celsitude Whom We Diversely Worship.'
As With Every Business Of The Old Man's, Preparations Were Soon And
Silently Made. In Three Or Four Days' Time Jehane Strained The Young
Fulke To Her Bosom, Took Affectionate Humble Leave Of Her Master, And
Left The Green Valley Of Lebanon On Her Embassy.
She Was Sent Down To The Coast In The Manner Becoming The Estate Of A
Sultan's Favourite Wife. She Never Set Foot On The Ground, Never Even
Saw It. She Was In A Close-Curtained Litter, Herself Veiled To The Eyes.
Sitting With Her Was A Vast Old Turkish Woman, Whom In The Harem They
Called The Mother Of Flowers. Mules Bore The Litter, Eunuchs On Mules
Surrounded It. On All Sides, A Third Line Of Defence, Rode The
Janissaries, Hooded In White, On White Arabian Horses. So They Came
Swiftly To Tortosa, Whose Lord, In Strict Alliance With Him Of Musse,
Little Knew That In Paying Homage To The Shrouded Cage He Was
Cap-In-Hand To Jehane Of Picardy. Long Galleys Took Up The Burden Of The
Mountain Roads, Dipped And Furrowed Across The Ægean, And Touched Land
At Salonika. Hence By Relays Of Bearers Jehane Was Carried Darkly To
Marburg In Styria, Where At Last She Saw The Face Of The Sky.
They Took Her To The Inn And Unveiled Her. Then The Chief Of The Eunuchs
Handed Her A Paper Which He Had Written Himself, Being Deprived Of A
Tongue:--'Madame, Fragrance Of The Harem, Gulzareen (Which Is To Say,
Golden Rose), Thus I Am Commanded By My Dreadful Master. From This Hour
And Place You Are Free To Do What Seems Best To Your Wisdom. The Letters
Of Our Lord Will Be Sent Forward By The Proper Bearers Of Them, One To
Gratz, Where The Archduke Watches The Melek, And One To The Emperor Of
The Romans, Wherever He May Be Found. In Gratz Is He Whom You Seek. This
Day Six Months I Shall Be Here To Attend Your Sufficiency.' He Bowed
Three Times, And Went Away.
'Now, Mother,' Said Jehane To The Old Duenna, 'Do For Me What I Bid You,
And Quickly. Get Me Brown Juice For My Skin, And A Ragged Kirtle And
Bodice, Such As The Egyptians Wear. Give Me Money To Line It, And Then
Let Me Go.' All This Was Done. Jehane Put On Vile Raiment Which Barely
Covered Her, Stained Her Fair Face, Neck, And Arms Brown, And Let Her
Hair Droop All About Her. Then She Went Barefoot Out, Hugging Herself
Against The Cold, Being Three Months Gone With Child, And Took The Road
Over Barren Moorland To Gratz.
She Had Not Seen King Richard For Nearly Two Years, At The Thought Of
Which Thing And Of Him The Hot Blood Leapt Up, To Thrust And Tingle In
Her Face. She Did Not Mean To See Him Now If She Could Help It, For She
Volume 91 Book 2 (The Book Of Nay) Chapter 11 (The Chapter Called A Latere) Pg 169Knew Just How Far She Could Withstand Him; She Would Save Him And Then
Go Back. Thus She Reasoned With Herself As She Trudged: 'Jehane, Ma Mye,
Thou Art Wife Now To A Wise Old Man, Who Is Good To Thee, And Has
Exalted Thee Above All His Women. Thou Must Have No Lovers Now. Only
Save Him, Save Him, Save Him, Lord Jesus, Lady Mary!' She Treated This
As A Prayer, And Kept It Very Near Her Lips All The Way To Gratz, Except
When She Felt Herself Flush All Over With The Thought, 'School Of God!
Is So Great A King To Be Prayed For, As If He Were A Sick Monk?'
Nevertheless, She Prayed More Than She Flushed. Nothing Disturbed Her;
She Slept In Woods, In Byres, In Stackyards; Bought What She Needed For
Food, Attracted No Attention, And Got No Annoyance Worthy The Name. At
The Closing In Of The Fifth Day She Saw The Walls Of The City Rise Above
The Black Moors Into The Sky, And The Towers Above Them. The Dome Of A
Church, Gilded, Caught The Dying Sun's Eye; Its Towers Were Monstrous
Tall, Round, And Peaked With Caps Of Green Copper. On The Walls She
Counted Seven Other Towers, Heavy, Squat, Flat-Roofed Fortresses With
Huge Battlements. A Great Flag Hung In Folds, Motionless About A Staff.
All Was A Uniform Dun, Muffled In Stormy Sky, Lowering, Remote From
Knowledge, And Alien.
But Jehane Herself Was Of The North, And Not Impressionable. Grey Skies
Were Familiar Tents To Her, Moorlands Roomy Places, One Heap Of Stones
Much Like Another. But Her Heart Beat High To Know Richard Half A League
Away; All Her Trouble Was How She Should Find Him In Such A Great Town.
It Was Dusk When She Reached It; They Were About To Shut The Gates. She
Let Them, Having Seen That There Were Booths And Hovels At The
Barriers, Even A Little Church. It Was There She Spent The Night,
Huddled In A Corner By The Altar.
Dawn Is A Laggard In Styria. She
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