H. C. Bailey

“ Who made you lord of our castle?"
"Lady Eleanor, none born of woman rides out of Shrewsbury this day but by the king's own order."
"I go riding, rogue."
"It can not be. You go no whither, lady."
"You—you are to hold me at your will?"
"I dare not risk you, lady. Here are you safe. Without these walls you go upon you know not what. There be evil men abroad."
"Fie, you prate like the coward clerk you are. Where is your king, then?"
"Nay, if the queen knows not, who am I to know? This only I know, that I do his will. When the king comes again let him judge if I have done you wrong." ”

“ Nenny, nenny, poor Bran is a fool. There is no past nor time to come. Now is all. What hath been is naught and hath no power over what shall come, if what now is is wisely done and well. That is the faith for man. Now is all, Bran, my brother. But you are no man. You have no life. You are a dreamer and a dream. You are a word in the air, you are a thought in the mind, you are a hope in the heart. ”

“ Izan stole one glance at him and shrank away behind him and leaned by the window, her bound hands at the wound in her breast.
"God's blood, the Angevin shows sport," Roger cried and drank again.
"To a merry meeting in hell! Drink it down, Roger. We shall all be there soon enough."
"You are something nearer than I, Henry."
"Yes, faith! By an hour. To-day for me, to-morrow for you, Roger. How many be here will see the sun o' Sunday?"
"Care not you for that. You have——"
"God's body, not I. It will be a merry onfall in Bridgenorth. But that is your share. I shall lie warm with the devil." ”

“ So in Bridgenorth to hold the castle de Lucy was left and the king stormed back to Shrewsbury.
YOU see him again in that room where the story began, Becket standing before him, grave and austere, Bran at his feet fondling him. "My brother, my brother, there are wounds on you."
"The fox snaps when you break him. It is nothing. Where is my true queen, Bran?"
"Nay, brother, I know not. The best of all is you are safe. Oh, give God thanks and be kind."
"Fool, fool," the king put a hand on the big head. "You would cry heaven in hell. Bid her come, my lord." ”

“ You live among the hovels. You choose out men base-born, no man's sons, to honor, like this son of earth that is your new chancellor, like the fool who lies there. These are our king's men. Death of God, what a king! ”

“ The men who had mocked began to look at him with something like fear. "There is a devil in that one. God save us, they are the devil's own seed, those Angevins. Nay, but no man can live in such a madness as that. What if he die upon our hands?" So they talked and Henry heard nothing, knew nothing but his own passion.
When he rode out from Shrewsbury in the morning there was one who marked him far off beyond the river, one who saw the queen with Roger Mortimer on the walls; Bran, his fool, and of all that he saw Bran liked nothing. ”

“ That would glad your queen's heart, Henry."
The king laughed. "She tarries, good Roger, she tarries. Women are wayward. What if she comes not? Look and see. What if she hath mocked our Roger?"
"God's blood, you shall not mock me," Roger cried and drew his sword and rushed at him. The king flung up his bound arms, to meet the blow. He turned it, not without blood, but as it fell it sheared through the cords and the straining arms sprang apart. ”

“ He will dare, but not do. The king shall live out his days for Roger. God is my trust, I know he shall be safe. But Roger hath troubled the land too long. Now may we strike and strike home."
"Yea, yea. It is a wise Thomas. Swift it thinks and clear. Yet to the heart of things it sees not."
"What is the heart, then?"
"See where she goes, madam queen." He pointed out to the courtyard, where Eleanor stood with a squire of her household cloaked for the saddle.
"God's body, she would ride to Bridgenorth," Becket cried.
"You have said, brother. There is the sad heart of all." ”

“ You come and go and naught is done. Na, Na, God have mercy, brother, but what should I do, I? If I could make the man to my pleasure, naught should fall him but grief beyond measure. What can I give him with all my care but a burden all too heavy to bear? ”

“ You made Dan Becket. And, faith, he can deck it, until he shall wreck it."
"How now?" The big brow gathered. "What has the fool against my friend?"
"Speak good words, brother. The fool is the older friend."
"And the friend is jealous of the new?" Henry flung an arm about him. "Bran, Bran, you are a child."
"Nenny, brother. Bran fears naught nor needs aught," he touched the king's hand.
"What, then? The man is a true man."
"Yea, yea. The man is true and the man is wise. But the violent man shall not live out half his days."
"Violent? God's body, he is the courtliest of us all. What, man ”

“ Girl and man too. Coney and stoat. I swear to you I will snatch them up and bear them off to my hold in Bridgenorth if you will give me your banner to bear. Come! All the marches will rise for me and if we strike under the queen's banner the lords of the north will join hands with us and we will make an end of this king of scullions and Eleanor shall be the lady of England. Do you dare? ”