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The White Company

Chapter 3 HOW HORDLE JOHN COZENED THE FULLER OF LYMINGTON.

Word Count: 2193    |    Released on: 28/11/2017

in mourning for what he had left. Long ere Alleyne was out of sound of the Beaulieu bells he was striding sturdily along, swinging his staff and whistling as merrily as the birds

air was heavy with the resinous smell of the great forest. Here and there a tawny brook prattled out from among the underwood and lost itself again in the ferns

nd peeped at the traveller with a yellow and dubious eye. Once it was a wild sow which scuttled out of the bracken, with two young sounders at her heels, and once a lordly red staggard walked daintily out from among the tree trunks, and lo

his was a face which was new to him-a face which was very red and puffed, working this way and that, as though the man were sore perplexed in his mind. Once he shook both hands furiously in the air, and twice he sprang from his seat and hurried down the road. When he rose, however, Alleyne observed that his robe

reast of him, "I fear from thy garb that tho

the clerk answered, "for I have s

brother wi' freckled face an' a hand like a spade. His eyes were black an' his hair was red an

n," said Alleyne. "I trust he has done you no

my back, if that be a wrong, and hath left me here in this sorry frock of white falding, so that I have shame to go

uld scarce keep from laughter at the sight of the

ersh it had been decreed by the Pope that whoever should wear the habit of a monk of Beaulieu for as long as he might say the seven psalms of David should be assured of the kingdom of Heaven. When I heard this I prayed him on my knees that he would give me the use of his gown, which after many contentions he at last agreed to do, on my paying him three marks towards the regilding of the image of Laurence the martyr. Having stripped his robe, I had no choice but to let him have the wearing of my good leathern jerkin and hose, for, as he s

nsolate one upon the shoulder. "Canst change thy robe for a jerkin on

pread the tale until I could not show my face in any market from Fordingbridge to Southampton. But if you, fair sir, out of your ki

eart," said Al

great beech-tree the hut of a charcoal-burner. Give him my name, good sir, the name of Peter the fuller, of Lymington, and as

eedful garments and tied them into a bundle. While she busied herself in finding and folding them, Alleyne Edricson stood by the open door looking in at her with much interest and some di

thes to the first knave who asks for them. But he was always a poor, fond, silly creature, was Peter, though we are beholden to him for

my road from Beau

. Hast learned from the monks, I trow, to fear a woman as thou wouldst a lazar-house. Out upon them! that they

ch a thing should come

ways. It is easy to see from thy cheek that thou hast not spent thy days in

seen little of

ter can leave them when next he comes this way. Holy Virgin! see the dust upon thy doublet! It

y other country. Yet it sent the blood to his temples again, and he wondered, as he turned away, what the Abbot Berghersh would have answered to so frank an

ead of the great white cloak, he had no clothes on at all, save a short woollen shirt and a pair of leather shoes. Far down the road

e my witness. He shall see Winchester jail for thi

n?" crie

left me clothes enough to make a gallybagger. T

end, it was his gown

all. Gramercy to him that he left me the shirt and the

asked Alleyne, open-e

proach him, he asked me whether it was indeed likely that a man of prayer would leave his own godly raiment in order to take a layman's jerkin. He had, he said, but gone for a while that I might be the freer for my devotions. On this I plucked off the gown, and he with much show of

ter came so thick upon him that he had to lean up against a tree-trunk. The fuller looked sadly and gravely at him; but finding that he still laughed, he bowed with much mock politeness a

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1 Chapter 1 HOW THE BLACK SHEEP CAME FORTH FROM THE FOLD.2 Chapter 2 HOW ALLEYNE EDRICSON CAME OUT INTO THE WORLD.3 Chapter 3 HOW HORDLE JOHN COZENED THE FULLER OF LYMINGTON.4 Chapter 4 HOW THE BAILIFF OF SOUTHAMPTON SLEW THE TWO MASTERLESS MEN.5 Chapter 5 HOW A STRANGE COMPANY GATHERED AT THE "PIED MERLIN."6 Chapter 6 HOW SAMKIN AYLWARD WAGERED HIS FEATHER-BED.7 Chapter 7 HOW THE THREE COMRADES JOURNEYED THROUGH THE WOODLANDS.8 Chapter 8 THE THREE FRIENDS.9 Chapter 9 HOW STRANGE THINGS BEFELL IN MINSTEAD WOOD.10 Chapter 10 HOW HORDLE JOHN FOUND A MAN WHOM HE MIGHT FOLLOW.11 Chapter 11 HOW A YOUNG SHEPHERD HAD A PERILOUS FLOCK.12 Chapter 12 HOW ALLEYNE LEARNED MORE THAN HE COULD TEACH.13 Chapter 13 HOW THE WHITE COMPANY SET FORTH TO THE WARS.14 Chapter 14 HOW SIR NIGEL SOUGHT FOR A WAYSIDE VENTURE.15 Chapter 15 HOW THE YELLOW COG SAILED FORTH FROM LEPE.16 Chapter 16 HOW THE YELLOW COG FOUGHT THE TWO ROVER GALLEYS.17 Chapter 17 HOW THE YELLOW COG CROSSED THE BAR OF GIRONDE.18 Chapter 18 HOW SIR NIGEL LORING PUT A PATCH UPON HIS EYE.19 Chapter 19 HOW THERE WAS STIR AT THE ABBEY OF ST. ANDREW'S.20 Chapter 20 HOW ALLEYNE WON HIS PLACE IN AN HONORABLE GUILD.21 Chapter 21 HOW AGOSTINO PISANO RISKED HIS HEAD.22 Chapter 22 HOW THE BOWMEN HELD WASSAIL AT THE "ROSE DE GUIENNE."23 Chapter 23 HOW ENGLAND HELD THE LISTS AT BORDEAUX.24 Chapter 24 HOW A CHAMPION CAME FORTH FROM THE EAST.25 Chapter 25 HOW SIR NIGEL WROTE TO TWYNHAM CASTLE.26 Chapter 26 HOW THE THREE COMRADES GAINED A MIGHTY TREASURE27 Chapter 27 HOW ROGER CLUB-FOOT WAS PASSED INTO PARADISE.28 Chapter 28 HOW THE COMRADES CAME OVER THE MARCHES OF FRANCE29 Chapter 29 HOW THE BLESSED HOUR OF SIGHT CAME TO THE LADY TIPHAINE.30 Chapter 30 HOW THE BRUSHWOOD MEN CAME TO THE CHATEAU OF VILLEFRANCHE.31 Chapter 31 HOW FIVE MEN HELD THE KEEP OF VILLEFRANCHE32 Chapter 32 HOW THE COMPANY TOOK COUNSEL ROUND THE FALLEN TREE.33 Chapter 33 HOW THE ARMY MADE THE PASSAGE OF RONCESVALLES.34 Chapter 34 HOW THE COMPANY MADE SPORT IN THE VALE OF PAMPELUNA.35 Chapter 35 HOW SIR NIGEL HAWKED AT AN EAGLE.36 Chapter 36 HOW SIR NIGEL TOOK THE PATCH FROM HIS EYE.37 Chapter 37 HOW THE WHITE COMPANY CAME TO BE DISBANDED.38 Chapter 38 OF THE HOME-COMING TO HAMPSHIRE.