The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Tavern Knight, by Rafael Sabatini

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Title: The Tavern Knight

Author: Rafael Sabatini

Posting Date: February 28, 2009 [EBook #3030]
Release Date: January, 2002

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE TAVERN KNIGHT ***

Produced by Polly Stratton

THE TAVERN KNIGHT

By Rafael Sabatini

CONTENTS

I. ON THE MARCH

II. ARCADES AMBO

III. THE LETTER

IV. AT THE SIGN OF THE MITRE

V. AFTER WORCESTER FIELD

VI. COMPANIONS IN MISFORTUNE

VII. THE TAVERN KNIGHT'S STORY

VIII. THE TWISTED BAR

IX. THE BARGAIN

X. THE ESCAPE

XI. THE ASHBURNS

XII. THE HOUSE THAT WAS ROLAND MARLEIGH'S

XIII. THE METAMORPHOSIS OF KENNETH

XIV. THE HEART OF CYNTHIA ASHBURN

XV. JOSEPH'S RETURN

XVI. THE RECKONING

XVII. JOSEPH DRIVES A BARGAIN

XVIII. COUNTER-PLOT

XIX. THE INTERRUPTED JOURNEY

XX. THE CONVERTED HOGAN

XXI. THE MESSAGE KENNETH BORE

XXII. SIR CRISPIN'S UNDERTAKING

XXIII. GREGORY'S ATTRITION

XXIV. THE WOOING OF CYNTHIA

XXV. CYNTHIA'S FLIGHT

XXVI. TO FRANCE

XXVII. THE AUBERGINE DU SOLEIL

THE TAVERN KNIGHT

CHAPTER I. ON THE MARCH

He whom they called the Tavern Knight laughed an evil laugh--such a
laugh as might fall from the lips of Satan in a sardonic moment.

He sat within the halo of yellow light shed by two tallow candles, whose
sconces were two empty bottles, and contemptuously he eyed the youth
in black, standing with white face and quivering lip in a corner of
the mean chamber. Then he laughed again, and in a hoarse voice, sorely
suggestive of the bottle, he broke into song. He lay back in his chair,
his long, spare legs outstretched, his spurs jingling to the lilt of his
ditty whose burden ran:

On the lip so red of the wench that's sped
His passionate kiss burns, still-O!
For 'tis April time, and of love and wine
Youth's way is to take its fill-O!
Down, down, derry-do!