Pardon me, my
lord," continued the accuser, seeing symptoms of impatience gathering on
the brow of the haughty chieftain, "though I am plain of speech, yet is
it the more easily understood. This delinquent of whom we speak hath
not, as the general report testifieth, the same nature and existence as
our own. He useth magic--I have credible testimony thereto, my
lord;--and anointeth his body so that it shall be invisible. The free
unconfined air is not more accessible to the scared bird than rocks and
walls are to this impalpable mockery of our form; and yet he may be
dealt with."
"Troth, a man of many faculties. How came he thus?"
"The vulgar do imagine that by dint of great maceration and humility, by
prayer and fasting, he hath attained communion with angels; but I
suspect they be those of the bottomless pit!"
"And why should he withhold the deed?"
"I know not, save that he purposeth by fraud and subtilty to cast these
fair possessions into the treasury of the holy church, and build an
abbey hereabout, the like whereof hath not been seen for glory and
magnificence."
"Doth he then deny our right to the inheritance? The Lady Fitz-Eustace
had a fair copy of the deed, purporting to be sent by the holy confessor
who shrived the testator in his extremity.
Pages:
848
849
850
851
852
853
854
855
856
857
858
859
860
861
862
863
864
865
866
867
868
869
870
871
872