The Brethren Page 7

  Chapter Five: The Wine Merchant

  Godwin laid down the letter, and all of them stared at oneanother in amazement.

  "Surely," said Wulf, "this is some fool's trick played off uponour uncle as an evil jest."

  By way of answer Sir Andrew bade him lift the silk that hid thecontents of the coffer and see what lay there. Wulf did so, andnext moment threw back his head like a man whom some sudden lighthad blinded, as well he might, for from it came such a flare ofgems as Essex had rarely seen before. Red, green and blue theysparkled; and among them were the dull glow of gold and the whitesheen of pearls.

  "Oh, how beautiful! how beautiful!" said Rosamund.

  "Ay," muttered Godwin; "beautiful enough to maze a woman's mindtill she knows not right from wrong."

  Wulf said nothing, but one by one drew its treasures from thechest--coronet, necklace of pearls, breast ornaments of rubies,girdle of sapphires, jewelled anklets, and with them veil,sandals, robes and other garments of gold-embroidered purplesilk. Moreover, among these, also sealed with the seals ofSalah-ed-din, his viziers, officers of state, and secretaries,was that patent of which the letter spoke, setting out the fulltitles of the Princess of Baalbec; the extent and boundaries ofher great estates, and the amount of her annual revenue, whichseemed more money than they had ever heard of.

  "I was wrong," said Wulf. "Even the Sultan of the East could notafford a jest so costly."

  "Jest?" broke in Sir Andrew; "it is no jest, as I was sure fromthe first line of that letter. It breathes the very spirit ofSaladin, though he be a Saracen, the greatest man on all theearth, as I, who was a friend of his youth, know well. Ay, and heis right. In a sense I sinned against him as his sister sinned,our love compelling us. Jest? Nay, no jest, but because a visionof the night, which he believes the voice of God, or perhaps someoracle of the magicians has deeply stirred that great soul of hisand led him on to this wild adventure."

  He paused awhile, then looked up and said, "Girl, do you know whatSaladin has made of you? Why, there are queens in Europe whowould be glad to own that rank and those estates in the richlands above Damascus. I know the city and the castle of whichhe speaks. It is a mighty place upon the banks of Litani andOrontes, and after its military governor--for that rule he wouldnot give a Christian--you will be first in it, beneath the sealof Saladin--the surest title in all the earth. Say, will you goand queen it there?"

  Rosamund gazed at the gleaming gems and the writings that madeher royal, and her eyes flashed and her breast heaved, as theyhad done by the church of St. Peter on the Essex coast. Thriceshe looked while they watched her, then turned her head as fromthe bait of some great temptation and answered one wordonly--"Nay."

  "Well spoken," said her father, who knew her blood and itslongings. "At least, had the 'nay' been 'yea,' you must have gonealone. Give me ink and parchment, Godwin."

  They were brought, and he wrote:

  "To the Sultan Saladin, from Andrew D'Arcy and his daughterRosamund.

  "We have received your letter, and we answer that where we arethere we will bide in such state as God has given us.Nevertheless, we thank you, Sultan, since we believe you honest,and we wish you well, except in your wars against the Cross. Asfor your threats, we will do our best to bring them to nothing.Knowing the customs of the East, we do not send back your giftsto you, since to do so would be to offer insult to one of thegreatest men in all the world; but if you choose to ask for them,they are yours--not ours. Of your dream we say that it was but anempty vision of the night which a wise man should forget.--Yourservant and your niece."

  Then he signed, and Rosamund signed after him, and the writingwas done up, wrapped in silk, and sealed.

  "Now," said Sir Andrew, "hide away this wealth, since were itknown that we had such treasures in the place, every thief inEngland would be our visitor, some of them bearing high names, Ithink."

  So they laid the gold-embroidered robes and the priceless sets ofgems back in their coffer, and having locked it, hid it away inthe great iron-bound chest that stood in Sir Andrew's sleepingchamber.

  When everything was finished, Sir Andrew said: "Listen now,Rosamund, and you also, my nephews. I have never told you thetrue tale of how the sister of Saladin, who was known asZobeide, daughter of Ayoub, and afterwards christened into ourfaith by the name of Mary, came to be my wife. Yet you shouldlearn it, if only to show how evil returns upon a man. After thegreat Nur-ed-din took Damascus, Ayoub was made its governor; thensome three-and-twenty years ago came the capture of Harenc, inwhich my brother fell. Here I was wounded and taken prisoner.They bore me to Damascus, where I was lodged in the palace ofAyoub and kindly treated. Here too it was, while I lay sick, thatI made friends with the young Saladin, and with his sisterZobeide, whom I met secretly in the gardens of the palace. Therest may be guessed. Although she numbered but half my years, sheloved me as I loved her, and for my sake offered to change herfaith and fly with me to England if opportunity could be found,which was hard.

  "Now, as it chanced, I had a friend, a dark and secret man namedJebal, the young sheik of a terrible people, whose cruel rites noChristian understands. They are the subjects of one Mahomet, inPersia, and live in castles at Masyaf, on Lebanon. This man hadbeen in alliance with the Franks, and once in a battle I savedhis life from the Saracens at the risk of my own, whereon heswore that did I summon him from the ends of the earth he wouldcome to me if I needed help. Moreover, he gave me his signet-ringas a token, and, by virtue of it, so he said, power in hisdominions equal to his own, though these I never visited. Youknow it," and holding up his hand, Sir Andrew showed them a heavygold ring, in which was set a black stone, with red veins runningacross the stone in the exact shape of a dagger, and beneath thedagger words cut in unknown characters.

  "So in my plight I bethought me of Jebal, and found means to sendhim a letter sealed with his ring. Nor did he forget his promise,for within twelve days Zobeide and I were galloping for Beirut ontwo horses so swift that all the cavalry of Ayoub could notovertake them. We reached the city, and there were married,Rosamund. There too your mother was baptised a Christian. Thence,since it was not safe for us to stay in the East, we took shipand came safe home, bearing this ring of Jebal with us, for Iwould not give it up, as his servants demanded that I should do,except to him alone. But before that vessel sailed, a mandisguised as a fisherman brought me a message from Ayoub and hisson Saladin, swearing that they would yet recapture Zobeide, thedaughter of one of them and sister of the other.

  "That is the story, and you see that their oath has not beenforgotten, though when in after years they learned of my wife'sdeath, they let the matter lie. But since then Saladin, who inthose days was but a noble youth, has become the greatest sultanthat the East has ever known, and having been told of you,Rosamund, by that traitor Lozelle, he seeks to take you in yourmother's place, and, daughter, I tell you that I fear him."

  "At least we have a year or longer in which to prepare ourselves,or to hide," said Rosamund. "His palmer must travel back to theEast before my uncle Saladin can have our answer."

  "Ay," said Sir Andrew; "perhaps we have a year."

  "What of the attack on the quay?" asked Godwin, who had beenthinking. "The knight Lozelle was named there. Yet if Saladin hadto do with it, it seems strange that the blow should have comebefore the word."

  Sir Andrew brooded a while, then said:

  "Bring in this palmer. I will question him."

  So the man Nicholas, who was found still eating as though hishunger would never be satisfied, was brought in by Wulf. He bowedlow before the old knight and Rosamund, studying them the whilewith his sharp eyes, and the roof and the floor, and every otherdetail of the chamber. For those eyes of his seemed to missnothing.

  "You have brought me a letter from far away, Sir Palmer, who arenamed Nicholas," said Sir Andrew.

  "I have brought you a chest from Damascus, Sir Knight, but of itscontents I know nothing. At least you will bear me witness thatit has not been tampered with," answered N
icholas.

  "I find it strange," went on the old knight, "that one in yourholy garb should be chosen as the messenger of Saladin, with whomChristian men have little to do."

  "But Saladin has much to do with Christian men, Sir Andrew. Thushe takes them prisoner even in times of peace, as he did me."

  "Did he, then, take the knight Lozelle prisoner?"

  "The knight Lozelle?" repeated the palmer. "Was he a big,red-faced man, with a scar upon his forehead, who always wore ablack cloak over his mail?"

  "That might be he."

  "Then he was not taken prisoner, but he came to visit the Sultanat Damascus while I lay in bonds there, for I saw him twice orthrice, though what his business was I do not know. Afterwards heleft, and at Jaffa I heard that he had sailed for Europe threemonths before I did."

  Now the brethren looked at each other. So Lozelle was inEngland. But Sir Andrew made no comment, only he said: "Tell meyour story, and be careful that you speak the truth."

  "Why should I not, who have nothing to hide?" answered Nicholas."I was captured by some Arabs as I journeyed to the Jordan upon apilgrimage, who, when they found that I had no goods to berobbed of, would have killed me. This, indeed, they were about todo, had not some of Saladin's soldiers come by and commandedthem to hold their hands and give me over to them. They did so,and the soldiers took me to Damascus. There I was imprisoned,but not close, and then it was that I saw Lozelle, or, at least,a Christian man who had some such name, and, as he seemed to bein favour with the Saracens, I begged him to intercede for me.Afterwards I was brought before the court of Saladin, and havingquestioned me, the Sultan himself told me that I must eitherworship the false prophet or die, to which you can guess myanswer. So they led me away, as I thought, to death, but noneoffered to do me hurt.

  "Three days later Saladin sent for me again, and offered to sparemy life if I would swear an oath, which oath was that I shouldtake a certain package and deliver it to you, or to your daughternamed the Lady Rosamund here at your hall of Steeple, in Essex,and bring back the answer to Damascus. Not wishing to die, I saidthat I would do this, if the Sultan passed his word, which henever breaks, that I should be set free afterwards."

  "And now you are safe in England, do you purpose to return toDamascus with the answer, and, if so, why?"

  "For two reasons, Sir Andrew. First, because I have sworn to doso, and I do not break my word any more than does Saladin.Secondly, because I continue to wish to live, and the Sultanpromised me that if I failed in my mission, he would bring aboutmy death wherever I might be, which I am sure he has the power todo by magic or otherwise. Well, the rest of the tale is short.The chest was handed over to me as you see it, and with it moneysufficient for my faring to and fro and something to spare. ThenI was escorted to Joppa, where I took passage on a ship bound toItaly, where I found another ship named the Holy Mary sailing forCalais, which we reached after being nearly cast away. Thence Icame to Dover in a fishing boat, landing there eight days ago,and having bought a mule, joined some travellers to London, andso on here."

  "And how will you return?"

  The palmer shrugged his shoulders.

  "As best I may, and as quickly. Is your answer ready, SirAndrew?"

  "Yes; it is here," and he handed him the roll, which Nicholas hidaway in the folds of his great cloak. Then Sir Andrew added, "Yousay you know nothing of all the business in which you play thispart?"

  "Nothing; or, rather, only this--the officer who escorted me toJaffa told me that there was a stir among the learned doctors anddiviners at the court because of a certain dream which the Sultanhad dreamed three times. It had to do with a lady who was half ofthe blood of Ayoub and half English, and they said that mymission was mixed up with this matter. Now I see that the noblelady before me has eyes strangely like those of the SultanSaladin." And he spread out his hands and ceased.

  "You seem to see a good deal, friend Nicholas."

  "Sir Andrew, a poor palmer who wishes to preserve his throatunslit must keep his eyes open. Now I have eaten well, and I amweary. Is there any place where I may sleep? I must be gone atdaybreak, for those who do Saladin's business dare not tarry, andI have your letter."

  "There is a place," answered Sir Andrew. "Wulf, take him to it,and to-morrow, before he leaves, we will speak again. Till then,farewell, holy Nicholas."

  With one more searching glance the palmer bowed and went. Whenthe door closed behind him Sir Andrew beckoned Godwin to him, andwhispered:

  "To-morrow, Godwin, you must take some men and follow thisNicholas to see where he goes and what he does, for I tell you Ido not trust him--ay, I fear him much! These embassies to andfrom Saracens are strange traffic for a Christian man. Also,though he says his life hangs on it, I think that were he honest,once safe in England here he would stop, since the first priestwould absolve him of an oath forced from him by the infidel."

  "Were he dishonest would he not have stolen those jewels?" askedGodwin. "They are worth some risk. What do you think, Rosamund?"

  "I?" she answered. "Oh, I think there is more in this than any ofus dream.

  "I think," she added in a voice of distress and with aninvoluntary wringing motion of the hands, "that for this house andthose who dwell in it time is big with death, and that sharp-eyedpalmer is its midwife. How strange is the destiny that wraps usall about! And now comes the sword of Saladin to shape it, andthe hand of Saladin to drag me from my peaceful state to adignity which I do not seek; and the dreams of Saladin, of whosekin I am, to interweave my life with the bloody policies of Syriaand the unending war between Cross and Crescent, that are, bothof them, my heritage." Then, with a woeful gesture, Rosamundturned and left them.

  Her father watched her go, and said:

  "The maid is right. Great business is afoot in which all of usmust bear our parts. For no little thing would Saladin stirthus--he who braces himself as I know well, for the last strugglein which Christ or Mahomet must go down. Rosamund is right. Onher brow shines the crescent diadem of the house of Ayoub, and ather heart hangs the black cross of the Christian and round herstruggle creeds and nations. What, Wulf, does the man sleepalready?"

  "Like a dog, for he seems outworn with travel."

  "Like a dog with one eye open, perhaps. I do not wish that heshould give us the slip during the night, as I want more talkwith him and other things, of which I have spoken to Godwin."

  "No fear of that, uncle. I have locked the stable door, and asainted palmer will scarcely leave us the present of such amule."

  "Not he, if I know his tribe," answered Sir Andrew. "Now let ussup and afterwards take counsel together, for we shall need itbefore all is done."

  An hour before the dawn next morning Godwin and Wulf were up, andwith them certain trusted men who had been warned that theirservices would be needed. Presently Wulf, bearing a lantern inhis hand, came to where his brother stood by the fire in thehall.

  "Where have you been?" Godwin asked. "To wake the palmer?"

  "No. To place a man to watch the road to Steeple Hill, andanother at the Creek path; also to feed his mule, which is a veryfine beast--too good for a palmer. Doubtless he will be stirringsoon, as he said that he must be up early."

  Godwin nodded, and they sat together on the bench beside thefire, for the weather was bitter, and dozed till the dawn beganto break. Then Wulf rose and shook himself, saying:

  "He will not think it uncourteous if we rouse him now," andwalking to the far end of the hall, he drew a curtain and calledout, "Awake, holy Nicholas! awake! It is time for you to say yourprayers, and breakfast will soon be cooking."

  But no Nicholas answered.

  "Of a truth," grumbled Wulf, as he came back for his lantern,"that palmer sleeps as though Saladin had already cut histhroat." Then having lit it, he returned to the guest place.

  "Godwin," he called presently, "come here. The man has gone!"

  "Gone?" said Godwin as he ran to the curtain. "Gone where?"

  "Back to his friend Saladin, I think," answered
Wulf. "Look, thatis how he went." And he pointed to the shutter of thesleeping-place, that stood wide open, and to an oaken stoolbeneath, by means of which the sainted Nicholas had climbed up toand through the narrow window slit.

  "He must be without, grooming the mule which he would never haveleft," said Godwin.

  "Honest guests do not part from their hosts thus," answered Wulf;"but let us go and see."

  So they ran to the stable and found it locked and the mule safeenough within. Nor--though they looked--could they find anytrace of the palmer--not even a footstep, since the ground wasfrostbound. Only on examining the door of the stable theydiscovered that an attempt had been made to lift the lock withsome sharp instrument.

  "It seems that he was determined to be gone, either with orwithout the beast," said Wulf. "Well, perhaps we can catch himyet," and he called to the men to saddle up and ride with him tosearch the country.

  For three hours they hunted far and wide, but nothing did theysee of Nicholas.

  "The knave has slipped away like a night hawk, and left as littletrace," reported Wulf. "Now, my uncle, what does this mean?"

  "I do not know, save that it is of a piece with the rest, andthat I like it little," answered the old knight anxiously. "Herethe value of the beast was of no account, that is plain. What theman held of account was that he should be gone in such a fashionthat none could follow him or know whither he went. The net isabout us, my nephews, and I think that Saladin draws its string."

  Still less pleased would Sir Andrew have been, could he have seenthe palmer Nicholas creeping round the hall while all men slept,ere he girded up his long gown and ran like a hare for London.Yet he had done this by the light of the bright stars, takingnote of every window slit in it, more especially of those of thesolar; of the plan of the outbuildings also, and of the path thatran to Steeple Creek some five hundred yards away.

  From that day forward fear settled on the place--fear of someblow that none were able to foresee, and against which they couldnot guard. Sir Andrew even talked of leaving Steeple and oftaking up his abode in London, where he thought that they mightbe safer, but such foul weather set in that it was impossible totravel the roads, and still less to sail the sea. So it wasarranged that if they moved at all--and there were many thingsagainst it, not the least of which were Sir Andrew's weak healthand the lack of a house to go to--it should not be till after NewYear's Day.

  Thus the time went on, and nothing happened to disturb them. Thefriends of whom the old knight took counsel laughed at hisforebodings. They said that so long as they did not wander aboutunguarded, there was little danger of any fresh attack upon them,and if one should by chance be made, with the aid of the men theyhad they could hold the Hall against a company until help wassummoned. Moreover, at heart, none of them believed that Saladinor his emissaries would stir in this business before the spring,or more probably until another year had passed. Still, theyalways set guards at night, and, besides themselves, kept twentymen sleeping at the Hall. Also they arranged that on the lightingof a signal fire upon the tower of Steeple Church theirneighbours should come to succour them.

  So the time went on towards Christmas, before which the weatherchanged and became calm, with sharp frost.

  It was on the shortest day that Prior John rode up to the Halland told them that he was going to Southminster to buy some winefor the Christmas feast. Sir Andrew asked what wine there was atSouthminster. The Prior answered that he had heard that a ship,laden amongst other things with wine of Cyprus of wonderfulquality, had come into the river Crouch with her rudder broken.He added that as no shipwrights could be found in London torepair it till after Christmas, the chapman, a Cypriote, who wasin charge of the wine, was selling as much as he could inSouthminster and to the houses about at a cheap rate, anddelivering it by means of a wain that he had hired.

  Sir Andrew replied that this seemed a fair chance to get fineliquor, which was hard to come by in Essex in those times. Theend of it was that he bade Wulf, whose taste in strong drink wasnice, to ride with the Prior into Southminster, and if he likedthe stuff to buy a few casks of it for them to make merry with atChristmas--although he himself, because of his ailments, nowdrank only water.

  So Wulf went, nothing loth. In this dark season of the year whenthere was no fishing, it grew very dull loitering about the Hall,and since he did not read much, like Godwin, sitting for longhours by the fire at night watching Rosamund going to and froupon her tasks, but not speaking with her overmuch. Fornotwithstanding all their pretense of forgetfulness, some sort ofveil had fallen between the brethren and Rosamund, and theirintercourse was not so open and familiar as of old. She could notbut remember that they were no more her cousins only, but herlovers also, and that she must guard herself lest she seemed toshow preference to one above the other. The brethren for theirpart must always bear in mind also that they were bound not toshow their love, and that their cousin Rosamund was no longer asimple English lady, but also by creation, as by blood, aprincess of the East, whom destiny might yet lift beyond thereach of either of them.

  Moreover, as has been said, dread sat upon that rooftree like acroaking raven, nor could they escape from the shadow of itswing. Far away in the East a mighty monarch had turned histhoughts towards this English home and the maid of his royalblood who dwelt there, and who was mingled with his visions ofconquest and of the triumph of his faith. Driven on by no deadoath, by no mere fancy or imperial desire, but by some spiritualhope or need, he had determined to draw her to him, by fair meansif he could; if not, by foul. Already means both foul and fairhad failed, for that the attack at Death Creek quay had to dowith this matter they could no longer doubt. It was certain alsothat others would be tried again and again till his end was wonor Rosamund was dead--for here, if even she would go back uponher word, marriage itself could not shield her.

  So the house was sad, and saddest of all seemed the face of theold knight, Sir Andrew, oppressed as he was with sickness, withmemories and fears. Therefore, Wulf could find pleasure even inan errand to Southminster to buy wine, of which, in truth, hewould have been glad to drink deeply, if only to drown histhoughts awhile.

  So away he rode up Steeple Hill with the Prior, laughing as heused to do before Rosamund led him to gather flowers at St.Peter's-on-the-Wall.

  Asking where the foreign merchant dwelt who had wine to sell,they were directed to an inn near the minster. Here in a backroom they found a short, stout man, wearing a red cloth cap, whowas seated on a pillow between two kegs. In front of him stood anumber of folk, gentry and others, who bargained with him for hiswine and the silks and embroideries that he had to sell, givingthe latter to be handled and samples of the drink to all whoasked for them.

  "Clean cups," he said, speaking in bad French, to the drawer whostood beside him. "Clean cups, for here come a holy man and agallant knight who wish to taste my liquor. Nay, fellow, fillthem up, for the top of Mount Trooidos in winter is not so coldas this cursed place, to say nothing of its damp, which is thatof a dungeon," and he shivered, drawing his costly shawl closerround him.

  "Sir Abbot, which will you taste first--the red wine or theyellow? The red is the stronger but the yellow is the more costlyand a drink for saints in Paradise and abbots upon earth. Theyellow from Kyrenia? Well, you are wise. They say it was mypatron St. Helena's favourite vintage when she visited Cyprus,bringing with her Disma's cross."

  "Are you a Christian then?" asked the Prior. "I took you for aPaynim."

  "Were I not a Christian would I visit this foggy land of yours totrade in wine--a liquor forbidden to the Moslems?" answered theman, drawing aside the folds of his shawl and revealing a silvercrucifix upon his broad breast. "I am a merchant of Famagusta inCyprus, Georgios by name, and of the Greek Church which youWesterners hold to be heretical. But what do you think of thatwine, holy Abbot?"

  The Prior smacked his lips.

  "Friend Georgios, it is indeed a drink for the saints," heanswered.

  "Ay, and has been a drink for si
nners ere now--for this is thevery tipple that Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, drank with her Romanlover Antony, of whom you, being a learned man, may have heard.And you, Sir Knight, what say you of the black stuff--'Mavro,' wecall it--not the common, but that which has been twenty years incask?"

  "I have tasted worse," said Wulf, holding out his horn to befilled again.

  "Ay, and will never taste better if you live as long as theWandering Jew. Well, sirs, may I take your orders? If you arewise you will make them large, since no such chance is likely tocome your way again, and that wine, yellow or red, will keep acentury."

  Then the chaffering began, and it was long and keen. Indeed, atone time they nearly left the place without purchasing, but themerchant Georgios called them back and offered to come to theirterms if they would take double the quantity, so as to make up acartload between them, which he said he would deliver beforeChristmas Day. To this they consented at length, and departedhomewards made happy by the gifts with which the chapman clinchedhis bargain, after the Eastern fashion. To the Prior he gave aroll of worked silk to be used as an edging to an altar cloth orbanner, and to Wulf a dagger handle, quaintly carved in olivewood to the fashion of a rampant lion. Wulf thanked him, and thenasked him with a somewhat shamed face if he had more embroideryfor sale, whereat the Prior smiled. The quick-eyed Cypriote sawthe smile, and inquired if it might be needed for a lady's wear,at which some neighbours present in the room laughed outright.

  "Do not laugh at me, gentlemen," said the Eastern; "for how can I,a stranger, know this young knight's affairs, and whether he hasmother, or sisters, or wife, or lover? Well here are broideriesfit for any of them." Then bidding his servant bring a bale, heopened it, and began to show his goods, which, indeed, were verybeautiful. In the end Wulf purchased a veil of gauze-like silkworked with golden stars as a Christmas gift for Rosamund.Afterwards, remembering that even in such a matter he must takeno advantage of his brother, he added to it a tunic broideredwith gold and silver flowers such as he had never seen--for theywere Eastern tulips and anemones, which Godwin would give heralso if he wished.

  These silks were costly, and Wulf turned to the Prior to borrowmoney, but he had no more upon him. Georgios said, however, thatit mattered nothing, as he would take a guide from the town andbring the wine in person, when he could receive payment for thebroideries, of which he hoped to sell more to the ladies of thehouse.

  He offered also to go with the Prior and Wulf to where his shiplay in the river, and show them many other goods aboard of her,which, he explained to them, were the property of a company ofCyprian merchants who had embarked upon this venture jointly withhimself. This they declined, however, as the darkness was not faroff; but Wulf added that he would come after Christmas with hisbrother to see the vessel that had made so great a voyage.Georgios replied that they would be very welcome, but if he couldmake shift to finish the repairs to his rudder, he was anxious tosail for London while the weather held calm, for there he lookedto sell the bulk of his cargo. He added that he had expected tospend Christmas at that city, but their helm having gone wrong inthe rough weather, they were driven past the mouth of the Thames,and had they not drifted into that of the Crouch, would, hethought, have foundered. So he bade them farewell for that time,but not before he had asked and received the blessing of thePrior.

  Thus the pair of them departed, well pleased with their purchasesand the Cypriote Georgios, whom they found a very pleasantmerchant. Prior John stopped to eat at the Hall that night, whenhe and Wulf told of all their dealings with this man. Sir Andrewlaughed at the story, showing them how they had been persuaded bythe Eastern to buy a great deal more wine than they needed, sothat it was he and not they who had the best of the bargain. Thenhe went on to tell tales of the rich island of Cyprus, where hehad landed many years before and stayed awhile, and of thegorgeous court of its emperor, and of its inhabitants. Thesewere, he said, the cunningest traders in the world--so cunning,indeed, that no Jew could overmatch them; bold sailors, also,which they had from the Phoenicians of Holy Writ, who, with theGreeks, were their forefathers, adding that what they told him ofthis Georgios accorded well with the character of that people.

  Thus it came to pass that no suspicion of Georgios or his shipentered the mind of any one of them, which, indeed, was scarcelystrange, seeing how well his tale held together, and how plainwere the reasons of his presence and the purpose of his dealingsin wines and silks.