“An you touch me I’ll have you whipped, sir”; and, truth, she would,
which well I knew, for I’d felt ere this old Raoul’s whip curling about
my shoulders, all on her charges too. But that was some years since.
’Twas this wise that the present pother came about.
Of a joyous afternoon in May, my Lady Eleonore took it into her head to
go into the court to see her hawk. For these many months I’d been
training of it for her, and in all the mews there was not another flew
so true, aimed so swift, and brought back her quarry so little torn.
My Lady knew right well that the hawk was for her, but she knew not that
I thought to give it her on her fête day, which fell on the morrow. The
bird was in fine feather, not a pinion ruffed, her russet colour showing
redly in the sun,—it was a Barberry bird,—and a new hood of fine leather
on her head. On her feet, fastened by bewits of deer’s hide, hung two
Milan bells of gold,—the one, as is ever the way with choicest bells, a
semi-tone below the other. These bells I had begged from Comte Gaston,
who gave willingly enough when he knew that they were to pleasure my
Lady.
Now ’twas not my purpose that she should see the bird till next day, but
womenfolk ever contrive to mix matters up. I thought but to stay her, to
keep her jesting for a while; but her anger rose and was greater than I
knew.
She was down in the broad hall on her way to the mews, and I following
behind, before my wits, which work ever a thought slow, had conjured up
something to say.
“Pray, mistress,” saith I, “how old be you to-morrow? Let me think, will
it be all of eleven years?”
To tell truth, I knew her years as well as she. It was nine years since
my Lady’s mother, Dame Eleonore of Comminges, had brought and left her
daughter with my Lord, Gaston Phoebus, Comte de Foix.
Comte Gaston was my Lady’s cousin, and poor Dame Eleonore, her mother,
fleeing from a cruel husband, knew not where to place the child, so
sought advice from Comte Gaston, a powerful and great lord.
“Leave her with me,” saith my Lord, who had taken a fancy to my little
Lady, then but a child of three. She was the first bright thing that had
come to the old castle of Orthez, which was but a gloomy tower since in
a rage my Lord Gaston had slain his only son, and driven forth to her
own people his wife, the Princess Agnes.
Canst thou wonder that we all loved the child?
None knew nor loved her better than I, being that my Lord Gaston gave me
to be her page and playfellow, since there were but scullery maids and
some rude wenches in the castle since the Princess Agnes went forth. So
who should doubt but that I should know my Lady’s age? Besides this I
was but four years older come Hallowe’en.
Being well grown and tall, she was ever tender on the subject of her
years. By my Lord’s command, she had been taught to play on the lute,
she could walk a measure, hunt and hawk, and since the new tirewoman had
come, there had been much bravery of apparel. So ’twas but to tease her
and keep her from the mews that I put forth,—
“All of eleven years?”
“’Tis not so, and you know it,” quoth she, and then came the buffet.
I choked down my rage, and turning to those that mocked me, thought to
bring the laugh on her.
“Varlets,” cried I, “my Lady Eleonore is no longer a child, she chooses
you to know. Twelve years old will she be to-morrow, but two years
younger than our new Queen Isabeau. And who knows what brave suitor
comes to woo?”
At this they all laughed again, as in truth I hoped they would. With a
black look at me and a stamp of her foot, my Lady turns and goes up the
stair. This pleased me well, since the hawk was forgotten.
“Wit ye well, ye shall suffer for this,” sneered one of the pages,
between whom and me there was ever discord. “Your mistress wilt have you
soundly swinged, and well I pray my Lord will do it himself.”
My skin was pricking somewhat at the thought, but it behoved me to show
no signs of it; so I looked him in the eye and flung back,—
“If my Lord so much as cuffs me, thou mayst do it also”; and with that I
strolled to the mews.
I stroked the hawk, and thought how pleased my Lady would be on the
morrow to have her and fly her too, since, to pleasure my Lady, my Lord
had passed his word that we all should fly a cast with him on the broad
marches that lay to the west a league or more.
Long ere cockcrow the next day was I astir. ’Twas a bright day for me,
since my Lord had given me a new livery. For the first time I cast away
my leathern doublet and put on one of soft cloth, and drew on a brave
pair of chausses, a red one on the right leg and a green one on the
left, and tied the points to my doublet.
It needed but only a sword to make me a man!
As I stole down the stair, I crept into the great hall to take one look
into the great mirror of purest crystal which had but lately come to my
Lord from a land far over seas, called Venice.
What I saw therein causeth me to turn hot, since never thought I to look
so fine. Clapping my cap on my head, I ran to the mews, to bathe the
feet of the hawk in fair water, to settle her bells and jesses, and to
see that the hood could be quickly cast aside. Soon I heard the bustle
in the courtyard, and hurried thither with the hawk on hand.
My faith, but it was a joyous sight!
There on the highest step stood my Lord and beside him my mistress
Eleonore. My Lord was smiling at her, and well he might, she stood
beside him so straight and tall. She was in a gown of green, made of
Florence cloth, and on her head was a cap bound with many chains of
gold, which, she telleth me later, came from the same far-away country
as the mirror,—Venice. In their midst was set a stone big as a
throstle’s egg and blue as the sky. On her hips hung a girdle of gold
set close with little stones of this same sky-blue.
All this I saw as I walked from the court’s end. Coming up the steps,
said I in my bravest fashion,—
“Mistress Eleonore, here is the hawk I trained for thee; and I set the
Barberry bird upon her wrist.
“Now, Jehan, I forgive thee,” saith she, “and trust thou’lt bear in mind
that I be twelve years, not eleven. My Lord and cousin hath a gift for
thee also, and telleth me to give it thee now.”
With that she hands me out a sword,—a brave, bright sword!