So for a little while Myles was disposed to congratulate himselfupon having come off so well from his adventure with the Earl.
But after a day or two had passed, and he had time for secondthought, he began to misdoubt whether, after all, he might nothave carried it with a better air if he had shown more chivalrousboldness in the presence of his true lady; whether it would nothave redounded more to his credit if he had in some way assertedhis rights as the young dame's knight- errant and defender. Wasit not ignominious to resign his rights and privileges so easilyand tamely at a signal from the Earl?
"For, in sooth," said he to Gascoyne, as the two talked thematter over, "she hath, in a certain way, accepted me for herknight, and yet I stood me there without saying so much as onesingle word in her behalf.""Nay," said Gascoyne, "I would not trouble me on that score.
Methinks that thou didst come off wondrous well out of thebusiness. I would not have thought it possible that my Lord couldha' been so patient with thee as he showed himself. Methinks,forsooth, he must hold thee privily in right high esteem.""Truly," said Myles, after a little pause of meditative silence,"I know not of any esteem, yet I do think he was passing patientwith me in this matter. But ne'theless, Francis, that changethnot my stand in the case. Yea, I did shamefully, so to resign mylady without speaking one word; nor will I so resign her evenyet. I have bethought me much of this matter of late, Francis,and now I come to thee to help me from my evil case. I would havethee act the part of a true friend to me--like that one I havetold thee of in the story of the Emperor Justinian. I would havethee, when next thou servest in the house, to so contrive that myLady Alice shall get a letter which I shall presently write, andwherein I may set all that is crooked straight again.""Heaven forbid," said Gascoyne, hastily, "that I should be such afool as to burn my fingers in drawing thy nuts from the fire!
Deliver thy letter thyself, good fellow!"So spoke Gascoyne, yet after all he ended, as he usually did, byyielding to Myles's superior will and persistence. So the letterwas written and one day the good-natured Gascoyne carried it withhim to the house, and the opportunity offering, gave it to one ofthe young ladies attendant upon the Countess's family--a lasswith whom he had friendly intimacy--to be delivered to LadyAlice.
But if Myles congratulated himself upon the success of this newadventure, it was not for long. That night, as the crowd of pagesand squires were making themselves ready for bed, the call camethrough the uproar for "Myles Falworth! Myles Falworth!""Here I be," cried Myles, standing up on his cot. "Who callethme?"It was the groom of the Earl's bedchamber, and seeing Mylesstanding thus raised above the others, he came walking down thelength of the room towards him, the wonted hubbub graduallysilencing as he advanced and the youngsters turning, staring, andwondering.
"My Lord would speak with thee, Myles Falworth," said the groom,when he had come close enough to where Myles stood. "Busk theeand make ready; he is at livery even now."The groom's words fell upon Myles like a blow. He stood for awhile staring wide-eyed. "My Lord speak with me, sayst thou!" heejaculated at last.
"Aye," said the other, impatiently; "get thee ready quickly. Imust return anon."
Myles's head was in a whirl as he hastily changed his clothes fora better suit, Gascoyne helping him. What could the Earl wantwith him at this hour? He knew in his heart what it was; theinterview could concern nothing but the letter that he had sentto Lady Alice that day. As he followed the groom through the nowdark and silent courts, and across the corner of the greatquadrangle, and so to the Earl's house, he tried to brace hisfailing courage to meet the coming interview. Nevertheless, hisheart beat tumultuously as he followed the other down the longcorridor, lit only by a flaring link set in a wrought-ironbracket. Then his conductor lifted the arras at the door of thebedchamber, whence came the murmuring sound of many voices, andholding it aside, beckoned him to enter, and Myles passed within.
At the first, he was conscious of nothing but a crowd of people,and of the brightness of many lighted candles; then he saw thathe stood in a great airy room spread with a woven mat of rushes.
On three sides the walls were hung with tapestry representinghunting and battle scenes, at the farther end, where the bedstood, the stone wall of the fourth side was covered with clothof blue, embroidered with silver goshawks. Even now, in the ripespringtime of May, the room was still chilly, and a great fireroared and crackled in the huge gaping mouth of the stonefireplace. Not far from the blaze were clustered the greater partof those present, buzzing in talk, now and then swelled bymurmuring laughter. Some of those who knew Myles nodded to him,and two or three spoke to him as he stood waiting, whilst thegroom went forward to speak to the Earl; though what they saidand what he answered, Myles, in his bewilderment and trepidation,hardly knew.
