SUNDAY, November 6th.--
Today I noticed Alfgar, the son of Anlaf, at the high mass, and felt a
little discomposed at the relaxation of discipline, which, contrary to
the canons of the church, permits the unbaptized, as well as persons
who ought rightly to be deemed excommunicate, or at least penitents,
to be present at the holy mysteries.
But it is not this poor boy's fault that he is not a Christian, for I
have seen him, and learned for a certainty the real state of his mind.
The way in which it came about was this. I marked that after service
he entered the woods, as if he shunned the society of his fellow
worshippers, and there I followed him, coming upon him at last, as if
by accident, in a chestnut glade, the leaves of which strewed the
ground--emblem of our fading mortality.
He started as he saw me, and at first looked as if he were inclined to
fly my presence, but I gently addressed him.
"Dominus vobiscum, my son," I said. "I am pleased to see you sometimes
at the minster church."
"I did not know I was noticed amongst so many," he replied.
"You mean, my boy, that you would sooner your presence were not
observed. I can guess your reason too well."
He looked so sad, that I was sorry I had spoken precipitately, and a
deep red blush suffused his dark countenance. He has a most attractive
face--so thoughtful, yet so manly; his mother's gentle lineaments seem
to have tempered the somewhat fierce and haughty bearing of his sire,
as they meet in the countenance of their child.
My sympathy became so deep that I could not restrain myself and spoke
out:
"My boy, will you not confide your troubles to me, for your dear
mother's sake? Do you not remember how she commended you to my care?
And never have I forgotten to pray daily that her God may be your God
also."
At the mention of his mother the tears filled his eyes. We were
sitting together on the trunk of a fallen tree, and he covered his
face with his hands, but I could see that the tears forced their way
between the fingers, and that he was sobbing violently. He is only as
yet a mere boy, and such emotion is excusable.
At last he looked up.
"I long to be a Christian like her," he said; "over and over again she
taught me, during her last days on earth, of the Christ she loved, and
who, she said, was ever near her. I have heard all about the faith she
loved, yet I am an outcast from it. What can I do?--my father will not
let me be baptized, and I dare not oppose his will; yet I sometimes
think I ought to chance all, and to die, if death should be the
penalty."
"Die? You do not surely think he would slay you?"
"I know he would."
"In that case, my child, your duty seems plain: your Lord calls you to
give Him your love, your obedience, and to seek refuge in the fold of
His church."
"Ought I to leave my father?"
I felt very much puzzled indeed what to say. I could have no doubt as
to the lad's duty; but then his father was his natural guardian, and
in all things, save the plain duty of professing Christ, had a claim
to his obedience.
"I think," I said at last, "my Alfgar, that when he knew you were
determined to be a Christian he would oppose you no longer; that is,
if you were once baptized he would tolerate a Christian son as he once
did a Christian wife."
"He broke her heart."
"At all events I think that you should delay no longer, but should
seek instruction and baptism, which we will afford you; and then,
unless you really feel life is in danger, you should return to him and
try to bear your lot; it may not be so hard as you think."
"I am not afraid of death; but he is my father, and from his hands it
would be hard."
"He hates Christianity grievously then?"
"He says it is the religion of cowards and hypocrites; that it forms a
plea for cowardice when men dare not be men, and is thrown aside fast
enough when they have their foes in their power."
Alas! I could but feel how much reason the ill lives of Christians had
given him to form this opinion, and of the curse pronounced upon those
who shall put a stumbling block in their brother's way. The
conversation of the Sheriff, Edric Streorn, rose up in my mind as an
apt illustration of Anlaf's words.
"My boy," I said, "there is nothing perfect on earth. In the visible
church the evil is mingled with the good. Yet the church is the fold
of the Good Shepherd, and there is salvation therein for all who love
and serve their Lord, and strive humbly to follow His example, and
those of His blessed Saints."
"May I think over all you have said, and meet you next Sunday? You
will be here, will you not?"
And he looked imploringly in my face. Poor boy! my heart bled for him.
So we parted, and he went home.
Friday, November 11th.--
I feel thoroughly uneasy and anxious about the sheriff's proceedings.
He has been about the neighbourhood today, and seems to have been
talking secretly with all the black sheep of my flock; thank God, I do
not think there are many. What they can be going to do, or what plot
they are hatching, I cannot discover, only I fear that it is some
design for vengeance upon the Danes--some dark treachery plotted
against those in our midst; and, if such is the case, I can but feel
uneasy for poor Alfgar. I wish the lad would leave his home, if but
for a short time, until the signs are less threatening; but he would
not forsake his father in danger, and I ought hardly to wish it.
St. Brice's Day, Sunday, November 13th--
This has been a harassing and eventful day. Early in the morning,
before the high mass, whereat the neighbourhood is generally present,
I received a missive from the sheriff, bidding me, in the name of the
King, to exhort my people to remain at home tonight, since danger is
afoot, and there is likely, he says, to be a rising on the part of the
pagans who dwell amongst us. Why, they are but one in five in this
neighbourhood; hardly that. I determined to give the message in my own
way, for I could not keep silent, lest, through fault of mine, any of
my sheep should perish. So I preached upon the Saint of the day, who
was pre-eminently a man of peace, and I took occasion to tell my
people that there were many hurtful men about, who, like their master,
Satan, were seeking whom they might devour, and that, like that
master, they chose the night for their misdeeds, seeing they loved
darkness rather than light. So I said I hoped every good Christian
would keep at home, and go to bed early.
At this point I observed a sarcastic smile upon many faces, notably on
those of the black sheep aforesaid, to whom the sheriff had spoken,
and I concluded that they were very likely to be the ministers of
darkness themselves. So I spoke on the Christian duties of love and
forgiveness, and exhorted all present to take joyfully the
chastisement of the Lord, even like holy Job; and that it would all
tend to their eternal good, through Him who, when He was reviled,
reviled not again. And so with this exhortation to patience I closed
my homily. I fear I spoke to many in vain.
I am sure they are bent on immediate mischief, and that this notice of
the sheriff has much to do with it. He wants to keep good people at
home to have all the field to himself. I see him--the black
bellwether.
After mass I mingled with the dispersing congregation. The weather was
very gloomy--the faces of the congregation yet more so. All seemed to
apprehend coming evil. Instead of returning cheerfully home they stood
together in groups, talking in low tones, as if they feared to speak
their thoughts aloud.
Most of them evidently were men of peace, but not all, as I have
already hinted; and, as I drew near a group standing behind the great
yew tree, I heard one of these latter discoursing to his fellows.
"Heard you the prior's sermon?" said Siric, for that was the fellow,
Siric of the Wold; "a fine homily he gave us on St. Brice--that man
of peace."
"It was easy for him to be a man of peace," returned another; "he
hadn't got Danes for his neighbours."
"Holy Job himself would have turned cutthroat if he had."
"Then they have been insulting, robbing, and murdering all over the
country."
Just then I interrupted them, for I could no longer hear the
blasphemy.
"How now, Siric," said I; "hast thou come to Aescendune to revile the
saints?"
"Nay, Father," said he, with a mocking smile; "I was only rejoicing
that they were not exposed to such trials as we. Job's Chaldeans were
gentlefolk in comparison with our Danes."
"Thou blasphemest; and what didst thou say of the blessed St. Brice?"
"Only that I wished he were living now to tame the cutthroats who live
in our midst, and who murder and rob daily, just in mere sport, or to
keep their hands in."
"What new outrages have occurred?" I asked.
"A party of the heathen carried off the cattle from my farm down the
water early this morning, and slew the herdsman."
"Dost thou know who the fellows were?"
"All too well; they were Anlaf's men."
I hardly knew what to answer, the outrage was so recent, and the
excitement of the speaker so pardonable, as I could but feel.
Well, at this moment my brother Elfwyn came out of the church, where
he had lingered to pray, as he generally does, at his brother's tomb,
and, noticing us, came and joined the group. He seemed much concerned
when he heard the details.
"Siric," he said, with his usual kind way of speaking, "do not
distress yourself unduly; you know I am rich in flocks and herds. I
will make up the loss of the cattle, my brother the prior will have a
mass said for poor Guthred, and he shall have the last rites performed
at our expense; it is all we can do for him; the rest we must leave to
the mercy of God."
"Nay, Thane," said Siric; "I thank you for your goodwill, but I may
not stand thus indebted to any man. I will repay myself at the expense
of the robbers. Still you may remember Guthred at God's altar."
And he strode away.
My brother was now joined by his children Bertric and Ethelgiva, and
his wife, the Lady Hilda. I saw that he was ill at ease, but we did
not mention the subject, which I am sure was uppermost in both our
minds, lest we should alarm the gentle ones.
Just then I remembered that I had promised to meet Alfgar in the pine
wood, and I hastened to the spot.
I found him seated again on the fallen tree. He rose at my approach,
and saluted me with some emotion, as if some inward excitement made
itself visible in spite of his efforts to suppress it.
"My son," said I, "have you pondered my words of last Sunday?"
"I have, and I am come to put myself under your instruction. I will be
guided by you in all things, and fulfil thus the dying wish of the
only being who ever loved me."
"But, my boy, there must be yet a higher, a holier motive."
"I trust it is not wanting, my father."
"Are you able to stay long today?"
"O yes, my father is keeping high festival; a number of his countrymen
are visiting him and holding revel; this morning they drove in a
number of oxen, I know not whence, and slaughtered two on the spot,
and they have broached several barrels of mead; they will keep the
feast all day, and before night my father will not be in a state to
miss me; I always absent myself if I can on such occasions."
"Then you must come home with me, and share the noon meat, after which
I can give you my time until evensong."
He made no objection, and we returned to the Priory together, where he
took his noon meat in the guest chamber, and I devoted all the time
between the meal and nones to an examination of my catechumen.
I found that poor Kyneswith had impressed all the primary truths of
our holy faith deeply upon his mind, although he wanted much building
up, and needed instruction in details; he seemed deeply impressed by
the main facts of the life and teaching of our blessed Lord,
particularly His message of peace on earth, good will towards men,
contrasting so forcibly with the faith of his own people.
The time passed rapidly away, and we went to the minster church at
three, when nones and evensong were said together, for we could not
keep the people till the proper hour for the latter office, owing to
the darkness of November.
When the holy office was over, I accompanied my brother part of the
way home, for I wanted to communicate my suspicions, and to learn
whether he shared them.
It was a dark and gloomy eventide: the sun, which had only made its
appearance at intervals during the day, was fast sinking behind a
heavy bank of clouds which filled the western horizon; and the wind,
which was freshening to a gale, seemed to bear the storm onward in its
track, while it tore the few surviving leaves rudely from the trees,
and whirled them in mazy windings.
"Elfwyn," said I, "what do you suppose was the true object of the
sheriff in bidding folks keep indoors tonight?"
"I cannot divine, unless he has some deed of blood on hand which he
wishes to have undisturbed, all to himself and his underlings."
"Siric spoke mysteriously."
"Yes; if there is aught going on amiss, he has a hand in it."
Here I communicated my fears respecting Alfgar, whom I had invited,
with my brother's permission, to sup at the hall.
"Could you not keep the poor fellow with you all night? I fear his
father is in some danger, as well he may be, acting as wickedly as he
did this very morn."
"I will try to persuade him to stay, he is along with Bertric and
Ethelgiva; they are only a few steps behind. Cuthbert, I have ordered
every one of my theows and ceorls to be obedient to your warning if
they wish to preserve their allegiance to Aescendune, or to escape
chastisement, and I think none of them are likely to be abroad
tonight."
"Can you not find out what the sheriff has told them? I saw him
speaking to one or two."
"I will try. You must be my guest tonight, or at least for a few
hours."
"Nay, I must return to compline; I may be wanted tonight, and ought to
be at my post," said I.
We arrived at the old home, dear familiar place! stronger and better
built than most such houses, because, being burnt down in my father's
younger days, it had been rebuilt in a more substantial manner, and
was capable of sustaining a formidable attack successfully.
We crossed the drawbridge, and entered the courtyard under the
gateway; before us was the door of the great hall, merrily illumined
by its blazing fire.
There, then, was the supper table bountifully spread, and the theows
and ceorls awaiting the arrival of their lord. We entered, Elfwyn and
I, and soon after Bertric, Ethelgiva, and Alfgar followed.
A loud horn was blown upon the battlements. Stragglers made their
entrance good; the drawbridge was drawn up, the doors closed, and I
blessed the meat.