FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43  
44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   >>   >|  
The Abbey owes you an offering for this day's work, however rude your words may be," said he. "If you think so much of the horse, you may desire to own it. If I am to pay for it, then with the holy Abbot's permission it is in my gift and I bestow it freely upon you." The Abbot plucked at his subordinate's sleeve. "Bethink you, brother sacrist," he whispered, "shall we not have this man's blood upon our heads?" "His pride is as stubborn as the horse's, holy father," the sacrist answered, his gaunt fact breaking into a malicious smile. "Man or beast, one will break the other and the world will be the better for it. If you forbid me--" "Nay, brother, you have bought the horse, and you may have the bestowal of it." "Then I give it--hide and hoofs, tail and temper--to Nigel Loring, and may it be as sweet and as gentle to him as he hath been to the Abbot of Waverley!" The sacrist spoke aloud amid the tittering of the monks, for the man concerned was out of earshot. At the first words which had shown him the turn which affairs had taken he had run swiftly to the spot where he had left his pony. From its mouth he removed the bit and the stout bridle which held it. Then leaving the creature to nibble the grass by the wayside he sped back whence he came. "I take your gift, monk," said he, "though I know well why it is that you give it. Yet I thank you, for there are two things upon earth for which I have ever yearned, and which my thin purse could never buy. The one is a noble horse, such a horse as my father's son should have betwixt his thighs, and here is the one of all others which I would have chosen, since some small deed is to be done in the winning of him, and some honorable advancement to be gained. How is the horse called?" "Its name," said the franklin, "is Pommers. I warn you, young sir, that none may ride him, for many have tried, and the luckiest is he who has only a staved rib to show for it." "I thank you for your rede," said Nigel, "and now I see that this is indeed a horse which I would journey far to meet. I am your man, Pommers, and you are my horse, and this night you shall own it or I will never need horse again. My spirit against thine, and God hold thy spirit high, Pommers, so that the greater be the adventure, and the more hope of honor gained!" While he spoke the young Squire had climbed on to the top of the wall and stood there balanced, the very image of grace and spirit and galla
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43  
44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Pommers

 

spirit

 

sacrist

 

father

 
gained
 

brother

 

winning

 

honorable

 

called

 

advancement


things

 

betwixt

 

thighs

 
yearned
 
chosen
 
adventure
 

greater

 

Squire

 

balanced

 

climbed


luckiest

 

franklin

 

staved

 
journey
 

affairs

 

answered

 
stubborn
 
breaking
 

malicious

 
forbid

whispered
 

offering

 
desire
 

subordinate

 
sleeve
 

Bethink

 

plucked

 
freely
 

permission

 

bestow


bought

 
bestowal
 

removed

 

swiftly

 
wayside
 

nibble

 

bridle

 

leaving

 
creature
 

gentle