Idonia: A Romance of Old LondonWallis, Arthur Frederick
History
Idonia: A Romance of Old London
Wallis, Arthur Frederick
Great Britain -- History -- Elizabeth, 1558-1603 -- Fiction; London (England) -- Fiction
Now, I learned next morning that Mr. Jordan at his supper had put so
heroical a construction upon our exploit as transformed us into men
above nature almost, and I loathed to descend into the common room
where all the ostlers and maids would be gaping after us for a pair of
paladins. Mr. Jordan took the prospect of such adulation very coolly,
saying that the wise man was he that nothing moved; but for all that I
saw he liked it, and indeed he had been at considerable pains to
prepare the ovation he now affected to despise. However, it so fell
out that when at length we descended amongst the people of the Inn, our
arrival quite failed of applause, and that for the simplest, although a
tragical, reason.
For it appeared that when, on the yesternight, Sir Matthew, having
discharged his baggage-wain and bestowed his goods and valuable stuff
within the house, had gone to bed, it being then about midnight and all
quiet, comes there, lurking through the dark night, that villain
serving-man Day, whose late defeat had nothing distracted him from his
hopes of plunder. With his poniard he cuts out a panel of the postern
door, and privily entering thereby, goes rummaging through the house
from loft to cellar, cutting and wasting what he could not carry off,
but for the money, of which he found good store, and sundry gold
ornaments thereto that were my lady Juke's, he fills his doublet full
of them, as is proved upon him, said the teller, beyond dispute.
"But then," proceeded the man, who now held our whole company
expectant, "even as he was about to steal away by the way he had come,
he heard a little grating noise, as of a weapon which one struck
against some impediment, close beside him in the dark where he was; and
supposing this to be the knight who had unluckily heard him, he drew
boldly upon him with his sword. The other thrust out upon the instant,
and a horrid conflict ensued, the men coming to grips shortly and
stabbing out of all rule. At length the serving-man, whose name is
Day, dealt his adversary his death-blow and prepared to flee away with
his booty, when it appeared (and as Day himself told me it surprised
him out of measure) his legs would not bear him; so that he fell along
the floor from sheer loss and effusion of blood, a subtle blow having
pierced him unawares and mortally hurt him. Thus they lay both until
the morning, when the servants, and I that am the butler, found them
there, the one of them already stark and the other close upon his end
and all aghast."
"Then thy master be murdered, Roger Butler," cried an old fellow from
the tail of the press.
"Not so, Father Time," shouted the butler with a great laugh, "although
Day, by that same error, was led into striking down one he should have
gone in leash withal, namely his fellow-thief, one Warren, that was
gone about the same game as himself."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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