Sir Nigel | Page 3

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This Etext prepared by an anonymous Project Gutenberg volunteer.

SIR NIGEL
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

CONTENT

I. THE HOUSE OF LORING
II. HOW THE DEVIL CAME TO WAVERLEY
III. THE YELLOW HORSE OF CROOKSBURY
IV. HOW THE SUMMONER CAME TO THE MANOR HOUSE OF
TILFORD
V. HOW NIGEL WAS TRIED BY THE ABBOT OF WAVERLEY
VI. IN WHICH LADY ERMYNTRUDE OPENS THE IRON
COFFER
VII. HOW NIGEL WENT MARKETING TO GUILFORD
VIII. HOW THE KING HAWKED ON CROOKSBURY HEATH
IX. HOW NIGEL HELD THE BRIDGE AT TILFORD
X. HOW THE KING GREETED HIS SENESCHAL OF CALAIS
XI. IN THE HALL OF THE KNIGHT OF DUPLIN
XII. HOW NIGEL FOUGHT THE TWISTED MAN OF SHALFORD
XIII. HOW THE COMRADES JOURNEYED DOWN THE OLD,
OLD ROAD
XIV. HOW NIGEL CHASED THE RED FERRET

XV. HOW THE RED FERRET CAME TO COSFORD
XVI. HOW THE KING'S COURT FEASTED IN CALAIS CASTLE
XVII. THE SPANIARDS ON THE SEA
XVIII. HOW BLACK SIMON CLAIMED FORFEIT FROM THE
KING OF SARK
XIX. HOW A SQUIRE OF ENGLAND MET A SQUIRE OF
FRANCE
XX. HOW THE ENGLISH ATTEMPTED THE CASTLE OF LA
BROHINIERE
XXI. HOW THE SECOND MESSENGER WENT TO COSFORD
XXII. HOW ROBERT OF BEAUMANOIR CAME TO FLOERMEL
XXIII. HOW THIRTY OF JOSSELIN ENCOUNTERED THIRTY OF
FLOERMEL
XXIV. HOW NIGEL WAS CALLED TO HIS MASTER
XXV. HOW THE KING OF FRANCE HELD COUNSEL AT
MAUPERTUIS
XXVI. HOW NIGEL FOUND HIS THIRD DEED
XXVII. HOW THE THIRD MESSENGER CAME TO COSFORD

INTRODUCTION
Dame History is so austere a lady that if one, has been so ill-advised as
to take a liberty with her, one should hasten to make amends by
repentance and confession. Events have been transposed to the extent
of some few months in this narrative in order to preserve the continuity
and evenness of the story. I hope so small a divergence may seem a
venial error after so many centuries. For the rest, it is as accurate as a
good deal of research and hard work could make it.
The matter of diction is always a question of taste and discretion in a
historical reproduction. In the year 1350 the upper classes still spoke
Norman-French, though they were just beginning to condescend to
English. The lower classes spoke the English of the original Piers
Plowman text, which would be considerably more obscure than their
superiors' French if the two were now reproduced or imitated.