The being was surely
invulnerable. He stayed a moment ere he repeated the attack, when, to
his unspeakable horror and astonishment, there issued a thin squeaking
voice from underneath the disguise.
"The heriot, Sir Ralph--the heriot! We'll have a heriot at Easter!"
Had a thunderbolt fallen at his feet, the knight could not have been
more terrified. He let the weapon fall. His hands dropped powerless at
his side. His countenance was like the darkly rolling sea, strangely
tossed by some invisible tempest. The cause of this sudden and
unexpected termination of the assault we will now proceed briefly to
unfold.
The morning of this day, being the eve of the Blessed Nativity, had been
employed by the Black Knight in the laudable occupation of visiting a
poor widow; who, though recently bereaved of her husband, had not
rendered the customary heriot. Unfortunately, the only valuable she
possessed was a cow, the produce of which formed the chief support of
the family; four young children, and a boy of about fourteen, whose
brains were generally supposed more or less oddly constructed than those
of his neighbours, depended on this supply for their daily support.
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