The Armourer's Apprentice — page 23: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

* ‘ WY r ’ : * é * ? - 7 ‘ F ; v ad 7 - - >? " > > ~ « % Heetsees sti ci SAL" AP v * - ' ae - ; ‘ ‘ 7 - 5 i’? “tt heave known of the whole plot. f _ swear that he shall be madeto answer dearly | og this.” _ “Patience! patience!” cried Kin, Richard, " I have sent for one who can, if he will, throw much A. tf upon the subject, and” aere he « comes, Stand back, gentlemen, and Tet my men bring Robert the Armourer She ore me.” AS nobles drew back, and Robert Smith, een two soldiers, marched. up to the Aer «Robert | Smith,” said Richard Coeur de Lion, sternly, “ hast thou heard that thy daughter hath been carried Se og Sir : eon hand the Lord de Courey, that My ix n de ding her this noble gent mae slew | wien George Wynyard ?” be “ ‘For which I give him little thanks,” W owled the smith, as he cast a look of hatred at our hero. “He was for ever qf placing stumbling-blocks in my way. Woe 3 the day that I took him under my roof. WE ; father was a ne’er-do-well, and had it AG ot been for the dame I should have left _ him to starve, and have been a happier man, ” for he ever brought misery to my house.” “Because thou didst cause it,” cried Will 3 Pe the Bow, thrusting himself forward. _ Pell me, who was this lad’s father?” ge «5 we not pans said Robert Smith, Sy Ba 5, SUT iou wilt we ray 1” cried Will. “ How Ne ap hast thou declared that he is the oop an of some poor relation or friend, and t thou didst take him out of charit a ‘hou take a child out of charity! W x thou wouldst not take a pup dog to save : ‘its life, Speak honestly. Who is this lad’s ther?” . .- a or a moment the smith seemed startled at this sudden attack, but quickly recover- ine himself he made reply with a bitter he i sgt us ou art like all friends, Master Will, _ do more injury than good, I still tell thee ;I know not who this lad’s father is. _ mother had left him todie. My wife pitied my the lad and as we had no children I agreed ake him. To cover his shame i called oh See I now disown him.” “Lead the dog away,” said Richard, “and | n to the question. We will soon see ] refuse to answer us.” nay, my liege!” cried Sir Stephen, et not be so treated. For aught f pa he says may be true, and then saa suffer for having done a good | AU J pray is that thou wilt order - that tthe beauteous maid, Alice, be instantly . ‘2 - é Ore a be i e7.¥ . By ty, _* « re j ‘ ee ‘Ney, ba “KING RICHARD AND THE ARMOURER. I fo ind him s rawling in a ditch, where his | 24 xt 1b was ie Earl of eniolek: elit he ~* Alas! my gon, Jexolatined the Bichop of Rochester, “ that is impossible.” “ How impossible!” thundered the ki “Tf I command it is there a man in ail Englarid who dare disobey me ?” “No one in England,” replied the Bishop ; ‘but the Lord de Courey is out of Eng- land.” “Out of England ! Whither hath the | cowardly traitor flown ?” crieaSir Stephen. “YT know not. Sir Hubert de Burg, know- ing-that the Harl of Beauclerk was not at the abbey, and also that he had not a daughter, at once, as high constable of Essex, despatched a troop of horse from Hadleigh Castle with orders that the Lord de Courcy and the lady should be given over to him, and then he learned that all the party had sailed in a ship called the Leopard to the Holy Land.” “And this so-called Earl of Beauclerk— knowst thou whom he could he, SirRalph?” “TI know not, s ny liege, unless it be Sir Bidulph, and so I t it must have been.” “And you, sir Smith,” cried the king, turning to the armourer, “ have you no tear for the loss of your daughter—your only child !” “None,” replied the smith, doggedly. “She was not my child |” “Not your child!” cried the knights and barons, “No; Sir Bidulph de Boischene, the Kni ht Templar, 3 is her father.” ou lie!" cried Stephen, trembling with ee “Would you disgrace your own ehild ?” “« She is no child of mine, I tell you. Sir Bidulphb entrusted her to my keeping when a babe scarcely a month old. He paid me well, and I held my tongue. S’blood! you would not have me refuse the Knight Templars money.” “Stay!” cried the king, “ how know you that this was the knight’s child?” ‘“ For the simple reason that men do not keep other men’s children for nothing.” “But you have done soif your story be true about Sir Stephen.” “Ah! but my wife made me do that, and being 2 Knigh t Templar, Sir Bidulph could not marry, hence his anxiety to keep the matter dark and to make his nephew wed the lady. “Will you swear to this?” demanded the king, looking sternly at the armourer. _“T know nothing for certaim beyond that Alice is no child of mine, and that Sir Bidulph brought her unto me and placed her in charge of my wife, Dame Margery. { grew fond of the girl, and would have had her wed SpeOREE Wynyard, whom yonder knight slew. It eeems her father EGomicbooks (E(@) (E