Edwy the Fair or the First Chronicle of Aescendune Page 12

remember it,unhappy boy! Why were you not warned in time? Why did you refuse theadvice which might have saved you from all this?"

  "Because it was my fate, I suppose."

  "Men make their own fates, and as they make their beds so must they lieupon them; however, I have not come here to reproach you, but to bid youprepare to return home."

  "Home?--so soon?" said Elfric.

  "Yes, you must leave tomorrow, when a messenger will be prepared toaccompany you, and to explain the cause of your dismissal from court toyour father, whom I most sincerely pity; and let me hope that you willfind leisure to repent of your grievous sin in the solitude of yournative home."

  "Must my father be told everything?"

  "I fear he must: you have left us no choice; and it is the better thing,both for him and for you; he will understand better what steps arenecessary for your reformation--a reformation, I trust, which will beaccomplished in good time, whereat no one will rejoice more than I."

  A pert answer rose to Elfric's lips, but he dared not give utterance toit; the speaker was too great in his wrath to be defied with impunity.

  "Farewell," said Dunstan, "would that I could say the word with brighterhopes; but should you ever repent of your sin, as I trust you may, itwill gladden me to hear of it. I fear you may have done great harm toEngland in the person of her future king, but God forgive you in thatcase."

  Elfric felt the injustice of the last accusation; he coloured, and anindignant denial had almost risen to his lips, but he repressed it forEdwy's sake--faithful, even in his vice, to his friend.

  "Am I to consider myself a prisoner? you have posted a sentinel, as if Iwere a criminal."

  "You must be confined to your apartment, but you may have books andanything else you desire. The prince is forbidden to see you again. Yourconfinement will only be for one day; tomorrow you will be free enough;let me beg you to use the occasion for calm reflection, and, I hope,penitence."

  Dunstan left the room, and Elfric heard his retreating steps go heavilydown the stairs, when a sudden and almost unaccountable feeling cameover him--a feeling that he had thrown himself away, and that he wascommitted to evil, perhaps never to be able to retrace his course, neverto all eternity; the retreating steps sounded as if his sentence werepassed and the door of mercy shut. He shook off the strange feeling;yet, could he have seen the future which lay undiscovered before him, andwhich must intervene before he should see that face again, or hear thosesteps, he might have been unable thus to shake off the nameless dread.

  The day wore away, night drew on; he laid himself down and tried tosleep, when he heard voices conversing outside, and recognised Edwy'stones; immediately after the prince entered.

  "What a shame, Elfric," he said, "to make you a prisoner like this, andto send you away--for they say you are to go tomorrow--you shall notbe forgotten if ever I become king, and I don't think it will be longfirst. The first thing I shall do will be to send for you; you willcome; won't you?"

  "I will be yours for life or death."

  "I knew it, and this is the faithful friend from whom they wouldseparate me; well, we will have this last evening together in peace; oldDunstan has gone out, and Redwald has put a man as your guard who neversees anything he is not wanted to see."

  "What a convenient thing!"

  "But you seem very dull; is anything on your mind which I do not know?What did Dunstan say to you?"

  "He is going to write home to my father all particulars. It will makehome miserable."

  "Perhaps we may find a remedy for that," said Edwy, and left the roomhastily.

  Shortly he returned in company with Redwald.

  "Come with us, Elfric," said the prince "there is no one in the palaceto interfere with us. Old Dunstan received a sudden message, and hasgone out hastily; we will go and see what he has written."

  Somewhat startled at the audacity of the proposal, Elfric followed theprince, and Redwald accompanied them. After passing through a fewpassages, they arrived at the cell, or rather study, usually occupied byDunstan when at court, and entered it, not without a slight feeling ofdread, or rather of reluctance.

  "Here it is," said Edwy, and held up a parchment, folded, sealed, anddirected to "Ella, Thane of Aescendune."

  "I should like to know what he has written," said the prince. "Redwald,you understand these things; can you open the letter without breakingthe seal?"

  "There is no need of that," replied the captain of the hus-carles, "Ican easily seal it again; see, there is the signet, and here the wax."

  So he broke the letter open and extended it to the prince, whose liberaleducation had given him the faculty of reading the monkish Latin, inwhich Dunstan wrote, at a glance, and he read aloud:

  "TO MY BROTHER IN CHRIST,

  "ELLA, THANE OF AESCENDUNE--

  "It grieveth me much, most beloved brother, to be under the necessity ofsending your son Elfric home in some little disgrace; but it is, alas anecessity that I should do so, in virtue of the authority our good lordand king, Edred, hath entrusted to me. The lad was bright, and, I think,innocent of aught like deadly sin, when he came to this huge Babel,where the devil seems to lead men even as he will, and he hath fallenhere into evil company--nay, into the very company most evil of all inthis wicked world, that of designing and shameless women, albeit ofnoble birth. It hath been made apparent to me that there is great dangerto both the prince and your son in any further connection, therefore Ireturn Elfric to your care, sincerely hoping that, by God's help, youwill be enabled to take such measures as will lead to his speedyreformation, for which I devoutly pray. The bearer will give suchfurther information as you may desire.

  "Wishing you health, and an abiding place in the favour of God and Hissaints--Your brother in the faith of Christ,

  "DUNSTAN, O.S.B."

  Edwy read the letter aloud with many a vindictive comment, and then saidto Redwald--"What can be done? Must this letter go?"

  "Does your father know the Saint's handwriting, Elfric?"

  "He never heard from him before, I believe."

  "Well, then, I will venture to enclose a different message," and he satdown at the table, and wrote--"TO MY BROTHER IN CHRIST,

  "ELLA, THANE OF AESCENDUNE--

  "It rejoiceth me much, most beloved brother, to send you good tidings ofthe good behaviour and growth in grace of your son, whom the king hathconcluded to send home for the benefit of his health, since London hathin some degree destroyed the ruddy hue of his countenance, and heneedeth a change, as his paleness sufficiently declareth.

  "The king hath bidden me express his great satisfaction with the lad'sconduct, and the prince mourneth his enforced departure. Wishing youhealth and an abiding place in the favour of God and His saints--Yourbrother in the faith of Christ,

  "DUNSTAN, O.S.B."

  The boys laughed aloud as they read the forgery.

  "But about the messenger--will he not tell the truth?"

  "Oh, I will see to him, he is not above a bribe, and knows it is hisinterest to serve his future king, although Dunstan thinks him so trusty."

  All at once the booming of a heavy bell smote their ears.

  "It is the bell of St. Paul's, it tolls for the death of some noble,"said Redwald; "what can it mean? has any member of the royal family beenill?"

  They listened to the solemn dirge-like sound as it floated through theair, calling upon all good Christians to pray for the repose of thedeparted or departing soul. No prayer rose to their lips, and they soonreturned to the subject in hand.

  "When is the letter to be despatched?"

  "Early in the morning the messenger will await you; and now, I shouldrecommend some sleep to prepare for a fatiguing journey."

  Elfric and the prince returned to their chamber, but they did not takeRedwald's hint, and remained talking till just before daybreak, whenthey were aroused by the hasty step of an armed heel, and Redwald stoodbefore them. His demeanour was very strange; he bent down on one knee,took the hand of Edwy, who resig
ned it passively to him, kissed it andcried aloud--"God save the king!"

  "What can you mean, Redwald?" exclaimed both the youths.

  "Heard you not the passing bell last night? Edred sleeps with hisfathers; he died at Frome on St. Clement's day."

  For a moment they were both silent.

  "And Edwy, the great grandson of Alfred, is king of England."

  At first the young prince was deeply shocked at the sudden news of thedeath of his uncle, to whom, in spite of appearances, he was somewhatattached. He turned pale, and was again silent for some minutes; atlast, he gulped down a cup of water, and asked--"But how did Dunstanknow?"

  "Why, it is a strange tale. Three days ago, at the very