Part 1 (1/2)

With Ring of shi+eld

by Knox Magee

CHAPTER I

SIR FREDERICK HARLESTON

In these days, when the air is filled with the irritating, peevish sounds of chattering gossips, which tell of naught but the scandals of a court, where Queens are as faithless as are their lives brief, methinks it will not be aossips told of arht, with pointed lance, and with the bright swords' flash, and with the lusty ring of shi+eld

Now, my friend Harleston doth contend, that peace and quiet, without the disturbing clamour of war's dread alarht is added unto This, I doubt not, is correct in the cases of some men; but there are others, to who a lack of their appreciation I grant that to such a mind as Harleston's, peaceful and undisturbed meditation are the fields in which they love to stroll, and pluck, with tender hand, and thought-bowed head, the most beautiful and most rare of flowers: but then, such even-balanced brains as his are few and far between; and even he, so fond of thought and study, did love to dash, with levelled lance and waving pluainst the best opponent, and hurl him from his saddle

And there is Michael, which ever thinks the sahty hand upon and crush, as he would a reed

It is of those bygone days of struggle and deep intrigue that I now shall write I do hope that sorandsons--may, after I am laid to rest, have some worthy obstacles to overcome, in order that ye may the better enjoy your happiness when it is allotted unto you Still do I pray, with my old heart's truest earnestness, that no one of h; but in which I had the noble assistance and sympathy of the best friends everwith the first of these, and later in the tale I shall tell ye of the other

I, Walter Bradley, then a faithful servant of his Majesty King Edward IV, was sitting one evening in ed in the examination of some of mine arms, to make sure that my servants had put them all in proper order for our expedition into Scotland, with the King's brother, the Duke of Gloucester A knock cas, then the Chancellor of the Kingdoentleer was a ht broaving hair; blue eyes, that looked me fairly in mine own; sharp features; and yet, with all his look of unbending will, and proud bearing, he had a kindly expression in his honest eyes

”This isfriend, Sir Frederick Harleston, just now arrived fros, as they both entered at mine invitation, and he introduced us to each other

The Chancellor stayed but until he got our conversation running freely, and then he spoke of some business of state that did demand his immediate attention, and left us to become better acquainted

Of course the expedition into Scotland was the chiefest subject of our conversation; and I learned fro the Duke, as the King had that day granted him the desired permission

”And what kind of man is Duke Richard?” asked th discussed the other leaders of our forces

”Hast thou never seen hih I am unknown to him; but I mean what kind of man is he inwardly, not physically?”

”As for that, I do not care to speak Thou, no doubt, hast heard of soed but by their acts, and not by the opinions of such an one as I,” I replied cautiously; for I hesitated to express mine own opinion--the which, in this case, was not the most favourable--to one which I had but just met Reue lived longer than did a loose one

Harleston's color heightened, but with a sht 'Twas impertinent of me to ask thee, who know land, and not Calais; for there we discuss, freely, the King, as though he were but a plain ether with his polite and gentlemanly speech, made me to feel ashamed of my caution, so I said:--”Duke Richard hath never been popular with the friends of her Majesty the Queen; though of late he hathday”

”But he is a valiant soldier, is he not?”

”Ay, verily, that he is He is as brave as the lions upon his banner, and besides, he knoell the properest way in which to distribute his forces in the field There it is that the good qualities of Richard do show up like stars in a deep, dark sky”

”Then the sky is truly black?” asked Sir Frederick, with a sh at the way I had at last unconsciously expresseddeclined to do so, but a breathing-space before I cared not now that I had spoken my mind of Richard; for the more I looked into the honest face before me, the more did I trust to his discretion

Then our conversation changed to the gossip of the court, of which I told him all The only part of this in which he showed interest hen I spoke of the King's health

”I fear,” said he, ”that his Majesty's reign is nearing an untimely end When a man hath lived the life that the noble Edward hath, and kept up, with unbated vigor, his licentious habits, even when his body hath broken down, it doth take but little to blow the candle out So we shall awaken to find that Edward IV is dead, and his infant son is our new king”

”Yes, that is e s must die as well as subjects; especially, as thoua life of three score and ten years in a trifle land,” said my new acquaintance devoutly