"I give thee joy, Myles," said the Earl, reaching him his hand,which Myles took and kissed. "And I give thee double joy. I havetalked with the King concerning thee this morning, and he hathconsented to knight thee--yea, to knight thee with all honors ofthe Bath--provided thou wilt match thee against the Sieur de laMontaigne for the honor of England and Mackworth. Just now theKing lieth to sleep for a little while after his dinner; havethyself in readiness when he cometh forth, and I will have theepresented."Then the Earl turned to Sir James Lee, and questioned him as tohow the bachelors were fitted with clothes. Myles listened, onlyhalf hearing the words through the tumbling of his thoughts. Hehad dreamed in his day-dreams that some time he might beknighted, but that time always seemed very, very distant. To beknighted now, in his boyhood, by the King, with the honors of theBath, and under the patronage of the Earl of Mackworth; tojoust--to actually joust--with the Sieur de la Montaigne, one ofthe most famous chevaliers of France! No wonder he only halfheard the words; half heard the Earl's questions concerning hisclothes and the discussion which followed; half heard Lord Georgevolunteer to array him in fitting garments from his own wardrobe.
"Thou mayst go now," said the Earl, at last turning to him. "Butbe thou at George's apartments by two of the clock to be dressedfittingly for the occasion."Then Myles went out stupefied, dazed, bewildered. He lookedaround, but he did not see Gascoyne. He said not a word to any ofthe others in answer to the eager questions poured upon him byhis fellow-squires, but walked straight away. He hardly knewwhere he went, but by-and-by he found himself in a grassy anglebelow the end of the south stable; a spot overlooking the outerwall and the river beyond. He looked around; no one was near, andhe flung himself at length, burying his face in his arms. Howlong he lay there he did not know, but suddenly some one touchedhim upon the shoulder, and he sprang up quickly. It was Gascoyne.
"What is to do, Myles?" said his friend, anxiously. "What is allthis talk I hear concerning thee up yonder at the armory?""Oh, Francis!" cried Myles, with a husky choking voice: "I am tobe knighted--by the King--by the King himself; and I--I am tofight the Sieur de la Montaigne."He reached out his hand, and Gascoyne took it. They stood for awhile quite silent, and when at last the stillness was broken, itwas Gascoyne who spoke, in a choking voice.
"Thou art going to be great, Myles," said he. "I always knew thatit must be so with thee, and now the time hath come. Yea, thouwilt be great, and live at court amongst noble folk, and Kingshaply. Presently thou wilt not be with me any more, and wiltforget me by-and-by.""Nay, Francis, never will I forget thee!" answered Myles,pressing his friend's hand. "I will always love thee better thanany one in the world, saving only my father and my mother."Gascoyne shook his head and looked away, swallowing at the drylump in his throat. Suddenly he turned to Myles. "Wilt thou grantme a boon?""Yea," answered Myles. "What is it?"
"That thou wilt choose me for thy squire.""Nay," said Myles; "how canst thou think to serve me as squire?
Thou wilt be a knight thyself some day, Francis, and why dostthou wish now to be my squire?""Because," said Gascoyne, with a short laugh, "I would rather bein thy company as a squire than in mine own as a knight, even ifI might be banneret."Myles flung his arm around his friend's neck, and kissed him uponthe cheek. "Thou shalt have thy will," said he; "but whetherknight or squire, thou art ever mine own true friend."Then they went slowly back together, hand in hand, to the castleworld again.
At two o'clock Myles went to Lord George's apartments, and therehis friend and patron dressed him out in a costume better fittedfor the ceremony of presentation--a fur-trimmed jacket of greenbrocaded velvet embroidered with golden thread, a black velvethood-cap rolled like a turban and with a jewel in the front, apair of crimson hose, and a pair of black velvet shoes trimmedand stitched with gold-thread. Myles had never worn such splendidclothes in his life before, and he could not but feel that theybecame him well.
