In the Days of Chivalry | Page 2

not
in those days hold herself to be a part of France nor a part of the French
monarchy. She held a much more important place than she would have
done had she been a mere fief of the French Crown. She had a certain
independence of her own -- her own language, her own laws, her own
customs and she saw no humiliation in owning the sovereignty of
England's King, since she bad passed under English rule through no act
of conquest or aggression on England's part, but by the peaceful fashion
of marriage, when nearly two centuries ago Eleanor of Aquitaine had
brought to her lord, King Henry the Second, the fair lands of which
Gascony formed a part. Gascony had grown and flourished apace since
then, and was rich, prosperous, and content. Her lords knew how

important she might be in days to come, when the inevitable struggle
between the rival Kings of France and England should commence; and
like an accomplished coquette, she made the most of her knowledge,
and played her part well, watching her opportunity for demanding an
increase of those rights and privileges of which she had not a few
already.
But it was not of their country's position that the twin brothers were so
eagerly talking as they wandered together along the woodland paths. It
was little indeed that they knew of what was passing in the wide world
that lay beyond their peaceful home, little that they heard of the strife
of party or the suspicious jealousy of two powerful monarchs --
jealousy which must, as all long-sighted men well knew, break into
open warfare before long. It was of matters nearer to their own hearts
that the brothers spoke as they sauntered through the woodland paths
together; and Gaston's blue eyes flashed fire as he paused and tossed
back the tangled curls from his broad brow.
"It is our birthright -- our land, our castle. Do they not all say that in old
days it was a De Brocas, not a Navailles, that ruled there? Father
Anselm hath told us a thousand times how the English King issued
mandate after mandate bidding him give up his ill-gotten gains, and
restore the lands of his rival; and yet he failed to do it. I trow had I been
in the place of our grandsire, I would not so tamely have sat down
beneath so great an affront. I would have fought to the last drop of my
blood to enforce my rights, and win back my lost inheritance Brother,
why should not thou and I do that one day? Canst thou be content for
ever with this tame life with honest Jean and Margot at the mill? Are
we the sons of peasants? Does their blood run in our veins? Raymond,
thou art as old as I -- thou hast lived as long. Canst thou remember our
dead mother? Canst thou remember her last charge to us?"
Raymond had nodded his head at the first question; he nodded it again
now, a glance of strange eagerness stealing into his dark eyes. Although
the two youths wore the dress of peasant boys -- suits of undyed
homespun only very slightly finer in make than was common in those
parts -- they spoke the English tongue, and spoke it with purity and

ease. It needed no trained eye to see that it was something more than
peasant blood that ran in their veins, albeit the peasant race of Gascony
in those days was perhaps the freest, the finest, the most independent in
the whole civilized world.
"I remember well," answered Raymond quickly; "nay, what then?"
"What then? Spoke she not of a lost heritage which it behoved us to
recover? Spoke she not of rights which the sons of the De Brocas had
power to claim -- rights which the great Roy Outremer had given to
them, and which it was for them to win back when the time should
come? Dost thou remember? dost thou heed? And now that we are
approaching to man's estate, shall we not think of these things? Shall
we not be ready when the time comes?"
Raymond gave a quick look at his brother. His own eyes were full of
eager light, but he hesitated a moment before asking:
"And thinkest thou, Gaston, that in speaking thus our mother would
fain have had us strive to recover the castle and domain of Saut?"
"In good sooth yea," answered Gaston quickly. "Was it not reft from
our grandsire by force? Has it not been kept from him ever since by
that hostile brood of Navailles, whom all men hate for their cruelty and
oppression? Brother, have we not heard of dark and hideous deeds done
in that same castle --