Jurgen: A Comedy of Justice

  12.

  Excursus of Yolande's Undoing

  Now Jurgen, self-appointed Duke of Logreus, abode at the court ofKing Gogyrvan. The month of May passed quickly and pleasantly: butthe monstrous shadow which followed Jurgen did not pass. Still, noone noticed it: that was the main thing. For himself, he was notafraid of shadows, and the queerness of this one was not enough todistract his thoughts from Guenevere, nor from his love-making withGuenevere.

  For these were quiet times in Glathion, now that the war with Rienceof Northgalis was satisfactorily ended: and love-making was noweverywhere in vogue. By way of diversion, gentlemen hunted andfished and rode a-hawking and amicably slashed and battered oneanother in tournaments: but their really serious pursuit waslovemaking, after the manner of chivalrous persons, who knew thatthe King's trumpets would presently be summoning them into lesssoftly furnished fields of action, from one or another of which theywould return feet foremost on a bier. So Jurgen sighed and warbledand made eyes with many excellent fighting-men: and the Princesslistened with many other ladies whose hearts were not of flint. AndGogyrvan meditated.

  Now it was the kingly custom of Gogyrvan when his dinner was spreadat noontide, not to go to meat until all such as demanded justicefrom him had been furnished with a champion to redress the wrong.One day as the gaunt old King sat thus in his main hall, upon a seatof green rushes covered with yellow satin, and with a cushion ofyellow satin under his elbow, and with his barons ranged about himaccording to their degrees, a damsel came with a very heart-rendingtale of the oppression that was on her.

  Gogyrvan blinked at her, and nodded. "You are the handsomest woman Ihave seen in a long while," says he, irrelevantly. "You are a womanI have waited for. Duke Jurgen of Logreus will undertake thisadventure."

  There being no help for it, Jurgen rode off with this Dame Yolande,not very well pleased: but as they rode he jested with her. And so,with much laughter by the way, Yolande conducted him to the GreenCastle, of which she had been dispossessed by Graemagog, a mostformidable giant.

  "Now prepare to meet your death, sir knight!" cried Graemagog,laughing horribly, and brandishing his club; "for all knights whocome hither I have sworn to slay."

  "Well, if truth-telling were a sin you would be a very virtuousgiant," says Jurgen, and he flourished Thragnar's sword, resistlessCaliburn.

  Then they fought, and Jurgen killed Graemagog. Thus was the GreenCastle restored to Dame Yolande, and the maidens who attended heraforetime were duly released from the cellarage. They were nowmaidens by courtesy only, but so tender is the heart of women thatthey all wept over Graemagog.

  Yolande was very grateful, and proffered every manner of reward.

  "But, no, I will take none of these fine jewels, nor money, norlands either," says Jurgen. "For Logreus, I must tell you, is afairly well-to-do duchy, and the killing of giants is by way ofbeing my favorite pastime. He is well paid that is well satisfied.Yet if you must reward me for such a little service, do you swear todo what you can to get me the love of my lady, and that willsuffice."

  Yolande, without any particular enthusiasm, consented to attemptthis: and indeed Yolande, at Jurgen's request, made oath upon theFour Evangelists that she would do everything within her power toaid him.

  "Very well," said Jurgen, "you have sworn, and it is you whom Ilove."

  Surprise now made her lovely. Yolande was frankly delighted at thethought of marrying the young Duke of Logreus, and offered to sendfor a priest at once.

  "My dear," says Jurgen, "there is no need to bother a priest aboutour private affairs."

  She took his meaning, and sighed. "Now I regret," said she, "that Imade so solemn an oath. Your trick was unfair."

  "Oh, not at all," said Jurgen: "and presently you will not regretit. For indeed the game is well worth the candle."

  "How is that shown, Messire de Logreus?"

  "Why, by candle-light," says Jurgen,--"naturally."

  "In that event, we will talk no further of it until this evening."

  So that evening Yolande sent for him. She was, as Gogyrvan had said,a remarkably handsome woman, sleek and sumptuous and crowned with awealth of copper-colored hair. To-night she was at her best in atunic of shimmering blue, with a surcote of gold embroidery, andwith gold embroidered pendent sleeves that touched the floor. Thusshe was when Jurgen came to her.

  "Now," says Yolande, frowning, "you may as well come outstraightforwardly with what you were hinting at this morning."

  But first Jurgen looked about the apartment, and it was lighted by atall gilt stand whereon burned candles.

  He counted these, and he whistled. "Seven candles! upon my word,sweetheart, you do me great honor, for this is a veritableillumination. To think of it, now, that you should honor me, aspeople do saints, with seven candles! Well, I am only mortal, butnone the less I am Jurgen, and I shall endeavor to repay thissevenfold courtesy without discount."

  "Oh, Messire de Logreus," cried Dame Yolande, "but whatincomprehensible nonsense you talk! You misinterpret matters, for Ican assure you I had nothing of that sort in mind. Besides, I do notknow what you are talking about."

  "Indeed, I must warn you that my actions often speak moreunmistakably than my words. It is what learned persons term anidiosyncrasy."

  "--And I certainly do not see how any of the saints can be concernedin this. If you had said the Four Evangelists now--! For we weretalking of the Four Evangelists, you remember, this morning--Oh, buthow stupid it is of you, Messire de Logreus, to stand there grinningand looking at me in a way that makes me blush!"

  "Well, that is easily remedied," said Jurgen, as he blew out thecandles, "since women do not blush in the dark."

  "What do you plan, Messire de Logreus?"

  "Ah, do not be alarmed!" said Jurgen. "I shall deal fairly withyou."

  And in fact Yolande confessed afterward that, consideringeverything, Messire de Logreus was very generous. Jurgen confessednothing: and as the room was profoundly dark nobody else can speakwith authority as to what happened there. It suffices that the Dukeof Logreus and the Lady of the Green Castle parted later on the mostfriendly terms.

  "You have undone me, with your games and your candles and yourscrupulous returning of courtesies," said Yolande, and yawned, forshe was sleepy; "but I fear that I do not hate you as much as Iought to."

  "No woman ever does," says Jurgen, "at this hour." He called forbreakfast, then kissed Yolande--for this, as Jurgen had said, wastheir hour of parting,--and he rode away from the Green Castle inhigh spirits.

  "Why, what a thing it is again to be a fine young fellow!" saidJurgen. "Well, even though her big brown eyes protrude toomuch--something like a lobster's--she is a splendid woman, that DameYolande: and it is a comfort to reflect I have seen justice was doneher."

  Then he rode back to Cameliard, singing with delight in the thoughtthat he was riding toward the Princess Guenevere, whom he loved withhis whole heart.