The Red Axe

  CHAPTER XVIII

  THE PRIME OF THE MORNING

  Now so strange a thing is woman that, so soon as we were started down theHigh Street of the city of Thorn, the Little Playmate dried her eyes,turned towards me in her saddle, and straightway began to take me to taskas though I had been to blame.

  "I have left," said she, "the only home I ever knew, and the only manthat ever truly loved me, to accompany a young man that cares not forme, and a woman whom I have seen but once, to a far land and anunkindly folk."

  "It is not fair," I said, "to say that I love you not. For, as God seesme, I have ever loved you--loved you best and loved you only, littleHelenchen! And though you are angered with me now, I know not why--stilltill now you have never doubted it."

  "I doubt it sorely enough now, I know," she said, bitterly; "yet, indeed,I care not whether you or any love me at all."

  And this saying I was greatly sorry for. It seemed a sad wayfaring fromour old Red Tower and out of my native city of Thorn.

  "Helene, little one," said I, "believe me, I love none in the whole worldbut my father and you. Trust me, for I am to keep you safe with my lifein the far land to which we go. Do not let us quarrel, littlest. Thereare only the two of us here that remember the old man my father and thelittle room to which you came as a babe, all in white."

  So presently she was somewhat pacified, and reached me a hand from theback of her beast, on pretence of leaning over to avoid a swinging signin one of the narrow streets near by the White Gate, where we were tomeet the Lady Ysolinde.

  "And yet more, Little Playmate," said I, keeping her hand when I had it;"do not begin by distrusting the noble lady with whom we are to travel.For she means well to us both, and in the strange country to which we gowe may be wholly in her power."

  "You are sure that you do not love that woman, then?" said Helene,without looking at me. For, indeed, in many things she was but a child,and ever spoke more freely than other maids--perhaps with being broughtup in the Red Tower in the company of my father, who on all occasionsspoke his mind just as it came to him.

  "Nay," said I, "believe me, little love, I do not love her at all."

  And now on horseback Helene looked all charming, and what with theexercise, the unknown adventure, and my reassurance, she had a glow ofrose color in her cheeks. She had never before been so far away from theprecincts of the Wolfsberg. I had even taught her to ride in thecourt-yard of a summer evening, on a horse borrowed from one of theDuke's squires.

  We found the Lady Ysolinde waiting for us at her house, Master Gerardtalking to her in the doorway, earnestly and apart. Both of them had alook of much solemnity, as though the matter of their discourse were somevery weighty one.

  Presently her father kissed her and she came down the steps. I leapedfrom my horse to help her to the saddle, but the respectable serving-manwas before me. So that instead I went about and looked to the buckles andgirths, which were all in order, and patted the arching neck of thebeautiful milk-white palfrey whereon she rode. Then Master Gerard waved ahand and went within.

  And as we fared forth out of the Weiss Thor into the keener air of thecountry, I thought what a charge I had--to squire two ladies sosurpassingly fair, each in her own several graces, as our Helene and theLady Ysolinde.

  No sooner, however, were we past the outer barriers, at which thesoldiers of the Duke Casimir kept guard, than a vast, ungainly wightstarted up from the road-side.

  "Jan Lubber Fiend!" cried the Lady Ysolinde; "what do you here?"

  The oaf grinned his awful, writhed smile and wriggled his great bodyafter the manner of a puppy desirous of the milk-platter.

  "Think you, my lady," said he, cunningly, "that your poor Jan would abidewithin the precincts of the city house with that funeral ape bidding medo this and do that, sit here and sit there, come in and go out at hispleasure? A thing of dough that I could twist into knots as easily as Ican crack my joints."

  And of this latter accomplishment he proceeded to give us certainexamples which sounded like cannon-shots delivered at close quarters.

  "Get home with you!" cried Ysolinde; "I cannot have thee followingus. There are two men presently to meet us, to guard us toPlassenburg, and we do not need you, Jan Lubber Fiend. Get back andtake care of my father."

  "Oh, as for him," said the monster, sitting down squat upon the plainroad in the dust, "he is a tough old cock, and will come to no harm. Wecan e'en leave him with a good cook, a prime cellar, and an easy mind.But this young man is not to trust to with so many pretty maids. Jan willcome and look after him."

  And with that he nodded his hay-stack of a head three times at me, andgoing to the hedge-root he laid hold of the top of a young poplar andturned him about, keeping the stem of it over his shoulder. Then he sethimself to pull like a horse that starts a load, and presently, withoutapparently distressing himself in the least, he walked away with theyoung tree, roots and all.

  Having shaken off the earth roughly, he pulled out a sheath-knife andtrimmed the branches till he had made him a kind of club, with which hethreatened me, saying, "If I catch that young man at any tricks, withthis club will Jan Lubber Fiend break every bone in his skin, like theshells of so many broken eggs."

  Then laughing a little, and seeing that nothing could be made of thefellow, the Lady Ysolinde rode on and we followed her. We thought thatsurely there would be no difficulty in shaking him off long ere wereached our lodging-place of the evening, and that he would find his wayback to the city of Thorn.

  But even though we set our horses to their speed, it seemed to make nodifference to the unwieldy giant. He merely stretched his legs a littlefarther, and caused his great gaskined feet to pass each other as fast asif they had been shod with seven-league boots. So he not only kept upwith us easily, but oftentimes made a detour through the fields and overthe wild country on either side, as a questing dog does, ever returningto us with some quaint vagrant fancy or quip of childish simplicity.

  But what pleased me better than the appearance of the Lubber Fiend wasthat ere we had gone quite two miles out of the city we found twowell-armed and stanch-looking soldiers waiting for us at a kind ofcross-road. They were armed with the curious powder-guns which werecoming into fashion from France. These went off with a noble report, andkilled sometimes at as much as fifteen or twenty paces when the aim wasgood. The fellows had swords also, and little polished shields on theirleft arms--altogether worthy and notable body-guards.

  "These two are soldiers of the Guard from Plassenburg," said the LadyYsolinde, "though now they are travelling as members of a Free Companydesiring to enter upon new engagements. But they will make the way easierand pleasanter for us, as well as infinitely safer, being veterans wellaccustomed to the work of quartering and foraging."

  As indeed we were to find ere the day ended.

  So we rode on in the brilliant light, and the long, long day seemed alltoo brief to us who were young, and scarce delivered from theprison-house of Thorn. And to my shame I admit that my heart rose withevery mile that I put between me and the Red Tower.

  Indeed, I hardly had a thought to spend on my father. The hot quadrangleof the Wolfsberg, ever smelling of horses and the swelter of shed blood,the howling, fox-colored demons in the kennels, the black Duke Casimir--right gladly I forgot them all. Aye, I forgot even my father, andeverything save that I was riding with two fair women through a worldwhere all was love and spring, and where it was ever the prime of ayoung morning.

  The Lady Ysolinde could not make enough of our Little Playmate. Shelaughed back at her over her shoulder when she let her horse out for acanter. She marvelled loudly at Helene's good riding, and at theunbound beauty of the crisp ringlets which clustered round her headlike a boy's. And our Helene smiled, well pleased, and ceased to watchmy eyes or to grow silent if I checked my horse too long by the side ofthe Lady Ysolinde.

  Mostly we three rode abreast over the pleasant country. So long as wewere crossing the plain of the Wolfmark we saw few tilled fields,
andthe farm-houses were fewer still. But wherever these were to be seenthey were fortified and defended like castles, and had gates, great andhigh, with iron plates upon them and knobs like the points of spearsbeaten blunt.

  The Lady Ysolinde, who had often ridden that way, told us that these wereall in the Duke Casimir's country, and were mostly possessed by the kinof his chief captains--feudal tenants, who for the right of possessionwere compelled to furnish so many riders to the Duke's Companies.

  "But wait," she said, "till you come to the dominions of the Prince ofPlassenburg. You will find that he is indeed a ruler that can make thebroom-bush keep the cow."

  So we rode on, and passed pleasant and exciting things, more than I hadever seen in all my life before.

  Once we saw half a dozen men driving cattle across our path, and it wascurious to mark how readily they drew their swords and couched theirlances at us, turning themselves about this way and that like a quintaintill we were quite gone by, which made us laugh. For it seemed a strangething that men so well armed should fear a company of no more than theirown numbers, and two of them maids upon palfreys.

  But Ysolinde said: "It is not, after all, so strange, for over yonderblue hills dwells Joan of the Swordhand, who can lead a foray as well asany man, and once worsted Duke Casimir himself when he beset her castle."

  So the day went past swiftly, with good company and the converse of folkwell liking one another. And ever I wondered how we were to spend thenight, and what sort of cheer we should find at our inn.