Our Little Lady Read online

  CHAPTER FIVE.

  THE DUMB PLAYMATES.

  Out into the Michaelmas fair our friends went.

  In these days, when fairs have quite changed their character, we cannoteasily form a notion of what they once were. The fair, held in everytown four times a year, was a very important matter. There were muchfewer shops than now; and not only in the town, but from all thesurrounding villages people flocked to the fair, to lay in food andclothes and all sorts of necessaries, enough to last till the nextfair-day. They had very little fresh butcher's meat, and very fewvegetables except what they grew themselves; so they ate numbers ofthings salted which we have fresh. Not only salt fish and salt neat,but salt cabbage formed a great part of their diet. The consequence ofall this salt food was that they suffered dreadfully from scurvy. Butthey did not run to the doctor, for except in rare instances there wasno doctor to run to! All doctors were clergymen then, and there werevery few of them. In the large towns there were apothecaries, orchemists, who often prescribed for people; and there were "wise women"who knew a good deal about herbs, and sometimes gave good medicines,along with a great deal of foolish nonsense in the way of charms and allsorts of silly fancies. At that time, ladies were taught a good dealabout medicine, and a benevolent lady was often the doctor for a largeneighbourhood. But we are wandering away from the Michaelmas fair, andwe must come back.

  The fair was a very busy scene. In some places it was hard work to getalong at all. The booths were set up, not in the streets but in thechurchyards, the market place, and on any waste space available. Andwhat with the noise of business, the hum of gossip, the shouts ofcompeting sellers, and the sound of hundreds of clogs on the roundpaving-stones, it may be readily supposed that quiet was far away.

  Avice's first business was to lay in a stock of salt meat and salt fish.Very little of either was used fresh, for it was not obtainable: andstill less would have been used so far as fish is concerned, had not thelaw, alike of the Church and of the State, compelled it to be eatenthroughout Lent, and on every Friday in the year. Little enough fishwould anybody have touched then, but for that provision. Avice boughthalf of a salted calf, which cost a shilling; five hundred herrings, athalf-a-crown; a bushel of salt, at threepence (which was dear);twenty-five stock-fish, at two shillings; a quarter of a sheep, atfourpence; a quarter of wheat, at six shillings; a quarter of oats, atfive shillings; half a quarter of salt cabbage, at five shillings; andfive pounds of figs, at three-halfpence a pound. This was her provisionfor the three months which would elapse before the Christmas fair. Shethen went to the drapery stalls, and laid in two hoods, for herself andBertha, at a shilling each; ten ells of russet, to serve for two gowns,at eighteen-pence the ell; twelve ells of serge, at three-halfpence theell; two pairs of shoes, at fourpence each. The russet was intended fortheir best dresses; the serge for common. Considering how very littlewent to make a garment, it seems likely that our ancestors wove theirstuff a good deal wider than we do. Avice also laid in a few otherarticles of different kinds: a brass pot, which cost her 2 shillings 2pence; five pounds of tallow, at three-halfpence a pound, and as many ofwax at sixpence; wax was largely used for a variety of objects. Herlast and costliest purchase she would have been better without. It wasa painted and gilded image of Saint Katherine, and cost fifteenshillings. But Avice, though a good woman according to her light, hadenjoyed very little light, and did not understand half so well as we dothat she might go straight to God through the new and living way openedupon the cross, without the intervention of any mediator except the LordJesus. She thought she must pray through a saint; and she had no ideaof praying unless she could see something to pray to. Her old image hadlost much of its paint, and half an arm, and its nose was hopelesslydamaged. Therefore, as she must have one, poor Avice thought it best tobuy a new one, rather than have her old saint tinkered up. Alas for thegods or the mediators who require to be tinkered!

  By the time that these purchases were made, and the goods brought home,it was not far from the supper hour; and Bertha prepared that meal byboiling a dish of salt cabbage from one of the barrels. This, withblack bread and ale, made their supper.

  The meal was just ready, and Avice had put away her carding, havingfinished that kind of work for the day, when a rap at the door wasfollowed by the lifting of the latch, and the old smith put in his head.

  "Any room for a man, have ye?"

  "Plenty for you, Uncle Dan," answered Avice heartily; and Bertha's eyeslighted up at the sight of her father.

  Dan came forward and sat down on the stool which Bertha set for him.

  "Has it not been a charming day?" said Avice.

  "Ay, it's fine weather i' Lincoln," was Dan's dry answer. "Up atsmithy, it's none so bad neither--yet. Just a touch of thunder we hadthis morning,--a bit of a grumble i' th' distance like: but I've knownworser storms a deal. Ay, I have so!"

  Avice quite understood what kind of storm he meant.

  "How do you get on without me, Father?" asked Bertha.

  "Well, I'll not say I don't miss thee, my singing bird; but I'm willing,when it's for thy good. I've got--let me see--two buttons left o' myblouse, and I think there's one o' my flannel shirt, but I'm none sosure. It's rather troublesome, for sure, when there's none o' th'sleeves; they keep for ever a-slippin' up man's arm; but I could put upwi' that easy if there was nought more. It's true I don't want to pull'em down while even comes."

  "Oh, Father, let me sew you some on!" cried Bertha.

  "So thou shall," said Dan. "But I've a bit o' news for thee, lass.Susanna's to be wed."

  "With whom, Uncle?"

  "Michael, cartwright, at corner."

  "Is it a good match?"

  "He's got his match, and she's got hern."

  "They are well matched, then," said Bertha, laughing.

  "They're a pair," said Dan, grimly. "He's eagre, and she's mustard; andthey'll none mix ill--but they'll set folks' throats a-fire as meddleswi' 'em."

  Eagre is the old English word for vinegar, which is just "wine-eagre."It means anything sharp and acid.

  "Is Aunt Filomena pleased?" asked Avice.

  "She's never pleased wi' nothing," was the reply of her unfortunatehusband. "She give him lots o' sauce when he first come, and he's hadanother spoonful every time since. He gives it her every bit as hot--Iwill say that for him. His mother went by name o' old Maud Touchup, andhe doth her no disfavour. She knew how to hit folks--_she_ did. AndMichael's a chip o' th' old block."

  "A little more cabbage, Uncle Dan?"

  "Nay, I thank thee. I must be going home, I reckon. Eh, but you'repeaceable here! I reckon man could sleep i' this house, and not bewaked up wi' jarring and jangling. I tell thee what, Avice--when thebig folks up to London town runs short o' money, I wonder they don'tclap a bit of a tax on women's tongues! It'd bring 'em in a tunful in aweek, _that_ would."

  "How would you collect it, Uncle Dan?"

  "Nay, there thou floors me. They'd best send down a chap all over steelto th' smithy, He'd get plucked o' pieces else. Well, God be wi' thee,Avice. God bless thee, Bertha, my lass. Good-night!"

  And Uncle Dan disappeared into the darkness. There were no street lampsthen. Every man had to carry his own lantern, unless he chose to runthe risk of breaking his neck over the round stones which formed thestreets, or the rough ground, interspersed with holes and pits, to befound everywhere else.

  They now sat down to work for the rest of the evening, Avice on thesettle in the corner, Bertha on one of the low stools which she broughtup to the hearth.

  "Lack-a-day! what have I forgot!" said Avice as Bertha drew up her stooland unfolded the apron she was making. "I thought to have asked NoraGoldhue for a sprig of betony, or else purslane. 'Tis o'er lateto-night, and verily I am too weary to go forth again."

  "Have you bad dreams, Aunt?" asked Bertha, knowing that a sprig ofeither of those herbs under the pillow was believed to drive them away.

  "Ay, child; they ha
ve troubled me these four nights past, but last nightmore especially."

  No wonder, after a supper on franche-mule! But it never occurred toignorant Avice that supper and dreams could have anything to do with oneanother.

  "Shall I fetch you a laurel leaf, Aunt?" suggested Bertha.

  "Ay, do, child; maybe that shall change the luck. Best go ere it rain,too; and that will not be long, for I saw a black snail in the channelas we came in."

  Bertha tied on her hood, and ran out to the house of the next-doorneighbour, who had a laurel in her garden, to beg a few of its leaves,which were supposed to bring pleasant dreams. Having placed these underher aunt's bolster, she sat down again to her work, and Avice resumedher interrupted story.

  "It was in July, 1254, when our little Lady was but eight months old,that the Lady Queen set forth to join the Lord King in Gascony. Therewere many ships taken up for her voyage, amongst which were the _Savoy_,the _Falcon_, and the _Baroness_, that was my Lord of Leicester's ship.In the ship wherein the Lady Queen sailed, was built a special chamberfor her, of polished wood, for the which three hundred planks were sentfrom the forest to Portsmouth. But so short was she of money, that shewas compelled to bid the Treasurer to send her all the cups and basinswhich the King had of silver, and all gold in coin or leaf that could befound in the treasuries. Moreover, the Jews throughout England weredistrained for five thousand marks, for the ransom of their bodies, andtheir wives and little ones, and by sale of their lands and houses. TheLady Queen took with her divers pieces of English cloth for the LordKing, seeing that French cloth is not nigh so good. Some things alsoshe commanded for the children, who were to tarry at Windsor during herabsence. Twenty-four silver spoons were made, and fifty wild animalstaken for their provision in the park at Guildford. Robes were servedout, furred with hare's fur, for Edmund the King's son and Henry deLacy; four robes for the gentlewomen that had the care of the children;and for Richard the chaplain, Master Simon de Wycumb the keeper, andMaster Godwyn the cook: these were of sendal. And there were robesfurred with lamb for the King's wards, and for John the Varlet, andJulian the Rocker, and my mother, and me thine aunt." [See Note 1.]

  Both to Avice and Bertha it seemed quite a matter of course that theJews should find the money when the King wanted silk, or the King'schildren silver spoons.

  "But it seems to me, Aunt," suggested Bertha, "that the Lady Queen musthave spent all her money before she started."

  "Oh no! the money was for the Lord King. In truth, I know not whethershe paid for the other things. But I did hear that as soon as the LordKing knew she would come, and that she was bringing with her so muchmoney and plate, he began to spend with both hands on his side of thesea. He sent at once for six cloths of gold that the Queen and LordEdward might offer in the churches of Bordeaux when they should arrivethere; he commanded to be made ready a fair jewel for Saint Edward theMartyr, and a hundred pounds of jewels for Saint Edward the King, anddivers more for Saint Thomas of Canterbury, all which were offered whenhe and the Queen returned home in December. There came in also, for theKing's coming back, many frails of figs, raisins, dates, cinnamon,saffron, pepper, ginger, and such like; I remember seeing them unpackedin Antioch Chamber, the little chamber by the garden."

  "And what did it all cost, Aunt?"

  "I know not, child. Maybe he never paid for those. He used to pay forsuch things as he offered to the holy saints; but for debts totradesfolk and such, they took their chance. If he had money, he mightpay some of them or no, at his pleasure; and if not, then of course theyhad to wait. Very sure am I that many a pound of musk came into thewardrobe more than was paid for. Never was such a Prince for scents.He loved musk as much as he feared lightning; and there was only onething in all this world that he feared more, and that was Earl Simon ofLeicester."

  "And did the Lady Queen squander her money as much as the Lord King,Aunt Avice?"

  "She was every bit as bad. She always seemed to me as if a piece of herbrains had never grown up along with the rest. Some folks are likethat. In respect of money, she was a very child. She had not a notionhow far it would go, and she never would wait to have it before shespent it. She always appeared to think it would come somehow: and sofar as she was concerned, it often did. But then she never saw thehomeless Jews who were sold up to furnish it, nor the ruined tradesmenwho had to wait till they could not pay their own way, and were sent toprison for debt. I think she might have been sorry, if she had done. Isuppose we should all be sorry, if we knew half the evil we do. Well,God pardon her!--she is a holy sister now in the priory at Amesbury.And our present Queen always pays her bills, I have heard say. Long mayshe live to do it!"

  "How old was the little Lady when her parents came back?"

  "She was just over a year old. I waited on her from the Castle ofWindsor to the Palace at Westminster, for the Lord King desired tobehold her at once. And was not he delighted with her! I doubt if anyof the royal children were as dear to the hearts of their parents as ourlittle Lady."

  "Was she pleased to go?"

  "Pleased!--she gave nobody a bit of rest," said Avice, laughing. "Allthe journey through she was plucking at my gown, and pointing, firsthere and then there, with her little cry of `Who? who?'--for she talkedat fifteen months old as much as she ever spoke in this world. Andbefore I could find out what she meant, she was pointing to somethingelse, and `Who? who?' came over again."

  "Did you know then that she was deaf and dumb?"

  "No! nor for months after. Truly, all her ways were so bright, and hersense so keen, and her laugh so gladsome, that we never thought of sucha thing till she was long past the age when children ought to speakfreely. But when at last they began to fear the truth, it was indeed abitter grief to the royal parents. The Lord King offered five cloths ofgold at Saint Edward's shrine for the children, and specially for ourlittle Lady, in hope that the Divine mercy might be moved to have pityon her. But it was all in vain."

  Avice sighed heavily. And there was no one to say to her, O woman,_small_ is thy faith! Was the Divine mercy no greater, which calledthat little child, unspotted by the world, to tread the fair streets ofthe Golden City, than the mercy thou wouldst have had instead of it?

  "It was not long after that," said Avice, slowly drawing out the whitethreads, "that our little Lady's health began to fail. The heats ofsummer tried her sorely. She drooped like a flower that had no water.Instead of playing with the other children, her gleeful laughter ringingthrough the galleries of the Castle, she would come and draw her littlevelvet stool to my side, and lay her head on my knee as if she were veryweary. And when I looked down and smiled on her, instead of smilingback as she was wont, the great, dark wistful eyes used to look up sosadly, as if her soul were looking out of them. Oh, it was pitiful toread the dear eyes, when they said, `I am suffering: cannot you helpme?' And as time went on, they said it more and more. When the LadyQueen came to Windsor, she was shocked at the sad change in our darlinglittle Lady. She called in Master Thomas, the King's surgeon, and headvised that our little Lady should be removed from Windsor to somecountry place, where the air was good, and where she could play about inthe fields. So she was put in charge of Emma La Despenser, Lady deSaint John, at her manor of Swallowfield, in Berkshire. Of course Iwent with her, and her cousin Alianora also, who was her favouriteplayfellow, for it was not thought well she should be entirely witholder people, though I cannot say I was sorry to get rid of all thoserough boys. The Lord King also commanded that a kid should be taken inthe forest, as small and fair as might be found, for our little Lady toplay with: and very fond she was of it. It was a lovely littlecreature, and grew as tame as possible. Ah, they were much alike, thosetwo little things!--both young, soft, lovely--and both dumb! Imarvelled sometimes whether they understood each other."

  "And did she not get any better, Aunt?"

  "Yes; for a time she did. The country air and food and quiet did seemto do her good. She was so much better that sh
e came back to Windsorfor the winter. But it was not thought well by Master Thomas that sheshould go to London to be present at the great rejoicings that were madewhen the Lady Alianora came from Spain--our Queen that now is, the holysaints bless her! There were grand doings then, I heard; all Londoncity was curtained in her honour, and processions in every church, andall superbly decorated; and the poor fed in the halls at Westminster, asmany as could get in; and the Lord King presented a silver cross to theAbbey, and a golden plate of an ounce weight. Oh, it must have been agrand sight!"

  "Who paid that bill, I wonder?" said Bertha, laughing.

  "Bless thee, child! how do I know? That was the autumn when there wasso much ado here at Lincoln touching the crucifixion of the blessedHugh, son of Beatrice, by the wicked Jews; one hundred and more of themwere brought to prison, first here, and afterwards at Westminster; andwhen eighteen had been hanged, the rest were graciously allowed to buytheir lives for eighteen thousand marks. I daresay some of that wentfor it--that is, for as much of it as got paid for."

  That sum would now be equal to about two hundred and sixteen thousandpounds. It never came into Avice's head to doubt whether the Jews hadcrucified little Hugh. Such charges were often enough brought againstthem--when those who called themselves Christians wanted an excuse forstealing the jews' money and jewels. There has never been a singleinstance, in this country or any other, in which the charge has beenproved true. A further favourite accusation, that the Jews used theblood of Christian children to make their passover cakes, we know cannothave been true; for the Bible tells us that the Jews were strictlyforbidden to eat blood. But what absurdity might not be expected frompeople who had no Bibles, and of whom not more than one in a thousandcould have read it if he had had one? Are we half thankful enough forour own privileges?

  "Well!" continued Avice, "after this, the Lady Alianora came down toWindsor with the Lady Queen, and our little Lady and she took to oneanother wonderfully. And, indeed, it was little wonder, for she was asfair and sweet a damsel as ever tripped over the greensward. Our littleLady would run to her whenever she sat down in the children's chamber,and say, `Up! up!' and then the Lady Alianora would smile sweetly, andtake her up beside her in the great state chair; and there they sat withtheir arms round one another, looking like two doves with their headsresting on each other's necks. And the Lady Alianora once said to me,stroking our little Lady's hair--`I hope, Avice, thou givest her plentyof love. She can understand that, if she cannot anything else.' Ay,and so she could! She fretted sadly over the Lady Alianora when shewent away from Windsor. I think she and the little kid were more thanever together after that. I have found them both asleep in a corner ofthe chamber, resting on one another."

  "Was she fond of pets?"

  "She loved her little kid dearly, and she seemed to go to it forcomfort. I do not know that she cared much for anything else. The LordKing was the one for gathering curious animals of all sorts. He hadthree leopards in the Tower, and a white bear, which was taken out tofish in the Thames; the citizens of London paid fourpence a day for thebear's keep, and had to provide a chain and muzzle for it, and a longcord whereby it was held when it fished in the river. And in thespring, before the coming of the Lady Alianora, the French King sent toour King a very strange animal, the like of which was never before seenin England. It had scarcely any eyes that man might see, and not muchof a tail; but great flapping ears, and a most extraordinary thing thathung down from its face, which was hollow like a pipe, and it could pickthings up with it as thou dost with thy fingers. It was a lead-colouredbeast, and ate nought but grass and hay and such-like; it would nottouch meat nor bones. They called it an oliphant,"--for so in old timepeople pronounced elephant. "The Lord King thought great things of thisbeast, and had a house built for it, forty feet by twenty, at the Tower:it was made very strong, lest the great beast should break forth andslay men. But truly it seemed a peaceable beast enough.

  "We dwelt much more quietly at Windsor, after the departure of the LadyAlianora. For she went abroad with the Lord Edward her husband, andMariot de Ferrars, who had been there for some time--she went too; andthe King's son Edmund was made King of Sicily by the Lord Pope, and heand the other lads were taken away; our little Lady and her cousinAlianora de Montfort alone were left. The King thought to have mademoney by Edmund his son; he was a fair boy in very truth, and he cladhim in Sicilian dress, which was graceful and comely, and showed himbefore the Parliament, entreating them to find him money for all thesemany expenses. But the Parliament did not seem disposed to pay forseeing the young Lord. And, indeed, I heard Master Russell say that hethought it strange the Lord King should make merchandise of his child'sbeauty, as though he were some curious animal to be seen in a show. ButBertha, my dear heart! we clean forgot to buy any honey--and only thisminute is it come to my mind. Tie on thine hood, I pray thee, and runto the druggist for an half-dozen pounds."

  When it is understood that honey held in Avice's cookery and diet theplace that sugar does in ours, the necessity of remedying this mistakewill be seen. Sugar was much too expensive to be used by any butwealthy people.

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  Note 1. The robes provided for Agnes and Avice are the sole imaginaryitems in this account. Sendal was a very thin silk.