A March on London | Page 8

his
class, but in other respects he naturally felt as did others of his station,
and he resolved to go to no more meetings.
After taking his meal with his father, Edgar mounted the horse that the
latter had bought for him, and rode over to the house of one of his
friends.
The number of those who had, like himself, been taught by the monk of
St. Alwyth had increased somewhat, and there were, when he left, six
other lads there. Three of these were intended for the Church. All were
sons of neighbouring landowners, and it was to visit Albert de Courcy,
the son of Sir Ralph de Courcy, that Edgar was now riding. Albert and
he had been special friends. They were about the same age, but of very

different dispositions. The difference between their characters was
perhaps the chief attraction that had drawn them to each other. Albert
was gentle in disposition, his health was not good, and he had been a
weakly child. His father, who was a stout knight, regarded him with
slight favour, and had acceded willingly to his desire to enter the
Church, feeling that he would never make a good fighter.
Edgar, on the contrary, was tall and strongly built, and had never
known a day's illness. He was somewhat grave in manner, for the
companionship of his father and the character of their conversations
had made him older and more thoughtful than most lads of his age. He
was eager for adventure, and burned for an opportunity to distinguish
himself, while his enthusiasm for noble exploits and great commanders
interested his quiet friend, who had the power of admiring things that
he could not hope to imitate. In him, alone of his school-fellows, did
Edgar find any sympathy with his own feelings as to the condition of
the people. Henry Nevil laughed to scorn Edgar's advocacy of their
cause. Richard Clairvaux more than once quarrelled with him seriously,
and on one or two occasions they almost betook themselves to their
swords. The other three, who were of less spirit, took no part in these
arguments, saying that these things did not concern them, being matters
for the king and his ministers, and of no interest whatever to them.
In other respects Edgar was popular with them all. His strength and his
skill in arms gave him an authority that even Richard Clairvaux
acknowledged in his cooler moments. Edgar visited at the houses of all
their fathers, his father encouraging him to do so, as he thought that
association with his equals would be a great advantage to him. As far as
manners were concerned, however, the others, with the exception of
Albert de Courcy, who did not need it, gained more than he did, for Mr.
Ormskirk had, during his long residence at foreign universities and his
close connection with professors, acquired a certain foreign courtliness
of bearing that was in strong contrast to the rough bluffness of speech
and manner that characterized the English of that period, and had some
share in rendering them so unpopular upon the Continent, where,
although their strength and fighting power made them respected, they
were regarded as island bears, and their manners were a standing jest

among the frivolous nobles of the Court of France.
At the house of Sir Ralph de Courcy Edgar was a special favourite.
Lady de Courcy was fond of him because her son was never tired of
singing his praises, and because she saw that his friendship was really a
benefit to the somewhat dreamy boy. Aline, a girl of fourteen, regarded
him with admiration; she was deeply attached to her brother, and
believed implicitly his assertion that Edgar would some day become a
valiant knight; while Sir Ralph himself liked him both for the courtesy
of his bearing and the firmness and steadiness of his character, which
had, he saw, a very beneficial influence over that of Albert. Sir Ralph
was now content that the latter should enter the Church, but he was
unwilling that his son should become what he called a mere shaveling,
and desired that he should attain power and position in his profession.
The lack of ambition and energy in his son were a grievance to him
almost as great as his lack of physical powers, and he saw that although,
so far there was still an absence of ambition, yet the boy had gained
firmness and decision from the influence of his friend, and that he was
far more likely to attain eminence in the Church than he had been
before. He was himself surprised that the son of a man whose pursuits
he despised should have attained such proficiency with his weapons--a
matter which he had learned, when one day he had tried