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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Dragon of Wantley, by Owen Wister
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Dragon of Wantley
+       His Tale
+
+Author: Owen Wister
+
+Illustrator: John Stewardson
+
+Release Date: August 28, 2008 [EBook #26448]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE DRAGON OF WANTLEY ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Irma Spehar and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was
+produced from images generously made available by The
+Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+                              THE DRAGON
+                                  OF
+                                WANTLEY
+
+                               HIS TALE
+
+                           _By_ Owen Wister
+
+                  _Illustrations by John Stewardson_
+
+                            SECOND EDITION
+
+                             Philadelphia
+                        J·B·LIPPINCOTT COMPANY
+                                 1895
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: ·COPYRIGHT·1892·
+
+·BY·J·B·LIPPINCOTT·COMPANY·
+
+PRINTED·BY·J·B·LIPPINCOTT·COMPANY
+
+·PHILADELPHIA·USA·]
+
+
+
+
+                                  TO
+                    MY ANCIENT PLAYMATES IN APPIAN
+                       WAY CAMBRIDGE THIS LIKELY
+                    STORY IS DEDICATED FOR REASONS
+                       BEST KNOWN TO THEMSELVES
+
+
+
+
+                                Preface
+
+
+    When Betsinda held the Rose
+        And the Ring decked Giglio's finger
+        Thackeray! 'twas sport to linger
+    With thy wise, gay-hearted prose.
+    Books were merry, goodness knows!
+    When Betsinda held the Rose.
+
+    Who but foggy drudglings doze
+        While Rob Gilpin toasts thy witches,
+        While the Ghost waylays thy breeches,
+    Ingoldsby? Such tales as those
+    Exorcised our peevish woes
+    When Betsinda held the Rose.
+
+    Realism, thou specious pose!
+        Haply it is good we met thee;
+        But, passed by, we'll scarce regret thee;
+    For we love the light that glows
+    Where Queen Fancy's pageant goes,
+    And Betsinda holds the Rose.
+
+    Shall we dare it? Then let's close
+        Doors to-night on things statistic,
+        Seek the hearth in circle mystic,
+    Till the conjured fire-light shows
+    Where Youth's bubbling Fountain flows,
+    And Betsinda holds the Rose.
+
+
+
+
+                     PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION
+
+
+We two--the author and his illustrator--did not know what we had done
+until the newspapers told us. But the press has explained it in the
+following poised and consistent criticism:
+
+    "Too many suggestions of profanity."
+          --_Congregationalist_, Boston, 8 Dec. '92.
+
+    "It ought to be the delight of the nursery."
+          --_National Tribune_, Washington, 22 Dec. '92.
+
+    "Grotesque and horrible."
+          --_Zion's Herald_, Boston, 21 Dec. '92.
+
+    "Some excellent moral lessons."
+          --_Citizen_, Brooklyn, 27 Nov. '92.
+
+    "If it has any lesson to teach, we have been unable to find
+    it."
+          --_Independent_, New York, 10 Nov. '92.
+
+    "The story is a familiar one."
+          --_Detroit Free Press_, 28 Nov. '92.
+
+    "Refreshingly novel."
+          --_Cincinnati Commercial Gazette_, 17 Dec. '92.
+
+    "It is a burlesque."
+          --_Atlantic Monthly_, Dec. '92.
+
+    "All those who love lessons drawn from life will enjoy this
+    book."
+          --_Christian Advocate_, Cincinnati, 2 Nov. '92.
+
+    "The style of this production is difficult to define."
+          --_Court Journal_, London, 26 Nov. '92.
+
+    "One wonders why writer and artist should put so much
+    labor on a production which seems to have so little reason
+    for existence."
+          --_Herald and Presbyterian_, Cincinnati.
+
+Now the public knows exactly what sort of book this is, and we cannot
+be held responsible.
+
+
+
+
+                           TABLE OF CONTENTS
+
+
+                              CHAPTER I.
+                                                                  PAGE
+How Sir Godfrey came to lose his Temper                            19
+
+                              CHAPTER II.
+How his Daughter, Miss Elaine, behaved herself in Consequence      35
+
+                             CHAPTER III.
+Reveals the Dragon in his Den                                      52
+
+                              CHAPTER IV.
+Tells you more about Him than was ever told before to Anybody      62
+
+                              CHAPTER V.
+In which the Hero makes his First Appearance and is Locked Up
+immediately                                                        77
+
+                              CHAPTER VI.
+In which Miss Elaine loses her Heart, and finds Something of the
+Greatest Importance                                                91
+
+                             CHAPTER VII.
+Shows what Curious Things you may see, if you don't go to Bed
+when you are sent                                                 113
+
+                             CHAPTER VIII.
+Contains a Dilemma with two simply egregious Horns                136
+
+                              CHAPTER IX.
+Leaves much Room for guessing about Chapter Ten                   168
+
+                              CHAPTER X.
+The great White Christmas at Wantley                              187
+
+
+
+
+                         LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+
+                                                                  Page
+
+Ornamented title                                                    3
+Copyright notice                                                    4
+Head-piece--Preface                                                 7
+Head-piece--Preface to the Second Edition                           9
+Head-piece--Table of Contents                                      11
+Head-piece--List of Illustrations                                  13
+Half-title to Chapter I                                            17
+Head-piece to Chapter I                                            19
+Popham awaiteth the Result with Dignity                            27
+The Baron pursueth Whelpdale into the Buttery                      32
+Tail-piece to Chapter I                                            33
+Half-title to Chapter II                                           34
+Head-piece to Chapter II                                           35
+Sir Godfrey maketh him ready for the Bath                          39
+Sir Godfrey getteth into his Bath                                  41
+Mistletoe consulteth the Cooking Book                              43
+Elaine maketh an unexpected Remark                                 49
+Half-title to Chapter III                                          51
+Head-piece to Chapter III                                          52
+Hubert sweepeth the Steps                                          55
+Half-title to Chapter IV                                           61
+Head-piece to Chapter IV                                           62
+Hubert looketh out of the Window                                   69
+Tail-piece to Chapter IV                                           75
+Half-title to Chapter V                                            76
+Head-piece to Chapter V                                            77
+Geoffrey replieth with deplorable Flippancy to Father Anselm       84
+Tail-piece to Chapter V                                            89
+Half-title to Chapter VI                                           90
+Head-piece to Chapter VI                                           91
+The Baron setteth forth his Plan for circumventing the Dragon      96
+Geoffrey tuggeth at the Bars                                      101
+Tail-piece to Chapter VI                                          111
+Half-title to Chapter VII                                         112
+Head-piece to Chapter VII                                         113
+Elaine cometh into the Cellar                                     120
+Geoffrey goeth to meet the Dragon                                 128
+Half-title to Chapter VIII                                        135
+Head-piece to Chapter VIII                                        136
+The Dragon thinketh to slake his Thirst                           142
+The Dragon perceiveth Himself to be Entrapped                     148
+A Noise in the Cellar                                        155, 156
+Half-title to Chapter IX                                          167
+Head-piece to Chapter IX                                          168
+Sir Francis decideth to go down again                             176
+Brother Hubert goeth back to Oyster-le-Main for the last Time     181
+Tail-piece to Chapter IX                                          185
+Half-title to Chapter X                                           186
+Head-piece to Chapter X                                           187
+Sir Thomas de Brie hastens to accept the Baron's polite
+  Invitation                                                      192
+The Court-yard                                                    198
+The Dragon maketh his last Appearance                             203
+L'Envoi                                                           208
+
+[Illustration: QUI NE SAULTE SAULTE SERA]
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER I
+
+               How _Sir Godfrey_ came to lose his Temper
+
+[Illustration: THE BVTLER HIS BOY GODFREY DISSEISIN]
+
+
+There was something wrong in the cellar at Wantley Manor. Little
+Whelpdale knew it, for he was Buttons, and Buttons always knows what
+is being done with the wine, though he may look as if he did not. And
+old Popham knew it, too. He was Butler, and responsible to Sir Godfrey
+for all the brandy, and ale, and cider, and mead, and canary, and
+other strong waters there were in the house.
+
+Now, Sir Godfrey Disseisin, fourth Baron of Wantley, and immediate
+tenant by knight-service to His Majesty King John of England, was
+particular about his dogs, and particular about his horses, and about
+his only daughter and his boy Roland, and had been very particular
+indeed about his wife, who, I am sorry to say, did not live long. But
+all this was nothing to the fuss he made about his wine. When the
+claret was not warm enough, or the Moselle wine was not cool enough,
+you could hear him roaring all over the house; for, though generous in
+heart and a staunch Churchman, he was immoderately choleric. Very
+often, when Sir Godfrey fell into one of his rages at dinner, old
+Popham, standing behind his chair, trembled so violently that his
+calves would shake loose, thus obliging him to hasten behind the tall
+leathern screen at the head of the banquet-hall and readjust them.
+
+Twice in each year the Baron sailed over to France, where he visited
+the wine-merchants, and tasted samples of all new vintages,--though
+they frequently gave him unmentionable aches. Then, when he was
+satisfied that he had selected the soundest and richest, he returned
+to Wantley Manor, bringing home wooden casks that were as big as
+hay-stacks, and so full they could not gurgle when you tipped them.
+Upon arriving, he sent for Mrs. Mistletoe, the family governess and
+(for economy's sake) housekeeper, who knew how to write,--something
+the Baron's father and mother had never taught him when he was a
+little boy, because they didn't know how themselves, and despised
+people who did,--and when Mrs. Mistletoe had cut neat pieces of
+card-board for labels and got ready her goose-quill, Sir Godfrey would
+say, "Write, Château Lafitte, 1187;" or, "Write, Chambertin, 1203."
+(Those, you know, were the names and dates of the vintages.) "Yes, my
+lord," Mistletoe always piped up; on which Sir Godfrey would peer over
+her shoulder at the writing, and mutter, "Hum; yes, that's correct,"
+just as if he knew how to read, the old humbug! Then Mistletoe, who
+was a silly girl and had lost her husband early, would go "Tee-hee,
+Sir Godfrey!" as the gallant gentleman gave her a kiss. Of course,
+this was not just what he should have done; but he was a widower, you
+must remember, and besides that, as the years went on this little
+ceremony ceased to be kept up. When it was "Château Lafitte, 1187,"
+kissing Mistletoe was one thing; but when it came to "Chambertin,
+1203," the lady weighed two hundred and twenty-five pounds, and wore a
+wig.
+
+But, wig and all, Mistletoe had a high position in Wantley Manor. The
+household was conducted on strictly feudal principles. Nobody, except
+the members of the family, received higher consideration than did the
+old Governess. She and the Chaplain were on a level, socially, and
+they sat at the same table with the Baron. That drew the line. Old
+Popham the Butler might tell little Whelpdale as often as he pleased
+that he was just as good as Mistletoe; but he had to pour out
+Mistletoe's wine for her, notwithstanding. If she scolded him (which
+she always did if Sir Godfrey had been scolding her), do you suppose
+he dared to answer back? Gracious, no! He merely kicked the two
+head-footmen, Meeson and Welsby, and spoke severely to the nine
+house-maids. Meeson and Welsby then made life a painful thing for the
+five under-footmen and the grooms, while the nine house-maids boxed
+the ears of Whelpdale the Buttons, and Whelpdale the Buttons punched
+the scullion's eye. As for the scullion, he was bottom of the list;
+but he could always relieve his feelings by secretly pulling the tails
+of Sir Godfrey's two tame ravens, whose names were Croak James and
+Croak Elizabeth. I never knew what these birds did at that; but
+something, you may be sure. So you see that I was right when I said
+the household was conducted on strictly feudal principles. The Cook
+had a special jurisdiction of her own, and everybody was more or less
+afraid of her.
+
+Whenever Sir Godfrey had come home with new wine, and after the labels
+had been pasted on the casks, then Popham, with Whelpdale beside him,
+had these carefully set down in the cellar, which was a vast dim room,
+the ceilings supported by heavy arches; the barrels, bins, kegs,
+hogsheads, tuns, and demijohns of every size and shape standing like
+forests and piled to the ceiling. And now something was wrong there.
+
+"This 'ere's a hawful succumstence, sir," observed Whelpdale the
+Buttons to his superior, respectfully.
+
+"It is, indeed, a himbroglio," replied Popham, who had a wide command
+of words, and knew it.
+
+Neither domestic spoke again for some time. They were seated in the
+buttery. The Butler crossed his right leg over his left, and waved
+the suspended foot up and down,--something he seldom did unless very
+grievously perturbed. As for poor little Whelpdale, he mopped his brow
+with the napkins that were in a basket waiting for the wash.
+
+Then the bell rang.
+
+"His ludship's study-bell," said Popham. "Don't keep him waiting."
+
+"Hadn't you better apprise his ludship of the facks?" asked Whelpdale,
+in a weak voice.
+
+Popham made no reply. He arose and briefly kicked Buttons out of the
+buttery. Then he mounted a chair to listen better. "He has hentered
+his ludship's apawtment," he remarked, hearing the sound of voices
+come faintly down the little private staircase that led from Sir
+Godfrey's study to the buttery: the Baron was in the habit of coming
+down at night for crackers and cheese before he went to bed. Presently
+one voice grew much louder than the other. It questioned. There came a
+sort of whining in answer. Then came a terrific stamp on the ceiling
+and a loud "Go on, sir!"
+
+"Now, now, now!" thought Popham.
+
+Do you want to hear at once, without waiting any longer, what little
+Whelpdale is telling Sir Godfrey? Well, you must know that for the
+past thirteen years, ever since 1190, the neighbourhood had been
+scourged by a terrible Dragon. The monster was covered with scales,
+and had a long tail and huge unnatural wings, beside fearful jaws that
+poured out smoke and flame whenever they opened. He always came at
+dead of night, roaring, bellowing, and sparkling and flaming over the
+hills, and horrid claps of thunder were very likely to attend his
+progress. Concerning the nature and quality of his roaring, the honest
+copyholders of Wantley could never agree, although every human being
+had heard him hundreds of times. Some said it was like a mad bull,
+only much louder and worse. Old Gaffer Piers the ploughman swore that
+if his tomcat weighed a thousand pounds it would make a noise almost
+as bad as that on summer nights, with the moon at the full and other
+cats handy. But farmer Stiles said, "Nay, 'tis like none of your bulls
+nor cats. But when I have come home too near the next morning, my
+wife can make me think of this Dragon as soon as ever her mouth be
+open."
+
+[Illustration: Popham awaiteth the Result with Dignity]
+
+This shows you that there were divers opinions. If you were not afraid
+to look out of the window about midnight, you could see the sky begin
+to look red in the quarter from which he was approaching, just as it
+glares when some distant house is on fire. But you must shut the
+window and hide before he came over the hill; for very few that had
+looked upon the Dragon ever lived to that day twelvemonth. This
+monster devoured the substance of the tenantry and yeomen. When their
+fields of grain were golden for the harvest, in a single night he cut
+them down and left their acres blasted by his deadly fire. He ate the
+cows, the sheep, the poultry, and at times even sucked eggs. Many
+pious saints had visited the district, but not one had been able by
+his virtue to expel the Dragon; and the farmers and country folk used
+to repeat a legend that said the Dragon was a punishment for the great
+wickedness of the Baron's ancestor, the original Sir Godfrey
+Disseisin, who, when summoned on the first Crusade to Palestine, had
+entirely refused to go and help his cousin Godfrey de Bouillon wrest
+the Holy Sepulchre from the Paynim. The Baron's ancestor, when a stout
+young lad, had come over with William the Conqueror; and you must know
+that to have an ancestor who had come over with William the Conqueror
+was in those old days a much rarer thing than it is now, and any one
+who could boast of it was held in high esteem by his neighbours, who
+asked him to dinner and left their cards upon him continually. But the
+first Sir Godfrey thought one conquest was enough for any man; and in
+reply to his cousin's invitation to try a second, answered in his
+blunt Norman French, "Nul tiel verte dedans ceot oyle," which
+displeased the Church, and ended forever all relations between the
+families. The Dragon did not come at once, for this gentleman's son,
+the grandfather of our Sir Godfrey, as soon as he was twenty-one, went
+off to the Holy Land himself, fought very valiantly, and was killed,
+leaving behind him at Wantley an inconsolable little wife and an heir
+six months old. This somewhat appeased the Pope; but the present Sir
+Godfrey, when asked to accompany King Richard Lion Heart on his
+campaign against the Infidel, did not avail himself of the opportunity
+to set the family right in the matter of Crusades. This hereditary
+impiety, which the Pope did not consider at all mended by the Baron's
+most regular attendance at the parish church on all Sundays, feast
+days, fast days, high days, low days, saints' days, vigils, and
+octaves, nor by his paying his tithes punctually to Father Anselm,
+Abbot of Oyster-le-Main (a wonderful person, of whom I shall have a
+great deal to tell you presently), this impiety, I say, finished the
+good standing of the House of Wantley. Rome frowned, the earth
+trembled, and the Dragon came. And (the legend went on to say) this
+curse would not be removed until a female lineal descendant of the
+first Sir Godfrey, a young lady who had never been married, and had
+never loved anybody except her father and mother and her sisters and
+brothers, should go out in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve,
+all by herself, and encounter the Dragon single handed.
+
+Now, of course, this is not what little Whelpdale is trying to tell
+the Baron up in the study; for everybody in Wantley knew all about the
+legend except one person, and that was Miss Elaine, Sir Godfrey's only
+daughter, eighteen years old at the last Court of Piepoudre, when her
+father (after paying all the farmers for all the cows and sheep they
+told him had been eaten by the Dragon since the last Court) had made
+his customary proclamation, to wit: his good-will and protection to
+all his tenantry; and if any man, woman, child, or other person,
+caused his daughter, Miss Elaine, to hear anything about the legend,
+such tale-bearer should be chained to a tree, and kept fat until the
+Dragon found him and ate him. So everybody obligingly kept the Baron's
+secret.
+
+Sir Godfrey is just this day returned from France with some famous
+tuns of wine, and presents for Elaine and Mrs. Mistletoe. His humour
+is (or was, till Whelpdale, poor wretch! answered the bell) of the
+best possible. And now, this moment, he is being told by the luckless
+Buttons that the Dragon of Wantley has taken to drinking, as well as
+eating, what does not belong to him; has for the last three nights
+burst the big gates of the wine-cellar that open on the hillside the
+Manor stands upon; that a hogshead of the Baron's best Burgundy is
+going; and that two hogsheads of his choicest Malvoisie are gone!
+
+One hundred and twenty-eight gallons in three nights' work! But I
+suppose a fire-breathing Dragon must be very thirsty.
+
+There was a dead silence in the study overhead, and old Popham's
+calves were shaking loose as he waited.
+
+"And so you stood by and let this black, sneaking, prowling, thieving"
+(here the Baron used some shocking expressions which I shall not set
+down) "Dragon swill my wine?"
+
+"St--st--stood by, your ludship?" said little Whelpdale. "No, sir; no
+one didn't do any standing by, sir. He roared that terrible, sir, we
+was all under the bed."
+
+"Now, by my coat of mail and great right leg!" shouted Sir Godfrey.
+The quaking Popham heard no more. The door of the private staircase
+flew open with a loud noise, and down came little Whelpdale head over
+heels into the buttery. After him strode Sir Godfrey in full mail
+armour, clashing his steel fists against the banisters. The nose-piece
+of his helmet was pushed up to allow him to speak plainly,--and most
+plainly did he speak, I can assure you, all the way down stairs,
+keeping his right eye glaring upon Popham in one corner of the
+buttery, and at the same time petrifying Whelpdale with his left. From
+father to son, the Disseisins had always been famous for the manner in
+which they could straddle their eyes; and in Sir Godfrey the family
+trait was very strongly marked.
+
+[Illustration: The Baron pursueth Whelpdale into the Buttery]
+
+Arrived at the bottom, he stopped for a moment to throw a ham through
+the stained-glass window, and then made straight for Popham. But the
+head Butler was an old family servant, and had learned to know his
+place.
+
+With surprising agility he hopped on a table, so that Sir Godfrey's
+foot flew past its destined goal and caught a shelf that was loaded
+with a good deal of his wedding china. The Baron was far too dignified
+a person to take any notice of this mishap, and he simply strode on,
+out of the buttery, and so through the halls of the Manor, where all
+who caught even the most distant sight of his coming, promptly
+withdrew into the privacy of their apartments.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER II
+
+         How his Daughter, Miss Elaine, behaued in Consequence
+
+[Illustration: ELAINE MISTLETOE]
+
+
+The Baron walked on, his rage mounting as he went, till presently he
+began talking aloud to himself. "Mort d'aieul and Cosenage!" he
+muttered, grinding his teeth over these oaths; "matters have come to a
+pretty pass, per my and per tout! And this is what my wine-bibbing
+ancestor has brought on his posterity by his omission to fight for the
+True Faith!"
+
+Sir Godfrey knew the outrageous injustice of this remark as well as
+you or I do; and so did the portrait of his ancestor, which he
+happened to be passing under, for the red nose in the tapestry turned
+a deeper ruby in scornful anger. But, luckily for the nerves of its
+descendant, the moths had eaten its mouth away so entirely, that the
+retort it attempted to make sounded only like a faint hiss, which the
+Baron mistook for a little gust of wind behind the arras.
+
+"My ruddy Burgundy!" he groaned, "going, going! and my rich, fruity
+Malvoisie,--all gone! Father Anselm didn't appreciate it, either, that
+night he dined here last September. He said I had put egg-shells in
+it. Egg-shells! Pooh! As if any parson could talk about wine. These
+Church folk had better mind their business, and say grace, and eat
+their dinner, and be thankful. That's what I say. Egg-shells,
+forsooth!" The Baron was passing through the chapel, and he
+mechanically removed his helmet; but he did not catch sight of the
+glittering eye of Father Anselm himself, who had stepped quickly into
+the confessional, and there in the dark watched Sir Godfrey with a
+strange, mocking smile. When he had the chapel to himself again, the
+tall gray figure of the Abbot appeared in full view, and craftily
+moved across the place. If you had been close beside him, and had
+listened hard, you could have heard a faint clank and jingle beneath
+his gown as he moved, which would have struck you as not the sort of
+noise a hair-shirt ought to make. But I am glad you were not there;
+for I do not like the way the Abbot looked at all, especially so near
+Christmas-tide, when almost every one somehow looks kinder as he goes
+about in the world. Father Anselm moved out of the chapel, and passed
+through lonely corridors out of Wantley Manor, out of the court-yard,
+and so took his way to Oyster-le-Main in the gathering dusk. The few
+people who met him received his blessing, and asked no questions; for
+they were all serfs of the glebe, and well used to meeting the Abbot
+going and coming near Wantley Manor.
+
+Meanwhile, Sir Godfrey paced along. "To think," he continued, aloud,
+"to think the country could be rid of this monster, this guzzling
+serpent, in a few days! Plenty would reign again. Public peace of mind
+would be restored. The cattle would increase, the crops would grow, my
+rents treble, and my wines be drunk no more by a miserable,
+ignorant--but, no! I'm her father. Elaine shall never be permitted to
+sacrifice herself for one dragon, or twenty dragons, either."
+
+"Why, what's the matter, papa?"
+
+Sir Godfrey started. There was Miss Elaine in front of him; and she
+had put on one of the new French gowns he had brought over with him.
+
+"Matter? Plenty of matter!" he began, unluckily. "At least, nothing is
+the matter at all, my dear. What a question! Am I not back all safe
+from the sea? Nothing is the matter, of course! Hasn't your old father
+been away from you two whole months? And weren't those pretty dresses
+he has carried back with him for his little girl? And isn't the
+wine--Zounds, no, the wine isn't--at least, certainly it is--to be
+sure it's what it ought to be--_what_ it ought to be? Yes! But, Mort
+d'aieul! not _where_ it ought to be! Hum! hum! I think I am going
+mad!" And Sir Godfrey, forgetting he held the helmet all this while,
+dashed his hands to his head with such violence that the steel edge
+struck hard above the ear, and in one minute had raised a lump there
+as large as the egg of a fowl.
+
+"Poor, poor papa," said Miss Elaine. And she ran and fetched some cold
+water, and, dipping her dainty lace handkerchief into it, she bathed
+the Baron's head.
+
+"Thank you, my child," he murmured, presently. "Of course, nothing is
+the matter. They were very slow in putting the new" (here he gave a
+gulp) "casks of wine into the cellar; that's all. 'Twill soon be
+dinner-time. I must make me ready."
+
+And so saying, the Baron kissed his daughter and strode away towards
+his dressing-room. But she heard him shout "Mort d'aieul!" more than
+once before he was out of hearing. Then his dressing-room door shut
+with a bang, and sent echoes all along the entries above and below.
+
+[Illustration: Sir Godfrey maketh him ready for the Bath]
+
+The December night was coming down, and a little twinkling lamp hung
+at the end of the passage. Towards this Miss Elaine musingly turned
+her steps, still squeezing her now nearly dry handkerchief.
+
+"What did he mean?" she said to herself.
+
+"Elaine!" shouted Sir Godfrey, away off round a corner.
+
+"Yes, papa, I'm coming."
+
+"Don't come. I'm going to the bath. A--did you hear me say anything
+particular?"
+
+"Do you mean when I met you?" answered Elaine. "Yes--no--that is,--not
+exactly, papa."
+
+"Then don't dare to ask me any questions, for I won't have it." And
+another door slammed.
+
+"What did papa mean?" said Miss Elaine, once more.
+
+Her bright brown eyes were looking at the floor as she walked slowly
+on towards the light, and her lips, which had been a little open so
+that you could have seen what dainty teeth she had, shut quite close.
+In fact, she was thinking, which was something you could seldom accuse
+her of. I do not know exactly what her thoughts were, except that the
+words "dragon" and "sacrifice" kept bumping against each other in
+them continually; and whenever they bumped, Miss Elaine frowned a
+little deeper, till she really looked almost solemn. In this way she
+came under the hanging lamp and entered the door in front of which it
+shone.
+
+[Illustration: SIR GODFREY getteth in to hys Bath]
+
+This was the ladies' library, full of the most touching romances about
+Roland, and Walter of Aquitaine, and Sir Tristram, and a great number
+of other excitable young fellows, whose behaviour had invariably got
+them into dreadful difficulties, but had as invariably made them, in
+the eyes of every damsel they saw, the most attractive, fascinating,
+sweet, dear creatures in the world. Nobody ever read any of these
+books except Mrs. Mistletoe and the family Chaplain. These two were,
+indeed, the only people in the household that knew how to read,--which
+may account for it in some measure. It was here that Miss Elaine came
+in while she was thinking so hard, and found old Mistletoe huddled to
+the fire. She had been secretly reading the first chapters of a new
+and pungent French romance, called "Roger and Angelica," that was
+being published in a Paris and a London magazine simultaneously. Only
+thus could the talented French author secure payment for his books in
+England; for King John, who had recently murdered his little nephew
+Arthur, had now turned his attention to obstructing all arrangements
+for an international copyright. In many respects, this monarch was no
+credit to his family.
+
+[Illustration: MISTLETOE; CONSVLTETH YE COOKYNGE BOOKE]
+
+When the Governess heard Miss Elaine open the door behind her, she
+thought it was the family Chaplain, and, quickly throwing the shocking
+story on the floor, she opened the household cookery-book,--an
+enormous volume many feet square, suspended from the ceiling by strong
+chains, and containing several thousand receipts for English, French,
+Italian, Croatian, Dalmatian, and Acarnanian dishes, beginning with a
+poem in blank verse written to his confectioner by the Emperor Charles
+the Fat. German cooking was omitted.
+
+"I'm looking up a new plum-pudding for Christmas," said Mistletoe,
+nervously, keeping her virtuous eyes on the volume.
+
+"Ah, indeed!" Miss Elaine answered, indifferently. She was thinking
+harder than ever,--was, in fact, inventing a little plan.
+
+"Oh, so it's you, deary!" cried the Governess, much relieved. She had
+feared the Chaplain might pick up the guilty magazine and find its
+pages cut only at the place where the French story was. And I am
+grieved to have to tell you that this is just what he did do later in
+the evening, and sat down in his private room and read about Roger and
+Angelica himself.
+
+"Here's a good one," said Mistletoe. "Number 39, in the Appendix to
+Part Fourth. Chop two pounds of leeks and----"
+
+"But I may not be here to taste it," said Elaine.
+
+"Bless the child!" said Mistletoe. "And where else would you be on
+Christmas-day but in your own house?"
+
+"Perhaps far away. Who knows?"
+
+"You haven't gone and seen a young man and told him----"
+
+"A young man, indeed!" said Elaine, with a toss of her head. "There's
+not a young man in England I would tell anything save to go about his
+business."
+
+Miss Elaine had never seen any young men except when they came to dine
+on Sir Godfrey's invitation; and his manner on those occasions so awed
+them that they always sat on the edge of their chairs, and said, "No,
+thank you," when the Baron said, "Have some more capon?" Then the
+Baron would snort, "Nonsense! Popham, bring me Master Percival's
+plate," upon which Master Percival invariably simpered, and said that
+really he did believe he _would_ take another slice. After these
+dinners, Miss Elaine retired to her own part of the house; and that
+was all she ever saw of young men, whom she very naturally deemed a
+class to be despised as silly and wholly lacking in self-assertion.
+
+"Then where in the name of good saints are you going to be?" Mistletoe
+went on.
+
+"Why," said Elaine, slowly (and here she looked very slyly at the old
+Governess, and then quickly appeared to be considering the lace on her
+dress), "why, of course, papa would not permit me to sacrifice myself
+for one dragon or twenty dragons."
+
+"What!" screamed Mistletoe, all in a flurry (for she was a fool).
+"What?"
+
+"Of course, I know papa would say that," said Miss Elaine, demure as
+possible.
+
+"Oh, mercy me!" squeaked Mistletoe; "we are undone!"
+
+"To be sure, I might agree with papa," said the artful thing, knowing
+well enough she was on the right track.
+
+"Oo--oo!" went the Governess, burying her nose in the household
+cookery-book and rocking from side to side.
+
+"But then I might not agree with papa, you know. I might think,--might
+think----" Miss Elaine stopped at what she might think, for really she
+hadn't the slightest idea what to say next.
+
+"You have no right to think,--no right at all!" burst out Mistletoe.
+"And you sha'n't be allowed to think. I'll tell Sir Godfrey at once,
+and he'll forbid you. Oh, dear! oh, dear! just before Christmas Eve,
+too! The only night in the year! She has no time to change her mind;
+and she'll be eaten up if she goes, I know she will. What villain told
+you of this, child? Let me know, and he shall be punished at once."
+
+"I shall not tell you that," said Elaine.
+
+"Then everybody will be suspected," moaned Mistletoe. "Everybody. The
+whole household. And we shall all be thrown to the Dragon. Oh, dear!
+was there ever such a state of things?" The Governess betook herself
+to weeping and wringing her hands, and Elaine stood watching her and
+wondering how in the world she could find out more. She knew now just
+enough to keep her from eating or sleeping until she knew everything.
+
+"I don't agree with papa, at all," she said, during a lull in the
+tears. This was the only remark she could think of.
+
+"He'll lock you up, and feed you on bread and water till you
+do--oo--oo!" sobbed Mistletoe; "and by that time we shall all be
+ea--ea--eaten up!"
+
+"But I'll talk to papa, and make him change his mind."
+
+"He won't. Do you think you're going to make him care more about a lot
+of sheep and cows than he does about his only daughter? Doesn't he pay
+the people for everything the Dragon eats up? Who would pay him for
+you, when you were eaten up?"
+
+"How do you know that I should be eaten up?" asked Miss Elaine.
+
+"Oh, dear! oh, dear! and how could you stop it? What could a girl do
+alone against a dragon in the middle of the night?"
+
+"But on Christmas Eve?" suggested the young lady. "There might be
+something different about that. He might feel better, you know, on
+Christmas Eve."
+
+"Do you suppose a wicked, ravenous dragon with a heathen tail is going
+to care whether it is Christmas Eve or not? He'd have you for his
+Christmas dinner, and that's all the notice he would take of the day.
+And then perhaps he wouldn't leave the country, after all. How can you
+be sure he would go away, just because that odious, vulgar legend says
+so? Who would rely on a dragon? And so there you would be gone, and he
+would be here, and everything!"
+
+Mistletoe's tears flowed afresh; but you see she had said all that
+Miss Elaine was so curious to know about, and the fatal secret was
+out.
+
+[Illustration: ELAINE MAKETH AN VNEXPECTED REMARK]
+
+The Quarter-Bell rang for dinner, and both the women hastened to
+their rooms to make ready; Mistletoe still boo-hooing and snuffling,
+and declaring that she had always said some wretched, abominable
+villain would tell her child about that horrid, ridiculous legend,
+that was a perfect falsehood, as anybody could see, and very likely
+invented by the Dragon himself, because no human being with any
+feelings at all would think of such a cruel, absurd idea; and if they
+ever did, they deserved to be eaten themselves; and she would not have
+it.
+
+She said a great deal more that Elaine, in the next room, could not
+hear (though the door was open between), because the Governess put her
+fat old face under the cold water in the basin, and, though she went
+on talking just the same, it only produced an angry sort of bubbling,
+which conveyed very little notion of what she meant.
+
+So they descended the stairway, Miss Elaine walking first, very
+straight and solemn; and that was the way she marched into the
+banquet-hall, where Sir Godfrey waited.
+
+"Papa," said she, "I think I'll meet the Dragon on Christmas Eve!"
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER III
+
+                    Reueals the _Dragon_ in his Den
+
+[Illustration: BROTHER HUBERT]
+
+
+Around the sullen towers of Oyster-le-Main the snow was falling
+steadily. It was slowly banking up in the deep sills of the windows,
+and Hubert the Sacristan had given up sweeping the steps. Patches of
+it, that had collected on the top of the great bell as the slanting
+draughts blew it in through the belfry-window, slid down from time to
+time among the birds which had nestled for shelter in the beams below.
+From the heavy main outer-gates, the country spread in a white
+unbroken sheet to the woods. Twice, perhaps, through the morning had
+wayfarers toiled by along the nearly-obliterated high-road.
+
+"Good luck to the holy men!" each had said to himself as he looked at
+the chill and austere walls of the Monastery. "Good luck! and I hope
+that within there they be warmer than I am." Then I think it very
+likely that as he walked on, blowing the fingers of the hand that held
+his staff, he thought of his fireside and his wife, and blessed
+Providence for not making him pious enough to be a monk and a
+bachelor.
+
+This is what was doing in the world outside. Now inside the stone
+walls of Oyster-le-Main, whose grim solidity spoke of narrow cells and
+of pious knees continually bent in prayer, not a monk paced the
+corridors, and not a step could be heard above or below in the
+staircase that wound up through the round towers. Silence was
+everywhere, save that from a remote quarter of the Monastery came a
+faint sound of music. Upon such a time as Christmas Eve, it might well
+be that carols in plenty would be sung or studied by the saintly men.
+But this sounded like no carol. At times the humming murmur of the
+storm drowned the measure, whatever it was, and again it came along
+the dark, cold entries, clearer than before. Away in a long vaulted
+room, whose only approach was a passage in the thickness of the walls,
+safe from the intrusion of the curious, a company is sitting round a
+cavernous chimney, where roars and crackles a great blazing heap of
+logs. Surely, for a monkish song, their melody is most odd; yet monks
+they are, for all are clothed in gray, like Father Anselm, and a rope
+round the waist of each. But what can possibly be in that huge silver
+rundlet into which they plunge their goblets so often? The song grows
+louder than ever.
+
+    We are the monks of Oyster-le-Main,
+    Hooded and gowned as fools may see;
+    Hooded and gowned though we monks be,
+    Is that a reason we should abstain
+    From cups of the gamesome Burgundie?
+
+    Though our garments make it plain
+    That we are Monks of Oyster-le-Main,
+    That is no reason we should abstain
+    From cups of the gamesome Burgundie.
+
+"I'm sweating hot," says one. "How for disrobing, brothers? No danger
+on such a day as this, foul luck to the snow!"
+
+Which you see was coarse and vulgar language for any one to be heard
+to use, and particularly so for a godly celibate. But the words were
+scarce said, when off fly those monks' hoods, and the waist-ropes
+rattle as they fall on the floor, and the gray gowns drop down and are
+kicked away.
+
+Every man jack of them is in black armour, with a long sword buckled
+to his side.
+
+"Long cheer to the Guild of Go-as-you-Please!" they shouted, hoarsely,
+and dashed their drinking-horns on the board. Then filled them again.
+
+"Give us a song, Hubert," said one. "The day's a dull one out in the
+world."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"Wait a while," replied Hubert, whose nose was hidden in his cup;
+"this new Wantley tipple is a vastly comfortable brew. What d'ye call
+the stuff?"
+
+"Malvoisie, thou oaf?" said another; "and of a delicacy many degrees
+above thy bumpkin palate. Leave profaning it, therefore, and to thy
+refrain without more ado."
+
+"Most unctuous sir," replied Hubert, "in demanding me this favour, you
+seem forgetful that the juice of Pleasure is sweeter than the milk of
+Human Kindness. I'll not sing to give thee an opportunity to outnumber
+me in thy cups."
+
+And he filled and instantly emptied another sound bumper of the
+Malvoisie, lurching slightly as he did so. "Health!" he added,
+preparing to swallow the next.
+
+"A murrain on such pagan thirst!" exclaimed he who had been toasted,
+snatching the cup away. "Art thou altogether unslakable? Is thy belly
+a lime-kiln? Nay, shalt taste not a single drop more, Hubert, till we
+have a stave. Come, tune up, man!"
+
+"Give me but leave to hold the empty vessel, then," the singer
+pleaded, falling on one knee in mock supplication.
+
+"Accorded, thou sot!" laughed the other. "Carol away, now!"
+
+They fell into silence, each replenishing his drinking-horn. The snow
+beat soft against the window, and from outside, far above them,
+sounded the melancholy note of the bell ringing in the hour for
+meditation.
+
+So Hubert began:
+
+    When the sable veil of night
+      Over hill and glen is spread,
+    The yeoman bolts his door in fright,
+      And he quakes within his bed.
+    Far away on his ear
+      There strikes a sound of dread:
+    Something comes! it is here!
+      It is passed with awful tread.
+    There's a flash of unholy flame;
+      There is smoke hangs hot in the air:
+    'Twas the Dragon of Wantley came:
+      Beware of him, beware!
+
+          But we beside the fire
+            Sit close to the steaming bowl;
+          We pile the logs up higher,
+            And loud our voices roll.
+
+    When the yeoman wakes at dawn
+      To begin his round of toil,
+    His garner's bare, his sheep are gone,
+      And the Dragon holds the spoil.
+    All day long through the earth
+      That yeoman makes his moan;
+    All day long there is mirth
+      Behind these walls of stone.
+    For we are the Lords of Ease,
+      The gaolers of carking Care,
+    The Guild of Go-as-you-Please!
+      Beware of us, beware!
+
+          So we beside the fire
+            Sit down to the steaming bowl;
+          We pile the logs up higher,
+            And loud our voices roll.
+
+The roar of twenty lusty throats and the clatter of cups banging on
+the table rendered the words of the chorus entirely inaudible.
+
+"Here's Malvoisie for thee, Hubert," said one of the company, dipping
+into the rundlet. But his hand struck against the dry bottom. They had
+finished four gallons since breakfast, and it was scarcely eleven gone
+on the clock!
+
+"Oh, I am betrayed!" Hubert sang out. Then he added, "But there is a
+plenty where that came from." And with that he reached for his gown,
+and, fetching out a bunch of great brass keys, proceeded towards a
+tall door in the wall, and turned the lock. The door swung open, and
+Hubert plunged into the dark recess thus disclosed. An exclamation of
+chagrin followed, and the empty hide of a huge crocodile, with a pair
+of trailing wings to it, came bumping out from the closet into the
+hall, giving out many hollow cracks as it floundered along, fresh from
+a vigourous kick that the intemperate minstrel had administered in his
+rage at having put his hand into the open jaws of the monster instead
+of upon the neck of the demijohn that contained the Malvoisie.
+
+"Beshrew thee, Hubert!" said the voice of a new-comer, who stood
+eyeing the proceedings from a distance, near where he had entered;
+"treat the carcase of our patron saint with a more befitting
+reverence, or I'll have thee caged and put upon bread and water.
+Remember, that whosoever kicks that skin in some sort kicks me."
+
+"Long life to the Dragon of Wantley!" said Hubert, reappearing, very
+dusty, but clasping a plump demijohn.
+
+"Hubert, my lad," said the new-comer, "put back that vessel of
+inebriation; and, because I like thee well for thy youth and thy sweet
+voice, do not therefore presume too far with me."
+
+A somewhat uneasy pause followed upon this; and while Hubert edged
+back into the closet with his demijohn, Father Anselm frowned slightly
+as his eyes turned upon the scene of late hilarity.
+
+But where is the Dragon in his den? you ask. Are we not coming to him
+soon? Ah, but we have come to him. You shall hear the truth. Never
+believe that sham story about More of More Hall, and how he slew the
+Dragon of Wantley. It is a gross fabrication of some unscrupulous and
+mediocre literary person, who, I make no doubt, was in the pay of More
+to blow his trumpet so loud that a credulous posterity might hear it.
+My account of the Dragon is the only true one.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER IV
+
+                          Tells all about him
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+In those days of shifting fortunes, of turbulence and rapine, of
+knights-errant and minstrels seeking for adventure and love, and of
+solitary pilgrims and bodies of pious men wandering over Europe to
+proclaim that the duty of all was to arise and quell the pagan
+defilers of the Holy Shrine, good men and bad men, undoubted saints
+and unmistakable sinners, drifted forward and back through every
+country, came by night and by day to every household, and lived their
+lives in that unbounded and perilous freedom that put them at one
+moment upon the top limit of their ambition or their delight, and
+plunged them into violent and bloody death almost ere the moment was
+gone. It was a time when "fatten at thy neighbour's expense" was the
+one commandment observed by many who outwardly maintained a profound
+respect for the original ten; and any man whose wit taught him how
+this commandment could be obeyed with the greatest profit and the
+least danger was in high standing among his fellows.
+
+Hence it was that Francis Almoign, Knight of the Voracious Stomach,
+cumbered with no domestic ties worthy of mention, a tall slim fellow
+who knew the appropriate hour to slit a throat or to wheedle a maid,
+came to be Grand Marshal of the Guild of Go-as-you-Please.
+
+This secret band, under its Grand Marshal, roved over Europe and
+thrived mightily. Each member was as stout hearted a villain as you
+could see. Sometimes their doings came to light, and they were forced
+to hasten across the borders of an outraged territory into new
+pastures. Yet they fared well in the main, for they could fight and
+drink and sing; and many a fair one smiled upon them, in spite of
+their perfectly outrageous morals.
+
+So, one day, they came into the neighbourhood of Oyster-le-Main, where
+much confusion reigned among the good monks. Sir Godfrey Disseisin
+over at Wantley had let Richard Lion Heart depart for the Holy Wars
+without him. "Like father like son," the people muttered in their
+discontent. "Sure, the Church will gravely punish this second
+offence." To all these whisperings of rumour the Grand Marshal of the
+Guild paid fast attention; for he was a man who laid his plans deeply,
+and much in advance of the event. He saw the country was fat and the
+neighbours foolish. He took note of the handsome tithes that came in
+to Oyster-le-Main for the support of the monks. He saw all these
+things, and set himself to thinking.
+
+Upon a stormy afternoon, when the light was nearly gone out of the
+sky, a band of venerable pilgrims stood at the great gates of the
+Monastery. Their garments were tattered, their shoes were in sad
+disrepair. They had walked (they said) all the way from Jerusalem.
+Might they find shelter for the night? The tale they told, and the
+mere sight of their trembling old beards, would have melted hearts far
+harder than those which beat in the breasts of the monks of
+Oyster-le-Main. But above all, these pilgrims brought with them as
+convincing proofs of their journey a collection of relics and
+talismans (such as are to be met with only in Eastern countries) of
+great wonder and virtue. With singular generosity, which they
+explained had been taught them by the Arabs, they presented many of
+these treasures to the delighted inmates of the Monastery, who
+hastened to their respective cells,--this one reverently cherishing a
+tuft of hair from the tail of one of Daniel's lions; another handling
+with deep fervour a strip of the coat of many colours once worn by the
+excellent Joseph. But the most extraordinary relic among them all was
+the skin of a huge lizard beast, the like of which none in England had
+ever seen. This, the Pilgrims told their hosts, was no less a thing
+than a crocodile from the Nile, the renowned river of Moses. It had
+been pressed upon them, as they were departing from the City of
+Damascus, by a friend, a blameless chiropodist, whose name was Omar
+Khayyam. He it was who eked out a pious groat by tending the feet of
+all outward and inward bound pilgrims. Seated at the entrance of his
+humble booth, with the foot of some holy man in his lap, he would
+speak words of kindness and wisdom as he reduced the inflammation. One
+of his quaintest sayings was, "If the Pope has bid thee wear hair next
+thy bare skin, my son, why, clap a wig over thy shaven scalp." So the
+monks in proper pity and kindness, when they had shut the great gates
+as night came down, made their pilgrim guests welcome to bide at
+Oyster-le-Main as long as they pleased. The solemn bell for retiring
+rolled forth in the darkness with a single deep clang, and the sound
+went far and wide over the neighbouring district. Those peasants who
+were still awake in their scattered cottages, crossed themselves as
+they thought, "The holy men at Oyster-le-Main are just now going to
+their rest."
+
+And thus the world outside grew still, and the thick walls of the
+Monastery loomed up against the stars.
+
+Deep in the midnight, many a choking cry rang fearfully through the
+stony halls, but came not to the outer air; and the waning moon shone
+faintly down upon the enclosure of the garden, where worked a band of
+silent grave-diggers, clad in black armour, and with blood-red hands.
+The good country folk, who came at early morning with their presents
+of poultry and milk, little guessed what sheep's clothing the gray
+cowls and gowns of Oyster-le-Main had become in a single night, nor
+what impious lips those were which now muttered blessings over their
+bent heads.
+
+The following night, hideous sounds were heard in the fields, and
+those who dared to open their shutters to see what the matter was,
+beheld a huge lizard beast, with fiery breath and accompanied by
+rattling thunder, raging over the soil, which he hardly seemed to
+touch!
+
+In this manner did the dreaded Dragon of Wantley make his appearance,
+and in this manner did Sir Francis Almoign, Knight of the Voracious
+Stomach, stand in the shoes of that Father Anselm whom he had put so
+comfortably out of the way under the flower-beds in the Monastery
+garden,--and never a soul in the world except his companions in orgy
+to know the difference. He even came to be welcome at Sir Godfrey's
+table; for after the Dragon's appearance, the Baron grew civil to all
+members of the Church. By day this versatile sinner, the Grand
+Marshal, would walk in the sight of the world with staid step, clothed
+in gray, his hood concealing his fierce, unchurchly eyes; by night,
+inside the crocodile skin, he visited what places he chose, unhindered
+by the terrified dwellers, and after him came his followers of the
+Guild to steal the plunder and bear it back inside the walls of
+Oyster-le-Main. Never in all their adventures had these superb
+miscreants been in better plight; but now the trouble had begun, as
+you are going to hear. We return to Hubert and the company.
+
+"Hubert and all of you," said Father Anselm, or rather Sir Francis,
+the Grand Marshal, as we know him to be, "they say that whom the gods
+desire to destroy, him do they first make drunk with wine."
+
+"The application! the application!" they shouted in hoarse and
+mirthful chorus, for they were certainly near that state favourable to
+destruction by the gods. One black fellow with a sliding gait ran into
+the closet and brought a sheet of thin iron, and a strange torch-like
+tube, which he lighted at the fire and blew into from the other end. A
+plume of spitting flame immediately shot far into the air.
+
+[Illustration: Hubert Looketh out of ye Window]
+
+"Before thy sermon proceeds, old Dragon," he said, puffing unsteady
+but solemn breaths between his words, "wrap up in lightning and
+thunder that we may be--may be--lieve what you say." Then he shook the
+iron till it gave forth a frightful shattering sound. The Grand
+Marshal said not a word. With three long steps he stood towering in
+front of the man and dealt him a side blow under the ear with his
+steel fist. He fell instantly, folding together like something
+boneless, and lay along the floor for a moment quite still, except
+that some piece in his armour made a light rattling as though there
+were muscles that quivered beneath it. Then he raised himself slowly
+to a bench where his brothers sat waiting, soberly enough. Only young
+Hubert grinned aside to his neighbour, who, perceiving it, kept his
+eyes fixed as far from that youth as possible.
+
+"Thy turn next, if art not careful, Hubert," said Sir Francis very
+quietly, as he seated himself.
+
+"Wonder of saints!" Hubert thought secretly, not moving at all, "how
+could he have seen that?"
+
+"'Tis no small piece of good fortune," continued the Grand Marshal,
+"that some one among us can put aside his slavish appetites, and keep
+a clear eye on the watch against misadventure. Here is my news. That
+hotch-pot of lies we set going among the people has fallen foul of
+us. The daughter of Sir Godfrey has heard our legend, and last week
+told her sire that to-night she would follow it out to the letter, and
+meet the Dragon of Wantley alone in single combat."
+
+"Has she never loved any man?" asked one.
+
+"She fulfils every condition."
+
+"Who told her?"
+
+"That most consummate of fools, the Mistletoe," said the Grand
+Marshal.
+
+"What did Sir Godfrey do upon that?" inquired Hubert.
+
+"He locked up his girl and chained the Governess to a rock, where she
+has remained in deadly terror ever since, but kept fat for me to
+devour her. Me!" and Sir Francis permitted himself to smile, though
+not very broadly.
+
+"How if Sir Dragon had found the maid chained instead of the ancient
+widow?" Hubert said, venturing to tread a little nearer to familiarity
+on the strength of the amusement which played across the Grand
+Master's face.
+
+"Ah, Hubert boy," he replied, "I see it is not in the Spring only,
+but in Autumn and Summer and Winter as well, that thy fancy turns to
+thoughts of love. Did the calendar year but contain a fifth season, in
+that also wouldst thou be making honey-dew faces at somebody."
+
+But young Hubert only grinned, and closed his flashing eyes a little,
+in satisfaction at the character which had been given him.
+
+"Time presses," Sir Francis said. "By noon we shall receive an
+important visit. There has been a great sensation at Wantley. The
+country folk are aroused; the farmers have discovered that the secret
+of our legend has been revealed to Miss Elaine. Not one of the clowns
+would have dared reveal it himself, but all rejoice in the bottom of
+their hearts that she knows it, and chooses to risk battle with the
+Dragon. Their honest Saxon minds perceive the thrift of such an
+arrangement. Therefore there is general anxiety and disturbance to
+know if Sir Godfrey will permit the conflict. The loss of his
+Malvoisie tried him sorely,--but he remains a father."
+
+"That's kind in him," said Hubert.
+
+Sir Francis turned a cold eye on Hubert. "As befits a clean-blooded
+man," he proceeded, "I have risen at the dawn and left you wine-pots
+in your thick sleep. From the wood's edge over by Wantley I've watched
+the Baron come eagerly to an upper window in his white night-shift.
+And when he looks out on Mistletoe and sees she is not devoured, he
+bursts into a rage that can be plainly seen from a distance. These six
+mornings I laughed so loud at this spectacle, that I almost feared
+discovery. Next, the Baron visits his daughter, only to find her food
+untasted and herself silent. I fear she is less of a fool than the
+rest. But now his paternal heart smites him, and he has let her out.
+Also the Governess is free."
+
+"Such a girl as that would not flinch from meeting our Dragon," said
+Hubert; "aye, or from seeking him."
+
+"She must never meet the Dragon," Sir Francis declared. "What could I
+do shut up in the crocodile, and she with a sword, of course?"
+
+They were gloomily silent.
+
+"I could not devour her properly as a dragon should. Nor could I carry
+her away," pursued Sir Francis.
+
+Here Hubert, who had gone to the window, returned hastily, exclaiming,
+"They are coming!"
+
+"Who are coming?" asked several.
+
+"The Baron, his daughter, the Governess, and all Wantley at their
+backs, to ask our pious advice," said the Grand Marshal. "Quick, into
+your gowns, one and all! Be monks outside, though you stay men
+underneath." For a while the hall was filled with jostling gray
+figures entangled in the thick folds of the gowns, into which the
+arms, legs, and heads had been thrust regardless of direction; the
+armour clashed invisible underneath as the hot and choked members of
+the Guild plunged about like wild animals sewed into sacks, in their
+struggles to reappear in decent monastic attire. The winged crocodile
+was kicked into the closet, after it were hurled the thunder machine
+and the lightning torch, and after them clattered the cups and the
+silver rundlet. Barely had Hubert turned the key, when knocking at the
+far-off gate was heard.
+
+"Go down quickly, Hubert," said the Grand Marshal, "and lead them all
+here."
+
+Presently the procession of laity, gravely escorted by Hubert, began
+to file into the now barren-looking room, while the monks stood with
+hands folded, and sang loudly what sounded to the uninstructed ears of
+each listener like a Latin hymn.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER V
+
+                   In which the Hero makes his first
+                  Appearance & is at Once locked up.
+
+[Illustration: FATHER ANSELM SIR GODFREY]
+
+
+With the respect that was due to holy men, Sir Godfrey removed his
+helmet, and stood waiting in a decent attitude of attention to the
+hymn, although he did not understand a single word of it. The long
+deliberate Latin words rolled out very grand to his ear, and, to tell
+you the truth, it is just as well his scholarship was faulty, for this
+is the English of those same words:
+
+    "It is my intention
+    To die in a tavern,
+    With wine in the neighbourhood,
+    Close by my thirsty mouth;
+    That angels in chorus
+    May sing, when they reach me,--
+    'Let Bacchus be merciful
+    Unto this wine-bibber.'"
+
+But so devoutly did the monks dwell upon the syllables, so earnestly
+were the arms of each one folded against his breast, that you would
+never have suspected any unclerical sentiments were being expressed.
+The proximity of so many petticoats and kirtles caused considerable
+restlessness to Hubert; but he felt the burning eye of the Grand
+Marshal fixed upon him, and sang away with all his might.
+
+Sir Godfrey began to grow impatient.
+
+"Hem!" he said, moving his foot slightly.
+
+This proceeding, however, was without result. The pious chant
+continued to resound, and the monks paid not the least attention to
+their visitors, but stood up together in a double line, vociferating
+Latin with as much zest as ever.
+
+"Mort d'aieul!" growled Sir Godfrey, shifting his other foot, and not
+so gingerly this second time.
+
+By chance the singing stopped upon the same instant, so that the
+Baron's remark and the noise his foot had made sounded all over the
+room. This disconcerted him; for he felt his standing with the Church
+to be weak, and he rolled his eyes from one side to the other,
+watching for any effect his disturbance might have made. But, with the
+breeding of a true man of the world, the Grand Marshal merely
+observed, "Benedicite, my son!"
+
+"Good-morning, Father," returned Sir Godfrey.
+
+"And what would you with me?" pursued the so-called Father Anselm.
+"Speak, my son."
+
+"Well, the fact is----" the Baron began, marching forward; but he
+encountered the eye of the Abbot, where shone a cold surprise at this
+over-familiar fashion of speech; so he checked himself, and, in as
+restrained a voice as he could command, told his story. How his
+daughter had determined to meet the Dragon, and so save Wantley; how
+nothing that a parent could say had influenced her intentions in the
+least; and now he placed the entire matter in the hands of the Church.
+
+"Which would have been more becoming if you had done it at the first,"
+said Father Anselm, reprovingly. Then he turned to Miss Elaine, who
+all this while had been looking out of the window with the utmost
+indifference.
+
+"How is this, my daughter?" he said gravely, in his deep voice.
+
+"Oh, the dear blessed man!" whispered Mistletoe, admiringly, to
+herself.
+
+"It is as you hear, Father," said Miss Elaine, keeping her eyes away.
+
+"And why do you think that such a peril upon your part would do away
+with this Dragon?"
+
+"Says not the legend so?" she replied.
+
+"And what may the legend be, my daughter?"
+
+With some surprise that so well informed a person as Father Anselm
+should be ignorant of this prominent topic of the day, Sir Godfrey
+here broke in and narrated the legend to him with many vigourous
+comments.
+
+"Ah, yes," said the Father, smiling gently when the story was done; "I
+do now remember that some such child's tale was in the mouths of the
+common folk once; but methought the nonsense was dead long since."
+
+"The nonsense, Father!" exclaimed Elaine.
+
+"Of a surety, my child. Dost suppose that Holy Church were so unjust
+as to visit the sins of thy knightly relatives upon the head of any
+weak woman, who is not in the order of creation designed for personal
+conflict with men, let alone dragons?"
+
+"Bravo, Dragon!" thought Hubert, as he listened to this wily talk of
+his chief.
+
+But the words "weak woman" had touched the pride of Miss Elaine. "I
+know nothing of weak women," she said, very stately; "but I do know
+that I am strong enough to meet this Dragon, and, moreover, firmly
+intend to do so this very night."
+
+"Peace, my daughter," said the monk; "and listen to the voice of thy
+mother the Church speaking through the humblest of her servants. This
+legend of thine holds not a single grain of truth. 'Tis a conceit of
+the common herd, set afoot by some ingenious fellow who may have
+thought he was doing a great thing in devising such fantastic mixture.
+True it is that the Monster is a visitation to punish the impiety of
+certain members of thy family. True it is that he will not depart till
+a member of that family perform a certain act. But it is to be a male
+descendant."
+
+Now Sir Godfrey's boy Roland was being instructed in knightly arts
+and conduct away from home.
+
+"Who told you that?" inquired the Baron, as the thought of his
+precious wine-cellar came into his head.
+
+"On last Christmas Eve I had a vision," replied Father Anselm. "Thy
+grandfather, the brave youth who by journeying to the Holy War averted
+this curse until thine own conduct caused it to descend upon us,
+appeared to me in shining armour. 'Anselm,' he said, and raised his
+right arm, 'the Dragon is a grievous burden on the people. I can see
+that from where I am. Now, Anselm, when the fitting hour shall come,
+and my great-grandson's years be mature enough to have made a man of
+him, let him go to the next Holy War that is proclaimed, and on the
+very night of his departure the curse will be removed and our family
+forgiven. More than this, Anselm, if any male descendant from me
+direct shall at any time attend a Crusade when it is declared, the
+country will be free forever.' So saying, he dissolved out of my sight
+in a silver gleaming mist." Here Father Anselm paused, and from under
+his hood watched with a trifle of anxiety the effect of his speech.
+
+There was a short silence, and then Sir Godfrey said, "Am I to
+understand this thing hangs on the event of another Crusade?"
+
+The Abbot bowed.
+
+"Meanwhile, till that event happen, the Dragon can rage unchecked?"
+
+The Abbot bowed again.
+
+"Will there be another Crusade along pretty soon?" Sir Godfrey
+pursued.
+
+"These things lie not in human knowledge," replied Father Anselm. He
+little dreamed what news the morrow's sun would see.
+
+"Oh, my sheep!" groaned many a poor farmer.
+
+"Oh, my Burgundy!" groaned Sir Godfrey.
+
+"In that case," exclaimed Elaine, her cheeks pink with excitement, "I
+shall try the virtue of the legend, at any rate."
+
+"Most impious, my daughter, most impious will such conduct be in the
+sight of Mother Church," said Father Anselm.
+
+"Hear me, all people!" shouted Sir Godfrey, foreseeing that before
+the next Crusade came every drop of wine in his cellar would be
+swallowed by the Dragon; "hear me proclaim and solemnly promise:
+legend true or legend false, my daughter shall not face this risk. But
+if her heart go with it, her hand shall be given to that man who by
+night or light brings me this Dragon, alive or dead!"
+
+[Illustration: Geoffrey replyeth with deplorable Flippancy to Father
+Anselm.]
+
+"A useless promise, Sir Godfrey!" said Father Anselm, shrugging his
+shoulders. "We dare not discredit the word of thy respected
+grandsire."
+
+"My respected grandsire be----"
+
+"_What?_" said the Abbot.
+
+"Became a credit to his family," said the Baron, quite mildly; "and I
+slight no word of his. But he did not contradict this legend in the
+vision, I think."
+
+"No, he did not, papa," Miss Elaine put in. "He only mentioned
+another way of getting rid of this horrible Dragon. Now, papa,
+whatever you may say about--about my heart and hand," she continued
+firmly, "I am going to meet the Monster alone myself, to-night."
+
+"That you shall not," said Sir Godfrey.
+
+"A hundred times no!" said a new voice from the crowd. "I will meet
+him myself!"
+
+All turned and saw a knight pushing his way through the people.
+
+"Who are you?" inquired the Baron.
+
+The stranger bowed haughtily; and Elaine watched him remove his
+helmet, and reveal underneath it the countenance of a young man who
+turned to her, and----
+
+Why, what's this, Elaine? Why does everything seem to swim and grow
+misty as his eye meets yours? And why does he look at you so, and
+deeply flush to the very rim of his curly hair? And as his glance
+grows steadier and more intent upon your eyes that keep stealing over
+at him, can you imagine why his hand trembles on the hilt of his
+sword? Don't you remember what the legend said?
+
+"Who are you?" the Baron repeated, impatiently.
+
+"I am Geoffrey, son of Bertram of Poictiers," answered the young man.
+
+"And what," asked Father Anselm, with a certain irony in his voice,
+"does Geoffrey, son of Bertram of Poictiers, so far away from his papa
+in this inclement weather?"
+
+The knight surveyed the monk for a moment, and then said, "As thou art
+not my particular Father Confessor, stick to those matters which
+concern thee."
+
+This reply did not please any man present, for it seemed to savour of
+disrespect. But Elaine lost no chance of watching the youth, who now
+stood alone in the middle of the hall. Sir Francis detected this, and
+smiled with a sly smile.
+
+"Will some person inquire of this polite young man," he said, "what he
+wishes with us?"
+
+"Show me where this Dragon of Wantley comes," said Geoffrey, "for I
+intend to slay him to-night."
+
+"Indeed, sir," fluttered Elaine, stepping towards him a little, "I
+hope--that is, I beg you'll do no such dangerous thing as that for my
+sake."
+
+"For your sake?" Father Anselm broke in. "For your sake? And why so?
+What should Elaine, daughter of Sir Godfrey Disseisin, care for the
+carcase of Geoffrey, son of Bertram of Poictiers?"
+
+But Elaine, finding nothing to answer, turned rosy pink instead.
+
+"That rules you out!" exclaimed the Father, in triumph. "Your legend
+demands a maid who never has cared for any man."
+
+"Pooh!" said Geoffrey, "leave it to me."
+
+"Seize him!" shouted Sir Godfrey in a rage. "He had ruled out my
+daughter." Consistency had never been one of the Baron's strong
+points.
+
+"Seize him!" said Father Anselm. "He outrages Mother Church."
+
+The vassals closed up behind young Geoffrey, who was pinioned in a
+second. He struggled with them till the veins stood out in his
+forehead in blue knots; but, after all, one young man of twenty is not
+much among a band of stout yeomen; and they all fell in a heap on the
+floor, pulling and tugging at Geoffrey, who had blacked several eyes,
+and done in a general way as much damage as he possibly could under
+the circumstances.
+
+But Elaine noticed one singular occurrence. Not a monk had moved to
+seize the young man, except one, who rushed forward, and was stopped,
+as though struck to stone, by Father Anselm's saying to him in a
+terrible undertone, "Hubert!"
+
+Simply that word, spoken quickly; but not before this Hubert had
+brushed against her so that she was aware that there was something
+very hard and metallic underneath his gray gown. She betrayed no sign
+of knowledge or surprise on her face, however, but affected to be
+absorbed wholly in the fortunes of young Geoffrey, whom she saw
+collared and summarily put into a cage-like prison whose front was
+thick iron bars, and whose depth was in the vast outer wall of the
+Monastery, with a little window at the rear, covered with snow. The
+spring-lock of the gate shut upon him.
+
+"And now," said Father Anselm, as the Monastery bell sounded once
+more, "if our guests will follow us, the mid-day meal awaits us below.
+We will deal with this hot-head later," he added, pointing to the
+prisoner.
+
+So they slowly went out, leaving Geoffrey alone with his thoughts.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+[Illustration: ELAINE]
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER VI
+
+     Miss Elaine loses her Heart & finds Something of the greatest
+                              Importance.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+Down stairs the Grace was said, and the company was soon seated and
+ready for their mid-day meal.
+
+"Our fare," said Father Anselm pleasantly to Sir Godfrey, who sat on
+his right, "is plain, but substantial."
+
+"Oh--ah, very likely," replied the Baron, as he received a wooden
+basin of black-bean broth.
+
+"Our drink is----"
+
+The Baron lifted his eye hopefully.
+
+"----remarkably pure water," Father Anselm continued. "Clement!" he
+called to the monk whose turn it was that day to hand the dishes,
+"Clement, a goblet of our well-water for Sir Godfrey Disseisin. One of
+the large goblets, Clement. We are indeed favoured, Baron, in having
+such a pure spring in the midst of our home."
+
+"Oh--ah!" observed the Baron again, and politely nerved himself for a
+swallow. But his thoughts were far away in his own cellar over at
+Wantley, contemplating the casks whose precious gallons the Dragon had
+consumed. Could it be the strength of his imagination, or else why was
+it that through the chilling, unwelcome liquid he was now drinking he
+seemed to detect a lurking flavour of the very wine those casks had
+contained, his favourite Malvoisie?
+
+Father Anselm noticed the same taste in his own cup, and did not set
+it down to imagination, but afterwards sentenced Brother Clement to
+bread and water during three days, for carelessness in not washing the
+Monastery table-service more thoroughly.
+
+"This simple food keeps you in beautiful health, Father," said
+Mistletoe, ogling the swarthy face of the Abbot with an affection that
+he duly noted.
+
+"My daughter," he replied, gravely, "bodily infirmity is the reward of
+the glutton. I am well, thank you."
+
+Meanwhile, Elaine did not eat much. Her thoughts were busy, and
+hurrying over recent events. Perhaps you think she lost her heart in
+the last Chapter, and cannot lose it in this one unless it is given
+back to her. But I do not agree with you; and I am certain that, if
+you suggested such a notion to her, she would become quite angry, and
+tell you not to talk such foolish nonsense. People are so absurd about
+hearts, and all that sort of thing! No: I do not really think she has
+lost her heart yet; but as she sits at table these are the things she
+is feeling:
+
+1. Not at all hungry.
+
+2. Not at all thirsty.
+
+3. What a hateful person that Father Anselm is!
+
+4. Poor, poor young man!
+
+5. Not that she thinks of him in _that_ way, of course. The idea!
+Horrid Father Anselm!
+
+6. Any girl at all--no, not girl, _anybody_ at all--who had human
+justice would feel exactly as she did about the whole matter.
+
+7. He was very good-looking, too.
+
+8. Did he have--yes, they were blue. Very, very dark blue.
+
+9. And a moustache? Well, yes.
+
+Here she laughed, but no one noticed her idling with her spoon. Then
+her eyes filled with tears, and she pretended to be absorbed with the
+black-bean broth, though, as a matter of fact, she did not see it in
+the least.
+
+10. Why had he come there at all?
+
+11. It was a perfect shame, treating him so.
+
+12. Perhaps they were not blue, after all. But, oh! what a beautiful
+sparkle was in them!
+
+After this, she hated Father Anselm worse than ever. And the more she
+hated him, the more some very restless delicious something made her
+draw long breaths. She positively must go up-stairs and see what He
+was doing and what He really looked like. This curiosity seized hold
+of her and set her thinking of some way to slip away unseen. The
+chance came through all present becoming deeply absorbed in what Sir
+Godfrey was saying to Father Anselm.
+
+"Such a low, coarse, untaught brute as a dragon," he explained,
+"cannot possibly distinguish good wine from bad."
+
+"Of a surety, no!" responded the monk.
+
+"You agree with me upon that point?" said the Baron.
+
+"Most certainly. Proceed."
+
+"Well, I'm going to see that he gets nothing but the cider and small
+beer after this."
+
+"But how will you prevent him, if he visit your cellar again?" Father
+Anselm inquired.
+
+"I shall change all the labels, in the first place," the Baron
+answered.
+
+"Ha! vastly well conceived," said Father Anselm. "You will label your
+Burgundy as if it were beer."
+
+"And next," continued Sir Godfrey, "I shall shift the present
+positions of the hogsheads. That I shall do to-day, after relabelling.
+In the northern corner of the first wine vault I shall----"
+
+Just as he reached this point, it was quite wonderful how strict an
+attention every monk paid to his words. They leaned forward,
+forgetting their dinner, and listened with all their might.
+
+One of them, who had evidently received an education, took notes
+underneath the table. Thus it was that Elaine escaped observation
+when she left the refectory.
+
+[Illustration: The Baron setteth forth his Plan for circumuenting the
+Dragon]
+
+As she came up-stairs into the hall where Geoffrey was caged, she
+stepped lightly and kept where she could not be seen by him. All was
+quiet when she entered; but suddenly she heard the iron bars of the
+cage begin to rattle and shake, and at the same time Geoffrey's voice
+broke out in rage.
+
+"I'll twist you loose," he said, "you--(rattle, shake)--you--(kick,
+bang)----" And here the shocking young man used words so violent and
+wicked that Elaine put her hands tight over her ears. "Why, he is just
+as dreadful as papa, just exactly!" she exclaimed to herself. "Whoever
+would have thought that that angelic face--but I suppose they are all
+like that sometimes." And she took her hands away again.
+
+"Yes, I will twist you loose," he was growling hoarsely, while the
+kicks and wrenches grew fiercer than ever, "or twist myself stark,
+staring blind--and----"
+
+"Oh, sir!" she said, running out in front of the cage.
+
+He stopped at once, and stood looking at her. His breast-plate and
+gauntlets were down on the floor, so his muscles might have more easy
+play in dealing with the bars. Elaine noticed that the youth's shirt
+was of very costly Eastern silk.
+
+"I was thinking of getting out," he said at length, still standing and
+looking at her.
+
+"I thought I might--that is--you might----" began Miss Elaine, and
+stopped. Upon which another silence followed.
+
+"Lady, who sent you here?" he inquired.
+
+"Oh, they don't know!" she replied, hastily; and then, seeing how
+bright his face became, and hearing her own words, she looked down,
+and the crimson went over her cheeks as he watched her.
+
+"Oh, if I could get out!" he said, desperately. "Lady, what is your
+name, if I might be so bold."
+
+"My name, sir, is Elaine. Perhaps there is a key somewhere," she said.
+
+"And I am called Geoffrey," he said, in reply.
+
+"I think we might find a key," Elaine repeated.
+
+She turned towards the other side of the room, and there hung a great
+bunch of brass keys dangling from the lock of a heavy door.
+
+Ah, Hubert! thou art more careless than Brother Clement, I think, to
+have left those keys in such a place!
+
+Quickly did Elaine cross to that closed door, and laid her hand upon
+the bunch. The door came open the next moment, and she gave a shriek
+to see the skin of a huge lizard-beast fall forward at her feet, and
+also many cups and flagons, that rolled over the floor, dotting it
+with little drops of wine.
+
+Hearing Elaine shriek, and not able to see from his prison what had
+befallen her, Geoffrey shouted out in terror to know if she had come
+to any hurt.
+
+"No," she told him; and stood eyeing first the crocodile's hide and
+then the cups, setting her lips together very firmly. "And they were
+not even dry," she said after a while. For she began to guess a little
+of the truth.
+
+"Not dry? Who?" inquired Geoffrey.
+
+"Oh, Geoffrey!" she burst out in deep anger, and then stopped,
+bewildered. But his heart leaped to hear her call his name.
+
+"Are there no keys?" he asked.
+
+"Keys? Yes!" she cried, and, running with them back to the bars, began
+trying one after another in trembling haste till the lock clicked
+pleasantly, and out marched young Geoffrey.
+
+Now what do you suppose this young man did when he found himself free
+once more, and standing close by the lovely young person to whom he
+owed his liberty? Did he place his heels together, and let his arms
+hang gracefully, and so bow with respect and a manner at once
+dignified and urbane, and say, "Miss Elaine, permit me to thank you
+for being so kind as to let me out of prison?" That is what he ought
+to have done, of course, if he had known how to conduct himself like a
+well-brought-up young man. But I am sorry to have to tell you that
+Geoffrey did nothing of the sort, but, instead of that, behaved in a
+most outrageous manner. He did not thank her at all. He did not say
+one single word to her. He simply put one arm round her waist and gave
+her a kiss!
+
+"Geoffrey!" she murmured, "don't!"
+
+But Geoffrey did, with the most astonishing and complacent
+disobedience.
+
+"Oh, Geoffrey!" she whispered, looking the other way, "how wrong of
+you! And of me!" she added a little more softly still, escaping from
+him suddenly, and facing about.
+
+"I don't see that," said Geoffrey. "I love you, Elaine. Elaine,
+darling, I----"
+
+"Oh, but you mustn't!" answered she, stepping back as he came nearer.
+
+[Illustration: Geoffrey tuggeth at the Bars]
+
+This was simply frightful! And so sudden. To think of
+her--Elaine!--but she couldn't think at all. Happy? Why, how wicked!
+How had she ever----
+
+"No, you must not," she repeated, and backed away still farther.
+
+"But I will!" said this lover, quite loudly, and sprang so quickly to
+where she stood that she was in his arms again, and this time without
+the faintest chance of getting out of them until he should choose to
+free her.
+
+It was no use to struggle now, and she was still, like some wild bird.
+But she knew that she was really his, and was glad of it. And she
+looked up at him and said, very softly, "Geoffrey, we are wasting
+time."
+
+"Oh, no, not at all," said Geoffrey.
+
+"But we are."
+
+"Say that you love me."
+
+"But haven't I--ah, Geoffrey, please don't begin again."
+
+"Say that you love me."
+
+She did.
+
+Then, taking his hand, she led him to the door she had opened. He
+stared at the crocodile, at the wine-cups, and then he picked up a
+sheet of iron and a metal torch.
+
+"I suppose it is their museum," he said; "don't you?"
+
+"Their museum! Geoffrey, think a little."
+
+"They seem to keep very good wine," he remarked, after smelling at the
+demijohn.
+
+"Don't you see? Can't you understand?" she said.
+
+"No, not a bit. What's that thing, do you suppose?" he added, giving
+the crocodile a kick.
+
+"Oh, me, but men are simple, men are simple!" said Elaine, in despair.
+"Geoffrey, listen! That wine is my father's wine, from his own cellar.
+There is none like it in all England."
+
+"Then I don't see why he gave it to a parcel of monks," replied the
+young man.
+
+Elaine clasped her hands in hopelessness, gave him a kiss, and became
+mistress of the situation.
+
+"Now, Geoffrey," she said, "I will tell you what you and I have really
+found out." Then she quickly recalled all the recent events. How her
+father's cellar had been broken into; how Mistletoe had been chained
+to a rock for a week and no dragon had come near her. She bade him
+remember how just now Father Anselm had opposed every plan for meeting
+the Dragon, and at last she pointed to the crocodile.
+
+"Ha!" said Geoffrey, after thinking for a space. "Then you mean----"
+
+"Of course I do," she interrupted. "The Dragon of Wantley is now
+down-stairs with papa eating dinner, and pretending he never drinks
+anything stronger than water. What do you say to that, sir?"
+
+"This is a foul thing!" cried the knight. "Here have I been damnably
+duped. Here----" but speech deserted him. He glared at the crocodile
+with a bursting countenance, then drove his toe against it with such
+vigour that it sailed like a foot-ball to the farther end of the hall.
+
+"Papa has been duped, and everybody," said Elaine. "Papa's French
+wine----"
+
+"They swore to me in Flanders I should find a real dragon here," he
+continued, raging up and down, and giving to the young lady no part of
+his attention. She began to fear he was not thinking of her.
+
+"Geoffrey----" she ventured.
+
+"They swore it. They had invited me to hunt a dragon with them in
+Flanders,--Count Faux Pas and his Walloons. We hunted day and night,
+and the quest was barren. They then directed me to this island of
+Britain, in which they declared a dragon might be found by any man who
+so desired. They lied in their throats. I have come leagues for
+nothing." Here he looked viciously at the distant hide of the
+crocodile. "But I shall slay the monk," he added. "A masquerading
+caitiff! Lying varlets! And all for nothing! The monk shall die,
+however."
+
+"Have you come for nothing, Geoffrey?" murmured Elaine.
+
+"Three years have I been seeking dragons in all countries, chasing
+deceit over land and sea. And now once more my dearest hope falls
+empty and stale. Why, what's this?" A choking sound beside him stopped
+the flow of his complaints.
+
+"Oh, Geoffrey,--oh, miserable me!" The young lady was dissolved in
+tears.
+
+"Elaine--dearest--don't."
+
+"You said you had come for n--nothing, and it was all st--stale."
+
+"Ha, I am a fool, indeed! But it was the Dragon, dearest. I had made
+so sure of an honest one in this adventure."
+
+"Oh, oh!" went Miss Elaine, with her head against his shoulder.
+
+"There, there! You're sweeter than all the dragons in the world, my
+little girl," said he. And although this does not appear to be a great
+compliment, it comforted her wonderfully in the end; for he said it in
+her ear several times without taking his lips away. "Yes," he
+continued, "I was a fool. By your father's own word you're mine. I
+have caught the Dragon. Come, my girl! We'll down to the refectory
+forthwith and denounce him."
+
+With this, he seized Elaine's hand and hastily made for the stairs.
+
+"But hold, Geoffrey, hold! Oh--I am driven to act not as maidens
+should," sighed Elaine. "He it is who ought to do the thinking. But,
+dear me! he does not know how. Do you not see we should both be lost,
+were you to try any such wild plan?"
+
+"Not at all. Your father would give you to me."
+
+"Oh, no, no, Geoffrey; indeed, papa would not. His promise was about a
+dragon. A live or a dead dragon must be brought to him. Even if he
+believed you now, even if that dreadful Father Anselm could not invent
+some lie to put us in the wrong, you and I could never--that is--papa
+would not feel bound by his promise simply because you did that. There
+must be a dragon somehow."
+
+"How can there be a dragon if there is not a dragon?" asked Geoffrey.
+
+"Wait, wait, Geoffrey! Oh, how can I think of everything all at
+once?" and Elaine pressed her hands to her temples.
+
+"Darling," said the knight, with his arms once more around her, "let
+us fly now."
+
+"Now? They would catch us at once."
+
+"Catch us! not they! with my sword----"
+
+"Now, Geoffrey, of course you are brave. But do be sensible. You are
+only one. No! I won't even argue such nonsense. They must never know
+about what we have been doing up here; and you must go back into that
+cage at once."
+
+"What, and be locked up, and perhaps murdered to-night, and never see
+your face again?"
+
+"But you shall see me again, and soon. That is what I am thinking
+about."
+
+"How can you come in here, Elaine?"
+
+"You must come to me. I have it! To-night, at half-past eleven, come
+to the cellar-door at the Manor, and I will be there to let you in.
+Then we can talk over everything quietly. I have no time to think
+now."
+
+"The cellar! at the Manor! And how, pray, shall I get out of that
+cage?"
+
+"Cannot you jump from the little window at the back?"
+
+Geoffrey ran in to see. "No," he said, returning; "it is many spans
+from the earth."
+
+Elaine had hurried into the closet, whence she returned with a dusty
+coil of rope. "Here, Geoffrey; quickly! put it about your waist. Wind
+it so. But how clumsy you are!"
+
+He stood smiling down at her, and she very deftly wound the cord up
+and down, over and over his body, until its whole length lay
+comfortably upon him.
+
+"Now, your breast-plate, quick!"
+
+She helped him put his armour on again; and, as they were engaged at
+that, singing voices came up the stairs from the distant dining-hall.
+
+"The Grace," she exclaimed; "they will be here in a moment."
+
+Geoffrey took a last kiss, and bolted into his cage. She, with the
+keys, made great haste to push the crocodile and other objects once
+more into their hiding-place. Cups and flagons and all rattled back
+without regard to order, as they had already been flung not two hours
+before. The closet-door shut, and Elaine hung the keys from the lock
+as she had found them.
+
+"Half-past eleven," she said to Geoffrey, as she ran by his cage
+towards the stairs.
+
+"One more, darling,--please, one! through the bars!" he besought her,
+in a voice so tender, that for my part I do not see how she had the
+heart to refuse him. But she continued her way, and swiftly descending
+the stairs was found by the company, as they came from the hall,
+busily engaged in making passes with Sir Godfrey's sword, which he had
+left leaning near the door.
+
+"A warlike daughter, Sir Godfrey!" said Father Anselm.
+
+"Ah, if I were a man to go on a Crusade!" sighed Miss Elaine.
+
+"Hast thou, my daughter," said Father Anselm, "thought better of thy
+rash intentions concerning this Dragon?"
+
+"I am travelling towards better thoughts, Father," she answered.
+
+But Sir Francis did not wholly believe the young lady; and was not at
+rest until Sir Godfrey assured him her good conduct should be no
+matter of her own choosing.
+
+"You see," insinuated the Abbot, "so sweet a maid as yours would be a
+treat for the unholy beast. A meal like that would incline him to
+remain in a neighbourhood where such dainties were to be found."
+
+"I'll have no legends and fool's tricks," exclaimed the Baron. "She
+shall be locked in her room to-night."
+
+"Not if she can help it," thought Miss Elaine. Her father had
+imprudently spoken too loud.
+
+"'Twere a wise precaution," murmured Father Anselm. "What are all the
+vintages of this earth by the side of a loving daughter?"
+
+"Quite so, quite so!" Sir Godfrey assented. "Don't you think," he
+added, wistfully, "that another Crusade may come along soon?"
+
+"Ah, my son, who can say? Tribulation is our meted heritage. Were thy
+thoughts more high, the going of thy liquors would not cause thee such
+sorrow. Learn to enjoy the pure cold water."
+
+"Good-afternoon," said the Baron.
+
+When all the guests had departed and the door was shut safe behind
+them, the Father and his holy companions broke into loud mirth. "The
+Malvoisie is drunk up," said they; "to-night we'll pay his lordship's
+cellars another visit."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+                             CHAPTER VII
+
+                Shows what curious Things you may see,
+               if you don't go to Bed when you are sent
+
+[Illustration: GEOFFREY]
+
+
+To have steered a sudden course among dangerous rocks and rapids and
+come safe through, puts in the breast of the helmsman a calm content
+with himself, for which no man will blame him. What in this world is
+there so lifts one into complacency as the doing of a bold and
+cool-headed thing? Let the helmsman sleep sound when he has got to
+land! But if his content overtake him still on the water, so that he
+grows blind to the treacherous currents that eddy where all looks
+placid to the careless eye, let him beware!
+
+Sir Francis came in front of the cage where sat young Geoffrey inside,
+on the floor. The knight had put his head down between his knees, and
+seemed doleful enough.
+
+"Aha!" thought Sir Francis, giving the motionless figure a dark look,
+"my hawk is moulting. We need scarcely put a hood on such a tersel."
+
+Next he looked at the shut door of the closet, and a shaft of alarm
+shot through him to see the keys hanging for anybody to make use of
+them that pleased. He thought of Elaine, and her leaving the table
+without his seeing her go. What if she had paid this room a visit?
+
+"Perhaps that bird with head under wing in there," he mused, looking
+once more at Geoffrey, "is not the simple-witted nestling he looks. My
+son!" he called.
+
+But the youth did not care to talk, and so showed no sign.
+
+"My son, peace be with you!" repeated Father Anselm, coming to the
+bars and wearing a benevolent mien.
+
+Geoffrey remained quite still.
+
+"If repentance for thy presumption hath visited thee----" went on the
+Father.
+
+"Hypocrite!" was the word that jumped to the youth's lips; but
+fortunately he stopped in time, and only moved his legs with some
+impatience.
+
+"I perceive with pain, my son," said Father Anselm, "that repentance
+hath not yet visited thee. Well, 'twill come. And that's a blessing
+too," he added, sighing very piously.
+
+"He plays a part pretty well," thought Geoffrey as he listened. "So
+will I." Then he raised his head.
+
+"How long am I to stay in this place?" he inquired, taking a tone of
+sullen humour, such as he thought would fit a prisoner.
+
+"Certainly until thy present unbridled state of sin is purged out of
+thee," replied the Father.
+
+"Under such a dose as thou art," Geoffrey remarked, "that will be
+soon."
+
+"This is vain talk, my son," said the Abbot. "Were I of the children
+of this world, my righteous indignation----"
+
+"Pooh!" said Geoffrey.
+
+"----would light on thee heavily. But we who have renounced the world
+and its rottenness" (here his voice fell into a manner of chanting)
+"make a holiday of forgiving injuries, and find a pleasure even in
+pain."
+
+"Open this door then," Geoffrey answered, "and I'll provide thee with
+a whole week of joy."
+
+"Nay," said Father Anselm, "I had never gathered from thy face that
+thou wert such a knave."
+
+"At least in the matter of countenances I have the advantage of thee,"
+the youth observed.
+
+"I perceive," continued the Father, "that I must instruct thy spirit
+in many things,--submission, among others. Therefore thou shalt bide
+with us for a month or two."
+
+"That I'll not!" shouted Geoffrey, forgetting his rôle of prisoner.
+
+"She cannot unlock thee," Father Anselm said, with much art slipping
+Elaine into the discourse.
+
+Geoffrey glared at the Abbot, who now hoped to lay a trap for him by
+means of his temper. So he went further in the same direction. "Her
+words are vainer than most women's," he said; "though a lover would
+trust in them, of course."
+
+The knight swelled in his rage, and might have made I know not what
+unsafe rejoinder; but the cords that Elaine had wound about him
+naturally tightened as he puffed out, and seemed by their pressure to
+check his speech and bid him be wary. So he changed his note, and said
+haughtily, "Because thy cowl and thy gown shield thee, presume not to
+speak of one whose cause I took up in thy presence, and who is as high
+above thee in truth as she is in every other quality and virtue."
+
+"This callow talk, my son," said the Abbot quietly, "wearies me much.
+Lay thee down and sleep thy sulks off, if thou art able." Upon this,
+he turned away to the closet where hung the brass keys, and opened the
+door a-crack. He saw the hide of the crocodile leaning against it, and
+the overturned cups. "Just as that boy Hubert packed them," he thought
+to himself in satisfaction; "no one has been prying here. I flatter
+myself upon a skilful morning's work. I have knocked the legend out of
+the Baron's head. He'll see to it the girl keeps away. And as for yon
+impudent witling in the cage, we shall transport him beyond the seas,
+if convenient; if not, a knife in his gullet will make him forget the
+Dragon of Wantley. Truly, I am master of the situation!" And as his
+self-esteem grew, the Grand Marshal rubbed his hands, and went out of
+the hall, too much pleased with himself to notice certain little drops
+of wine dotted here and there close by the closet, and not yet quite
+dry, which, had his eye fallen upon them, might have set him
+a-thinking.
+
+So Geoffrey was left in his prison to whatever comfort meditation
+might bring him; and the monks of Oyster-le-Main took off their gowns,
+and made themselves ready for another visit to the wine-cellars of
+Wantley Manor.
+
+The day before Christmas came bleakly to its end over dingle and fen,
+and the last gray light died away. Yet still you could hear the
+hissing snow beat down through the bramble-thorn and the dry leaves.
+After evening was altogether set in, Hubert brought the knight a
+supper that was not a meal a hungry man might be over joyful at
+seeing; yet had Hubert (in a sort of fellowship towards one who seemed
+scarcely longer seasoned in manhood than himself, and whom he had seen
+blacken eyes in a very valiant manner) secretly prepared much better
+food than had been directed by his worship the Abbot.
+
+The prisoner feigned sleep, and started up at the rattle which the
+plate made as it was set down under his bars.
+
+"Is it morning?" he asked.
+
+"Morning, forsooth!" Hubert answered. "Three more hours, and we reach
+only midnight." And both young men (for different reasons) wished in
+their hearts it were later.
+
+"Thou speakest somewhat curtly for a friar," said Geoffrey.
+
+"Alas, I am but a novice, brother," whined the minstrel, "and fall
+easily back into my ancient and godless syntax. There is food. Pax
+vobiscum, son of the flesh." Then Hubert went over to the closet, and
+very quietly unlocking the door removed the crocodile and the various
+other implements that were necessary in bringing into being the dread
+Dragon of Wantley. He carried them away to a remote quarter of the
+Monastery, where the Guild began preparations that should terrify any
+superstitious witness of their journey to get the Baron's wine.
+Geoffrey, solitary and watchful in his chilly cage, knew what work
+must be going on, and waited his time in patience.
+
+[Illustration: Elaine cometh into the Cellar]
+
+At supper over at Wantley there was but slight inclination to polite
+banter. Only the family Chaplain, mindful that this was Christmas Eve,
+attempted to make a little small talk with Sir Godfrey.
+
+"Christmas," he observed to the Baron, "is undoubtedly coming."
+
+As the Baron did not appear to have any rejoinder to this, the young
+divine continued, pleasantly.
+
+"Though indeed," he said, "we might make this assertion upon any day
+of the three hundred and sixty-five, and (I think) remain accurate."
+
+"The celery," growled the Baron, looking into his plate.
+
+"Quite so," cried the Chaplain, cheerily. He had failed to catch the
+remark. "Though of course everything does depend on one's point of
+view, after all."
+
+"That celery, Whelpdale!" roared Sir Godfrey.
+
+The terrified Buttons immediately dropped a large venison pasty into
+Mrs. Mistletoe's lap. She, having been somewhat tried of late, began
+screeching. Whelpdale caught up the celery, and blindly rushed towards
+Sir Godfrey, while Popham, foreseeing trouble, rapidly ascended the
+sideboard. The Baron stepped out of Whelpdale's path, and as he passed
+by administered so much additional speed that little Buttons flew
+under the curtained archway and down many painful steps into the
+scullery, and was not seen again during that evening.
+
+When Sir Godfrey had reseated himself, it seemed to the Rev. Hucbald
+(such was the Chaplain's name) that the late interruption might be
+well smoothed over by conversation. So he again addressed the Baron.
+
+"To be sure," said he, taking a manner of sleek clerical pleasantry,
+"though we can so often say 'Christmas is coming,' I suppose that if
+at some suitable hour to-morrow afternoon I said to you, 'Christmas
+is going,' you would grant it to be a not inaccurate remark?" The
+Baron ate his dinner.
+
+"I think so," pursued the Rev. Hucbald. "Yes. And by the way, I notice
+with pleasure that this snow, which falls so continually, makes the
+event of a green Christmas most improbable. Indeed,--of course the
+proverb is familiar to you?--the graveyards should certainly not be
+fat this season. I like a lean graveyard," smiled the Rev. Hucbald.
+
+"I hate a ---- fool!" exclaimed Sir Godfrey, angrily.
+
+After this the family fell into silence. Sir Godfrey munched his food,
+brooding gloomily over his plundered wine-cellar; Mrs. Mistletoe
+allowed fancy to picture herself wedded to Father Anselm, if only he
+had not been a religious person; and Elaine's thoughts were hovering
+over the young man who sat in a cage till time came for him to steal
+out and come to her. But the young lady was wonderfully wise,
+nevertheless.
+
+"Papa," she said, as they left the banquet-hall, "if it is about me
+you're thinking, do not be anxious any more at all."
+
+"Well, well; what's the matter now?" said the Baron.
+
+"Papa, dear," began Elaine, winsomely pulling at a tassel on his
+dining-coat, "do you know, I've been thinking."
+
+"Think some more, then," he replied. "It will come easier when you're
+less new at it."
+
+"Now, papa! just when I've come to say--when I want--when you--it's
+very hard----" and here the artful minx could proceed no further, but
+turned a pair of shining eyes at him, and then looked the other way,
+blinking rapidly.
+
+"Oh, good Lord!" muttered Sir Godfrey, staring hard at the wall.
+
+"Papa--it's about the Dragon--and I've been wrong. Very wrong. Yes; I
+know I have. I was foolish." She was silent again. Was she going to
+cry, after all? The Baron shot a nervous glance at her from the corner
+of his eye. Then he said, "Hum!" He hoped very fervently there were to
+be no tears. He desired to remain in a rage, and lock his daughter
+up, and not put anything into her stocking this Christmas Eve; and
+here she was, threatening to be sorry for the past, and good for the
+future, and everything a parent could wish. Never mind. You can't
+expect to get off as easily as all that. She had been very outrageous.
+Now he would be dignified and firm.
+
+"Of course I should obey Father Anselm," she continued.
+
+"You should obey me," said Sir Godfrey.
+
+"And I do hope another Crusade will come soon. Don't you think they
+might have one, papa? How happy I shall be when your wine is safe from
+that horrid Dragon!"
+
+"Don't speak of that monster!" shouted the Baron, forgetting all about
+firmness and dignity. "Don't dare to allude to the reptile in my
+presence. Look here!" He seized up a great jug labelled "Château
+Lafitte," and turned it upside down.
+
+"Why, it's empty!" said Elaine.
+
+"Ha!" snorted the Baron; "empty indeed." Then he set the jug down
+wrong side up, and remained glaring at it fixedly, while his chest
+rose and fell in deep heavings.
+
+"Don't mind it so much, papa," said Elaine, coming up to him. "This
+very next season will Mistletoe and I brew a double quantity of
+cowslip wine."
+
+"Brrrrooo!" went Sir Godfrey, with a shiver.
+
+"And I'm sure they'll have another Crusade soon; and then my brother
+Roland can go, and the Drag-- and the curse will be removed. Of
+course, I know that is the only way to get rid of it, if Father Anselm
+said so. I was very foolish and wrong. Indeed I was," said she, and
+looked up in his face with eyes where shone such dear, good, sweet,
+innocent, daughterly affection, that nobody in the wide world could
+have suspected she was thinking as hard as she could think, "If only
+he won't lock me up! if only he won't! But, oh, it's dreadful in me to
+be deceiving him so!"
+
+"There, there!" said the Baron, and cleared his throat. Then he kissed
+her. Where were firmness and dignity now?
+
+He let her push him into the chimney-corner, and down into a seat; and
+then what did this sly, shocking girl do but sit on his knee and tell
+him nobody ever had such a papa before, and she could never possibly
+love any one half so much as she loved him, and weren't he and she
+going to have a merry Christmas to-morrow?
+
+"How about that pretty young man? Hey? What?" said Sir Godfrey, in
+high good-humour.
+
+"Who?" snapped Elaine.
+
+"I think this girl knows," he answered, adopting a roguish
+countenance.
+
+"Oh, I suppose you mean that little fellow this morning. Pooh!"
+
+"Ho! ho!" said her father. "Ho! ho! Little fellow! He was a pretty
+large fellow in somebody's eyes, I thought. What are you so red about?
+Ho! ho!" and the Baron popped his own eyes at her with vast relish.
+
+"Really, papa," said Miss Elaine, rising from his knee, with much
+coldness, "I hardly understand you, I think. If you find it amusing
+(and you seem to) to pretend that I----" she said no more, but gave a
+slight and admirable toss of the head. "And now I am very sleepy," she
+added. "What hour is it?"
+
+Sir Godfrey took out his grandfather's sun-dial, and held it to the
+lamp. "Bless my soul," he exclaimed; "it's twenty-two o'clock."
+(That's ten at night nowadays, young people, and much too late for you
+to be down-stairs, any of you.)
+
+"Get to your bed at once," continued Sir Godfrey, "or you'll never be
+dressed in time for Chapel on Christmas morning."
+
+So Elaine went to her room, and took off her clothes, and hung up her
+stocking at the foot of the bed. Did she go to sleep? Not she. She
+laid with eyes and ears wide open. And now alone here in the dark,
+where she had nothing to do but wait, she found her heart beating in
+answer to her anxious and expectant thoughts. She heard the wind come
+blustering from far off across the silent country. Then a snore from
+Mistletoe in the next room made her jump. Twice a bar of moonlight
+fell along the floor, wavering and weak, then sank out, and the pat of
+the snow-flakes began again. After a while came a step through the
+halls to her door, and stopped. She could scarcely listen, so hard she
+was breathing. Was her father going to turn the key in her door,
+after all? No such thought was any longer in his mind. She shut her
+eyes quickly as he entered. His candle shone upon her quiet head, that
+was nearly buried out of sight; then laughter shook him to see the
+stocking, and he went softly out. He had put on his bed-room slippers;
+but, as he intended to make a visit to the cellar before retiring, it
+seemed a prudent thing to wear his steel breast-plate; and over this
+he had slipped his quilted red silk dressing-gown, for it was a very
+cold night.
+
+[Illustration: GEOFFREY GOETH TO MEET THE DRAGON]
+
+Was there a sound away off somewhere out-of-doors? No. He descended
+heavily through the sleeping house. When the candle burned upright and
+clear yellow, his gait was steady; but he started many times at
+corners where its flame bobbed and flattened and shrunk to a blue,
+sickly rag half torn from the wick. "Ouf! Mort d'aieul!" he would
+mutter. "But I must count my wine to-night." And so he came down into
+the wide cellars, and trod tiptoe among the big round tuns. With a
+wooden mallet he tapped them, and shook his head to hear the hollow
+humming that their emptiness gave forth. No oath came from him at all,
+for the matter was too grievous. The darkness that filled everywhere
+save just next to the candle, pressed harder and harder upon him. He
+looked at the door which led from inside here out into the night, and
+it was comfortable to know how thick were the panels and how stout the
+bolts and hinges.
+
+"I can hold my own against any man, and have jousted fairly in my
+time," he thought to himself, and touched his sword. "But--um!" The
+notion of meeting a fiery dragon in combat spoke loudly to the better
+part of his valour. Suddenly a great rat crossed his foot. Ice and
+fire went from his stomach all through him, and he sprang on a wooden
+stool, and then found he was shaking. Soon he got down, with sweaty
+hands.
+
+"Am I getting a coward?" he asked aloud. He seized the mallet that had
+fallen, and struck a good knock against the nearest hogshead. Ah--ha!
+This one, at least, was full. He twisted the wooden stop and drank
+what came, from the hollow of his hand. It was cowslip wine. Ragingly
+he spluttered and gulped, and then kicked the bins with all his might.
+While he was stooping to rub his toe, who should march in but Miss
+Elaine, dressed and ready for young Geoffrey. But she caught sight of
+her father in time, and stepped back into the passage in a flutter.
+Good heavens! This would never do. Geoffrey might be knocking at the
+cellar-door at any moment. Her papa must be got away at once.
+
+"Papa! papa!" she cried, running in.
+
+Sir Godfrey sprang into the air, throwing mallet and candle against
+the wine-butts. Then he saw it was only his daughter.
+
+"Wretched girl! you--you--if you don't want to become an orphan, never
+tamper like that with my nerves again in your life. What are you come
+here for? How dare you leave your bed at such an hour?"
+
+"Oh, mercy forgive us!" whimpered a new voice.
+
+There was Mistletoe at the door of the passage, a candle lifted high
+above her head and wobbling, so that it shook the grease all over her
+night-cap. With the other hand she clutched her camisole, while
+beneath a yellow flannel petticoat her fat feet were rocking in the
+raw-wool foot-mittens she wore.
+
+"Oh, dear: oh, Sir Godfrey! Oh, me!" said she.
+
+"Saint Charity! What do you want? Holy Ragbag, what's the matter? Is
+everybody in my house going stark mad?" Here the Baron fell over the
+stool in the dark. "Give me my candle!" he roared. "Light my candle!
+What business have either of you to come here?"
+
+"Please, sir, it's Miss Elaine I came for. Oh, me! I'll catch my death
+of cold. Her door shutting waked me up-stairs. Oh, dear! Where are we
+coming to?"
+
+"You old mattrass!" said Sir Godfrey. Then he turned to his daughter.
+But this young lady had had a little time to gather her thoughts in.
+So she cut short all awkward questionings with excellent promptness.
+
+"Papa!" she began, breathlessly. "There! I heard it again!"
+
+"Heard it? What?" cried the Baron, his eyes starting.
+
+"It waked me up-stairs, and I ran to get you in your room, and
+you----"
+
+"It--it? What's it? What waked you?" broke in Sir Godfrey, his voice
+rising to a shriek.
+
+"There it is again!" exclaimed Elaine, clasping her hands. "He's
+coming! I hear him. The Dragon! Oh!"
+
+With this, she pretended to rush for the passage, where the squeaks of
+Mistletoe could be heard already growing distant in the house. Away
+bolted Sir Godfrey after her, shouting to Elaine in terror
+undisguised, "Lock your door! Lock your door!" as he fled up-stairs.
+
+So there stood Miss Elaine alone, with the coast clear, and no danger
+from these two courageous guardians. Then came a knock from outside,
+and her heart bounded as she ran through the cellar and undid the
+door.
+
+"You darling!" said Geoffrey, jumping in with legs all covered with
+snow. He left the door open wide, and had taken four or five kisses at
+the least before she could stop him. "The moon was out for a while,"
+he continued, "and the snow stopped. So I came a long way round-about,
+that my tracks should not be seen. That's good strategy."
+
+But this strange young lady said no word, and looked at him as if she
+were going to cry.
+
+"Why, what's the matter, dear?" he asked.
+
+"Oh, Geoffrey! I have been deceiving papa so."
+
+"Pooh! It's not to be thought of."
+
+"But I can't help thinking. I never supposed I could do so. And it
+comes so terribly easy. And I'm not a bit clever when I'm good.
+And--oh!" She covered her face and turned away from him.
+
+"Stuff and nonsense!" Geoffrey broke out. "Do be reasonable. Here is a
+dragon. Isn't there?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"And everybody wants to get rid of him?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"And he's robbing your father?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"So you're acting for your father's good?"
+
+"Y--yes."
+
+"Then----"
+
+"Now, Geoffrey, all your talking doesn't hide the badness in the least
+bit."
+
+She was silent again; then suddenly seemed greatly relieved. "I don't
+care," she declared. "Papa locked me up for a whole week, when all I
+wanted was to help him and everybody get rid of the Dragon. And I am
+too old to be treated so. And now I am just going to pretend there's a
+dragon when there's not. Oh, what's that?"
+
+This time it was no sham. Faint and far from the direction of
+Oyster-le-Main came the roar of the Dragon of Wantley over fields and
+farms.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+                             CHAPTER VIII
+
+          Contains a Dilemma with two simply egregious Horns.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+"Run instantly into the house," said Geoffrey to Elaine, and he
+dragged out his sword.
+
+But she stared at him, and nothing further.
+
+"Or no. Stay here and see me kill him," the boy added, pridefully.
+
+"Kill him!" said she, in amazement. "Do you suppose that papa, with
+all his experience, couldn't tell it was an imitation dragon? And you
+talk of strategy! I have thought much about to-night,--and, Geoffrey,
+you must do just the thing that I bid you, and nothing else. Promise."
+
+"I think we'll hear first what your wisdom is," said he, shaking his
+head like the sage youth that he was.
+
+"Promise!" she repeated, "else I go away at once, and leave you. Now!
+One--two--thrrr----"
+
+"I promise!" he shouted.
+
+"'Sh! Papa's window is just round the tower. Now, sir, you must go
+over yonder within those trees."
+
+"Where?"
+
+"There where the snow has dipped the branches low down. And leave me
+alone in the cellar with the Dragon."
+
+"With the Dragon? Alone? I did not know you counted me a lunatic,"
+replied Geoffrey. Then, after a look over the fields where the storm
+was swirling, he gave attention to the point of his sword.
+
+"Where's your promise?" said she. "Will you break your word so soon?"
+
+A big gust of wind flung the snow sharp against their faces.
+
+"Did you expect----" began the young knight, and then said some words
+that I suppose gentlemen in those old times were more prone to use
+before ladies than they are to-day. Which shows the optimists are
+right.
+
+Then, still distant, but not so distant, came another roar.
+
+"Geoffrey!" Elaine said, laying a hand upon his arm; "indeed, you must
+hear me now, and make no delay with contrary notions. There is no
+danger for me. Look. He will first be by himself to clear the way of
+watchers. No one peeps out of windows when the Dragon's howling. Next,
+the rest will come and all go into papa's cellar for the wine. But we
+must get these others away, and that's for you." She paused.
+
+"Well? Well?" he said.
+
+"It will go thus: the passage shall hide me, and the door of it be
+shut. You'll watch over by the trees, and when you see all have come
+inside here, make some sort of noise at the edge of the wood."
+
+"What sort of noise?"
+
+"Oh,--not as if you suspected. Seem to be passing by. Play you are a
+villager going home late. When they hear that, they'll run away for
+fear of their secret. The Dragon will surely stay behind."
+
+"Why will he stay behind? Why will they run away?"
+
+"Dear Geoffrey, don't you see that if these men were to be seen in
+company with the Dragon by one who till now knew them as monks, where
+would their living be gone to? Of course, they will get themselves out
+of sight, and the Dragon will remain as a sort of human scarecrow.
+Then I'll come out from the passage-door."
+
+"One would almost think you desired that villain to kill you," said
+Geoffrey. "No, indeed. I'll not consent to that part."
+
+"How shall he kill me here?" Elaine replied. "Do you not see the
+Dragon of Wantley would have to carry a maiden away? He would not dare
+to put me to the sword. When I come, I shall speak three words to him.
+Before there is time for him to think what to do, you will hear me say
+(for you must have now run up from the wood) 'the legend has come
+true!' Then, when I tell him that, do you walk in ready with your
+sword to keep him polite. Oh, indeed," said the lady, with her eyes
+sparkling on Geoffrey, "we must keep his manners good for him. For I
+think he's one of those persons who might turn out very rude in a
+trying situation."
+
+All this was far from pleasing to young Geoffrey. But Elaine showed
+him how no other way was to be found by which Sir Francis could be
+trapped red-handed and distant from help. While the knight was bending
+his brows down with trying to set his thoughts into some order that
+should work out a better device, a glare shone over the next hill
+against the falling flakes.
+
+"Quick!" said Elaine.
+
+She withdrew into the cellar on the instant, and the great door closed
+between them. Geoffrey stood looking at it very anxiously, and then
+walked backwards, keeping close to the walls, and so round the tower
+and into the court, whence he turned and ploughed as fast as he could
+through the deep drifts till he was inside the trees. "If they spy my
+steps," he thought, "it will seem as though some one of the house had
+gone in there to secure the door."
+
+Once more the glare flashed against the swiftly-descending curtains of
+the storm. Slowly it approached, sometimes illuminating a tree-trunk
+for a moment, then suddenly gleaming on the white mounds where rocks
+lay deeply cloaked.
+
+"He is pretty slow," said Geoffrey, shifting the leg he was leaning
+on.
+
+[Illustration: The Dragon thinketh to slake his thirst]
+
+A black mass moved into sight, and from it came spoutings of fire that
+showed dark, jagged wings heavily flapping. It walked a little and
+stopped; then walked again. Geoffrey could see a great snout and head
+rocking and turning. Dismal and unspeakable sounds proceeded from the
+creature as it made towards the cellar-door. After it had got close
+and leaned against the panels in a toppling, swaying fashion, came a
+noise of creaking and fumbling, and then the door rolled aside upon
+its hinges. Next, the blurred white ridge towards Oyster-le-Main was
+darkened with moving specks that came steadily near; and man by man of
+the Guild reached the open door crouching, whispered a word or two,
+and crept inside. They made no sound that could be heard above the
+hissing of the downward flakes and the wind that moaned always, but
+louder sometimes. Only Elaine, with her ear to the cold iron key-hole
+of the passage-door, could mark the clink of armour, and shivered as
+she stood in the dark. And now the cellar is full,--but not of gray
+gowns. The candle flames show little glistening sparks in the black
+coats of mail, and the sight of themselves cased in steel, and each
+bearing an empty keg, stirred a laughter among them. Then the kegs
+were set down without noise on the earthy floor among the bins. The
+Dragon was standing on his crooked scaly hind-legs; and to see the
+grim, changeless jaw and eyes brought a dead feeling around the
+heart. But the two bungling fore-paws moved upwards, shaking like a
+machine, and out of a slit in the hide came two white hands that
+lifted to one side the brown knarled mask of the crocodile. There was
+the black head of Sir Francis Almoign. "'Tis hot in there," he said;
+and with two fingers he slung the drops of sweat from his forehead.
+
+"Wet thy whistle before we begin," said Hubert, filling a jug for him.
+Sir Francis took it in both hands, and then clutched it tightly as a
+sudden singing was set up out in the night.
+
+          "Come, take a wife,
+          Come, take a wife,
+    Ere thou learnest age's treasons!"
+
+The tune came clear and jolly, cutting through the muffled noises of
+the tempest.
+
+"Blood and death!" muttered Hubert.
+
+Each figure had sprung into a stiff position of listening.
+
+          "Quit thy roving;
+          Shalt by loving
+    Not wax lean in stormy seasons.
+    Ho! ho! oh,--ho!
+          Not wax lean in----"
+
+Here the strain snapped off short. Then a whining voice said, "Oh, I
+have fallen again! A curse on these roots. Lucifer fell only once, and
+'twas enough for him. I have looked on the wine when it was red, and
+my dame Jeanie will know it soon, oh, soon! But my sober curse on
+these roots."
+
+"That's nothing," said Hubert. "There's a band of Christmas singers
+has strolled into these parts to chant carols. One of them has stopped
+too long at the tavern."
+
+"Do I see a light?" said the voice. "Help! Give me a light, and let me
+go home.
+
+    "Quit thy roving;
+    Shalt by loving----"
+
+"Shall I open his throat, that he may sing the next verse in heaven?"
+Hubert inquired.
+
+"No, fool!" said Sir Francis. "Who knows if his brother sots are not
+behind him to wake the house? This is too dangerous to-night. Away
+with you, every one. Stoop low till ye are well among the fields, and
+then to Oyster-le-Main! I'll be Dragon for a while, and follow
+after."
+
+Quickly catching up his keg, each man left the cellar like a shadow.
+Geoffrey, from the edge of the wood, saw them come out and dissolve
+away into the night. With the tube of the torch at his lips, Sir
+Francis blew a blast of fire out at the door, then covered his head
+once more with the grinning crocodile. He roared twice, and heard
+something creak behind him, so turned to see what had made it. There
+was Miss Elaine on the passage-steps. Her lips moved to speak, but for
+a short instant fear put a silence upon her that she found no voice to
+break. He, with a notion she was there for the sake of the legend,
+waved his great paws and trundled towards where she was standing.
+
+"Do not forget to roar, sir," said the young lady, managing her voice
+so there was scarce any tremble to be heard in it.
+
+At this the Dragon stood still.
+
+"You perceive," she said to him, "after all, a dragon, like a mouse,
+comes to the trap."
+
+"Not quite yet," cried Sir Francis, in a terrible voice, and rushed
+upon her, meaning death.
+
+"The legend has come true!" she loudly said.
+
+A gleaming shaft of steel whistled across the sight of Sir Francis.
+
+"Halt there!" thundered Geoffrey, leaping between the two, and posing
+his sword for a lunge.
+
+"My hour has come," Sir Francis thought. For he was cased in the stiff
+hide, and could do nothing in defence.
+
+"Now shalt thou lick the earth with thy lying tongue," said Geoffrey.
+
+A sneer came through the gaping teeth of the crocodile.
+
+"Valiant, indeed!" the voice said. "Very valiant and knightly, oh son
+of Bertram of Poictiers! Frenchmen know when to be bold. Ha! ha!"
+
+"Crawl out of that nut, thou maggot," answered Geoffrey, "and taste
+thy doom."
+
+Here was a chance, the gift of a fool. The two white hands appeared
+and shifted the mask aside, letting them see a cunning hope on his
+face.
+
+"Do not go further, sir," said Elaine. "It is for the good of us all
+that you abide where you are. As I shall explain."
+
+"What is this, Elaine?" said Geoffrey.
+
+"Your promise!" she answered, lifting a finger at him.
+
+There was a dry crack from the crocodile's hide.
+
+"Villain!" cried Geoffrey, seizing the half-extricated body by the
+throat. "Thy false skin is honester than thyself, and warned us. Back
+inside!"
+
+The robber's eyes shrivelled to the size of a snake's, as, with no
+tenderness, the youth grappled with him still entangled, and with
+hands, feet, and knees drove him into his shell as a hasty traveller
+tramples his effects into a packing-case.
+
+"See," said Elaine, "how pleasantly we two have you at our disposal.
+Shall the neighbours be called to have a sight of the Dragon?"
+
+"What do you want with me?" said Sir Francis, quietly. For he was a
+philosopher.
+
+"In the first place," answered Geoffrey, "know that thou art caught.
+And if I shall spare thee this night, it may well be they'll set thy
+carcase swinging on the gallows-tree to-morrow morning,--or, being
+Christmas, the day after."
+
+"I can see my case without thy help," Sir Francis replied. "What
+next?"
+
+At this, Elaine came to Geoffrey and they whispered together.
+
+[Illustration: The Dragon perceiueth hymself to be entrapped]
+
+"Thy trade is done for," said the youth, at length. "There'll be no
+more monks of Oyster-le-Main, and no more Dragon of Wantley. But thou
+and the other curs may live, if ye so choose."
+
+"Through what do I buy my choice?"
+
+"Through a further exhibition of thine art. Thou must play Dragon
+to-night once again for the last time. This, that I may show thee
+captive to Sir Godfrey Disseisin."
+
+"And in chains, I think," added Elaine. "There is one behind the
+post." It had belonged in the bear-pit during the lives of Orlando
+Crumb and Furioso Bun, two bears trapped expressly for the Baron near
+Roncevaux.
+
+"After which?" inquired Sir Francis.
+
+"Thou shalt go free, and I will claim this lady's hand from her
+father, who promised her to any man that brought the Dragon to him
+dead or alive."
+
+"Papa shall be kept at a distance from you," said Elaine, "and will
+never suspect in this dimness, if you roar at him thoroughly."
+
+"Then," continued Geoffrey, "I shall lead thee away as my spoil, and
+the people shall see the lizard-skin after a little while. But thou
+must journey far from Wantley, and never show face again."
+
+"And go from Oyster-le-Main and the tithings?" exclaimed Sir Francis.
+"My house and my sustenance?"
+
+"Sustain thyself elsewhere," said Geoffrey; "I care not how."
+
+"No!" said Sir Francis. "I'll not do this."
+
+"Then we call Sir Godfrey. The Baron will not love thee very much,
+seeing how well he loves his Burgundy thou hast drank. Thou gavest him
+sermons on cold spring-water. He'll remember that. I think thou'lt be
+soon hanging. So choose."
+
+The Knight of the Voracious Stomach was silent.
+
+"This is a pretty scheme thou hast," he presently said. "And not thine
+own. She has taught thee this wit, I'll be bound. Mated to her,
+thou'lt prosper, I fear."
+
+"Come, thy choice," said Geoffrey, sternly.
+
+A sour smile moved the lips of Sir Francis. "Well," he said, "it has
+been good while it lasted. Yes, I consent. Our interests lie together.
+See how Necessity is the mother of Friendship, also."
+
+The mask was drawn over his face, and they wound the chain about the
+great body.
+
+"There must be sounds of fighting," said Elaine. "Make them when I am
+gone into the house."
+
+"If I had strangled thee in thy prison, which was in my mind," said
+the voice of the hidden speaker, "this folly we--but there. Let it go,
+and begin."
+
+Then they fell to making a wonderful disturbance. The Dragon's voice
+was lifted in horrid howlings; and the young knight continually bawled
+with all his lungs. They chased as children in a game do: forward,
+back, and across to nowhere, knocking the barrels, clanking and
+clashing, up between the rows and around corners; and the dry earth
+was ground under their feet and swept from the floor upward in a fine
+floating yellow powder that they sucked down into their windpipes,
+while still they hustled and jangled and banged and coughed and grew
+dripping wet, so the dust and the water mingled and ran black streams
+along their bodies from the neck downwards, tickling their backs and
+stomachs mightily. When the breath was no longer inside them, they
+stopped to listen.
+
+The house was stone still, and no noise came, save always the wind's
+same cheerless blowing.
+
+"How much more of this before they will awaken?" exclaimed Geoffrey,
+in indignation. "'Tis a scandal people should sleep so."
+
+"They are saying their prayers," said Sir Francis.
+
+"It is a pity thou art such a miscreant," Geoffrey said, heartily;
+"otherwise I could sweat myself into a good-humour with thee."
+
+But Sir Francis replied with coldness, "It is easy for the upper hand
+to laugh."
+
+"We must at it again," said Geoffrey; "and this time I will let them
+hear thou art conquered." The din and hubbub recommenced. And
+Mistletoe could hear it where she quaked inside her closet holding the
+door with both hands. And the Baron could hear it. He was locked in
+the bath-room, dreadfully sorry he had not gone to the Crusade. Quite
+unknowingly in his alarm he had laid hold of a cord that set going the
+shower-bath; but he gave no heed at all to this trifle. And every man
+and woman in the house heard the riot, from the scullion up through
+the cook to Popham, who had unstrapped his calves before retiring, so
+that now his lean shanks knocked together like hockey-sticks. Little
+Whelpdale, freezing in his shirt-tail under the bed, was crying
+piteously upon all Saints to forget about his sins and deliver him.
+Only Miss Elaine standing in her room listened with calm; and she with
+not much, being on the threshold of a chance that might turn untoward
+so readily. Presently a victorious shouting came from far down through
+the dark.
+
+"He is mine!" the voice bellowed. "I have laid him low. The Dragon is
+taken." At this she hastened to summon Sir Godfrey.
+
+"Why, where can he be?" she exclaimed, stopping in astonishment at his
+room, empty and the door open wide.
+
+Down in the cellar the voice continued to call on all people to come
+and see the Dragon of Wantley. Also Elaine heard a splashing and
+dripping that sounded in the bath-room. So she ran to the door and
+knocked.
+
+"You can't come in!" said the Baron angrily.
+
+"Papa! They've caught the Dragon. Oh why are you taking your bath at
+such a time?"
+
+"Taking my grandmother!" Sir Godfrey retorted in great dudgeon. But he
+let the rope go, and the shower stopped running. "Go to your room," he
+added. "I told you to lock your door. This Dragon----"
+
+"But he's caught, papa," cried Elaine through the key-hole. "Don't you
+hear me? Geoff----somebody has got him."
+
+"How now?" said the Baron, unlocking the door and peering out. "What's
+all this?"
+
+His dressing-gown was extremely damp, for stray spouts from the
+shower-bath had squirted over him. Fortunately, the breast-plate
+underneath had kept him dry as far as it went.
+
+"Hum," he said, after he had listened to the voice in the cellar.
+"This is something to be cautious over."
+
+"If the people of this house do not come soon to bear witness of my
+conquest," said the voice in tones of thunder, "I'll lead this Dragon
+through every chamber of it myself."
+
+"Damnum absque injuria!" shrieked Sir Godfrey, and uttered much more
+horrible language entirely unfit for general use. "What the Jeofailes
+does the varlet mean by threatening an Englishman in his own house? I
+should like to know who lives here? I should like to know who I am?"
+
+The Baron flew down the entry in a rage. He ran to his bedside and
+pulled his sword from under the pillows where he always kept it at
+night with his sun-dial.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+[Illustration]
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"We shall see who is master of this house," he said. "I am not going
+to--does he suppose anybody that pleases can come carting their
+dragons through my premises? Get up! Get up! Every one!" he shouted,
+hurrying along the hall with the sword in his right hand and a lantern
+in his left. His slippers were only half on, so they made a slithering
+and slapping over the floor; and his speed was such that the quilted
+red dressing-gown filled with the wind and spread behind him till he
+looked like a huge new sort of bird or an eccentric balloon. Up and
+down in all quarters of the house went Sir Godfrey, pounding against
+every shut door. Out they came. Mistletoe from her closet, squeaking.
+Whelpdale from under his bed. The Baron allowed him time to put on a
+pair of breeches wrong side out. The cook came, and you could hear her
+panting all the way down from the attic. Out came the nine house-maids
+with hair in curl-papers. The seven footmen followed. Meeson and
+Welsby had forgotten their wigs. The coachman and grooms and
+stable-boys came in horse-blankets and boots. And last in the
+procession, old Popham, one calf securely strapped on, and the other
+dangling disgracefully. Breathless they huddled behind the Baron, who
+strode to the cellar, where he flung the door open. Over in a corner
+was a hideous monster, and every man fell against his neighbour and
+shrieked. At which the monster roared most alarmingly, and all fell
+together again. Young Geoffrey stood in the middle of the cellar, and
+said not a word. One end of a chain was in his hand, and he waited
+mighty stiff for the Baron to speak. But when he saw Miss Elaine come
+stealing in after the rest so quiet and with her eyes fixed upon him,
+his own eyes shone wonderfully.
+
+At the sight of the Dragon, Sir Godfrey forgot his late excitement,
+and muttered "Bless my soul!" Then he stared at the beast for some
+time.
+
+"Can--can't he do anything?" he inquired.
+
+"No," said Geoffrey shortly; "he can't."
+
+"Not fly up at one, for instance?"
+
+"I have broken his wing," replied the youth.
+
+"I--I'd like to look at him. Never saw one before," said the Baron;
+and he took two steps. Then gingerly he moved another step.
+
+"Take care!" Geoffrey cried, with rapid alarm.
+
+The monster moved, and from his nostrils (as it seemed) shot a plume
+of flame.
+
+Popham clutched the cook, and the nine house-maids sank instantly into
+the arms of the seven footmen without the slightest regard to how
+unsatisfactorily nine goes into seven.
+
+"Good heavens!" said the Baron, getting behind a hogshead, "what a
+brute!"
+
+"Perhaps it might be useful if I excommunicated him," said the Rev.
+Hucbald, who had come in rather late, with his clerical frock-coat
+buttoned over his pyjamas.
+
+"Pooh!" said the Baron. "As if he'd care for that."
+
+"Very few men can handle a dragon," said Geoffrey, unconcernedly, and
+stroked his upper lip, where a kindly-disposed person might see there
+was going to be a moustache some day.
+
+"I don't know exactly what you mean to imply by that, young man," said
+the Baron, coming out from behind the hogshead and puffing somewhat
+pompously.
+
+"Why, zounds!" he exclaimed, "I left you locked up this afternoon,
+and securely. How came you here?"
+
+Geoffrey coughed, for it was an awkward inquiry.
+
+"Answer me without so much throat-clearing," said the Baron.
+
+"I'll clear my throat as it pleases me," replied Geoffrey hotly. "How
+I came here is no affair of yours that I can see. But ask Father
+Anselm himself, and he will tell you." This was a happy thought, and
+the youth threw a look at the Dragon, who nodded slightly. "I have a
+question to ask you, sir," Geoffrey continued, taking a tone and
+manner more polite. Then he pointed to the Dragon with his sword, and
+was silent.
+
+"Well?" said Sir Godfrey, "don't keep me waiting."
+
+"I fear your memory's short, sir. By your word proclaimed this morning
+the man who brought you this Dragon should have your daughter to wife
+if she--if she----"
+
+"Ha!" said the Baron. "To be sure. Though it was hasty. Hum! Had I
+foreseen the matter would be so immediately settled--she's a great
+prize for any lad--and you're not hurt either. One should be hurt for
+such a reward. You seem entirely sound of limb and without a scratch.
+A great prize."
+
+"There's the Dragon," replied Geoffrey, "and here am I."
+
+Now Sir Godfrey was an honourable man. When he once had given his
+word, you could hold him to it. That is very uncommon to-day,
+particularly in the matter of contracts. He gathered his dressing-gown
+about him, and looked every inch a parent. "Elaine," he said, "my
+dear?"
+
+"Oh, papa!" murmured that young woman in a die-away voice.
+
+Geoffrey had just time to see the look in her brown eye as she turned
+her head away. And his senses reeled blissfully, and his brain blew
+out like a candle, and he ceased to be a man who could utter speech.
+He stood stock-still with his gaze fixed upon Elaine. The nine
+house-maids looked at the young couple with many sympathetic though
+respectful sighings, and the seven footmen looked comprehensively at
+the nine house-maids.
+
+Sir Godfrey smiled, and very kindly. "Ah, well," he said, "once I--but
+tush! You're a brave lad, and I knew your father well. I'll consent,
+of course. But if you don't mind, I'll give you rather a quick
+blessing this evening. 'Tis growing colder. Come here, Elaine. Come
+here, sir. There! Now, I hate delay in these matters. You shall be
+married to-morrow. Hey? What? You don't object, I suppose? Then why
+did you jump? To-morrow, Christmas Day, and every church-bell in the
+county shall ring three times more than usual. Once for the holy
+Feast, and may the Lord bless it always! and once for my girl's
+wedding. And once for the death and destruction of the Dragon of
+Wantley."
+
+"Hurrah!" said the united household.
+
+"We'll have a nuptials that shall be the talk of our grandchildren's
+children, and after them. We'll have all the people to see. And we'll
+build the biggest pile of fagots that can be cut from my timber, and
+the Dragon shall be chained on the top of it, and we'll cremate him
+like an Ancient,--only alive! We'll cremate the monster alive!"
+
+Elaine jumped. Geoffrey jumped. The chain round the Dragon loudly
+clanked.
+
+"Why--do you not find this a pleasant plan?" asked the Baron,
+surprised.
+
+"It seems to me, sir," stuttered Geoffrey, beating his brains for
+every next word, "it seems to me a monstrous pity to destroy this
+Dragon so. He is a rare curiosity."
+
+"Did you expect me to clap him in a box-stall and feed him?" inquired
+the Baron with scorn.
+
+"Why, no, sir. But since it is I who have tracked, stalked, and taken
+him with the help of no other huntsman," said Geoffrey, "I make bold
+to think the laws of sport vest the title to him in me."
+
+"No such thing," said Sir Godfrey. "You have captured him in my
+cellar. I know a little law, I hope."
+
+"The law about wild beasts in Poictiers----" Geoffrey began.
+
+"What care I for your knavish and perverted foreign legalities over
+the sea?" snorted Sir Godfrey. "This is England. And our Common Law
+says you have trespassed."
+
+"My dear sir," said Geoffrey, "this wild beast came into your premises
+after I had marked him."
+
+"Don't dear sir me!" shouted the Baron. "Will you hear the law for
+what I say? I tell you this Dragon's my dragon. Don't I remember how
+trespass was brought against Ralph de Coventry, over in Warwickshire?
+Who did no more than you have done. And they held him. And there it
+was but a little pheasant his hawk had chased into another's
+warren--and you've chased a dragon, so the offence is greater."
+
+"But if--" remonstrated the youth, "if a fox----"
+
+"Fox me no foxes! Here is the case of Ralph de Coventry," replied Sir
+Godfrey, looking learned, and seating himself on a barrel of beer.
+"Ralph pleaded before the Judge saying, 'et nous lessamus nostre
+faucon voler à luy, et il le pursuy en le garrein,'--'tis just your
+position, only 'twas you that pursued and not your falcon, which does
+not in the least distinguish the cases."
+
+"But," said Geoffrey again, "the Dragon started not on your premises."
+
+"No matter for that; for you have pursued him into my warren, that is,
+my cellar, my enclosed cellar, where you had no business to be. And
+the Court told Ralph no matter 'que le feisant leva hors de le
+garrein, vostre faucon luy pursuy en le garrein.' So there's good
+sound English law, and none of your foppish outlandishries in Latin,"
+finished the Baron, vastly delighted at being able to display the
+little learning that he had. For you see, very few gentlemen in those
+benighted days knew how to speak the beautiful language of the law so
+fluently as that.
+
+"And besides," continued Sir Godfrey suddenly, "there is a contract."
+
+"What contract?" asked Geoffrey.
+
+"A good and valid one. When I said this morning that I would give my
+daughter to the man who brought me the Dragon alive or dead, did I say
+I would give him the Dragon too? So choose which you will take, for
+both you cannot have."
+
+At this Elaine turned pale as death, and Geoffrey stood dumb.
+
+Had anybody looked at the Dragon, it was easy to see the beast was
+much agitated.
+
+"Choose!" said Sir Godfrey. "'Tis getting too cold to stay here. What?
+You hesitate between my daughter and a miserable reptile? I thought
+the lads of France were more gallant. Come, sir! which shall it be?
+The lady or the Dragon?"
+
+"Well," said Geoffrey, and his blood and heart stood still (and so did
+Elaine's, and so did another person's), "I--I--think I will choose the
+l--lady."
+
+"Hurrah!" cheered the household once more.
+
+"Oh, Lord!" said the Dragon, but nobody heard him.
+
+"Indeed!" observed Sir Godfrey. "And now we'll chain him in my
+bear-pit till morning, and at noon he shall be burned alive by the
+blazing fagots. Let us get some sleep now."
+
+The cloud of slimly-clad domestics departed with slow steps, and many
+a look of fear cast backward at the captured monster.
+
+"This Dragon, sir," said Geoffrey, wondering at his own voice, "will
+die of thirst in that pit. Bethink you how deep is his habit of
+drinking."
+
+"Ha! I have often bethought me," retorted Sir Godfrey, rolling his
+eyes over the empty barrels. "But here! I am a man of some heart, I
+hope."
+
+He seized up a bucket and ran to the hogshead containing his
+daughter's native cowslip wine.
+
+"There!" he observed when the bucket was pretty well filled. "Put that
+in to moisten his last hours."
+
+Then the Baron led the way round the Manor to the court-yard where the
+bear-pit was. His daughter kept pace with him not easily, for the
+excellent gentleman desired to be a decent distance away from the
+Dragon, whom young Geoffrey dragged along in the rear.
+
+[Illustration: HVCKBALD BELIEVES HE WILL TAKE JVST A LITTLE SIP]
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER IX
+
+               Leaues much Room for guessing about Ch. X
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+As they proceeded towards the bear-pit, having some distance to go,
+good-humour and benevolence began to rise up in the heart of Sir
+Godfrey.
+
+"This is a great thing!" he said to Miss Elaine. "Ha! an important and
+joyful occurrence. The news of it will fly far."
+
+"Yes," the young lady replied, but without enthusiasm. "The cattle
+will be safe now."
+
+"The cattle, child! my Burgundy! Think of that!"
+
+"Yes, papa."
+
+"The people will come," continued the Baron, "from all sides
+to-morrow--why, it's to-morrow now!" he cried. "From all sides they
+will come to my house to see my Dragon. And I shall permit them to see
+him. They shall see him cooked alive, if they wish. It is a very
+proper curiosity. The brute had a wide reputation."
+
+To hear himself spoken of in the past tense, as we speak of the dead,
+was not pleasant to Sir Francis, walking behind Geoffrey on all fours.
+
+"I shall send for Father Anselm and his monks," the Baron went on.
+
+Hearing this Geoffrey started.
+
+"What need have we of them, sir?" he inquired. To send for Father
+Anselm! It was getting worse and worse.
+
+"Need of Father Anselm?" repeated Sir Godfrey. "Of course I shall need
+him. I want the parson to tell me how he came to change his mind and
+let you out."
+
+"Oh, to be sure," said Geoffrey, mechanically. His thoughts were
+reeling helplessly together, with no one thing uppermost.
+
+"Not that I disapprove it. I have changed my own mind upon occasions.
+But 'twas sudden, after his bundle of sagacity about Crusades and
+visions of my ancestor and what not over there in the morning. Ha! ha!
+These clericals are no more consistent than another person. I'll
+never let the Father forget this." And the Baron chuckled. "Besides,"
+he said, "'tis suitable that these monks should be present at the
+burning. This Dragon was a curse, and curses are somewhat of a church
+matter."
+
+"True," said Geoffrey, for lack of a better reply.
+
+"Why, bless my soul!" shouted the Baron, suddenly wheeling round to
+Elaine at his side, so that the cowslip wine splashed out of the
+bucket he carried, "it's my girl's wedding-day too! I had clean
+forgot. Bless my soul!"
+
+"Y--yes, papa," faltered Elaine.
+
+"And you, young fellow!" her father called out to Geoffrey with lusty
+heartiness. "You're a lucky rogue, sir."
+
+"Yes, sir," said Geoffrey, but not gayly. He was wondering how it felt
+to be going mad. Amid his whirling thoughts burned the one longing to
+hide Elaine safe in his arms and tell her it would all come right
+somehow. A silence fell on the group as they walked. Even to the
+Baron, who was not a close observer, the present reticence of these
+two newly-betrothed lovers was apparent. He looked from one to the
+other, but in the face of neither could he see beaming any of the soft
+transports which he considered were traditionally appropriate to the
+hour. "Umph!" he exclaimed; "it was never like this in my day." Then
+his thoughts went back some forty years, and his eyes mellowed from
+within.
+
+"We'll cook the Dragon first," continued the old gentleman, "and then,
+sir, you and my girl shall be married. Ha! ha! a great day for
+Wantley!" The Baron swung his bucket, and another jet of its contents
+slid out. He was growing more and more delighted with himself and his
+daughter and her lover and everybody in the world. "And you're a stout
+rogue, too, sir," he said. "Built near as well as an Englishman, I
+think. And that's an excellent thing in a husband."
+
+The Baron continued to talk, now and then almost falling in the snow,
+but not permitting such slight mishaps to interrupt his discourse,
+which was addressed to nobody and had a general nature, touching upon
+dragons, marriages, Crusades, and Burgundy. Could he have seen
+Geoffrey's more and more woe-begone and distracted expression, he
+would have concluded his future son-in-law was suffering from some
+sudden and momentous bodily ill.
+
+The young man drew near the Dragon. "What shall we do?" he said in a
+whisper. "Can I steal the keys of the pit? Can we say the Dragon
+escaped?" The words came in nervous haste, wholly unlike the bold
+deliberateness with which the youth usually spoke. It was plain he was
+at the end of his wits.
+
+"Why, what ails thee?" inquired Sir Francis in a calm and unmoved
+voice. "This is a simple matter."
+
+His tone was so quiet that Geoffrey stared in amazement.
+
+"But yonder pit!" he said. "We are ruined!"
+
+"Not at all," Sir Francis replied. "Truly thou art a deep thinker!
+First a woman and now thine enemy has to assist thy distress."
+
+He put so much hatred and scorn into his tones that Geoffrey flamed
+up. "Take care!" he muttered angrily.
+
+"That's right!" the prisoner said, laughing dryly. "Draw thy sword
+and split our secret open. It will be a fine wedding-day thou'lt have
+then. Our way out of this is plain enough. Did not the Baron say that
+Father Anselm was to be present at the burning? He shall be present."
+
+"Yes," said the youth. "But how to get out of the pit? And how can
+there be a dragon to burn if thou art to be Father Anselm? And
+how----" he stopped.
+
+"I am full of pity for thy brains," said Sir Francis.
+
+"Here's the pit!" said the voice of Sir Godfrey. "Bring him along."
+
+"Hark!" said Sir Francis to Geoffrey. "Thou must go to Oyster-le-Main
+with a message. Darest thou go alone?"
+
+"If I dare?" retorted Geoffrey, proudly.
+
+"It is well. Come to the pit when the Baron is safe in the house."
+
+Now they were at the iron door. Here the ground was on a level with
+the bottom of the pit, but sloped steeply up to the top of its walls
+elsewhere, so that one could look down inside. The Baron unlocked the
+door and entered with his cowslip wine, which (not being a very
+potent decoction) began to be covered with threads of ice as soon as
+it was set down. The night was growing more bitter as its frosty hours
+wore on; for the storm was departed, and the wind fallen to silence,
+and the immense sky clean and cold with the shivering glitter of the
+stars.
+
+Then Geoffrey led the Dragon into the pit. This was a rude and
+desolate hole, and its furniture of that extreme simplicity common to
+bear-pits in those barbarous times. From the middle of the stone floor
+rose the trunk of a tree, ragged with lopped boughs and at its top
+forking into sundry limbs possible to sit among. An iron trough was
+there near a heap of stale greasy straw, and both were shapeless white
+lumps beneath the snow. The chiselled and cemented walls rose round in
+a circle and showed no crevice for the nails of either man or bear to
+climb by. Many times had Orlando Crumb and Furioso Bun observed this
+with sadness, and now Sir Francis observed it also. He took into his
+chest a big swallow of air, and drove it out again between his teeth
+with a weary hissing.
+
+"I will return at once," Geoffrey whispered as he was leaving.
+
+Then the door was shut to, and Sir Francis heard the lock grinding as
+the key was turned. Then he heard the Baron speaking to Geoffrey.
+
+"I shall take this key away," he said; "there's no telling what
+wandering fool might let the monster out. And now there's but little
+time before dawn. Elaine, child, go to your bed. This excitement has
+plainly tired you. I cannot have my girl look like that when she's a
+bride to-day. And you too, sir," he added, surveying Geoffrey, "look a
+trifle out of sorts. Well, I am not surprised. A dragon is no joke.
+Come to my study." And he took Geoffrey's arm.
+
+"Oh, no!" said the youth. "I cannot. I--I must change my dress."
+
+"Pooh, sir! I shall send to the tavern for your kit. Come to my study.
+You are pale. We'll have a little something hot. Aha! Something hot!"
+
+"But I think----" Geoffrey began.
+
+"Tush!" said the Baron. "You shall help me with the wedding
+invitations."
+
+[Illustration: Sir Francis decideth to go down agayne]
+
+"Sir!" said Geoffrey haughtily, "I know nothing of writing and such
+low habits."
+
+"Why no more do I, of course," replied Sir Godfrey; "nor would I
+suspect you or any good gentleman of the practice, though I have made
+my mark upon an indenture in the presence of witnesses."
+
+"A man may do that with propriety," assented the youth. "But I cannot
+come with you now, sir. 'Tis not possible."
+
+"But I say that you shall!" cried the Baron in high good-humour. "I
+can mull Malvoisie famously, and will presently do so for you. 'Tis to
+help me seal the invitations that I want you. My Chaplain shall write
+them. Come."
+
+He locked Geoffrey's arm in his own, and strode quickly forward.
+Feeling himself dragged away, Geoffrey turned his head despairingly
+back towards the pit.
+
+"Oh, he's safe enough in there," said Sir Godfrey. "No need to watch
+him."
+
+Sir Francis had listened to this conversation with rising dismay. And
+now he quickly threw off the crocodile hide and climbed up the tree as
+the bears had often done before him. It came almost to a level with
+the wall's rim, but the radius was too great a distance for jumping.
+
+"I should break my leg," he said, and came down the tree again, as the
+bears had likewise often descended.
+
+The others were now inside the house. Elaine with a sinking heart
+retired to her room, and her father after summoning the Rev. Hucbald
+took Geoffrey into his study. The Chaplain followed with a bunch of
+goose-quills and a large ink-horn, and seated himself at a table,
+while the Baron mixed some savoury stuff, going down his private
+staircase into the buttery to get the spice and honey necessary.
+
+"Here's to the health of all, and luck to-day," said the Baron; and
+Geoffrey would have been quite happy if an earthquake had come and
+altered all plans for the morning. Still he went through the form of
+clinking goblets. But his heart ached, and his eyes grew hot as he sat
+dismal and lonely away from his girl.
+
+"Whom shall we ask to the wedding?" queried the Rev. Hucbald, rubbing
+his hands and looking at the pitcher in which Sir Godfrey had mixed
+the beverage.
+
+"Ask the whole county," said Sir Godfrey. "The more the merrier. My
+boy Roland will be here to-morrow. He'll find his sister has got ahead
+of him. Have some," he added, holding the pitcher to the Rev. Hucbald.
+
+"I do believe I will take just a little sip," returned the divine.
+"Thanks! ah--most delicious, Baron! A marriage on Christmas Day," he
+added, "is--ahem!--highly irregular. But under the unusual, indeed the
+truly remarkable, circumstances, I make no doubt that the Pope----"
+
+"Drat him!" said Sir Godfrey; at which the Chaplain smiled
+reproachfully, and shook a long transparent taper finger at his
+patron in a very playful manner, saying, "Baron! now, Baron!"
+
+"My boy Roland's learning to be a knight over at my uncle Mortmain's,"
+continued Sir Godfrey, pouring Geoffrey another goblet. "You'll like
+him."
+
+But Geoffrey's thoughts were breeding more anxiety in him every
+moment.
+
+"I'll get the sealing-wax," observed the Baron, and went to a cabinet.
+
+"This room is stifling," cried Geoffrey. "I shall burst soon, I
+think."
+
+"It's my mulled Malvoisie you're not accustomed to," Sir Godfrey said,
+as he rummaged in the cabinet. "Open the window and get some fresh
+air, my lad. Now where the deuce is my family seal?"
+
+As Geoffrey opened the window, a soft piece of snow flew through the
+air and dropped lightly on his foot. He looked quickly and perceived a
+man's shadow jutting into the moonlight from an angle in the wall.
+Immediately he plunged out through the casement, which was not very
+high.
+
+"Merciful powers!" said the Rev. Hucbald, letting fall his quill and
+spoiling the first invitation, "what an impulsive young man! Why, he
+has run clean round the corner."
+
+"'Tis all my Malvoisie," said the Baron, hugely delighted, and
+hurrying to the window. "Come back when you're sober!" he shouted
+after Geoffrey with much mirth. Then he shut the window.
+
+"These French heads never can weather English brews," he remarked to
+the Chaplain. "But I'll train the boy in time. He is a rare good lad.
+Now, to work."
+
+Out in the snow, Geoffrey with his sword drawn came upon Hubert.
+
+"Thou mayest sheathe that knife," said the latter.
+
+"And be thy quarry?" retorted Geoffrey.
+
+"I have come too late for that!" Hubert answered.
+
+"Thou hast been to the bear-pit, then?"
+
+"Oh, aye!"
+
+"There's big quarry there!" observed Geoffrey, tauntingly. "Quite a
+royal bird."
+
+"So royal the male hawk could not bring it down by himself, I hear,"
+Hubert replied. "Nay, there's no use in waxing wroth, friend! My
+death now would clap thee in a tighter puzzle than thou art in
+already--and I should be able to laugh down at thee from a better
+world," he added, mimicking the priestly cadence, and looking at
+Geoffrey half fierce and half laughing.
+
+He was but an apprentice at robbery and violence, and in the bottom of
+his heart, where some honesty still was, he liked Geoffrey well. "Time
+presses," he continued. "I must go. One thing thou must do. Let not
+that pit be opened till the monks of Oyster-le-Main come here. We
+shall come before noon."
+
+"I do not understand," said Geoffrey.
+
+[Illustration: Brother Hvbert goeth back to Oyster-le-Main for ye
+last Time]
+
+"That's unimportant," answered Hubert. "Only play thy part. 'Tis a
+simple thing to keep a door shut. Fail, and the whole of us are
+undone. Farewell."
+
+"Nay, this is some foul trick," Geoffrey declared, and laid his hand
+on Hubert.
+
+But the other shook his head sadly. "Dost suppose," he said, "that we
+should have abstained from any trick that's known to the accumulated
+wisdom of man? Our sport is up."
+
+"'Tis true," Geoffrey said, musingly, "we hold all of you in the
+hollow of one hand."
+
+"Thou canst make a present of us to the hangman in twenty minutes if
+thou choosest," said Hubert.
+
+"Though 'twould put me in quite as evil case."
+
+"Ho! what's the loss of a woman compared with death?" Hubert
+exclaimed.
+
+"Thou'lt know some day," the young knight said, eying Hubert with a
+certain pity; "that is, if ever thou art lucky to love truly."
+
+"And is it so much as that?" murmured Hubert wistfully. "'Twas good
+fortune for thee and thy sweetheart I did not return to look for my
+master while he was being taken to the pit," he continued; "we could
+have stopped all your mouths till the Day of Judgment at least."
+
+"Wouldst thou have slain a girl?" asked Geoffrey, stepping back.
+
+"Not I, indeed! But for my master I would not be so sure. And he says
+I'll come as far as that in time," added the apprentice with a shade
+of bitterness.
+
+"Thou art a singular villain," said Geoffrey, "and wonderfully frank
+spoken."
+
+"And so thou'rt to be married?" Hubert said gently.
+
+"By this next noon, if all goes well!" exclaimed the lover with
+ardour.
+
+"Heigho!" sighed Hubert, turning to go, "'twill be a merry Christmas
+for somebody."
+
+"Give me thy hand," cried Geoffrey, feeling universally hearty.
+
+"No," replied the freebooter; "what meaning would there be in that? I
+would sever thy jugular vein in a moment if that would mend the broken
+fortunes of my chief. Farewell, however. Good luck attend thee."
+
+The eyes of both young men met, and without unkindness in them.
+
+"But I am satisfied with my calling," Hubert asserted, repudiating
+some thought that he imagined was lurking in Geoffrey's look. "Quite
+content! It's very dull to be respectable. Look! the dawn will
+discover us."
+
+"But this plan?" cried Geoffrey, hastening after him; "I know
+nothing."
+
+"Thou needest know nothing. Keep the door of the pit shut. Farewell."
+
+And Geoffrey found himself watching the black form of Hubert dwindle
+against the white rises of the ground. He walked towards the tavern in
+miserable uncertainty, for the brief gust of elation had passed from
+his heart. Then he returned irresolute, and looked into the pit. There
+was Sir Francis, dressed in the crocodile.
+
+"Come in, come in, young fellow! Ha! ha! how's thy head?" The Baron
+was at the window, calling out and beckoning with vigour.
+
+Geoffrey returned to the study. There was no help for it.
+
+"We have written fifty-nine already!" said the Rev. Hucbald.
+
+But the youth cast a dull eye upon the growing heap, and sealed them
+very badly. What pleasure was it to send out invitations to his own
+wedding that might never be coming off?
+
+As for Hubert out in the night, he walked slowly through the wide
+white country. And as he went across the cold fields and saw how the
+stars were paling out, and cast long looks at the moon setting across
+the smooth snow, the lad's eyes filled so that the moon twinkled and
+shot rays askew in his sight. He thought how the good times of
+Oyster-le-Main were ended, and he thought of Miss Elaine so far beyond
+the reach of such as he, and it seemed to him that he was outside the
+comfortable world.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER X
+
+                 The Great White Christmas at Wantley.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+Now are all the people long awake and out of their beds. Wantley Manor
+is stirring busily in each quarter of the house and court, and the
+whole county likewise is agog. By seven o'clock this morning it was
+noised in every thatched cottage and in every gabled hall that the
+great Dragon had been captured. Some said by Saint George in person,
+who appeared riding upon a miraculous white horse and speaking a
+tongue that nobody could understand, wherefore it was held to be the
+language common in Paradise. Some declared Saint George had nothing to
+do with it, and that this was the pious achievement of Father Anselm.
+Others were sure Miss Elaine had fulfilled the legend and conquered
+the monster entirely by herself. One or two, hearing the event had
+taken place in Sir Godfrey's wine-cellar, said they thought the Baron
+had done it,--and were immediately set down as persons of unsound
+mind. But nobody mentioned Geoffrey at all, until the Baron's
+invitations, requesting the honour of various people's presence at the
+marriage of his daughter Elaine to that young man, were received; and
+that was about ten o'clock, the ceremony being named for twelve that
+day in the family chapel. Sir Godfrey intended the burning of the
+Dragon to take place not one minute later than half-past eleven.
+Accordingly, besides the invitation to the chapel, all friends and
+neighbours whose position in the county or whose intimacy with the
+family entitled them to a recognition less formal and more personal,
+received a second card which ran as follows: "Sir Godfrey Disseisin at
+home Wednesday morning, December the twenty-fifth, from half after
+eleven until the following day. Dancing; also a Dragon will be
+roasted. R. S. V. P." The Disseisin crest with its spirited motto,
+"Saute qui peult," originated by the venerable Primer Disseisin,
+followed by his son Tortious Disseisin, and borne with so much renown
+in and out of a hundred battles by a thousand subsequent Disseisins,
+ornamented the top left-hand corner.
+
+"I think we shall have but few refusals," said the Rev. Hucbald to Sir
+Godfrey. "Not many will be prevented by previous engagements, I
+opine." And the Chaplain smiled benignly, rubbing his hands. He had
+published the banns of matrimony three times in a lump before
+breakfast. "Which is rather unusual," he said; "but under the
+circumstances we shall easily obtain a dispensation."
+
+"In providing such an entertainment for the county as this will be,"
+remarked the Baron, "I feel I have performed my duty towards society
+for some time to come. No one has had a dragon at a private house
+before me, I believe."
+
+"Oh, surely not," simpered the sleek Hucbald. "Not even Lady Jumping
+Jack."
+
+"Fiddle!" grunted the Baron. "She indeed! Fandangoes!"
+
+"She's very pious," protested the Rev. Hucbald, whom the lady
+sometimes asked to fish lunches in Lent.
+
+"Fandangoes!" repeated the Baron. He had once known her exceedingly
+well, but she pursued variety at all expense, even his. As for
+refusals, the Chaplain was quite right. There were none. Nobody had a
+previous engagement--or kept it, if they had.
+
+"Good gracious, Rupert!" (or Cecil, or Chandos, as it might be,) each
+dame in the county had exclaimed to her lord on opening the envelope
+brought by private hand from Wantley, "we're asked to the Disseisins
+to see a dragon,--and his daughter married."
+
+"By heaven, Muriel, we'll go!" the gentleman invariably replied, under
+the impression that Elaine was to marry the Dragon, which would be a
+show worth seeing. The answers came flying back to Wantley every
+minute or two, most of them written in such haste that you could only
+guess they were acceptances. And those individuals who lived so far
+away across the county that the invitations reached them too late to
+be answered, immediately rang every bell in the house and ordered the
+carriage in frantic tones.
+
+Of _course_ nobody kept any engagement. Sir Guy Vol-au-Vent (and none
+but a most abandoned desperado or advanced thinker would be willing to
+do such a thing on Christmas) had accepted an invitation to an ambush
+at three for the slaying of Sir Percy de Résistance. But the ambush
+was put off till a more convenient day. Sir Thomas de Brie had been
+going to spend his Christmas at a cock-fight in the Count de
+Gorgonzola's barn. But he remarked to his man Edward, who brought the
+trap to the door, that the Count de Gorgonzola might go ---- Never
+mind what he remarked. It was not nice; though oddly enough it was
+exactly the same remark that the Count had made about Sir Thomas on
+telling his own man James to drive to Wantley and drop the cock-fight.
+All these gentlemen, as soon as they heard the great news, started for
+the Manor with the utmost speed.
+
+[Illustration: Sir Thomas de Brie hastens to accept the Baron's polite
+Inuitation]
+
+Nor was it the quality alone who were so unanimous in their feelings.
+The Tenantry (to whom Sir Godfrey had extended a very hospitable
+bidding to come and they should find standing-room and good meat and
+beer in the court-yard) went nearly mad. From every quarter of the
+horizon they came plunging and ploughing along. The sun blazed down
+out of a sky whence a universal radiance seemed to beat upon the
+blinding white. Could you have mounted up bird-fashion over the
+country, you would have seen the Manor like the centre of some great
+wheel, with narrow tracks pointing in to it from the invisible rim of
+a circle, paths wide and narrow, converging at the gate, trodden
+across the new snow from anywhere and everywhere; and moving along
+these like ants, all the inhabitants for miles around. And through
+the wide splendour of winter no wind blowing, but the sound of chiming
+bells far and near, clear frozen drops of music in the brittle air.
+
+Old Gaffer Piers, the ploughman, stumped along, "pretty well for
+eighty, thanky," as he somewhat snappishly answered to the neighbours
+who out-walked him on the road. They would get there first.
+
+"Wonderful old man," they said as they went on their way, and quickly
+resumed their speculations upon the Dragon's capture. Farmer John
+Stiles came driving his ox-team and snuffling, for it was pretty cold,
+and his handkerchief at home. Upon his wagon on every part, like
+swallows, hung as many of his relations as could get on. His mother,
+who had been Lucy Baker, and grandmother Cecilia Kempe, and a litter
+of cousin Thorpes. But his step-father Lewis Gay and the children of
+the half-blood were not asked to ride; farmer Stiles had bitterly
+resented the second marriage. This family knew all the particulars
+concerning the Dragon, for they had them from the cook's second cousin
+who was courting Bridget Stiles. They knew how Saint George had waked
+Father Anselm up and put him on a white horse, and how the Abbot had
+thus been able to catch the Dragon by his tail in the air just as he
+was flying away with Miss Elaine, and how at that the white horse had
+turned into a young man who had been bewitched by the Dragon, and was
+going to marry Miss Elaine immediately.
+
+On the front steps, shaking hands with each person who came, was Sir
+Godfrey. He had dressed himself excellently for the occasion;
+something between a heavy father and an old beau, with a beautiful
+part down the back of his head where the hair was. Geoffrey stood
+beside him.
+
+"My son-in-law that's to be," Sir Godfrey would say. And the gentry
+welcomed the young man, while the tenants bobbed him respectful
+salutations.
+
+"You're one of us. Glad to know you," said Sir Thomas de Brie,
+surveying the lad with approval.
+
+Lady Jumping Jack held his hand for a vanishing moment you could
+hardly make sure of. "I had made up my mind to hate you for robbing me
+of my dearest girl," she said, smiling gayly, and fixing him with her
+odd-looking eyes. "But I see we're to be friends." Then she murmured a
+choice nothing to the Baron, who snarled politely.
+
+"Don't let her play you," said he to Geoffrey when the lady had moved
+on. And he tapped the youth's shoulder familiarly.
+
+"Oh, I've been through all that sort of thing over in Poictiers,"
+Geoffrey answered with indifference.
+
+"You're a rogue, sir, as I've told you before. Ha! Uncle Mortmain, how
+d'ye do? Yes, this is Geoffrey. Where's my boy Roland? Coming, is he?
+Well, he had better look sharp. It's after eleven, and I'll wait for
+nobody. How d'ye do, John Stiles? That bull you sold me 's costing
+thirty shillings a year in fences. You'll find something ready down by
+those tables, I think."
+
+Hark to that roar! The crowd jostled together in the court-yard, for
+it sounded terribly close.
+
+"The Dragon's quite safe in the pit, good people," shouted Sir
+Godfrey. "A few more minutes and you'll all see him."
+
+The old gentleman continued welcoming the new arrivals, chatting
+heartily, with a joke for this one and a kind inquiry for the other.
+But wretched Geoffrey! So the Dragon was to be seen in a few minutes!
+And where were the monks of Oyster-le-Main? Still, a bold face must be
+kept. He was thankful that Elaine, after the custom of brides, was
+invisible. The youth's left hand rested upon the hilt of his sword; he
+was in rich attire, and the curly hair that surrounded his forehead
+had been carefully groomed. Half-way up the stone steps as he stood,
+his blue eyes watching keenly for the monks, he was a figure that made
+many a humble nymph turn tender glances upon him. Old Piers, the
+ploughman, remained beside a barrel of running ale and drank his
+health all day. For he was a wonderful old man.
+
+Hither and thither the domestics scurried swiftly, making
+preparations. Some were cooking rare pasties of grouse and ptarmigan,
+goslings and dough-birds; some were setting great tables in-doors and
+out; and some were piling fagots for the Dragon's funeral pyre.
+Popham, with magnificent solemnity and a pair of new calves, gave
+orders to Meeson and Welsby, and kept little Whelpdale panting for
+breath with errands; while in and out, between everybody's legs, and
+over or under all obstacles, stalked the two ravens Croak James and
+Croak Elizabeth, a big white wedding-favour tied round the neck of
+each. To see these grave birds, none would have suspected how
+frequently they had been in the mince-pies that morning, though Popham
+had expressly ruled (in somewhat stilted language) that they should
+"take nothink by their bills."
+
+"Geoffrey," said the Baron, "I think we'll begin. Popham, tell them to
+light that fire there."
+
+"The guests are still coming, sir," said Geoffrey.
+
+"No matter. It is half after eleven." The Baron showed his sun-dial,
+and there was no doubt of it. "Here, take the keys," he said, "and
+bring the monster out for us."
+
+"I'll go and put on my armour," suggested the young man. That would
+take time; perhaps the monks might arrive.
+
+"Why, the brute's chained. You need no armour. Nonsense!"
+
+"But think of my clothes in that pit, sir,--on my wedding-day."
+
+"Pooh! That's the first sign of a Frenchman I've seen in you. Take the
+keys, sir."
+
+The crackle of the kindling fagots came to Geoffrey's ears. He saw the
+forty men with chains that were to haul the Dragon into the fire.
+
+"But there's Father Anselm yet to come," he protested. "Surely we wait
+for him."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"I'll wait for nobody. He with his Crusades and rubbish! Haven't I got
+this Dragon, and there's no Crusade?--Ah, Cousin Modus, glad you
+could come over. Just in time. The sherry's to your left. Yes, it's a
+very fine day. Yes, yes, this is Geoffrey my girl's to marry and all
+that.--What do I care about Father Anselm?" the old gentleman resumed
+testily, when his cousin Modus had shuffled off. "Come, sir."
+
+He gave the keys into Geoffrey's unwilling hand, and ordered silence
+proclaimed.
+
+"Hearken, good friends!" said he, and all talk and going to and fro
+ceased. The tenantry stood down in the court-yard, a mass of
+motionless russet and yellow, every face watching the Baron. The
+gentry swarmed noiselessly out upon the steps behind him, their
+handsome dresses bright against the Manor walls. There was a short
+pause. Old Gaffer Piers made a slight disturbance falling over with
+his cup of ale, but was quickly set on his feet by his neighbours. The
+sun blazed down, and the growling of the Dragon came from the pit.
+
+"Yonder noise," pursued Sir Godfrey, "speaks more to the point than I
+could. I'll give you no speech." All loudly cheered at this.
+
+"Don't you think," whispered the Rev. Hucbald in the Baron's ear,
+"that a little something serious should be said on such an occasion? I
+should like our brethren to be reminded----"
+
+"Fudge!" said the Baron. "For thirteen years," he continued, raising
+his voice again, "this Dragon has been speaking for himself. You all
+know and I know how that has been. And now we are going to speak for
+ourselves. And when he is on top of that fire he'll know how that is.
+Geoffrey, open the pit and get him out."
+
+Again there was a cheer, but a short one, for the spell of expectancy
+was on all. The young man descended into the court, and the air seemed
+to turn to a wavering mist as he looked up at the Manor windows
+seeking to spy Elaine's face at one of them. Was this to be the end?
+Could he kiss her one last good-by if disaster was in store for them
+after all? Alas! no glimpse of her was to be seen as he moved along,
+hardly aware of his own steps, and the keys jingling lightly as he
+moved. Through the crowd he passed, and a whispering ran in his wake
+followed by deeper silence than before. He reached the edge of the
+people and crossed the open space beyond, passing the leaping blaze of
+the fagots, and so drew near the iron door of the pit. The key went
+slowly into the lock. All shrank with dismay at the roar which rent
+the air. Geoffrey paused with his hand gripping the key, and there
+came a sound of solemn singing over the fields.
+
+"The monks!" murmured a few under their breath; and silence fell
+again, each listening.
+
+Men's voices it was, and their chanting rose by one sudden step to a
+high note that was held for a moment, and then sank again, mellow like
+the harmony of horns in a wood. Then over the ridge from
+Oyster-le-Main the length of a slow procession began to grow. The gray
+gowns hung to the earth straight with scarce any waving as the men
+walked. The heavy hoods reached over each face so there was no telling
+its features. None in the court-yard spoke at all, as the brooding
+figures passed in under the gateway and proceeded to the door of the
+bear-pit, singing always. Howlings that seemed born of terror now rose
+from the imprisoned monster; and many thought, "evidently the evil
+beast cannot endure the sound of holy words."
+
+Elaine in her white dress now gazed from an upper window, seeing her
+lover with his enemies drawing continually closer around him.
+
+Perhaps it was well for him that his death alone would not have served
+to lock their secret up again; that the white maiden in the window is
+ready to speak the word and direct instant vengeance on them and their
+dragon if any ill befall that young man who stands by the iron door.
+
+The song of the monks ended. Sir Godfrey on the steps was wondering
+why Father Anselm did not stand out from the rest of the gray people
+and explain his wishes. "Though he shall not interrupt the sport,
+whatever he says," thought the Baron, and cast on the group of holy
+men a less hospitable eye than had beamed on his other guests.
+Geoffrey over at the iron door, surrounded by the motionless figures,
+scanned each hood narrowly and soon met the familiar eyes of Hubert.
+Hubert's gown, he noticed, bulged out in a manner ungainly and
+mysterious. "Open the door," whispered that youth. At once Geoffrey
+began to turn the key. And at its grinding all held their breath, and
+a quivering silence hung over the court. The hasty drops pattered down
+from the eaves from the snow that was melting on the roof. Then some
+strip of metal inside the lock sprung suddenly, making a sharp song,
+and ceased. The crowd of monks pressed closer together as the iron
+door swung open.
+
+[Illustration: THE DRAGON MAKETH HIS LAST APPEARANCE]
+
+What did Geoffrey see? None but the monks could tell. Instantly a
+single roar more terrible than any burst out, and the huge horrible
+black head and jaws of the monster reared into the view of Sir Godfrey
+and his guests. One instant the fearful vision in the door-way swayed
+with a stiff strange movement over the knot of monks that surrounded
+it, then sank out of sight among them. There was a sound of jerking
+and fierce clanking of chains, mingled with loud chanting of pious
+sentences. Then a plume of spitting flame flared upward with a mighty
+roar, and the gray figures scattered right and left. There along the
+ground lay the monster, shrivelled, twisted in dismal coils, and dead.
+Close beside his black body towered Father Anselm, smoothing the folds
+of his gray gown. Geoffrey was sheathing his sword and looking at
+Hubert, whose dress bulged out no longer, but fitted him as usual.
+
+"We have been vouchsafed a miracle," said Father Anselm quietly, to
+the gaping spectators.
+
+"There'll be no burning," said Geoffrey, pointing to the shrunken
+skin. But though he spoke so coolly, and repelled all besieging
+disturbance from the fortress of his calm visage and bearing, as a
+bold and haughty youth should do, yet he could scarcely hold his
+finger steady as it pointed to the blackened carcase. Then all at once
+his eyes met those of Elaine where she watched from her window, and
+relief and joy rushed through him. He stretched his arms towards her,
+not caring who saw, and the look she sent him with a smile drove all
+surrounding things to an immeasurable distance away.
+
+"Here indeed," Father Anselm repeated, "is a miracle. Lo, the empty
+shell! The snake hath shed his skin."
+
+"This is very disappointing," said Sir Godfrey, bewildered. "Is there
+no dragon to roast?"
+
+"The roasting," replied the Abbot, impressively, "is even now begun
+for all eternity." He stretched out an arm and pointed downward
+through the earth. "The evil spirit has fled. The Church hath taken
+this matter into her own hands, and claims yon barren hide as a
+relic."
+
+"Well,--I don't see why the Church can't let good sport alone,"
+retorted Sir Godfrey.
+
+"Hope she'll not take to breaking up my cock-fights this way,"
+muttered the Count de Gorgonzola, sulkily.
+
+"The Church cares nothing for such profane frivolities," observed
+Father Anselm with cold dignity.
+
+"At all events, friends," said Sir Godfrey, cheering up, "the country
+is rid of the Dragon of Wantley, and we've got a wedding and a
+breakfast left."
+
+Just at this moment a young horseman rode furiously into the
+court-yard.
+
+It was Roland, Sir Godfrey's son. "Great news!" he began at once.
+"Another Crusade has been declared--and I am going. Merry Christmas!
+Where's Elaine? Where's the Dragon?"
+
+Father Anselm's quick brain seized this chance. He and his monks
+should make a more stately exit than he had planned.
+
+"See," he said in a clear voice to his monks, "how all is coming true
+that was revealed to me this night! My son," he continued, turning to
+young Roland, "thy brave resolve reached me ere thou hadst made it.
+Know it has been through thee that the Dragon has gone!"
+
+Upon this there was profound silence.
+
+"And now," he added solemnly, "farewell. The monks of Oyster-le-Main
+go hence to the Holy Land also, to battle for the true Faith. Behold!
+we have made us ready to meet the toil."
+
+His haughty tones ceased, and he made a sign. The gray gowns fell to
+the snow, and revealed a stalwart, fierce-looking crew in black
+armour. But the Abbot kept his gray gown.
+
+"You'll stay for the wedding?" inquired Sir Godfrey of him.
+
+"Our duty lies to the sea. Farewell, for I shall never see thy face
+again."
+
+He turned. Hubert gathered up the hide of the crocodile and threw a
+friendly glance back at Geoffrey. Then again raising their song, the
+black band slowly marched out under the gate and away over the snow
+until the ridge hid them from sight, and only their singing could be
+heard in the distant fields.
+
+"Well," exclaimed Sir Godfrey, "it's no use to stand staring. Now for
+the wedding! Mistletoe, go up and tell Miss Elaine. Hucbald, tell the
+organist to pipe up his music. And as soon as it's over we'll drink
+the bride's health and health to the bridegroom. 'Tis a lucky thing
+that between us all the Dragon is gone, for there's still enough of my
+Burgundy to last us till midnight. Come, friends, come in, for
+everything waits your pleasure!"
+
+
+[Illustration]
+
+                         L'ENVOI
+
+     Reader, if thou hast found thy Way thus far,
+     Sure then I've writ beneath a lucky Star;
+     And Nothing so becomes all Journeys' Ends
+     As that the Travellers should part as Friends.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Dragon of Wantley, by Owen Wister
+
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+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Dragon of Wantley, by Owen Wister
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Dragon of Wantley
+       His Tale
+
+Author: Owen Wister
+
+Illustrator: John Stewardson
+
+Release Date: August 28, 2008 [EBook #26448]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE DRAGON OF WANTLEY ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Irma Spehar and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was
+produced from images generously made available by The
+Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+
+
+<div class="note">
+<h4>Transcriber's Note</h4>
+
+<p>Due to the nature of illustrations, this file is best viewed in
+Firefox 3 or Internet Explorer 7. The illustrations might appear slightly
+shifted in other browsers.</p>
+</div>
+
+
+<div class="titleframe"><a name="DRAGON" id="DRAGON"></a>
+<h1 class="title"><small>THE</small><br />
+DRAGON<br />
+<small>OF</small><br />
+WANTLEY<br />
+
+<small>HIS TALE</small></h1>
+
+<p class="author"><i>By</i> Owen Wister</p>
+
+<p class="center" style="padding-top: 3em"><i>Illustrations by John Stewardson</i></p>
+
+<p class="center" style="padding-top: 3em; font-size: 110%">SECOND EDITION</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="publisher">Philadelphia<br />
+J&middot;B&middot;LIPPINCOTT<br />
+COMPANY<br />
+1895</p>
+
+
+<div class="versoframe"><a name="copyright" id="copyright"></a>
+<p class="verso">&middot;COPYRIGHT&middot;1892&middot;<br />
+
+&middot;BY&middot;J&middot;B&middot;LIPPINCOTT&middot;COMPANY&middot;<br /><br />
+
+PRINTED&middot;BY&middot;J&middot;B&middot;LIPPINCOTT&middot;COMPANY<br />
+
+&middot;PHILADELPHIA&middot;USA&middot;</p>
+</div>
+
+
+<p class="dedication"><span style="padding-left: 8em">TO</span><br />
+MY ANCIENT PLAYMATES IN APPIAN<br />
+WAY CAMBRIDGE THIS LIKELY<br />
+STORY IS DEDICATED FOR REASONS<br />
+BEST KNOWN TO THEMSELVES</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 37px;">
+<img src="images/illo_png007.jpg" width="37" height="50" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 300px; padding-top: 2em"><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[7]</a></span>
+<img src="images/illo_png009.jpg" width="300" height="191" alt="Preface" title="Preface" />
+</div>
+
+
+
+<div class="poem" style="margin-left: 33%"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0"><span class="smcap">When</span> Betsinda held the Rose<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">And the Ring decked Giglio&#8217;s finger<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">Thackeray! &#8217;twas sport to linger<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">With thy wise, gay-hearted prose.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Books were merry, goodness knows!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">When Betsinda held the Rose.<br /></span>
+</div><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">Who but foggy drudglings doze<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">While Rob Gilpin toasts thy witches,<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">While the Ghost waylays thy breeches,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Ingoldsby? Such tales as those<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Exorcised our peevish woes<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">When Betsinda held the Rose.<br /></span>
+</div><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">Realism, thou specious pose!<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">Haply it is good we met thee;<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">But, passed by, we&#8217;ll scarce regret thee;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">For we love the light that glows<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Where Queen Fancy&#8217;s pageant goes,<br /></span>
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[8]</a></span><span class="i0">And Betsinda holds the Rose.<br /></span>
+</div><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">Shall we dare it? Then let&#8217;s close<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">Doors to-night on things statistic,<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">Seek the hearth in circle mystic,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Till the conjured fire-light shows<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Where Youth&#8217;s bubbling Fountain flows,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And Betsinda holds the Rose.<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 300px; padding-top: 2em"><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[9]</a></span>
+<img src="images/illo_png011.jpg" width="300" height="326" alt="Preface to the Second Edition" title="Preface to the Second Edition" />
+</div>
+
+
+<p>We two&mdash;the author and his illustrator&mdash;did not know what
+we had done until the newspapers told us. But the press has
+explained it in the following poised and consistent criticism:</p>
+
+<div class="quotes">
+<p>&#8220;Too many suggestions of profanity.&#8221;<br />
+<span style="padding-left: 5em">&mdash;<i>Congregationalist</i>, Boston, 8 Dec. &#8217;92.</span></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It ought to be the delight of the nursery.&#8221;<br />
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[10]</a></span><span style="padding-left: 5em">&mdash;<i>National Tribune</i>, Washington, 22 Dec. &#8217;92.</span></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Grotesque and horrible.&#8221;<br />
+<span style="padding-left: 5em">&mdash;<i>Zion&#8217;s Herald</i>, Boston, 21 Dec. &#8217;92.</span></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Some excellent moral lessons.&#8221;<br />
+<span style="padding-left: 5em">&mdash;<i>Citizen</i>, Brooklyn, 27 Nov. &#8217;92.</span></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;If it has any lesson to teach, we have been unable to find
+it.&#8221;<br />
+<span style="padding-left: 5em">&mdash;<i>Independent</i>, New York, 10 Nov. &#8217;92.</span></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;The story is a familiar one.&#8221;<br />
+<span style="padding-left: 5em">&mdash;<i>Detroit Free Press</i>, 28 Nov. &#8217;92.</span></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Refreshingly novel.&#8221;<br />
+<span style="padding-left: 5em">&mdash;<i>Cincinnati Commercial Gazette</i>, 17 Dec. &#8217;92.</span></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It is a burlesque.&#8221;<br />
+<span style="padding-left: 5em">&mdash;<i>Atlantic Monthly</i>, Dec. &#8217;92.</span></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;All those who love lessons drawn from life will enjoy this
+book.&#8221;<br />
+<span style="padding-left: 5em">&mdash;<i>Christian Advocate</i>, Cincinnati, 2 Nov. &#8217;92.</span></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;The style of this production is difficult to define.&#8221;<br />
+<span style="padding-left: 5em">&mdash;<i>Court Journal</i>, London, 26 Nov. &#8217;92.</span></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;One wonders why writer and artist should put so much
+labor on a production which seems to have so little reason
+for existence.&#8221;<br />
+<span style="padding-left: 5em">&mdash;<i>Herald and Presbyterian</i>, Cincinnati.</span></p>
+</div>
+
+<p>Now the public knows exactly what sort of book this is,
+and we cannot be held responsible.</p>
+
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 450px; padding-top: 4em"><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[11]</a></span>
+<img src="images/illo_png013.jpg" width="450" height="84" alt="Table of Contents" title="Table of Contents" />
+</div>
+
+
+
+<table summary="table of contents">
+<tr><td class="chhead" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_19">CHAPTER I.</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la">&nbsp;</td><td class="ra"><small>PAGE</small></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la">How Sir Godfrey came to lose his Temper</td><td class="ra"><a href="#Page_19">19</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="chhead" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_35">CHAPTER II.</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la">How his Daughter, Miss Elaine, behaved herself in Consequence</td><td class="ra"><a href="#Page_35">35</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="chhead" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_52">CHAPTER III.</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la">Reveals the Dragon in his Den</td><td class="ra"><a href="#Page_52">52</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="chhead" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_62">CHAPTER IV.</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la">Tells you more about Him than was ever told before to Anybody</td><td class="ra"><a href="#Page_62">62</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="chhead" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_77">CHAPTER V.</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la">In which the Hero makes his First Appearance and is Locked Up immediately</td><td class="ra"><a href="#Page_77">77</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="chhead" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_91">CHAPTER VI.</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[12]</a></span>In which Miss Elaine loses her Heart, and finds Something of the Greatest Importance</td><td class="ra"><a href="#Page_91">91</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="chhead" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_113">CHAPTER VII.</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la">Shows what Curious Things you may see, if you don&#8217;t go to Bed when you are sent</td><td class="ra"><a href="#Page_113">113</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="chhead" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_136">CHAPTER VIII.</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la">Contains a Dilemma with two simply egregious Horns</td><td class="ra"><a href="#Page_136">136</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="chhead" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_168">CHAPTER IX.</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la">Leaves much Room for guessing about Chapter Ten</td><td class="ra"><a href="#Page_168">168</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="chhead" colspan="2"><a href="#Page_187">CHAPTER X.</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la">The great White Christmas at Wantley</td><td class="ra"><a href="#Page_187">187</a></td></tr>
+</table>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 24px; padding-top: 4em; padding-bottom: 4em">
+<img src="images/illo_png014.jpg" width="24" height="50" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 350px;"><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[13]</a></span>
+<img src="images/illo_png015.jpg" width="350" height="158" alt="List of Illustrations" title="List of Illustrations" />
+</div>
+
+
+<table class="loi" summary="list of illustrations">
+
+<tr><td class="la">&nbsp;</td><td class="ra"><small>Page</small></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><a href="#DRAGON">Ornamented title</a></td><td class="ra">3</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><a href="#copyright">Copyright notice</a></td><td class="ra">4</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><a href="#Page_7">Head-piece&mdash;Preface</a></td><td class="ra">7</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><a href="#Page_9">Head-piece&mdash;Preface to the Second Edition</a></td><td class="ra">9</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><a href="#Page_11">Head-piece&mdash;Table of Contents</a></td><td class="ra">11</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><a href="#Page_13">Head-piece&mdash;List of Illustrations</a></td><td class="ra">13</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><a href="#Page_17">Half-title to Chapter I</a></td><td class="ra">17</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><a href="#Page_19">Head-piece to Chapter I</a></td><td class="ra">19</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><a href="#Page_27">Popham awaiteth the Result with Dignity</a></td><td class="ra">27</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><a href="#baron">The Baron pursueth Whelpdale into the Buttery</a></td><td class="ra">32</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><a href="#tail1">Tail-piece to Chapter I</a></td><td class="ra">33</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><a href="#Page_34">Half-title to Chapter II</a></td><td class="ra">34</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><a href="#Page_35">Head-piece to Chapter II</a></td><td class="ra">35</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><a href="#godfrey">Sir Godfrey maketh him ready for the Bath</a></td><td class="ra">39</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><a href="#godfrey2">Sir Godfrey getteth into his Bath</a></td><td class="ra">41</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><a href="#Page_43">Mistletoe consulteth the Cooking Book</a></td><td class="ra">43</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[14]</a></span><a href="#elaine">Elaine maketh an unexpected Remark</a></td><td class="ra">49</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><a href="#Page_51">Half-title to Chapter III</a></td><td class="ra">51</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><a href="#Page_52">Head-piece to Chapter III</a></td><td class="ra">52</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><a href="#Page_55">Hubert sweepeth the Steps</a></td><td class="ra">55</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><a href="#Page_61">Half-title to Chapter IV</a></td><td class="ra">61</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><a href="#Page_62">Head-piece to Chapter IV</a></td><td class="ra">62</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><a href="#hubert">Hubert looketh out of the Window</a></td><td class="ra">69</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><a href="#tail2">Tail-piece to Chapter IV</a></td><td class="ra">75</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><a href="#Page_76">Half-title to Chapter V</a></td><td class="ra">76</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><a href="#Page_77">Head-piece to Chapter V</a></td><td class="ra">77</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><a href="#flippancy">Geoffrey replieth with deplorable Flippancy to Father Anselm</a> </td><td class="ra">84</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><a href="#tail3">Tail-piece to Chapter V</a></td><td class="ra">89</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><a href="#Page_90">Half-title to Chapter VI</a></td><td class="ra">90</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><a href="#Page_91">Head-piece to Chapter VI</a></td><td class="ra">91</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><a href="#thebaron">The Baron setteth forth his Plan for circumventing the Dragon</a></td><td class="ra">96</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><a href="#Page_101">Geoffrey tuggeth at the Bars</a></td><td class="ra">101</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><a href="#tail4">Tail-piece to Chapter VI</a></td><td class="ra">111</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><a href="#Page_112">Half-title to Chapter VII</a></td><td class="ra">112</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><a href="#Page_113">Head-piece to Chapter VII</a></td><td class="ra">113</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><a href="#Page_120">Elaine cometh into the Cellar</a></td><td class="ra">120</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><a href="#geoffreydragon">Geoffrey goeth to meet the Dragon</a></td><td class="ra">128</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><a href="#Page_135">Half-title to Chapter VIII</a></td><td class="ra">135</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><a href="#Page_136">Head-piece to Chapter VIII</a></td><td class="ra">136</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><a href="#thirst">The Dragon thinketh to slake his Thirst</a></td><td class="ra">142</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><a href="#entrapped">The Dragon perceiveth Himself to be Entrapped</a></td><td class="ra">148</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><a href="#noise">A Noise in the Cellar</a></td><td class="ra">155, 156</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[15]</a></span><a href="#Page_167">Half-title to Chapter IX</a></td><td class="ra">167</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><a href="#Page_168">Head-piece to Chapter IX</a></td><td class="ra">168</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><a href="#Page_176">Sir Francis decideth to go down again</a></td><td class="ra">176</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><a href="#Hubert2">Brother Hubert goeth back to Oyster-le-Main for the last Time</a></td><td class="ra">181</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><a href="#tail5">Tail-piece to Chapter IX</a></td><td class="ra">185</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><a href="#Page_186">Half-title to Chapter X</a></td><td class="ra">186</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><a href="#Page_187">Head-piece to Chapter X</a> </td><td class="ra">187</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><a href="#debrie">Sir Thomas de Brie hastens to accept the Baron&#8217;s polite Invitation</a></td><td class="ra">192</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><a href="#courtyard">The Court-yard</a></td><td class="ra">198<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[16]</a></span></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><a href="#appearance">The Dragon maketh his last Appearance</a></td><td class="ra">203</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="la"><a href="#envoi">L&#8217;Envoi</a></td><td class="ra">208</td></tr>
+</table>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 37px; padding-top: 4em; padding-bottom: 4em">
+<img src="images/illo_png017.jpg" width="37" height="50" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 350px;"><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[17]</a></span>
+<img src="images/illo_png019.jpg" width="350" height="337" alt="QUI NE SAULTE SAULTE SERA" title="QUI NE SAULTE SAULTE SERA" />
+</div>
+
+<p>&nbsp;<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[18]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<div class="backleft" style="background-image: url(images/illo_png021.jpg); height: 100%;">
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[19]</a></span>
+
+<div class="sandbag-left" style="width:227px; height:310px;"> </div>
+
+<p style="padding-top: 7em; text-indent: 0em"><span style="text-transform: uppercase">here</span> was something
+wrong in the cellar at
+Wantley Manor. Little
+Whelpdale knew it, for
+he was Buttons, and
+Buttons always knows
+what is being done with
+the wine, though he may look as if he did not.
+And old Popham knew it, too. He was Butler,
+and responsible to Sir Godfrey for all the brandy,
+and ale, and cider, and mead, and canary, and
+other strong waters there were in the house.</p>
+
+<p>Now, Sir Godfrey Disseisin, fourth Baron of
+Wantley, and immediate tenant by knight-service
+to His Majesty King John of England, was particular
+about his dogs, and particular about his
+horses, and about his only daughter and his boy
+Roland, and had been very particular indeed
+about his wife, who, I am sorry to say, did not
+live long. But all this was nothing to the fuss
+he made about his wine. When the claret was
+not warm enough, or the Moselle wine was not<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[20]</a></span>
+cool enough, you could hear him roaring all over
+the house; for, though generous in heart and a
+staunch Churchman, he was immoderately choleric.
+Very often, when Sir Godfrey fell into
+one of his rages at dinner, old Popham, standing
+behind his chair, trembled so violently that his
+calves would shake loose, thus obliging him to
+hasten behind the tall leathern screen at the head
+of the banquet-hall and readjust them.</p>
+
+
+<p>Twice in each year the Baron sailed over to
+France, where he visited the wine-merchants,
+and tasted samples of all new vintages,&mdash;though
+they frequently gave him unmentionable aches.
+Then, when he was satisfied that he had selected
+the soundest and richest, he returned to Wantley
+Manor, bringing home wooden casks that were
+as big as hay-stacks, and so full they could not
+gurgle when you tipped them. Upon arriving,
+he sent for Mrs. Mistletoe, the family governess
+and (for economy&#8217;s sake) housekeeper, who knew
+how to write,&mdash;something the Baron&#8217;s father and
+mother had never taught him when he was a
+little boy, because they didn&#8217;t know how themselves,
+and despised people who did,&mdash;and when<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[21]</a></span>
+Mrs. Mistletoe had cut neat pieces of card-board
+for labels and got ready her goose-quill, Sir Godfrey
+would say, &#8220;Write, Ch&acirc;teau Lafitte, 1187;&#8221;
+or, &#8220;Write, Chambertin, 1203.&#8221; (Those, you
+know, were the names and dates of the vintages.)
+&#8220;Yes, my lord,&#8221; Mistletoe always piped up; on
+which Sir Godfrey would peer over her shoulder
+at the writing, and mutter, &#8220;Hum; yes, that&#8217;s
+correct,&#8221; just as if he knew how to read, the old
+humbug! Then Mistletoe, who was a silly girl
+and had lost her husband early, would go &#8220;Tee-hee,
+Sir Godfrey!&#8221; as the gallant gentleman
+gave her a kiss. Of course, this was not just
+what he should have done; but he was a widower,
+you must remember, and besides that, as
+the years went on this little ceremony ceased to
+be kept up. When it was &#8220;Ch&acirc;teau Lafitte,
+1187,&#8221; kissing Mistletoe was one thing; but
+when it came to &#8220;Chambertin, 1203,&#8221; the lady
+weighed two hundred and twenty-five pounds,
+and wore a wig.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>But, wig and all, Mistletoe had a high position
+in Wantley Manor. The household was conducted
+on strictly feudal principles. Nobody,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[22]</a></span>
+except the members of the family, received
+higher consideration than did the old Governess.
+She and the Chaplain were on a level, socially,
+and they sat at the same table with the Baron.
+That drew the line. Old Popham the Butler
+might tell little Whelpdale as often as he pleased
+that he was just as good as Mistletoe; but he
+had to pour out Mistletoe&#8217;s wine for her, notwithstanding.
+If she scolded him (which she
+always did if Sir Godfrey had been scolding
+her), do you suppose he dared to answer back?
+Gracious, no! He merely kicked the two head-footmen,
+Meeson and Welsby, and spoke severely
+to the nine house-maids. Meeson and
+Welsby then made life a painful thing for the
+five under-footmen and the grooms, while the
+nine house-maids boxed the ears of Whelpdale
+the Buttons, and Whelpdale the Buttons punched
+the scullion&#8217;s eye. As for the scullion, he was
+bottom of the list; but he could always relieve
+his feelings by secretly pulling the tails of Sir
+Godfrey&#8217;s two tame ravens, whose names were
+Croak James and Croak Elizabeth. I never
+knew what these birds did at that; but something,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[23]</a></span>
+you may be sure. So you see that I was
+right when I said the household was conducted
+on strictly feudal principles. The Cook had a
+special jurisdiction of her own, and everybody
+was more or less afraid of her.</p>
+
+<p>Whenever Sir Godfrey had come home with
+new wine, and after the labels had been pasted
+on the casks, then Popham, with Whelpdale
+beside him, had these carefully set down in the
+cellar, which was a vast dim room, the ceilings
+supported by heavy arches; the barrels, bins,
+kegs, hogsheads, tuns, and demijohns of every
+size and shape standing like forests and piled to
+the ceiling. And now something was wrong
+there.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;This &#8217;ere&#8217;s a hawful succumstence, sir,&#8221; observed
+Whelpdale the Buttons to his superior,
+respectfully.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It is, indeed, a himbroglio,&#8221; replied Popham,
+who had a wide command of words, and
+knew it.</p>
+
+<p>Neither domestic spoke again for some time.
+They were seated in the buttery. The Butler
+crossed his right leg over his left, and waved the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[24]</a></span>
+suspended foot up and down,&mdash;something he
+seldom did unless very grievously perturbed.
+As for poor little Whelpdale, he mopped his
+brow with the napkins that were in a basket
+waiting for the wash.</p>
+
+<p>Then the bell rang.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;His ludship&#8217;s study-bell,&#8221; said Popham.
+&#8220;Don&#8217;t keep him waiting.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hadn&#8217;t you better apprise his ludship of the
+facks?&#8221; asked Whelpdale, in a weak voice.</p>
+
+<p>Popham made no reply. He arose and briefly
+kicked Buttons out of the buttery. Then he
+mounted a chair to listen better. &#8220;He has
+hentered his ludship&#8217;s apawtment,&#8221; he remarked,
+hearing the sound of voices come faintly down
+the little private staircase that led from Sir Godfrey&#8217;s
+study to the buttery: the Baron was in the
+habit of coming down at night for crackers and
+cheese before he went to bed. Presently one
+voice grew much louder than the other. It
+questioned. There came a sort of whining in
+answer. Then came a terrific stamp on the
+ceiling and a loud &#8220;Go on, sir!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Now, now, now!&#8221; thought Popham.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[25]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Do you want to hear at once, without waiting
+any longer, what little Whelpdale is telling Sir
+Godfrey? Well, you must know that for the past
+thirteen years, ever since 1190, the neighbourhood
+had been scourged by a terrible Dragon.
+The monster was covered with scales, and had a
+long tail and huge unnatural wings, beside fearful
+jaws that poured out smoke and flame whenever
+they opened. He always came at dead of
+night, roaring, bellowing, and sparkling and
+flaming over the hills, and horrid claps of thunder
+were very likely to attend his progress.
+Concerning the nature and quality of his roaring,
+the honest copyholders of Wantley could never
+agree, although every human being had heard
+him hundreds of times. Some said it was like
+a mad bull, only much louder and worse. Old
+Gaffer Piers the ploughman swore that if his
+tomcat weighed a thousand pounds it would
+make a noise almost as bad as that on summer
+nights, with the moon at the full and other cats
+handy. But farmer Stiles said, &#8220;Nay, &#8217;tis like
+none of your bulls nor cats. But when I have
+come home too near the next morning, my wife<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[26]</a></span>
+can make me think of this Dragon as soon as
+ever her mouth be open.&#8221;</p>
+
+
+<div class="backright" style="background-image: url(images/illo_png029.jpg); height: 100%; padding-right: 0.5em">
+
+<div class="sandbag-right" style="width:200px; height:239px;"> </div>
+<div class="sandbag-right" style="width:320px; height:45px;"> </div>
+
+<p>This shows you that there were divers opinions.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[27]</a></span>
+If you were not afraid to look out of the
+window about midnight, you could see the sky
+begin to look red in the quarter from which he
+was approaching, just as it glares when some
+distant house is on fire. But you must shut the
+window and hide before he came over the hill;
+for very few that had looked upon the Dragon
+ever lived to that day twelvemonth. This monster
+devoured the substance of the tenantry and
+yeomen. When their fields of grain were golden
+for the harvest, in a single night he cut them
+down and left their acres blasted by his deadly
+fire. He ate the cows, the sheep, the poultry,
+and at times even sucked eggs. Many pious
+saints had visited the district, but not one had
+been able by his virtue to expel the Dragon;
+and the farmers and country folk used to repeat
+a legend that said the Dragon was a punishment
+for the great wickedness of the Baron&#8217;s
+ancestor, the original Sir Godfrey Disseisin, who,
+when summoned on the first Crusade to Palestine,
+had entirely refused to go and help his
+cousin Godfrey de Bouillon wrest the Holy Sepulchre
+from the Paynim. The Baron&#8217;s ancestor,
+when a stout young lad, had come over with
+William the Conqueror; and you must know
+that to have an ancestor who had come over
+with William the Conqueror was in those old
+days a much rarer thing than it is now, and
+any one who could boast of it was held in
+high esteem by
+his neighbours,
+who
+asked him to
+dinner and left
+their cards upon
+him continually.
+But the first
+Sir Godfrey
+thought one
+conquest was
+enough for any<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[28]</a></span>
+man; and in reply to his cousin&#8217;s invitation to
+try a second, answered in his blunt Norman
+French, &#8220;Nul tiel verte dedans ceot oyle,&#8221;
+which displeased the Church, and ended forever
+all relations between the families. The
+Dragon did not come at once, for this gentleman&#8217;s
+son, the grandfather of our Sir Godfrey, as
+soon as he was twenty-one, went off to the Holy
+Land himself, fought very valiantly, and was
+killed, leaving behind him at Wantley an inconsolable
+little wife and an heir six months old.
+This somewhat appeased the Pope; but the present
+Sir Godfrey, when asked to accompany King
+Richard Lion Heart on his campaign against the
+Infidel, did not avail himself of the opportunity to
+set the family right in the matter of Crusades.
+This hereditary impiety, which the Pope did not
+consider at all mended by the Baron&#8217;s most regular
+attendance at the parish church on all Sundays,
+feast days, fast days, high days, low days,
+saints&#8217; days, vigils, and octaves, nor by his paying
+his tithes punctually to Father Anselm, Abbot of
+Oyster-le-Main (a wonderful person, of whom I
+shall have a great deal to tell you presently), this<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[29]</a></span>
+impiety, I say, finished the good standing of the
+House of Wantley. Rome frowned, the earth
+trembled, and the Dragon came. And (the legend
+went on to say) this curse would not be
+removed until a female lineal descendant of the
+first Sir Godfrey, a young lady who had never
+been married, and had never loved anybody except
+her father and mother and her sisters and
+brothers, should go out in the middle of the night
+on Christmas Eve, all by herself, and encounter
+the Dragon single handed.</p>
+
+<p>Now, of course, this is not what little Whelpdale
+is trying to tell the Baron up in the study;
+for everybody in Wantley knew all about the
+legend except one person, and that was Miss
+Elaine, Sir Godfrey&#8217;s only daughter, eighteen
+years old at the last Court of Piepoudre, when
+her father (after paying all the farmers for all the
+cows and sheep they told him had been eaten
+by the Dragon since the last Court) had made
+his customary proclamation, to wit: his good-will
+and protection to all his tenantry; and if any
+man, woman, child, or other person, caused his
+daughter, Miss Elaine, to hear anything about<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[30]</a></span>
+the legend, such tale-bearer should be chained
+to a tree, and kept fat until the Dragon found
+him and ate him. So everybody obligingly kept
+the Baron&#8217;s secret.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>Sir Godfrey is just this day returned from
+France with some famous tuns of wine, and
+presents for Elaine and Mrs. Mistletoe. His
+humour is (or was, till Whelpdale, poor wretch!
+answered the bell) of the best possible. And
+now, this moment, he is being told by the luckless
+Buttons that the Dragon of Wantley has
+taken to drinking, as well as eating, what does
+not belong to him; has for the last three nights
+burst the big gates of the wine-cellar that open
+on the hillside the Manor stands upon; that a
+hogshead of the Baron&#8217;s best Burgundy is going;
+and that two hogsheads of his choicest Malvoisie
+are gone!</p>
+
+<p>One hundred and twenty-eight gallons in three
+nights&#8217; work! But I suppose a fire-breathing
+Dragon must be very thirsty.</p>
+
+<p>There was a dead silence in the study overhead,
+and old Popham&#8217;s calves were shaking
+loose as he waited.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[31]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;And so you stood by and let this black,
+sneaking, prowling, thieving&#8221; (here the Baron
+used some shocking expressions which I shall not
+set down) &#8220;Dragon swill my wine?&#8221;</p>
+
+<div class="backleft" style="background-image: url(images/illo_png034.jpg); height: 100%;"><a name="baron" id="baron"></a>
+
+<div class="sandbag-left" style="width:184px; height:365px;"> </div>
+
+<p style="padding-top: 2.5em">&#8220;St&mdash;st&mdash;stood by, your ludship?&#8221; said little
+Whelpdale. &#8220;No, sir; no one didn&#8217;t do any
+standing by, sir. He roared that terrible, sir,
+we was all under the bed.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Now, by my coat of mail and great right
+leg!&#8221; shouted Sir Godfrey. The quaking Popham
+heard no more. The door of the private
+staircase flew open with a loud noise, and down
+came little Whelpdale head over heels into the
+buttery. After him strode Sir Godfrey in full
+mail armour, clashing his steel fists against the
+banisters. The nose-piece of his helmet was
+pushed up to allow him to speak plainly,&mdash;and
+most plainly did he speak, I can assure you, all
+the way down stairs, keeping his right eye glaring
+upon Popham in one corner of the buttery,
+and at the same time petrifying Whelpdale
+with his left. From father to son, the Disseisins
+had always been famous for the manner
+in which they could straddle their eyes; and in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[32]</a></span>
+Sir Godfrey the
+family trait was
+very strongly
+marked.</p>
+
+<p>Arrived at the
+bottom, he stopped
+for a moment to
+throw a ham
+through the stained-glass
+window, and
+then made straight
+for Popham. But
+the head Butler was
+an old family servant,
+and had learned to know his place.</p>
+
+<p>With surprising agility he hopped on a table,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[33]</a></span>
+so that Sir Godfrey&#8217;s foot flew past its destined
+goal and caught a shelf that was loaded
+with a good deal of his wedding china. The
+Baron was far too dignified a person to take
+any notice of this mishap, and he simply
+strode on, out of the buttery, and so through
+the halls of the Manor, where all who caught
+even the most distant sight of his coming,
+promptly withdrew into the privacy of their
+apartments.</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 250px; padding-top: 2em"><a name="tail1" id="tail1"></a>
+<img src="images/illo_png035.jpg" width="250" height="201" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 250px; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 2em"><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[34]</a></span>
+<img src="images/illo_png036.jpg" width="250" height="290" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+
+
+
+<div class="backleft" style="background-image: url(images/illo_png037.jpg); height: 100%;"><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[35]</a></span>
+
+<div class="sandbag-left" style="width:226px; height:335px;"> </div>
+
+<p style="text-indent: 0em; padding-top: 11em"><span style="text-transform: uppercase">he</span> Baron walked on, his
+rage mounting as he
+went, till presently he
+began talking aloud to
+himself. &#8220;Mort d&#8217;aieul
+and Cosenage!&#8221; he muttered, grinding his teeth
+over these oaths; &#8220;matters have come to a
+pretty pass, per my and per tout! And this is
+what my wine-bibbing ancestor has brought on
+his posterity by his omission to fight for the True
+Faith!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Sir Godfrey knew the outrageous injustice of
+this remark as well as you or I do; and so did
+the portrait of his ancestor, which he happened
+to be passing under, for the red nose in the
+tapestry turned a deeper ruby in scornful anger.
+But, luckily for the nerves of its descendant, the
+moths had eaten its mouth away so entirely, that
+the retort it attempted to make sounded only<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[36]</a></span>
+like a faint hiss, which the Baron mistook for a
+little gust of wind behind the arras.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;My ruddy Burgundy!&#8221; he groaned, &#8220;going,
+going! and my rich, fruity Malvoisie,&mdash;all gone!
+Father Anselm didn&#8217;t appreciate it, either, that
+night he dined here last September. He said I
+had put egg-shells in it. Egg-shells! Pooh! As
+if any parson could talk about wine. These
+Church folk had better mind their business, and
+say grace, and eat their dinner, and be thankful.
+That&#8217;s what I say. Egg-shells, forsooth!&#8221; The
+Baron was passing through the chapel, and he
+mechanically removed his helmet; but he did not
+catch sight of the glittering eye of Father Anselm
+himself, who had stepped quickly into the confessional,
+and there in the dark watched Sir Godfrey
+with a strange, mocking smile. When he
+had the chapel to himself again, the tall gray
+figure of the Abbot appeared in full view, and
+craftily moved across the place. If you had been
+close beside him, and had listened hard, you
+could have heard a faint clank and jingle beneath
+his gown as he moved, which would have struck
+you as not the sort of noise a hair-shirt ought to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[37]</a></span>
+make. But I am glad you were not there; for I
+do not like the way the Abbot looked at all, especially
+so near Christmas-tide, when almost
+every one somehow looks kinder as he goes
+about in the world. Father Anselm moved out
+of the chapel, and passed through lonely corridors
+out of Wantley Manor, out of the court-yard,
+and so took his way to Oyster-le-Main in
+the gathering dusk. The few people who met
+him received his blessing, and asked no questions;
+for they were all serfs of the glebe, and
+well used to meeting the Abbot going and
+coming near Wantley Manor.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile, Sir Godfrey paced along. &#8220;To
+think,&#8221; he continued, aloud, &#8220;to think the country
+could be rid of this monster, this guzzling serpent,
+in a few days! Plenty would reign again.
+Public peace of mind would be restored. The
+cattle would increase, the crops would grow, my
+rents treble, and my wines be drunk no more
+by a miserable, ignorant&mdash;but, no! I&#8217;m her
+father. Elaine shall never be permitted to sacrifice
+herself for one dragon, or twenty dragons,
+either.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[38]</a></span>&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why, what&#8217;s the matter, papa?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Sir Godfrey started. There was Miss Elaine
+in front of him; and she had put on one of the
+new French gowns he had brought over with
+him.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>&#8220;Matter? Plenty of matter!&#8221; he began, unluckily.
+&#8220;At least, nothing is the matter at all,
+my dear. What a question! Am I not back all
+safe from the sea? Nothing is the matter, of
+course! Hasn&#8217;t your old father been away from
+you two whole months? And weren&#8217;t those
+pretty dresses he has carried back with him for
+his little girl? And isn&#8217;t the wine&mdash;Zounds, no,
+the wine isn&#8217;t&mdash;at least, certainly it is&mdash;to be sure
+it&#8217;s what it ought to be&mdash;<i>what</i> it ought to be?
+Yes! But, Mort d&#8217;aieul! not <i>where</i> it ought to
+be! Hum! hum! I think I am going mad!&#8221;
+And Sir Godfrey, forgetting he held the helmet
+all this while, dashed his hands to his head with
+such violence that the steel edge struck hard
+above the ear, and in one minute had raised a
+lump there as large as the egg of a fowl.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Poor, poor papa,&#8221; said Miss Elaine. And
+she ran and fetched some cold water, and, dipping<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[39]</a></span>
+her dainty lace handkerchief into it, she bathed
+the Baron&#8217;s head.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Thank you, my child,&#8221; he murmured, presently.
+&#8220;Of course, nothing is the matter. They
+were very slow in putting the new&#8221; (here he
+gave a gulp) &#8220;casks of wine into the cellar;
+that&#8217;s all. &#8217;Twill soon be dinner-time. I must
+make me ready.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>And so saying, the Baron kissed his daughter
+and strode away towards his dressing-room. But
+she heard him shout &#8220;Mort d&#8217;aieul!&#8221; more than
+once before he was out of hearing. Then his
+dressing-room door shut with a bang, and sent
+echoes all along the entries above and below.</p>
+
+<div class="backright" style="background-image: url(images/illo_png041.jpg); height: 100%;"><a name="godfrey" id="godfrey"></a>
+
+<div class="sandbag-right" style="width:370px; height:200px;"> </div>
+<div class="sandbag-right" style="width:500px; height:50px;"> </div>
+
+<p>The December
+night
+was coming
+down, and a
+little twinkling
+lamp
+hung at the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[40]</a></span>
+end of the passage. Towards this Miss Elaine
+musingly turned her steps, still squeezing her
+now nearly dry handkerchief.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What did he mean?&#8221; she said to herself.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Elaine!&#8221; shouted Sir Godfrey, away off round
+a corner.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes, papa, I&#8217;m coming.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t come. I&#8217;m going to the bath. A&mdash;did
+you hear me say anything particular?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p style="padding-top: 0.5em">&#8220;Do you mean when I met you?&#8221; answered
+Elaine. &#8220;Yes&mdash;no&mdash;that is,&mdash;not exactly,
+papa.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Then don&#8217;t dare to ask me any questions,
+for I won&#8217;t have it.&#8221; And another door slammed.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What did papa mean?&#8221; said Miss Elaine,
+once more.</p>
+
+<p>Her bright brown eyes were looking at the
+floor as she walked slowly on towards the light, and
+her lips, which had been a little open so that you
+could have seen what dainty teeth she had, shut
+quite close. In fact, she was thinking, which was
+something you could seldom accuse her of. I do
+not know exactly what her thoughts were, except
+that the words &#8220;dragon&#8221; and &#8220;sacrifice&#8221; kept<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[41]</a></span>
+bumping against each other in them continually;
+and whenever they bumped, Miss Elaine frowned
+a little deeper, till she really looked almost
+solemn. In this way she came under the hanging
+lamp and entered the door in front of which
+it shone.</p>
+</div>
+
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 450px;"><a name="godfrey2" id="godfrey2"></a>
+<img src="images/illo_png043.jpg" width="450" height="383" alt="Sir Godfrey Setteth in to hys Bath" title="Sir Godfrey Setteth in to hys Bath" />
+</div>
+
+<p>This was the ladies&#8217; library, full of the most
+touching romances about Roland, and Walter of
+Aquitaine, and Sir Tristram, and a great number
+of other excitable young fellows, whose behaviour<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[42]</a></span>
+had invariably got them into dreadful difficulties,
+but had as invariably made them, in the eyes of
+every damsel they saw, the most attractive, fascinating,
+sweet, dear creatures in the world.
+Nobody ever read any of these books except
+Mrs. Mistletoe and the family Chaplain. These
+two were, indeed, the only people in the household
+that knew how to read,&mdash;which may account
+for it in some measure. It was here that Miss
+Elaine came in while she was thinking so hard,
+and found old Mistletoe huddled to the fire.
+She had been secretly reading the first chapters
+of a new and pungent French romance, called
+&#8220;Roger and Angelica,&#8221; that was being published
+in a Paris and a London magazine simultaneously.
+Only thus could the talented French
+author secure payment for his books in England;
+for King John, who had recently murdered his
+little nephew Arthur, had now turned his attention
+to obstructing all arrangements for an international
+copyright. In many respects, this monarch
+was no credit to his family.</p>
+
+<p class="figcenter"><a href="images/illo_png045.jpg"><img src="images/illo_png045_th.jpg"
+alt="Mistletoe consults her cookbook" title="Mistletoe consults her cookbook" /></a><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[43]</a></span></p>
+
+
+<p>When the Governess heard Miss Elaine open
+the door behind her, she thought it was the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[44]</a></span>
+family Chaplain, and, quickly throwing the shocking
+story on the floor, she opened the household
+cookery-book,&mdash;an enormous volume many feet
+square, suspended from the ceiling by strong
+chains, and containing several thousand receipts
+for English, French, Italian, Croatian, Dalmatian,
+and Acarnanian dishes, beginning with a poem
+in blank verse written to his confectioner by the
+Emperor Charles the Fat. German cooking was
+omitted.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m looking up a new plum-pudding for
+Christmas,&#8221; said Mistletoe, nervously, keeping
+her virtuous eyes on the volume.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Ah, indeed!&#8221; Miss Elaine answered, indifferently.
+She was thinking harder than ever,&mdash;was,
+in fact, inventing a little plan.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, so it&#8217;s you, deary!&#8221; cried the Governess,
+much relieved. She had feared the Chaplain
+might pick up the guilty magazine and find its
+pages cut only at the place where the French
+story was. And I am grieved to have to tell you
+that this is just what he did do later in the evening,
+and sat down in his private room and read
+about Roger and Angelica himself.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[45]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Here&#8217;s a good one,&#8221; said Mistletoe. &#8220;Number
+39, in the Appendix to Part Fourth. Chop
+two pounds of leeks and&mdash;&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But I may not be here to taste it,&#8221; said
+Elaine.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Bless the child!&#8221; said Mistletoe. &#8220;And
+where else would you be on Christmas-day but
+in your own house?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Perhaps far away. Who knows?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You haven&#8217;t gone and seen a young man
+and told him&mdash;&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;A young man, indeed!&#8221; said Elaine, with a
+toss of her head. &#8220;There&#8217;s not a young man in
+England I would tell anything save to go about
+his business.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Miss Elaine had never seen any young men
+except when they came to dine on Sir Godfrey&#8217;s
+invitation; and his manner on those occasions so
+awed them that they always sat on the edge of
+their chairs, and said, &#8220;No, thank you,&#8221; when the
+Baron said, &#8220;Have some more capon?&#8221; Then
+the Baron would snort, &#8220;Nonsense! Popham,
+bring me Master Percival&#8217;s plate,&#8221; upon which
+Master Percival invariably simpered, and said that<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[46]</a></span>
+really he did believe he <i>would</i> take another slice.
+After these dinners, Miss Elaine retired to her
+own part of the house; and that was all she ever
+saw of young men, whom she very naturally
+deemed a class to be despised as silly and wholly
+lacking in self-assertion.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Then where in the name of good saints are
+you going to be?&#8221; Mistletoe went on.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why,&#8221; said Elaine, slowly (and here she
+looked very slyly at the old Governess, and then
+quickly appeared to be considering the lace on
+her dress), &#8220;why, of course, papa would not
+permit me to sacrifice myself for one dragon or
+twenty dragons.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What!&#8221; screamed Mistletoe, all in a flurry (for
+she was a fool). &#8220;What?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Of course, I know papa would say that,&#8221; said
+Miss Elaine, demure as possible.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, mercy me!&#8221; squeaked Mistletoe; &#8220;we
+are undone!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;To be sure, I might agree with papa,&#8221; said
+the artful thing, knowing well enough she was on
+the right track.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oo&mdash;oo!&#8221; went the Governess, burying her<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[47]</a></span>
+nose in the household cookery-book and rocking
+from side to side.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But then I might not agree with papa, you
+know. I might think,&mdash;might think&mdash;&mdash;&#8221; Miss
+Elaine stopped at what she might think, for
+really she hadn&#8217;t the slightest idea what to say
+next.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You have no right to think,&mdash;no right at
+all!&#8221; burst out Mistletoe. &#8220;And you sha&#8217;n&#8217;t be
+allowed to think. I&#8217;ll tell Sir Godfrey at once,
+and he&#8217;ll forbid you. Oh, dear! oh, dear! just
+before Christmas Eve, too! The only night in
+the year! She has no time to change her mind;
+and she&#8217;ll be eaten up if she goes, I know she
+will. What villain told you of this, child? Let
+me know, and he shall be punished at once.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I shall not tell you that,&#8221; said Elaine.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Then everybody will be suspected,&#8221; moaned
+Mistletoe. &#8220;Everybody. The whole household.
+And we shall all be thrown to the Dragon. Oh,
+dear! was there ever such a state of things?&#8221;
+The Governess betook herself to weeping and
+wringing her hands, and Elaine stood watching
+her and wondering how in the world she could find<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[48]</a></span>
+out more. She knew now just enough to keep her
+from eating or sleeping until she knew everything.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t agree with papa, at all,&#8221; she said,
+during a lull in the tears. This was the only
+remark she could think of.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;He&#8217;ll lock you up, and feed you on bread
+and water till you do&mdash;oo&mdash;oo!&#8221; sobbed Mistletoe;
+&#8220;and by that time we shall all be ea&mdash;ea&mdash;eaten
+up!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But I&#8217;ll talk to papa, and make him change
+his mind.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;He won&#8217;t. Do you think you&#8217;re going to
+make him care more about a lot of sheep and
+cows than he does about his only daughter?
+Doesn&#8217;t he pay the people for everything the
+Dragon eats up? Who would pay him for you,
+when you were eaten up?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;How do you know that I should be eaten
+up?&#8221; asked Miss Elaine.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, dear! oh, dear! and how could you stop
+it? What could a girl do alone against a dragon
+in the middle of the night?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But on Christmas Eve?&#8221; suggested the young
+lady. &#8220;There might be something different<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[49]</a></span>
+about that. He might feel better, you know, on
+Christmas Eve.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Do you suppose a wicked, ravenous dragon
+with a heathen tail is going to care whether it is
+Christmas Eve or not? He&#8217;d have you for his
+Christmas dinner, and that&#8217;s all the notice he
+would take of the day. And then perhaps he
+wouldn&#8217;t leave the country, after all. How can
+you be sure he would go away, just because that
+odious, vulgar legend says so? Who would rely
+on a dragon? And so there you would be gone,
+and he would be here, and everything!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Mistletoe&#8217;s tears flowed afresh; but you see
+she had said all that Miss Elaine was so curious
+to know about, and the fatal secret was out.</p>
+
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"><a name="elaine" id="elaine"></a>
+<img src="images/illo_png051.jpg" width="500" height="231" alt="ELAINE MAKETH AN VNEXPECTED REMARK" title="ELAINE MAKETH AN VNEXPECTED REMARK" />
+</div>
+
+<p>The Quarter-Bell rang for dinner, and both the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[50]</a></span>
+women hastened to their rooms to make ready;
+Mistletoe still boo-hooing and snuffling, and declaring
+that she had always said some wretched,
+abominable villain would tell her child about that
+horrid, ridiculous legend, that was a perfect falsehood,
+as anybody could see, and very likely invented
+by the Dragon himself, because no human
+being with any feelings at all would think of such
+a cruel, absurd idea; and if they ever did, they
+deserved to be eaten themselves; and she would
+not have it.</p>
+
+<p>She said a great deal more that Elaine, in the
+next room, could not hear (though the door was
+open between), because the Governess put her
+fat old face under the cold water in the basin,
+and, though she went on talking just the same,
+it only produced an angry sort of bubbling, which
+conveyed very little notion of what she meant.</p>
+
+<p>So they descended the stairway, Miss Elaine
+walking first, very straight and solemn; and that
+was the way she marched into the banquet-hall,
+where Sir Godfrey waited.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Papa,&#8221; said she, &#8220;I think I&#8217;ll meet the
+Dragon on Christmas Eve!&#8221;</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 250px; padding-bottom: 2em; padding-top: 2em"><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[51]</a></span>
+<img src="images/illo_png053.jpg" width="250" height="321" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+
+<div class="backleft" style="background-image: url(images/illo_png054.jpg); height: 100%;">
+
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[52]</a></span>
+
+<div class="sandbag-left" style="width:215px; height:310px;"> </div>
+
+<p style="text-indent: 0em; padding-top: 6.3em"><span style="text-transform: uppercase">round</span> the sullen towers
+of Oyster-le-Main the
+snow was falling steadily.
+It was slowly banking up
+in the deep sills of the
+windows, and Hubert
+the Sacristan had given
+up sweeping the steps. Patches of it, that had
+collected on the top of the great bell as the
+slanting draughts blew it in through the belfry-window,
+slid down from time to time among the
+birds which had nestled for shelter in the beams
+below. From the heavy main outer-gates, the
+country spread in a white unbroken sheet to the
+woods. Twice, perhaps, through the morning
+had wayfarers toiled by along the nearly-obliterated
+high-road.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Good luck to the holy men!&#8221; each had said
+to himself as he looked at the chill and austere
+walls of the Monastery. &#8220;Good luck! and I<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[53]</a></span>
+hope that within there they be warmer than I
+am.&#8221; Then I think it very likely that as he
+walked on, blowing the fingers of the hand that
+held his staff, he thought of his fireside and his
+wife, and blessed Providence for not making him
+pious enough to be a monk and a bachelor.</p>
+
+<p>This is what was doing in the world outside.
+Now inside the stone walls of Oyster-le-Main,
+whose grim solidity spoke of narrow cells and of
+pious knees continually bent in prayer, not a
+monk paced the corridors, and not a step could
+be heard above or below in the staircase that
+wound up through the round towers. Silence
+was everywhere, save that from a remote quarter
+of the Monastery came a faint sound of music.
+Upon such a time as Christmas Eve, it might well
+be that carols in plenty would be sung or studied
+by the saintly men. But this sounded like no
+carol. At times the humming murmur of the
+storm drowned the measure, whatever it was,
+and again it came along the dark, cold entries,
+clearer than before. Away in a long vaulted
+room, whose only approach was a passage in the
+thickness of the walls, safe from the intrusion of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[54]</a></span>
+the curious, a company is sitting round a cavernous
+chimney, where roars and crackles a great
+blazing heap of logs. Surely, for a monkish
+song, their melody is most odd; yet monks they
+are, for all are clothed in gray, like Father Anselm,
+and a rope round the waist of each. But
+what can possibly be in that huge silver rundlet
+into which they plunge their goblets so often?
+The song grows louder than ever.</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">We are the monks of Oyster-le-Main,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Hooded and gowned as fools may see;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Hooded and gowned though we monks be,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Is that a reason we should abstain<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">From cups of the gamesome Burgundie?<br /></span>
+</div><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">Though our garments make it plain<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">That we are Monks of Oyster-le-Main,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">That is no reason we should abstain<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">From cups of the gamesome Burgundie.<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m sweating hot,&#8221; says one. &#8220;How for disrobing,
+brothers? No danger on such a day as
+this, foul luck to the snow!&#8221;</p>
+
+<div class="backleft" style="background-image: url(images/illo_png057.jpg); height: 100%;">
+
+<div class="sandbag-left" style="width:120px; height:120px;"> </div>
+<div class="sandbag-left" style="width:340px; height:145px;"> </div>
+
+<p>Which you see was coarse and vulgar language<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[55]</a></span>
+for any one to be heard to use, and particularly
+so for a godly celibate. But the words were
+scarce said, when off fly those monks&#8217; hoods, and
+the waist-ropes rattle as they fall on the floor,
+and the gray gowns drop down and are kicked
+away.</p>
+
+<p>Every man jack of them is in black armour,
+with a long sword buckled to his side.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Long cheer to the Guild of Go-as-you-Please!&#8221;
+they shouted, hoarsely, and dashed
+their drinking-horns on the board. Then filled
+them again.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Give us a song, Hubert,&#8221;
+said one. &#8220;The day&#8217;s
+a dull one out in the world.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Wait a while,&#8221; replied
+Hubert, whose nose was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[56]</a></span>
+hidden in his cup; &#8220;this new Wantley tipple is a
+vastly comfortable brew. What d&#8217;ye call the stuff?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Malvoisie, thou oaf?&#8221; said another; &#8220;and of
+a delicacy many degrees above thy bumpkin
+palate. Leave profaning it, therefore, and to thy
+refrain without more ado.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Most unctuous sir,&#8221; replied Hubert, &#8220;in demanding
+me this favour, you seem forgetful that
+the juice of Pleasure is sweeter than the milk
+of Human Kindness. I&#8217;ll not sing to give thee
+an opportunity to outnumber me in thy cups.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>And he filled and instantly emptied another
+sound bumper of the Malvoisie, lurching slightly
+as he did so. &#8220;Health!&#8221; he added, preparing to
+swallow the next.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>&#8220;A murrain on such pagan thirst!&#8221; exclaimed
+he who had been toasted, snatching the cup
+away. &#8220;Art thou altogether unslakable? Is
+thy belly a lime-kiln? Nay, shalt taste not a
+single drop more, Hubert, till we have a stave.
+Come, tune up, man!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Give me but leave to hold the empty vessel,
+then,&#8221; the singer pleaded, falling on one knee in
+mock supplication.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[57]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Accorded, thou sot!&#8221; laughed the other.
+&#8220;Carol away, now!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>They fell into silence, each replenishing his
+drinking-horn. The snow beat soft against the
+window, and from outside, far above them,
+sounded the melancholy note of the bell ringing
+in the hour for meditation.</p>
+
+<p>So Hubert began:</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">When the sable veil of night<br /></span>
+<span class="i1">Over hill and glen is spread,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">The yeoman bolts his door in fright,<br /></span>
+<span class="i1">And he quakes within his bed.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Far away on his ear<br /></span>
+<span class="i1">There strikes a sound of dread:<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Something comes! it is here!<br /></span>
+<span class="i1">It is passed with awful tread.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">There&#8217;s a flash of unholy flame;<br /></span>
+<span class="i1">There is smoke hangs hot in the air:<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">&#8217;Twas the Dragon of Wantley came:<br /></span>
+<span class="i1">Beware of him, beware!<br /></span>
+</div><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i2">But we beside the fire<br /></span>
+<span class="i3">Sit close to the steaming bowl;<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">We pile the logs up higher,<br /></span>
+<span class="i3">And loud our voices roll.</span><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[58]</a></span><br />
+</div><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">When the yeoman wakes at dawn<br /></span>
+<span class="i1">To begin his round of toil,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">His garner&#8217;s bare, his sheep are gone,<br /></span>
+<span class="i1">And the Dragon holds the spoil.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">All day long through the earth<br /></span>
+<span class="i1">That yeoman makes his moan;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">All day long there is mirth<br /></span>
+<span class="i1">Behind these walls of stone.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">For we are the Lords of Ease,<br /></span>
+<span class="i1">The gaolers of carking Care,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">The Guild of Go-as-you-Please!<br /></span>
+<span class="i1">Beware of us, beware!<br /></span>
+</div><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i2">So we beside the fire<br /></span>
+<span class="i3">Sit down to the steaming bowl;<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">We pile the logs up higher,<br /></span>
+<span class="i3">And loud our voices roll.<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>The roar of twenty lusty throats and the clatter
+of cups banging on the table rendered the words
+of the chorus entirely inaudible.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Here&#8217;s Malvoisie for thee, Hubert,&#8221; said one
+of the company, dipping into the rundlet. But
+his hand struck against the dry bottom. They
+had finished four gallons since breakfast, and it
+was scarcely eleven gone on the clock!</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, I am betrayed!&#8221; Hubert sang out.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[59]</a></span>
+Then he added, &#8220;But there is a plenty where that
+came from.&#8221; And with that he reached for his
+gown, and, fetching out a bunch of great brass
+keys, proceeded towards a tall door in the wall,
+and turned the lock. The door swung open, and
+Hubert plunged into the dark recess thus disclosed.
+An exclamation of chagrin followed, and
+the empty hide of a huge crocodile, with a pair
+of trailing wings to it, came bumping out from
+the closet into the hall, giving out many hollow
+cracks as it floundered along, fresh from a vigourous
+kick that the intemperate minstrel had
+administered in his rage at having put his hand
+into the open jaws of the monster instead of
+upon the neck of the demijohn that contained
+the Malvoisie.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Beshrew thee, Hubert!&#8221; said the voice of a
+new-comer, who stood eyeing the proceedings
+from a distance, near where he had entered;
+&#8220;treat the carcase of our patron saint with a
+more befitting reverence, or I&#8217;ll have thee caged
+and put upon bread and water. Remember, that
+whosoever kicks that skin in some sort kicks
+me.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[60]</a></span>&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Long life to the Dragon of Wantley!&#8221; said
+Hubert, reappearing, very dusty, but clasping a
+plump demijohn.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hubert, my lad,&#8221; said the new-comer, &#8220;put
+back that vessel of inebriation; and, because I
+like thee well for thy youth and thy sweet voice,
+do not therefore presume too far with me.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>A somewhat uneasy pause followed upon this;
+and while Hubert edged back into the closet
+with his demijohn, Father Anselm frowned slightly
+as his eyes turned upon the scene of late hilarity.</p>
+
+<p>But where is the Dragon in his den? you ask.
+Are we not coming to him soon? Ah, but we
+have come to him. You shall hear the truth.
+Never believe that sham story about More of
+More Hall, and how he slew the Dragon of
+Wantley. It is a gross fabrication of some unscrupulous
+and mediocre literary person, who, I
+make no doubt, was in the pay of More to blow
+his trumpet so loud that a credulous posterity
+might hear it. My account of the Dragon is the
+only true one.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 250px; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 2em"><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[61]</a></span>
+<img src="images/illo_png063.jpg" width="250" height="280" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+
+<div class="backleft" style="background-image: url(images/illo_png064.jpg); height: 100%;">
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[62]</a></span>
+<div class="sandbag-left" style="width:222px; height:305px;"> </div>
+
+<p style="text-indent: 0em; padding-top: 6.2em"><span style="text-transform: uppercase">n</span> those days of shifting
+fortunes, of turbulence
+and rapine, of knights-errant
+and minstrels
+seeking for adventure
+and love, and of solitary
+pilgrims and bodies of
+pious men wandering over Europe to proclaim
+that the duty of all was to arise and quell the
+pagan defilers of the Holy Shrine, good men and
+bad men, undoubted saints and unmistakable
+sinners, drifted forward and back through every
+country, came by night and by day to every
+household, and lived their lives in that unbounded
+and perilous freedom that put them at one
+moment upon the top limit of their ambition or
+their delight, and plunged them into violent and
+bloody death almost ere the moment was gone.
+It was a time when &#8220;fatten at thy neighbour&#8217;s
+expense&#8221; was the one commandment observed<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[63]</a></span>
+by many who outwardly maintained a profound
+respect for the original ten; and any man whose
+wit taught him how this commandment could be
+obeyed with the greatest profit and the least
+danger was in high standing among his fellows.</p>
+
+<p>Hence it was that Francis Almoign, Knight of
+the Voracious Stomach, cumbered with no domestic
+ties worthy of mention, a tall slim fellow
+who knew the appropriate hour to slit a throat or
+to wheedle a maid, came to be Grand Marshal of
+the Guild of Go-as-you-Please.</p>
+
+<p>This secret band, under its Grand Marshal,
+roved over Europe and thrived mightily. Each
+member was as stout hearted a villain as you
+could see. Sometimes their doings came to light,
+and they were forced to hasten across the borders
+of an outraged territory into new pastures. Yet
+they fared well in the main, for they could fight
+and drink and sing; and many a fair one smiled
+upon them, in spite of their perfectly outrageous
+morals.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>So, one day, they came into the neighbourhood
+of Oyster-le-Main, where much confusion reigned
+among the good monks. Sir Godfrey Disseisin<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[64]</a></span>
+over at Wantley had let Richard Lion Heart depart
+for the Holy Wars without him. &#8220;Like
+father like son,&#8221; the people muttered in their discontent.
+&#8220;Sure, the Church will gravely punish
+this second offence.&#8221; To all these whisperings
+of rumour the Grand Marshal of the Guild paid
+fast attention; for he was a man who laid his
+plans deeply, and much in advance of the event.
+He saw the country was fat and the neighbours
+foolish. He took note of the handsome tithes
+that came in to Oyster-le-Main for the support of
+the monks. He saw all these things, and set
+himself to thinking.</p>
+
+<p>Upon a stormy afternoon, when the light was
+nearly gone out of the sky, a band of venerable
+pilgrims stood at the great gates of the Monastery.
+Their garments were tattered, their
+shoes were in sad disrepair. They had walked
+(they said) all the way from Jerusalem. Might
+they find shelter for the night? The tale they
+told, and the mere sight of their trembling old
+beards, would have melted hearts far harder than
+those which beat in the breasts of the monks of
+Oyster-le-Main. But above all, these pilgrims<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[65]</a></span>
+brought with them as convincing proofs of their
+journey a collection of relics and talismans (such
+as are to be met with only in Eastern countries)
+of great wonder and virtue. With singular generosity,
+which they explained had been taught
+them by the Arabs, they presented many of these
+treasures to the delighted inmates of the Monastery,
+who hastened to their respective cells,&mdash;this
+one reverently cherishing a tuft of hair from
+the tail of one of Daniel&#8217;s lions; another handling
+with deep fervour a strip of the coat of many
+colours once worn by the excellent Joseph. But
+the most extraordinary relic among them all was
+the skin of a huge lizard beast, the like of which
+none in England had ever seen. This, the Pilgrims
+told their hosts, was no less a thing than a
+crocodile from the Nile, the renowned river of
+Moses. It had been pressed upon them, as they
+were departing from the City of Damascus, by a
+friend, a blameless chiropodist, whose name was
+Omar Khayyam. He it was who eked out a pious
+groat by tending the feet of all outward and inward
+bound pilgrims. Seated at the entrance of
+his humble booth, with the foot of some holy man<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[66]</a></span>
+in his lap, he would speak words of kindness and
+wisdom as he reduced the inflammation. One of
+his quaintest sayings was, &#8220;If the Pope has bid
+thee wear hair next thy bare skin, my son, why,
+clap a wig over thy shaven scalp.&#8221; So the
+monks in proper pity and kindness, when they
+had shut the great gates as night came down,
+made their pilgrim guests welcome to bide at
+Oyster-le-Main as long as they pleased. The
+solemn bell for retiring rolled forth in the darkness
+with a single deep clang, and the sound
+went far and wide over the neighbouring district.
+Those peasants who were still awake in their
+scattered cottages, crossed themselves as they
+thought, &#8220;The holy men at Oyster-le-Main are
+just now going to their rest.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>And thus the world outside grew still, and the
+thick walls of the Monastery loomed up against
+the stars.</p>
+
+<p>Deep in the midnight, many a choking cry
+rang fearfully through the stony halls, but came
+not to the outer air; and the waning moon shone
+faintly down upon the enclosure of the garden,
+where worked a band of silent grave-diggers,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[67]</a></span>
+clad in black armour, and with blood-red hands.
+The good country folk, who came at early morning
+with their presents of poultry and milk,
+little guessed what sheep&#8217;s clothing the gray
+cowls and gowns of Oyster-le-Main had become
+in a single night, nor what impious lips those
+were which now muttered blessings over their
+bent heads.</p>
+
+<p>The following night, hideous sounds were
+heard in the fields, and those who dared to open
+their shutters to see what the matter was, beheld
+a huge lizard beast, with fiery breath and accompanied
+by rattling thunder, raging over the soil,
+which he hardly seemed to touch!</p>
+
+<p>In this manner did the dreaded Dragon of
+Wantley make his appearance, and in this manner
+did Sir Francis Almoign, Knight of the
+Voracious Stomach, stand in the shoes of that
+Father Anselm whom he had put so comfortably
+out of the way under the flower-beds in the
+Monastery garden,&mdash;and never a soul in the
+world except his companions in orgy to know
+the difference. He even came to be welcome
+at Sir Godfrey&#8217;s table; for after the Dragon&#8217;s<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[68]</a></span>
+appearance, the Baron grew civil to all members
+of the Church. By day this versatile sinner, the
+Grand Marshal, would walk in the sight of the
+world with staid step, clothed in gray, his hood
+concealing his fierce, unchurchly eyes; by night,
+inside the crocodile skin, he visited what places
+he chose, unhindered by the terrified dwellers,
+and after him came his followers of the Guild to
+steal the plunder and bear it back inside the
+walls of Oyster-le-Main. Never in all their adventures
+had these superb miscreants been in
+better plight; but now the trouble had begun,
+as you are going to hear. We return to Hubert
+and the company.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hubert and all of you,&#8221; said Father Anselm,
+or rather Sir Francis, the Grand Marshal, as we
+know him to be, &#8220;they say that whom the gods
+desire to destroy, him do they first make drunk
+with wine.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;The application! the application!&#8221; they
+shouted in hoarse and mirthful chorus, for they
+were certainly near that state favourable to destruction
+by the gods. One black fellow with a
+sliding gait ran into the closet and brought a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[69]</a></span>
+sheet of thin iron, and a strange torch-like tube,
+which he lighted at the fire and blew into from
+the other end. A plume of spitting flame immediately
+shot far into the air.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 300px;"><a name="hubert" id="hubert"></a>
+<img src="images/illo_png071.jpg" width="300" height="327" alt="Hubert looketh out of ye Window" title="Hubert looketh out of ye Window" />
+</div>
+
+<p>&#8220;Before thy sermon proceeds, old Dragon,&#8221;
+he said, puffing unsteady but solemn breaths
+between his words, &#8220;wrap up in lightning and
+thunder that we may be&mdash;may be&mdash;lieve what
+you say.&#8221; Then he shook the iron till it gave
+forth a frightful shattering sound. The Grand<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[70]</a></span>
+Marshal said not a word. With three long steps
+he stood towering in front of the man and dealt
+him a side blow under the ear with his steel fist.
+He fell instantly, folding together like something
+boneless, and lay along the floor for a moment
+quite still, except that some piece in his armour
+made a light rattling as though there were
+muscles that quivered beneath it. Then he
+raised himself slowly to a bench where his
+brothers sat waiting, soberly enough. Only
+young Hubert grinned aside to his neighbour,
+who, perceiving it, kept his eyes fixed as far from
+that youth as possible.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Thy turn next, if art not careful, Hubert,&#8221;
+said Sir Francis very quietly, as he seated himself.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Wonder of saints!&#8221; Hubert thought secretly,
+not moving at all, &#8220;how could he have seen
+that?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;&#8217;Tis no small piece of good fortune,&#8221; continued
+the Grand Marshal, &#8220;that some one
+among us can put aside his slavish appetites, and
+keep a clear eye on the watch against misadventure.
+Here is my news. That hotch-pot of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[71]</a></span>
+lies we set going among the people has fallen
+foul of us. The daughter of Sir Godfrey has
+heard our legend, and last week told her sire
+that to-night she would follow it out to the letter,
+and meet the Dragon of Wantley alone in single
+combat.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Has she never loved any man?&#8221; asked one.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;She fulfils every condition.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Who told her?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That most consummate of fools, the Mistletoe,&#8221;
+said the Grand Marshal.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What did Sir Godfrey do upon that?&#8221; inquired
+Hubert.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;He locked up his girl and chained the Governess
+to a rock, where she has remained in
+deadly terror ever since, but kept fat for me to
+devour her. Me!&#8221; and Sir Francis permitted
+himself to smile, though not very broadly.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;How if Sir Dragon had found the maid
+chained instead of the ancient widow?&#8221; Hubert
+said, venturing to tread a little nearer to familiarity
+on the strength of the amusement which
+played across the Grand Master&#8217;s face.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Ah, Hubert boy,&#8221; he replied, &#8220;I see it is not<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[72]</a></span>
+in the Spring only, but in Autumn and Summer
+and Winter as well, that thy fancy turns to
+thoughts of love. Did the calendar year but
+contain a fifth season, in that also wouldst thou
+be making honey-dew faces at somebody.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>But young Hubert only grinned, and closed
+his flashing eyes a little, in satisfaction at the
+character which had been given him.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Time presses,&#8221; Sir Francis said. &#8220;By noon
+we shall receive an important visit. There has
+been a great sensation at Wantley. The country
+folk are aroused; the farmers have discovered
+that the secret of our legend has been revealed
+to Miss Elaine. Not one of the clowns would
+have dared reveal it himself, but all rejoice in the
+bottom of their hearts that she knows it, and
+chooses to risk battle with the Dragon. Their
+honest Saxon minds perceive the thrift of such an
+arrangement. Therefore there is general anxiety
+and disturbance to know if Sir Godfrey will permit
+the conflict. The loss of his Malvoisie tried
+him sorely,&mdash;but he remains a father.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s kind in him,&#8221; said Hubert.</p>
+
+<p>Sir Francis turned a cold eye on Hubert.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[73]</a></span>
+&#8220;As befits a clean-blooded man,&#8221; he proceeded,
+&#8220;I have risen at the dawn and left you wine-pots
+in your thick sleep. From the wood&#8217;s edge over
+by Wantley I&#8217;ve watched the Baron come eagerly
+to an upper window in his white night-shift. And
+when he looks out on Mistletoe and sees she is
+not devoured, he bursts into a rage that can be
+plainly seen from a distance. These six mornings
+I laughed so loud at this spectacle, that I
+almost feared discovery. Next, the Baron visits
+his daughter, only to find her food untasted and
+herself silent. I fear she is less of a fool than the
+rest. But now his paternal heart smites him, and
+he has let her out. Also the Governess is free.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Such a girl as that would not flinch from
+meeting our Dragon,&#8221; said Hubert; &#8220;aye, or
+from seeking him.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;She must never meet the Dragon,&#8221; Sir Francis
+declared. &#8220;What could I do shut up in the
+crocodile, and she with a sword, of course?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>They were gloomily silent.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I could not devour her properly as a dragon
+should. Nor could I carry her away,&#8221; pursued
+Sir Francis.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[74]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Here Hubert, who had gone to the window,
+returned hastily, exclaiming, &#8220;They are coming!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Who are coming?&#8221; asked several.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;The Baron, his daughter, the Governess, and
+all Wantley at their backs, to ask our pious advice,&#8221;
+said the Grand Marshal. &#8220;Quick, into
+your gowns, one and all! Be monks outside,
+though you stay men underneath.&#8221; For a while
+the hall was filled with jostling gray figures entangled
+in the thick folds of the gowns, into which
+the arms, legs, and heads had been thrust regardless
+of direction; the armour clashed invisible
+underneath as the hot and choked members
+of the Guild plunged about like wild animals
+sewed into sacks, in their struggles to reappear
+in decent monastic attire. The winged crocodile
+was kicked into the closet, after it were hurled
+the thunder machine and the lightning torch, and
+after them clattered the cups and the silver rundlet.
+Barely had Hubert turned the key, when
+knocking at the far-off gate was heard.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Go down quickly, Hubert,&#8221; said the Grand
+Marshal, &#8220;and lead them all here.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Presently the procession of laity, gravely escorted<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[75]</a></span>
+by Hubert, began to file into the now
+barren-looking room, while the monks stood with
+hands folded, and sang loudly what sounded to
+the uninstructed ears of each listener like a Latin
+hymn.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 200px; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 2em"><a name="tail2" id="tail2"></a>
+<img src="images/illo_png077.jpg" width="200" height="300" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 250px; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 2em"><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[76]</a></span>
+<img src="images/illo_png078.jpg" width="250" height="233" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+
+
+<div class="backleft" style="background-image: url(images/illo_png079.jpg); height: 100%;">
+
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[77]</a></span>
+
+<div class="sandbag-left" style="width:220px; height:250px;"> </div>
+<div class="sandbag-left" style="width:320px; height:160px;"> </div>
+
+
+<p style="text-indent: 0em; padding-top: 8em"><span style="text-transform: uppercase">ith</span> the respect that was
+due to holy men, Sir
+Godfrey removed his
+helmet, and stood waiting
+in a decent attitude
+of attention to the
+hymn, although he did not understand a single
+word of it. The long deliberate Latin words
+rolled out very grand to his ear, and, to tell you
+the truth, it is just as well his scholarship was
+faulty, for this is the English of those same
+words:</p>
+
+<div class="poem" style="padding-top: 1em"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&#8220;It is my intention<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">To die in a tavern,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">With wine in the neighbourhood,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Close by my thirsty mouth;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">That angels in chorus<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">May sing, when they reach me,&mdash;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">&#8216;Let Bacchus be merciful<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Unto this wine-bibber.&#8217;&#8221;<br /></span>
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[78]</a></span></div></div>
+
+<p>But so devoutly did the monks dwell upon the
+syllables, so earnestly were the arms of each one
+folded against his breast, that you would never
+have suspected any unclerical sentiments were
+being expressed. The proximity of so many
+petticoats and kirtles caused considerable restlessness
+to Hubert; but he felt the burning eye
+of the Grand Marshal fixed upon him, and sang
+away with all his might.</p>
+
+<p>Sir Godfrey began to grow impatient.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hem!&#8221; he said, moving his foot slightly.</p>
+
+<p>This proceeding, however, was without result.
+The pious chant continued to resound, and the
+monks paid not the least attention to their visitors,
+but stood up together in a double line,
+vociferating Latin with as much zest as ever.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Mort d&#8217;aieul!&#8221; growled Sir Godfrey, shifting
+his other foot, and not so gingerly this second
+time.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>By chance the singing stopped upon the same
+instant, so that the Baron&#8217;s remark and the noise
+his foot had made sounded all over the room.
+This disconcerted him; for he felt his standing
+with the Church to be weak, and he rolled his<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[79]</a></span>
+eyes from one side to the other, watching for any
+effect his disturbance might have made. But,
+with the breeding of a true man of the world, the
+Grand Marshal merely observed, &#8220;Benedicite,
+my son!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Good-morning, Father,&#8221; returned Sir Godfrey.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;And what would you with me?&#8221; pursued the
+so-called Father Anselm. &#8220;Speak, my son.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, the fact is&mdash;&mdash;&#8221; the Baron began,
+marching forward; but he encountered the eye
+of the Abbot, where shone a cold surprise at this
+over-familiar fashion of speech; so he checked
+himself, and, in as restrained a voice as he could
+command, told his story. How his daughter had
+determined to meet the Dragon, and so save
+Wantley; how nothing that a parent could say
+had influenced her intentions in the least; and
+now he placed the entire matter in the hands of
+the Church.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Which would have been more becoming if
+you had done it at the first,&#8221; said Father Anselm,
+reprovingly. Then he turned to Miss Elaine,
+who all this while had been looking out of the
+window with the utmost indifference.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[80]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;How is this, my daughter?&#8221; he said gravely,
+in his deep voice.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, the dear blessed man!&#8221; whispered Mistletoe,
+admiringly, to herself.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It is as you hear, Father,&#8221; said Miss Elaine,
+keeping her eyes away.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;And why do you think that such a peril upon
+your part would do away with this Dragon?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Says not the legend so?&#8221; she replied.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;And what may the legend be, my daughter?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>With some surprise that so well informed a
+person as Father Anselm should be ignorant of
+this prominent topic of the day, Sir Godfrey here
+broke in and narrated the legend to him with
+many vigourous comments.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Ah, yes,&#8221; said the Father, smiling gently
+when the story was done; &#8220;I do now remember
+that some such child&#8217;s tale was in the mouths of
+the common folk once; but methought the nonsense
+was dead long since.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;The nonsense, Father!&#8221; exclaimed Elaine.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Of a surety, my child. Dost suppose that
+Holy Church were so unjust as to visit the sins
+of thy knightly relatives upon the head of any<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[81]</a></span>
+weak woman, who is not in the order of creation
+designed for personal conflict with men, let alone
+dragons?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Bravo, Dragon!&#8221; thought Hubert, as he
+listened to this wily talk of his chief.</p>
+
+<p>But the words &#8220;weak woman&#8221; had touched
+the pride of Miss Elaine. &#8220;I know nothing of
+weak women,&#8221; she said, very stately; &#8220;but I do
+know that I am strong enough to meet this
+Dragon, and, moreover, firmly intend to do so
+this very night.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Peace, my daughter,&#8221; said the monk; &#8220;and
+listen to the voice of thy mother the Church
+speaking through the humblest of her servants.
+This legend of thine holds not a single grain of
+truth. &#8217;Tis a conceit of the common herd, set
+afoot by some ingenious fellow who may have
+thought he was doing a great thing in devising
+such fantastic mixture. True it is that the Monster
+is a visitation to punish the impiety of certain
+members of thy family. True it is that he will
+not depart till a member of that family perform
+a certain act. But it is to be a male descendant.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Now Sir Godfrey&#8217;s boy Roland was being instructed<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[82]</a></span>
+in knightly arts and conduct away from
+home.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Who told you that?&#8221; inquired the Baron, as
+the thought of his precious wine-cellar came into
+his head.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;On last Christmas Eve I had a vision,&#8221; replied
+Father Anselm. &#8220;Thy grandfather, the
+brave youth who by journeying to the Holy War
+averted this curse until thine own conduct caused
+it to descend upon us, appeared to me in shining
+armour. &#8216;Anselm,&#8217; he said, and raised his right
+arm, &#8216;the Dragon is a grievous burden on the
+people. I can see that from where I am. Now,
+Anselm, when the fitting hour shall come, and
+my great-grandson&#8217;s years be mature enough to
+have made a man of him, let him go to the next
+Holy War that is proclaimed, and on the very
+night of his departure the curse will be removed
+and our family forgiven. More than this, Anselm,
+if any male descendant from me direct
+shall at any time attend a Crusade when it is
+declared, the country will be free forever.&#8217; So
+saying, he dissolved out of my sight in a silver
+gleaming mist.&#8221; Here Father Anselm paused,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[83]</a></span>
+and from under his hood watched with a trifle of
+anxiety the effect of his speech.</p>
+
+<p>There was a short silence, and then Sir Godfrey
+said, &#8220;Am I to understand this thing hangs
+on the event of another Crusade?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The Abbot bowed.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Meanwhile, till that event happen, the Dragon
+can rage unchecked?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The Abbot bowed again.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Will there be another Crusade along pretty
+soon?&#8221; Sir Godfrey pursued.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;These things lie not in human knowledge,&#8221;
+replied Father Anselm. He little dreamed what
+news the morrow&#8217;s sun would see.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, my sheep!&#8221; groaned many a poor
+farmer.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, my Burgundy!&#8221; groaned Sir Godfrey.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;In that case,&#8221; exclaimed Elaine, her cheeks
+pink with excitement, &#8220;I shall try the virtue of
+the legend, at any rate.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Most impious, my daughter, most impious
+will such conduct be in the sight of Mother
+Church,&#8221; said Father Anselm.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hear me, all people!&#8221; shouted Sir Godfrey,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[84]</a></span>
+foreseeing that
+before the next
+Crusade came
+every drop of
+wine in his cellar would be swallowed by the
+Dragon; &#8220;hear me proclaim and solemnly promise:
+legend true or legend false, my daughter shall
+not face this risk. But if her heart go with it,
+her hand shall be given to that man who by night
+or light brings me this Dragon, alive or dead!&#8221;</p>
+
+
+<div class="backleft" style="background-image: url(images/illo_png086.jpg); height: 100%;"><a name="flippancy" id="flippancy"></a>
+
+<div class="sandbag-left" style="width:500px; height:100px;"> </div>
+<div class="sandbag-left" style="width:330px; height:115px;"> </div>
+
+
+<p>&#8220;A useless promise, Sir Godfrey!&#8221; said Father
+Anselm, shrugging his shoulders. &#8220;We dare not
+discredit the word of thy respected grandsire.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;My respected grandsire be&mdash;&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;<i>What?</i>&#8221; said the Abbot.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Became a credit to his family,&#8221; said the
+Baron, quite mildly; &#8220;and I slight no word of
+his. But he did not contradict this legend in the
+vision, I think.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No, he did not, papa,&#8221; Miss Elaine put in.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[85]</a></span>
+&#8220;He only mentioned another way of getting rid
+of this horrible Dragon. Now, papa, whatever
+you may say about&mdash;about my heart and hand,&#8221;
+she continued firmly, &#8220;I am going to meet the
+Monster alone myself, to-night.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That you shall not,&#8221; said Sir Godfrey.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;A hundred times no!&#8221; said a new voice from
+the crowd. &#8220;I will meet him myself!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>All turned and saw a knight pushing his way
+through the people.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Who are you?&#8221; inquired the Baron.</p>
+
+<p>The stranger bowed haughtily; and Elaine
+watched him remove his helmet, and reveal underneath
+it the countenance of a young man who
+turned to her, and&mdash;&mdash;</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>Why, what&#8217;s this, Elaine? Why does everything
+seem to swim and grow misty as his eye
+meets yours? And why does he look at you so,
+and deeply flush to the very rim of his curly hair?
+And as his glance grows steadier and more intent
+upon your eyes that keep stealing over at him,
+can you imagine why his hand trembles on the
+hilt of his sword? Don&#8217;t you remember what the
+legend said?<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[86]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Who are you?&#8221; the Baron repeated, impatiently.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I am Geoffrey, son of Bertram of Poictiers,&#8221;
+answered the young man.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;And what,&#8221; asked Father Anselm, with a
+certain irony in his voice, &#8220;does Geoffrey, son of
+Bertram of Poictiers, so far away from his papa in
+this inclement weather?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The knight surveyed the monk for a moment,
+and then said, &#8220;As thou art not my particular
+Father Confessor, stick to those matters which
+concern thee.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>This reply did not please any man present, for
+it seemed to savour of disrespect. But Elaine
+lost no chance of watching the youth, who now
+stood alone in the middle of the hall. Sir Francis
+detected this, and smiled with a sly smile.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Will some person inquire of this polite young
+man,&#8221; he said, &#8220;what he wishes with us?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Show me where this Dragon of Wantley
+comes,&#8221; said Geoffrey, &#8220;for I intend to slay him
+to-night.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Indeed, sir,&#8221; fluttered Elaine, stepping towards
+him a little, &#8220;I hope&mdash;that is, I beg you&#8217;ll<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[87]</a></span>
+do no such dangerous thing as that for my
+sake.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;For your sake?&#8221; Father Anselm broke in.
+&#8220;For your sake? And why so? What should
+Elaine, daughter of Sir Godfrey Disseisin, care
+for the carcase of Geoffrey, son of Bertram of
+Poictiers?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>But Elaine, finding nothing to answer, turned
+rosy pink instead.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That rules you out!&#8221; exclaimed the Father,
+in triumph. &#8220;Your legend demands a maid who
+never has cared for any man.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Pooh!&#8221; said Geoffrey, &#8220;leave it to me.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Seize him!&#8221; shouted Sir Godfrey in a rage.
+&#8220;He had ruled out my daughter.&#8221; Consistency
+had never been one of the Baron&#8217;s strong points.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Seize him!&#8221; said Father Anselm. &#8220;He outrages
+Mother Church.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The vassals closed up behind young Geoffrey,
+who was pinioned in a second. He struggled
+with them till the veins stood out in his forehead
+in blue knots; but, after all, one young man of
+twenty is not much among a band of stout yeomen;
+and they all fell in a heap on the floor,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[88]</a></span>
+pulling and tugging at Geoffrey, who had blacked
+several eyes, and done in a general way as much
+damage as he possibly could under the circumstances.</p>
+
+<p>But Elaine noticed one singular occurrence.
+Not a monk had moved to seize the young
+man, except one, who rushed forward, and was
+stopped, as though struck to stone, by Father
+Anselm&#8217;s saying to him in a terrible undertone,
+&#8220;Hubert!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Simply that word, spoken quickly; but not
+before this Hubert had brushed against her so
+that she was aware that there was something very
+hard and metallic underneath his gray gown.
+She betrayed no sign of knowledge or surprise
+on her face, however, but affected to be absorbed
+wholly in the fortunes of young Geoffrey, whom
+she saw collared and summarily put into a cage-like
+prison whose front was thick iron bars, and
+whose depth was in the vast outer wall of the
+Monastery, with a little window at the rear, covered
+with snow. The spring-lock of the gate
+shut upon him.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;And now,&#8221; said Father Anselm, as the Monastery<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[89]</a></span>
+bell sounded once more, &#8220;if our guests
+will follow us, the mid-day meal awaits us below.
+We will deal with this hot-head later,&#8221; he added,
+pointing to the prisoner.</p>
+
+<p>So they slowly went out, leaving Geoffrey
+alone with his thoughts.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 250px; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 2em"><a name="tail3" id="tail3"></a>
+<img src="images/illo_png091.jpg" width="250" height="134" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 300px; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 2em"><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[90]</a></span>
+<img src="images/illo_png092.jpg" width="300" height="305" alt="Elaine" title="Elaine" />
+</div>
+
+
+
+<div class="backleft" style="background-image: url(images/illo_png093.jpg); height: 100%;">
+
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[91]</a></span>
+
+<div class="sandbag-left" style="width:210px; height:300px;"> </div>
+
+
+<p style="padding-top: 8em; text-indent: 0em"><span style="text-transform: uppercase">own</span> stairs the Grace
+was said, and the company
+was soon seated
+and ready for their mid-day
+meal.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Our fare,&#8221; said
+Father Anselm pleasantly to Sir Godfrey, who
+sat on his right, &#8220;is plain, but substantial.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh&mdash;ah, very likely,&#8221; replied the Baron, as
+he received a wooden basin of black-bean broth.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Our drink is&mdash;&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The Baron lifted his eye hopefully.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;&mdash;&mdash;remarkably pure water,&#8221; Father Anselm
+continued. &#8220;Clement!&#8221; he called to the monk
+whose turn it was that day to hand the dishes,
+&#8220;Clement, a goblet of our well-water for Sir
+Godfrey Disseisin. One of the large goblets,
+Clement. We are indeed favoured, Baron, in
+having such a pure spring in the midst of our
+home.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[92]</a></span>&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh&mdash;ah!&#8221; observed the Baron again, and politely
+nerved himself for a swallow. But his
+thoughts were far away in his own cellar over at
+Wantley, contemplating the casks whose precious
+gallons the Dragon had consumed. Could it be
+the strength of his imagination, or else why was
+it that through the chilling, unwelcome liquid he
+was now drinking he seemed to detect a lurking
+flavour of the very wine those casks had contained,
+his favourite Malvoisie?</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>Father Anselm noticed the same taste in his
+own cup, and did not set it down to imagination,
+but afterwards sentenced Brother Clement to
+bread and water during three days, for carelessness
+in not washing the Monastery table-service
+more thoroughly.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;This simple food keeps you in beautiful health,
+Father,&#8221; said Mistletoe, ogling the swarthy face
+of the Abbot with an affection that he duly noted.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;My daughter,&#8221; he replied, gravely, &#8220;bodily
+infirmity is the reward of the glutton. I am well,
+thank you.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile, Elaine did not eat much. Her
+thoughts were busy, and hurrying over recent<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[93]</a></span>
+events. Perhaps you think she lost her heart in
+the last Chapter, and cannot lose it in this one
+unless it is given back to her. But I do not
+agree with you; and I am certain that, if you
+suggested such a notion to her, she would become
+quite angry, and tell you not to talk such
+foolish nonsense. People are so absurd about
+hearts, and all that sort of thing! No: I do not
+really think she has lost her heart yet; but as
+she sits at table these are the things she is
+feeling:</p>
+
+<p>1. Not at all hungry.</p>
+
+<p>2. Not at all thirsty.</p>
+
+<p>3. What a hateful person that Father Anselm
+is!</p>
+
+<p>4. Poor, poor young man!</p>
+
+<p>5. Not that she thinks of him in <i>that</i> way, of
+course. The idea! Horrid Father Anselm!</p>
+
+<p>6. Any girl at all&mdash;no, not girl, <i>anybody</i> at all&mdash;who
+had human justice would feel exactly as
+she did about the whole matter.</p>
+
+<p>7. He was very good-looking, too.</p>
+
+<p>8. Did he have&mdash;yes, they were blue. Very,
+very dark blue.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[94]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>9. And a moustache? Well, yes.</p>
+
+<p>Here she laughed, but no one noticed her
+idling with her spoon. Then her eyes filled with
+tears, and she pretended to be absorbed with the
+black-bean broth, though, as a matter of fact, she
+did not see it in the least.</p>
+
+<p>10. Why had he come there at all?</p>
+
+<p>11. It was a perfect shame, treating him so.</p>
+
+<p>12. Perhaps they were not blue, after all.
+But, oh! what a beautiful sparkle was in them!</p>
+
+<p>After this, she hated Father Anselm worse than
+ever. And the more she hated him, the more
+some very restless delicious something made her
+draw long breaths. She positively must go up-stairs
+and see what He was doing and what He
+really looked like. This curiosity seized hold of
+her and set her thinking of some way to slip away
+unseen. The chance came through all present
+becoming deeply absorbed in what Sir Godfrey
+was saying to Father Anselm.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Such a low, coarse, untaught brute as a
+dragon,&#8221; he explained, &#8220;cannot possibly distinguish
+good wine from bad.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Of a surety, no!&#8221; responded the monk.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[95]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You agree with me upon that point?&#8221; said
+the Baron.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Most certainly. Proceed.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, I&#8217;m going to see that he gets nothing
+but the cider and small beer after this.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But how will you prevent him, if he visit your
+cellar again?&#8221; Father Anselm inquired.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I shall change all the labels, in the first
+place,&#8221; the Baron answered.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Ha! vastly well conceived,&#8221; said Father Anselm.
+&#8220;You will label your Burgundy as if it
+were beer.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;And next,&#8221; continued Sir Godfrey, &#8220;I shall
+shift the present positions of the hogsheads.
+That I shall do to-day, after relabelling. In the
+northern corner of the first wine vault I
+shall&mdash;&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Just as he reached this point, it was quite
+wonderful how strict an attention every monk
+paid to his words. They leaned forward, forgetting
+their dinner, and listened with all their
+might.</p>
+
+<p>One of them, who had evidently received an
+education, took notes underneath the table.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[96]</a></span>
+Thus it was that Elaine escaped observation
+when she left the refectory.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 450px;"><a name="thebaron" id="thebaron"></a>
+<img src="images/illo_png098.jpg" width="450" height="385" alt="The Baron setteth forth his Plan for circumuenting the Dragon" title="The Baron setteth forth his Plan for circumuenting the Dragon" />
+</div>
+
+<p>As she came up-stairs into the hall where Geoffrey
+was caged, she stepped lightly and kept
+where she could not be seen by him. All was
+quiet when she entered; but suddenly she heard
+the iron bars of the cage begin to rattle and
+shake, and at the same time Geoffrey&#8217;s voice
+broke out in rage.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[97]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll twist you loose,&#8221; he said, &#8220;you&mdash;(rattle,
+shake)&mdash;you&mdash;(kick, bang)&mdash;&mdash;&#8221; And here the
+shocking young man used words so violent and
+wicked that Elaine put her hands tight over her
+ears. &#8220;Why, he is just as dreadful as papa, just
+exactly!&#8221; she exclaimed to herself. &#8220;Whoever
+would have thought that that angelic face&mdash;but I
+suppose they are all like that sometimes.&#8221; And
+she took her hands away again.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes, I will twist you loose,&#8221; he was growling
+hoarsely, while the kicks and wrenches grew
+fiercer than ever, &#8220;or twist myself stark, staring
+blind&mdash;and&mdash;&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, sir!&#8221; she said, running out in front of the
+cage.</p>
+
+<p>He stopped at once, and stood looking at
+her. His breast-plate and gauntlets were down
+on the floor, so his muscles might have more easy
+play in dealing with the bars. Elaine noticed
+that the youth&#8217;s shirt was of very costly Eastern
+silk.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I was thinking of getting out,&#8221; he said at
+length, still standing and looking at her.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I thought I might&mdash;that is&mdash;you might&mdash;<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[98]</a></span>&mdash;&#8221;
+began Miss Elaine, and stopped. Upon which
+another silence followed.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Lady, who sent you here?&#8221; he inquired.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, they don&#8217;t know!&#8221; she replied, hastily;
+and then, seeing how bright his face became, and
+hearing her own words, she looked down, and
+the crimson went over her cheeks as he watched
+her.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, if I could get out!&#8221; he said, desperately.
+&#8220;Lady, what is your name, if I might be so bold.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;My name, sir, is Elaine. Perhaps there is a
+key somewhere,&#8221; she said.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;And I am called Geoffrey,&#8221; he said, in reply.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I think we might find a key,&#8221; Elaine repeated.</p>
+
+<p>She turned towards the other side of the room,
+and there hung a great bunch of brass keys dangling
+from the lock of a heavy door.</p>
+
+<p>Ah, Hubert! thou art more careless than
+Brother Clement, I think, to have left those keys
+in such a place!</p>
+
+<p>Quickly did Elaine cross to that closed door,
+and laid her hand upon the bunch. The door
+came open the next moment, and she gave a
+shriek to see the skin of a huge lizard-beast fall<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[99]</a></span>
+forward at her feet, and also many cups and
+flagons, that rolled over the floor, dotting it with
+little drops of wine.</p>
+
+<p>Hearing Elaine shriek, and not able to see from
+his prison what had befallen her, Geoffrey shouted
+out in terror to know if she had come to any hurt.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No,&#8221; she told him; and stood eyeing first
+the crocodile&#8217;s hide and then the cups, setting
+her lips together very firmly. &#8220;And they were
+not even dry,&#8221; she said after a while. For she
+began to guess a little of the truth.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Not dry? Who?&#8221; inquired Geoffrey.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, Geoffrey!&#8221; she burst out in deep anger,
+and then stopped, bewildered. But his heart
+leaped to hear her call his name.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Are there no keys?&#8221; he asked.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Keys? Yes!&#8221; she cried, and, running with
+them back to the bars, began trying one after
+another in trembling haste till the lock clicked
+pleasantly, and out marched young Geoffrey.</p>
+
+<p>Now what do you suppose this young man did
+when he found himself free once more, and
+standing close by the lovely young person to
+whom he owed his liberty? Did he place his<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[100]</a></span>
+heels together, and let his arms hang gracefully,
+and so bow with respect and a manner at once
+dignified and urbane, and say, &#8220;Miss Elaine, permit
+me to thank you for being so kind as to let
+me out of prison?&#8221; That is what he ought to
+have done, of course, if he had known how to
+conduct himself like a well-brought-up young
+man. But I am sorry to have to tell you that
+Geoffrey did nothing of the sort, but, instead of
+that, behaved in a most outrageous manner. He
+did not thank her at all. He did not say one
+single word to her. He simply put one arm
+round her waist and gave her a kiss!</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Geoffrey!&#8221; she murmured, &#8220;don&#8217;t!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>But Geoffrey did, with the most astonishing
+and complacent disobedience.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, Geoffrey!&#8221; she whispered, looking the
+other way, &#8220;how wrong of you! And of me!&#8221;
+she added a little more softly still, escaping from
+him suddenly, and facing about.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t see that,&#8221; said Geoffrey. &#8220;I love
+you, Elaine. Elaine, darling, I&mdash;&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, but you mustn&#8217;t!&#8221; answered she, stepping
+back as he came nearer.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[101]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="backright" style="background-image: url(images/illo_png103.jpg); height: 100%;">
+
+<div class="sandbag-right" style="width:350px; height:25px;"> </div>
+
+<div class="sandbag-right" style="width:200px; height:300px;"> </div>
+
+<p>This was simply
+frightful! And so
+sudden. To think of
+her&mdash;Elaine!&mdash;but
+she couldn&#8217;t think at
+all. Happy? Why,
+how wicked! How
+had she ever&mdash;&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No, you must
+not,&#8221; she repeated,
+and backed away
+still farther.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But I will!&#8221; said
+this lover, quite loudly, and sprang so quickly to
+where she stood that she was in his arms again,
+and this time without the faintest chance of getting
+out of them until he should choose to free her.</p>
+
+<p>It was no use to struggle now, and she was
+still, like some wild bird. But she knew that she
+was really his, and was glad of it. And she
+looked up at him and said, very softly, &#8220;Geoffrey,
+we are wasting time.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[102]</a></span>&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, no, not at all,&#8221; said Geoffrey.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But we are.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Say that you love me.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But haven&#8217;t I&mdash;ah, Geoffrey, please don&#8217;t
+begin again.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Say that you love me.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>She did.</p>
+
+<p>Then, taking his hand, she led him to the door
+she had opened. He stared at the crocodile, at
+the wine-cups, and then he picked up a sheet of
+iron and a metal torch.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>&#8220;I suppose it is their museum,&#8221; he said;
+&#8220;don&#8217;t you?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Their museum! Geoffrey, think a little.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;They seem to keep very good wine,&#8221; he remarked,
+after smelling at the demijohn.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t you see? Can&#8217;t you understand?&#8221;
+she said.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No, not a bit. What&#8217;s that thing, do you
+suppose?&#8221; he added, giving the crocodile a kick.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, me, but men are simple, men are
+simple!&#8221; said Elaine, in despair. &#8220;Geoffrey,
+listen! That wine is my father&#8217;s wine, from his
+own cellar. There is none like it in all England.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[103]</a></span>&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Then I don&#8217;t see why he gave it to a parcel
+of monks,&#8221; replied the young man.</p>
+
+<p>Elaine clasped her hands in hopelessness, gave
+him a kiss, and became mistress of the situation.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Now, Geoffrey,&#8221; she said, &#8220;I will tell you
+what you and I have really found out.&#8221; Then
+she quickly recalled all the recent events. How
+her father&#8217;s cellar had been broken into; how
+Mistletoe had been chained to a rock for a week
+and no dragon had come near her. She bade
+him remember how just now Father Anselm had
+opposed every plan for meeting the Dragon, and
+at last she pointed to the crocodile.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Ha!&#8221; said Geoffrey, after thinking for a
+space. &#8220;Then you mean&mdash;&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Of course I do,&#8221; she interrupted. &#8220;The
+Dragon of Wantley is now down-stairs with papa
+eating dinner, and pretending he never drinks
+anything stronger than water. What do you say
+to that, sir?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;This is a foul thing!&#8221; cried the knight.
+&#8220;Here have I been damnably duped. Here&mdash;&mdash;&#8221;
+but speech deserted him. He glared at the crocodile
+with a bursting countenance, then drove his<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[104]</a></span>
+toe against it with such vigour that it sailed like
+a foot-ball to the farther end of the hall.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Papa has been duped, and everybody,&#8221; said
+Elaine. &#8220;Papa&#8217;s French wine&mdash;&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;They swore to me in Flanders I should find
+a real dragon here,&#8221; he continued, raging up
+and down, and giving to the young lady no part
+of his attention. She began to fear he was not
+thinking of her.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Geoffrey&mdash;&mdash;&#8221; she ventured.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;They swore it. They had invited me to
+hunt a dragon with them in Flanders,&mdash;Count
+Faux Pas and his Walloons. We hunted day
+and night, and the quest was barren. They then
+directed me to this island of Britain, in which
+they declared a dragon might be found by any
+man who so desired. They lied in their throats.
+I have come leagues for nothing.&#8221; Here he
+looked viciously at the distant hide of the crocodile.
+&#8220;But I shall slay the monk,&#8221; he added.
+&#8220;A masquerading caitiff! Lying varlets! And
+all for nothing! The monk shall die, however.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Have you come for nothing, Geoffrey?&#8221;
+murmured Elaine.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[105]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Three years have I been seeking dragons in
+all countries, chasing deceit over land and sea.
+And now once more my dearest hope falls empty
+and stale. Why, what&#8217;s this?&#8221; A choking
+sound beside him stopped the flow of his complaints.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, Geoffrey,&mdash;oh, miserable me!&#8221; The
+young lady was dissolved in tears.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Elaine&mdash;dearest&mdash;don&#8217;t.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You said you had come for n&mdash;nothing, and
+it was all st&mdash;stale.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Ha, I am a fool, indeed! But it was the
+Dragon, dearest. I had made so sure of an
+honest one in this adventure.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, oh!&#8221; went Miss Elaine, with her head
+against his shoulder.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;There, there! You&#8217;re sweeter than all the
+dragons in the world, my little girl,&#8221; said he.
+And although this does not appear to be a great
+compliment, it comforted her wonderfully in the
+end; for he said it in her ear several times without
+taking his lips away. &#8220;Yes,&#8221; he continued,
+&#8220;I was a fool. By your father&#8217;s own word you&#8217;re
+mine. I have caught the Dragon. Come, my<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[106]</a></span>
+girl! We&#8217;ll down to the refectory forthwith and
+denounce him.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>With this, he seized Elaine&#8217;s hand and hastily
+made for the stairs.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But hold, Geoffrey, hold! Oh&mdash;I am driven
+to act not as maidens should,&#8221; sighed Elaine.
+&#8220;He it is who ought to do the thinking. But,
+dear me! he does not know how. Do you not
+see we should both be lost, were you to try any
+such wild plan?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Not at all. Your father would give you to
+me.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, no, no, Geoffrey; indeed, papa would
+not. His promise was about a dragon. A live
+or a dead dragon must be brought to him. Even
+if he believed you now, even if that dreadful
+Father Anselm could not invent some lie to put
+us in the wrong, you and I could never&mdash;that is&mdash;papa
+would not feel bound by his promise
+simply because you did that. There must be a
+dragon somehow.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;How can there be a dragon if there is not a
+dragon?&#8221; asked Geoffrey.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Wait, wait, Geoffrey! Oh, how can I think<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[107]</a></span>
+of everything all at once?&#8221; and Elaine pressed
+her hands to her temples.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Darling,&#8221; said the knight, with his arms once
+more around her, &#8220;let us fly now.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Now? They would catch us at once.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Catch us! not they! with my sword&mdash;&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Now, Geoffrey, of course you are brave.
+But do be sensible. You are only one. No!
+I won&#8217;t even argue such nonsense. They must
+never know about what we have been doing up
+here; and you must go back into that cage at
+once.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What, and be locked up, and perhaps murdered
+to-night, and never see your face again?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But you shall see me again, and soon. That
+is what I am thinking about.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;How can you come in here, Elaine?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You must come to me. I have it! To-night,
+at half-past eleven, come to the cellar-door
+at the Manor, and I will be there to let you in.
+Then we can talk over everything quietly. I
+have no time to think now.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;The cellar! at the Manor! And how, pray,
+shall I get out of that cage?<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[108]</a></span>&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Cannot you jump from the little window at
+the back?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Geoffrey ran in to see. &#8220;No,&#8221; he said, returning;
+&#8220;it is many spans from the earth.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Elaine had hurried into the closet, whence she
+returned with a dusty coil of rope. &#8220;Here,
+Geoffrey; quickly! put it about your waist.
+Wind it so. But how clumsy you are!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He stood smiling down at her, and she very
+deftly wound the cord up and down, over and
+over his body, until its whole length lay comfortably
+upon him.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Now, your breast-plate, quick!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>She helped him put his armour on again; and,
+as they were engaged at that, singing voices
+came up the stairs from the distant dining-hall.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;The Grace,&#8221; she exclaimed; &#8220;they will be
+here in a moment.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Geoffrey took a last kiss, and bolted into his
+cage. She, with the keys, made great haste to
+push the crocodile and other objects once more
+into their hiding-place. Cups and flagons and
+all rattled back without regard to order, as they<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[109]</a></span>
+had already been flung not two hours before.
+The closet-door shut, and Elaine hung the keys
+from the lock as she had found them.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Half-past eleven,&#8221; she said to Geoffrey, as
+she ran by his cage towards the stairs.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;One more, darling,&mdash;please, one! through
+the bars!&#8221; he besought her, in a voice so tender,
+that for my part I do not see how she had the
+heart to refuse him. But she continued her way,
+and swiftly descending the stairs was found by
+the company, as they came from the hall, busily
+engaged in making passes with Sir Godfrey&#8217;s
+sword, which he had left leaning near the door.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;A warlike daughter, Sir Godfrey!&#8221; said
+Father Anselm.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Ah, if I were a man to go on a Crusade!&#8221;
+sighed Miss Elaine.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hast thou, my daughter,&#8221; said Father Anselm,
+&#8220;thought better of thy rash intentions
+concerning this Dragon?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I am travelling towards better thoughts,
+Father,&#8221; she answered.</p>
+
+<p>But Sir Francis did not wholly believe the
+young lady; and was not at rest until Sir Godfrey<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[110]</a></span>
+assured him her good conduct should be no
+matter of her own choosing.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You see,&#8221; insinuated the Abbot, &#8220;so sweet
+a maid as yours would be a treat for the unholy
+beast. A meal like that would incline him to
+remain in a neighbourhood where such dainties
+were to be found.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll have no legends and fool&#8217;s tricks,&#8221; exclaimed
+the Baron. &#8220;She shall be locked in her
+room to-night.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Not if she can help it,&#8221; thought Miss Elaine.
+Her father had imprudently spoken too loud.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;&#8217;Twere a wise precaution,&#8221; murmured Father
+Anselm. &#8220;What are all the vintages of this
+earth by the side of a loving daughter?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Quite so, quite so!&#8221; Sir Godfrey assented.
+&#8220;Don&#8217;t you think,&#8221; he added, wistfully, &#8220;that
+another Crusade may come along soon?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Ah, my son, who can say? Tribulation is
+our meted heritage. Were thy thoughts more
+high, the going of thy liquors would not cause
+thee such sorrow. Learn to enjoy the pure cold
+water.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Good-afternoon,&#8221; said the Baron.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[111]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>When all the guests had departed and the door
+was shut safe behind them, the Father and his
+holy companions broke into loud mirth. &#8220;The
+Malvoisie is drunk up,&#8221; said they; &#8220;to-night
+we&#8217;ll pay his lordship&#8217;s cellars another visit.&#8221;</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 250px; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 2em"><a name="tail4" id="tail4"></a>
+<img src="images/illo_png113.jpg" width="250" height="195" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 300px; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 2em"><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[112]</a></span>
+<img src="images/illo_png114.jpg" width="300" height="341" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+
+<div class="backleft" style="background-image: url(images/illo_png115.jpg); height: 100%;">
+
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[113]</a></span>
+
+<div class="sandbag-left" style="width:206px; height:290px;"> </div>
+
+<p style="text-indent: 0em; padding-top: 8.5em"><span style="text-transform: uppercase">o</span> have steered a sudden
+course among dangerous
+rocks and rapids and
+come safe through, puts
+in the breast of the
+helmsman a calm content
+with himself, for which no man will blame
+him. What in this world is there so lifts one
+into complacency as the doing of a bold and
+cool-headed thing? Let the helmsman sleep
+sound when he has got to land! But if his
+content overtake him still on the water, so that
+he grows blind to the treacherous currents that
+eddy where all looks placid to the careless eye,
+let him beware!</p>
+
+<p>Sir Francis came in front of the cage where
+sat young Geoffrey inside, on the floor. The
+knight had put his head down between his knees,
+and seemed doleful enough.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Aha!&#8221; thought Sir Francis, giving the motionless<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[114]</a></span>
+figure a dark look, &#8220;my hawk is moulting.
+We need scarcely put a hood on such a
+tersel.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Next he looked at the shut door of the closet,
+and a shaft of alarm shot through him to see the
+keys hanging for anybody to make use of them
+that pleased. He thought of Elaine, and her
+leaving the table without his seeing her go.
+What if she had paid this room a visit?</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Perhaps that bird with head under wing in
+there,&#8221; he mused, looking once more at Geoffrey,
+&#8220;is not the simple-witted nestling he looks. My
+son!&#8221; he called.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>But the youth did not care to talk, and so
+showed no sign.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;My son, peace be with you!&#8221; repeated Father
+Anselm, coming to the bars and wearing a benevolent
+mien.</p>
+
+<p>Geoffrey remained quite still.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;If repentance for thy presumption hath visited
+thee&mdash;&mdash;&#8221; went on the Father.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hypocrite!&#8221; was the word that jumped to the
+youth&#8217;s lips; but fortunately he stopped in time,
+and only moved his legs with some impatience.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[115]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I perceive with pain, my son,&#8221; said Father
+Anselm, &#8220;that repentance hath not yet visited
+thee. Well, &#8217;twill come. And that&#8217;s a blessing
+too,&#8221; he added, sighing very piously.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;He plays a part pretty well,&#8221; thought Geoffrey
+as he listened. &#8220;So will I.&#8221; Then he
+raised his head.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;How long am I to stay in this place?&#8221; he
+inquired, taking a tone of sullen humour, such
+as he thought would fit a prisoner.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Certainly until thy present unbridled state
+of sin is purged out of thee,&#8221; replied the Father.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Under such a dose as thou art,&#8221; Geoffrey
+remarked, &#8220;that will be soon.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;This is vain talk, my son,&#8221; said the Abbot.
+&#8220;Were I of the children of this world, my
+righteous indignation&mdash;&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Pooh!&#8221; said Geoffrey.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;&mdash;&mdash;would light on thee heavily. But we
+who have renounced the world and its rottenness&#8221;
+(here his voice fell into a manner of
+chanting) &#8220;make a holiday of forgiving injuries,
+and find a pleasure even in pain.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Open this door then,&#8221; Geoffrey answered,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[116]</a></span>
+&#8220;and I&#8217;ll provide thee with a whole week of
+joy.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Nay,&#8221; said Father Anselm, &#8220;I had never
+gathered from thy face that thou wert such a
+knave.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;At least in the matter of countenances I have
+the advantage of thee,&#8221; the youth observed.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I perceive,&#8221; continued the Father, &#8220;that I
+must instruct thy spirit in many things,&mdash;submission,
+among others. Therefore thou shalt
+bide with us for a month or two.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That I&#8217;ll not!&#8221; shouted Geoffrey, forgetting
+his r&ocirc;le of prisoner.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;She cannot unlock thee,&#8221; Father Anselm
+said, with much art slipping Elaine into the discourse.</p>
+
+<p>Geoffrey glared at the Abbot, who now hoped
+to lay a trap for him by means of his temper.
+So he went further in the same direction. &#8220;Her
+words are vainer than most women&#8217;s,&#8221; he said;
+&#8220;though a lover would trust in them, of course.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The knight swelled in his rage, and might have
+made I know not what unsafe rejoinder; but the
+cords that Elaine had wound about him naturally<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[117]</a></span>
+tightened as he puffed out, and seemed by their
+pressure to check his speech and bid him be wary.
+So he changed his note, and said haughtily, &#8220;Because
+thy cowl and thy gown shield thee, presume
+not to speak of one whose cause I took up
+in thy presence, and who is as high above thee in
+truth as she is in every other quality and virtue.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;This callow talk, my son,&#8221; said the Abbot
+quietly, &#8220;wearies me much. Lay thee down and
+sleep thy sulks off, if thou art able.&#8221; Upon this,
+he turned away to the closet where hung the
+brass keys, and opened the door a-crack. He
+saw the hide of the crocodile leaning against it,
+and the overturned cups. &#8220;Just as that boy
+Hubert packed them,&#8221; he thought to himself in
+satisfaction; &#8220;no one has been prying here. I
+flatter myself upon a skilful morning&#8217;s work.
+I have knocked the legend out of the Baron&#8217;s
+head. He&#8217;ll see to it the girl keeps away. And
+as for yon impudent witling in the cage, we shall
+transport him beyond the seas, if convenient; if
+not, a knife in his gullet will make him forget the
+Dragon of Wantley. Truly, I am master of the
+situation!&#8221; And as his self-esteem grew, the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[118]</a></span>
+Grand Marshal rubbed his hands, and went out
+of the hall, too much pleased with himself to
+notice certain little drops of wine dotted here
+and there close by the closet, and not yet quite
+dry, which, had his eye fallen upon them, might
+have set him a-thinking.</p>
+
+<p>So Geoffrey was left in his prison to whatever
+comfort meditation might bring him; and the
+monks of Oyster-le-Main took off their gowns,
+and made themselves ready for another visit to
+the wine-cellars of Wantley Manor.</p>
+
+<p>The day before Christmas came bleakly to its
+end over dingle and fen, and the last gray light
+died away. Yet still you could hear the hissing
+snow beat down through the bramble-thorn and
+the dry leaves. After evening was altogether
+set in, Hubert brought the knight a supper that
+was not a meal a hungry man might be over joyful
+at seeing; yet had Hubert (in a sort of fellowship
+towards one who seemed scarcely longer
+seasoned in manhood than himself, and whom he
+had seen blacken eyes in a very valiant manner)
+secretly prepared much better food than had been
+directed by his worship the Abbot.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[119]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The prisoner feigned sleep, and started up at
+the rattle which the plate made as it was set
+down under his bars.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Is it morning?&#8221; he asked.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Morning, forsooth!&#8221; Hubert answered.
+&#8220;Three more hours, and we reach only midnight.&#8221;
+And both young men (for different
+reasons) wished in their hearts it were later.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Thou speakest somewhat curtly for a friar,&#8221;
+said Geoffrey.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Alas, I am but a novice, brother,&#8221; whined
+the minstrel, &#8220;and fall easily back into my ancient
+and godless syntax. There is food. Pax vobiscum,
+son of the flesh.&#8221; Then Hubert went over
+to the closet, and very quietly unlocking the
+door removed the crocodile and the various other
+implements that were necessary in bringing into
+being the dread Dragon of Wantley. He carried
+them away to a remote quarter of the Monastery,
+where the Guild began preparations that should
+terrify any superstitious witness of their journey
+to get the Baron&#8217;s wine. Geoffrey, solitary and
+watchful in his chilly cage, knew what work must
+be going on, and waited his time in patience.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[120]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 200px;">
+<img src="images/illo_png122.jpg" width="200" height="366" alt="Elaine cometh into the
+Cellar" title="Elaine cometh into the Cellar" />
+</div>
+
+<p>At supper over at
+Wantley there was but
+slight inclination to
+polite banter. Only
+the family Chaplain,
+mindful that this was
+Christmas Eve, attempted
+to make a
+little small talk with
+Sir Godfrey.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Christmas,&#8221; he observed
+to the Baron,
+&#8220;is undoubtedly coming.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>As the Baron did
+not appear to have any rejoinder to this, the
+young divine continued, pleasantly.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Though indeed,&#8221; he said, &#8220;we might make
+this assertion upon any day of the three hundred
+and sixty-five, and (I think) remain accurate.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;The celery,&#8221; growled the Baron, looking into
+his plate.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Quite so,&#8221; cried the Chaplain, cheerily. He
+had failed to catch the remark. &#8220;Though of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[121]</a></span>
+course everything does depend on one&#8217;s point of
+view, after all.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That celery, Whelpdale!&#8221; roared Sir Godfrey.</p>
+
+<p>The terrified Buttons immediately dropped a
+large venison pasty into Mrs. Mistletoe&#8217;s lap.
+She, having been somewhat tried of late, began
+screeching. Whelpdale caught up the celery,
+and blindly rushed towards Sir Godfrey, while
+Popham, foreseeing trouble, rapidly ascended the
+sideboard. The Baron stepped out of Whelpdale&#8217;s
+path, and as he passed by administered so
+much additional speed that little Buttons flew
+under the curtained archway and down many
+painful steps into the scullery, and was not seen
+again during that evening.</p>
+
+<p>When Sir Godfrey had reseated himself, it
+seemed to the Rev. Hucbald (such was the
+Chaplain&#8217;s name) that the late interruption might
+be well smoothed over by conversation. So he
+again addressed the Baron.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;To be sure,&#8221; said he, taking a manner of
+sleek clerical pleasantry, &#8220;though we can so
+often say &#8216;Christmas is coming,&#8217; I suppose that if
+at some suitable hour to-morrow afternoon I said<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[122]</a></span>
+to you, &#8216;Christmas is going,&#8217; you would grant it
+to be a not inaccurate remark?&#8221; The Baron ate
+his dinner.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I think so,&#8221; pursued the Rev. Hucbald.
+&#8220;Yes. And by the way, I notice with pleasure
+that this snow, which falls so continually, makes
+the event of a green Christmas most improbable.
+Indeed,&mdash;of course the proverb is familiar to
+you?&mdash;the graveyards should certainly not be fat
+this season. I like a lean graveyard,&#8221; smiled the
+Rev. Hucbald.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I hate a &mdash;&mdash; fool!&#8221; exclaimed Sir Godfrey,
+angrily.</p>
+
+<p>After this the family fell into silence. Sir Godfrey
+munched his food, brooding gloomily over
+his plundered wine-cellar; Mrs. Mistletoe allowed
+fancy to picture herself wedded to Father
+Anselm, if only he had not been a religious
+person; and Elaine&#8217;s thoughts were hovering
+over the young man who sat in a cage till time
+came for him to steal out and come to her. But
+the young lady was wonderfully wise, nevertheless.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Papa,&#8221; she said, as they left the banquet-hall,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[123]</a></span>
+&#8220;if it is about me you&#8217;re thinking, do not be
+anxious any more at all.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well, well; what&#8217;s the matter now?&#8221; said the
+Baron.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Papa, dear,&#8221; began Elaine, winsomely pulling
+at a tassel on his dining-coat, &#8220;do you know,
+I&#8217;ve been thinking.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Think some more, then,&#8221; he replied. &#8220;It will
+come easier when you&#8217;re less new at it.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Now, papa! just when I&#8217;ve come to say&mdash;when
+I want&mdash;when you&mdash;it&#8217;s very hard&mdash;&mdash;&#8221;
+and here the artful minx could proceed no further,
+but turned a pair of shining eyes at him,
+and then looked the other way, blinking rapidly.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, good Lord!&#8221; muttered Sir Godfrey, staring
+hard at the wall.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Papa&mdash;it&#8217;s about the Dragon&mdash;and I&#8217;ve been
+wrong. Very wrong. Yes; I know I have. I
+was foolish.&#8221; She was silent again. Was she
+going to cry, after all? The Baron shot a nervous
+glance at her from the corner of his eye.
+Then he said, &#8220;Hum!&#8221; He hoped very fervently
+there were to be no tears. He desired to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[124]</a></span>
+remain in a rage, and lock his daughter up, and
+not put anything into her stocking this Christmas
+Eve; and here she was, threatening to be sorry
+for the past, and good for the future, and everything
+a parent could wish. Never mind. You
+can&#8217;t expect to get off as easily as all that. She
+had been very outrageous. Now he would be
+dignified and firm.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Of course I should obey Father Anselm,&#8221; she
+continued.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You should obey me,&#8221; said Sir Godfrey.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;And I do hope another Crusade will come
+soon. Don&#8217;t you think they might have one,
+papa? How happy I shall be when your wine
+is safe from that horrid Dragon!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t speak of that monster!&#8221; shouted the
+Baron, forgetting all about firmness and dignity.
+&#8220;Don&#8217;t dare to allude to the reptile in my presence.
+Look here!&#8221; He seized up a great jug
+labelled &#8220;Ch&acirc;teau Lafitte,&#8221; and turned it upside
+down.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why, it&#8217;s empty!&#8221; said Elaine.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Ha!&#8221; snorted the Baron; &#8220;empty indeed.&#8221;
+Then he set the jug down wrong side up, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[125]</a></span>
+remained glaring at it fixedly, while his chest rose
+and fell in deep heavings.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t mind it so much, papa,&#8221; said Elaine,
+coming up to him. &#8220;This very next season will
+Mistletoe and I brew a double quantity of cowslip
+wine.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Brrrrooo!&#8221; went Sir Godfrey, with a shiver.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;And I&#8217;m sure they&#8217;ll have another Crusade
+soon; and then my brother Roland can go, and
+the Drag&mdash; and the curse will be removed. Of
+course, I know that is the only way to get rid of
+it, if Father Anselm said so. I was very foolish
+and wrong. Indeed I was,&#8221; said she, and looked
+up in his face with eyes where shone such dear,
+good, sweet, innocent, daughterly affection, that
+nobody in the wide world could have suspected
+she was thinking as hard as she could think, &#8220;If
+only he won&#8217;t lock me up! if only he won&#8217;t! But,
+oh, it&#8217;s dreadful in me to be deceiving him so!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;There, there!&#8221; said the Baron, and cleared
+his throat. Then he kissed her. Where were
+firmness and dignity now?</p>
+
+<p>He let her push him into the chimney-corner,
+and down into a seat; and then what did this sly,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[126]</a></span>
+shocking girl do but sit on his knee and tell him
+nobody ever had such a papa before, and she
+could never possibly love any one half so much
+as she loved him, and weren&#8217;t he and she going
+to have a merry Christmas to-morrow?</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;How about that pretty young man? Hey?
+What?&#8221; said Sir Godfrey, in high good-humour.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Who?&#8221; snapped Elaine.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I think this girl knows,&#8221; he answered, adopting
+a roguish countenance.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, I suppose you mean that little fellow
+this morning. Pooh!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Ho! ho!&#8221; said her father. &#8220;Ho! ho!
+Little fellow! He was a pretty large fellow in
+somebody&#8217;s eyes, I thought. What are you so
+red about? Ho! ho!&#8221; and the Baron popped
+his own eyes at her with vast relish.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Really, papa,&#8221; said Miss Elaine, rising from
+his knee, with much coldness, &#8220;I hardly understand
+you, I think. If you find it amusing (and
+you seem to) to pretend that I&mdash;&mdash;&#8221; she said no
+more, but gave a slight and admirable toss of
+the head. &#8220;And now I am very sleepy,&#8221; she
+added. &#8220;What hour is it?<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[127]</a></span>&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Sir Godfrey took out his grandfather&#8217;s sun-dial,
+and held it to the lamp. &#8220;Bless my soul,&#8221;
+he exclaimed; &#8220;it&#8217;s twenty-two o&#8217;clock.&#8221; (That&#8217;s
+ten at night nowadays, young people, and much
+too late for you to be down-stairs, any of you.)</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Get to your bed at once,&#8221; continued Sir
+Godfrey, &#8220;or you&#8217;ll never be dressed in time for
+Chapel on Christmas morning.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>So Elaine went to her room, and took off her
+clothes, and hung up her stocking at the foot of
+the bed. Did she go to sleep? Not she. She
+laid with eyes and ears wide open. And now
+alone here in the dark, where she had nothing
+to do but wait, she found her heart beating in
+answer to her anxious and expectant thoughts.
+She heard the wind come blustering from far off
+across the silent country. Then a snore from
+Mistletoe in the next room made her jump.
+Twice a bar of moonlight fell along the floor,
+wavering and weak, then sank out, and the pat
+of the snow-flakes began again. After a while
+came a step through the halls to her door, and
+stopped. She could scarcely listen, so hard she
+was breathing. Was her father going to turn<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[128]</a></span>
+the key in her door, after
+all? No such thought was
+any longer in his mind.
+She shut her eyes quickly
+as he entered. His candle
+shone upon her quiet head,
+that was nearly buried out of sight; then laughter
+shook him to see the stocking, and he went
+softly out. He had put on his bed-room slippers;
+but, as he intended to make a visit to the
+cellar before retiring, it seemed a prudent thing
+to wear his steel breast-plate; and over this he
+had slipped his quilted red silk dressing-gown,
+for it was a very cold night.</p>
+
+<div class="backleft" style="background-image: url(images/illo_png130.jpg); height: 100%;"><a name="geoffreydragon" id="geoffreydragon"></a>
+
+<div class="sandbag-left" style="width:400px; height:130px;"> </div>
+<div class="sandbag-left" style="width:160px; height:155px;"> </div>
+
+<p>Was there a sound away off somewhere out-of-doors?
+No. He descended heavily through
+the sleeping house. When the candle burned
+upright and clear yellow, his gait was steady; but<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[129]</a></span>
+he started many times at corners where its flame
+bobbed and flattened and shrunk to a blue, sickly
+rag half torn from the wick. &#8220;Ouf! Mort d&#8217;aieul!&#8221;
+he would mutter. &#8220;But I must count my wine
+to-night.&#8221; And so he came down into the wide
+cellars, and trod tiptoe among the big round tuns.
+With a wooden mallet he tapped them, and
+shook his head to hear the hollow humming that
+their emptiness gave forth. No oath came from
+him at all, for the matter was too grievous. The
+darkness that filled everywhere save just next to
+the candle, pressed harder and harder upon him.
+He looked at the door which led from inside
+here out into the night, and it was comfortable to
+know how thick were the panels and how stout
+the bolts and hinges.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I can hold my own against any man, and
+have jousted fairly in my time,&#8221; he thought to
+himself, and touched his sword. &#8220;But&mdash;um!&#8221;
+The notion of meeting a fiery dragon in combat
+spoke loudly to the better part of his valour.
+Suddenly a great rat crossed his foot. Ice and
+fire went from his stomach all through him, and
+he sprang on a wooden stool, and then found he<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[130]</a></span>
+was shaking. Soon he got down, with sweaty
+hands.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Am I getting a coward?&#8221; he asked aloud.
+He seized the mallet that had fallen, and struck
+a good knock against the nearest hogshead. Ah&mdash;ha!
+This one, at least, was full. He twisted
+the wooden stop and drank what came, from
+the hollow of his hand. It was cowslip wine.
+Ragingly he spluttered and gulped, and then
+kicked the bins with all his might. While he
+was stooping to rub his toe, who should march
+in but Miss Elaine, dressed and ready for young
+Geoffrey. But she caught sight of her father in
+time, and stepped back into the passage in a
+flutter. Good heavens! This would never do.
+Geoffrey might be knocking at the cellar-door at
+any moment. Her papa must be got away at
+once.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>&#8220;Papa! papa!&#8221; she cried, running in.</p>
+
+<p>Sir Godfrey sprang into the air, throwing mallet
+and candle against the wine-butts. Then he
+saw it was only his daughter.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Wretched girl! you&mdash;you&mdash;if you don&#8217;t want
+to become an orphan, never tamper like that with<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[131]</a></span>
+my nerves again in your life. What are you
+come here for? How dare you leave your bed
+at such an hour?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, mercy forgive us!&#8221; whimpered a new
+voice.</p>
+
+<p>There was Mistletoe at the door of the passage,
+a candle lifted high above her head and wobbling,
+so that it shook the grease all over her night-cap.
+With the other hand she clutched her camisole,
+while beneath a yellow flannel petticoat her fat
+feet were rocking in the raw-wool foot-mittens
+she wore.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, dear: oh, Sir Godfrey! Oh, me!&#8221; said
+she.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Saint Charity! What do you want? Holy
+Ragbag, what&#8217;s the matter? Is everybody in
+my house going stark mad?&#8221; Here the Baron
+fell over the stool in the dark. &#8220;Give me my
+candle!&#8221; he roared. &#8220;Light my candle! What
+business have either of you to come here?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Please, sir, it&#8217;s Miss Elaine I came for. Oh,
+me! I&#8217;ll catch my death of cold. Her door
+shutting waked me up-stairs. Oh, dear! Where
+are we coming to?<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[132]</a></span>&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You old mattrass!&#8221; said Sir Godfrey. Then
+he turned to his daughter. But this young lady
+had had a little time to gather her thoughts in.
+So she cut short all awkward questionings with
+excellent promptness.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Papa!&#8221; she began, breathlessly. &#8220;There!
+I heard it again!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Heard it? What?&#8221; cried the Baron, his
+eyes starting.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It waked me up-stairs, and I ran to get you
+in your room, and you&mdash;&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It&mdash;it? What&#8217;s it? What waked you?&#8221;
+broke in Sir Godfrey, his voice rising to a shriek.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;There it is again!&#8221; exclaimed Elaine, clasping
+her hands. &#8220;He&#8217;s coming! I hear him.
+The Dragon! Oh!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>With this, she pretended to rush for the passage,
+where the squeaks of Mistletoe could be
+heard already growing distant in the house.
+Away bolted Sir Godfrey after her, shouting to
+Elaine in terror undisguised, &#8220;Lock your door!
+Lock your door!&#8221; as he fled up-stairs.</p>
+
+<p>So there stood Miss Elaine alone, with the
+coast clear, and no danger from these two courageous<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[133]</a></span>
+guardians. Then came a knock from
+outside, and her heart bounded as she ran
+through the cellar and undid the door.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You darling!&#8221; said Geoffrey, jumping in with
+legs all covered with snow. He left the door
+open wide, and had taken four or five kisses at
+the least before she could stop him. &#8220;The moon
+was out for a while,&#8221; he continued, &#8220;and the
+snow stopped. So I came a long way round-about,
+that my tracks should not be seen. That&#8217;s
+good strategy.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>But this strange young lady said no word, and
+looked at him as if she were going to cry.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why, what&#8217;s the matter, dear?&#8221; he asked.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, Geoffrey! I have been deceiving papa so.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Pooh! It&#8217;s not to be thought of.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But I can&#8217;t help thinking. I never supposed
+I could do so. And it comes so terribly easy.
+And I&#8217;m not a bit clever when I&#8217;m good. And&mdash;oh!&#8221;
+She covered her face and turned away
+from him.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Stuff and nonsense!&#8221; Geoffrey broke out.
+&#8220;Do be reasonable. Here is a dragon. Isn&#8217;t
+there?<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[134]</a></span>&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;And everybody wants to get rid of him?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;And he&#8217;s robbing your father?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;So you&#8217;re acting for your father&#8217;s good?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Y&mdash;yes.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Then&mdash;&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Now, Geoffrey, all your talking doesn&#8217;t hide
+the badness in the least bit.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>She was silent again; then suddenly seemed
+greatly relieved. &#8220;I don&#8217;t care,&#8221; she declared.
+&#8220;Papa locked me up for a whole week, when all
+I wanted was to help him and everybody get rid
+of the Dragon. And I am too old to be treated
+so. And now I am just going to pretend there&#8217;s
+a dragon when there&#8217;s not. Oh, what&#8217;s that?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>This time it was no sham. Faint and far from
+the direction of Oyster-le-Main came the roar of
+the Dragon of Wantley over fields and farms.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 192px; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 2em"><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[135]</a></span>
+<img src="images/illo_png137.jpg" width="192" height="350" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+
+<div class="backleft" style="background-image: url(images/illo_png138.jpg); height: 100%;">
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[136]</a></span>
+
+<div class="sandbag-left" style="width:205px; height:299px;"> </div>
+
+
+<p style="padding-top: 7.5em; text-indent: 0em"><span style="text-transform: uppercase">un</span> instantly into the
+house,&#8221; said Geoffrey to
+Elaine, and he dragged
+out his sword.</p>
+
+<p>But she stared at him,
+and nothing further.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Or no. Stay here and see me kill him,&#8221; the
+boy added, pridefully.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Kill him!&#8221; said she, in amazement. &#8220;Do
+you suppose that papa, with all his experience,
+couldn&#8217;t tell it was an imitation dragon? And
+you talk of strategy! I have thought much
+about to-night,&mdash;and, Geoffrey, you must do just
+the thing that I bid you, and nothing else.
+Promise.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I think we&#8217;ll hear first what your wisdom is,&#8221;
+said he, shaking his head like the sage youth that
+he was.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Promise!&#8221; she repeated, &#8220;else I go away at<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[137]</a></span>
+once, and leave you. Now! One&mdash;two&mdash;thrrr&mdash;&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I promise!&#8221; he shouted.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;&#8217;Sh! Papa&#8217;s window is just round the tower.
+Now, sir, you must go over yonder within those
+trees.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Where?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;There where the snow has dipped the
+branches low down. And leave me alone in the
+cellar with the Dragon.&#8221;</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>&#8220;With the Dragon? Alone? I did not know
+you counted me a lunatic,&#8221; replied Geoffrey.
+Then, after a look over the fields where the
+storm was swirling, he gave attention to the
+point of his sword.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Where&#8217;s your promise?&#8221; said she. &#8220;Will
+you break your word so soon?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>A big gust of wind flung the snow sharp
+against their faces.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Did you expect&mdash;&mdash;&#8221; began the young
+knight, and then said some words that I suppose
+gentlemen in those old times were more prone
+to use before ladies than they are to-day. Which
+shows the optimists are right.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[138]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Then, still distant, but not so distant, came
+another roar.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Geoffrey!&#8221; Elaine said, laying a hand upon
+his arm; &#8220;indeed, you must hear me now, and
+make no delay with contrary notions. There is
+no danger for me. Look. He will first be by
+himself to clear the way of watchers. No one
+peeps out of windows when the Dragon&#8217;s howling.
+Next, the rest will come and all go into
+papa&#8217;s cellar for the wine. But we must get
+these others away, and that&#8217;s for you.&#8221; She
+paused.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well? Well?&#8221; he said.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It will go thus: the passage shall hide me,
+and the door of it be shut. You&#8217;ll watch over
+by the trees, and when you see all have come
+inside here, make some sort of noise at the edge
+of the wood.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What sort of noise?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh,&mdash;not as if you suspected. Seem to be
+passing by. Play you are a villager going home
+late. When they hear that, they&#8217;ll run away for
+fear of their secret. The Dragon will surely stay
+behind.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[139]</a></span>&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why will he stay behind? Why will they
+run away?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Dear Geoffrey, don&#8217;t you see that if these
+men were to be seen in company with the
+Dragon by one who till now knew them as
+monks, where would their living be gone to?
+Of course, they will get themselves out of sight,
+and the Dragon will remain as a sort of human
+scarecrow. Then I&#8217;ll come out from the passage-door.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;One would almost think you desired that
+villain to kill you,&#8221; said Geoffrey. &#8220;No, indeed.
+I&#8217;ll not consent to that part.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;How shall he kill me here?&#8221; Elaine replied.
+&#8220;Do you not see the Dragon of Wantley would
+have to carry a maiden away? He would not
+dare to put me to the sword. When I come, I
+shall speak three words to him. Before there is
+time for him to think what to do, you will hear
+me say (for you must have now run up from the
+wood) &#8216;the legend has come true!&#8217; Then, when
+I tell him that, do you walk in ready with your
+sword to keep him polite. Oh, indeed,&#8221; said the
+lady, with her eyes sparkling on Geoffrey, &#8220;we<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[140]</a></span>
+must keep his manners good for him. For I
+think he&#8217;s one of those persons who might turn
+out very rude in a trying situation.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>All this was far from pleasing to young Geoffrey.
+But Elaine showed him how no other way
+was to be found by which Sir Francis could be
+trapped red-handed and distant from help. While
+the knight was bending his brows down with trying
+to set his thoughts into some order that
+should work out a better device, a glare shone
+over the next hill against the falling flakes.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Quick!&#8221; said Elaine.</p>
+
+<p>She withdrew into the cellar on the instant,
+and the great door closed between them. Geoffrey
+stood looking at it very anxiously, and then
+walked backwards, keeping close to the walls,
+and so round the tower and into the court,
+whence he turned and ploughed as fast as he
+could through the deep drifts till he was inside
+the trees. &#8220;If they spy my steps,&#8221; he thought,
+&#8220;it will seem as though some one of the house
+had gone in there to secure the door.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Once more the glare flashed against the
+swiftly-descending curtains of the storm. Slowly<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[141]</a></span>
+it approached, sometimes illuminating a tree-trunk
+for a moment, then suddenly gleaming on
+the white mounds where rocks lay deeply cloaked.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;He is pretty slow,&#8221; said Geoffrey, shifting
+the leg he was leaning on.</p>
+
+<div class="backleft" style="background-image: url(images/illo_png144.jpg); height: 100%;"><a name="thirst" id="thirst"></a>
+
+<div class="sandbag-left" style="width:342px; height:100px;"> </div>
+<div class="sandbag-left" style="width:220px; height:180px;"> </div>
+
+<p>A black mass moved into sight, and from it
+came spoutings of fire that showed dark, jagged
+wings heavily flapping. It walked a little and
+stopped; then walked again. Geoffrey could
+see a great snout and head rocking and turning.
+Dismal and unspeakable sounds proceeded
+from the creature as it made towards the cellar-door.
+After it had got close and leaned against
+the panels in a toppling, swaying fashion, came a
+noise of creaking and fumbling, and then the
+door rolled aside upon its hinges. Next, the
+blurred white ridge towards Oyster-le-Main was
+darkened with moving specks that came steadily
+near; and man by man of the Guild reached
+the open door crouching, whispered a word or
+two, and crept inside. They made no sound
+that could be heard above the hissing of the
+downward flakes and the wind that moaned
+always, but louder sometimes. Only Elaine,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[142]</a></span>
+with her ear to
+the cold iron
+key-hole of the
+passage-door,
+could mark the
+clink of armour,
+and shivered as
+she stood in the
+dark. And now the cellar is full,&mdash;but not of
+gray gowns. The candle flames show little glistening
+sparks in the black coats of mail, and
+the sight of themselves cased in steel, and each
+bearing an empty keg, stirred a laughter among
+them. Then the kegs were set down without
+noise on the earthy floor among the bins. The
+Dragon was standing on his crooked scaly hind-legs;
+and to see the grim, changeless jaw and
+eyes brought a dead feeling around the heart.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[143]</a></span>
+But the two bungling fore-paws moved upwards,
+shaking like a machine, and out of a slit in the
+hide came two white hands that lifted to one side
+the brown knarled mask of the crocodile. There
+was the black head of Sir Francis Almoign.
+&#8220;&#8217;Tis hot in there,&#8221; he said; and with two fingers
+he slung the drops of sweat from his forehead.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Wet thy whistle before we begin,&#8221; said Hubert,
+filling a jug for him. Sir Francis took it in
+both hands, and then clutched it tightly as a
+sudden singing was set up out in the night.</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i2">&#8220;Come, take a wife,<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">Come, take a wife,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Ere thou learnest age&#8217;s treasons!&#8221;<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>The tune came clear and jolly, cutting through
+the muffled noises of the tempest.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Blood and death!&#8221; muttered Hubert.</p>
+
+<p>Each figure had sprung into a stiff position of
+listening.</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i2">&#8220;Quit thy roving;<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">Shalt by loving<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Not wax lean in stormy seasons.<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">Ho! ho! oh,&mdash;ho!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Not wax lean in&mdash;&mdash;&#8221;<br /></span>
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[144]</a></span></div></div>
+
+<p>Here the strain snapped off short. Then a
+whining voice said, &#8220;Oh, I have fallen again! A
+curse on these roots. Lucifer fell only once, and
+&#8217;twas enough for him. I have looked on the
+wine when it was red, and my dame Jeanie will
+know it soon, oh, soon! But my sober curse on
+these roots.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s nothing,&#8221; said Hubert. &#8220;There&#8217;s a
+band of Christmas singers has strolled into these
+parts to chant carols. One of them has stopped
+too long at the tavern.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Do I see a light?&#8221; said the voice. &#8220;Help!
+Give me a light, and let me go home.</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i2">&#8220;Quit thy roving;<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">Shalt by loving&mdash;&mdash;&#8221;<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>&#8220;Shall I open his throat, that he may sing the
+next verse in heaven?&#8221; Hubert inquired.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No, fool!&#8221; said Sir Francis. &#8220;Who knows
+if his brother sots are not behind him to wake
+the house? This is too dangerous to-night.
+Away with you, every one. Stoop low till ye
+are well among the fields, and then to Oyster-le-Main!<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[145]</a></span>
+I&#8217;ll be Dragon for a while, and follow
+after.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Quickly catching up his keg, each man left the
+cellar like a shadow. Geoffrey, from the edge
+of the wood, saw them come out and dissolve
+away into the night. With the tube of the torch
+at his lips, Sir Francis blew a blast of fire out at
+the door, then covered his head once more with
+the grinning crocodile. He roared twice, and
+heard something creak behind him, so turned to
+see what had made it. There was Miss Elaine
+on the passage-steps. Her lips moved to speak,
+but for a short instant fear put a silence upon
+her that she found no voice to break. He, with
+a notion she was there for the sake of the legend,
+waved his great paws and trundled towards
+where she was standing.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Do not forget to roar, sir,&#8221; said the young
+lady, managing her voice so there was scarce any
+tremble to be heard in it.</p>
+
+<p>At this the Dragon stood still.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You perceive,&#8221; she said to him, &#8220;after all, a
+dragon, like a mouse, comes to the trap.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Not quite yet,&#8221; cried Sir Francis, in a terrible<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[146]</a></span>
+voice, and rushed upon her, meaning
+death.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;The legend has come true!&#8221; she loudly
+said.</p>
+
+<p>A gleaming shaft of steel whistled across the
+sight of Sir Francis.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Halt there!&#8221; thundered Geoffrey, leaping
+between the two, and posing his sword for a
+lunge.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;My hour has come,&#8221; Sir Francis thought.
+For he was cased in the stiff hide, and could do
+nothing in defence.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Now shalt thou lick the earth with thy lying
+tongue,&#8221; said Geoffrey.</p>
+
+<p>A sneer came through the gaping teeth of the
+crocodile.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Valiant, indeed!&#8221; the voice said. &#8220;Very
+valiant and knightly, oh son of Bertram of Poictiers!
+Frenchmen know when to be bold. Ha!
+ha!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Crawl out of that nut, thou maggot,&#8221; answered
+Geoffrey, &#8220;and taste thy doom.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Here was a chance, the gift of a fool. The
+two white hands appeared and shifted the mask<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[147]</a></span>
+aside, letting them see a cunning hope on his
+face.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Do not go further, sir,&#8221; said Elaine. &#8220;It is
+for the good of us all that you abide where you
+are. As I shall explain.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What is this, Elaine?&#8221; said Geoffrey.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Your promise!&#8221; she answered, lifting a finger
+at him.</p>
+
+<p>There was a dry crack from the crocodile&#8217;s hide.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Villain!&#8221; cried Geoffrey, seizing the half-extricated
+body by the throat. &#8220;Thy false skin
+is honester than thyself, and warned us. Back
+inside!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The robber&#8217;s eyes shrivelled to the size of a
+snake&#8217;s, as, with no tenderness, the youth grappled
+with him still entangled, and with hands,
+feet, and knees drove him into his shell as a
+hasty traveller tramples his effects into a packing-case.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;See,&#8221; said Elaine, &#8220;how pleasantly we two
+have you at our disposal. Shall the neighbours
+be called to have a sight of the Dragon?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What do you want with me?&#8221; said Sir Francis,
+quietly. For he was a philosopher.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[148]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;In the first place,&#8221; answered Geoffrey, &#8220;know
+that thou art caught. And if I shall spare thee
+this night, it may well be they&#8217;ll set thy carcase
+swinging on the gallows-tree to-morrow morning,&mdash;or,
+being Christmas, the day after.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I can see my case without thy help,&#8221; Sir
+Francis replied. &#8220;What next?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>At this, Elaine came to Geoffrey and they
+whispered together.</p>
+
+<div class="backleft" style="background-image: url(images/illo_png150.jpg); height: 100%;"><a name="entrapped" id="entrapped"></a>
+
+<div class="sandbag-left" style="width:185px; height:220px;"> </div>
+<div class="sandbag-left" style="width:392px; height:70px;"> </div>
+
+
+<p>&#8220;Thy trade is done for,&#8221; said the youth, at
+length. &#8220;There&#8217;ll be no more monks of Oyster-le-Main,
+and no more
+Dragon of Wantley.
+But thou and the other
+curs may live, if ye so
+choose.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Through what do I
+buy my choice?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Through a further
+exhibition of thine art.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[149]</a></span>
+Thou must play Dragon to-night once again for
+the last time. This, that I may show thee captive
+to Sir Godfrey Disseisin.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;And in chains, I think,&#8221; added Elaine.
+&#8220;There is one behind the post.&#8221; It had belonged
+in the bear-pit during the lives of Orlando
+Crumb and Furioso Bun, two bears trapped
+expressly for the Baron near Roncevaux.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;After which?&#8221; inquired Sir Francis.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Thou shalt go free, and I will claim this lady&#8217;s
+hand from her father, who promised her to any
+man that brought the Dragon to him dead or
+alive.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Papa shall be kept at a distance from you,&#8221;
+said Elaine, &#8220;and will never suspect in this dimness,
+if you roar at him thoroughly.&#8221;</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>&#8220;Then,&#8221; continued Geoffrey, &#8220;I shall lead thee
+away as my spoil, and the people shall see the
+lizard-skin after a little while. But thou must
+journey far from Wantley, and never show face
+again.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;And go from Oyster-le-Main and the
+tithings?&#8221; exclaimed Sir Francis. &#8220;My house
+and my sustenance?<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[150]</a></span>&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Sustain thyself elsewhere,&#8221; said Geoffrey;
+&#8220;I care not how.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No!&#8221; said Sir Francis. &#8220;I&#8217;ll not do this.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Then we call Sir Godfrey. The Baron will
+not love thee very much, seeing how well he
+loves his Burgundy thou hast drank. Thou
+gavest him sermons on cold spring-water. He&#8217;ll
+remember that. I think thou&#8217;lt be soon hanging.
+So choose.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The Knight of the Voracious Stomach was
+silent.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;This is a pretty scheme thou hast,&#8221; he presently
+said. &#8220;And not thine own. She has
+taught thee this wit, I&#8217;ll be bound. Mated to
+her, thou&#8217;lt prosper, I fear.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Come, thy choice,&#8221; said Geoffrey, sternly.</p>
+
+<p>A sour smile moved the lips of Sir Francis.
+&#8220;Well,&#8221; he said, &#8220;it has been good while it
+lasted. Yes, I consent. Our interests lie together.
+See how Necessity is the mother of
+Friendship, also.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The mask was drawn over his face, and they
+wound the chain about the great body.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;There must be sounds of fighting,&#8221; said<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[151]</a></span>
+Elaine. &#8220;Make them when I am gone into the
+house.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;If I had strangled thee in thy prison, which
+was in my mind,&#8221; said the voice of the hidden
+speaker, &#8220;this folly we&mdash;but there. Let it go,
+and begin.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Then they fell to making a wonderful disturbance.
+The Dragon&#8217;s voice was lifted in
+horrid howlings; and the young knight continually
+bawled with all his lungs. They chased
+as children in a game do: forward, back, and
+across to nowhere, knocking the barrels, clanking
+and clashing, up between the rows and around
+corners; and the dry earth was ground under
+their feet and swept from the floor upward in a
+fine floating yellow powder that they sucked
+down into their windpipes, while still they hustled
+and jangled and banged and coughed and grew
+dripping wet, so the dust and the water mingled
+and ran black streams along their bodies from
+the neck downwards, tickling their backs and
+stomachs mightily. When the breath was no
+longer inside them, they stopped to listen.</p>
+
+<p>The house was stone still, and no noise came,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[152]</a></span>
+save always the wind&#8217;s same cheerless blowing.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;How much more of this before they will
+awaken?&#8221; exclaimed Geoffrey, in indignation.
+&#8220;&#8217;Tis a scandal people should sleep so.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;They are saying their prayers,&#8221; said Sir
+Francis.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It is a pity thou art such a miscreant,&#8221; Geoffrey
+said, heartily; &#8220;otherwise I could sweat
+myself into a good-humour with thee.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>But Sir Francis replied with coldness, &#8220;It is
+easy for the upper hand to laugh.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We must at it again,&#8221; said Geoffrey; &#8220;and
+this time I will let them hear thou art conquered.&#8221;
+The din and hubbub recommenced. And Mistletoe
+could hear it where she quaked inside her
+closet holding the door with both hands. And
+the Baron could hear it. He was locked in the
+bath-room, dreadfully sorry he had not gone to
+the Crusade. Quite unknowingly in his alarm he
+had laid hold of a cord that set going the shower-bath;
+but he gave no heed at all to this trifle.
+And every man and woman in the house heard
+the riot, from the scullion up through the cook to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[153]</a></span>
+Popham, who had unstrapped his calves before
+retiring, so that now his lean shanks knocked
+together like hockey-sticks. Little Whelpdale,
+freezing in his shirt-tail under the bed, was crying
+piteously upon all Saints to forget about his sins
+and deliver him. Only Miss Elaine standing in
+her room listened with calm; and she with not
+much, being on the threshold of a chance that
+might turn untoward so readily. Presently a
+victorious shouting came from far down through
+the dark.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;He is mine!&#8221; the voice bellowed. &#8220;I have
+laid him low. The Dragon is taken.&#8221; At this
+she hastened to summon Sir Godfrey.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why, where can he be?&#8221; she exclaimed,
+stopping in astonishment at his room, empty and
+the door open wide.</p>
+
+<p>Down in the cellar the voice continued to call
+on all people to come and see the Dragon of
+Wantley. Also Elaine heard a splashing and
+dripping that sounded in the bath-room. So she
+ran to the door and knocked.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You can&#8217;t come in!&#8221; said the Baron angrily.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Papa! They&#8217;ve caught the Dragon. Oh<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[154]</a></span>
+why are you taking your bath at such a
+time?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Taking my grandmother!&#8221; Sir Godfrey retorted
+in great dudgeon. But he let the rope go,
+and the shower stopped running. &#8220;Go to your
+room,&#8221; he added. &#8220;I told you to lock your
+door. This Dragon&mdash;&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But he&#8217;s caught, papa,&#8221; cried Elaine through
+the key-hole. &#8220;Don&#8217;t you hear me? Geoff&mdash;&mdash;somebody
+has got him.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;How now?&#8221; said the Baron, unlocking the
+door and peering out. &#8220;What&#8217;s all this?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>His dressing-gown was extremely damp, for
+stray spouts from the shower-bath had squirted
+over him. Fortunately, the breast-plate underneath
+had kept him dry as far as it went.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hum,&#8221; he said, after he had listened to the
+voice in the cellar. &#8220;This is something to be
+cautious over.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;If the people of this house do not come soon
+to bear witness of my conquest,&#8221; said the voice
+in tones of thunder, &#8220;I&#8217;ll lead this Dragon
+through every chamber of it myself.&#8221;</p>
+
+
+
+<p>&#8220;Damnum absque injuria!&#8221; shrieked Sir Godfrey,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[155]</a></span>
+and uttered much more horrible language
+entirely unfit for general use. &#8220;What the Jeofailes
+does the varlet mean by threatening an
+Englishman in his own house? I should like to
+know who lives here? I should like to know
+who I am?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The Baron flew down the entry in a rage. He
+ran to his bedside and pulled his sword from
+under the pillows where he always kept it at
+night with his sun-dial.<a name="noise" id="noise"></a></p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 175px;">
+<img src="images/illo_png157.jpg" width="175" height="300" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<p>&#8220;We shall see who is master of this house,&#8221;
+he said. &#8220;I am not going to&mdash;does he suppose
+anybody that pleases can come carting their
+dragons through my premises? Get up! Get
+up! Every one!&#8221; he shouted,
+hurrying along the hall with the
+sword in his right hand and a
+lantern in his left. His slippers
+were only half on, so they
+made a slithering and slapping
+over the floor; and his speed
+was such that the quilted red
+dressing-gown filled with the
+wind and spread behind him<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[156]</a></span>
+till he looked like a huge new sort of
+bird or an eccentric balloon. Up and
+down in all quarters of the house went
+Sir Godfrey, pounding
+against every shut door.
+Out they came. Mistletoe
+from her closet, squeaking.
+Whelpdale from
+under his bed. The
+Baron allowed him time
+to put on a pair of
+breeches wrong side out.
+The cook came, and you could hear her panting
+all the way down from the attic. Out came the
+nine house-maids with hair in curl-papers. The
+seven footmen followed. Meeson and Welsby
+had forgotten their wigs. The coachman and
+grooms and stable-boys came in horse-blankets
+and boots. And last in the procession,
+old Popham, one calf
+securely strapped on, and the
+other dangling disgracefully.
+Breathless they huddled behind
+the Baron, who strode to the cellar,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[157]</a></span>
+where he flung the door open. Over in a corner
+was a hideous monster, and every man fell against
+his neighbour and shrieked. At which the monster
+roared most alarmingly, and all fell together
+again. Young Geoffrey stood in the middle of
+the cellar, and said not a word. One end of a
+chain was in his hand, and he waited mighty stiff
+for the Baron to speak. But when he saw Miss
+Elaine come stealing in after the rest so quiet
+and with her eyes fixed upon him, his own eyes
+shone wonderfully.</p>
+
+<div class="backleft" style="background-image: url(images/illo_png158a.jpg); height: 100%;">
+
+<div class="sandbag-left" style="width:57px; height:70px;"> </div>
+<div class="sandbag-left" style="width:185px; height:228px;"> </div>
+
+<p>At the sight of the Dragon, Sir Godfrey forgot
+his late excitement, and muttered &#8220;Bless my
+soul!&#8221; Then he stared at the beast for some
+time.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Can&mdash;can&#8217;t he do anything?&#8221; he inquired.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No,&#8221; said Geoffrey shortly; &#8220;he can&#8217;t.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Not fly up at one, for instance?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I have broken his wing,&#8221; replied the youth.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&mdash;I&#8217;d like to look at him. Never saw one
+before,&#8221; said the Baron; and he took two steps.
+Then gingerly he moved another step.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Take care!&#8221; Geoffrey cried, with rapid
+alarm.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[158]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The monster moved, and from his nostrils (as
+it seemed) shot a plume of flame.</p>
+
+<p>Popham clutched the cook, and the nine house-maids
+sank instantly into the arms of the seven
+footmen without the slightest regard to how unsatisfactorily
+nine goes into seven.</p>
+</div>
+
+<div class="backright" style="background-image: url(images/illo_png158b.jpg); height: 100%;">
+
+<div class="sandbag-right" style="width:200px; height:100px;"> </div>
+<div class="sandbag-right" style="width:170px; height:50px;"> </div>
+<div class="sandbag-right" style="width:150px; height:50px;"> </div>
+<div class="sandbag-right" style="width:100px; height:30px;"> </div>
+
+<p>&#8220;Good heavens!&#8221; said the Baron, getting
+behind a hogshead, &#8220;what a brute!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Perhaps it might be useful if I excommunicated
+him,&#8221; said the Rev. Hucbald, who had
+come in rather late, with his clerical frock-coat
+buttoned over his pyjamas.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Pooh!&#8221; said the Baron. &#8220;As if he&#8217;d care for
+that.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Very few men can handle a dragon,&#8221; said
+Geoffrey, unconcernedly, and stroked his upper
+lip, where a kindly-disposed person might see
+there was going to be a moustache some
+day.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t know exactly what you mean to imply
+by that, young man,&#8221; said the Baron, coming out
+from behind the hogshead and puffing somewhat
+pompously.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why, zounds!&#8221; he exclaimed, &#8220;I left you<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[159]</a></span>
+locked up this afternoon, and securely. How
+came you here?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Geoffrey coughed, for it was an awkward inquiry.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Answer me without so much throat-clearing,&#8221;
+said the Baron.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll clear my throat as it pleases me,&#8221; replied
+Geoffrey hotly. &#8220;How I came here is no affair
+of yours that I can see. But ask Father Anselm
+himself, and he will tell you.&#8221; This was a happy
+thought, and the youth threw a look at the
+Dragon, who nodded slightly. &#8220;I have a question
+to ask you, sir,&#8221; Geoffrey continued, taking
+a tone and manner more polite. Then he
+pointed to the Dragon with his sword, and was
+silent.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well?&#8221; said Sir Godfrey, &#8220;don&#8217;t keep me
+waiting.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I fear your memory&#8217;s short, sir. By your
+word proclaimed this morning the man who
+brought you this Dragon should have your
+daughter to wife if she&mdash;if she&mdash;&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Ha!&#8221; said the Baron. &#8220;To be sure. Though
+it was hasty. Hum! Had I foreseen the matter<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[160]</a></span>
+would be so immediately settled&mdash;she&#8217;s a great
+prize for any lad&mdash;and you&#8217;re not hurt either.
+One should be hurt for such a reward. You
+seem entirely sound of limb and without a
+scratch. A great prize.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;There&#8217;s the Dragon,&#8221; replied Geoffrey, &#8220;and
+here am I.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Now Sir Godfrey was an honourable man.
+When he once had given his word, you could
+hold him to it. That is very uncommon to-day,
+particularly in the matter of contracts. He
+gathered his dressing-gown about him, and
+looked every inch a parent. &#8220;Elaine,&#8221; he said,
+&#8220;my dear?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, papa!&#8221; murmured that young woman in
+a die-away voice.</p>
+
+<p>Geoffrey had just time to see the look in her
+brown eye as she turned her head away. And
+his senses reeled blissfully, and his brain blew
+out like a candle, and he ceased to be a man who
+could utter speech. He stood stock-still with his
+gaze fixed upon Elaine. The nine house-maids
+looked at the young couple with many sympathetic
+though respectful sighings, and the seven<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[161]</a></span>
+footmen looked comprehensively at the nine
+house-maids.</p>
+
+<p>Sir Godfrey smiled, and very kindly. &#8220;Ah,
+well,&#8221; he said, &#8220;once I&mdash;but tush! You&#8217;re a
+brave lad, and I knew your father well. I&#8217;ll
+consent, of course. But if you don&#8217;t mind, I&#8217;ll
+give you rather a quick blessing this evening.
+&#8217;Tis growing colder. Come here, Elaine. Come
+here, sir. There! Now, I hate delay in these
+matters. You shall be married to-morrow.
+Hey? What? You don&#8217;t object, I suppose?
+Then why did you jump? To-morrow, Christmas
+Day, and every church-bell in the county
+shall ring three times more than usual. Once
+for the holy Feast, and may the Lord bless it
+always! and once for my girl&#8217;s wedding. And
+once for the death and destruction of the Dragon
+of Wantley.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hurrah!&#8221; said the united household.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ll have a nuptials that shall be the talk
+of our grandchildren&#8217;s children, and after them.
+We&#8217;ll have all the people to see. And we&#8217;ll
+build the biggest pile of fagots that can be cut
+from my timber, and the Dragon shall be chained<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[162]</a></span>
+on the top of it, and we&#8217;ll cremate him like an
+Ancient,&mdash;only alive! We&#8217;ll cremate the monster
+alive!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Elaine jumped. Geoffrey jumped. The chain
+round the Dragon loudly clanked.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why&mdash;do you not find this a pleasant plan?&#8221;
+asked the Baron, surprised.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It seems to me, sir,&#8221; stuttered Geoffrey,
+beating his brains for every next word, &#8220;it seems
+to me a monstrous pity to destroy this Dragon
+so. He is a rare curiosity.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Did you expect me to clap him in a box-stall
+and feed him?&#8221; inquired the Baron with
+scorn.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why, no, sir. But since it is I who have
+tracked, stalked, and taken him with the help of
+no other huntsman,&#8221; said Geoffrey, &#8220;I make bold
+to think the laws of sport vest the title to him in
+me.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No such thing,&#8221; said Sir Godfrey. &#8220;You
+have captured him in my cellar. I know a little
+law, I hope.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;The law about wild beasts in Poictiers&mdash;&mdash;&#8221;
+Geoffrey began.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[163]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What care I for your knavish and perverted
+foreign legalities over the sea?&#8221; snorted Sir
+Godfrey. &#8220;This is England. And our Common
+Law says you have trespassed.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;My dear sir,&#8221; said Geoffrey, &#8220;this wild beast
+came into your premises after I had marked him.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t dear sir me!&#8221; shouted the Baron.
+&#8220;Will you hear the law for what I say? I tell
+you this Dragon&#8217;s my dragon. Don&#8217;t I remember
+how trespass was brought against Ralph
+de Coventry, over in Warwickshire? Who did
+no more than you have done. And they held
+him. And there it was but a little pheasant his
+hawk had chased into another&#8217;s warren&mdash;and
+you&#8217;ve chased a dragon, so the offence is
+greater.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But if&mdash;&#8221; remonstrated the youth, &#8220;if a
+fox&mdash;&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Fox me no foxes! Here is the case of
+Ralph de Coventry,&#8221; replied Sir Godfrey, looking
+learned, and seating himself on a barrel of beer.
+&#8220;Ralph pleaded before the Judge saying, &#8216;et
+nous lessamus nostre faucon voler &agrave; luy, et il le
+pursuy en le garrein,&#8217;&mdash;&#8217;tis just your position,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[164]</a></span>
+only &#8217;twas you that pursued and not your falcon,
+which does not in the least distinguish the cases.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But,&#8221; said Geoffrey again, &#8220;the Dragon
+started not on your premises.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No matter for that; for you have pursued
+him into my warren, that is, my cellar, my enclosed
+cellar, where you had no business to be.
+And the Court told Ralph no matter &#8216;que le
+feisant leva hors de le garrein, vostre faucon luy
+pursuy en le garrein.&#8217; So there&#8217;s good sound
+English law, and none of your foppish outlandishries
+in Latin,&#8221; finished the Baron, vastly delighted
+at being able to display the little learning
+that he had. For you see, very few gentlemen
+in those benighted days knew how to speak the
+beautiful language of the law so fluently as
+that.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;And besides,&#8221; continued Sir Godfrey suddenly,
+&#8220;there is a contract.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What contract?&#8221; asked Geoffrey.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;A good and valid one. When I said this
+morning that I would give my daughter to the
+man who brought me the Dragon alive or dead,
+did I say I would give him the Dragon too? So<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[165]</a></span>
+choose which you will take, for both you cannot
+have.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>At this Elaine turned pale as death, and Geoffrey
+stood dumb.</p>
+
+<p>Had anybody looked at the Dragon, it was
+easy to see the beast was much agitated.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Choose!&#8221; said Sir Godfrey. &#8220;&#8217;Tis getting
+too cold to stay here. What? You hesitate
+between my daughter and a miserable reptile? I
+thought the lads of France were more gallant.
+Come, sir! which shall it be? The lady or the
+Dragon?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well,&#8221; said Geoffrey, and his blood and heart
+stood still (and so did Elaine&#8217;s, and so did another
+person&#8217;s), &#8220;I&mdash;I&mdash;think I will choose the
+l&mdash;lady.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hurrah!&#8221; cheered the household once more.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, Lord!&#8221; said the Dragon, but nobody
+heard him.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Indeed!&#8221; observed Sir Godfrey. &#8220;And now
+we&#8217;ll chain him in my bear-pit till morning, and
+at noon he shall be burned alive by the blazing
+fagots. Let us get some sleep now.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The cloud of slimly-clad domestics departed<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[166]</a></span>
+with slow steps, and many a look of fear cast
+backward at the captured monster.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;This Dragon, sir,&#8221; said Geoffrey, wondering
+at his own voice, &#8220;will die of thirst in that pit.
+Bethink you how deep is his habit of drinking.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Ha! I have often bethought me,&#8221; retorted
+Sir Godfrey, rolling his eyes over the empty
+barrels. &#8220;But here! I am a man of some heart,
+I hope.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He seized up a bucket and ran to the hogshead
+containing his daughter&#8217;s native cowslip
+wine.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;There!&#8221; he observed when the bucket was
+pretty well filled. &#8220;Put that in to moisten his
+last hours.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Then the Baron led the way round the Manor
+to the court-yard where the bear-pit was. His
+daughter kept pace with him not easily, for the
+excellent gentleman desired to be a decent distance
+away from the Dragon, whom young Geoffrey
+dragged along in the rear.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 300px; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 2em"><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[167]</a></span>
+<img src="images/illo_png169.jpg" width="300" height="349" alt="HVCKBALD BELIEVES HE WILL TAKE JVST A LITTLE SIP" title="HVCKBALD BELIEVES HE WILL TAKE JVST A LITTLE SIP" />
+</div>
+
+
+
+<div class="backleft" style="background-image: url(images/illo_png170.jpg); height: 100%;">
+
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[168]</a></span>
+
+<div class="sandbag-left" style="width:215px; height:290px;"> </div>
+
+
+<p style="text-indent: 0em; padding-top: 6em"><span style="text-transform: uppercase">s</span> they proceeded towards
+the bear-pit, having
+some distance to go,
+good-humour and benevolence
+began to rise
+up in the heart of Sir
+Godfrey.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;This is a great thing!&#8221; he said to Miss
+Elaine. &#8220;Ha! an important and joyful occurrence.
+The news of it will fly far.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes,&#8221; the young lady replied, but without
+enthusiasm. &#8220;The cattle will be safe now.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;The cattle, child! my Burgundy! Think of
+that!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes, papa.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;The people will come,&#8221; continued the Baron,
+&#8220;from all sides to-morrow&mdash;why, it&#8217;s to-morrow
+now!&#8221; he cried. &#8220;From all sides they will come
+to my house to see my Dragon. And I shall
+permit them to see him. They shall see him<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[169]</a></span>
+cooked alive, if they wish. It is a very proper
+curiosity. The brute had a wide reputation.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>To hear himself spoken of in the past tense,
+as we speak of the dead, was not pleasant to Sir
+Francis, walking behind Geoffrey on all fours.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I shall send for Father Anselm and his
+monks,&#8221; the Baron went on.</p>
+
+<p>Hearing this Geoffrey started.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;What need have we of them, sir?&#8221; he inquired.
+To send for Father Anselm! It was
+getting worse and worse.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Need of Father Anselm?&#8221; repeated Sir Godfrey.
+&#8220;Of course I shall need him. I want the
+parson to tell me how he came to change his
+mind and let you out.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, to be sure,&#8221; said Geoffrey, mechanically.
+His thoughts were reeling helplessly together,
+with no one thing uppermost.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>&#8220;Not that I disapprove it. I have changed my
+own mind upon occasions. But &#8217;twas sudden,
+after his bundle of sagacity about Crusades and
+visions of my ancestor and what not over there
+in the morning. Ha! ha! These clericals are
+no more consistent than another person. I&#8217;ll<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[170]</a></span>
+never let the Father forget this.&#8221; And the
+Baron chuckled. &#8220;Besides,&#8221; he said, &#8220;&#8217;tis suitable
+that these monks should be present at the
+burning. This Dragon was a curse, and curses
+are somewhat of a church matter.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;True,&#8221; said Geoffrey, for lack of a better
+reply.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why, bless my soul!&#8221; shouted the Baron,
+suddenly wheeling round to Elaine at his side,
+so that the cowslip wine splashed out of the
+bucket he carried, &#8220;it&#8217;s my girl&#8217;s wedding-day
+too! I had clean forgot. Bless my soul!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Y&mdash;yes, papa,&#8221; faltered Elaine.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;And you, young fellow!&#8221; her father called
+out to Geoffrey with lusty heartiness. &#8220;You&#8217;re
+a lucky rogue, sir.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes, sir,&#8221; said Geoffrey, but not gayly. He
+was wondering how it felt to be going mad.
+Amid his whirling thoughts burned the one longing
+to hide Elaine safe in his arms and tell her it
+would all come right somehow. A silence fell
+on the group as they walked. Even to the
+Baron, who was not a close observer, the present
+reticence of these two newly-betrothed lovers<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[171]</a></span>
+was apparent. He looked from one to the other,
+but in the face of neither could he see beaming
+any of the soft transports which he considered
+were traditionally appropriate to the hour.
+&#8220;Umph!&#8221; he exclaimed; &#8220;it was never like this
+in my day.&#8221; Then his thoughts went back some
+forty years, and his eyes mellowed from within.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ll cook the Dragon first,&#8221; continued the
+old gentleman, &#8220;and then, sir, you and my girl
+shall be married. Ha! ha! a great day for
+Wantley!&#8221; The Baron swung his bucket, and
+another jet of its contents slid out. He was
+growing more and more delighted with himself
+and his daughter and her lover and everybody in
+the world. &#8220;And you&#8217;re a stout rogue, too, sir,&#8221;
+he said. &#8220;Built near as well as an Englishman,
+I think. And that&#8217;s an excellent thing in a husband.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The Baron continued to talk, now and then
+almost falling in the snow, but not permitting
+such slight mishaps to interrupt his discourse,
+which was addressed to nobody and had a general
+nature, touching upon dragons, marriages,
+Crusades, and Burgundy. Could he have seen<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[172]</a></span>
+Geoffrey&#8217;s more and more woe-begone and distracted
+expression, he would have concluded his
+future son-in-law was suffering from some sudden
+and momentous bodily ill.</p>
+
+<p>The young man drew near the Dragon.
+&#8220;What shall we do?&#8221; he said in a whisper.
+&#8220;Can I steal the keys of the pit? Can we
+say the Dragon escaped?&#8221; The words came in
+nervous haste, wholly unlike the bold deliberateness
+with which the youth usually spoke. It was
+plain he was at the end of his wits.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why, what ails thee?&#8221; inquired Sir Francis
+in a calm and unmoved voice. &#8220;This is a simple
+matter.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>His tone was so quiet that Geoffrey stared in
+amazement.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But yonder pit!&#8221; he said. &#8220;We are ruined!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Not at all,&#8221; Sir Francis replied. &#8220;Truly
+thou art a deep thinker! First a woman and
+now thine enemy has to assist thy distress.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He put so much hatred and scorn into his
+tones that Geoffrey flamed up. &#8220;Take care!&#8221;
+he muttered angrily.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s right!&#8221; the prisoner said, laughing<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[173]</a></span>
+dryly. &#8220;Draw thy sword and split our secret
+open. It will be a fine wedding-day thou&#8217;lt have
+then. Our way out of this is plain enough. Did
+not the Baron say that Father Anselm was to be
+present at the burning? He shall be present.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yes,&#8221; said the youth. &#8220;But how to get out
+of the pit? And how can there be a dragon to
+burn if thou art to be Father Anselm? And
+how&mdash;&mdash;&#8221; he stopped.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I am full of pity for thy brains,&#8221; said Sir
+Francis.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Here&#8217;s the pit!&#8221; said the voice of Sir Godfrey.
+&#8220;Bring him along.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hark!&#8221; said Sir Francis to Geoffrey. &#8220;Thou
+must go to Oyster-le-Main with a message.
+Darest thou go alone?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;If I dare?&#8221; retorted Geoffrey, proudly.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It is well. Come to the pit when the Baron
+is safe in the house.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Now they were at the iron door. Here the
+ground was on a level with the bottom of the pit,
+but sloped steeply up to the top of its walls
+elsewhere, so that one could look down inside.
+The Baron unlocked the door and entered with<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[174]</a></span>
+his cowslip wine, which (not being a very potent
+decoction) began to be covered with threads of
+ice as soon as it was set down. The night was
+growing more bitter as its frosty hours wore on;
+for the storm was departed, and the wind fallen
+to silence, and the immense sky clean and cold
+with the shivering glitter of the stars.</p>
+
+<p>Then Geoffrey led the Dragon into the pit.
+This was a rude and desolate hole, and its furniture
+of that extreme simplicity common to
+bear-pits in those barbarous times. From the
+middle of the stone floor rose the trunk of a
+tree, ragged with lopped boughs and at its top
+forking into sundry limbs possible to sit among.
+An iron trough was there near a heap of stale
+greasy straw, and both were shapeless white
+lumps beneath the snow. The chiselled and
+cemented walls rose round in a circle and showed
+no crevice for the nails of either man or bear to
+climb by. Many times had Orlando Crumb and
+Furioso Bun observed this with sadness, and now
+Sir Francis observed it also. He took into his
+chest a big swallow of air, and drove it out again
+between his teeth with a weary hissing.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[175]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I will return at once,&#8221; Geoffrey whispered as
+he was leaving.</p>
+
+<p>Then the door was shut to, and Sir Francis
+heard the lock grinding as the key was turned.
+Then he heard the Baron speaking to Geoffrey.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I shall take this key away,&#8221; he said; &#8220;there&#8217;s
+no telling what wandering fool might let the monster
+out. And now there&#8217;s but little time before
+dawn. Elaine, child, go to your bed. This excitement
+has plainly tired you. I cannot have
+my girl look like that when she&#8217;s a bride to-day.
+And you too, sir,&#8221; he added, surveying Geoffrey,
+&#8220;look a trifle out of sorts. Well, I am not surprised.
+A dragon is no joke. Come to my
+study.&#8221; And he took Geoffrey&#8217;s arm.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, no!&#8221; said the youth. &#8220;I cannot. I&mdash;I
+must change my dress.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Pooh, sir! I shall send to the tavern for
+your kit. Come to my study. You are pale.
+We&#8217;ll have a little something hot. Aha! Something
+hot!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But I think&mdash;&mdash;&#8221; Geoffrey began.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Tush!&#8221; said the Baron. &#8220;You shall help me
+with the wedding invitations.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[176]</a></span>&#8221;</p>
+
+<div class="backleft" style="background-image: url(images/illo_png178.jpg); height: 100%;">
+
+<div class="sandbag-left" style="width:400px; height:120px;"> </div>
+<div class="sandbag-left" style="width:90px; height:120px;"> </div>
+
+<p>&#8220;Sir!&#8221; said Geoffrey haughtily,
+&#8220;I know nothing of writing and
+such low habits.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why no more do I, of course,&#8221;
+replied Sir Godfrey; &#8220;nor would I suspect you
+or any good gentleman of the practice, though
+I have made my mark upon an indenture in the
+presence of witnesses.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;A man may do that with propriety,&#8221; assented
+the youth. &#8220;But I cannot come with you now,
+sir. &#8217;Tis not possible.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But I say that you shall!&#8221; cried the Baron
+in high good-humour. &#8220;I can mull Malvoisie famously,
+and will presently do so for you. &#8217;Tis
+to help me seal the invitations that I want you.
+My Chaplain shall write them. Come.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He locked Geoffrey&#8217;s arm in his own, and
+strode quickly forward. Feeling himself dragged<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[177]</a></span>
+away, Geoffrey turned his head despairingly back
+towards the pit.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, he&#8217;s safe enough in there,&#8221; said Sir Godfrey.
+&#8220;No need to watch him.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Sir Francis had listened to this conversation
+with rising dismay. And now he quickly threw
+off the crocodile hide and climbed up the tree as
+the bears had often done before him. It came
+almost to a level with the wall&#8217;s rim, but the
+radius was too great a distance for jumping.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I should break my leg,&#8221; he said, and came
+down the tree again, as the bears had likewise
+often descended.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>The others were now inside the house. Elaine
+with a sinking heart retired to her room, and her
+father after summoning the Rev. Hucbald took
+Geoffrey into his study. The Chaplain followed
+with a bunch of goose-quills and a large ink-horn,
+and seated himself at a table, while the Baron
+mixed some savoury stuff, going down his private
+staircase into the buttery to get the spice and
+honey necessary.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Here&#8217;s to the health of all, and luck to-day,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[178]</a></span>&#8221;
+said the Baron; and Geoffrey would have been
+quite happy if an earthquake had come and
+altered all plans for the morning. Still he went
+through the form of clinking goblets. But his
+heart ached, and his eyes grew hot as he sat
+dismal and lonely away from his girl.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Whom shall we ask to the wedding?&#8221; queried
+the Rev. Hucbald, rubbing his hands and looking
+at the pitcher in which Sir Godfrey had mixed
+the beverage.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Ask the whole county,&#8221; said Sir Godfrey.
+&#8220;The more the merrier. My boy Roland will be
+here to-morrow. He&#8217;ll find his sister has got
+ahead of him. Have some,&#8221; he added, holding
+the pitcher to the Rev. Hucbald.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I do believe I will take just a little sip,&#8221;
+returned the divine. &#8220;Thanks! ah&mdash;most delicious,
+Baron! A marriage on Christmas Day,&#8221;
+he added, &#8220;is&mdash;ahem!&mdash;highly irregular. But
+under the unusual, indeed the truly remarkable,
+circumstances, I make no doubt that the
+Pope&mdash;&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Drat him!&#8221; said Sir Godfrey; at which the
+Chaplain smiled reproachfully, and shook a long<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[179]</a></span>
+transparent taper finger at his patron in a very
+playful manner, saying, &#8220;Baron! now, Baron!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;My boy Roland&#8217;s learning to be a knight
+over at my uncle Mortmain&#8217;s,&#8221; continued Sir Godfrey,
+pouring Geoffrey another goblet. &#8220;You&#8217;ll
+like him.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>But Geoffrey&#8217;s thoughts were breeding more
+anxiety in him every moment.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll get the sealing-wax,&#8221; observed the Baron,
+and went to a cabinet.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;This room is stifling,&#8221; cried Geoffrey. &#8220;I
+shall burst soon, I think.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s my mulled Malvoisie you&#8217;re not accustomed
+to,&#8221; Sir Godfrey said, as he rummaged in
+the cabinet. &#8220;Open the window and get some
+fresh air, my lad. Now where the deuce is my
+family seal?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>As Geoffrey opened the window, a soft piece
+of snow flew through the air and dropped lightly
+on his foot. He looked quickly and perceived a
+man&#8217;s shadow jutting into the moonlight from an
+angle in the wall. Immediately he plunged out
+through the casement, which was not very high.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Merciful powers!&#8221; said the Rev. Hucbald,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[180]</a></span>
+letting fall his quill and spoiling the first invitation,
+&#8220;what an impulsive young man! Why,
+he has run clean round the corner.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;&#8217;Tis all my Malvoisie,&#8221; said the Baron, hugely
+delighted, and hurrying to the window. &#8220;Come
+back when you&#8217;re sober!&#8221; he shouted after Geoffrey
+with much mirth. Then he shut the window.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;These French heads never can weather English
+brews,&#8221; he remarked to the Chaplain. &#8220;But
+I&#8217;ll train the boy in time. He is a rare good lad.
+Now, to work.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Out in the snow, Geoffrey with his sword drawn
+came upon Hubert.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Thou mayest sheathe that knife,&#8221; said the
+latter.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;And be thy quarry?&#8221; retorted Geoffrey.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I have come too late for that!&#8221; Hubert
+answered.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Thou hast been to the bear-pit, then?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, aye!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;There&#8217;s big quarry there!&#8221; observed Geoffrey,
+tauntingly. &#8220;Quite a royal bird.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;So royal the male hawk could not bring it
+down by himself, I hear,&#8221; Hubert replied. &#8220;Nay,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[181]</a></span>
+there&#8217;s no use in waxing wroth, friend! My
+death now would clap thee in a tighter puzzle
+than thou art in already&mdash;and I should be able to
+laugh down at thee from a better world,&#8221; he
+added, mimicking the priestly cadence, and looking
+at Geoffrey half fierce and half laughing.</p>
+
+<p>He was but an apprentice at robbery and
+violence, and in the bottom of his heart, where
+some honesty still was, he liked Geoffrey well.
+&#8220;Time presses,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;I must go.
+One thing thou must do. Let not that pit be
+opened till the monks of Oyster-le-Main come
+here. We shall come before noon.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I do not understand,&#8221; said Geoffrey.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"><a name="Hubert2" id="Hubert2"></a>
+<img src="images/illo_png183.jpg" width="400" height="210" alt="Brother Hvbert goeth back
+to Oyster-le-Main for ye last Time" title="Brother Hvbert goeth back
+to Oyster-le-Main for ye last Time" />
+</div>
+
+<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s unimportant,&#8221; answered Hubert.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[182]</a></span>
+&#8220;Only play thy part. &#8217;Tis a simple thing to
+keep a door shut. Fail, and the whole of us
+are undone. Farewell.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Nay, this is some foul trick,&#8221; Geoffrey declared,
+and laid his hand on Hubert.</p>
+
+<p>But the other shook his head sadly. &#8220;Dost
+suppose,&#8221; he said, &#8220;that we should have abstained
+from any trick that&#8217;s known to the accumulated
+wisdom of man? Our sport is up.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;&#8217;Tis true,&#8221; Geoffrey said, musingly, &#8220;we hold
+all of you in the hollow of one hand.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Thou canst make a present of us to the
+hangman in twenty minutes if thou choosest,&#8221;
+said Hubert.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Though &#8217;twould put me in quite as evil
+case.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Ho! what&#8217;s the loss of a woman compared
+with death?&#8221; Hubert exclaimed.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Thou&#8217;lt know some day,&#8221; the young knight
+said, eying Hubert with a certain pity; &#8220;that is,
+if ever thou art lucky to love truly.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;And is it so much as that?&#8221; murmured Hubert
+wistfully. &#8220;&#8217;Twas good fortune for thee
+and thy sweetheart I did not return to look for<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[183]</a></span>
+my master while he was being taken to the pit,&#8221;
+he continued; &#8220;we could have stopped all your
+mouths till the Day of Judgment at least.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Wouldst thou have slain a girl?&#8221; asked Geoffrey,
+stepping back.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Not I, indeed! But for my master I would
+not be so sure. And he says I&#8217;ll come as far as
+that in time,&#8221; added the apprentice with a shade
+of bitterness.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Thou art a singular villain,&#8221; said Geoffrey,
+&#8220;and wonderfully frank spoken.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;And so thou&#8217;rt to be married?&#8221; Hubert said
+gently.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;By this next noon, if all goes well!&#8221; exclaimed
+the lover with ardour.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Heigho!&#8221; sighed Hubert, turning to go,
+&#8220;&#8217;twill be a merry Christmas for somebody.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Give me thy hand,&#8221; cried Geoffrey, feeling
+universally hearty.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No,&#8221; replied the freebooter; &#8220;what meaning
+would there be in that? I would sever thy jugular
+vein in a moment if that would mend the
+broken fortunes of my chief. Farewell, however.
+Good luck attend thee.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[184]</a></span>&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The eyes of both young men met, and without
+unkindness in them.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But I am satisfied with my calling,&#8221; Hubert
+asserted, repudiating some thought that he imagined
+was lurking in Geoffrey&#8217;s look. &#8220;Quite
+content! It&#8217;s very dull to be respectable. Look!
+the dawn will discover us.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But this plan?&#8221; cried Geoffrey, hastening
+after him; &#8220;I know nothing.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Thou needest know nothing. Keep the door
+of the pit shut. Farewell.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>And Geoffrey found himself watching the black
+form of Hubert dwindle against the white rises
+of the ground. He walked towards the tavern
+in miserable uncertainty, for the brief gust of
+elation had passed from his heart. Then he
+returned irresolute, and looked into the pit.
+There was Sir Francis, dressed in the crocodile.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Come in, come in, young fellow! Ha! ha!
+how&#8217;s thy head?&#8221; The Baron was at the window,
+calling out and beckoning with vigour.</p>
+
+<p>Geoffrey returned to the study. There was no
+help for it.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[185]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We have written fifty-nine already!&#8221; said the
+Rev. Hucbald.</p>
+
+<p>But the youth cast a dull eye upon the growing
+heap, and sealed them very badly. What pleasure
+was it to send out invitations to his own
+wedding that might never be coming off?</p>
+
+<p>As for Hubert out in the night, he walked
+slowly through the wide white country. And as
+he went across the cold fields and saw how the
+stars were paling out, and cast long looks at the
+moon setting across the smooth snow, the lad&#8217;s
+eyes filled so that the moon twinkled and shot
+rays askew in his sight. He thought how the
+good times of Oyster-le-Main were ended, and
+he thought of Miss Elaine so far beyond the
+reach of such as he, and it seemed to him that he
+was outside the comfortable world.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 150px; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 2em"><a name="tail5" id="tail5"></a>
+<img src="images/illo_png187.jpg" width="150" height="153" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 350px; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 2em"><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[186]</a></span>
+<img src="images/illo_png188.jpg" width="350" height="430" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<div class="backleft" style="background-image: url(images/illo_png189.jpg); height: 100%;">
+
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[187]</a></span>
+
+<div class="sandbag-left" style="width:214px; height:315px;"> </div>
+
+
+<p style="padding-top: 7em; text-indent: 0em"><span style="text-transform: uppercase">ow</span> are all the people
+long awake and out of
+their beds. Wantley
+Manor is stirring busily
+in each quarter of the
+house and court, and
+the whole county likewise
+is agog. By seven o&#8217;clock this morning it
+was noised in every thatched cottage and in every
+gabled hall that the great Dragon had been captured.
+Some said by Saint George in person,
+who appeared riding upon a miraculous white
+horse and speaking a tongue that nobody could
+understand, wherefore it was held to be the
+language common in Paradise. Some declared
+Saint George had nothing to do with it, and that
+this was the pious achievement of Father Anselm.
+Others were sure Miss Elaine had fulfilled the
+legend and conquered the monster entirely by
+herself. One or two, hearing the event had<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[188]</a></span>
+taken place in Sir Godfrey&#8217;s wine-cellar, said
+they thought the Baron had done it,&mdash;and were
+immediately set down as persons of unsound
+mind. But nobody mentioned Geoffrey at all,
+until the Baron&#8217;s invitations, requesting the
+honour of various people&#8217;s presence at the marriage
+of his daughter Elaine to that young man,
+were received; and that was about ten o&#8217;clock,
+the ceremony being named for twelve that day
+in the family chapel. Sir Godfrey intended the
+burning of the Dragon to take place not one
+minute later than half-past eleven. Accordingly,
+besides the invitation to the chapel, all friends
+and neighbours whose position in the county or
+whose intimacy with the family entitled them to
+a recognition less formal and more personal, received
+a second card which ran as follows: &#8220;Sir
+Godfrey Disseisin at home Wednesday morning,
+December the twenty-fifth, from half after eleven
+until the following day. Dancing; also a Dragon
+will be roasted. R.&nbsp;S.&nbsp;V.&nbsp;P.&#8221; The Disseisin
+crest with its spirited motto, &#8220;Saute qui peult,&#8221;
+originated by the venerable Primer Disseisin,
+followed by his son Tortious Disseisin, and borne<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[189]</a></span>
+with so much renown in and out of a hundred
+battles by a thousand subsequent Disseisins, ornamented
+the top left-hand corner.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I think we shall have but few refusals,&#8221; said
+the Rev. Hucbald to Sir Godfrey. &#8220;Not many
+will be prevented by previous engagements, I
+opine.&#8221; And the Chaplain smiled benignly, rubbing
+his hands. He had published the banns of
+matrimony three times in a lump before breakfast.
+&#8220;Which is rather unusual,&#8221; he said; &#8220;but
+under the circumstances we shall easily obtain a
+dispensation.&#8221;</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>&#8220;In providing such an entertainment for the
+county as this will be,&#8221; remarked the Baron, &#8220;I
+feel I have performed my duty towards society
+for some time to come. No one has had a
+dragon at a private house before me, I believe.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, surely not,&#8221; simpered the sleek Hucbald.
+&#8220;Not even Lady Jumping Jack.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Fiddle!&#8221; grunted the Baron. &#8220;She indeed!
+Fandangoes!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;She&#8217;s very pious,&#8221; protested the Rev. Hucbald,
+whom the lady sometimes asked to fish
+lunches in Lent.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[190]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Fandangoes!&#8221; repeated the Baron. He had
+once known her exceedingly well, but she pursued
+variety at all expense, even his. As for
+refusals, the Chaplain was quite right. There
+were none. Nobody had a previous engagement&mdash;or
+kept it, if they had.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Good gracious, Rupert!&#8221; (or Cecil, or Chandos,
+as it might be,) each dame in the county had
+exclaimed to her lord on opening the envelope
+brought by private hand from Wantley, &#8220;we&#8217;re
+asked to the Disseisins to see a dragon,&mdash;and his
+daughter married.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;By heaven, Muriel, we&#8217;ll go!&#8221; the gentleman
+invariably replied, under the impression that
+Elaine was to marry the Dragon, which would
+be a show worth seeing. The answers came
+flying back to Wantley every minute or two,
+most of them written in such haste that you
+could only guess they were acceptances. And
+those individuals who lived so far away across
+the county that the invitations reached them too
+late to be answered, immediately rang every bell
+in the house and ordered the carriage in frantic
+tones.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[191]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Of <i>course</i> nobody kept any engagement. Sir
+Guy Vol-au-Vent (and none but a most abandoned
+desperado or advanced thinker would be
+willing to do such a thing on Christmas) had
+accepted an invitation to an ambush at three for
+the slaying of Sir Percy de R&eacute;sistance. But the
+ambush was put off till a more convenient day.
+Sir Thomas de Brie had been going to spend his
+Christmas at a cock-fight in the Count de Gorgonzola&#8217;s
+barn. But he remarked to his man
+Edward, who brought the trap to the door, that
+the Count de Gorgonzola might go &mdash;&mdash; Never
+mind what he remarked. It was not nice;
+though oddly enough it was exactly the same
+remark that the Count had made about Sir
+Thomas on telling his own man James to drive
+to Wantley and drop the cock-fight. All these
+gentlemen, as soon as they heard the great news,
+started for the Manor with the utmost speed.</p>
+
+<div class="backleft" style="background-image: url(images/illo_png194.jpg); height: 100%;"><a name="debrie" id="debrie"></a>
+
+<div class="sandbag-left" style="width:340px; height:60px;"> </div>
+<div class="sandbag-left" style="width:185px; height:260px;"> </div>
+
+<p>Nor was it the quality alone who were so
+unanimous in their feelings. The Tenantry (to
+whom Sir Godfrey had extended a very hospitable
+bidding to come and they should find
+standing-room and good meat and beer in the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[192]</a></span>
+court-yard) went
+nearly mad. From
+every quarter of
+the horizon they
+came plunging and
+ploughing along.
+The sun blazed
+down out of a sky
+whence a universal
+radiance seemed to
+beat upon the blinding
+white. Could
+you have mounted up bird-fashion over the
+country, you would have seen the Manor like
+the centre of some great wheel, with narrow
+tracks pointing in to it from the invisible rim
+of a circle, paths wide and narrow, converging
+at the gate, trodden across the new snow from
+anywhere and everywhere; and moving along
+these like ants, all the inhabitants for miles<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[193]</a></span>
+around. And through the wide splendour of
+winter no wind blowing, but the sound of chiming
+bells far and near, clear frozen drops of music in
+the brittle air.</p>
+
+<p>Old Gaffer Piers, the ploughman, stumped
+along, &#8220;pretty well for eighty, thanky,&#8221; as he
+somewhat snappishly answered to the neighbours
+who out-walked him on the road. They would
+get there first.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Wonderful old man,&#8221; they said as they went
+on their way, and quickly resumed their speculations
+upon the Dragon&#8217;s capture. Farmer John
+Stiles came driving his ox-team and snuffling, for
+it was pretty cold, and his handkerchief at home.
+Upon his wagon on every part, like swallows,
+hung as many of his relations as could get on.
+His mother, who had been Lucy Baker, and
+grandmother Cecilia Kempe, and a litter of
+cousin Thorpes. But his step-father Lewis Gay
+and the children of the half-blood were not asked
+to ride; farmer Stiles had bitterly resented the
+second marriage. This family knew all the particulars
+concerning the Dragon, for they had
+them from the cook&#8217;s second cousin who was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[194]</a></span>
+courting Bridget Stiles. They knew how Saint
+George had waked Father Anselm up and put
+him on a white horse, and how the Abbot had
+thus been able to catch the Dragon by his tail in
+the air just as he was flying away with Miss
+Elaine, and how at that the white horse had
+turned into a young man who had been bewitched
+by the Dragon, and was going to marry
+Miss Elaine immediately.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>On the front steps, shaking hands with each
+person who came, was Sir Godfrey. He had
+dressed himself excellently for the occasion;
+something between a heavy father and an old
+beau, with a beautiful part down the back of his
+head where the hair was. Geoffrey stood beside
+him.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;My son-in-law that&#8217;s to be,&#8221; Sir Godfrey
+would say. And the gentry welcomed the young
+man, while the tenants bobbed him respectful
+salutations.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You&#8217;re one of us. Glad to know you,&#8221; said
+Sir Thomas de Brie, surveying the lad with
+approval.</p>
+
+<p>Lady Jumping Jack held his hand for a vanishing<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[195]</a></span>
+moment you could hardly make sure of. &#8220;I
+had made up my mind to hate you for robbing
+me of my dearest girl,&#8221; she said, smiling gayly,
+and fixing him with her odd-looking eyes. &#8220;But
+I see we&#8217;re to be friends.&#8221; Then she murmured
+a choice nothing to the Baron, who snarled
+politely.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t let her play you,&#8221; said he to Geoffrey
+when the lady had moved on. And he tapped
+the youth&#8217;s shoulder familiarly.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Oh, I&#8217;ve been through all that sort of thing
+over in Poictiers,&#8221; Geoffrey answered with indifference.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You&#8217;re a rogue, sir, as I&#8217;ve told you before.
+Ha! Uncle Mortmain, how d&#8217;ye do? Yes, this
+is Geoffrey. Where&#8217;s my boy Roland? Coming,
+is he? Well, he had better look sharp. It&#8217;s
+after eleven, and I&#8217;ll wait for nobody. How d&#8217;ye
+do, John Stiles? That bull you sold me &#8217;s costing
+thirty shillings a year in fences. You&#8217;ll find
+something ready down by those tables, I think.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Hark to that roar! The crowd jostled together
+in the court-yard, for it sounded terribly
+close.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[196]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>&#8220;The Dragon&#8217;s quite safe in the pit, good
+people,&#8221; shouted Sir Godfrey. &#8220;A few more
+minutes and you&#8217;ll all see him.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The old gentleman continued welcoming the
+new arrivals, chatting heartily, with a joke for
+this one and a kind inquiry for the other. But
+wretched Geoffrey! So the Dragon was to be
+seen in a few minutes! And where were the
+monks of Oyster-le-Main? Still, a bold face
+must be kept. He was thankful that Elaine,
+after the custom of brides, was invisible. The
+youth&#8217;s left hand rested upon the hilt of his
+sword; he was in rich attire, and the curly hair
+that surrounded his forehead had been carefully
+groomed. Half-way up the stone steps as he
+stood, his blue eyes watching keenly for the
+monks, he was a figure that made many a humble
+nymph turn tender glances upon him. Old Piers,
+the ploughman, remained beside a barrel of running
+ale and drank his health all day. For he
+was a wonderful old man.</p>
+
+<p>Hither and thither the domestics scurried
+swiftly, making preparations. Some were cooking
+rare pasties of grouse and ptarmigan, goslings<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[197]</a></span>
+and dough-birds; some were setting great
+tables in-doors and out; and some were piling
+fagots for the Dragon&#8217;s funeral pyre. Popham,
+with magnificent solemnity and a pair of new
+calves, gave orders to Meeson and Welsby, and
+kept little Whelpdale panting for breath with
+errands; while in and out, between everybody&#8217;s
+legs, and over or under all obstacles, stalked the
+two ravens Croak James and Croak Elizabeth, a
+big white wedding-favour tied round the neck of
+each. To see these grave birds, none would
+have suspected how frequently they had been in
+the mince-pies that morning, though Popham had
+expressly ruled (in somewhat stilted language)
+that they should &#8220;take nothink by their bills.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Geoffrey,&#8221; said the Baron, &#8220;I think we&#8217;ll
+begin. Popham, tell them to light that fire
+there.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;The guests are still coming, sir,&#8221; said Geoffrey.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;No matter. It is half after eleven.&#8221; The
+Baron showed his sun-dial, and there was no
+doubt of it. &#8220;Here, take the keys,&#8221; he said,
+&#8220;and bring the monster out for us.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[198]</a></span>&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll go and put on my armour,&#8221; suggested
+the young man. That would take time; perhaps
+the monks might arrive.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Why, the brute&#8217;s chained. You need no
+armour. Nonsense!&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But think of my clothes in that pit, sir,&mdash;on
+my wedding-day.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Pooh! That&#8217;s the first sign of a Frenchman
+I&#8217;ve seen in you. Take the keys, sir.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>The crackle of the kindling fagots came to
+Geoffrey&#8217;s ears. He saw the forty men with
+chains that were to haul the Dragon into the
+fire.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;But there&#8217;s Father Anselm yet to come,&#8221; he
+protested. &#8220;Surely we wait for him.&#8221;</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"><a name="courtyard" id="courtyard"></a>
+<img src="images/illo_png200.jpg" width="400" height="135" alt="" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll wait for nobody. He with his Crusades
+and rubbish! Haven&#8217;t I got this Dragon, and
+there&#8217;s no Crusade?&mdash;Ah, Cousin Modus, glad<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[199]</a></span>
+you could come over. Just in time. The
+sherry&#8217;s to your left. Yes, it&#8217;s a very fine day.
+Yes, yes, this is Geoffrey my girl&#8217;s to marry and
+all that.&mdash;What do I care about Father Anselm?&#8221;
+the old gentleman resumed testily, when his
+cousin Modus had shuffled off. &#8220;Come, sir.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He gave the keys into Geoffrey&#8217;s unwilling
+hand, and ordered silence proclaimed.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hearken, good friends!&#8221; said he, and all talk
+and going to and fro ceased. The tenantry
+stood down in the court-yard, a mass of motionless
+russet and yellow, every face watching the
+Baron. The gentry swarmed noiselessly out
+upon the steps behind him, their handsome
+dresses bright against the Manor walls. There
+was a short pause. Old Gaffer Piers made a
+slight disturbance falling over with his cup of
+ale, but was quickly set on his feet by his neighbours.
+The sun blazed down, and the growling
+of the Dragon came from the pit.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Yonder noise,&#8221; pursued Sir Godfrey, &#8220;speaks
+more to the point than I could. I&#8217;ll give you no
+speech.&#8221; All loudly cheered at this.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t you think,&#8221; whispered the Rev. Hucbald<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[200]</a></span>
+in the Baron&#8217;s ear, &#8220;that a little something
+serious should be said on such an occasion? I
+should like our brethren to be reminded&mdash;&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Fudge!&#8221; said the Baron. &#8220;For thirteen
+years,&#8221; he continued, raising his voice again,
+&#8220;this Dragon has been speaking for himself.
+You all know and I know how that has been.
+And now we are going to speak for ourselves.
+And when he is on top of that fire he&#8217;ll know
+how that is. Geoffrey, open the pit and get him
+out.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Again there was a cheer, but a short one, for
+the spell of expectancy was on all. The young
+man descended into the court, and the air seemed
+to turn to a wavering mist as he looked up at the
+Manor windows seeking to spy Elaine&#8217;s face at
+one of them. Was this to be the end? Could
+he kiss her one last good-by if disaster was in
+store for them after all? Alas! no glimpse of
+her was to be seen as he moved along, hardly
+aware of his own steps, and the keys jingling
+lightly as he moved. Through the crowd he
+passed, and a whispering ran in his wake followed
+by deeper silence than before. He reached the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[201]</a></span>
+edge of the people and crossed the open space
+beyond, passing the leaping blaze of the fagots,
+and so drew near the iron door of the pit. The
+key went slowly into the lock. All shrank with
+dismay at the roar which rent the air. Geoffrey
+paused with his hand gripping the key, and there
+came a sound of solemn singing over the fields.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;The monks!&#8221; murmured a few under their
+breath; and silence fell again, each listening.</p>
+
+<p>Men&#8217;s voices it was, and their chanting rose by
+one sudden step to a high note that was held for
+a moment, and then sank again, mellow like the
+harmony of horns in a wood. Then over the
+ridge from Oyster-le-Main the length of a slow
+procession began to grow. The gray gowns
+hung to the earth straight with scarce any waving
+as the men walked. The heavy hoods reached
+over each face so there was no telling its features.
+None in the court-yard spoke at all, as the brooding
+figures passed in under the gateway and
+proceeded to the door of the bear-pit, singing
+always. Howlings that seemed born of terror
+now rose from the imprisoned monster; and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[202]</a></span>
+many thought, &#8220;evidently the evil beast cannot
+endure the sound of holy words.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Elaine in her white dress now gazed from an
+upper window, seeing her lover with his enemies
+drawing continually closer around him.</p>
+
+<p>Perhaps it was well for him that his death alone
+would not have served to lock their secret up
+again; that the white maiden in the window is
+ready to speak the word and direct instant vengeance
+on them and their dragon if any ill befall
+that young man who stands by the iron door.</p>
+
+<div class="backright" style="background-image: url(images/illo_png205.jpg); height: 100%;"><a name="appearance" id="appearance"></a>
+
+<div class="sandbag-right" style="width:190px; height:490px;"> </div>
+<div class="sandbag-right" style="width:500px; height:270px;"> </div>
+
+<p>The song of the monks ended. Sir Godfrey
+on the steps was wondering why Father Anselm
+did not stand out from the rest of the gray people
+and explain his wishes. &#8220;Though he shall not
+interrupt the sport, whatever he says,&#8221; thought
+the Baron, and cast on the group of holy men a
+less hospitable eye than had beamed on his other
+guests. Geoffrey over at the iron door, surrounded
+by the motionless figures, scanned each
+hood narrowly and soon met the familiar eyes of
+Hubert. Hubert&#8217;s gown, he noticed, bulged out
+in a manner ungainly and mysterious. &#8220;Open
+the door,&#8221; whispered that youth. At once Geoffrey<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[203]</a></span>
+began to turn the key.
+And at its grinding all held
+their breath, and a quivering
+silence hung over the court.
+The hasty drops pattered
+down from the eaves from
+the snow that was melting
+on the roof. Then some
+strip of metal inside the lock
+sprung suddenly, making a
+sharp song, and ceased.
+The crowd of monks pressed
+closer together as the iron
+door swung open.</p>
+
+
+<p>What did Geoffrey see?<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[204]</a></span>
+None but the monks could tell. Instantly a
+single roar more terrible than any burst out, and
+the huge horrible black head and jaws of the
+monster reared into the view of Sir Godfrey and
+his guests. One instant the fearful vision in the
+door-way swayed with a stiff strange movement
+over the knot of monks that surrounded it, then
+sank out of sight among them. There was a
+sound of jerking and fierce clanking of chains,
+mingled with loud chanting of pious sentences.
+Then a plume of spitting flame flared upward
+with a mighty roar, and the gray figures scattered
+right and left. There along the ground
+lay the monster, shrivelled, twisted in dismal
+coils, and dead. Close beside his black body
+towered Father Anselm, smoothing the folds
+of his gray gown. Geoffrey was sheathing his
+sword and looking at Hubert, whose dress bulged
+out no longer, but fitted him as usual.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;We have been vouchsafed a miracle,&#8221; said
+Father Anselm quietly, to the gaping spectators.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;There&#8217;ll be no burning,&#8221; said Geoffrey, pointing
+to the shrunken skin. But though he spoke
+so coolly, and repelled all besieging disturbance<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[205]</a></span>
+from the fortress of his calm visage and bearing,
+as a bold and haughty youth should do, yet he
+could scarcely hold his finger steady as it pointed
+to the blackened carcase. Then all at once his
+eyes met those of Elaine where she watched
+from her window, and relief and joy rushed
+through him. He stretched his arms towards
+her, not caring who saw, and the look she sent
+him with a smile drove all surrounding things
+to an immeasurable distance away.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Here indeed,&#8221; Father Anselm repeated, &#8220;is
+a miracle. Lo, the empty shell! The snake
+hath shed his skin.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;This is very disappointing,&#8221; said Sir Godfrey,
+bewildered. &#8220;Is there no dragon to roast?&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;The roasting,&#8221; replied the Abbot, impressively,
+&#8220;is even now begun for all eternity.&#8221;
+He stretched out an arm and pointed downward
+through the earth. &#8220;The evil spirit has fled.
+The Church hath taken this matter into her own
+hands, and claims yon barren hide as a relic.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Well,&mdash;I don&#8217;t see why the Church can&#8217;t let
+good sport alone,&#8221; retorted Sir Godfrey.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Hope she&#8217;ll not take to breaking up my<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[206]</a></span>
+cock-fights this way,&#8221; muttered the Count de
+Gorgonzola, sulkily.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;The Church cares nothing for such profane
+frivolities,&#8221; observed Father Anselm with cold
+dignity.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;At all events, friends,&#8221; said Sir Godfrey,
+cheering up, &#8220;the country is rid of the Dragon of
+Wantley, and we&#8217;ve got a wedding and a breakfast
+left.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Just at this moment a young horseman rode
+furiously into the court-yard.</p>
+
+<p>It was Roland, Sir Godfrey&#8217;s son. &#8220;Great
+news!&#8221; he began at once. &#8220;Another Crusade has
+been declared&mdash;and I am going. Merry Christmas!
+Where&#8217;s Elaine? Where&#8217;s the Dragon?&#8221;</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>Father Anselm&#8217;s quick brain seized this chance.
+He and his monks should make a more stately
+exit than he had planned.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;See,&#8221; he said in a clear voice to his monks,
+&#8220;how all is coming true that was revealed to me
+this night! My son,&#8221; he continued, turning to
+young Roland, &#8220;thy brave resolve reached me
+ere thou hadst made it. Know it has been
+through thee that the Dragon has gone!<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[207]</a></span>&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>Upon this there was profound silence.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;And now,&#8221; he added solemnly, &#8220;farewell.
+The monks of Oyster-le-Main go hence to the
+Holy Land also, to battle for the true Faith.
+Behold! we have made us ready to meet the
+toil.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>His haughty tones ceased, and he made a
+sign. The gray gowns fell to the snow, and
+revealed a stalwart, fierce-looking crew in black
+armour. But the Abbot kept his gray gown.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;You&#8217;ll stay for the wedding?&#8221; inquired Sir
+Godfrey of him.</p>
+
+<p>&#8220;Our duty lies to the sea. Farewell, for I
+shall never see thy face again.&#8221;</p>
+
+<p>He turned. Hubert gathered up the hide of
+the crocodile and threw a friendly glance back at
+Geoffrey. Then again raising their song, the
+black band slowly marched out under the gate
+and away over the snow until the ridge hid them
+from sight, and only their singing could be heard
+in the distant fields.</p>
+
+<p style="padding-bottom: 2em">&#8220;Well,&#8221; exclaimed Sir Godfrey, &#8220;it&#8217;s no use
+to stand staring. Now for the wedding! Mistletoe,
+go up and tell Miss Elaine. Hucbald, tell<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[208]</a></span>
+the organist to pipe up his music. And as soon
+as it&#8217;s over we&#8217;ll drink the bride&#8217;s health and
+health to the bridegroom. &#8217;Tis a lucky thing
+that between us all the Dragon is gone, for
+there&#8217;s still enough of my Burgundy to last us
+till midnight. Come, friends, come in, for everything
+waits your pleasure!&#8221;</p>
+
+
+<div class="endframe"><a name="envoi" id="envoi"></a>
+<p style="padding-top: 4em; text-indent: 0em; padding-left: 7.5em">Reader, if thou hast found thy Way thus far,<br />
+Sure then I&#8217;ve writ beneath a lucky Star;<br />
+And Nothing so becomes all Journeys&#8217; Ends<br />
+As that the Travellers should part as Friends.<br />
+</p>
+</div>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Dragon of Wantley, by Owen Wister
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+</pre>
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+</body>
+</html>
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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Dragon of Wantley, by Owen Wister
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Dragon of Wantley
+       His Tale
+
+Author: Owen Wister
+
+Illustrator: John Stewardson
+
+Release Date: August 28, 2008 [EBook #26448]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE DRAGON OF WANTLEY ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Irma Spehar and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was
+produced from images generously made available by The
+Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+                              THE DRAGON
+                                  OF
+                                WANTLEY
+
+                               HIS TALE
+
+                           _By_ Owen Wister
+
+                  _Illustrations by John Stewardson_
+
+                            SECOND EDITION
+
+                             Philadelphia
+                        J.B.LIPPINCOTT COMPANY
+                                 1895
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: .COPYRIGHT.1892.
+
+.BY.J.B.LIPPINCOTT.COMPANY.
+
+PRINTED.BY.J.B.LIPPINCOTT.COMPANY
+
+.PHILADELPHIA.USA.]
+
+
+
+
+                                  TO
+                    MY ANCIENT PLAYMATES IN APPIAN
+                       WAY CAMBRIDGE THIS LIKELY
+                    STORY IS DEDICATED FOR REASONS
+                       BEST KNOWN TO THEMSELVES
+
+
+
+
+                                Preface
+
+
+    When Betsinda held the Rose
+        And the Ring decked Giglio's finger
+        Thackeray! 'twas sport to linger
+    With thy wise, gay-hearted prose.
+    Books were merry, goodness knows!
+    When Betsinda held the Rose.
+
+    Who but foggy drudglings doze
+        While Rob Gilpin toasts thy witches,
+        While the Ghost waylays thy breeches,
+    Ingoldsby? Such tales as those
+    Exorcised our peevish woes
+    When Betsinda held the Rose.
+
+    Realism, thou specious pose!
+        Haply it is good we met thee;
+        But, passed by, we'll scarce regret thee;
+    For we love the light that glows
+    Where Queen Fancy's pageant goes,
+    And Betsinda holds the Rose.
+
+    Shall we dare it? Then let's close
+        Doors to-night on things statistic,
+        Seek the hearth in circle mystic,
+    Till the conjured fire-light shows
+    Where Youth's bubbling Fountain flows,
+    And Betsinda holds the Rose.
+
+
+
+
+                     PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION
+
+
+We two--the author and his illustrator--did not know what we had done
+until the newspapers told us. But the press has explained it in the
+following poised and consistent criticism:
+
+    "Too many suggestions of profanity."
+          --_Congregationalist_, Boston, 8 Dec. '92.
+
+    "It ought to be the delight of the nursery."
+          --_National Tribune_, Washington, 22 Dec. '92.
+
+    "Grotesque and horrible."
+          --_Zion's Herald_, Boston, 21 Dec. '92.
+
+    "Some excellent moral lessons."
+          --_Citizen_, Brooklyn, 27 Nov. '92.
+
+    "If it has any lesson to teach, we have been unable to find
+    it."
+          --_Independent_, New York, 10 Nov. '92.
+
+    "The story is a familiar one."
+          --_Detroit Free Press_, 28 Nov. '92.
+
+    "Refreshingly novel."
+          --_Cincinnati Commercial Gazette_, 17 Dec. '92.
+
+    "It is a burlesque."
+          --_Atlantic Monthly_, Dec. '92.
+
+    "All those who love lessons drawn from life will enjoy this
+    book."
+          --_Christian Advocate_, Cincinnati, 2 Nov. '92.
+
+    "The style of this production is difficult to define."
+          --_Court Journal_, London, 26 Nov. '92.
+
+    "One wonders why writer and artist should put so much
+    labor on a production which seems to have so little reason
+    for existence."
+          --_Herald and Presbyterian_, Cincinnati.
+
+Now the public knows exactly what sort of book this is, and we cannot
+be held responsible.
+
+
+
+
+                           TABLE OF CONTENTS
+
+
+                              CHAPTER I.
+                                                                  PAGE
+How Sir Godfrey came to lose his Temper                            19
+
+                              CHAPTER II.
+How his Daughter, Miss Elaine, behaved herself in Consequence      35
+
+                             CHAPTER III.
+Reveals the Dragon in his Den                                      52
+
+                              CHAPTER IV.
+Tells you more about Him than was ever told before to Anybody      62
+
+                              CHAPTER V.
+In which the Hero makes his First Appearance and is Locked Up
+immediately                                                        77
+
+                              CHAPTER VI.
+In which Miss Elaine loses her Heart, and finds Something of the
+Greatest Importance                                                91
+
+                             CHAPTER VII.
+Shows what Curious Things you may see, if you don't go to Bed
+when you are sent                                                 113
+
+                             CHAPTER VIII.
+Contains a Dilemma with two simply egregious Horns                136
+
+                              CHAPTER IX.
+Leaves much Room for guessing about Chapter Ten                   168
+
+                              CHAPTER X.
+The great White Christmas at Wantley                              187
+
+
+
+
+                         LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+
+                                                                  Page
+
+Ornamented title                                                    3
+Copyright notice                                                    4
+Head-piece--Preface                                                 7
+Head-piece--Preface to the Second Edition                           9
+Head-piece--Table of Contents                                      11
+Head-piece--List of Illustrations                                  13
+Half-title to Chapter I                                            17
+Head-piece to Chapter I                                            19
+Popham awaiteth the Result with Dignity                            27
+The Baron pursueth Whelpdale into the Buttery                      32
+Tail-piece to Chapter I                                            33
+Half-title to Chapter II                                           34
+Head-piece to Chapter II                                           35
+Sir Godfrey maketh him ready for the Bath                          39
+Sir Godfrey getteth into his Bath                                  41
+Mistletoe consulteth the Cooking Book                              43
+Elaine maketh an unexpected Remark                                 49
+Half-title to Chapter III                                          51
+Head-piece to Chapter III                                          52
+Hubert sweepeth the Steps                                          55
+Half-title to Chapter IV                                           61
+Head-piece to Chapter IV                                           62
+Hubert looketh out of the Window                                   69
+Tail-piece to Chapter IV                                           75
+Half-title to Chapter V                                            76
+Head-piece to Chapter V                                            77
+Geoffrey replieth with deplorable Flippancy to Father Anselm       84
+Tail-piece to Chapter V                                            89
+Half-title to Chapter VI                                           90
+Head-piece to Chapter VI                                           91
+The Baron setteth forth his Plan for circumventing the Dragon      96
+Geoffrey tuggeth at the Bars                                      101
+Tail-piece to Chapter VI                                          111
+Half-title to Chapter VII                                         112
+Head-piece to Chapter VII                                         113
+Elaine cometh into the Cellar                                     120
+Geoffrey goeth to meet the Dragon                                 128
+Half-title to Chapter VIII                                        135
+Head-piece to Chapter VIII                                        136
+The Dragon thinketh to slake his Thirst                           142
+The Dragon perceiveth Himself to be Entrapped                     148
+A Noise in the Cellar                                        155, 156
+Half-title to Chapter IX                                          167
+Head-piece to Chapter IX                                          168
+Sir Francis decideth to go down again                             176
+Brother Hubert goeth back to Oyster-le-Main for the last Time     181
+Tail-piece to Chapter IX                                          185
+Half-title to Chapter X                                           186
+Head-piece to Chapter X                                           187
+Sir Thomas de Brie hastens to accept the Baron's polite
+  Invitation                                                      192
+The Court-yard                                                    198
+The Dragon maketh his last Appearance                             203
+L'Envoi                                                           208
+
+[Illustration: QUI NE SAULTE SAULTE SERA]
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER I
+
+               How _Sir Godfrey_ came to lose his Temper
+
+[Illustration: THE BVTLER HIS BOY GODFREY DISSEISIN]
+
+
+There was something wrong in the cellar at Wantley Manor. Little
+Whelpdale knew it, for he was Buttons, and Buttons always knows what
+is being done with the wine, though he may look as if he did not. And
+old Popham knew it, too. He was Butler, and responsible to Sir Godfrey
+for all the brandy, and ale, and cider, and mead, and canary, and
+other strong waters there were in the house.
+
+Now, Sir Godfrey Disseisin, fourth Baron of Wantley, and immediate
+tenant by knight-service to His Majesty King John of England, was
+particular about his dogs, and particular about his horses, and about
+his only daughter and his boy Roland, and had been very particular
+indeed about his wife, who, I am sorry to say, did not live long. But
+all this was nothing to the fuss he made about his wine. When the
+claret was not warm enough, or the Moselle wine was not cool enough,
+you could hear him roaring all over the house; for, though generous in
+heart and a staunch Churchman, he was immoderately choleric. Very
+often, when Sir Godfrey fell into one of his rages at dinner, old
+Popham, standing behind his chair, trembled so violently that his
+calves would shake loose, thus obliging him to hasten behind the tall
+leathern screen at the head of the banquet-hall and readjust them.
+
+Twice in each year the Baron sailed over to France, where he visited
+the wine-merchants, and tasted samples of all new vintages,--though
+they frequently gave him unmentionable aches. Then, when he was
+satisfied that he had selected the soundest and richest, he returned
+to Wantley Manor, bringing home wooden casks that were as big as
+hay-stacks, and so full they could not gurgle when you tipped them.
+Upon arriving, he sent for Mrs. Mistletoe, the family governess and
+(for economy's sake) housekeeper, who knew how to write,--something
+the Baron's father and mother had never taught him when he was a
+little boy, because they didn't know how themselves, and despised
+people who did,--and when Mrs. Mistletoe had cut neat pieces of
+card-board for labels and got ready her goose-quill, Sir Godfrey would
+say, "Write, Chateau Lafitte, 1187;" or, "Write, Chambertin, 1203."
+(Those, you know, were the names and dates of the vintages.) "Yes, my
+lord," Mistletoe always piped up; on which Sir Godfrey would peer over
+her shoulder at the writing, and mutter, "Hum; yes, that's correct,"
+just as if he knew how to read, the old humbug! Then Mistletoe, who
+was a silly girl and had lost her husband early, would go "Tee-hee,
+Sir Godfrey!" as the gallant gentleman gave her a kiss. Of course,
+this was not just what he should have done; but he was a widower, you
+must remember, and besides that, as the years went on this little
+ceremony ceased to be kept up. When it was "Chateau Lafitte, 1187,"
+kissing Mistletoe was one thing; but when it came to "Chambertin,
+1203," the lady weighed two hundred and twenty-five pounds, and wore a
+wig.
+
+But, wig and all, Mistletoe had a high position in Wantley Manor. The
+household was conducted on strictly feudal principles. Nobody, except
+the members of the family, received higher consideration than did the
+old Governess. She and the Chaplain were on a level, socially, and
+they sat at the same table with the Baron. That drew the line. Old
+Popham the Butler might tell little Whelpdale as often as he pleased
+that he was just as good as Mistletoe; but he had to pour out
+Mistletoe's wine for her, notwithstanding. If she scolded him (which
+she always did if Sir Godfrey had been scolding her), do you suppose
+he dared to answer back? Gracious, no! He merely kicked the two
+head-footmen, Meeson and Welsby, and spoke severely to the nine
+house-maids. Meeson and Welsby then made life a painful thing for the
+five under-footmen and the grooms, while the nine house-maids boxed
+the ears of Whelpdale the Buttons, and Whelpdale the Buttons punched
+the scullion's eye. As for the scullion, he was bottom of the list;
+but he could always relieve his feelings by secretly pulling the tails
+of Sir Godfrey's two tame ravens, whose names were Croak James and
+Croak Elizabeth. I never knew what these birds did at that; but
+something, you may be sure. So you see that I was right when I said
+the household was conducted on strictly feudal principles. The Cook
+had a special jurisdiction of her own, and everybody was more or less
+afraid of her.
+
+Whenever Sir Godfrey had come home with new wine, and after the labels
+had been pasted on the casks, then Popham, with Whelpdale beside him,
+had these carefully set down in the cellar, which was a vast dim room,
+the ceilings supported by heavy arches; the barrels, bins, kegs,
+hogsheads, tuns, and demijohns of every size and shape standing like
+forests and piled to the ceiling. And now something was wrong there.
+
+"This 'ere's a hawful succumstence, sir," observed Whelpdale the
+Buttons to his superior, respectfully.
+
+"It is, indeed, a himbroglio," replied Popham, who had a wide command
+of words, and knew it.
+
+Neither domestic spoke again for some time. They were seated in the
+buttery. The Butler crossed his right leg over his left, and waved
+the suspended foot up and down,--something he seldom did unless very
+grievously perturbed. As for poor little Whelpdale, he mopped his brow
+with the napkins that were in a basket waiting for the wash.
+
+Then the bell rang.
+
+"His ludship's study-bell," said Popham. "Don't keep him waiting."
+
+"Hadn't you better apprise his ludship of the facks?" asked Whelpdale,
+in a weak voice.
+
+Popham made no reply. He arose and briefly kicked Buttons out of the
+buttery. Then he mounted a chair to listen better. "He has hentered
+his ludship's apawtment," he remarked, hearing the sound of voices
+come faintly down the little private staircase that led from Sir
+Godfrey's study to the buttery: the Baron was in the habit of coming
+down at night for crackers and cheese before he went to bed. Presently
+one voice grew much louder than the other. It questioned. There came a
+sort of whining in answer. Then came a terrific stamp on the ceiling
+and a loud "Go on, sir!"
+
+"Now, now, now!" thought Popham.
+
+Do you want to hear at once, without waiting any longer, what little
+Whelpdale is telling Sir Godfrey? Well, you must know that for the
+past thirteen years, ever since 1190, the neighbourhood had been
+scourged by a terrible Dragon. The monster was covered with scales,
+and had a long tail and huge unnatural wings, beside fearful jaws that
+poured out smoke and flame whenever they opened. He always came at
+dead of night, roaring, bellowing, and sparkling and flaming over the
+hills, and horrid claps of thunder were very likely to attend his
+progress. Concerning the nature and quality of his roaring, the honest
+copyholders of Wantley could never agree, although every human being
+had heard him hundreds of times. Some said it was like a mad bull,
+only much louder and worse. Old Gaffer Piers the ploughman swore that
+if his tomcat weighed a thousand pounds it would make a noise almost
+as bad as that on summer nights, with the moon at the full and other
+cats handy. But farmer Stiles said, "Nay, 'tis like none of your bulls
+nor cats. But when I have come home too near the next morning, my
+wife can make me think of this Dragon as soon as ever her mouth be
+open."
+
+[Illustration: Popham awaiteth the Result with Dignity]
+
+This shows you that there were divers opinions. If you were not afraid
+to look out of the window about midnight, you could see the sky begin
+to look red in the quarter from which he was approaching, just as it
+glares when some distant house is on fire. But you must shut the
+window and hide before he came over the hill; for very few that had
+looked upon the Dragon ever lived to that day twelvemonth. This
+monster devoured the substance of the tenantry and yeomen. When their
+fields of grain were golden for the harvest, in a single night he cut
+them down and left their acres blasted by his deadly fire. He ate the
+cows, the sheep, the poultry, and at times even sucked eggs. Many
+pious saints had visited the district, but not one had been able by
+his virtue to expel the Dragon; and the farmers and country folk used
+to repeat a legend that said the Dragon was a punishment for the great
+wickedness of the Baron's ancestor, the original Sir Godfrey
+Disseisin, who, when summoned on the first Crusade to Palestine, had
+entirely refused to go and help his cousin Godfrey de Bouillon wrest
+the Holy Sepulchre from the Paynim. The Baron's ancestor, when a stout
+young lad, had come over with William the Conqueror; and you must know
+that to have an ancestor who had come over with William the Conqueror
+was in those old days a much rarer thing than it is now, and any one
+who could boast of it was held in high esteem by his neighbours, who
+asked him to dinner and left their cards upon him continually. But the
+first Sir Godfrey thought one conquest was enough for any man; and in
+reply to his cousin's invitation to try a second, answered in his
+blunt Norman French, "Nul tiel verte dedans ceot oyle," which
+displeased the Church, and ended forever all relations between the
+families. The Dragon did not come at once, for this gentleman's son,
+the grandfather of our Sir Godfrey, as soon as he was twenty-one, went
+off to the Holy Land himself, fought very valiantly, and was killed,
+leaving behind him at Wantley an inconsolable little wife and an heir
+six months old. This somewhat appeased the Pope; but the present Sir
+Godfrey, when asked to accompany King Richard Lion Heart on his
+campaign against the Infidel, did not avail himself of the opportunity
+to set the family right in the matter of Crusades. This hereditary
+impiety, which the Pope did not consider at all mended by the Baron's
+most regular attendance at the parish church on all Sundays, feast
+days, fast days, high days, low days, saints' days, vigils, and
+octaves, nor by his paying his tithes punctually to Father Anselm,
+Abbot of Oyster-le-Main (a wonderful person, of whom I shall have a
+great deal to tell you presently), this impiety, I say, finished the
+good standing of the House of Wantley. Rome frowned, the earth
+trembled, and the Dragon came. And (the legend went on to say) this
+curse would not be removed until a female lineal descendant of the
+first Sir Godfrey, a young lady who had never been married, and had
+never loved anybody except her father and mother and her sisters and
+brothers, should go out in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve,
+all by herself, and encounter the Dragon single handed.
+
+Now, of course, this is not what little Whelpdale is trying to tell
+the Baron up in the study; for everybody in Wantley knew all about the
+legend except one person, and that was Miss Elaine, Sir Godfrey's only
+daughter, eighteen years old at the last Court of Piepoudre, when her
+father (after paying all the farmers for all the cows and sheep they
+told him had been eaten by the Dragon since the last Court) had made
+his customary proclamation, to wit: his good-will and protection to
+all his tenantry; and if any man, woman, child, or other person,
+caused his daughter, Miss Elaine, to hear anything about the legend,
+such tale-bearer should be chained to a tree, and kept fat until the
+Dragon found him and ate him. So everybody obligingly kept the Baron's
+secret.
+
+Sir Godfrey is just this day returned from France with some famous
+tuns of wine, and presents for Elaine and Mrs. Mistletoe. His humour
+is (or was, till Whelpdale, poor wretch! answered the bell) of the
+best possible. And now, this moment, he is being told by the luckless
+Buttons that the Dragon of Wantley has taken to drinking, as well as
+eating, what does not belong to him; has for the last three nights
+burst the big gates of the wine-cellar that open on the hillside the
+Manor stands upon; that a hogshead of the Baron's best Burgundy is
+going; and that two hogsheads of his choicest Malvoisie are gone!
+
+One hundred and twenty-eight gallons in three nights' work! But I
+suppose a fire-breathing Dragon must be very thirsty.
+
+There was a dead silence in the study overhead, and old Popham's
+calves were shaking loose as he waited.
+
+"And so you stood by and let this black, sneaking, prowling, thieving"
+(here the Baron used some shocking expressions which I shall not set
+down) "Dragon swill my wine?"
+
+"St--st--stood by, your ludship?" said little Whelpdale. "No, sir; no
+one didn't do any standing by, sir. He roared that terrible, sir, we
+was all under the bed."
+
+"Now, by my coat of mail and great right leg!" shouted Sir Godfrey.
+The quaking Popham heard no more. The door of the private staircase
+flew open with a loud noise, and down came little Whelpdale head over
+heels into the buttery. After him strode Sir Godfrey in full mail
+armour, clashing his steel fists against the banisters. The nose-piece
+of his helmet was pushed up to allow him to speak plainly,--and most
+plainly did he speak, I can assure you, all the way down stairs,
+keeping his right eye glaring upon Popham in one corner of the
+buttery, and at the same time petrifying Whelpdale with his left. From
+father to son, the Disseisins had always been famous for the manner in
+which they could straddle their eyes; and in Sir Godfrey the family
+trait was very strongly marked.
+
+[Illustration: The Baron pursueth Whelpdale into the Buttery]
+
+Arrived at the bottom, he stopped for a moment to throw a ham through
+the stained-glass window, and then made straight for Popham. But the
+head Butler was an old family servant, and had learned to know his
+place.
+
+With surprising agility he hopped on a table, so that Sir Godfrey's
+foot flew past its destined goal and caught a shelf that was loaded
+with a good deal of his wedding china. The Baron was far too dignified
+a person to take any notice of this mishap, and he simply strode on,
+out of the buttery, and so through the halls of the Manor, where all
+who caught even the most distant sight of his coming, promptly
+withdrew into the privacy of their apartments.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER II
+
+         How his Daughter, Miss Elaine, behaued in Consequence
+
+[Illustration: ELAINE MISTLETOE]
+
+
+The Baron walked on, his rage mounting as he went, till presently he
+began talking aloud to himself. "Mort d'aieul and Cosenage!" he
+muttered, grinding his teeth over these oaths; "matters have come to a
+pretty pass, per my and per tout! And this is what my wine-bibbing
+ancestor has brought on his posterity by his omission to fight for the
+True Faith!"
+
+Sir Godfrey knew the outrageous injustice of this remark as well as
+you or I do; and so did the portrait of his ancestor, which he
+happened to be passing under, for the red nose in the tapestry turned
+a deeper ruby in scornful anger. But, luckily for the nerves of its
+descendant, the moths had eaten its mouth away so entirely, that the
+retort it attempted to make sounded only like a faint hiss, which the
+Baron mistook for a little gust of wind behind the arras.
+
+"My ruddy Burgundy!" he groaned, "going, going! and my rich, fruity
+Malvoisie,--all gone! Father Anselm didn't appreciate it, either, that
+night he dined here last September. He said I had put egg-shells in
+it. Egg-shells! Pooh! As if any parson could talk about wine. These
+Church folk had better mind their business, and say grace, and eat
+their dinner, and be thankful. That's what I say. Egg-shells,
+forsooth!" The Baron was passing through the chapel, and he
+mechanically removed his helmet; but he did not catch sight of the
+glittering eye of Father Anselm himself, who had stepped quickly into
+the confessional, and there in the dark watched Sir Godfrey with a
+strange, mocking smile. When he had the chapel to himself again, the
+tall gray figure of the Abbot appeared in full view, and craftily
+moved across the place. If you had been close beside him, and had
+listened hard, you could have heard a faint clank and jingle beneath
+his gown as he moved, which would have struck you as not the sort of
+noise a hair-shirt ought to make. But I am glad you were not there;
+for I do not like the way the Abbot looked at all, especially so near
+Christmas-tide, when almost every one somehow looks kinder as he goes
+about in the world. Father Anselm moved out of the chapel, and passed
+through lonely corridors out of Wantley Manor, out of the court-yard,
+and so took his way to Oyster-le-Main in the gathering dusk. The few
+people who met him received his blessing, and asked no questions; for
+they were all serfs of the glebe, and well used to meeting the Abbot
+going and coming near Wantley Manor.
+
+Meanwhile, Sir Godfrey paced along. "To think," he continued, aloud,
+"to think the country could be rid of this monster, this guzzling
+serpent, in a few days! Plenty would reign again. Public peace of mind
+would be restored. The cattle would increase, the crops would grow, my
+rents treble, and my wines be drunk no more by a miserable,
+ignorant--but, no! I'm her father. Elaine shall never be permitted to
+sacrifice herself for one dragon, or twenty dragons, either."
+
+"Why, what's the matter, papa?"
+
+Sir Godfrey started. There was Miss Elaine in front of him; and she
+had put on one of the new French gowns he had brought over with him.
+
+"Matter? Plenty of matter!" he began, unluckily. "At least, nothing is
+the matter at all, my dear. What a question! Am I not back all safe
+from the sea? Nothing is the matter, of course! Hasn't your old father
+been away from you two whole months? And weren't those pretty dresses
+he has carried back with him for his little girl? And isn't the
+wine--Zounds, no, the wine isn't--at least, certainly it is--to be
+sure it's what it ought to be--_what_ it ought to be? Yes! But, Mort
+d'aieul! not _where_ it ought to be! Hum! hum! I think I am going
+mad!" And Sir Godfrey, forgetting he held the helmet all this while,
+dashed his hands to his head with such violence that the steel edge
+struck hard above the ear, and in one minute had raised a lump there
+as large as the egg of a fowl.
+
+"Poor, poor papa," said Miss Elaine. And she ran and fetched some cold
+water, and, dipping her dainty lace handkerchief into it, she bathed
+the Baron's head.
+
+"Thank you, my child," he murmured, presently. "Of course, nothing is
+the matter. They were very slow in putting the new" (here he gave a
+gulp) "casks of wine into the cellar; that's all. 'Twill soon be
+dinner-time. I must make me ready."
+
+And so saying, the Baron kissed his daughter and strode away towards
+his dressing-room. But she heard him shout "Mort d'aieul!" more than
+once before he was out of hearing. Then his dressing-room door shut
+with a bang, and sent echoes all along the entries above and below.
+
+[Illustration: Sir Godfrey maketh him ready for the Bath]
+
+The December night was coming down, and a little twinkling lamp hung
+at the end of the passage. Towards this Miss Elaine musingly turned
+her steps, still squeezing her now nearly dry handkerchief.
+
+"What did he mean?" she said to herself.
+
+"Elaine!" shouted Sir Godfrey, away off round a corner.
+
+"Yes, papa, I'm coming."
+
+"Don't come. I'm going to the bath. A--did you hear me say anything
+particular?"
+
+"Do you mean when I met you?" answered Elaine. "Yes--no--that is,--not
+exactly, papa."
+
+"Then don't dare to ask me any questions, for I won't have it." And
+another door slammed.
+
+"What did papa mean?" said Miss Elaine, once more.
+
+Her bright brown eyes were looking at the floor as she walked slowly
+on towards the light, and her lips, which had been a little open so
+that you could have seen what dainty teeth she had, shut quite close.
+In fact, she was thinking, which was something you could seldom accuse
+her of. I do not know exactly what her thoughts were, except that the
+words "dragon" and "sacrifice" kept bumping against each other in
+them continually; and whenever they bumped, Miss Elaine frowned a
+little deeper, till she really looked almost solemn. In this way she
+came under the hanging lamp and entered the door in front of which it
+shone.
+
+[Illustration: SIR GODFREY getteth in to hys Bath]
+
+This was the ladies' library, full of the most touching romances about
+Roland, and Walter of Aquitaine, and Sir Tristram, and a great number
+of other excitable young fellows, whose behaviour had invariably got
+them into dreadful difficulties, but had as invariably made them, in
+the eyes of every damsel they saw, the most attractive, fascinating,
+sweet, dear creatures in the world. Nobody ever read any of these
+books except Mrs. Mistletoe and the family Chaplain. These two were,
+indeed, the only people in the household that knew how to read,--which
+may account for it in some measure. It was here that Miss Elaine came
+in while she was thinking so hard, and found old Mistletoe huddled to
+the fire. She had been secretly reading the first chapters of a new
+and pungent French romance, called "Roger and Angelica," that was
+being published in a Paris and a London magazine simultaneously. Only
+thus could the talented French author secure payment for his books in
+England; for King John, who had recently murdered his little nephew
+Arthur, had now turned his attention to obstructing all arrangements
+for an international copyright. In many respects, this monarch was no
+credit to his family.
+
+[Illustration: MISTLETOE; CONSVLTETH YE COOKYNGE BOOKE]
+
+When the Governess heard Miss Elaine open the door behind her, she
+thought it was the family Chaplain, and, quickly throwing the shocking
+story on the floor, she opened the household cookery-book,--an
+enormous volume many feet square, suspended from the ceiling by strong
+chains, and containing several thousand receipts for English, French,
+Italian, Croatian, Dalmatian, and Acarnanian dishes, beginning with a
+poem in blank verse written to his confectioner by the Emperor Charles
+the Fat. German cooking was omitted.
+
+"I'm looking up a new plum-pudding for Christmas," said Mistletoe,
+nervously, keeping her virtuous eyes on the volume.
+
+"Ah, indeed!" Miss Elaine answered, indifferently. She was thinking
+harder than ever,--was, in fact, inventing a little plan.
+
+"Oh, so it's you, deary!" cried the Governess, much relieved. She had
+feared the Chaplain might pick up the guilty magazine and find its
+pages cut only at the place where the French story was. And I am
+grieved to have to tell you that this is just what he did do later in
+the evening, and sat down in his private room and read about Roger and
+Angelica himself.
+
+"Here's a good one," said Mistletoe. "Number 39, in the Appendix to
+Part Fourth. Chop two pounds of leeks and----"
+
+"But I may not be here to taste it," said Elaine.
+
+"Bless the child!" said Mistletoe. "And where else would you be on
+Christmas-day but in your own house?"
+
+"Perhaps far away. Who knows?"
+
+"You haven't gone and seen a young man and told him----"
+
+"A young man, indeed!" said Elaine, with a toss of her head. "There's
+not a young man in England I would tell anything save to go about his
+business."
+
+Miss Elaine had never seen any young men except when they came to dine
+on Sir Godfrey's invitation; and his manner on those occasions so awed
+them that they always sat on the edge of their chairs, and said, "No,
+thank you," when the Baron said, "Have some more capon?" Then the
+Baron would snort, "Nonsense! Popham, bring me Master Percival's
+plate," upon which Master Percival invariably simpered, and said that
+really he did believe he _would_ take another slice. After these
+dinners, Miss Elaine retired to her own part of the house; and that
+was all she ever saw of young men, whom she very naturally deemed a
+class to be despised as silly and wholly lacking in self-assertion.
+
+"Then where in the name of good saints are you going to be?" Mistletoe
+went on.
+
+"Why," said Elaine, slowly (and here she looked very slyly at the old
+Governess, and then quickly appeared to be considering the lace on her
+dress), "why, of course, papa would not permit me to sacrifice myself
+for one dragon or twenty dragons."
+
+"What!" screamed Mistletoe, all in a flurry (for she was a fool).
+"What?"
+
+"Of course, I know papa would say that," said Miss Elaine, demure as
+possible.
+
+"Oh, mercy me!" squeaked Mistletoe; "we are undone!"
+
+"To be sure, I might agree with papa," said the artful thing, knowing
+well enough she was on the right track.
+
+"Oo--oo!" went the Governess, burying her nose in the household
+cookery-book and rocking from side to side.
+
+"But then I might not agree with papa, you know. I might think,--might
+think----" Miss Elaine stopped at what she might think, for really she
+hadn't the slightest idea what to say next.
+
+"You have no right to think,--no right at all!" burst out Mistletoe.
+"And you sha'n't be allowed to think. I'll tell Sir Godfrey at once,
+and he'll forbid you. Oh, dear! oh, dear! just before Christmas Eve,
+too! The only night in the year! She has no time to change her mind;
+and she'll be eaten up if she goes, I know she will. What villain told
+you of this, child? Let me know, and he shall be punished at once."
+
+"I shall not tell you that," said Elaine.
+
+"Then everybody will be suspected," moaned Mistletoe. "Everybody. The
+whole household. And we shall all be thrown to the Dragon. Oh, dear!
+was there ever such a state of things?" The Governess betook herself
+to weeping and wringing her hands, and Elaine stood watching her and
+wondering how in the world she could find out more. She knew now just
+enough to keep her from eating or sleeping until she knew everything.
+
+"I don't agree with papa, at all," she said, during a lull in the
+tears. This was the only remark she could think of.
+
+"He'll lock you up, and feed you on bread and water till you
+do--oo--oo!" sobbed Mistletoe; "and by that time we shall all be
+ea--ea--eaten up!"
+
+"But I'll talk to papa, and make him change his mind."
+
+"He won't. Do you think you're going to make him care more about a lot
+of sheep and cows than he does about his only daughter? Doesn't he pay
+the people for everything the Dragon eats up? Who would pay him for
+you, when you were eaten up?"
+
+"How do you know that I should be eaten up?" asked Miss Elaine.
+
+"Oh, dear! oh, dear! and how could you stop it? What could a girl do
+alone against a dragon in the middle of the night?"
+
+"But on Christmas Eve?" suggested the young lady. "There might be
+something different about that. He might feel better, you know, on
+Christmas Eve."
+
+"Do you suppose a wicked, ravenous dragon with a heathen tail is going
+to care whether it is Christmas Eve or not? He'd have you for his
+Christmas dinner, and that's all the notice he would take of the day.
+And then perhaps he wouldn't leave the country, after all. How can you
+be sure he would go away, just because that odious, vulgar legend says
+so? Who would rely on a dragon? And so there you would be gone, and he
+would be here, and everything!"
+
+Mistletoe's tears flowed afresh; but you see she had said all that
+Miss Elaine was so curious to know about, and the fatal secret was
+out.
+
+[Illustration: ELAINE MAKETH AN VNEXPECTED REMARK]
+
+The Quarter-Bell rang for dinner, and both the women hastened to
+their rooms to make ready; Mistletoe still boo-hooing and snuffling,
+and declaring that she had always said some wretched, abominable
+villain would tell her child about that horrid, ridiculous legend,
+that was a perfect falsehood, as anybody could see, and very likely
+invented by the Dragon himself, because no human being with any
+feelings at all would think of such a cruel, absurd idea; and if they
+ever did, they deserved to be eaten themselves; and she would not have
+it.
+
+She said a great deal more that Elaine, in the next room, could not
+hear (though the door was open between), because the Governess put her
+fat old face under the cold water in the basin, and, though she went
+on talking just the same, it only produced an angry sort of bubbling,
+which conveyed very little notion of what she meant.
+
+So they descended the stairway, Miss Elaine walking first, very
+straight and solemn; and that was the way she marched into the
+banquet-hall, where Sir Godfrey waited.
+
+"Papa," said she, "I think I'll meet the Dragon on Christmas Eve!"
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER III
+
+                    Reueals the _Dragon_ in his Den
+
+[Illustration: BROTHER HUBERT]
+
+
+Around the sullen towers of Oyster-le-Main the snow was falling
+steadily. It was slowly banking up in the deep sills of the windows,
+and Hubert the Sacristan had given up sweeping the steps. Patches of
+it, that had collected on the top of the great bell as the slanting
+draughts blew it in through the belfry-window, slid down from time to
+time among the birds which had nestled for shelter in the beams below.
+From the heavy main outer-gates, the country spread in a white
+unbroken sheet to the woods. Twice, perhaps, through the morning had
+wayfarers toiled by along the nearly-obliterated high-road.
+
+"Good luck to the holy men!" each had said to himself as he looked at
+the chill and austere walls of the Monastery. "Good luck! and I hope
+that within there they be warmer than I am." Then I think it very
+likely that as he walked on, blowing the fingers of the hand that held
+his staff, he thought of his fireside and his wife, and blessed
+Providence for not making him pious enough to be a monk and a
+bachelor.
+
+This is what was doing in the world outside. Now inside the stone
+walls of Oyster-le-Main, whose grim solidity spoke of narrow cells and
+of pious knees continually bent in prayer, not a monk paced the
+corridors, and not a step could be heard above or below in the
+staircase that wound up through the round towers. Silence was
+everywhere, save that from a remote quarter of the Monastery came a
+faint sound of music. Upon such a time as Christmas Eve, it might well
+be that carols in plenty would be sung or studied by the saintly men.
+But this sounded like no carol. At times the humming murmur of the
+storm drowned the measure, whatever it was, and again it came along
+the dark, cold entries, clearer than before. Away in a long vaulted
+room, whose only approach was a passage in the thickness of the walls,
+safe from the intrusion of the curious, a company is sitting round a
+cavernous chimney, where roars and crackles a great blazing heap of
+logs. Surely, for a monkish song, their melody is most odd; yet monks
+they are, for all are clothed in gray, like Father Anselm, and a rope
+round the waist of each. But what can possibly be in that huge silver
+rundlet into which they plunge their goblets so often? The song grows
+louder than ever.
+
+    We are the monks of Oyster-le-Main,
+    Hooded and gowned as fools may see;
+    Hooded and gowned though we monks be,
+    Is that a reason we should abstain
+    From cups of the gamesome Burgundie?
+
+    Though our garments make it plain
+    That we are Monks of Oyster-le-Main,
+    That is no reason we should abstain
+    From cups of the gamesome Burgundie.
+
+"I'm sweating hot," says one. "How for disrobing, brothers? No danger
+on such a day as this, foul luck to the snow!"
+
+Which you see was coarse and vulgar language for any one to be heard
+to use, and particularly so for a godly celibate. But the words were
+scarce said, when off fly those monks' hoods, and the waist-ropes
+rattle as they fall on the floor, and the gray gowns drop down and are
+kicked away.
+
+Every man jack of them is in black armour, with a long sword buckled
+to his side.
+
+"Long cheer to the Guild of Go-as-you-Please!" they shouted, hoarsely,
+and dashed their drinking-horns on the board. Then filled them again.
+
+"Give us a song, Hubert," said one. "The day's a dull one out in the
+world."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"Wait a while," replied Hubert, whose nose was hidden in his cup;
+"this new Wantley tipple is a vastly comfortable brew. What d'ye call
+the stuff?"
+
+"Malvoisie, thou oaf?" said another; "and of a delicacy many degrees
+above thy bumpkin palate. Leave profaning it, therefore, and to thy
+refrain without more ado."
+
+"Most unctuous sir," replied Hubert, "in demanding me this favour, you
+seem forgetful that the juice of Pleasure is sweeter than the milk of
+Human Kindness. I'll not sing to give thee an opportunity to outnumber
+me in thy cups."
+
+And he filled and instantly emptied another sound bumper of the
+Malvoisie, lurching slightly as he did so. "Health!" he added,
+preparing to swallow the next.
+
+"A murrain on such pagan thirst!" exclaimed he who had been toasted,
+snatching the cup away. "Art thou altogether unslakable? Is thy belly
+a lime-kiln? Nay, shalt taste not a single drop more, Hubert, till we
+have a stave. Come, tune up, man!"
+
+"Give me but leave to hold the empty vessel, then," the singer
+pleaded, falling on one knee in mock supplication.
+
+"Accorded, thou sot!" laughed the other. "Carol away, now!"
+
+They fell into silence, each replenishing his drinking-horn. The snow
+beat soft against the window, and from outside, far above them,
+sounded the melancholy note of the bell ringing in the hour for
+meditation.
+
+So Hubert began:
+
+    When the sable veil of night
+      Over hill and glen is spread,
+    The yeoman bolts his door in fright,
+      And he quakes within his bed.
+    Far away on his ear
+      There strikes a sound of dread:
+    Something comes! it is here!
+      It is passed with awful tread.
+    There's a flash of unholy flame;
+      There is smoke hangs hot in the air:
+    'Twas the Dragon of Wantley came:
+      Beware of him, beware!
+
+          But we beside the fire
+            Sit close to the steaming bowl;
+          We pile the logs up higher,
+            And loud our voices roll.
+
+    When the yeoman wakes at dawn
+      To begin his round of toil,
+    His garner's bare, his sheep are gone,
+      And the Dragon holds the spoil.
+    All day long through the earth
+      That yeoman makes his moan;
+    All day long there is mirth
+      Behind these walls of stone.
+    For we are the Lords of Ease,
+      The gaolers of carking Care,
+    The Guild of Go-as-you-Please!
+      Beware of us, beware!
+
+          So we beside the fire
+            Sit down to the steaming bowl;
+          We pile the logs up higher,
+            And loud our voices roll.
+
+The roar of twenty lusty throats and the clatter of cups banging on
+the table rendered the words of the chorus entirely inaudible.
+
+"Here's Malvoisie for thee, Hubert," said one of the company, dipping
+into the rundlet. But his hand struck against the dry bottom. They had
+finished four gallons since breakfast, and it was scarcely eleven gone
+on the clock!
+
+"Oh, I am betrayed!" Hubert sang out. Then he added, "But there is a
+plenty where that came from." And with that he reached for his gown,
+and, fetching out a bunch of great brass keys, proceeded towards a
+tall door in the wall, and turned the lock. The door swung open, and
+Hubert plunged into the dark recess thus disclosed. An exclamation of
+chagrin followed, and the empty hide of a huge crocodile, with a pair
+of trailing wings to it, came bumping out from the closet into the
+hall, giving out many hollow cracks as it floundered along, fresh from
+a vigourous kick that the intemperate minstrel had administered in his
+rage at having put his hand into the open jaws of the monster instead
+of upon the neck of the demijohn that contained the Malvoisie.
+
+"Beshrew thee, Hubert!" said the voice of a new-comer, who stood
+eyeing the proceedings from a distance, near where he had entered;
+"treat the carcase of our patron saint with a more befitting
+reverence, or I'll have thee caged and put upon bread and water.
+Remember, that whosoever kicks that skin in some sort kicks me."
+
+"Long life to the Dragon of Wantley!" said Hubert, reappearing, very
+dusty, but clasping a plump demijohn.
+
+"Hubert, my lad," said the new-comer, "put back that vessel of
+inebriation; and, because I like thee well for thy youth and thy sweet
+voice, do not therefore presume too far with me."
+
+A somewhat uneasy pause followed upon this; and while Hubert edged
+back into the closet with his demijohn, Father Anselm frowned slightly
+as his eyes turned upon the scene of late hilarity.
+
+But where is the Dragon in his den? you ask. Are we not coming to him
+soon? Ah, but we have come to him. You shall hear the truth. Never
+believe that sham story about More of More Hall, and how he slew the
+Dragon of Wantley. It is a gross fabrication of some unscrupulous and
+mediocre literary person, who, I make no doubt, was in the pay of More
+to blow his trumpet so loud that a credulous posterity might hear it.
+My account of the Dragon is the only true one.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER IV
+
+                          Tells all about him
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+In those days of shifting fortunes, of turbulence and rapine, of
+knights-errant and minstrels seeking for adventure and love, and of
+solitary pilgrims and bodies of pious men wandering over Europe to
+proclaim that the duty of all was to arise and quell the pagan
+defilers of the Holy Shrine, good men and bad men, undoubted saints
+and unmistakable sinners, drifted forward and back through every
+country, came by night and by day to every household, and lived their
+lives in that unbounded and perilous freedom that put them at one
+moment upon the top limit of their ambition or their delight, and
+plunged them into violent and bloody death almost ere the moment was
+gone. It was a time when "fatten at thy neighbour's expense" was the
+one commandment observed by many who outwardly maintained a profound
+respect for the original ten; and any man whose wit taught him how
+this commandment could be obeyed with the greatest profit and the
+least danger was in high standing among his fellows.
+
+Hence it was that Francis Almoign, Knight of the Voracious Stomach,
+cumbered with no domestic ties worthy of mention, a tall slim fellow
+who knew the appropriate hour to slit a throat or to wheedle a maid,
+came to be Grand Marshal of the Guild of Go-as-you-Please.
+
+This secret band, under its Grand Marshal, roved over Europe and
+thrived mightily. Each member was as stout hearted a villain as you
+could see. Sometimes their doings came to light, and they were forced
+to hasten across the borders of an outraged territory into new
+pastures. Yet they fared well in the main, for they could fight and
+drink and sing; and many a fair one smiled upon them, in spite of
+their perfectly outrageous morals.
+
+So, one day, they came into the neighbourhood of Oyster-le-Main, where
+much confusion reigned among the good monks. Sir Godfrey Disseisin
+over at Wantley had let Richard Lion Heart depart for the Holy Wars
+without him. "Like father like son," the people muttered in their
+discontent. "Sure, the Church will gravely punish this second
+offence." To all these whisperings of rumour the Grand Marshal of the
+Guild paid fast attention; for he was a man who laid his plans deeply,
+and much in advance of the event. He saw the country was fat and the
+neighbours foolish. He took note of the handsome tithes that came in
+to Oyster-le-Main for the support of the monks. He saw all these
+things, and set himself to thinking.
+
+Upon a stormy afternoon, when the light was nearly gone out of the
+sky, a band of venerable pilgrims stood at the great gates of the
+Monastery. Their garments were tattered, their shoes were in sad
+disrepair. They had walked (they said) all the way from Jerusalem.
+Might they find shelter for the night? The tale they told, and the
+mere sight of their trembling old beards, would have melted hearts far
+harder than those which beat in the breasts of the monks of
+Oyster-le-Main. But above all, these pilgrims brought with them as
+convincing proofs of their journey a collection of relics and
+talismans (such as are to be met with only in Eastern countries) of
+great wonder and virtue. With singular generosity, which they
+explained had been taught them by the Arabs, they presented many of
+these treasures to the delighted inmates of the Monastery, who
+hastened to their respective cells,--this one reverently cherishing a
+tuft of hair from the tail of one of Daniel's lions; another handling
+with deep fervour a strip of the coat of many colours once worn by the
+excellent Joseph. But the most extraordinary relic among them all was
+the skin of a huge lizard beast, the like of which none in England had
+ever seen. This, the Pilgrims told their hosts, was no less a thing
+than a crocodile from the Nile, the renowned river of Moses. It had
+been pressed upon them, as they were departing from the City of
+Damascus, by a friend, a blameless chiropodist, whose name was Omar
+Khayyam. He it was who eked out a pious groat by tending the feet of
+all outward and inward bound pilgrims. Seated at the entrance of his
+humble booth, with the foot of some holy man in his lap, he would
+speak words of kindness and wisdom as he reduced the inflammation. One
+of his quaintest sayings was, "If the Pope has bid thee wear hair next
+thy bare skin, my son, why, clap a wig over thy shaven scalp." So the
+monks in proper pity and kindness, when they had shut the great gates
+as night came down, made their pilgrim guests welcome to bide at
+Oyster-le-Main as long as they pleased. The solemn bell for retiring
+rolled forth in the darkness with a single deep clang, and the sound
+went far and wide over the neighbouring district. Those peasants who
+were still awake in their scattered cottages, crossed themselves as
+they thought, "The holy men at Oyster-le-Main are just now going to
+their rest."
+
+And thus the world outside grew still, and the thick walls of the
+Monastery loomed up against the stars.
+
+Deep in the midnight, many a choking cry rang fearfully through the
+stony halls, but came not to the outer air; and the waning moon shone
+faintly down upon the enclosure of the garden, where worked a band of
+silent grave-diggers, clad in black armour, and with blood-red hands.
+The good country folk, who came at early morning with their presents
+of poultry and milk, little guessed what sheep's clothing the gray
+cowls and gowns of Oyster-le-Main had become in a single night, nor
+what impious lips those were which now muttered blessings over their
+bent heads.
+
+The following night, hideous sounds were heard in the fields, and
+those who dared to open their shutters to see what the matter was,
+beheld a huge lizard beast, with fiery breath and accompanied by
+rattling thunder, raging over the soil, which he hardly seemed to
+touch!
+
+In this manner did the dreaded Dragon of Wantley make his appearance,
+and in this manner did Sir Francis Almoign, Knight of the Voracious
+Stomach, stand in the shoes of that Father Anselm whom he had put so
+comfortably out of the way under the flower-beds in the Monastery
+garden,--and never a soul in the world except his companions in orgy
+to know the difference. He even came to be welcome at Sir Godfrey's
+table; for after the Dragon's appearance, the Baron grew civil to all
+members of the Church. By day this versatile sinner, the Grand
+Marshal, would walk in the sight of the world with staid step, clothed
+in gray, his hood concealing his fierce, unchurchly eyes; by night,
+inside the crocodile skin, he visited what places he chose, unhindered
+by the terrified dwellers, and after him came his followers of the
+Guild to steal the plunder and bear it back inside the walls of
+Oyster-le-Main. Never in all their adventures had these superb
+miscreants been in better plight; but now the trouble had begun, as
+you are going to hear. We return to Hubert and the company.
+
+"Hubert and all of you," said Father Anselm, or rather Sir Francis,
+the Grand Marshal, as we know him to be, "they say that whom the gods
+desire to destroy, him do they first make drunk with wine."
+
+"The application! the application!" they shouted in hoarse and
+mirthful chorus, for they were certainly near that state favourable to
+destruction by the gods. One black fellow with a sliding gait ran into
+the closet and brought a sheet of thin iron, and a strange torch-like
+tube, which he lighted at the fire and blew into from the other end. A
+plume of spitting flame immediately shot far into the air.
+
+[Illustration: Hubert Looketh out of ye Window]
+
+"Before thy sermon proceeds, old Dragon," he said, puffing unsteady
+but solemn breaths between his words, "wrap up in lightning and
+thunder that we may be--may be--lieve what you say." Then he shook the
+iron till it gave forth a frightful shattering sound. The Grand
+Marshal said not a word. With three long steps he stood towering in
+front of the man and dealt him a side blow under the ear with his
+steel fist. He fell instantly, folding together like something
+boneless, and lay along the floor for a moment quite still, except
+that some piece in his armour made a light rattling as though there
+were muscles that quivered beneath it. Then he raised himself slowly
+to a bench where his brothers sat waiting, soberly enough. Only young
+Hubert grinned aside to his neighbour, who, perceiving it, kept his
+eyes fixed as far from that youth as possible.
+
+"Thy turn next, if art not careful, Hubert," said Sir Francis very
+quietly, as he seated himself.
+
+"Wonder of saints!" Hubert thought secretly, not moving at all, "how
+could he have seen that?"
+
+"'Tis no small piece of good fortune," continued the Grand Marshal,
+"that some one among us can put aside his slavish appetites, and keep
+a clear eye on the watch against misadventure. Here is my news. That
+hotch-pot of lies we set going among the people has fallen foul of
+us. The daughter of Sir Godfrey has heard our legend, and last week
+told her sire that to-night she would follow it out to the letter, and
+meet the Dragon of Wantley alone in single combat."
+
+"Has she never loved any man?" asked one.
+
+"She fulfils every condition."
+
+"Who told her?"
+
+"That most consummate of fools, the Mistletoe," said the Grand
+Marshal.
+
+"What did Sir Godfrey do upon that?" inquired Hubert.
+
+"He locked up his girl and chained the Governess to a rock, where she
+has remained in deadly terror ever since, but kept fat for me to
+devour her. Me!" and Sir Francis permitted himself to smile, though
+not very broadly.
+
+"How if Sir Dragon had found the maid chained instead of the ancient
+widow?" Hubert said, venturing to tread a little nearer to familiarity
+on the strength of the amusement which played across the Grand
+Master's face.
+
+"Ah, Hubert boy," he replied, "I see it is not in the Spring only,
+but in Autumn and Summer and Winter as well, that thy fancy turns to
+thoughts of love. Did the calendar year but contain a fifth season, in
+that also wouldst thou be making honey-dew faces at somebody."
+
+But young Hubert only grinned, and closed his flashing eyes a little,
+in satisfaction at the character which had been given him.
+
+"Time presses," Sir Francis said. "By noon we shall receive an
+important visit. There has been a great sensation at Wantley. The
+country folk are aroused; the farmers have discovered that the secret
+of our legend has been revealed to Miss Elaine. Not one of the clowns
+would have dared reveal it himself, but all rejoice in the bottom of
+their hearts that she knows it, and chooses to risk battle with the
+Dragon. Their honest Saxon minds perceive the thrift of such an
+arrangement. Therefore there is general anxiety and disturbance to
+know if Sir Godfrey will permit the conflict. The loss of his
+Malvoisie tried him sorely,--but he remains a father."
+
+"That's kind in him," said Hubert.
+
+Sir Francis turned a cold eye on Hubert. "As befits a clean-blooded
+man," he proceeded, "I have risen at the dawn and left you wine-pots
+in your thick sleep. From the wood's edge over by Wantley I've watched
+the Baron come eagerly to an upper window in his white night-shift.
+And when he looks out on Mistletoe and sees she is not devoured, he
+bursts into a rage that can be plainly seen from a distance. These six
+mornings I laughed so loud at this spectacle, that I almost feared
+discovery. Next, the Baron visits his daughter, only to find her food
+untasted and herself silent. I fear she is less of a fool than the
+rest. But now his paternal heart smites him, and he has let her out.
+Also the Governess is free."
+
+"Such a girl as that would not flinch from meeting our Dragon," said
+Hubert; "aye, or from seeking him."
+
+"She must never meet the Dragon," Sir Francis declared. "What could I
+do shut up in the crocodile, and she with a sword, of course?"
+
+They were gloomily silent.
+
+"I could not devour her properly as a dragon should. Nor could I carry
+her away," pursued Sir Francis.
+
+Here Hubert, who had gone to the window, returned hastily, exclaiming,
+"They are coming!"
+
+"Who are coming?" asked several.
+
+"The Baron, his daughter, the Governess, and all Wantley at their
+backs, to ask our pious advice," said the Grand Marshal. "Quick, into
+your gowns, one and all! Be monks outside, though you stay men
+underneath." For a while the hall was filled with jostling gray
+figures entangled in the thick folds of the gowns, into which the
+arms, legs, and heads had been thrust regardless of direction; the
+armour clashed invisible underneath as the hot and choked members of
+the Guild plunged about like wild animals sewed into sacks, in their
+struggles to reappear in decent monastic attire. The winged crocodile
+was kicked into the closet, after it were hurled the thunder machine
+and the lightning torch, and after them clattered the cups and the
+silver rundlet. Barely had Hubert turned the key, when knocking at the
+far-off gate was heard.
+
+"Go down quickly, Hubert," said the Grand Marshal, "and lead them all
+here."
+
+Presently the procession of laity, gravely escorted by Hubert, began
+to file into the now barren-looking room, while the monks stood with
+hands folded, and sang loudly what sounded to the uninstructed ears of
+each listener like a Latin hymn.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER V
+
+                   In which the Hero makes his first
+                  Appearance & is at Once locked up.
+
+[Illustration: FATHER ANSELM SIR GODFREY]
+
+
+With the respect that was due to holy men, Sir Godfrey removed his
+helmet, and stood waiting in a decent attitude of attention to the
+hymn, although he did not understand a single word of it. The long
+deliberate Latin words rolled out very grand to his ear, and, to tell
+you the truth, it is just as well his scholarship was faulty, for this
+is the English of those same words:
+
+    "It is my intention
+    To die in a tavern,
+    With wine in the neighbourhood,
+    Close by my thirsty mouth;
+    That angels in chorus
+    May sing, when they reach me,--
+    'Let Bacchus be merciful
+    Unto this wine-bibber.'"
+
+But so devoutly did the monks dwell upon the syllables, so earnestly
+were the arms of each one folded against his breast, that you would
+never have suspected any unclerical sentiments were being expressed.
+The proximity of so many petticoats and kirtles caused considerable
+restlessness to Hubert; but he felt the burning eye of the Grand
+Marshal fixed upon him, and sang away with all his might.
+
+Sir Godfrey began to grow impatient.
+
+"Hem!" he said, moving his foot slightly.
+
+This proceeding, however, was without result. The pious chant
+continued to resound, and the monks paid not the least attention to
+their visitors, but stood up together in a double line, vociferating
+Latin with as much zest as ever.
+
+"Mort d'aieul!" growled Sir Godfrey, shifting his other foot, and not
+so gingerly this second time.
+
+By chance the singing stopped upon the same instant, so that the
+Baron's remark and the noise his foot had made sounded all over the
+room. This disconcerted him; for he felt his standing with the Church
+to be weak, and he rolled his eyes from one side to the other,
+watching for any effect his disturbance might have made. But, with the
+breeding of a true man of the world, the Grand Marshal merely
+observed, "Benedicite, my son!"
+
+"Good-morning, Father," returned Sir Godfrey.
+
+"And what would you with me?" pursued the so-called Father Anselm.
+"Speak, my son."
+
+"Well, the fact is----" the Baron began, marching forward; but he
+encountered the eye of the Abbot, where shone a cold surprise at this
+over-familiar fashion of speech; so he checked himself, and, in as
+restrained a voice as he could command, told his story. How his
+daughter had determined to meet the Dragon, and so save Wantley; how
+nothing that a parent could say had influenced her intentions in the
+least; and now he placed the entire matter in the hands of the Church.
+
+"Which would have been more becoming if you had done it at the first,"
+said Father Anselm, reprovingly. Then he turned to Miss Elaine, who
+all this while had been looking out of the window with the utmost
+indifference.
+
+"How is this, my daughter?" he said gravely, in his deep voice.
+
+"Oh, the dear blessed man!" whispered Mistletoe, admiringly, to
+herself.
+
+"It is as you hear, Father," said Miss Elaine, keeping her eyes away.
+
+"And why do you think that such a peril upon your part would do away
+with this Dragon?"
+
+"Says not the legend so?" she replied.
+
+"And what may the legend be, my daughter?"
+
+With some surprise that so well informed a person as Father Anselm
+should be ignorant of this prominent topic of the day, Sir Godfrey
+here broke in and narrated the legend to him with many vigourous
+comments.
+
+"Ah, yes," said the Father, smiling gently when the story was done; "I
+do now remember that some such child's tale was in the mouths of the
+common folk once; but methought the nonsense was dead long since."
+
+"The nonsense, Father!" exclaimed Elaine.
+
+"Of a surety, my child. Dost suppose that Holy Church were so unjust
+as to visit the sins of thy knightly relatives upon the head of any
+weak woman, who is not in the order of creation designed for personal
+conflict with men, let alone dragons?"
+
+"Bravo, Dragon!" thought Hubert, as he listened to this wily talk of
+his chief.
+
+But the words "weak woman" had touched the pride of Miss Elaine. "I
+know nothing of weak women," she said, very stately; "but I do know
+that I am strong enough to meet this Dragon, and, moreover, firmly
+intend to do so this very night."
+
+"Peace, my daughter," said the monk; "and listen to the voice of thy
+mother the Church speaking through the humblest of her servants. This
+legend of thine holds not a single grain of truth. 'Tis a conceit of
+the common herd, set afoot by some ingenious fellow who may have
+thought he was doing a great thing in devising such fantastic mixture.
+True it is that the Monster is a visitation to punish the impiety of
+certain members of thy family. True it is that he will not depart till
+a member of that family perform a certain act. But it is to be a male
+descendant."
+
+Now Sir Godfrey's boy Roland was being instructed in knightly arts
+and conduct away from home.
+
+"Who told you that?" inquired the Baron, as the thought of his
+precious wine-cellar came into his head.
+
+"On last Christmas Eve I had a vision," replied Father Anselm. "Thy
+grandfather, the brave youth who by journeying to the Holy War averted
+this curse until thine own conduct caused it to descend upon us,
+appeared to me in shining armour. 'Anselm,' he said, and raised his
+right arm, 'the Dragon is a grievous burden on the people. I can see
+that from where I am. Now, Anselm, when the fitting hour shall come,
+and my great-grandson's years be mature enough to have made a man of
+him, let him go to the next Holy War that is proclaimed, and on the
+very night of his departure the curse will be removed and our family
+forgiven. More than this, Anselm, if any male descendant from me
+direct shall at any time attend a Crusade when it is declared, the
+country will be free forever.' So saying, he dissolved out of my sight
+in a silver gleaming mist." Here Father Anselm paused, and from under
+his hood watched with a trifle of anxiety the effect of his speech.
+
+There was a short silence, and then Sir Godfrey said, "Am I to
+understand this thing hangs on the event of another Crusade?"
+
+The Abbot bowed.
+
+"Meanwhile, till that event happen, the Dragon can rage unchecked?"
+
+The Abbot bowed again.
+
+"Will there be another Crusade along pretty soon?" Sir Godfrey
+pursued.
+
+"These things lie not in human knowledge," replied Father Anselm. He
+little dreamed what news the morrow's sun would see.
+
+"Oh, my sheep!" groaned many a poor farmer.
+
+"Oh, my Burgundy!" groaned Sir Godfrey.
+
+"In that case," exclaimed Elaine, her cheeks pink with excitement, "I
+shall try the virtue of the legend, at any rate."
+
+"Most impious, my daughter, most impious will such conduct be in the
+sight of Mother Church," said Father Anselm.
+
+"Hear me, all people!" shouted Sir Godfrey, foreseeing that before
+the next Crusade came every drop of wine in his cellar would be
+swallowed by the Dragon; "hear me proclaim and solemnly promise:
+legend true or legend false, my daughter shall not face this risk. But
+if her heart go with it, her hand shall be given to that man who by
+night or light brings me this Dragon, alive or dead!"
+
+[Illustration: Geoffrey replyeth with deplorable Flippancy to Father
+Anselm.]
+
+"A useless promise, Sir Godfrey!" said Father Anselm, shrugging his
+shoulders. "We dare not discredit the word of thy respected
+grandsire."
+
+"My respected grandsire be----"
+
+"_What?_" said the Abbot.
+
+"Became a credit to his family," said the Baron, quite mildly; "and I
+slight no word of his. But he did not contradict this legend in the
+vision, I think."
+
+"No, he did not, papa," Miss Elaine put in. "He only mentioned
+another way of getting rid of this horrible Dragon. Now, papa,
+whatever you may say about--about my heart and hand," she continued
+firmly, "I am going to meet the Monster alone myself, to-night."
+
+"That you shall not," said Sir Godfrey.
+
+"A hundred times no!" said a new voice from the crowd. "I will meet
+him myself!"
+
+All turned and saw a knight pushing his way through the people.
+
+"Who are you?" inquired the Baron.
+
+The stranger bowed haughtily; and Elaine watched him remove his
+helmet, and reveal underneath it the countenance of a young man who
+turned to her, and----
+
+Why, what's this, Elaine? Why does everything seem to swim and grow
+misty as his eye meets yours? And why does he look at you so, and
+deeply flush to the very rim of his curly hair? And as his glance
+grows steadier and more intent upon your eyes that keep stealing over
+at him, can you imagine why his hand trembles on the hilt of his
+sword? Don't you remember what the legend said?
+
+"Who are you?" the Baron repeated, impatiently.
+
+"I am Geoffrey, son of Bertram of Poictiers," answered the young man.
+
+"And what," asked Father Anselm, with a certain irony in his voice,
+"does Geoffrey, son of Bertram of Poictiers, so far away from his papa
+in this inclement weather?"
+
+The knight surveyed the monk for a moment, and then said, "As thou art
+not my particular Father Confessor, stick to those matters which
+concern thee."
+
+This reply did not please any man present, for it seemed to savour of
+disrespect. But Elaine lost no chance of watching the youth, who now
+stood alone in the middle of the hall. Sir Francis detected this, and
+smiled with a sly smile.
+
+"Will some person inquire of this polite young man," he said, "what he
+wishes with us?"
+
+"Show me where this Dragon of Wantley comes," said Geoffrey, "for I
+intend to slay him to-night."
+
+"Indeed, sir," fluttered Elaine, stepping towards him a little, "I
+hope--that is, I beg you'll do no such dangerous thing as that for my
+sake."
+
+"For your sake?" Father Anselm broke in. "For your sake? And why so?
+What should Elaine, daughter of Sir Godfrey Disseisin, care for the
+carcase of Geoffrey, son of Bertram of Poictiers?"
+
+But Elaine, finding nothing to answer, turned rosy pink instead.
+
+"That rules you out!" exclaimed the Father, in triumph. "Your legend
+demands a maid who never has cared for any man."
+
+"Pooh!" said Geoffrey, "leave it to me."
+
+"Seize him!" shouted Sir Godfrey in a rage. "He had ruled out my
+daughter." Consistency had never been one of the Baron's strong
+points.
+
+"Seize him!" said Father Anselm. "He outrages Mother Church."
+
+The vassals closed up behind young Geoffrey, who was pinioned in a
+second. He struggled with them till the veins stood out in his
+forehead in blue knots; but, after all, one young man of twenty is not
+much among a band of stout yeomen; and they all fell in a heap on the
+floor, pulling and tugging at Geoffrey, who had blacked several eyes,
+and done in a general way as much damage as he possibly could under
+the circumstances.
+
+But Elaine noticed one singular occurrence. Not a monk had moved to
+seize the young man, except one, who rushed forward, and was stopped,
+as though struck to stone, by Father Anselm's saying to him in a
+terrible undertone, "Hubert!"
+
+Simply that word, spoken quickly; but not before this Hubert had
+brushed against her so that she was aware that there was something
+very hard and metallic underneath his gray gown. She betrayed no sign
+of knowledge or surprise on her face, however, but affected to be
+absorbed wholly in the fortunes of young Geoffrey, whom she saw
+collared and summarily put into a cage-like prison whose front was
+thick iron bars, and whose depth was in the vast outer wall of the
+Monastery, with a little window at the rear, covered with snow. The
+spring-lock of the gate shut upon him.
+
+"And now," said Father Anselm, as the Monastery bell sounded once
+more, "if our guests will follow us, the mid-day meal awaits us below.
+We will deal with this hot-head later," he added, pointing to the
+prisoner.
+
+So they slowly went out, leaving Geoffrey alone with his thoughts.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+[Illustration: ELAINE]
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER VI
+
+     Miss Elaine loses her Heart & finds Something of the greatest
+                              Importance.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+Down stairs the Grace was said, and the company was soon seated and
+ready for their mid-day meal.
+
+"Our fare," said Father Anselm pleasantly to Sir Godfrey, who sat on
+his right, "is plain, but substantial."
+
+"Oh--ah, very likely," replied the Baron, as he received a wooden
+basin of black-bean broth.
+
+"Our drink is----"
+
+The Baron lifted his eye hopefully.
+
+"----remarkably pure water," Father Anselm continued. "Clement!" he
+called to the monk whose turn it was that day to hand the dishes,
+"Clement, a goblet of our well-water for Sir Godfrey Disseisin. One of
+the large goblets, Clement. We are indeed favoured, Baron, in having
+such a pure spring in the midst of our home."
+
+"Oh--ah!" observed the Baron again, and politely nerved himself for a
+swallow. But his thoughts were far away in his own cellar over at
+Wantley, contemplating the casks whose precious gallons the Dragon had
+consumed. Could it be the strength of his imagination, or else why was
+it that through the chilling, unwelcome liquid he was now drinking he
+seemed to detect a lurking flavour of the very wine those casks had
+contained, his favourite Malvoisie?
+
+Father Anselm noticed the same taste in his own cup, and did not set
+it down to imagination, but afterwards sentenced Brother Clement to
+bread and water during three days, for carelessness in not washing the
+Monastery table-service more thoroughly.
+
+"This simple food keeps you in beautiful health, Father," said
+Mistletoe, ogling the swarthy face of the Abbot with an affection that
+he duly noted.
+
+"My daughter," he replied, gravely, "bodily infirmity is the reward of
+the glutton. I am well, thank you."
+
+Meanwhile, Elaine did not eat much. Her thoughts were busy, and
+hurrying over recent events. Perhaps you think she lost her heart in
+the last Chapter, and cannot lose it in this one unless it is given
+back to her. But I do not agree with you; and I am certain that, if
+you suggested such a notion to her, she would become quite angry, and
+tell you not to talk such foolish nonsense. People are so absurd about
+hearts, and all that sort of thing! No: I do not really think she has
+lost her heart yet; but as she sits at table these are the things she
+is feeling:
+
+1. Not at all hungry.
+
+2. Not at all thirsty.
+
+3. What a hateful person that Father Anselm is!
+
+4. Poor, poor young man!
+
+5. Not that she thinks of him in _that_ way, of course. The idea!
+Horrid Father Anselm!
+
+6. Any girl at all--no, not girl, _anybody_ at all--who had human
+justice would feel exactly as she did about the whole matter.
+
+7. He was very good-looking, too.
+
+8. Did he have--yes, they were blue. Very, very dark blue.
+
+9. And a moustache? Well, yes.
+
+Here she laughed, but no one noticed her idling with her spoon. Then
+her eyes filled with tears, and she pretended to be absorbed with the
+black-bean broth, though, as a matter of fact, she did not see it in
+the least.
+
+10. Why had he come there at all?
+
+11. It was a perfect shame, treating him so.
+
+12. Perhaps they were not blue, after all. But, oh! what a beautiful
+sparkle was in them!
+
+After this, she hated Father Anselm worse than ever. And the more she
+hated him, the more some very restless delicious something made her
+draw long breaths. She positively must go up-stairs and see what He
+was doing and what He really looked like. This curiosity seized hold
+of her and set her thinking of some way to slip away unseen. The
+chance came through all present becoming deeply absorbed in what Sir
+Godfrey was saying to Father Anselm.
+
+"Such a low, coarse, untaught brute as a dragon," he explained,
+"cannot possibly distinguish good wine from bad."
+
+"Of a surety, no!" responded the monk.
+
+"You agree with me upon that point?" said the Baron.
+
+"Most certainly. Proceed."
+
+"Well, I'm going to see that he gets nothing but the cider and small
+beer after this."
+
+"But how will you prevent him, if he visit your cellar again?" Father
+Anselm inquired.
+
+"I shall change all the labels, in the first place," the Baron
+answered.
+
+"Ha! vastly well conceived," said Father Anselm. "You will label your
+Burgundy as if it were beer."
+
+"And next," continued Sir Godfrey, "I shall shift the present
+positions of the hogsheads. That I shall do to-day, after relabelling.
+In the northern corner of the first wine vault I shall----"
+
+Just as he reached this point, it was quite wonderful how strict an
+attention every monk paid to his words. They leaned forward,
+forgetting their dinner, and listened with all their might.
+
+One of them, who had evidently received an education, took notes
+underneath the table. Thus it was that Elaine escaped observation
+when she left the refectory.
+
+[Illustration: The Baron setteth forth his Plan for circumuenting the
+Dragon]
+
+As she came up-stairs into the hall where Geoffrey was caged, she
+stepped lightly and kept where she could not be seen by him. All was
+quiet when she entered; but suddenly she heard the iron bars of the
+cage begin to rattle and shake, and at the same time Geoffrey's voice
+broke out in rage.
+
+"I'll twist you loose," he said, "you--(rattle, shake)--you--(kick,
+bang)----" And here the shocking young man used words so violent and
+wicked that Elaine put her hands tight over her ears. "Why, he is just
+as dreadful as papa, just exactly!" she exclaimed to herself. "Whoever
+would have thought that that angelic face--but I suppose they are all
+like that sometimes." And she took her hands away again.
+
+"Yes, I will twist you loose," he was growling hoarsely, while the
+kicks and wrenches grew fiercer than ever, "or twist myself stark,
+staring blind--and----"
+
+"Oh, sir!" she said, running out in front of the cage.
+
+He stopped at once, and stood looking at her. His breast-plate and
+gauntlets were down on the floor, so his muscles might have more easy
+play in dealing with the bars. Elaine noticed that the youth's shirt
+was of very costly Eastern silk.
+
+"I was thinking of getting out," he said at length, still standing and
+looking at her.
+
+"I thought I might--that is--you might----" began Miss Elaine, and
+stopped. Upon which another silence followed.
+
+"Lady, who sent you here?" he inquired.
+
+"Oh, they don't know!" she replied, hastily; and then, seeing how
+bright his face became, and hearing her own words, she looked down,
+and the crimson went over her cheeks as he watched her.
+
+"Oh, if I could get out!" he said, desperately. "Lady, what is your
+name, if I might be so bold."
+
+"My name, sir, is Elaine. Perhaps there is a key somewhere," she said.
+
+"And I am called Geoffrey," he said, in reply.
+
+"I think we might find a key," Elaine repeated.
+
+She turned towards the other side of the room, and there hung a great
+bunch of brass keys dangling from the lock of a heavy door.
+
+Ah, Hubert! thou art more careless than Brother Clement, I think, to
+have left those keys in such a place!
+
+Quickly did Elaine cross to that closed door, and laid her hand upon
+the bunch. The door came open the next moment, and she gave a shriek
+to see the skin of a huge lizard-beast fall forward at her feet, and
+also many cups and flagons, that rolled over the floor, dotting it
+with little drops of wine.
+
+Hearing Elaine shriek, and not able to see from his prison what had
+befallen her, Geoffrey shouted out in terror to know if she had come
+to any hurt.
+
+"No," she told him; and stood eyeing first the crocodile's hide and
+then the cups, setting her lips together very firmly. "And they were
+not even dry," she said after a while. For she began to guess a little
+of the truth.
+
+"Not dry? Who?" inquired Geoffrey.
+
+"Oh, Geoffrey!" she burst out in deep anger, and then stopped,
+bewildered. But his heart leaped to hear her call his name.
+
+"Are there no keys?" he asked.
+
+"Keys? Yes!" she cried, and, running with them back to the bars, began
+trying one after another in trembling haste till the lock clicked
+pleasantly, and out marched young Geoffrey.
+
+Now what do you suppose this young man did when he found himself free
+once more, and standing close by the lovely young person to whom he
+owed his liberty? Did he place his heels together, and let his arms
+hang gracefully, and so bow with respect and a manner at once
+dignified and urbane, and say, "Miss Elaine, permit me to thank you
+for being so kind as to let me out of prison?" That is what he ought
+to have done, of course, if he had known how to conduct himself like a
+well-brought-up young man. But I am sorry to have to tell you that
+Geoffrey did nothing of the sort, but, instead of that, behaved in a
+most outrageous manner. He did not thank her at all. He did not say
+one single word to her. He simply put one arm round her waist and gave
+her a kiss!
+
+"Geoffrey!" she murmured, "don't!"
+
+But Geoffrey did, with the most astonishing and complacent
+disobedience.
+
+"Oh, Geoffrey!" she whispered, looking the other way, "how wrong of
+you! And of me!" she added a little more softly still, escaping from
+him suddenly, and facing about.
+
+"I don't see that," said Geoffrey. "I love you, Elaine. Elaine,
+darling, I----"
+
+"Oh, but you mustn't!" answered she, stepping back as he came nearer.
+
+[Illustration: Geoffrey tuggeth at the Bars]
+
+This was simply frightful! And so sudden. To think of
+her--Elaine!--but she couldn't think at all. Happy? Why, how wicked!
+How had she ever----
+
+"No, you must not," she repeated, and backed away still farther.
+
+"But I will!" said this lover, quite loudly, and sprang so quickly to
+where she stood that she was in his arms again, and this time without
+the faintest chance of getting out of them until he should choose to
+free her.
+
+It was no use to struggle now, and she was still, like some wild bird.
+But she knew that she was really his, and was glad of it. And she
+looked up at him and said, very softly, "Geoffrey, we are wasting
+time."
+
+"Oh, no, not at all," said Geoffrey.
+
+"But we are."
+
+"Say that you love me."
+
+"But haven't I--ah, Geoffrey, please don't begin again."
+
+"Say that you love me."
+
+She did.
+
+Then, taking his hand, she led him to the door she had opened. He
+stared at the crocodile, at the wine-cups, and then he picked up a
+sheet of iron and a metal torch.
+
+"I suppose it is their museum," he said; "don't you?"
+
+"Their museum! Geoffrey, think a little."
+
+"They seem to keep very good wine," he remarked, after smelling at the
+demijohn.
+
+"Don't you see? Can't you understand?" she said.
+
+"No, not a bit. What's that thing, do you suppose?" he added, giving
+the crocodile a kick.
+
+"Oh, me, but men are simple, men are simple!" said Elaine, in despair.
+"Geoffrey, listen! That wine is my father's wine, from his own cellar.
+There is none like it in all England."
+
+"Then I don't see why he gave it to a parcel of monks," replied the
+young man.
+
+Elaine clasped her hands in hopelessness, gave him a kiss, and became
+mistress of the situation.
+
+"Now, Geoffrey," she said, "I will tell you what you and I have really
+found out." Then she quickly recalled all the recent events. How her
+father's cellar had been broken into; how Mistletoe had been chained
+to a rock for a week and no dragon had come near her. She bade him
+remember how just now Father Anselm had opposed every plan for meeting
+the Dragon, and at last she pointed to the crocodile.
+
+"Ha!" said Geoffrey, after thinking for a space. "Then you mean----"
+
+"Of course I do," she interrupted. "The Dragon of Wantley is now
+down-stairs with papa eating dinner, and pretending he never drinks
+anything stronger than water. What do you say to that, sir?"
+
+"This is a foul thing!" cried the knight. "Here have I been damnably
+duped. Here----" but speech deserted him. He glared at the crocodile
+with a bursting countenance, then drove his toe against it with such
+vigour that it sailed like a foot-ball to the farther end of the hall.
+
+"Papa has been duped, and everybody," said Elaine. "Papa's French
+wine----"
+
+"They swore to me in Flanders I should find a real dragon here," he
+continued, raging up and down, and giving to the young lady no part of
+his attention. She began to fear he was not thinking of her.
+
+"Geoffrey----" she ventured.
+
+"They swore it. They had invited me to hunt a dragon with them in
+Flanders,--Count Faux Pas and his Walloons. We hunted day and night,
+and the quest was barren. They then directed me to this island of
+Britain, in which they declared a dragon might be found by any man who
+so desired. They lied in their throats. I have come leagues for
+nothing." Here he looked viciously at the distant hide of the
+crocodile. "But I shall slay the monk," he added. "A masquerading
+caitiff! Lying varlets! And all for nothing! The monk shall die,
+however."
+
+"Have you come for nothing, Geoffrey?" murmured Elaine.
+
+"Three years have I been seeking dragons in all countries, chasing
+deceit over land and sea. And now once more my dearest hope falls
+empty and stale. Why, what's this?" A choking sound beside him stopped
+the flow of his complaints.
+
+"Oh, Geoffrey,--oh, miserable me!" The young lady was dissolved in
+tears.
+
+"Elaine--dearest--don't."
+
+"You said you had come for n--nothing, and it was all st--stale."
+
+"Ha, I am a fool, indeed! But it was the Dragon, dearest. I had made
+so sure of an honest one in this adventure."
+
+"Oh, oh!" went Miss Elaine, with her head against his shoulder.
+
+"There, there! You're sweeter than all the dragons in the world, my
+little girl," said he. And although this does not appear to be a great
+compliment, it comforted her wonderfully in the end; for he said it in
+her ear several times without taking his lips away. "Yes," he
+continued, "I was a fool. By your father's own word you're mine. I
+have caught the Dragon. Come, my girl! We'll down to the refectory
+forthwith and denounce him."
+
+With this, he seized Elaine's hand and hastily made for the stairs.
+
+"But hold, Geoffrey, hold! Oh--I am driven to act not as maidens
+should," sighed Elaine. "He it is who ought to do the thinking. But,
+dear me! he does not know how. Do you not see we should both be lost,
+were you to try any such wild plan?"
+
+"Not at all. Your father would give you to me."
+
+"Oh, no, no, Geoffrey; indeed, papa would not. His promise was about a
+dragon. A live or a dead dragon must be brought to him. Even if he
+believed you now, even if that dreadful Father Anselm could not invent
+some lie to put us in the wrong, you and I could never--that is--papa
+would not feel bound by his promise simply because you did that. There
+must be a dragon somehow."
+
+"How can there be a dragon if there is not a dragon?" asked Geoffrey.
+
+"Wait, wait, Geoffrey! Oh, how can I think of everything all at
+once?" and Elaine pressed her hands to her temples.
+
+"Darling," said the knight, with his arms once more around her, "let
+us fly now."
+
+"Now? They would catch us at once."
+
+"Catch us! not they! with my sword----"
+
+"Now, Geoffrey, of course you are brave. But do be sensible. You are
+only one. No! I won't even argue such nonsense. They must never know
+about what we have been doing up here; and you must go back into that
+cage at once."
+
+"What, and be locked up, and perhaps murdered to-night, and never see
+your face again?"
+
+"But you shall see me again, and soon. That is what I am thinking
+about."
+
+"How can you come in here, Elaine?"
+
+"You must come to me. I have it! To-night, at half-past eleven, come
+to the cellar-door at the Manor, and I will be there to let you in.
+Then we can talk over everything quietly. I have no time to think
+now."
+
+"The cellar! at the Manor! And how, pray, shall I get out of that
+cage?"
+
+"Cannot you jump from the little window at the back?"
+
+Geoffrey ran in to see. "No," he said, returning; "it is many spans
+from the earth."
+
+Elaine had hurried into the closet, whence she returned with a dusty
+coil of rope. "Here, Geoffrey; quickly! put it about your waist. Wind
+it so. But how clumsy you are!"
+
+He stood smiling down at her, and she very deftly wound the cord up
+and down, over and over his body, until its whole length lay
+comfortably upon him.
+
+"Now, your breast-plate, quick!"
+
+She helped him put his armour on again; and, as they were engaged at
+that, singing voices came up the stairs from the distant dining-hall.
+
+"The Grace," she exclaimed; "they will be here in a moment."
+
+Geoffrey took a last kiss, and bolted into his cage. She, with the
+keys, made great haste to push the crocodile and other objects once
+more into their hiding-place. Cups and flagons and all rattled back
+without regard to order, as they had already been flung not two hours
+before. The closet-door shut, and Elaine hung the keys from the lock
+as she had found them.
+
+"Half-past eleven," she said to Geoffrey, as she ran by his cage
+towards the stairs.
+
+"One more, darling,--please, one! through the bars!" he besought her,
+in a voice so tender, that for my part I do not see how she had the
+heart to refuse him. But she continued her way, and swiftly descending
+the stairs was found by the company, as they came from the hall,
+busily engaged in making passes with Sir Godfrey's sword, which he had
+left leaning near the door.
+
+"A warlike daughter, Sir Godfrey!" said Father Anselm.
+
+"Ah, if I were a man to go on a Crusade!" sighed Miss Elaine.
+
+"Hast thou, my daughter," said Father Anselm, "thought better of thy
+rash intentions concerning this Dragon?"
+
+"I am travelling towards better thoughts, Father," she answered.
+
+But Sir Francis did not wholly believe the young lady; and was not at
+rest until Sir Godfrey assured him her good conduct should be no
+matter of her own choosing.
+
+"You see," insinuated the Abbot, "so sweet a maid as yours would be a
+treat for the unholy beast. A meal like that would incline him to
+remain in a neighbourhood where such dainties were to be found."
+
+"I'll have no legends and fool's tricks," exclaimed the Baron. "She
+shall be locked in her room to-night."
+
+"Not if she can help it," thought Miss Elaine. Her father had
+imprudently spoken too loud.
+
+"'Twere a wise precaution," murmured Father Anselm. "What are all the
+vintages of this earth by the side of a loving daughter?"
+
+"Quite so, quite so!" Sir Godfrey assented. "Don't you think," he
+added, wistfully, "that another Crusade may come along soon?"
+
+"Ah, my son, who can say? Tribulation is our meted heritage. Were thy
+thoughts more high, the going of thy liquors would not cause thee such
+sorrow. Learn to enjoy the pure cold water."
+
+"Good-afternoon," said the Baron.
+
+When all the guests had departed and the door was shut safe behind
+them, the Father and his holy companions broke into loud mirth. "The
+Malvoisie is drunk up," said they; "to-night we'll pay his lordship's
+cellars another visit."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+                             CHAPTER VII
+
+                Shows what curious Things you may see,
+               if you don't go to Bed when you are sent
+
+[Illustration: GEOFFREY]
+
+
+To have steered a sudden course among dangerous rocks and rapids and
+come safe through, puts in the breast of the helmsman a calm content
+with himself, for which no man will blame him. What in this world is
+there so lifts one into complacency as the doing of a bold and
+cool-headed thing? Let the helmsman sleep sound when he has got to
+land! But if his content overtake him still on the water, so that he
+grows blind to the treacherous currents that eddy where all looks
+placid to the careless eye, let him beware!
+
+Sir Francis came in front of the cage where sat young Geoffrey inside,
+on the floor. The knight had put his head down between his knees, and
+seemed doleful enough.
+
+"Aha!" thought Sir Francis, giving the motionless figure a dark look,
+"my hawk is moulting. We need scarcely put a hood on such a tersel."
+
+Next he looked at the shut door of the closet, and a shaft of alarm
+shot through him to see the keys hanging for anybody to make use of
+them that pleased. He thought of Elaine, and her leaving the table
+without his seeing her go. What if she had paid this room a visit?
+
+"Perhaps that bird with head under wing in there," he mused, looking
+once more at Geoffrey, "is not the simple-witted nestling he looks. My
+son!" he called.
+
+But the youth did not care to talk, and so showed no sign.
+
+"My son, peace be with you!" repeated Father Anselm, coming to the
+bars and wearing a benevolent mien.
+
+Geoffrey remained quite still.
+
+"If repentance for thy presumption hath visited thee----" went on the
+Father.
+
+"Hypocrite!" was the word that jumped to the youth's lips; but
+fortunately he stopped in time, and only moved his legs with some
+impatience.
+
+"I perceive with pain, my son," said Father Anselm, "that repentance
+hath not yet visited thee. Well, 'twill come. And that's a blessing
+too," he added, sighing very piously.
+
+"He plays a part pretty well," thought Geoffrey as he listened. "So
+will I." Then he raised his head.
+
+"How long am I to stay in this place?" he inquired, taking a tone of
+sullen humour, such as he thought would fit a prisoner.
+
+"Certainly until thy present unbridled state of sin is purged out of
+thee," replied the Father.
+
+"Under such a dose as thou art," Geoffrey remarked, "that will be
+soon."
+
+"This is vain talk, my son," said the Abbot. "Were I of the children
+of this world, my righteous indignation----"
+
+"Pooh!" said Geoffrey.
+
+"----would light on thee heavily. But we who have renounced the world
+and its rottenness" (here his voice fell into a manner of chanting)
+"make a holiday of forgiving injuries, and find a pleasure even in
+pain."
+
+"Open this door then," Geoffrey answered, "and I'll provide thee with
+a whole week of joy."
+
+"Nay," said Father Anselm, "I had never gathered from thy face that
+thou wert such a knave."
+
+"At least in the matter of countenances I have the advantage of thee,"
+the youth observed.
+
+"I perceive," continued the Father, "that I must instruct thy spirit
+in many things,--submission, among others. Therefore thou shalt bide
+with us for a month or two."
+
+"That I'll not!" shouted Geoffrey, forgetting his role of prisoner.
+
+"She cannot unlock thee," Father Anselm said, with much art slipping
+Elaine into the discourse.
+
+Geoffrey glared at the Abbot, who now hoped to lay a trap for him by
+means of his temper. So he went further in the same direction. "Her
+words are vainer than most women's," he said; "though a lover would
+trust in them, of course."
+
+The knight swelled in his rage, and might have made I know not what
+unsafe rejoinder; but the cords that Elaine had wound about him
+naturally tightened as he puffed out, and seemed by their pressure to
+check his speech and bid him be wary. So he changed his note, and said
+haughtily, "Because thy cowl and thy gown shield thee, presume not to
+speak of one whose cause I took up in thy presence, and who is as high
+above thee in truth as she is in every other quality and virtue."
+
+"This callow talk, my son," said the Abbot quietly, "wearies me much.
+Lay thee down and sleep thy sulks off, if thou art able." Upon this,
+he turned away to the closet where hung the brass keys, and opened the
+door a-crack. He saw the hide of the crocodile leaning against it, and
+the overturned cups. "Just as that boy Hubert packed them," he thought
+to himself in satisfaction; "no one has been prying here. I flatter
+myself upon a skilful morning's work. I have knocked the legend out of
+the Baron's head. He'll see to it the girl keeps away. And as for yon
+impudent witling in the cage, we shall transport him beyond the seas,
+if convenient; if not, a knife in his gullet will make him forget the
+Dragon of Wantley. Truly, I am master of the situation!" And as his
+self-esteem grew, the Grand Marshal rubbed his hands, and went out of
+the hall, too much pleased with himself to notice certain little drops
+of wine dotted here and there close by the closet, and not yet quite
+dry, which, had his eye fallen upon them, might have set him
+a-thinking.
+
+So Geoffrey was left in his prison to whatever comfort meditation
+might bring him; and the monks of Oyster-le-Main took off their gowns,
+and made themselves ready for another visit to the wine-cellars of
+Wantley Manor.
+
+The day before Christmas came bleakly to its end over dingle and fen,
+and the last gray light died away. Yet still you could hear the
+hissing snow beat down through the bramble-thorn and the dry leaves.
+After evening was altogether set in, Hubert brought the knight a
+supper that was not a meal a hungry man might be over joyful at
+seeing; yet had Hubert (in a sort of fellowship towards one who seemed
+scarcely longer seasoned in manhood than himself, and whom he had seen
+blacken eyes in a very valiant manner) secretly prepared much better
+food than had been directed by his worship the Abbot.
+
+The prisoner feigned sleep, and started up at the rattle which the
+plate made as it was set down under his bars.
+
+"Is it morning?" he asked.
+
+"Morning, forsooth!" Hubert answered. "Three more hours, and we reach
+only midnight." And both young men (for different reasons) wished in
+their hearts it were later.
+
+"Thou speakest somewhat curtly for a friar," said Geoffrey.
+
+"Alas, I am but a novice, brother," whined the minstrel, "and fall
+easily back into my ancient and godless syntax. There is food. Pax
+vobiscum, son of the flesh." Then Hubert went over to the closet, and
+very quietly unlocking the door removed the crocodile and the various
+other implements that were necessary in bringing into being the dread
+Dragon of Wantley. He carried them away to a remote quarter of the
+Monastery, where the Guild began preparations that should terrify any
+superstitious witness of their journey to get the Baron's wine.
+Geoffrey, solitary and watchful in his chilly cage, knew what work
+must be going on, and waited his time in patience.
+
+[Illustration: Elaine cometh into the Cellar]
+
+At supper over at Wantley there was but slight inclination to polite
+banter. Only the family Chaplain, mindful that this was Christmas Eve,
+attempted to make a little small talk with Sir Godfrey.
+
+"Christmas," he observed to the Baron, "is undoubtedly coming."
+
+As the Baron did not appear to have any rejoinder to this, the young
+divine continued, pleasantly.
+
+"Though indeed," he said, "we might make this assertion upon any day
+of the three hundred and sixty-five, and (I think) remain accurate."
+
+"The celery," growled the Baron, looking into his plate.
+
+"Quite so," cried the Chaplain, cheerily. He had failed to catch the
+remark. "Though of course everything does depend on one's point of
+view, after all."
+
+"That celery, Whelpdale!" roared Sir Godfrey.
+
+The terrified Buttons immediately dropped a large venison pasty into
+Mrs. Mistletoe's lap. She, having been somewhat tried of late, began
+screeching. Whelpdale caught up the celery, and blindly rushed towards
+Sir Godfrey, while Popham, foreseeing trouble, rapidly ascended the
+sideboard. The Baron stepped out of Whelpdale's path, and as he passed
+by administered so much additional speed that little Buttons flew
+under the curtained archway and down many painful steps into the
+scullery, and was not seen again during that evening.
+
+When Sir Godfrey had reseated himself, it seemed to the Rev. Hucbald
+(such was the Chaplain's name) that the late interruption might be
+well smoothed over by conversation. So he again addressed the Baron.
+
+"To be sure," said he, taking a manner of sleek clerical pleasantry,
+"though we can so often say 'Christmas is coming,' I suppose that if
+at some suitable hour to-morrow afternoon I said to you, 'Christmas
+is going,' you would grant it to be a not inaccurate remark?" The
+Baron ate his dinner.
+
+"I think so," pursued the Rev. Hucbald. "Yes. And by the way, I notice
+with pleasure that this snow, which falls so continually, makes the
+event of a green Christmas most improbable. Indeed,--of course the
+proverb is familiar to you?--the graveyards should certainly not be
+fat this season. I like a lean graveyard," smiled the Rev. Hucbald.
+
+"I hate a ---- fool!" exclaimed Sir Godfrey, angrily.
+
+After this the family fell into silence. Sir Godfrey munched his food,
+brooding gloomily over his plundered wine-cellar; Mrs. Mistletoe
+allowed fancy to picture herself wedded to Father Anselm, if only he
+had not been a religious person; and Elaine's thoughts were hovering
+over the young man who sat in a cage till time came for him to steal
+out and come to her. But the young lady was wonderfully wise,
+nevertheless.
+
+"Papa," she said, as they left the banquet-hall, "if it is about me
+you're thinking, do not be anxious any more at all."
+
+"Well, well; what's the matter now?" said the Baron.
+
+"Papa, dear," began Elaine, winsomely pulling at a tassel on his
+dining-coat, "do you know, I've been thinking."
+
+"Think some more, then," he replied. "It will come easier when you're
+less new at it."
+
+"Now, papa! just when I've come to say--when I want--when you--it's
+very hard----" and here the artful minx could proceed no further, but
+turned a pair of shining eyes at him, and then looked the other way,
+blinking rapidly.
+
+"Oh, good Lord!" muttered Sir Godfrey, staring hard at the wall.
+
+"Papa--it's about the Dragon--and I've been wrong. Very wrong. Yes; I
+know I have. I was foolish." She was silent again. Was she going to
+cry, after all? The Baron shot a nervous glance at her from the corner
+of his eye. Then he said, "Hum!" He hoped very fervently there were to
+be no tears. He desired to remain in a rage, and lock his daughter
+up, and not put anything into her stocking this Christmas Eve; and
+here she was, threatening to be sorry for the past, and good for the
+future, and everything a parent could wish. Never mind. You can't
+expect to get off as easily as all that. She had been very outrageous.
+Now he would be dignified and firm.
+
+"Of course I should obey Father Anselm," she continued.
+
+"You should obey me," said Sir Godfrey.
+
+"And I do hope another Crusade will come soon. Don't you think they
+might have one, papa? How happy I shall be when your wine is safe from
+that horrid Dragon!"
+
+"Don't speak of that monster!" shouted the Baron, forgetting all about
+firmness and dignity. "Don't dare to allude to the reptile in my
+presence. Look here!" He seized up a great jug labelled "Chateau
+Lafitte," and turned it upside down.
+
+"Why, it's empty!" said Elaine.
+
+"Ha!" snorted the Baron; "empty indeed." Then he set the jug down
+wrong side up, and remained glaring at it fixedly, while his chest
+rose and fell in deep heavings.
+
+"Don't mind it so much, papa," said Elaine, coming up to him. "This
+very next season will Mistletoe and I brew a double quantity of
+cowslip wine."
+
+"Brrrrooo!" went Sir Godfrey, with a shiver.
+
+"And I'm sure they'll have another Crusade soon; and then my brother
+Roland can go, and the Drag-- and the curse will be removed. Of
+course, I know that is the only way to get rid of it, if Father Anselm
+said so. I was very foolish and wrong. Indeed I was," said she, and
+looked up in his face with eyes where shone such dear, good, sweet,
+innocent, daughterly affection, that nobody in the wide world could
+have suspected she was thinking as hard as she could think, "If only
+he won't lock me up! if only he won't! But, oh, it's dreadful in me to
+be deceiving him so!"
+
+"There, there!" said the Baron, and cleared his throat. Then he kissed
+her. Where were firmness and dignity now?
+
+He let her push him into the chimney-corner, and down into a seat; and
+then what did this sly, shocking girl do but sit on his knee and tell
+him nobody ever had such a papa before, and she could never possibly
+love any one half so much as she loved him, and weren't he and she
+going to have a merry Christmas to-morrow?
+
+"How about that pretty young man? Hey? What?" said Sir Godfrey, in
+high good-humour.
+
+"Who?" snapped Elaine.
+
+"I think this girl knows," he answered, adopting a roguish
+countenance.
+
+"Oh, I suppose you mean that little fellow this morning. Pooh!"
+
+"Ho! ho!" said her father. "Ho! ho! Little fellow! He was a pretty
+large fellow in somebody's eyes, I thought. What are you so red about?
+Ho! ho!" and the Baron popped his own eyes at her with vast relish.
+
+"Really, papa," said Miss Elaine, rising from his knee, with much
+coldness, "I hardly understand you, I think. If you find it amusing
+(and you seem to) to pretend that I----" she said no more, but gave a
+slight and admirable toss of the head. "And now I am very sleepy," she
+added. "What hour is it?"
+
+Sir Godfrey took out his grandfather's sun-dial, and held it to the
+lamp. "Bless my soul," he exclaimed; "it's twenty-two o'clock."
+(That's ten at night nowadays, young people, and much too late for you
+to be down-stairs, any of you.)
+
+"Get to your bed at once," continued Sir Godfrey, "or you'll never be
+dressed in time for Chapel on Christmas morning."
+
+So Elaine went to her room, and took off her clothes, and hung up her
+stocking at the foot of the bed. Did she go to sleep? Not she. She
+laid with eyes and ears wide open. And now alone here in the dark,
+where she had nothing to do but wait, she found her heart beating in
+answer to her anxious and expectant thoughts. She heard the wind come
+blustering from far off across the silent country. Then a snore from
+Mistletoe in the next room made her jump. Twice a bar of moonlight
+fell along the floor, wavering and weak, then sank out, and the pat of
+the snow-flakes began again. After a while came a step through the
+halls to her door, and stopped. She could scarcely listen, so hard she
+was breathing. Was her father going to turn the key in her door,
+after all? No such thought was any longer in his mind. She shut her
+eyes quickly as he entered. His candle shone upon her quiet head, that
+was nearly buried out of sight; then laughter shook him to see the
+stocking, and he went softly out. He had put on his bed-room slippers;
+but, as he intended to make a visit to the cellar before retiring, it
+seemed a prudent thing to wear his steel breast-plate; and over this
+he had slipped his quilted red silk dressing-gown, for it was a very
+cold night.
+
+[Illustration: GEOFFREY GOETH TO MEET THE DRAGON]
+
+Was there a sound away off somewhere out-of-doors? No. He descended
+heavily through the sleeping house. When the candle burned upright and
+clear yellow, his gait was steady; but he started many times at
+corners where its flame bobbed and flattened and shrunk to a blue,
+sickly rag half torn from the wick. "Ouf! Mort d'aieul!" he would
+mutter. "But I must count my wine to-night." And so he came down into
+the wide cellars, and trod tiptoe among the big round tuns. With a
+wooden mallet he tapped them, and shook his head to hear the hollow
+humming that their emptiness gave forth. No oath came from him at all,
+for the matter was too grievous. The darkness that filled everywhere
+save just next to the candle, pressed harder and harder upon him. He
+looked at the door which led from inside here out into the night, and
+it was comfortable to know how thick were the panels and how stout the
+bolts and hinges.
+
+"I can hold my own against any man, and have jousted fairly in my
+time," he thought to himself, and touched his sword. "But--um!" The
+notion of meeting a fiery dragon in combat spoke loudly to the better
+part of his valour. Suddenly a great rat crossed his foot. Ice and
+fire went from his stomach all through him, and he sprang on a wooden
+stool, and then found he was shaking. Soon he got down, with sweaty
+hands.
+
+"Am I getting a coward?" he asked aloud. He seized the mallet that had
+fallen, and struck a good knock against the nearest hogshead. Ah--ha!
+This one, at least, was full. He twisted the wooden stop and drank
+what came, from the hollow of his hand. It was cowslip wine. Ragingly
+he spluttered and gulped, and then kicked the bins with all his might.
+While he was stooping to rub his toe, who should march in but Miss
+Elaine, dressed and ready for young Geoffrey. But she caught sight of
+her father in time, and stepped back into the passage in a flutter.
+Good heavens! This would never do. Geoffrey might be knocking at the
+cellar-door at any moment. Her papa must be got away at once.
+
+"Papa! papa!" she cried, running in.
+
+Sir Godfrey sprang into the air, throwing mallet and candle against
+the wine-butts. Then he saw it was only his daughter.
+
+"Wretched girl! you--you--if you don't want to become an orphan, never
+tamper like that with my nerves again in your life. What are you come
+here for? How dare you leave your bed at such an hour?"
+
+"Oh, mercy forgive us!" whimpered a new voice.
+
+There was Mistletoe at the door of the passage, a candle lifted high
+above her head and wobbling, so that it shook the grease all over her
+night-cap. With the other hand she clutched her camisole, while
+beneath a yellow flannel petticoat her fat feet were rocking in the
+raw-wool foot-mittens she wore.
+
+"Oh, dear: oh, Sir Godfrey! Oh, me!" said she.
+
+"Saint Charity! What do you want? Holy Ragbag, what's the matter? Is
+everybody in my house going stark mad?" Here the Baron fell over the
+stool in the dark. "Give me my candle!" he roared. "Light my candle!
+What business have either of you to come here?"
+
+"Please, sir, it's Miss Elaine I came for. Oh, me! I'll catch my death
+of cold. Her door shutting waked me up-stairs. Oh, dear! Where are we
+coming to?"
+
+"You old mattrass!" said Sir Godfrey. Then he turned to his daughter.
+But this young lady had had a little time to gather her thoughts in.
+So she cut short all awkward questionings with excellent promptness.
+
+"Papa!" she began, breathlessly. "There! I heard it again!"
+
+"Heard it? What?" cried the Baron, his eyes starting.
+
+"It waked me up-stairs, and I ran to get you in your room, and
+you----"
+
+"It--it? What's it? What waked you?" broke in Sir Godfrey, his voice
+rising to a shriek.
+
+"There it is again!" exclaimed Elaine, clasping her hands. "He's
+coming! I hear him. The Dragon! Oh!"
+
+With this, she pretended to rush for the passage, where the squeaks of
+Mistletoe could be heard already growing distant in the house. Away
+bolted Sir Godfrey after her, shouting to Elaine in terror
+undisguised, "Lock your door! Lock your door!" as he fled up-stairs.
+
+So there stood Miss Elaine alone, with the coast clear, and no danger
+from these two courageous guardians. Then came a knock from outside,
+and her heart bounded as she ran through the cellar and undid the
+door.
+
+"You darling!" said Geoffrey, jumping in with legs all covered with
+snow. He left the door open wide, and had taken four or five kisses at
+the least before she could stop him. "The moon was out for a while,"
+he continued, "and the snow stopped. So I came a long way round-about,
+that my tracks should not be seen. That's good strategy."
+
+But this strange young lady said no word, and looked at him as if she
+were going to cry.
+
+"Why, what's the matter, dear?" he asked.
+
+"Oh, Geoffrey! I have been deceiving papa so."
+
+"Pooh! It's not to be thought of."
+
+"But I can't help thinking. I never supposed I could do so. And it
+comes so terribly easy. And I'm not a bit clever when I'm good.
+And--oh!" She covered her face and turned away from him.
+
+"Stuff and nonsense!" Geoffrey broke out. "Do be reasonable. Here is a
+dragon. Isn't there?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"And everybody wants to get rid of him?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"And he's robbing your father?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"So you're acting for your father's good?"
+
+"Y--yes."
+
+"Then----"
+
+"Now, Geoffrey, all your talking doesn't hide the badness in the least
+bit."
+
+She was silent again; then suddenly seemed greatly relieved. "I don't
+care," she declared. "Papa locked me up for a whole week, when all I
+wanted was to help him and everybody get rid of the Dragon. And I am
+too old to be treated so. And now I am just going to pretend there's a
+dragon when there's not. Oh, what's that?"
+
+This time it was no sham. Faint and far from the direction of
+Oyster-le-Main came the roar of the Dragon of Wantley over fields and
+farms.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+                             CHAPTER VIII
+
+          Contains a Dilemma with two simply egregious Horns.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+"Run instantly into the house," said Geoffrey to Elaine, and he
+dragged out his sword.
+
+But she stared at him, and nothing further.
+
+"Or no. Stay here and see me kill him," the boy added, pridefully.
+
+"Kill him!" said she, in amazement. "Do you suppose that papa, with
+all his experience, couldn't tell it was an imitation dragon? And you
+talk of strategy! I have thought much about to-night,--and, Geoffrey,
+you must do just the thing that I bid you, and nothing else. Promise."
+
+"I think we'll hear first what your wisdom is," said he, shaking his
+head like the sage youth that he was.
+
+"Promise!" she repeated, "else I go away at once, and leave you. Now!
+One--two--thrrr----"
+
+"I promise!" he shouted.
+
+"'Sh! Papa's window is just round the tower. Now, sir, you must go
+over yonder within those trees."
+
+"Where?"
+
+"There where the snow has dipped the branches low down. And leave me
+alone in the cellar with the Dragon."
+
+"With the Dragon? Alone? I did not know you counted me a lunatic,"
+replied Geoffrey. Then, after a look over the fields where the storm
+was swirling, he gave attention to the point of his sword.
+
+"Where's your promise?" said she. "Will you break your word so soon?"
+
+A big gust of wind flung the snow sharp against their faces.
+
+"Did you expect----" began the young knight, and then said some words
+that I suppose gentlemen in those old times were more prone to use
+before ladies than they are to-day. Which shows the optimists are
+right.
+
+Then, still distant, but not so distant, came another roar.
+
+"Geoffrey!" Elaine said, laying a hand upon his arm; "indeed, you must
+hear me now, and make no delay with contrary notions. There is no
+danger for me. Look. He will first be by himself to clear the way of
+watchers. No one peeps out of windows when the Dragon's howling. Next,
+the rest will come and all go into papa's cellar for the wine. But we
+must get these others away, and that's for you." She paused.
+
+"Well? Well?" he said.
+
+"It will go thus: the passage shall hide me, and the door of it be
+shut. You'll watch over by the trees, and when you see all have come
+inside here, make some sort of noise at the edge of the wood."
+
+"What sort of noise?"
+
+"Oh,--not as if you suspected. Seem to be passing by. Play you are a
+villager going home late. When they hear that, they'll run away for
+fear of their secret. The Dragon will surely stay behind."
+
+"Why will he stay behind? Why will they run away?"
+
+"Dear Geoffrey, don't you see that if these men were to be seen in
+company with the Dragon by one who till now knew them as monks, where
+would their living be gone to? Of course, they will get themselves out
+of sight, and the Dragon will remain as a sort of human scarecrow.
+Then I'll come out from the passage-door."
+
+"One would almost think you desired that villain to kill you," said
+Geoffrey. "No, indeed. I'll not consent to that part."
+
+"How shall he kill me here?" Elaine replied. "Do you not see the
+Dragon of Wantley would have to carry a maiden away? He would not dare
+to put me to the sword. When I come, I shall speak three words to him.
+Before there is time for him to think what to do, you will hear me say
+(for you must have now run up from the wood) 'the legend has come
+true!' Then, when I tell him that, do you walk in ready with your
+sword to keep him polite. Oh, indeed," said the lady, with her eyes
+sparkling on Geoffrey, "we must keep his manners good for him. For I
+think he's one of those persons who might turn out very rude in a
+trying situation."
+
+All this was far from pleasing to young Geoffrey. But Elaine showed
+him how no other way was to be found by which Sir Francis could be
+trapped red-handed and distant from help. While the knight was bending
+his brows down with trying to set his thoughts into some order that
+should work out a better device, a glare shone over the next hill
+against the falling flakes.
+
+"Quick!" said Elaine.
+
+She withdrew into the cellar on the instant, and the great door closed
+between them. Geoffrey stood looking at it very anxiously, and then
+walked backwards, keeping close to the walls, and so round the tower
+and into the court, whence he turned and ploughed as fast as he could
+through the deep drifts till he was inside the trees. "If they spy my
+steps," he thought, "it will seem as though some one of the house had
+gone in there to secure the door."
+
+Once more the glare flashed against the swiftly-descending curtains of
+the storm. Slowly it approached, sometimes illuminating a tree-trunk
+for a moment, then suddenly gleaming on the white mounds where rocks
+lay deeply cloaked.
+
+"He is pretty slow," said Geoffrey, shifting the leg he was leaning
+on.
+
+[Illustration: The Dragon thinketh to slake his thirst]
+
+A black mass moved into sight, and from it came spoutings of fire that
+showed dark, jagged wings heavily flapping. It walked a little and
+stopped; then walked again. Geoffrey could see a great snout and head
+rocking and turning. Dismal and unspeakable sounds proceeded from the
+creature as it made towards the cellar-door. After it had got close
+and leaned against the panels in a toppling, swaying fashion, came a
+noise of creaking and fumbling, and then the door rolled aside upon
+its hinges. Next, the blurred white ridge towards Oyster-le-Main was
+darkened with moving specks that came steadily near; and man by man of
+the Guild reached the open door crouching, whispered a word or two,
+and crept inside. They made no sound that could be heard above the
+hissing of the downward flakes and the wind that moaned always, but
+louder sometimes. Only Elaine, with her ear to the cold iron key-hole
+of the passage-door, could mark the clink of armour, and shivered as
+she stood in the dark. And now the cellar is full,--but not of gray
+gowns. The candle flames show little glistening sparks in the black
+coats of mail, and the sight of themselves cased in steel, and each
+bearing an empty keg, stirred a laughter among them. Then the kegs
+were set down without noise on the earthy floor among the bins. The
+Dragon was standing on his crooked scaly hind-legs; and to see the
+grim, changeless jaw and eyes brought a dead feeling around the
+heart. But the two bungling fore-paws moved upwards, shaking like a
+machine, and out of a slit in the hide came two white hands that
+lifted to one side the brown knarled mask of the crocodile. There was
+the black head of Sir Francis Almoign. "'Tis hot in there," he said;
+and with two fingers he slung the drops of sweat from his forehead.
+
+"Wet thy whistle before we begin," said Hubert, filling a jug for him.
+Sir Francis took it in both hands, and then clutched it tightly as a
+sudden singing was set up out in the night.
+
+          "Come, take a wife,
+          Come, take a wife,
+    Ere thou learnest age's treasons!"
+
+The tune came clear and jolly, cutting through the muffled noises of
+the tempest.
+
+"Blood and death!" muttered Hubert.
+
+Each figure had sprung into a stiff position of listening.
+
+          "Quit thy roving;
+          Shalt by loving
+    Not wax lean in stormy seasons.
+    Ho! ho! oh,--ho!
+          Not wax lean in----"
+
+Here the strain snapped off short. Then a whining voice said, "Oh, I
+have fallen again! A curse on these roots. Lucifer fell only once, and
+'twas enough for him. I have looked on the wine when it was red, and
+my dame Jeanie will know it soon, oh, soon! But my sober curse on
+these roots."
+
+"That's nothing," said Hubert. "There's a band of Christmas singers
+has strolled into these parts to chant carols. One of them has stopped
+too long at the tavern."
+
+"Do I see a light?" said the voice. "Help! Give me a light, and let me
+go home.
+
+    "Quit thy roving;
+    Shalt by loving----"
+
+"Shall I open his throat, that he may sing the next verse in heaven?"
+Hubert inquired.
+
+"No, fool!" said Sir Francis. "Who knows if his brother sots are not
+behind him to wake the house? This is too dangerous to-night. Away
+with you, every one. Stoop low till ye are well among the fields, and
+then to Oyster-le-Main! I'll be Dragon for a while, and follow
+after."
+
+Quickly catching up his keg, each man left the cellar like a shadow.
+Geoffrey, from the edge of the wood, saw them come out and dissolve
+away into the night. With the tube of the torch at his lips, Sir
+Francis blew a blast of fire out at the door, then covered his head
+once more with the grinning crocodile. He roared twice, and heard
+something creak behind him, so turned to see what had made it. There
+was Miss Elaine on the passage-steps. Her lips moved to speak, but for
+a short instant fear put a silence upon her that she found no voice to
+break. He, with a notion she was there for the sake of the legend,
+waved his great paws and trundled towards where she was standing.
+
+"Do not forget to roar, sir," said the young lady, managing her voice
+so there was scarce any tremble to be heard in it.
+
+At this the Dragon stood still.
+
+"You perceive," she said to him, "after all, a dragon, like a mouse,
+comes to the trap."
+
+"Not quite yet," cried Sir Francis, in a terrible voice, and rushed
+upon her, meaning death.
+
+"The legend has come true!" she loudly said.
+
+A gleaming shaft of steel whistled across the sight of Sir Francis.
+
+"Halt there!" thundered Geoffrey, leaping between the two, and posing
+his sword for a lunge.
+
+"My hour has come," Sir Francis thought. For he was cased in the stiff
+hide, and could do nothing in defence.
+
+"Now shalt thou lick the earth with thy lying tongue," said Geoffrey.
+
+A sneer came through the gaping teeth of the crocodile.
+
+"Valiant, indeed!" the voice said. "Very valiant and knightly, oh son
+of Bertram of Poictiers! Frenchmen know when to be bold. Ha! ha!"
+
+"Crawl out of that nut, thou maggot," answered Geoffrey, "and taste
+thy doom."
+
+Here was a chance, the gift of a fool. The two white hands appeared
+and shifted the mask aside, letting them see a cunning hope on his
+face.
+
+"Do not go further, sir," said Elaine. "It is for the good of us all
+that you abide where you are. As I shall explain."
+
+"What is this, Elaine?" said Geoffrey.
+
+"Your promise!" she answered, lifting a finger at him.
+
+There was a dry crack from the crocodile's hide.
+
+"Villain!" cried Geoffrey, seizing the half-extricated body by the
+throat. "Thy false skin is honester than thyself, and warned us. Back
+inside!"
+
+The robber's eyes shrivelled to the size of a snake's, as, with no
+tenderness, the youth grappled with him still entangled, and with
+hands, feet, and knees drove him into his shell as a hasty traveller
+tramples his effects into a packing-case.
+
+"See," said Elaine, "how pleasantly we two have you at our disposal.
+Shall the neighbours be called to have a sight of the Dragon?"
+
+"What do you want with me?" said Sir Francis, quietly. For he was a
+philosopher.
+
+"In the first place," answered Geoffrey, "know that thou art caught.
+And if I shall spare thee this night, it may well be they'll set thy
+carcase swinging on the gallows-tree to-morrow morning,--or, being
+Christmas, the day after."
+
+"I can see my case without thy help," Sir Francis replied. "What
+next?"
+
+At this, Elaine came to Geoffrey and they whispered together.
+
+[Illustration: The Dragon perceiueth hymself to be entrapped]
+
+"Thy trade is done for," said the youth, at length. "There'll be no
+more monks of Oyster-le-Main, and no more Dragon of Wantley. But thou
+and the other curs may live, if ye so choose."
+
+"Through what do I buy my choice?"
+
+"Through a further exhibition of thine art. Thou must play Dragon
+to-night once again for the last time. This, that I may show thee
+captive to Sir Godfrey Disseisin."
+
+"And in chains, I think," added Elaine. "There is one behind the
+post." It had belonged in the bear-pit during the lives of Orlando
+Crumb and Furioso Bun, two bears trapped expressly for the Baron near
+Roncevaux.
+
+"After which?" inquired Sir Francis.
+
+"Thou shalt go free, and I will claim this lady's hand from her
+father, who promised her to any man that brought the Dragon to him
+dead or alive."
+
+"Papa shall be kept at a distance from you," said Elaine, "and will
+never suspect in this dimness, if you roar at him thoroughly."
+
+"Then," continued Geoffrey, "I shall lead thee away as my spoil, and
+the people shall see the lizard-skin after a little while. But thou
+must journey far from Wantley, and never show face again."
+
+"And go from Oyster-le-Main and the tithings?" exclaimed Sir Francis.
+"My house and my sustenance?"
+
+"Sustain thyself elsewhere," said Geoffrey; "I care not how."
+
+"No!" said Sir Francis. "I'll not do this."
+
+"Then we call Sir Godfrey. The Baron will not love thee very much,
+seeing how well he loves his Burgundy thou hast drank. Thou gavest him
+sermons on cold spring-water. He'll remember that. I think thou'lt be
+soon hanging. So choose."
+
+The Knight of the Voracious Stomach was silent.
+
+"This is a pretty scheme thou hast," he presently said. "And not thine
+own. She has taught thee this wit, I'll be bound. Mated to her,
+thou'lt prosper, I fear."
+
+"Come, thy choice," said Geoffrey, sternly.
+
+A sour smile moved the lips of Sir Francis. "Well," he said, "it has
+been good while it lasted. Yes, I consent. Our interests lie together.
+See how Necessity is the mother of Friendship, also."
+
+The mask was drawn over his face, and they wound the chain about the
+great body.
+
+"There must be sounds of fighting," said Elaine. "Make them when I am
+gone into the house."
+
+"If I had strangled thee in thy prison, which was in my mind," said
+the voice of the hidden speaker, "this folly we--but there. Let it go,
+and begin."
+
+Then they fell to making a wonderful disturbance. The Dragon's voice
+was lifted in horrid howlings; and the young knight continually bawled
+with all his lungs. They chased as children in a game do: forward,
+back, and across to nowhere, knocking the barrels, clanking and
+clashing, up between the rows and around corners; and the dry earth
+was ground under their feet and swept from the floor upward in a fine
+floating yellow powder that they sucked down into their windpipes,
+while still they hustled and jangled and banged and coughed and grew
+dripping wet, so the dust and the water mingled and ran black streams
+along their bodies from the neck downwards, tickling their backs and
+stomachs mightily. When the breath was no longer inside them, they
+stopped to listen.
+
+The house was stone still, and no noise came, save always the wind's
+same cheerless blowing.
+
+"How much more of this before they will awaken?" exclaimed Geoffrey,
+in indignation. "'Tis a scandal people should sleep so."
+
+"They are saying their prayers," said Sir Francis.
+
+"It is a pity thou art such a miscreant," Geoffrey said, heartily;
+"otherwise I could sweat myself into a good-humour with thee."
+
+But Sir Francis replied with coldness, "It is easy for the upper hand
+to laugh."
+
+"We must at it again," said Geoffrey; "and this time I will let them
+hear thou art conquered." The din and hubbub recommenced. And
+Mistletoe could hear it where she quaked inside her closet holding the
+door with both hands. And the Baron could hear it. He was locked in
+the bath-room, dreadfully sorry he had not gone to the Crusade. Quite
+unknowingly in his alarm he had laid hold of a cord that set going the
+shower-bath; but he gave no heed at all to this trifle. And every man
+and woman in the house heard the riot, from the scullion up through
+the cook to Popham, who had unstrapped his calves before retiring, so
+that now his lean shanks knocked together like hockey-sticks. Little
+Whelpdale, freezing in his shirt-tail under the bed, was crying
+piteously upon all Saints to forget about his sins and deliver him.
+Only Miss Elaine standing in her room listened with calm; and she with
+not much, being on the threshold of a chance that might turn untoward
+so readily. Presently a victorious shouting came from far down through
+the dark.
+
+"He is mine!" the voice bellowed. "I have laid him low. The Dragon is
+taken." At this she hastened to summon Sir Godfrey.
+
+"Why, where can he be?" she exclaimed, stopping in astonishment at his
+room, empty and the door open wide.
+
+Down in the cellar the voice continued to call on all people to come
+and see the Dragon of Wantley. Also Elaine heard a splashing and
+dripping that sounded in the bath-room. So she ran to the door and
+knocked.
+
+"You can't come in!" said the Baron angrily.
+
+"Papa! They've caught the Dragon. Oh why are you taking your bath at
+such a time?"
+
+"Taking my grandmother!" Sir Godfrey retorted in great dudgeon. But he
+let the rope go, and the shower stopped running. "Go to your room," he
+added. "I told you to lock your door. This Dragon----"
+
+"But he's caught, papa," cried Elaine through the key-hole. "Don't you
+hear me? Geoff----somebody has got him."
+
+"How now?" said the Baron, unlocking the door and peering out. "What's
+all this?"
+
+His dressing-gown was extremely damp, for stray spouts from the
+shower-bath had squirted over him. Fortunately, the breast-plate
+underneath had kept him dry as far as it went.
+
+"Hum," he said, after he had listened to the voice in the cellar.
+"This is something to be cautious over."
+
+"If the people of this house do not come soon to bear witness of my
+conquest," said the voice in tones of thunder, "I'll lead this Dragon
+through every chamber of it myself."
+
+"Damnum absque injuria!" shrieked Sir Godfrey, and uttered much more
+horrible language entirely unfit for general use. "What the Jeofailes
+does the varlet mean by threatening an Englishman in his own house? I
+should like to know who lives here? I should like to know who I am?"
+
+The Baron flew down the entry in a rage. He ran to his bedside and
+pulled his sword from under the pillows where he always kept it at
+night with his sun-dial.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+[Illustration]
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"We shall see who is master of this house," he said. "I am not going
+to--does he suppose anybody that pleases can come carting their
+dragons through my premises? Get up! Get up! Every one!" he shouted,
+hurrying along the hall with the sword in his right hand and a lantern
+in his left. His slippers were only half on, so they made a slithering
+and slapping over the floor; and his speed was such that the quilted
+red dressing-gown filled with the wind and spread behind him till he
+looked like a huge new sort of bird or an eccentric balloon. Up and
+down in all quarters of the house went Sir Godfrey, pounding against
+every shut door. Out they came. Mistletoe from her closet, squeaking.
+Whelpdale from under his bed. The Baron allowed him time to put on a
+pair of breeches wrong side out. The cook came, and you could hear her
+panting all the way down from the attic. Out came the nine house-maids
+with hair in curl-papers. The seven footmen followed. Meeson and
+Welsby had forgotten their wigs. The coachman and grooms and
+stable-boys came in horse-blankets and boots. And last in the
+procession, old Popham, one calf securely strapped on, and the other
+dangling disgracefully. Breathless they huddled behind the Baron, who
+strode to the cellar, where he flung the door open. Over in a corner
+was a hideous monster, and every man fell against his neighbour and
+shrieked. At which the monster roared most alarmingly, and all fell
+together again. Young Geoffrey stood in the middle of the cellar, and
+said not a word. One end of a chain was in his hand, and he waited
+mighty stiff for the Baron to speak. But when he saw Miss Elaine come
+stealing in after the rest so quiet and with her eyes fixed upon him,
+his own eyes shone wonderfully.
+
+At the sight of the Dragon, Sir Godfrey forgot his late excitement,
+and muttered "Bless my soul!" Then he stared at the beast for some
+time.
+
+"Can--can't he do anything?" he inquired.
+
+"No," said Geoffrey shortly; "he can't."
+
+"Not fly up at one, for instance?"
+
+"I have broken his wing," replied the youth.
+
+"I--I'd like to look at him. Never saw one before," said the Baron;
+and he took two steps. Then gingerly he moved another step.
+
+"Take care!" Geoffrey cried, with rapid alarm.
+
+The monster moved, and from his nostrils (as it seemed) shot a plume
+of flame.
+
+Popham clutched the cook, and the nine house-maids sank instantly into
+the arms of the seven footmen without the slightest regard to how
+unsatisfactorily nine goes into seven.
+
+"Good heavens!" said the Baron, getting behind a hogshead, "what a
+brute!"
+
+"Perhaps it might be useful if I excommunicated him," said the Rev.
+Hucbald, who had come in rather late, with his clerical frock-coat
+buttoned over his pyjamas.
+
+"Pooh!" said the Baron. "As if he'd care for that."
+
+"Very few men can handle a dragon," said Geoffrey, unconcernedly, and
+stroked his upper lip, where a kindly-disposed person might see there
+was going to be a moustache some day.
+
+"I don't know exactly what you mean to imply by that, young man," said
+the Baron, coming out from behind the hogshead and puffing somewhat
+pompously.
+
+"Why, zounds!" he exclaimed, "I left you locked up this afternoon,
+and securely. How came you here?"
+
+Geoffrey coughed, for it was an awkward inquiry.
+
+"Answer me without so much throat-clearing," said the Baron.
+
+"I'll clear my throat as it pleases me," replied Geoffrey hotly. "How
+I came here is no affair of yours that I can see. But ask Father
+Anselm himself, and he will tell you." This was a happy thought, and
+the youth threw a look at the Dragon, who nodded slightly. "I have a
+question to ask you, sir," Geoffrey continued, taking a tone and
+manner more polite. Then he pointed to the Dragon with his sword, and
+was silent.
+
+"Well?" said Sir Godfrey, "don't keep me waiting."
+
+"I fear your memory's short, sir. By your word proclaimed this morning
+the man who brought you this Dragon should have your daughter to wife
+if she--if she----"
+
+"Ha!" said the Baron. "To be sure. Though it was hasty. Hum! Had I
+foreseen the matter would be so immediately settled--she's a great
+prize for any lad--and you're not hurt either. One should be hurt for
+such a reward. You seem entirely sound of limb and without a scratch.
+A great prize."
+
+"There's the Dragon," replied Geoffrey, "and here am I."
+
+Now Sir Godfrey was an honourable man. When he once had given his
+word, you could hold him to it. That is very uncommon to-day,
+particularly in the matter of contracts. He gathered his dressing-gown
+about him, and looked every inch a parent. "Elaine," he said, "my
+dear?"
+
+"Oh, papa!" murmured that young woman in a die-away voice.
+
+Geoffrey had just time to see the look in her brown eye as she turned
+her head away. And his senses reeled blissfully, and his brain blew
+out like a candle, and he ceased to be a man who could utter speech.
+He stood stock-still with his gaze fixed upon Elaine. The nine
+house-maids looked at the young couple with many sympathetic though
+respectful sighings, and the seven footmen looked comprehensively at
+the nine house-maids.
+
+Sir Godfrey smiled, and very kindly. "Ah, well," he said, "once I--but
+tush! You're a brave lad, and I knew your father well. I'll consent,
+of course. But if you don't mind, I'll give you rather a quick
+blessing this evening. 'Tis growing colder. Come here, Elaine. Come
+here, sir. There! Now, I hate delay in these matters. You shall be
+married to-morrow. Hey? What? You don't object, I suppose? Then why
+did you jump? To-morrow, Christmas Day, and every church-bell in the
+county shall ring three times more than usual. Once for the holy
+Feast, and may the Lord bless it always! and once for my girl's
+wedding. And once for the death and destruction of the Dragon of
+Wantley."
+
+"Hurrah!" said the united household.
+
+"We'll have a nuptials that shall be the talk of our grandchildren's
+children, and after them. We'll have all the people to see. And we'll
+build the biggest pile of fagots that can be cut from my timber, and
+the Dragon shall be chained on the top of it, and we'll cremate him
+like an Ancient,--only alive! We'll cremate the monster alive!"
+
+Elaine jumped. Geoffrey jumped. The chain round the Dragon loudly
+clanked.
+
+"Why--do you not find this a pleasant plan?" asked the Baron,
+surprised.
+
+"It seems to me, sir," stuttered Geoffrey, beating his brains for
+every next word, "it seems to me a monstrous pity to destroy this
+Dragon so. He is a rare curiosity."
+
+"Did you expect me to clap him in a box-stall and feed him?" inquired
+the Baron with scorn.
+
+"Why, no, sir. But since it is I who have tracked, stalked, and taken
+him with the help of no other huntsman," said Geoffrey, "I make bold
+to think the laws of sport vest the title to him in me."
+
+"No such thing," said Sir Godfrey. "You have captured him in my
+cellar. I know a little law, I hope."
+
+"The law about wild beasts in Poictiers----" Geoffrey began.
+
+"What care I for your knavish and perverted foreign legalities over
+the sea?" snorted Sir Godfrey. "This is England. And our Common Law
+says you have trespassed."
+
+"My dear sir," said Geoffrey, "this wild beast came into your premises
+after I had marked him."
+
+"Don't dear sir me!" shouted the Baron. "Will you hear the law for
+what I say? I tell you this Dragon's my dragon. Don't I remember how
+trespass was brought against Ralph de Coventry, over in Warwickshire?
+Who did no more than you have done. And they held him. And there it
+was but a little pheasant his hawk had chased into another's
+warren--and you've chased a dragon, so the offence is greater."
+
+"But if--" remonstrated the youth, "if a fox----"
+
+"Fox me no foxes! Here is the case of Ralph de Coventry," replied Sir
+Godfrey, looking learned, and seating himself on a barrel of beer.
+"Ralph pleaded before the Judge saying, 'et nous lessamus nostre
+faucon voler a luy, et il le pursuy en le garrein,'--'tis just your
+position, only 'twas you that pursued and not your falcon, which does
+not in the least distinguish the cases."
+
+"But," said Geoffrey again, "the Dragon started not on your premises."
+
+"No matter for that; for you have pursued him into my warren, that is,
+my cellar, my enclosed cellar, where you had no business to be. And
+the Court told Ralph no matter 'que le feisant leva hors de le
+garrein, vostre faucon luy pursuy en le garrein.' So there's good
+sound English law, and none of your foppish outlandishries in Latin,"
+finished the Baron, vastly delighted at being able to display the
+little learning that he had. For you see, very few gentlemen in those
+benighted days knew how to speak the beautiful language of the law so
+fluently as that.
+
+"And besides," continued Sir Godfrey suddenly, "there is a contract."
+
+"What contract?" asked Geoffrey.
+
+"A good and valid one. When I said this morning that I would give my
+daughter to the man who brought me the Dragon alive or dead, did I say
+I would give him the Dragon too? So choose which you will take, for
+both you cannot have."
+
+At this Elaine turned pale as death, and Geoffrey stood dumb.
+
+Had anybody looked at the Dragon, it was easy to see the beast was
+much agitated.
+
+"Choose!" said Sir Godfrey. "'Tis getting too cold to stay here. What?
+You hesitate between my daughter and a miserable reptile? I thought
+the lads of France were more gallant. Come, sir! which shall it be?
+The lady or the Dragon?"
+
+"Well," said Geoffrey, and his blood and heart stood still (and so did
+Elaine's, and so did another person's), "I--I--think I will choose the
+l--lady."
+
+"Hurrah!" cheered the household once more.
+
+"Oh, Lord!" said the Dragon, but nobody heard him.
+
+"Indeed!" observed Sir Godfrey. "And now we'll chain him in my
+bear-pit till morning, and at noon he shall be burned alive by the
+blazing fagots. Let us get some sleep now."
+
+The cloud of slimly-clad domestics departed with slow steps, and many
+a look of fear cast backward at the captured monster.
+
+"This Dragon, sir," said Geoffrey, wondering at his own voice, "will
+die of thirst in that pit. Bethink you how deep is his habit of
+drinking."
+
+"Ha! I have often bethought me," retorted Sir Godfrey, rolling his
+eyes over the empty barrels. "But here! I am a man of some heart, I
+hope."
+
+He seized up a bucket and ran to the hogshead containing his
+daughter's native cowslip wine.
+
+"There!" he observed when the bucket was pretty well filled. "Put that
+in to moisten his last hours."
+
+Then the Baron led the way round the Manor to the court-yard where the
+bear-pit was. His daughter kept pace with him not easily, for the
+excellent gentleman desired to be a decent distance away from the
+Dragon, whom young Geoffrey dragged along in the rear.
+
+[Illustration: HVCKBALD BELIEVES HE WILL TAKE JVST A LITTLE SIP]
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER IX
+
+               Leaues much Room for guessing about Ch. X
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+As they proceeded towards the bear-pit, having some distance to go,
+good-humour and benevolence began to rise up in the heart of Sir
+Godfrey.
+
+"This is a great thing!" he said to Miss Elaine. "Ha! an important and
+joyful occurrence. The news of it will fly far."
+
+"Yes," the young lady replied, but without enthusiasm. "The cattle
+will be safe now."
+
+"The cattle, child! my Burgundy! Think of that!"
+
+"Yes, papa."
+
+"The people will come," continued the Baron, "from all sides
+to-morrow--why, it's to-morrow now!" he cried. "From all sides they
+will come to my house to see my Dragon. And I shall permit them to see
+him. They shall see him cooked alive, if they wish. It is a very
+proper curiosity. The brute had a wide reputation."
+
+To hear himself spoken of in the past tense, as we speak of the dead,
+was not pleasant to Sir Francis, walking behind Geoffrey on all fours.
+
+"I shall send for Father Anselm and his monks," the Baron went on.
+
+Hearing this Geoffrey started.
+
+"What need have we of them, sir?" he inquired. To send for Father
+Anselm! It was getting worse and worse.
+
+"Need of Father Anselm?" repeated Sir Godfrey. "Of course I shall need
+him. I want the parson to tell me how he came to change his mind and
+let you out."
+
+"Oh, to be sure," said Geoffrey, mechanically. His thoughts were
+reeling helplessly together, with no one thing uppermost.
+
+"Not that I disapprove it. I have changed my own mind upon occasions.
+But 'twas sudden, after his bundle of sagacity about Crusades and
+visions of my ancestor and what not over there in the morning. Ha! ha!
+These clericals are no more consistent than another person. I'll
+never let the Father forget this." And the Baron chuckled. "Besides,"
+he said, "'tis suitable that these monks should be present at the
+burning. This Dragon was a curse, and curses are somewhat of a church
+matter."
+
+"True," said Geoffrey, for lack of a better reply.
+
+"Why, bless my soul!" shouted the Baron, suddenly wheeling round to
+Elaine at his side, so that the cowslip wine splashed out of the
+bucket he carried, "it's my girl's wedding-day too! I had clean
+forgot. Bless my soul!"
+
+"Y--yes, papa," faltered Elaine.
+
+"And you, young fellow!" her father called out to Geoffrey with lusty
+heartiness. "You're a lucky rogue, sir."
+
+"Yes, sir," said Geoffrey, but not gayly. He was wondering how it felt
+to be going mad. Amid his whirling thoughts burned the one longing to
+hide Elaine safe in his arms and tell her it would all come right
+somehow. A silence fell on the group as they walked. Even to the
+Baron, who was not a close observer, the present reticence of these
+two newly-betrothed lovers was apparent. He looked from one to the
+other, but in the face of neither could he see beaming any of the soft
+transports which he considered were traditionally appropriate to the
+hour. "Umph!" he exclaimed; "it was never like this in my day." Then
+his thoughts went back some forty years, and his eyes mellowed from
+within.
+
+"We'll cook the Dragon first," continued the old gentleman, "and then,
+sir, you and my girl shall be married. Ha! ha! a great day for
+Wantley!" The Baron swung his bucket, and another jet of its contents
+slid out. He was growing more and more delighted with himself and his
+daughter and her lover and everybody in the world. "And you're a stout
+rogue, too, sir," he said. "Built near as well as an Englishman, I
+think. And that's an excellent thing in a husband."
+
+The Baron continued to talk, now and then almost falling in the snow,
+but not permitting such slight mishaps to interrupt his discourse,
+which was addressed to nobody and had a general nature, touching upon
+dragons, marriages, Crusades, and Burgundy. Could he have seen
+Geoffrey's more and more woe-begone and distracted expression, he
+would have concluded his future son-in-law was suffering from some
+sudden and momentous bodily ill.
+
+The young man drew near the Dragon. "What shall we do?" he said in a
+whisper. "Can I steal the keys of the pit? Can we say the Dragon
+escaped?" The words came in nervous haste, wholly unlike the bold
+deliberateness with which the youth usually spoke. It was plain he was
+at the end of his wits.
+
+"Why, what ails thee?" inquired Sir Francis in a calm and unmoved
+voice. "This is a simple matter."
+
+His tone was so quiet that Geoffrey stared in amazement.
+
+"But yonder pit!" he said. "We are ruined!"
+
+"Not at all," Sir Francis replied. "Truly thou art a deep thinker!
+First a woman and now thine enemy has to assist thy distress."
+
+He put so much hatred and scorn into his tones that Geoffrey flamed
+up. "Take care!" he muttered angrily.
+
+"That's right!" the prisoner said, laughing dryly. "Draw thy sword
+and split our secret open. It will be a fine wedding-day thou'lt have
+then. Our way out of this is plain enough. Did not the Baron say that
+Father Anselm was to be present at the burning? He shall be present."
+
+"Yes," said the youth. "But how to get out of the pit? And how can
+there be a dragon to burn if thou art to be Father Anselm? And
+how----" he stopped.
+
+"I am full of pity for thy brains," said Sir Francis.
+
+"Here's the pit!" said the voice of Sir Godfrey. "Bring him along."
+
+"Hark!" said Sir Francis to Geoffrey. "Thou must go to Oyster-le-Main
+with a message. Darest thou go alone?"
+
+"If I dare?" retorted Geoffrey, proudly.
+
+"It is well. Come to the pit when the Baron is safe in the house."
+
+Now they were at the iron door. Here the ground was on a level with
+the bottom of the pit, but sloped steeply up to the top of its walls
+elsewhere, so that one could look down inside. The Baron unlocked the
+door and entered with his cowslip wine, which (not being a very
+potent decoction) began to be covered with threads of ice as soon as
+it was set down. The night was growing more bitter as its frosty hours
+wore on; for the storm was departed, and the wind fallen to silence,
+and the immense sky clean and cold with the shivering glitter of the
+stars.
+
+Then Geoffrey led the Dragon into the pit. This was a rude and
+desolate hole, and its furniture of that extreme simplicity common to
+bear-pits in those barbarous times. From the middle of the stone floor
+rose the trunk of a tree, ragged with lopped boughs and at its top
+forking into sundry limbs possible to sit among. An iron trough was
+there near a heap of stale greasy straw, and both were shapeless white
+lumps beneath the snow. The chiselled and cemented walls rose round in
+a circle and showed no crevice for the nails of either man or bear to
+climb by. Many times had Orlando Crumb and Furioso Bun observed this
+with sadness, and now Sir Francis observed it also. He took into his
+chest a big swallow of air, and drove it out again between his teeth
+with a weary hissing.
+
+"I will return at once," Geoffrey whispered as he was leaving.
+
+Then the door was shut to, and Sir Francis heard the lock grinding as
+the key was turned. Then he heard the Baron speaking to Geoffrey.
+
+"I shall take this key away," he said; "there's no telling what
+wandering fool might let the monster out. And now there's but little
+time before dawn. Elaine, child, go to your bed. This excitement has
+plainly tired you. I cannot have my girl look like that when she's a
+bride to-day. And you too, sir," he added, surveying Geoffrey, "look a
+trifle out of sorts. Well, I am not surprised. A dragon is no joke.
+Come to my study." And he took Geoffrey's arm.
+
+"Oh, no!" said the youth. "I cannot. I--I must change my dress."
+
+"Pooh, sir! I shall send to the tavern for your kit. Come to my study.
+You are pale. We'll have a little something hot. Aha! Something hot!"
+
+"But I think----" Geoffrey began.
+
+"Tush!" said the Baron. "You shall help me with the wedding
+invitations."
+
+[Illustration: Sir Francis decideth to go down agayne]
+
+"Sir!" said Geoffrey haughtily, "I know nothing of writing and such
+low habits."
+
+"Why no more do I, of course," replied Sir Godfrey; "nor would I
+suspect you or any good gentleman of the practice, though I have made
+my mark upon an indenture in the presence of witnesses."
+
+"A man may do that with propriety," assented the youth. "But I cannot
+come with you now, sir. 'Tis not possible."
+
+"But I say that you shall!" cried the Baron in high good-humour. "I
+can mull Malvoisie famously, and will presently do so for you. 'Tis to
+help me seal the invitations that I want you. My Chaplain shall write
+them. Come."
+
+He locked Geoffrey's arm in his own, and strode quickly forward.
+Feeling himself dragged away, Geoffrey turned his head despairingly
+back towards the pit.
+
+"Oh, he's safe enough in there," said Sir Godfrey. "No need to watch
+him."
+
+Sir Francis had listened to this conversation with rising dismay. And
+now he quickly threw off the crocodile hide and climbed up the tree as
+the bears had often done before him. It came almost to a level with
+the wall's rim, but the radius was too great a distance for jumping.
+
+"I should break my leg," he said, and came down the tree again, as the
+bears had likewise often descended.
+
+The others were now inside the house. Elaine with a sinking heart
+retired to her room, and her father after summoning the Rev. Hucbald
+took Geoffrey into his study. The Chaplain followed with a bunch of
+goose-quills and a large ink-horn, and seated himself at a table,
+while the Baron mixed some savoury stuff, going down his private
+staircase into the buttery to get the spice and honey necessary.
+
+"Here's to the health of all, and luck to-day," said the Baron; and
+Geoffrey would have been quite happy if an earthquake had come and
+altered all plans for the morning. Still he went through the form of
+clinking goblets. But his heart ached, and his eyes grew hot as he sat
+dismal and lonely away from his girl.
+
+"Whom shall we ask to the wedding?" queried the Rev. Hucbald, rubbing
+his hands and looking at the pitcher in which Sir Godfrey had mixed
+the beverage.
+
+"Ask the whole county," said Sir Godfrey. "The more the merrier. My
+boy Roland will be here to-morrow. He'll find his sister has got ahead
+of him. Have some," he added, holding the pitcher to the Rev. Hucbald.
+
+"I do believe I will take just a little sip," returned the divine.
+"Thanks! ah--most delicious, Baron! A marriage on Christmas Day," he
+added, "is--ahem!--highly irregular. But under the unusual, indeed the
+truly remarkable, circumstances, I make no doubt that the Pope----"
+
+"Drat him!" said Sir Godfrey; at which the Chaplain smiled
+reproachfully, and shook a long transparent taper finger at his
+patron in a very playful manner, saying, "Baron! now, Baron!"
+
+"My boy Roland's learning to be a knight over at my uncle Mortmain's,"
+continued Sir Godfrey, pouring Geoffrey another goblet. "You'll like
+him."
+
+But Geoffrey's thoughts were breeding more anxiety in him every
+moment.
+
+"I'll get the sealing-wax," observed the Baron, and went to a cabinet.
+
+"This room is stifling," cried Geoffrey. "I shall burst soon, I
+think."
+
+"It's my mulled Malvoisie you're not accustomed to," Sir Godfrey said,
+as he rummaged in the cabinet. "Open the window and get some fresh
+air, my lad. Now where the deuce is my family seal?"
+
+As Geoffrey opened the window, a soft piece of snow flew through the
+air and dropped lightly on his foot. He looked quickly and perceived a
+man's shadow jutting into the moonlight from an angle in the wall.
+Immediately he plunged out through the casement, which was not very
+high.
+
+"Merciful powers!" said the Rev. Hucbald, letting fall his quill and
+spoiling the first invitation, "what an impulsive young man! Why, he
+has run clean round the corner."
+
+"'Tis all my Malvoisie," said the Baron, hugely delighted, and
+hurrying to the window. "Come back when you're sober!" he shouted
+after Geoffrey with much mirth. Then he shut the window.
+
+"These French heads never can weather English brews," he remarked to
+the Chaplain. "But I'll train the boy in time. He is a rare good lad.
+Now, to work."
+
+Out in the snow, Geoffrey with his sword drawn came upon Hubert.
+
+"Thou mayest sheathe that knife," said the latter.
+
+"And be thy quarry?" retorted Geoffrey.
+
+"I have come too late for that!" Hubert answered.
+
+"Thou hast been to the bear-pit, then?"
+
+"Oh, aye!"
+
+"There's big quarry there!" observed Geoffrey, tauntingly. "Quite a
+royal bird."
+
+"So royal the male hawk could not bring it down by himself, I hear,"
+Hubert replied. "Nay, there's no use in waxing wroth, friend! My
+death now would clap thee in a tighter puzzle than thou art in
+already--and I should be able to laugh down at thee from a better
+world," he added, mimicking the priestly cadence, and looking at
+Geoffrey half fierce and half laughing.
+
+He was but an apprentice at robbery and violence, and in the bottom of
+his heart, where some honesty still was, he liked Geoffrey well. "Time
+presses," he continued. "I must go. One thing thou must do. Let not
+that pit be opened till the monks of Oyster-le-Main come here. We
+shall come before noon."
+
+"I do not understand," said Geoffrey.
+
+[Illustration: Brother Hvbert goeth back to Oyster-le-Main for ye
+last Time]
+
+"That's unimportant," answered Hubert. "Only play thy part. 'Tis a
+simple thing to keep a door shut. Fail, and the whole of us are
+undone. Farewell."
+
+"Nay, this is some foul trick," Geoffrey declared, and laid his hand
+on Hubert.
+
+But the other shook his head sadly. "Dost suppose," he said, "that we
+should have abstained from any trick that's known to the accumulated
+wisdom of man? Our sport is up."
+
+"'Tis true," Geoffrey said, musingly, "we hold all of you in the
+hollow of one hand."
+
+"Thou canst make a present of us to the hangman in twenty minutes if
+thou choosest," said Hubert.
+
+"Though 'twould put me in quite as evil case."
+
+"Ho! what's the loss of a woman compared with death?" Hubert
+exclaimed.
+
+"Thou'lt know some day," the young knight said, eying Hubert with a
+certain pity; "that is, if ever thou art lucky to love truly."
+
+"And is it so much as that?" murmured Hubert wistfully. "'Twas good
+fortune for thee and thy sweetheart I did not return to look for my
+master while he was being taken to the pit," he continued; "we could
+have stopped all your mouths till the Day of Judgment at least."
+
+"Wouldst thou have slain a girl?" asked Geoffrey, stepping back.
+
+"Not I, indeed! But for my master I would not be so sure. And he says
+I'll come as far as that in time," added the apprentice with a shade
+of bitterness.
+
+"Thou art a singular villain," said Geoffrey, "and wonderfully frank
+spoken."
+
+"And so thou'rt to be married?" Hubert said gently.
+
+"By this next noon, if all goes well!" exclaimed the lover with
+ardour.
+
+"Heigho!" sighed Hubert, turning to go, "'twill be a merry Christmas
+for somebody."
+
+"Give me thy hand," cried Geoffrey, feeling universally hearty.
+
+"No," replied the freebooter; "what meaning would there be in that? I
+would sever thy jugular vein in a moment if that would mend the broken
+fortunes of my chief. Farewell, however. Good luck attend thee."
+
+The eyes of both young men met, and without unkindness in them.
+
+"But I am satisfied with my calling," Hubert asserted, repudiating
+some thought that he imagined was lurking in Geoffrey's look. "Quite
+content! It's very dull to be respectable. Look! the dawn will
+discover us."
+
+"But this plan?" cried Geoffrey, hastening after him; "I know
+nothing."
+
+"Thou needest know nothing. Keep the door of the pit shut. Farewell."
+
+And Geoffrey found himself watching the black form of Hubert dwindle
+against the white rises of the ground. He walked towards the tavern in
+miserable uncertainty, for the brief gust of elation had passed from
+his heart. Then he returned irresolute, and looked into the pit. There
+was Sir Francis, dressed in the crocodile.
+
+"Come in, come in, young fellow! Ha! ha! how's thy head?" The Baron
+was at the window, calling out and beckoning with vigour.
+
+Geoffrey returned to the study. There was no help for it.
+
+"We have written fifty-nine already!" said the Rev. Hucbald.
+
+But the youth cast a dull eye upon the growing heap, and sealed them
+very badly. What pleasure was it to send out invitations to his own
+wedding that might never be coming off?
+
+As for Hubert out in the night, he walked slowly through the wide
+white country. And as he went across the cold fields and saw how the
+stars were paling out, and cast long looks at the moon setting across
+the smooth snow, the lad's eyes filled so that the moon twinkled and
+shot rays askew in his sight. He thought how the good times of
+Oyster-le-Main were ended, and he thought of Miss Elaine so far beyond
+the reach of such as he, and it seemed to him that he was outside the
+comfortable world.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER X
+
+                 The Great White Christmas at Wantley.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+Now are all the people long awake and out of their beds. Wantley Manor
+is stirring busily in each quarter of the house and court, and the
+whole county likewise is agog. By seven o'clock this morning it was
+noised in every thatched cottage and in every gabled hall that the
+great Dragon had been captured. Some said by Saint George in person,
+who appeared riding upon a miraculous white horse and speaking a
+tongue that nobody could understand, wherefore it was held to be the
+language common in Paradise. Some declared Saint George had nothing to
+do with it, and that this was the pious achievement of Father Anselm.
+Others were sure Miss Elaine had fulfilled the legend and conquered
+the monster entirely by herself. One or two, hearing the event had
+taken place in Sir Godfrey's wine-cellar, said they thought the Baron
+had done it,--and were immediately set down as persons of unsound
+mind. But nobody mentioned Geoffrey at all, until the Baron's
+invitations, requesting the honour of various people's presence at the
+marriage of his daughter Elaine to that young man, were received; and
+that was about ten o'clock, the ceremony being named for twelve that
+day in the family chapel. Sir Godfrey intended the burning of the
+Dragon to take place not one minute later than half-past eleven.
+Accordingly, besides the invitation to the chapel, all friends and
+neighbours whose position in the county or whose intimacy with the
+family entitled them to a recognition less formal and more personal,
+received a second card which ran as follows: "Sir Godfrey Disseisin at
+home Wednesday morning, December the twenty-fifth, from half after
+eleven until the following day. Dancing; also a Dragon will be
+roasted. R. S. V. P." The Disseisin crest with its spirited motto,
+"Saute qui peult," originated by the venerable Primer Disseisin,
+followed by his son Tortious Disseisin, and borne with so much renown
+in and out of a hundred battles by a thousand subsequent Disseisins,
+ornamented the top left-hand corner.
+
+"I think we shall have but few refusals," said the Rev. Hucbald to Sir
+Godfrey. "Not many will be prevented by previous engagements, I
+opine." And the Chaplain smiled benignly, rubbing his hands. He had
+published the banns of matrimony three times in a lump before
+breakfast. "Which is rather unusual," he said; "but under the
+circumstances we shall easily obtain a dispensation."
+
+"In providing such an entertainment for the county as this will be,"
+remarked the Baron, "I feel I have performed my duty towards society
+for some time to come. No one has had a dragon at a private house
+before me, I believe."
+
+"Oh, surely not," simpered the sleek Hucbald. "Not even Lady Jumping
+Jack."
+
+"Fiddle!" grunted the Baron. "She indeed! Fandangoes!"
+
+"She's very pious," protested the Rev. Hucbald, whom the lady
+sometimes asked to fish lunches in Lent.
+
+"Fandangoes!" repeated the Baron. He had once known her exceedingly
+well, but she pursued variety at all expense, even his. As for
+refusals, the Chaplain was quite right. There were none. Nobody had a
+previous engagement--or kept it, if they had.
+
+"Good gracious, Rupert!" (or Cecil, or Chandos, as it might be,) each
+dame in the county had exclaimed to her lord on opening the envelope
+brought by private hand from Wantley, "we're asked to the Disseisins
+to see a dragon,--and his daughter married."
+
+"By heaven, Muriel, we'll go!" the gentleman invariably replied, under
+the impression that Elaine was to marry the Dragon, which would be a
+show worth seeing. The answers came flying back to Wantley every
+minute or two, most of them written in such haste that you could only
+guess they were acceptances. And those individuals who lived so far
+away across the county that the invitations reached them too late to
+be answered, immediately rang every bell in the house and ordered the
+carriage in frantic tones.
+
+Of _course_ nobody kept any engagement. Sir Guy Vol-au-Vent (and none
+but a most abandoned desperado or advanced thinker would be willing to
+do such a thing on Christmas) had accepted an invitation to an ambush
+at three for the slaying of Sir Percy de Resistance. But the ambush
+was put off till a more convenient day. Sir Thomas de Brie had been
+going to spend his Christmas at a cock-fight in the Count de
+Gorgonzola's barn. But he remarked to his man Edward, who brought the
+trap to the door, that the Count de Gorgonzola might go ---- Never
+mind what he remarked. It was not nice; though oddly enough it was
+exactly the same remark that the Count had made about Sir Thomas on
+telling his own man James to drive to Wantley and drop the cock-fight.
+All these gentlemen, as soon as they heard the great news, started for
+the Manor with the utmost speed.
+
+[Illustration: Sir Thomas de Brie hastens to accept the Baron's polite
+Inuitation]
+
+Nor was it the quality alone who were so unanimous in their feelings.
+The Tenantry (to whom Sir Godfrey had extended a very hospitable
+bidding to come and they should find standing-room and good meat and
+beer in the court-yard) went nearly mad. From every quarter of the
+horizon they came plunging and ploughing along. The sun blazed down
+out of a sky whence a universal radiance seemed to beat upon the
+blinding white. Could you have mounted up bird-fashion over the
+country, you would have seen the Manor like the centre of some great
+wheel, with narrow tracks pointing in to it from the invisible rim of
+a circle, paths wide and narrow, converging at the gate, trodden
+across the new snow from anywhere and everywhere; and moving along
+these like ants, all the inhabitants for miles around. And through
+the wide splendour of winter no wind blowing, but the sound of chiming
+bells far and near, clear frozen drops of music in the brittle air.
+
+Old Gaffer Piers, the ploughman, stumped along, "pretty well for
+eighty, thanky," as he somewhat snappishly answered to the neighbours
+who out-walked him on the road. They would get there first.
+
+"Wonderful old man," they said as they went on their way, and quickly
+resumed their speculations upon the Dragon's capture. Farmer John
+Stiles came driving his ox-team and snuffling, for it was pretty cold,
+and his handkerchief at home. Upon his wagon on every part, like
+swallows, hung as many of his relations as could get on. His mother,
+who had been Lucy Baker, and grandmother Cecilia Kempe, and a litter
+of cousin Thorpes. But his step-father Lewis Gay and the children of
+the half-blood were not asked to ride; farmer Stiles had bitterly
+resented the second marriage. This family knew all the particulars
+concerning the Dragon, for they had them from the cook's second cousin
+who was courting Bridget Stiles. They knew how Saint George had waked
+Father Anselm up and put him on a white horse, and how the Abbot had
+thus been able to catch the Dragon by his tail in the air just as he
+was flying away with Miss Elaine, and how at that the white horse had
+turned into a young man who had been bewitched by the Dragon, and was
+going to marry Miss Elaine immediately.
+
+On the front steps, shaking hands with each person who came, was Sir
+Godfrey. He had dressed himself excellently for the occasion;
+something between a heavy father and an old beau, with a beautiful
+part down the back of his head where the hair was. Geoffrey stood
+beside him.
+
+"My son-in-law that's to be," Sir Godfrey would say. And the gentry
+welcomed the young man, while the tenants bobbed him respectful
+salutations.
+
+"You're one of us. Glad to know you," said Sir Thomas de Brie,
+surveying the lad with approval.
+
+Lady Jumping Jack held his hand for a vanishing moment you could
+hardly make sure of. "I had made up my mind to hate you for robbing me
+of my dearest girl," she said, smiling gayly, and fixing him with her
+odd-looking eyes. "But I see we're to be friends." Then she murmured a
+choice nothing to the Baron, who snarled politely.
+
+"Don't let her play you," said he to Geoffrey when the lady had moved
+on. And he tapped the youth's shoulder familiarly.
+
+"Oh, I've been through all that sort of thing over in Poictiers,"
+Geoffrey answered with indifference.
+
+"You're a rogue, sir, as I've told you before. Ha! Uncle Mortmain, how
+d'ye do? Yes, this is Geoffrey. Where's my boy Roland? Coming, is he?
+Well, he had better look sharp. It's after eleven, and I'll wait for
+nobody. How d'ye do, John Stiles? That bull you sold me 's costing
+thirty shillings a year in fences. You'll find something ready down by
+those tables, I think."
+
+Hark to that roar! The crowd jostled together in the court-yard, for
+it sounded terribly close.
+
+"The Dragon's quite safe in the pit, good people," shouted Sir
+Godfrey. "A few more minutes and you'll all see him."
+
+The old gentleman continued welcoming the new arrivals, chatting
+heartily, with a joke for this one and a kind inquiry for the other.
+But wretched Geoffrey! So the Dragon was to be seen in a few minutes!
+And where were the monks of Oyster-le-Main? Still, a bold face must be
+kept. He was thankful that Elaine, after the custom of brides, was
+invisible. The youth's left hand rested upon the hilt of his sword; he
+was in rich attire, and the curly hair that surrounded his forehead
+had been carefully groomed. Half-way up the stone steps as he stood,
+his blue eyes watching keenly for the monks, he was a figure that made
+many a humble nymph turn tender glances upon him. Old Piers, the
+ploughman, remained beside a barrel of running ale and drank his
+health all day. For he was a wonderful old man.
+
+Hither and thither the domestics scurried swiftly, making
+preparations. Some were cooking rare pasties of grouse and ptarmigan,
+goslings and dough-birds; some were setting great tables in-doors and
+out; and some were piling fagots for the Dragon's funeral pyre.
+Popham, with magnificent solemnity and a pair of new calves, gave
+orders to Meeson and Welsby, and kept little Whelpdale panting for
+breath with errands; while in and out, between everybody's legs, and
+over or under all obstacles, stalked the two ravens Croak James and
+Croak Elizabeth, a big white wedding-favour tied round the neck of
+each. To see these grave birds, none would have suspected how
+frequently they had been in the mince-pies that morning, though Popham
+had expressly ruled (in somewhat stilted language) that they should
+"take nothink by their bills."
+
+"Geoffrey," said the Baron, "I think we'll begin. Popham, tell them to
+light that fire there."
+
+"The guests are still coming, sir," said Geoffrey.
+
+"No matter. It is half after eleven." The Baron showed his sun-dial,
+and there was no doubt of it. "Here, take the keys," he said, "and
+bring the monster out for us."
+
+"I'll go and put on my armour," suggested the young man. That would
+take time; perhaps the monks might arrive.
+
+"Why, the brute's chained. You need no armour. Nonsense!"
+
+"But think of my clothes in that pit, sir,--on my wedding-day."
+
+"Pooh! That's the first sign of a Frenchman I've seen in you. Take the
+keys, sir."
+
+The crackle of the kindling fagots came to Geoffrey's ears. He saw the
+forty men with chains that were to haul the Dragon into the fire.
+
+"But there's Father Anselm yet to come," he protested. "Surely we wait
+for him."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"I'll wait for nobody. He with his Crusades and rubbish! Haven't I got
+this Dragon, and there's no Crusade?--Ah, Cousin Modus, glad you
+could come over. Just in time. The sherry's to your left. Yes, it's a
+very fine day. Yes, yes, this is Geoffrey my girl's to marry and all
+that.--What do I care about Father Anselm?" the old gentleman resumed
+testily, when his cousin Modus had shuffled off. "Come, sir."
+
+He gave the keys into Geoffrey's unwilling hand, and ordered silence
+proclaimed.
+
+"Hearken, good friends!" said he, and all talk and going to and fro
+ceased. The tenantry stood down in the court-yard, a mass of
+motionless russet and yellow, every face watching the Baron. The
+gentry swarmed noiselessly out upon the steps behind him, their
+handsome dresses bright against the Manor walls. There was a short
+pause. Old Gaffer Piers made a slight disturbance falling over with
+his cup of ale, but was quickly set on his feet by his neighbours. The
+sun blazed down, and the growling of the Dragon came from the pit.
+
+"Yonder noise," pursued Sir Godfrey, "speaks more to the point than I
+could. I'll give you no speech." All loudly cheered at this.
+
+"Don't you think," whispered the Rev. Hucbald in the Baron's ear,
+"that a little something serious should be said on such an occasion? I
+should like our brethren to be reminded----"
+
+"Fudge!" said the Baron. "For thirteen years," he continued, raising
+his voice again, "this Dragon has been speaking for himself. You all
+know and I know how that has been. And now we are going to speak for
+ourselves. And when he is on top of that fire he'll know how that is.
+Geoffrey, open the pit and get him out."
+
+Again there was a cheer, but a short one, for the spell of expectancy
+was on all. The young man descended into the court, and the air seemed
+to turn to a wavering mist as he looked up at the Manor windows
+seeking to spy Elaine's face at one of them. Was this to be the end?
+Could he kiss her one last good-by if disaster was in store for them
+after all? Alas! no glimpse of her was to be seen as he moved along,
+hardly aware of his own steps, and the keys jingling lightly as he
+moved. Through the crowd he passed, and a whispering ran in his wake
+followed by deeper silence than before. He reached the edge of the
+people and crossed the open space beyond, passing the leaping blaze of
+the fagots, and so drew near the iron door of the pit. The key went
+slowly into the lock. All shrank with dismay at the roar which rent
+the air. Geoffrey paused with his hand gripping the key, and there
+came a sound of solemn singing over the fields.
+
+"The monks!" murmured a few under their breath; and silence fell
+again, each listening.
+
+Men's voices it was, and their chanting rose by one sudden step to a
+high note that was held for a moment, and then sank again, mellow like
+the harmony of horns in a wood. Then over the ridge from
+Oyster-le-Main the length of a slow procession began to grow. The gray
+gowns hung to the earth straight with scarce any waving as the men
+walked. The heavy hoods reached over each face so there was no telling
+its features. None in the court-yard spoke at all, as the brooding
+figures passed in under the gateway and proceeded to the door of the
+bear-pit, singing always. Howlings that seemed born of terror now rose
+from the imprisoned monster; and many thought, "evidently the evil
+beast cannot endure the sound of holy words."
+
+Elaine in her white dress now gazed from an upper window, seeing her
+lover with his enemies drawing continually closer around him.
+
+Perhaps it was well for him that his death alone would not have served
+to lock their secret up again; that the white maiden in the window is
+ready to speak the word and direct instant vengeance on them and their
+dragon if any ill befall that young man who stands by the iron door.
+
+The song of the monks ended. Sir Godfrey on the steps was wondering
+why Father Anselm did not stand out from the rest of the gray people
+and explain his wishes. "Though he shall not interrupt the sport,
+whatever he says," thought the Baron, and cast on the group of holy
+men a less hospitable eye than had beamed on his other guests.
+Geoffrey over at the iron door, surrounded by the motionless figures,
+scanned each hood narrowly and soon met the familiar eyes of Hubert.
+Hubert's gown, he noticed, bulged out in a manner ungainly and
+mysterious. "Open the door," whispered that youth. At once Geoffrey
+began to turn the key. And at its grinding all held their breath, and
+a quivering silence hung over the court. The hasty drops pattered down
+from the eaves from the snow that was melting on the roof. Then some
+strip of metal inside the lock sprung suddenly, making a sharp song,
+and ceased. The crowd of monks pressed closer together as the iron
+door swung open.
+
+[Illustration: THE DRAGON MAKETH HIS LAST APPEARANCE]
+
+What did Geoffrey see? None but the monks could tell. Instantly a
+single roar more terrible than any burst out, and the huge horrible
+black head and jaws of the monster reared into the view of Sir Godfrey
+and his guests. One instant the fearful vision in the door-way swayed
+with a stiff strange movement over the knot of monks that surrounded
+it, then sank out of sight among them. There was a sound of jerking
+and fierce clanking of chains, mingled with loud chanting of pious
+sentences. Then a plume of spitting flame flared upward with a mighty
+roar, and the gray figures scattered right and left. There along the
+ground lay the monster, shrivelled, twisted in dismal coils, and dead.
+Close beside his black body towered Father Anselm, smoothing the folds
+of his gray gown. Geoffrey was sheathing his sword and looking at
+Hubert, whose dress bulged out no longer, but fitted him as usual.
+
+"We have been vouchsafed a miracle," said Father Anselm quietly, to
+the gaping spectators.
+
+"There'll be no burning," said Geoffrey, pointing to the shrunken
+skin. But though he spoke so coolly, and repelled all besieging
+disturbance from the fortress of his calm visage and bearing, as a
+bold and haughty youth should do, yet he could scarcely hold his
+finger steady as it pointed to the blackened carcase. Then all at once
+his eyes met those of Elaine where she watched from her window, and
+relief and joy rushed through him. He stretched his arms towards her,
+not caring who saw, and the look she sent him with a smile drove all
+surrounding things to an immeasurable distance away.
+
+"Here indeed," Father Anselm repeated, "is a miracle. Lo, the empty
+shell! The snake hath shed his skin."
+
+"This is very disappointing," said Sir Godfrey, bewildered. "Is there
+no dragon to roast?"
+
+"The roasting," replied the Abbot, impressively, "is even now begun
+for all eternity." He stretched out an arm and pointed downward
+through the earth. "The evil spirit has fled. The Church hath taken
+this matter into her own hands, and claims yon barren hide as a
+relic."
+
+"Well,--I don't see why the Church can't let good sport alone,"
+retorted Sir Godfrey.
+
+"Hope she'll not take to breaking up my cock-fights this way,"
+muttered the Count de Gorgonzola, sulkily.
+
+"The Church cares nothing for such profane frivolities," observed
+Father Anselm with cold dignity.
+
+"At all events, friends," said Sir Godfrey, cheering up, "the country
+is rid of the Dragon of Wantley, and we've got a wedding and a
+breakfast left."
+
+Just at this moment a young horseman rode furiously into the
+court-yard.
+
+It was Roland, Sir Godfrey's son. "Great news!" he began at once.
+"Another Crusade has been declared--and I am going. Merry Christmas!
+Where's Elaine? Where's the Dragon?"
+
+Father Anselm's quick brain seized this chance. He and his monks
+should make a more stately exit than he had planned.
+
+"See," he said in a clear voice to his monks, "how all is coming true
+that was revealed to me this night! My son," he continued, turning to
+young Roland, "thy brave resolve reached me ere thou hadst made it.
+Know it has been through thee that the Dragon has gone!"
+
+Upon this there was profound silence.
+
+"And now," he added solemnly, "farewell. The monks of Oyster-le-Main
+go hence to the Holy Land also, to battle for the true Faith. Behold!
+we have made us ready to meet the toil."
+
+His haughty tones ceased, and he made a sign. The gray gowns fell to
+the snow, and revealed a stalwart, fierce-looking crew in black
+armour. But the Abbot kept his gray gown.
+
+"You'll stay for the wedding?" inquired Sir Godfrey of him.
+
+"Our duty lies to the sea. Farewell, for I shall never see thy face
+again."
+
+He turned. Hubert gathered up the hide of the crocodile and threw a
+friendly glance back at Geoffrey. Then again raising their song, the
+black band slowly marched out under the gate and away over the snow
+until the ridge hid them from sight, and only their singing could be
+heard in the distant fields.
+
+"Well," exclaimed Sir Godfrey, "it's no use to stand staring. Now for
+the wedding! Mistletoe, go up and tell Miss Elaine. Hucbald, tell the
+organist to pipe up his music. And as soon as it's over we'll drink
+the bride's health and health to the bridegroom. 'Tis a lucky thing
+that between us all the Dragon is gone, for there's still enough of my
+Burgundy to last us till midnight. Come, friends, come in, for
+everything waits your pleasure!"
+
+
+[Illustration]
+
+                         L'ENVOI
+
+     Reader, if thou hast found thy Way thus far,
+     Sure then I've writ beneath a lucky Star;
+     And Nothing so becomes all Journeys' Ends
+     As that the Travellers should part as Friends.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Dragon of Wantley, by Owen Wister
+
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