Once he gained a triumph that for many a day was very sweet underthe tongue of his memory. As was said before, he had been threetimes to the market-town at fair-time, and upon the last of theseoccasions he had fought a bout of quarterstaff with a youngfellow of twenty, and had been the conqueror. He was then only alittle over fourteen years old.
Old Diccon, who had gone with him to the fair, had met somecronies of his own, with whom he had sat gossiping in theale-booth, leaving Myles for the nonce to shift for himself.
By-and-by the old man had noticed a crowd gathered at one part ofthe fair-ground, and, snuffing a fight, had gone running, ale-potin hand. Then, peering over the shoulders of the crowd, he hadseen his young master, stripped to the waist, fighting like agladiator with a fellow a head taller than himself. Diccon wasabout to force his way through the crowd and drag them asunder,but a second look had showed his practised eye that Myles was notonly holding his own, but was in the way of winning the victory.
So he had stood with the others looking on, withholding himselffrom any interference and whatever upbraiding might be necessaryuntil the fight had been brought to a triumphant close. LordFalworth never heard directly of the redoubtable affair, but oldDiccon was not so silent with the common folk of Crosbey-Dale,and so no doubt the father had some inkling of what had happened.
It was shortly after this notable event that Myles was formallyinitiated into squirehood. His father and mother, as was thecustom, stood sponsors for him. By them, each bearing a lightedtaper, he was escorted to the altar. It was at St. Mary's Priory,and Prior Edward blessed the sword and girded it to the lad'sside. No one was present but the four, and when the good Priorhad given the benediction and had signed the cross upon hisforehead, Myles's mother stooped and kissed his brow just wherethe priest's finger had drawn the holy sign. Her eyes brimmedbright with tears as she did so. Poor lady! perhaps she only thenand for the first time realized how big her fledgling was growingfor his nest. Henceforth Myles had the right to wear a sword.
Myles had ended his fifteenth year. He was a bonny lad, withbrown face, curling hair, a square, strong chin, and a pair ofmerry laughing blue eyes; his shoulders were broad; his chest wasthick of girth; his muscles and thews were as tough as oak.
The day upon which he was sixteen years old, as he came whistlinghome from the monastery school he was met by Diccon Bowman.
"Master Myles," said the old man, with a snuffle in hisvoice--"Master Myles, thy father would see thee in his chamber,and bade me send thee to him as soon as thou didst come home. Oh,Master Myles, I fear me that belike thou art going to leave hometo-morrow day."Myles stopped short. "To leave home!" he cried.
"Aye," said old Diccon, "belike thou goest to some grand castleto live there, and be a page there and what not, and then, haply,a gentleman- at-arms in some great lord's pay.""What coil is this about castles and lords andgentlemen-at-arms?" said Myles. "What talkest thou of, Diccon?
Art thou jesting?"
"Nay," said Diccon, "I am not jesting. But go to thy father, andthen thou wilt presently know all. Only this I do say, that it islike thou leavest us to- morrow day."And so it was as Diccon had said; Myles was to leave home thevery next morning. He found his father and mother and PriorEdward together, waiting for his coming.
"We three have been talking it over this morning," said hisfather, "and so think each one that the time hath come for theeto quit this poor home of ours. An thou stay here ten yearslonger, thou'lt be no more fit to go then than now. To-morrow Iwill give thee a letter to my kinsman, the Earl of Mackworth. Hehas thriven in these days and I have fallen away, but time wasthat he and I were true sworn companions, and plighted togetherin friendship never to be sundered. Methinks, as I remember him,he will abide by his plighted troth, and will give thee his aidto rise in the world. So, as I said, to-morrow morning thou shaltset forth with Diccon Bowman, and shall go to Castle Devlen, andthere deliver this letter which prayeth him to give thee a placein his household. Thou mayst have this afternoon to thyself tomake read such things as thou shalt take with thee. And bid meDiccon to take the gray horse to the village and have it shod."Prior Edward had been standing looking out of the window. As LordFalworth ended he turned.
"And, Myles," said he, "thou wilt need some money, so I will givethee as a loan forty shillings, which some day thou mayst returnto me an thou wilt. For this know, Myles, a man cannot do in theworld without money. Thy father hath it ready for thee in thechest, and will give it thee to-morrow ere thou goest."Lord Falworth had the grim strength of manhood's hard sense toupbear him in sending his son into the world, but the poor ladymother had nothing of that to uphold her. No doubt it was as hardthen as it is now for the mother to see the nestling thrust fromthe nest to shift for itself. What tears were shed, what words oflove were spoken to the only man-child, none but the mother andthe son ever knew.
The next morning Myles and the old bowman rode away, and no doubtto the boy himself the dark shadows of leave-taking were lost inthe golden light of hope as he rode out into the great world toseek his fortune.
