Thus it was that Myles, with an eye to open war with thebachelors, gathered a following to his support. It was somelittle while before matters were brought to a crisis--a week orten days. Perhaps even Myles had no great desire to hastenmatters. He knew that whenever war was declared, he himself wouldhave to bear the brunt of the battle, and even the bravest manhesitates before deliberately thrusting himself into a fight.
One morning Myles and Gascoyne and Wilkes sat under the shade oftwo trees, between which was a board nailed to the trunks, makinga rude bench--always a favorite lounging-place for the lads inidle moments. Myles was polishing his bascinet with lard andwood-ashes, rubbing the metal with a piece of leather, and wipingit clean with a fustian rag. The other two, who had just beenrelieved from household duty, lay at length idly looking on.
Just then one of the smaller pages, a boy of twelve or thirteen,by name Robin Ingoldsby, crossed the court. He had been crying;his face was red and blubbered, and his body was still shakenwith convulsive sniffs.
Myles looked up. "Come hither, Robin," he called from where hesat. "What is to do?"The little fellow came slowly up to where the three rested in theshade. "Mowbray beat me with a strap," said he, rubbing hissleeve across his eyes, and catching his breath at therecollection.
"Beat thee, didst say?" said Myles, drawing his brows together.
"Why did he beat thee?"
"Because," said Robin, "I tarried overlong in fetching a pot ofbeer from the buttery for him and Wyatt." Then, with a boy'ssudden and easy quickness in forgetting past troubles, "Tell me,Falworth," said he, "when wilt thou give me that knife thoupromised me--the one thou break the blade of yesterday?""I know not," said Myles, bluntly, vexed that the boy did nottake the disgrace of his beating more to heart. "Some time soon,mayhap. Me thinks thou shouldst think more of thy beating than ofa broken knife. Now get thee gone to thy business."The youngster lingered for a moment or two watching Myles at hiswork. "What is that on the leather scrap, Falworth?" said he,curiously.
"Lard and ashes," said Myles, testily. "Get thee gone, I say, orI will crack thy head for thee;" and he picked up a block ofwood, with a threatening gesture.
The youngster made a hideous grimace, and then scurried away,ducking his head, lest in spite of Myles's well-known good-naturethe block should come whizzing after him.
"Hear ye that now!" cried Myles, flinging down the block againand turning to his two friends. "Beaten with straps because,forsooth, he would not fetch and carry quickly enough to pleasethe haste of these bachelors. Oh, this passeth patience, and Ifor one will bear it no longer."
"Nay, Myles," said Gascoyne, soothingly, "the little imp is aslazy as a dormouse and as mischievous as a monkey. I'll warrantthe hiding was his due, and that more of the like would do himgood.""Why, how dost thou talk, Francis!" said Myles, turning upon himindignantly. "Thou knowest that thou likest to see the boy beatenno more than I." Then, after a meditative pause, "How many, thinkye, we muster of our company of the Rose today?"Wilkes looked doubtfully at Gascoyne. "There be only seventeen ofus here now," said he at last. "Brinton and Lambourne are away toRoby Castle in Lord George's train, and will not be back tillSaturday next. And Watt Newton is in the infirmary.
"Seventeen be'st enou," said Myles, grimly. "Let us get togetherthis afternoon, such as may, in the Brutus Tower, for I, as I didsay, will no longer suffer these vile bachelors."Gascoyne and Wilkes exchanged looks, and then the former blew along whistle.
So that afternoon a gloomy set of young faces were gatheredtogether in the Eyry--fifteen of the Knights of the Rose--and allknew why they were assembled. The talk which followed wasconducted mostly by Myles. He addressed the others with astraightforward vim and earnestness, but the response was onlyhalf-hearted, and when at last, having heated himself up with hisown fire, he sat down, puffing out his red cheeks and glaringround, a space of silence followed, the lads looked doubtfully atone another. Myles felt the chill of their silence strike coldlyon his enthusiasm, and it vexed him.
"What wouldst thou do, Falworth?" said one of the knights, atlast. "Wouldst have us open a quarrel with the bachelors?""Nay," said Myles, gruffly. "I had thought that ye would all lendme a hand in a pitched battle but now I see that ye ha' nostomach for that. Ne'theless, I tell ye plainly I will not submitlonger to the bachelors. So now I will ask ye not to take anyventure upon yourselves, but only this: that ye will stand by mewhen I do my fighting, and not let five or seven of them fallupon me at once.
"There is Walter Blunt; he is parlous strong, said one of theothers, after a time of silence. "Methinks he could conquer anytwo of us.""Nay," said Myles; "ye do fear him too greatly. I tell ye I fearnot to stand up to try battle with him and will do so, too, ifthe need arise. Only say ye that ye will stand by my back.""Marry," said Gascoyne, quaintly, "an thou wilt dare take theheavy end upon thee, I for one am willing to stand by and seethat thou have thy fill of fighting.""I too will stand thee by, Myles," said Edmund Wilkes.
"And I, and I, and I," said others, chiming in.
Those who would still have held back were carried along by thestream, and so it was settled that if the need should arise forMyles to do a bit of fighting, the others should stand by to seethat he had fair play.
"When thinkest thou that thou wilt take thy stand against them,Myles?" asked Wilkes.
Myles hesitated a moment. "To-morrow," said he, grimly.
Several of the lads whistled softly.
Gascoyne was prepared for an early opening of the war, butperhaps not for such an early opening as this. "By 'r Lady,Myles, thou art hungry for brawling," said he.
