d, or even a jewelled goblet."
alleyne thought of what he had read of demoniac possession --the
jumpings, the twitchings, the wild talk. it was in his mind to
repeat over the exorcism proper to such attacks; but the two
burst out a-laughing at his scared face, and turning on to their
heads once more, clapped their heels in derision.
"hast never seen tumblers before?" asked the elder, a black-
browed, swarthy man, as brown and supple as a hazel twig. "why
shrink from us, then, as though we were the spawn of the evil
one?"
"why shrink, my honey-bird? why so afeard, my sweet cinnamon?"
exclaimed the other, a loose-jointed lanky youth with a dancing,
roguish eye.
"truly, sirs, it is a new sight to me," the clerk answered.
"when i saw your four legs above the bush i could scarce credit
my own eyes. why is it that you do this thing?"
"a dry question to answer," cried the younger, coming back on to
his feet. "a most husky question, my fair bird! but how? a
flask, a flask!--by all that is wonderful!" he shot out his hand
as he spoke, and plucking alleyne's bottle out of his scrip, he
deftly knocked the neck off, and poured the half of it down his
throat. the rest he handed to his comrade, who drank the wine,
and then, to the clerk's increasing amazement, made a show of
swallowing the bottle, with such skill that alleyne seemed to see
it vanish down his throat. a moment later, however, he flung it
over his head, and caught it bottom downwards upon the calf of
his left leg.
"we thank you for the wine, kind sir," said he, "and for the
ready courtesy wherewith you offered it. touching your question,
we may tell you that we are strollers and jugglers, who, having
performed with much applause at winchester fair, are now on our
way to the great michaelmas market at ringwood. as our art is a
very fine and delicate one, however, we cannot let a day go by
without exercising ourselves in it, to which end we choose some
quiet and sheltered spot where we may break our journey. here
you find us; and we cannot wonder that you, who are new to
tumbling, should be astounded, since many great barons, earls,
marshals and knight, who have wandered as far as the holy land,
are of one mind in saying that they have never seen a more noble
or gracious performance. if you will be pleased to sit upon that
stump, we will now continue our exercise."
alleyne sat down willingly as directed with two great bundles on
either side of him which contained the strollers' dresses--
doublets of flame-colored silk and girdles of leather, spangled
with brass and tin. the jugglers were on their heads once more,
bounding about with rigid necks, playing the while in perfect
time and tune. it chanced that out of one of the bundles there
stuck the end of what the clerk saw to be a cittern, so drawing
it forth, he tuned it up and twanged a harmony to the merry lilt
which the dancers played. on that they dropped their own
instruments, and putting their hands to the ground they hopped
about faster and faster, ever shouting to him to play more
briskly, until at last for very weariness all three had to stop.
"well played, sweet poppet!" cried the younger. "hast a rare
touch on the strings."
"how knew you the tune?" asked the other.
"i knew it not. i did but follow the notes i heard."
both opened their eyes at this, and stared at alleyne with as
much amazement as he had shown at them.
"you have a fine trick of ear then," said one. "we have long
wished to meet such a man. wilt join us and jog on to ringwood?
thy duties shall be light, and thou shalt have two-pence a day
and meat for supper every night."
"with as much beer as you can put away," said the other "and a
flask of gascon wine on sabbaths."
"nay, it may not be. i have other work to do. i have tarried
with you over long," quoth alleyne, and resolutely set forth upon
his journey once more. they ran behind him some little way,
offering him first fourpence and then sixpence a day, but he only
smiled and shook his head, until at last they fell away from him.
looking back, he saw that the smaller had mounted on the
younger's shoulders, and that they stood so, some ten feet high,
waving their adieus to him. he waved back to them, and then
hastened on, the lighter of heart for having fallen in with these
strange men of pleasure.
alleyne had gone no great distance for all the many small
passages that had befallen him. yet to him, used as he was to a
life of such quiet that the failure of a brewing or the altering
of an anthem had seemed to be of the deepest import, the quick
changing play of the lights and shadows of life was strangely
startling and interesting. a gulf seemed to divide this brisk
uncertain existence from the old steady round of work and of
prayer which he had left behind
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