The Knight Of The Golden Melice, John Turvill Adams [the reading list TXT] 📗

Thou Hast Only To Express A Wish, And If It Is In My Power It

Shall Be Granted."

  

 

On Arriving At The Inn, Sir Christopher Ordered Immediately His Horse,

And Mounting, Rode Homeward. At A Slow Pace He Proceeded Through The

Streets, And Allowed The Animal, With The Rein Lying Loose Upon His

Neck, To Follow The Winding Path In The Forest. No Adventure Befel Him

On His Solitary Ride, And In Due Time He Reached His Home. He Was Met

By Philip Joy, To Whom He Delivered The Horse. 

 

 

"Is The Indian Whom I Left In Thy Charge Safe?" He Inquired.

  

 

"He Is, Sir Christopher," Answered The Soldier.

 

  

"Sassacus Has Not Seen Him, I Trust."

 

  

"No One Has Seen Him But Myself. I Have Faithfully Followed Your

Orders, And Kept Him Like A Rat In A Trap. He Takes To Eating And

Sleeping Prodigious Kindly, And Has Shown No Disposition To Do Any

Thing Else."

  

 

"It Is Natural He Should Do So, And You Have Acted With Discretion."

  

 

With These Words Sir Christopher Entered The House, And Straightway

Proceeded To Find The Indian. He Was Lying On The Floor, Apparently

Asleep, But At The Noise Of The Opening Door, Roused Himself And Sat

Upright.

  

 

"How Have My People Treated Mesandowit In My Absence?" Inquired The

Knight.

 

  

"Well," Answered The Savage. "Mesandowit Has Eaten, And Drank, And

Slept, And Is Refreshed."

 

  

"Is He Ready To Return To His Own Country?"

 

  

"Mesandowit Is Ready."

  

 

"When The Trees Cast Long Shadows He Shall Return, And I Will Go A

Little Distance With Him, Lest He Should Meet The Aberginians."

  

 

"Good--And Now Mesandowit Will Sleep." He Stretched Himself Again Upon

The Skin, Which Served For A Couch, Probably Not Entirely Rested After

The Long And Rapid Journey He Had Made, And Disposed Himself To

Slumber. The Knight, On Leaving Him, Went To The Door Of The Lady's

Apartment, And Gently Rapped.

  

 

It Was Opened By The Indian Girl, And He Was Immediately Admitted.

  

 

"Celestina," Said The Knight, Looking First At Her And Then At Her

Little Attendant, "I Have Something To Say To Thee."

 

  

"Neebin," Said The Lady, Addressing The Child, "May Run About In The

Woods A Little While."

  

 

When The Girl Had Departed, The Knight, Seating Himself At Some

Distance From The Lady, Opened The Conversation.

  

 

"Celestina," He Said, "There Has Been Of Late A Want Of That Frankness

Which Characterized Our Intercourse At Our Arrival In This Country,

And For Some Time Thereafter. Will You Not Tell Me The Cause?" 

 

 

"Sir Christopher," Replied The Lady, "A Suspicious Mind Is Ofttimes

Deceived By Its Imaginations. Wherein, Pray, Has Been A Change In My

Conduct?"

 

  

"Nay. I Know Not That I Can Say, In This And In That Thou Hast Not

Trusted Me, But I Feel That It Is So." 

 

 

"Look Into Thyself, Sir Christopher, And There Wilt Thou Find The

Cause. The Outer World Is But A Reflection Of The Inner."

 

  

"I Protest, Celestina, I Am Not Altered. Thou Art To Me As Ever, My

Trusty And Valued Associate, Bound To Me By Ties Of Peculiar

Significancy, And As Sacred As Those Which Commonly Unite Man And

Woman.

  

 

"It Is My Dearest Wish That Thou Shouldst Feel The Full Force Of The

Obligation They Impose On Thee."

 

  

"Do I Not?" Have I Not Labored With Untiring Diligence To Promote The

End We Both Have In View? Wherein Have I Failed? Point Out The Error,

And I Will Correct It."

 

  

"I Do Not Presume To Be So Bold. The Masculine Energy Of Sir

Christopher Gardiner Is Not To Be Guided By A Woman."

  

 

"Alas! Celestina," Said The Knight, With Some Feeling, "Were We Not

Joined In This Holy Enterprise Because It Was Supposed The Fulness Of

The One Might Supply The Deficiency Of The Other? O, Turn Not Away So

Coldly." 

 

 

"My Warm Devotion, My Active Zeal, Shall Never Be Wanting To The Work

Whereunto We Are Pledged; And If Any Feeling Hath Arisen Inconsistent

With The Harmony That Should Unite Us, I Am Not Sensible That It

Springs From Any Fault Of Mine. But You Exaggerate," She Added,

Smiling, "My Momentary Sadness Into Unnecessary Importance--A Sadness

Wherewith Thou Mayst Have No Connection."

 

  

"Thou Canst Not Deceive Me, Celestina. I Have Profited Little By The

Lessons Of This World, And Feeling Was Given Me In Vain, Were I

Incapable Of Noticing The Change In Thee. There Was A Time When Thy

Spirit, Like A Musical String In Accord With Another, Vibrated In

Harmony With Mine--But It Is No Longer So."

 

  

"Thou Art Importunate, Sir Christopher. Wilt Thou Not Believe What I

Say?"

  

 

"Pardon Me If I Am Over Urgent, And Ascribe It To The Value I Attach

To My Lost Treasure. It Sweetened The Solitude Of Exile, And Made Me

Almost Forget The Attractions Of Stirring Europe. But Thou Dost Not,

And Canst Not Deny My Complaint."

  

 

"Is There Not Enough In The Circumstances Wherein I Am Placed, To

Agitate The Timid Heart Of A Woman, And Account For Her Unreasonable

Caprices? Why Persist In Connecting Them With Thyself As The Cause?"

  

 

"This Is Not The First Time That I Have Vainly Endeavored To Discover

Wherein I Have Offended, That By The Humiliation Of Myself, Or By Any

Other Means, I Might Restore The Unison That Before Existed Between

Us. I Conjure Thee, Celestina," He Said, Approaching And Taking Her

Hand Into One Of His, While With The Other He Drew Back A Curtain On

The Wall, Which, On Being Withdrawn, Exposed To View The Carved Figure

Of Christ Extended On The Cross, "By The Captain Of Our Faith, Whose

Soldiers We Are, To Put Away This Estrangement, Which If It Does Not

Defeat, May Hazard And Retard Our Mutual Plans."

 

  

The Lady Withdrew Not Her Hand, But Allowing It To Remain In His,

Stood Up. She Bowed Her Head Before The Crucifix, And Murmured--_Domino

Jesu Speravi In Te_. Turning Then To The Knight She Said--

  

 

"Sir Christopher, Look Upon That Sorrowful Face, And That Drooping

Head, Bleeding Under The Points Of The Accursed Thorns. Thy Sins And

Mine Gave Them Their Sharpness. Gaze Upon The Hideous Nails That

Pierce Those Blessed Hands And Feet, And Upon The Blood Trickling From

That Divine Side, And Say, Canst Thou Be Untrue To Him?"

  

 

"Woman! Celestina! What Meanest Thou? Why This Solemn Adjuration?"

  

 

"Thou Wert Dedicated To A Service," She Continued, Her Pale Face

Flushing With Enthusiasm, "To Which Nobles And Kings, The Proudest And

Noblest Of Earth, Might Aspire. Do Thy Devoir, And Incalculable Will

Be Thy Reward; Fail Therein, And The Doom Of Judas Were Heaven To Thy

Fate."

  

 

"Thou Art Mad, Celestina. Some Dreadful Delusion Hath Blinded Thy

Understanding. Hear Me Now"--And He Bent Down And Kissed The Feet Of

The Image Of The Saviour, And Then Raising His Head Fixed His Eyes

Upon It--"Per Adventum Tuum, Per Nativitatem Tuam, Per Baptismum Et

Sanctum Jejunium Tuum, Per Crucem Et Passionem Tuam, Per Mortem Et

Sepulturam Tuam, Per Sanctam Resurrectionem Tuam, Et Per Admirabilem

Ascensionem Tuam--I Am Guilty, Truly, Of Weakness And Ignorance, And

Unintentional Sin, But Not Of Want Of Faithfulness To That Whereunto

Thou Hast Called Me."

  

 

"Sir Christopher! Oh! Sir Christopher," Cried The Lady, Falling At His

Feet, "Wherefore, When I Besought Thee Before To Explain Thy Conduct,

Did You Treat Me So Slightingly? Wherefore Ever Refuse To Satisfy My

Questions?"

  

 

"Because I Considered Them Unworthy Of Thee And Me; Because I Regarded

Them As The Petulance Of A Passing Feminine Curiosity; Because I Knew

Not How Serious Was Thy Desire?

 

  

"_Deus Adjuva Me!_" Sobbed The Lady.

 

  

"Rise, My Sister," Said The Knight, Assisting Her To A Seat.

"Henceforth Let No Distrust Exist Between Us, And, That It May Be So,

Inquire, And I Will Answer As At The Confessional."

  

 

Of The Conversation Which Ensued We Shall Give No Account, Save That,

At Its Conclusion, Tears Were Flowing Plentifully From The Eyes Of The

Lady, While The Knight Seemed Puzzled At Her Extraordinary Emotion.

 

  

"Celestina," He Said, "Thou Art Moved Beyond What Thy Venial Fault

Requires. Forgive Thyself As Freely As I Forgive Thee."

  

 

"Thou Knowest Not All My Sin," She Answered, "Nor Dare I Trust It To

The Air, Lest My Own Words Should Strike Me Dead. _Sancta Maria, Ora

Pro Nobis!_"

 

  

When The Knight Left The Room, She Fell Upon Her Knees Before The

Crucifix And Buried Her Face In Her Hands. She Remained In This

Position For Perhaps A Quarter Of An Hour, During Which Time Only An

Occasional Sob Escaped Her, And Then Rising, Passed Into An Inner

Chamber.

 

  

As For Sir Christopher, Neither Did He Make His Appearance Until Late

In The Afternoon, When He Emerged From The House In The Company Of The

Soldier Joy And The Indian, Whom He Called Mesandowit. The Course They

Took Was In A Northerly Direction, And As They Proceeded, The Knight

Was Engaged In Earnest Conversation With The Indian. In This Manner

They Went On Long After The Sun Had Set, Even Until The Position Of

The Stars Announced That The Hour Of Midnight Was At Hand. There Must

Have Been Some Danger To The Savage Feared By The Knight To Induce Him

To Lend His Escort Thus Far. But They Met Nothing To Excite

Apprehension. Silence Reigned Throughout The Unviolated Forest,

Unbroken Save By The Cry Of A Night Bird, Or The Stealthy Step Of Some

Wild Beast Stealing Through The Thickets, Or The Cracking Of Dry

Branches Under Their Own Feet, Or Their Murmured Conversation. It Was

At Least Six Hours Since They Left The House Of The Knight, And The

Distance Passed Over Could Not Be Less Than Eighteen Or Twenty Miles.

The Three Stopped, And, Before Parting, It Seemed That The Knight Was

Desirous Of Impressing More Strongly On The Mind Of His Red Companion

Something Which He Had Already Been Urging.

  

 

"Has What I Have Said Sunk Into The Ears Of Mesandowit?" He Asked.

 

  

"It Has Sunk Very Deep, Even As A Stone When It Falls Into The Great

Salt Lake."

 

 

"Will He Remember The Place?"

  

 

"He Will Remember It. Mesandowit Once Took Two Scalps There."

 

  

Self-Possessed As In General Was Sir Christopher, The Reply Startled

Him; But The Association In The Mind Of The Savage Was Too Obvious To

Excite Alarm Long, And It Was Without Feeling Any He Replied. He

Thought Proper, However, To Remind The Indian Of The Friendly Relation

He Stood In To His Tribe And Of The Favor He Had Done Them.

 

  

"The Sagamore And His Paniese," He Said, "Who Brought The Defiance Of

The Taranteens To The English, Have Returned Safe To Their People. Let

Not The Taranteens Forget When I Come To Visit Them That They Spoke

Through My Mouth, And That I Stood Between Them And The Anger Of

Sachem Winthrop."

  

 

The Taranteens Never Forget. Mesandowit Will Tell Them How Soog-U-Gest

Flew To Shawmut, When Mesandowit, Of The Swift Foot, Brought A Message

From The Sachems Of The Taranteens, That They Desired Him To Take Care

Of The Two Warriors Who Brought The Red Arrows Tied Up With A Snake

Skin As A Present To Owanux. The Taranteens Are A Great People And

Forget Not A Benefit."

 

  

"I Am Unable To Fix The Exact Time;" Said The Knight; "But The Young

Moon That Looks Now Like The Eye Brow Of Mesandowit, Will Probably Not

Be Round Before We Shall Meet Again."

  

 

They Parted At These Words, And While Sir Christopher And Philip

Turned Their Faces Homeward, The Taranteen Pursued The Same Direction

In Which They Had Been Traveling. Fatigued With The Distance They Had

Come, It Was Now With A More Leisurely Pace The Two Proceeded, And,

Walking For The Most Part In Silence, The Sun Had Risen Before They

Reached Home.

 

 

Chapter XVIII (When Shaws Beene Sheene And Shrads Full Fayre, And Leaves Both Large And Longe, Itt Is Merrye Walking In The Faire Forrest, To Hear The Small Birdes Songe.)

 

 

 

Ballad Of Robin Hood And Guy Of Gisborne.

 

 

The Project Of Governor Winthrop Of Sending An Embassy To The

Taranteens Met With General Favor Among His Councillors. All Agreed

That War With The Ferocious Savages Was, If Possible, To Be Avoided

Under Any Circumstances, But Especially Now When The English Must

Appear To The Natives To Be Stained With The Crime Of