CHAPTER XVIII
A NOBLE GIFT
The pace at which the party started soon slackened, for neither Albertnor Hal Carter could maintain it. However, it was not long before theyheard the sentry challenge:
"Who go there?"
"Sir Albert De Courcy and Sir Edgar Ormskirk escaped from Ypres," Edgaranswered.
"Stand where you are till I call the sergeant," the man said, andshouted "Sergeant!" at the top of his voice. In five minutes a sergeantand two men-at-arms came up.
"Hurry, sergeant, I pray you," Edgar said. "We have swum three ditches,and my companions, being weakened by their wounds, are well-nighperished."
"Come on," the sergeant said, "it is clear at any rate that you areEnglishmen." He had brought a torch with him, and as they came uplooked at them narrowly, then he saluted. "I know you, Sir Edgar,disguised as you are. I was fighting behind you on the wall five weekssince, and had it not been for the strength of your arm, I should havereturned no more to England."
"How is Sir Hugh Calverley?" Edgar asked, as they hurried towards thecamp.
"His wounds are mending fast," the sergeant said, "and he went out ofhis tent to-day for the first time. I saw him myself."
A quarter of an hour's walking brought them to the tent occupied by SirHugh and his followers. A light was still burning there, and they heardvoices within.
"May we enter?" Edgar said, as he slightly opened the flap of the tent.
"Surely, that must be the voice of Sir Edgar Ormskirk!" Sir Hughexclaimed.
"It is I, sure enough, and with me is Sir Albert De Courcy and my braveman-at-arms."
As he spoke he stepped into the tent. Two knights were there, and theyand Sir Hugh advanced with outstretched hands to meet the new-comers.
"Welcome back, welcome back!" Sir Hugh exclaimed, in a tone of emotion."My brave knights, I and my two comrades here have to thank you for ourlives, for, although in truth I know naught about it, I have heard fromSir Thomas Vokes and Sir Tristram Montford how you brought the band toour assistance, and how you kept the enemy at bay, while this goodfellow of yours bore me down the ladder on his shoulder; while fromthose who escaped afterwards we heard how you both, with but two orthree others, kept the foe back, and gave time for the rest to jumpfrom the walls or slide down the ladders. But your faces are blue, andyour teeth chattering!"
"We have had to swim three ditches, and the ice having formed prettythickly, it was no child's work."
"First, do you each drain a goblet of wine," Sir Hugh said, "and thento your tent. All your things are untouched. Knights, will you go withthem and rub them down till their skin glows, and then wrap them up inblankets?" He called, and two servants came in. "Heat three bottles ofwine in a bowl with plenty of spices," he said, "and carry it to theseknights' tent, and take a portion to the tent of their men-at-arms forthe use of this good fellow. See that your comrades rub you down," hesaid to Hal. "They will be glad indeed to see you back; for, althoughwe heard from a prisoner that the two knights were alive, we knew notwhether any others had been taken with them. Tell Hawkins to light twotorches at once and fix them in the knights' tent, and put two othersin that of the men-at-arms. Mind, Sir Edgar, once between the blankets,you stay there till morning. Your story will keep until then."
After throwing off their wet clothes, and being rubbed down until theyglowed, Edgar and Albert were soon covered up in blankets, and afterdrinking the hot spiced wine, soon fell asleep. In the morning theyrelated their story to Sir Hugh Calverley and the other two knights.
"'Tis Sir Edgar who should tell the tale," Albert said, "for indeed Iknow but little about it from the time I saw you lowered over the wall.Things went well with us for a time; we were joined by more men, andwere strong enough to divide into two parties, Edgar going to the rightwhile I went to the left. We cleared the wall for some distance, andmethinks had there been ladders, so that we could have been helped morequickly, the town would have been won, but the enemy were reinforcedmore quickly than we were, and we began to lose ground. Then came abody of knights who beat us back till we were close to the point wherethe ladders were set. Then a knight made at me with a mace. I saw hisarms raised, and after that I knew nothing more."
"The last man who jumped from the wall, Sir Albert, told us that he sawthat you were down and that Sir Edgar and one of his men-at-arms werefighting like demons over you. Now, Sir Edgar, tell us how the matterended."
"We made a shift to keep them back, Sir Hugh, for some five minutes,when one of the French knights offered to give us terms of surrender onransom, and seeing no use in fighting longer when the matter could onlyhave terminated one way, I surrendered."
Then he related the good treatment they had met with at the hands ofSir Robert De Beaulieu, and the manner in which he had enabled them toescape the fury of the rabble of Ypres, and had sent them away freefrom ransom.
"It was well done, indeed, of him," Sir Hugh said, warmly. "Truly acourteous and knightly action. And so you have both given your pledgeto fight no more in this campaign. By St. George, I should not beill-pleased if someone would put me under a similar pledge, for I tellyou that I am heartily sick of it. Never did so disordered an armystart from England. An army led by bishops and priests is somethingstrange. Bishops have before now ridden often in battle, but neverbefore did they assume command. Methinks when I go home that I will askthe king to give me the direction of Westminster Monastery and Abbey;at any rate I could not make a worse hand of it than the Bishop ofNorwich is doing of this. And you say that De Beaulieu promised to sendyour armour on the first opportunity. That is, indeed, a generousaction, for the armour of a prisoner is always the property of hiscaptor, and your armour is of great value. I would that we could dosomething to show the good knight that we appreciate his generosity."
"We have our chains," Edgar said. "Of course we did not carry themabout us when we should have to fight, and they are very heavy and ofthe finest workmanship. These would we gladly send to him, would wenot, Albert, in token of our gratitude? Though, costly as they are,they are of much less value than the armour."
"I would gladly add something of my own account," Sir Hugh said,"seeing that you are in my train, and one does not like to be surpassedby a foreign knight. As to the matter of the ransom, that does nottrouble me, and indeed, seeing that you surrendered to him, and that hefelt that he could not give protection, and you had to risk your livesin getting away, it was but reasonable that he should remit it, but inthe matter of the armour the case is different. I will add to yourchains a reliquary which was presented to me by Pedro of Castile when Isaved his life in the fight at Najarra. He told me that it contained anail of the true cross, and that it was brought to Spain by a Spaniardof royal blood who was a knight commander of the Temple.
"I do not know how far this is true, for as one gets older one losesfaith in these monkish stories of reliquaries. However, the casket isset with gems of value, and there is with it a parchment setting forthits history; at any rate it is a gift that is worthy of even a prince'sacceptance. I will send it to him as a token that Sir Hugh Calverleyrecognizes his chivalrous behaviour to the knights who were capturedwhile covering his carriage from the ramparts of Ypres, and, therefore,sends this gift to him in all honour and courtesy, together with thegold chains of the knights themselves. We shall not have long to wait.There are fights well-nigh every day, and when these are over there isa truce of an hour to carry off the wounded and dead."
The young knights thanked Sir Hugh for thus generously supplementingtheir own offering in return for their armour, but he waved it aside.
"You saved my life," he said; "or at any rate you saved me fromcapture, and had I fallen into their hands methinks that I should havehad to pay a far heavier ransom before they let me out again."
Two days later there was heavy fighting again and much loss on bothsides. It ceased as usual without any advantage being won by thebesiegers. The fighting ended soon after mid-day, and at one o'clockthe trumpet sounded a truce
. Sir Hugh mounted, with his two knights,saying to Edgar: "It were perhaps best that you should not ride withme. 'Tis likely that the townsmen still think that you are inBeaulieu's house, and were it known that you had escaped it might bringtrouble upon him and the two knights who aided your escape from thewall."
He took with him a pursuivant and trumpeter, and, riding through theEnglish and Flemish men-at-arms, who were already engaged in carryingaway the dead and wounded, he rode up to within a short distance of thewall, then the pursuivant and trumpeter advanced to the edge of themoat, and the latter blew a loud blast.
In a short time a knight appeared on the wall, and the pursuivant criedin a loud voice:
"Sir Hugh Calverley, a valiant and puissant knight of England, desiresspeech with Sir Robert De Beaulieu, a brave and gentle knight ofFlanders."
"I am Sir Robert De Beaulieu. Pray tell Sir Hugh Calverley to do me thecourtesy to wait for me a quarter of an hour, and I will then issueforth and speak to him."
At the end of that time Sir Robert rode out, and crossed the bridgewhich had been lowered across the ditch for the passage of the soldiersengaged in collecting the dead. He was followed by two esquires andfour men-at-arms, the latter bearing something behind them on theirhorses. The two knights saluted each other courteously, and Sir Hughintroduced his two companions to Sir Robert.
"I am glad, indeed," the latter said to Calverley, "thus to have theopportunity of meeting one of the most famous knights in Europe. Mymen-at-arms are bearers of the armour of Sir Edgar Ormskirk and SirAlbert De Courcy, who are, I believe, knights riding in your train. Ipromised them that I would send the armour on the first opportunity,and am glad indeed that the occasion has come so speedily."
He and Sir Hugh had both dismounted after saluting each other, and thelatter held out his mailed hand to the Fleming.
"Sir Robert De Beaulieu," he said, "I have heard of you as a brave andhonourable knight, and you have in this matter proved yourself to be achivalrous and generous one in thus rendering up the spoil fairly wonby you, without ransom; but it is not our custom to be outdone ingenerosity. The armour is of no ordinary value, and, as these knightsof mine were made prisoners while covering my removal when insensibleand helpless, I feel that the debt is mine as well as theirs. They havebegged me to give you these two chains, both, as you see, of value, andof the best Italian work. To these I add, as a token of my esteem foryou, this casket, which was given to me by Don Pedro of Spain when Irode with the Black Prince to aid him in his struggle with Don Henry.As you will see by the parchment attached to the casket, it contains anail of the true cross, brought from Palestine by a Spanish grandee whowas knight commander of the Spanish branch of the Knights Templar. Ipray you to accept it, not as part of the ransom for my knights'armour, but as a proof of my esteem for one who has shown himself aflower of knightly courtesy."
"It would be churlish, Sir Hugh Calverley, for me to refuse so noble agift thus courteously tendered. I shall prize it beyond any in mypossession, not only for its own value and holiness, but as the gift ofso noble and famous a knight. As to the chains, I pray you to returnthem to your brave young knights. Never did I see men who borethemselves more gallantly, and Sir Edgar, especially, withstood withhonour a score of us for some time, and at last he yielded, not becausehe was conquered, but to save further bloodshed. They are young, andmay, like enough, some day be again made prisoners. In that case theymay find the chains, which are of singular beauty, of value to them;therefore, I pray you, hand them back to them again as a token of howwarmly I appreciate their bravery and conduct."
"Right gladly will I do so. As you put it in that way, Sir Robert, theywill appreciate the gift as much as I do, and, as you say, maybe thechains will be useful to them some day, for they are not of those whobattle for spoil, and, like myself, have refused all share in thatwhich the army has taken in Flanders, holding that we had no cause ofdispute with your people, and that our assault upon them was unfairlyand unjustly made."
After some more compliments had been exchanged, the two knights graspedeach other's hands courteously, remounted, and then saluting again,rode off. While the conversation had been going on, Sir Robert'smen-at-arms had handed over the armour to the three retainers who hadridden behind Sir Hugh and his two knights.
Edgar and Albert were delighted at regaining their armour. It wouldhave been impossible for them to have replaced the harness by similarsuits, and, moreover, they felt that they would have been humiliatedhad they, on their return to England, been obliged to confess to SirRobert Gaiton that they had lost the splendid presents that he hadgiven them. They were less pleased at the return of their chains, butSir Hugh assured them that it would be an act of discourtesy were theyto send them back to De Beaulieu.
There was now nothing to detain them longer in the camp, and takingleave of Sir Hugh, they started the next morning, with Hal Carter andthe other surviving retainers, and rode by easy stages to Gravelines,where they took ship for Dover. Instead of riding directly home, theyjourneyed to London, as they were bearers of a letter from Sir HughCalverley to the council, and one also to the king. The latter receivedthem with marked pleasure.
"What! back from the wars, sir knights?" he said, as they handed himSir Hugh's letter. "Surely Calverley might have chosen as hismessengers some whose swords could have been better spared."
"We were chosen, your Majesty, because we had the misfortune to betaken prisoners at Ypres, and it was a condition of our release that weshould take no further part in the campaign, and as we were returningin consequence, Sir Hugh committed to us this letter to yourself, andone to the council."
"Prisoners!" the king said, with a laugh; "that you had got yourselveskilled would not have surprised me, but that you should surrender neverentered my mind."
The two young knights coloured.
"It cannot be said that Sir Albert surrendered," Edgar said, "seeingthat he was insensible from his wounds. As for myself, your Majesty, asI and one of my men-at-arms stood alone on the walls of Ypressurrounded by foes, I trust that your Majesty will see that it waswiser for me to yield, and so to have the opportunity of fighting againsome day under your royal banner, than to give away my life uselessly."
"Assuredly, assuredly," the young king said, hastily. "I did but jest,Sir Edgar, for I know that so long as a chance of victory remained, youwould not lower your sword. However, let me see what the stout knightsays. I know already that he does not approve of the way in which thewar is being carried on; and, indeed, had we thought that theheadstrong bishop would have disregarded Sir Hugh's counsel andembroiled us with the Flemings, whom we regard as our allies, we shouldnot have placed him at the head of the army, for though it is but, asthe bishop maintains, a church army, and not an English army, Europewill assuredly hold us responsible for its doings."
He cut with his dagger the silk that bound the roll of parchmenttogether.
The king read the letter carefully, and when he concluded said:
"Truly, young sirs, you have borne yourselves right gallantly and well;Sir Hugh Calverley speaks strongly indeed in your favour, and says thathe owes his freedom if not his life to you. And now, tell me, think youthat Ypres will be taken?"
"I fear not, your Majesty," Edgar said. "I thought that the siege ofOudenarde was worse conducted than anything I had ever read of, but thesiege of Ypres is to the full as faulty. The place is strong andstoutly defended, and it can only be taken by regular works erectedagainst it and machines placed to batter a breach. Nothing of this sorthas been attempted. The troops march valiantly against the walls, butthey throw away their lives in vain; and if, as is said, the Frenchking is marching to its assistance with a strong army, there will benaught for us but to retreat to the ports unless strong aid arrivesfrom England."
"But the bishop has some eight thousand Englishmen and twenty thousandGhentois," the king said. "Surely we might fight and win, as ourgrandfathers did at Crecy."
"Yes, sire; but the English army at Crecy was commanded b
y a king, andwas composed of good fighting men, with a great number of knights andnobles to lead them. The army in Flanders is commanded by a bishop, andthere are many of the men who have gone over for the sake of plunder,and they will make but a poor stand in battle."
"My uncle of Lancaster has gathered a large force, and is ready tocross over to their aid," the king said.
"So we have heard by the way, sire, and if he joins the bishop all maybe well, for his authority would be paramount, but at present he hasnot crossed, and unless he arrives before the King of France, thingswill assuredly go badly with the bishop."
"I have no doubt that Sir Hugh has set forth these matters in hisletter to the council," the king said, "but assuredly Lancaster shouldbe there in time. And now, tell me how you made your escape from Ypres."
Edgar related the circumstances.
"Your captor was an honourable gentleman," the king said, "and it iswell that you escaped, for these Flemish burghers are masterful men andmight well have murdered you. I must now to the council; I havesummoned it to assemble. Have you been home yet?"
"No, sire. Our first duty was to bring you the letters, but, with yourpermission, we shall ride down into Kent tomorrow."
"Do you know that your friend Van Voorden has again returned to London?He found that he could do naught in Flanders, which at present iswholly at the orders of the King of France."
They rode first to Sir Robert Gaiton's house, where, as always, theywere welcomed most warmly, and Albert narrated their adventures inFlanders, and how they still owned the armour he had given them.
After staying there for some time they went to the house where VanVoorden was lodging, having obtained his address from Sir RobertGaiton. They had not seen him since they had parted from him in Ghent,a year before.
"I thought you intended to settle in Flanders, Mynheer," Edgar said,after the first greetings were over.
"I hoped to do so, and after I left Antwerp I went to Louvain and tooka house there, but when the King of France defeated and killed VanArtevelde, and all Flanders save Ghent came under his power, thecountry was no longer safe for me. It was known, of course, that I wasfor many years here, and that I had done all in my power to effect aleague between Ghent and England, so three months ago I crossed hither,leaving my wife and daughter at Louvain. I stopped for a short time atGhent, and had much to do with bringing it about that Ghent should sendan army to assist the English; but I fear that the doings of thebishop's troops--the sacking of towns by them--has so set the Flemingsagainst England that there is no hope of a general alliance being madewith Flanders.
"There were other things for which I wished to come over. I had hopedto return before this, but matters seem to be going on but badly, andif the King of France and his army defeat or drive out the bishop, hispower will be greater than ever in Flanders, and in that case I shallsend for my wife and daughter to come over again, and establish myselfhere finally."
On taking leave of them he handed a wooden box to each, saying:
"I pray you not to open these until you reach home."
The next day Edgar and Albert rode down into Kent. Great was thesurprise that their presence excited when they arrived at De Courcy'scastle. Aline ran down into the courtyard and embraced her brotherwarmly, and then, as was the custom, held up her cheek to be kissed byEdgar.
"What, tired of the wars already?" she said, laughing. "Or have youkilled all your enemies? or how is it that you are here?"
"We have been prisoners, Aline," her brother said, "and have been boundto take no farther part in the war."
"Prisoners!" she repeated; "you are joking with me, Albert. Surely youand Edgar would never have surrendered unharmed?"
"Nor did we, Aline. I was cut down and stunned by the blow of a mace,and was lying insensible."
"And what was Edgar doing?" she asked, looking reproachfully at him.
"Edgar was not near me when I was struck down, Aline, but no sooner didI fall than he, with his man-at-arms, Hal Carter, stood over me andkept at bay a host of knights and soldiers, and slew so many that theywere glad at last to give him terms of surrender."
The girl's face flushed, and she would have spoken had not Sir Ralphand her mother at that moment issued from the door.
"Why! what brings you home, lads?" Sir Ralph asked, heartily.
"They have been taken prisoners, father," Aline interposed, "and Alberthas been wounded, and they have both been obliged to give their parolenot to serve again through the war."
"That is bad news indeed," the knight said. "It means another farmgone, and perhaps two, to pay for Albert's ransom. However, it is thefortune of war. Now come in and tell us all about it; but doubtless youare both hungry, and the matter will keep till you have dined. The mealis already on the table. You are not looking much the worse for yourwounds, Albert," his father went on as they seated themselves at table.
"I have been healed of them for the last month, father. I was broughtdown by the blow of a mace, which would have finished me had it notbeen for the good work put into my helmet by the Milanese armourer.Also I had a wound on the neck, but fortunately it was not very deep."
"And did you come out of it scatheless, Edgar?"
"Nearly scatheless, for I knew not that I had been wounded until thefight was over, and it was but a pike thrust that entered at theshoulder-joint and cut the flesh thence to the neck. It was but anaffair of a bandage and a bit of plaster. The only one seriously hurtwas Hal Carter--it was some three weeks before he began to mend. He hadhalf a dozen wounds. Another of my men was killed and two of Albert's."
"Now let us hear all about it," Sir Ralph said when the meal was over;"that you bore yourselves well I have no doubt, but I would fain hearthe details of the matter."
Albert told the whole story of the assault and the escape, interruptedby Edgar, who protested that Albert was always belittling his owndoings, and giving him credit when everything had been done equally bythem both.
"You blame Albert unjustly, Edgar," Sir Ralph said when the story wasconcluded. "Albert has behaved well, but he has neither your strength,your skill, nor your quickness. It was you who thought of carrying thebroken ladder to another spot, and so taking the besieged on the wallby surprise, and you were the first to mount it. It was you who, whenyou saw that the case had become altogether hopeless, ordered thesoldiers to save themselves, while you held the enemy at bay. Albertwould like enough have been killed, had you not so stoutly defended himthat they gave terms of surrender to you both. You, again, had the ideaof making your escape along the roofs, and took the lead in it. Thereis all credit due to Albert that he well seconded you, but it was youwho led. Again, it is probable that neither he nor your man-at-armswould have been able to cross those half-frozen ditches, had you notfirst broken the ice for them and then dragged them over. You have donewonders for Albert, but you could not accomplish miracles. You havetransformed him from a weakling into a brave young knight, of whom I amproud, but you cannot give him your strength or your quickness. If yougo on as you have began, Edgar, you will become a famous captain. Hewill remain, and will be content to remain, your companion andlieutenant. What have you in those boxes that were strapped behind yoursaddles?"
"I know not, Sir Ralph," Albert said. "They were given to us by MynheerVan Voorden, and he charged us not to open them until we arrived here."
"It is a mystery, then!" Aline exclaimed. "Let us send for them andopen them at once. I am glad one of the boxes was not given to me totake care of, for I am afraid I should never have had the patience towait until I arrived here before opening it."
Sir Ralph ordered the boxes to be brought in. "They are light enough,"he said, "and I should judge from their weight that they contain papersof some sort. Open yours first, Albert."
They were fastened by three skeins of silk, the Fleming's seal beingaffixed to the knots.
"Cut them, Albert!" Aline exclaimed, as her brother proceeded to breakthe seals and untie the knots.
"No, no," he
said; "silk is not to be picked up on the wayside, and itwill be little trouble to undo them."
Indeed, in a minute he had unfastened the knots and raised the lid. Atthe top lay a piece of paper, on which was written, _A slight testimonyof gratitude for inestimable services rendered to yours gratefully,John Van Voorden_. Underneath was a roll of parchment.
"What have we here?" Sir Ralph said. Albert ran his eye over thecrabbed black-letter writing, and gave an exclamation of surprise.
"Now, then, Albert," Aline exclaimed, impatiently, "don't keep it allto yourself. We are burning to know what it is all about!"
Albert made no reply, but continued to read. "It is an assignment tome," he said, at last, in a low and agitated voice, "of the lands,castle, messuages, tenements, etc., of Cliffe."
Sir Ralph leapt to his feet. "A princely gift, Albert! The lands arefour times as large as mine, and as I have heard, a fair castle hasbeen rising there for months past. Art sure that there is no mistake?"
"There can be no mistake in the deed, father; but can I accept such agift at the hands of the Fleming?"
"That you can, my son, and without any hesitation. Van Voorden is knownto be the richest Fleming in England. He has on various occasions lentvast sums to the king and council, and noble as the gift is, it is onethat he can doubtless well afford. You have saved the lives of himself,his wife, and daughter, and he may well feel grateful. He told me whenhe gave you that suit of armour that it was no recognition of what hefelt he owed you, and that he hoped in the future to discharge the debtmore worthily. Now, Edgar, let us see what is in your box."
Edgar had been quietly untying the knots of the silk, and the box wasalready open. The words on the top were similar to those in Albert'sbox.
"Please read it, Albert," he said, handing over the parchment. "You candecipher the characters better than I can." Albert read it through tohimself.
"'Tis similar to mine," he said, "and assigns you the land, manors, thecastle, and all rights and privileges thereto appertaining of thehundred of Hoo."
"Bravo, bravo!" Sir Ralph exclaimed. "Another noble gift, and fullyequal to that of Albert. This Fleming is a very prince. I congratulateyou, Edgar, with all my heart. I had heard that Sir John Evesham hadsold his estates, which comprise the whole hundred of Hoo, a yearsince, in order to live at Court, but none seemed to know who was thepurchaser. I heard, too, that a large number of men had been employedin building a castle on the heights looking down the Medway past Upnorto Chatham. Why, lads, if you ever win to the rank of knight banneret,you will have land enough to support the dignity, and to take the fieldwith two or three knights and a fair following of men-at-arms in yourtrain. I have gained good sums for the ransom of prisoners, but I neverhad the luck to save the life of a Flemish merchant and his family."
"It seems well-nigh impossible," Edgar said.
"You must remember, Edgar, that these rich Flemings are the bankers ofhalf the princes in Europe. You, who have been in their houses, knowthat they live in comfort and luxury such as none of our noblespossess. They could find the money for a king's ransom, or paybeforehand the taxes of a country. If a king can grant estates likethese to his favourites, and not only the king, but many of our noblescan do so, it is not strange that one of the richest of these Flemingsshould make such gifts to those who have saved his life without feelingthat he has in any way overpaid the service."
"I must be riding on now," Edgar said, "to carry this wonderful news tomy father."
While they had been dining, Hal Carter had been getting a hearty mealin the kitchen, where he and Albert's two retainers were surrounded byall the men-at-arms, who were anxious to hear the details of theexpedition. When Edgar sent down for his horse, Sir Ralph went downwith him to the courtyard, and as Hal brought the horses round, the oldknight put his hand upon his shoulder.
"My brave fellow," he said, "I have heard how you stood with yourmaster across my son's body, and how doughtily you fought. Do notforget that I am your debtor, but for the present I can only say that Ithank you for the part you played."
"It would have been strange, indeed, Sir Ralph, had I not hit myhardest, for my own life depended upon it, and it was not like that Ishould draw back a foot when Sir Albert, whom I love only next to mymaster, was lying there; but, indeed, it was a right merry fight, theonly one that came up to my expectations of what a stiffly fought_melee_ would be. I would not have missed it for anything."