Saint Bartholomews Eve | Page 4

of ours can pay, with
so many hands on it. I have never been able to do more than pay my
way, and lay by a few pounds every year, with only four hands, and
many would have thought three sufficient; but with twelve--and I
counted them this morning--we must be on the highroad to ruin."
"I will not ruin you, John. Do you know how much money there was in
your bag when you were hurt, just a year ago now?"
"Yes, I know there were thirty-three pounds."
His wife went out of the room and returned with a leather bag.
"Count them, John," she said.
There were forty-eight. Fifteen pounds represented a vastly greater sum,
at that time, than they do at present; and John Fletcher looked up from
the counting with amazement.
"This can't be all ours, Lucie. Your brother must have been helping us."
"Not with a penny, doubting man," she laughed. "The money is yours,
all earned by the farm; perhaps not quite all, because we have not more
than half as many animals as we had before. But, as I told you, we are
growing vegetables, and for that we must have more men than for corn.
But, as you see, it pays. Do not fear about it, John. If God should please
to restore you to health and strength, most gladly will I lay down the
reins; but till then I will manage as best I may and, with the help and
advice of my brother and his friends, shall hope, by the blessing of God,
to keep all straight."
The farm throve, but its master made but little progress towards

recovery. He was able, however, occasionally to be carried round in a
hand litter, made for him upon a plan devised by Gaspard Vaillant; in
which he was supported in a half-sitting position, while four men bore
him as if in a Sedan chair.
But it was only occasionally that he could bear the fatigue of such
excursions. Ordinarily he lay on a couch in the farmhouse kitchen,
where he could see all that was going on there; while in warm summer
weather he was wheeled outside, and lay in the shade of the great elm,
in front of the house.
The boy, Philip--for so he had been christened, after John Fletcher's
father--grew apace and, as soon as he was old enough to receive
instruction, his father taught him his letters out of a horn book, until he
was big enough to go down every day to school in Canterbury. John
himself was built upon a large scale, and at quarterstaff and wrestling
could, before he married, hold his own with any of the lads of Kent;
and Philip bade fair to take after him, in skill and courage. His mother
would shake her head reprovingly when he returned, with his face
bruised and his clothes torn, after encounters with his schoolfellows;
but his father took his part.
"Nay, nay, wife," he said one day, "the boy is eleven years old now,
and must not grow up a milksop. Teach him if you will to be honest
and true, to love God, and to hold to the faith; but in these days it needs
that men should be able to use their weapons, also. There are your
countrymen in France, who ere long will be driven to take up arms, for
the defence of their faith and lives from their cruel persecutors; and, as
you have told me, many of the younger men, from here and elsewhere,
will assuredly go back to aid their brethren.
"We may even have trials here. Our Queen is a Protestant, and happily
at present we can worship God as we please, in peace; but it was not so
in the time of Mary, and it may be that troubles may again fall upon the
land, seeing that as yet the Queen is not married. Moreover, Philip of
Spain has pretensions to rule here; and every Englishman may be called
upon to take up bow, or bill, for his faith and country. Our
co-religionists in Holland and France are both being cruelly persecuted,

and it may well be that the time will come when we shall send over
armies to their assistance.
"I would that the boy should grow up both a good Christian and a stout
soldier. He comes on both sides of a fighting stock. One of my
ancestors fought at Agincourt, and another with the Black Prince at
Cressy and Poitiers; while on your side his blood is noble and, as we
know, the nobles of France are second to none in bravery.
"Before I met you I had thoughts of going out, myself, to fight among
the English bands who have engaged on the side