d leave an aged
pilgrim to die of hunger? the sight hast been burned from mine
eyes by the sands of the holy land, and i have had neither crust
of bread nor cup of wine these two days past."
"by my hilt! father," said aylward, looking keenly at him, "it is
a marvel to me that thy girdle should have so goodly a span and
clip thee so closely, if you have in sooth had so little to place
within it."
"kind stranger," answered the pilgrim, "you have unwittingly
spoken words which are very grievous to me to listen to. yet i
should be loth to blame you, for i doubt not that what you said
was not meant to sadden me, nor to bring my sore affliction back
to my mind. it ill becomes me to prate too much of what i have
endured for the faith, and yet, since you have observed it, i
must tell you that this thickness and roundness of the waist is
caused by a dropsy brought on by over-haste in journeying from
the house of pilate to the mount of olives."
"there, aylward," said alleyne, with a reddened cheek, "let that
curb your blunt tongue. how could you bring a fresh pang to this
holy man, who hath endured so much and hath journeyed as far as
christ's own blessed tomb?"
"may the foul fiend strike me dumb!" cried the bowman in hot
repentance; but both the palmer and alleyne threw up their hands
to stop him.
"i forgive thee from my heart, dear brother," piped the blind
man. "but, oh, these wild words of thine are worse to mine ears
than aught which you could say of me."
"not another word shall i speak," said aylward; "but here is a
franc for thee and i crave thy blessing."
"and here is another," said alleyne.
"and another," cried hordle john.
but the blind palmer would have none of their alms. "foolish,
foolish pride!" he cried, beating upon his chest with his large
brown hand. "foolish, foolish pride! how long then will it be
ere i can scourge it forth? am i then never to conquer it? oh,
strong, strong are the ties of flesh, and hard it is to subdue
the spirit! i come, friends, of a noble house, and i cannot
bring myself to touch this money, even though it be to save me
from the grave."
"alas! father," said alleyne, "how then can we be of help to
thee?"
"i had sat down here to die," quoth the palmer; "but for many
years i have carried in my wallet these precious things which you
see set forth now before me. it were sin, thought i, that my
secret should perish with me. i shall therefore sell these
things to the first worthy passers-by, and from them i shall have
money enough to take me to the shrine of our lady at rocamadour,
where i hope to lay these old bones."
"what are these treasures, then, father?" asked hordle john. "i
can but see an old rusty nail, with bits of stone and slips of
wood."
"my friend," answered the palmer, "not all the money that is in
this country could pay a just price for these wares of mine. this
nail," he continued, pulling off his hat and turning up his
sightless orbs, "is one of those wherewith man's salvation was
secured. i had it, together with this piece of the true rood,
from the five-and-twentieth descendant of joseph of arimathea,
who still lives in jerusalem alive and well, though latterly much
afflicted by boils. aye, you may well cross yourselves, and i
beg that you will not breathe upon it or touch it with your
fingers."
"and the wood and stone, holy father?" asked alleyne, with bated
breath, as he stared awe-struck at his precious relics.
"this cantle of wood is from the true cross, this other from noah
his ark, and the third is from the door-post of the temple of the
wise king solomon. this stone was thrown at the sainted stephen,
and the other two are from the tower of babel. here, too, is
part of aaron's rod, and a lock of hair from elisha the prophet."
"but, father," quoth alleyne, "the holy elisha was bald, which
brought down upon him the revilements of the wicked children."
"it is very true that he had not much hair," said the palmer
quickly, "and it is this which makes this relic so exceeding
precious. take now your choice of these, my worthy gentlemen,
and pay such a price as your consciences will suffer you to
offer; for i am not a chapman nor a huckster, and i would never
part with them, did i not know that i am very near to my reward."
"aylward," said alleyne excitedly, "this is such a chance as few
folk have twice in one life. the nail i must have, and i will
give it to the abbey of beaulieu, so that all the folk in england
may go thither to wonder and to pray."
"and i will have the stone from the temple," cried hordle john.
"what would not my old mother give to have it hung over her bed?"
"and i will have aaron's rod," quoth aylward. "i have but five
florins in the world, and here are four of them."
"here are three more," said joh
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