I
waited till they were all still, and then I crept into the women's room, and
found the bondmaids huddled in their beds. They got afraid at the sight of me,
for they thought I was Fridtjof's ghost; and they dared not move. So I had to
go down alone." She shuddered in spite of herself. "Never did I think that
darkness could be so unpleasant,--when one is listening for sounds and fears
to put out a hand lest it touch something alive! But I got past the door and
through the guard-room, where the Englishmen were snoring so loud that they
would not have heard if I had stamped. In a niche in the wall outside I found
Almstein the steward hiding, full of fear. I made him follow me out of the
postern and around to the gate where...my father...and...Fridtjof..." Her
voice broke, but she struggled on. "The English dogs had left them there... My
father's face was...wounded...and the moon made his hair all silver round it,
so that the blood looked to be black blots... And Fridtjof's sword was in his
hand... Always he had wished to go into battle, though he was no more than
fourteen winters old... There was a smile on his lips... I made Almstein dig
two graves. He is a cowardly fellow, and it is likely that he would have left
them there till the English were gone. I kissed Fridtjof's mouth...and...and I
laid...my father's cloak...over.
Pages:
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35