she laid down her life for her friend, and found therein
her reward. And her reward was this, that Prosper
le Gai, the gallant fighter, remained for Melot and
her kind a demi-god in steel, while she, his wife,
was adjudged to the black ram. To the black ram
she was strapped, face to the tail, and so ran the
gauntlet of the yelling host in the courtyard, and
of the Countess of Hauterive’s chill gaze from
the parvise. By this time she had become a mere
doll, poor wretch; and as there is no pleasure in a
love of justice which is not quickened by a sense of
judgment, the pursuers tired after the first mad bout.
Some, indeed, found that they had hurt themselves
severely by excess of zeal. This was looked upon
as clear evidence of the devil’s possession of
a tail, in spite of the Realists. For if he had
not a tail, how could he injure those who drove him
out? This is unanswerable.
The end of it all was that no more than three great
hearts pursued the black ram with its wagging burden
into the forest. Of whom one, feeling the fatuity
of slaying the slain, or having, it may be, some lurking
seed of nominalism fomenting within, beat off the others
and unstrapped the victim’s arms and legs.
“Though you are a wanton, God knows,”
he said, “you are flesh and blood, or were so
an hour ago. Be off with you now, and learn honest
living.”
This was irony of fact, though not of intention.
It was prompted by that need which we all have of
fortifying ourselves. But it probably saved the
girl’s life. The men withdrew, and she lay
there quiet enough, with a bloody foam on her mouth,
for two nights and a day.
It is said, I know not how truly, that the ram stayed
by her, was found standing there when she was found.
It is like enough; there was a good deal of the animal,
beyond the wild-beast savour, about Isoult. She
was certainly no formularist; nor had she the reward
of those who do well to be angry, which lies, I suppose,
in being able to drub with a whole heart.
HOW PROSPER HELD A REVIEW
Messire Prosper le Gai with his dozen men had scoured
the forest country from March on the east to Wanmeeting
on the west, and from March-Gilbert among the hills
of the north to Gracedieu in Mid-Morgraunt, without
any sign of the Egyptian. But at Wanmeeting there
had been news of a golden knight, who, unattended,
rode into the market-place at sunset asking the whereabouts
of Galors de Born and his force. Having learned
that they had taken the Goltres road the knight had
posted off at a gallop, hot foot. Now Prosper
knew what sort of a force Galors might have there,
and guessed (from what intelligence Isoult had added
to his own) that the golden knight would make at least
two brains in it. To follow, to get his dozen
men killed, were nothing; but could he be certain
Galors would be dropped and Maulfry secured for the
appointed branding before the last of them fell?
