Transcribed from the 1905 Macmillan and Co. edition by JanetHaselow, Marian Taylor and David Price, email
RICHARD THE FEARLESS
by the authorof
“THE HEIR OF REDCLYFFE,”
etc.
WITH ILLUSTRATIONS
London
MACMILLAN AND CO., Limited
new york: themacmillan company
1905
All rights reserved
Richard Clayand Sons, Limited,
bread street hill, e.c., and
bungay, suffolk.
Originally publishedelsewhere. Transferred in 1864. FirstEdition printed (S) for Macmillan and Co. November1864 (Pott 8vo). Reprinted 1869, 1872,1873, 1876, 1878, 1881 (Globe 8vo), 1883, 1885,1886, 1889. New Edition 1891, (Crown8vo), 1892, 1894, 1895, 1897, 1898, 1899, 1900, 1901,1903, 1905.
On a bright autumn day, as long ago as the year 943, there wasa great bustle in the Castle of Bayeux in Normandy.
The hall was large and low, the roof arched, and supported onthick short columns, almost like the crypt of a Cathedral; thewalls were thick, and the windows, which had no glass, were verysmall, set in such a depth of wall that there was a wide deepwindow seat, upon which the rain might beat, without reaching theinterior of the room. And even if it had come in, there wasnothing for it to hurt, for the walls were of rough stone, andthe floor of tiles. There was a fire at each end of thisgreat dark apartment, but there were no chimneys over the amplehearths, and the smoke curled about in thick white folds in thevaulted roof, adding to the wreaths of soot, which made the halllook still darker.
The fire at the lower end was by far the largest andhottest. Great black cauldrons hung over it, and servants,both men and women, with red faces, bare and grimed arms, andlong iron hooks, or pots and pans, were busied around it. At the other end, which was raised about three steps above thefloor of the hall, other servants were engaged. Two youngmaidens were strewing fresh rushes on the floor; some men weresetting up a long table of rough boards, supported on trestles,and then ranging upon it silver cups, drinking horns, and woodentrenchers.
Benches were placed to receive most of the guests, but in themiddle, at the place of honour, was a high chair with very thickcrossing legs, and the arms curiously carved with lions’faces and claws; a clumsy wooden footstool was set in front, andthe silver drinking-cup on the table was of far more beautifulworkmanship than the others, richly chased with vine leaves andgrapes, and figures of little boys with goats’ legs. If that cup could have told its story, it would have been astrange one, for it had been made long since, in the old Romantimes, and been carried off from Italy by some Northmanpirate.
From one of these scenes of activity to the other, there moveda stately old lady: her long thick light hair, hardly touchedwith grey, was bound round her head, under a tall white cap, witha band passing under her chin: she wore a long sweeping darkrobe, with wide hanging sleeves, and thick gold ear-rings andnecklace, which had possibly come from the same quarter as thecup. She directed the servants, inspected