"Wait until thou art grown to be a man. Mayhap then thou maystrepent thee of these bold words, for one time this enemy of thyfather's was reckoned the foremost knight in England, and he isnow the King's dear friend and a great lord.""But," said Myles, after another long time of heavy silence,"will not my Lord then befriend me for the sake of my father, whowas one time his dear comrade?"Sir James shook his head. "It may not be," said he. "Neither thounor thy father must look for open favor from the Earl. An hebefriended Falworth, and it came to be known that he had givenhim aid or succor, it might belike be to his own undoing. No,boy; thou must not even look to be taken into the household toserve with gentlemen as the other squires do serve, but must evenlive thine own life here and fight thine own way."Myles's eyes blazed. "Then," cried he, fiercely, "it is shame andattaint upon my Lord the Earl, and cowardice as well, and neverwill I ask favor of him who is so untrue a friend as to turn hisback upon a comrade in trouble as he turneth his back upon myfather.""Thou art a foolish boy," said Sir James with a bitter smile,"and knowest naught of the world. An thou wouldst look for man tobefriend man to his own danger, thou must look elsewhere than onthis earth. Was I not one time Mackworth's dear friend as well asthy father? It could cost him naught to honor me, and here am Ifallen to be a teacher of boys. Go to! thou art a fool."Then, after a little pause of brooding silence, he went on to saythat the Earl was no better or worse than the rest of the world.
That men of his position had many jealous enemies, ever seekingtheir ruin, and that such must look first of all each to himself,or else be certainly ruined, and drag down others in that ruin.
Myles was silenced, but the bitterness had entered his heart, andabided with him for many a day afterwards.
Perhaps Sir James read his feelings in his frank face, for he satlooking curiously at him, twirling his grizzled mustache thewhile. "Thou art like to have hard knocks of it, lad, ere thouhast gotten thee safe through the world," said he, with morekindness in his harsh voice than was usual. "But get thee notinto fights before thy time." Then he charged the boy veryseriously to live at peace with his fellow-squires, and for hisfather's sake as well as his own to enter into none of the broilsthat were so frequent in their quarters.
It was with this special admonition against brawling that Myleswas dismissed, to enter, before five minutes had passed, into thefirst really great fight of his life.
Besides Gascoyne and Wilkes, he found gathered in the dormitorysix or eight of the company of squires who were to serve that dayupon household duty; among others, Walter Blunt and three otherbachelors, who were changing their coarse service clothes forothers more fit for the household.
"Why didst thou tarry so long, Myles?" said Gascoyne, as heentered. "Methought thou wert never coming.""Where goest thou, Falworth?" called Blunt from the other end ofthe room, where he was lacing his doublet.
Just now Myles had no heart in the swimming or sport of any sort,but he answered, shortly, "I go to the river to swim.""Nay," said Blunt, "thou goest not forth from the castle to-day.
Hast thou forgot how thou didst answer me back about fetching thewater this morning? This day thou must do penance, so go thoustraight to the armory and scour thou up my breastplate."From the time he had arisen that morning everything had gonewrong with Myles. He had felt himself already outrated inrendering service to the bachelors, he had quarrelled with thehead of the esquires, he had nearly quarrelled with Gascoyne, andthen had come the bitterest and worst of all, the knowledge thathis father was an outlaw, and that the Earl would not stretch outa hand to aid him or to give him any countenance. Blunt's wordsbrought the last bitter cut to his heart, and they stung him tofury. For a while he could not answer, but stood glaring with aface fairly convulsed with passion at the young man, whocontinued his toilet, unconscious of the wrath of the newrecruit.
