| The sacrifice Meantime Miles was growing sufficiently tired of confinement and inaction. But now his trial came on, to his great gratification, and he thought he could welcome any sentence provided a further imprisonment should not be a part of it. But he was mistaken about that. He was in a fine fury when he found himself described as a ‘sturdy vagabond’ and sentenced to sit two hours in the stocks for bearing that character and for assaulting the master of Hendon Hall. His pretensions as to brothership with his prosecutor, and rightful heirship to the Hendon honours and estates, were left contemptuously unnoticed, as being not even worth examination.
He raged and threatened on his way to punishment, but it did no good; he was snatched roughly along by the officers, and got an occasional cuff, besides, for his irreverent conduct.
The King could not pierce through the rabble that swarmed behind; so he was obliged to follow in the rear, remote from his good friend and servant. The King had been nearly condemned to the stocks himself for being in such bad company, but had been let off with a lecture and a warning, in consideration of his youth. When the crowd at last halted, he flitted feverishly from point to point around its outer rim, hunting a place to get through; and at last, after a deal of difficulty and delay, succeeded. There sat his poor henchman in the degrading stocks, the sport and butt of a dirty mob—he, the body servant of the King of England! Edward had heard the sentence pronounced, but he had not realised the half that it meant. His anger began to rise as the sense of this new indignity which had been put upon him sank home; it jumped to summer heat, the next moment, when he saw an egg sail through the air and crush itself against Hendon’s cheek, and heard the crowd roar its enjoyment of the episode. He sprang across the open circle and confronted the officer in charge, crying—
“For shame! This is my servant—set him free! I am the—”
“Oh, peace!” exclaimed Hendon, in a panic, “thou’lt destroy thyself. Mind him not, officer, he is mad.”
“Give thyself no trouble as to the matter of minding him, good man, I have small mind to mind him; but as to teaching him somewhat, to that I am well inclined.” He turned to a subordinate and said, “Give the little fool a taste or two of the lash, to mend his manners.”
“Half a dozen will better serve his turn,” suggested Sir Hugh, who had ridden up, a moment before, to take a ing glance at the proceedings.
The King was seized. He did not even struggle, so paralysed was he with the mere thought of the monstrous outrage that was proposed to be inflicted upon his sacred person. History was already defiled with the record of the scourging of an English king with whips—it was an intolerable reflection that he must furnish a duplicate of that shameful page. He was in the toils, there was no help for him; he must either take this punishment or beg for its remission. Hard conditions; he would take the stripes—a king might do that, but a king could not beg.
But meantime, Miles Hendon was resolving the difficulty. "Let the child go,” said he; “ye heartless dogs, do ye not see how young and frail he is? Let him go—I will take his lashes.”
“Marry, a good thought—and thanks for it,” said Sir Hugh, his face lighting with a sardonic satisfaction. "Let the little beggar go, and give this fellow a dozen in his place—an honest dozen, well laid on.” The King was in the act of entering a fierce protest, but Sir Hugh silenced him with the potent remark, “Yes, speak up, do, and free thy mind—only, mark ye, that for each word you utter he shall get six strokes the more.”
Hendon was removed from the stocks, and his back laid bare; and whilst the lash was applied the poor little King turned away his face and allowed unroyal tears to channel his cheeks unchecked. “Ah, brave good heart,” he said to himself, “this loyal deed shall never perish out of my memory. I will not forget it—and neither shall they!” he added, with ion. Whilst he mused, his appreciation of Hendon’s magnanimous conduct grew to greater and still greater dimensions in his mind, and so also did his gratefulness for it. Presently he said to himself, “Who saves his prince from wounds and possible death—and this he did for me—performs high service; but it is little—it is nothing—oh, less than nothing!—when ‘tis weighed against the act of him who saves his prince from shame!” Hendon made no outcry under the scourge, but bore the heavy blows with soldierly fortitude. This, together with his redeeming the boy by taking his stripes for him, compelled the respect of even that forlorn and degraded mob that was gathered there; and its gibes and hootings died away, and no sound remained but the sound of the falling blows. The stillness that pervaded the place, when Hendon found himself once more in the stocks, was in strong contrast with the insulting clamour which had prevailed there so little a while before. The King came softly to Hendon’s side, and whispered in his ear—
“Kings cannot ennoble thee, thou good, great soul, for One who is higher than kings hath done that for thee; but a king can confirm thy nobility to men.” He picked up the scourge from the ground, touched Hendon’s bleeding shoulders lightly with it, and whispered, “Edward of England dubs thee Earl!”
Hendon was touched. The water welled to his eyes, yet at the same time the grisly humour of the situation and circumstances so undermined his gravity that it was all he could do to keep some sign of his inward mirth from showing outside. To be suddenly hoisted, naked and gory, from the common stocks to the Alpine altitude and splendour of an Earldom, seemed to him the last possibility in the line of the grotesque. He said to himself, “Now am I finely tinselled, indeed! The spectre-knight of the Kingdom of Dreams and Shadows is become a spectre-earl—a dizzy flight for a callow wing! An’ this go on, I shall presently be hung like a very maypole with fantastic gauds and make-believe honours. But I shall value them, all valueless as they are, for the love that doth bestow them. Better these poor mock dignities of mine, that come unasked, from a clean hand and a right spirit, than real ones bought by servility from grudging and interested power.”
The dreaded Sir Hugh wheeled his horse about, and as he spurred away, the living wall divided silently to let him , and as silently closed together again. And so remained; nobody went so far as to venture a remark in favour of the prisoner, or in compliment to him; but no matter—the absence of abuse was a sufficient homage in itself. A late comer who was not posted as to the present circumstances, and who delivered a sneer at the ‘impostor,’ and was in the act of following it with a dead cat, was promptly knocked down and kicked out, without any words, and then the deep quiet resumed sway once more. |
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El sacrificio Entretanto, Miles se iba cansando bastante del confinamiento y de la inaccin. Mas lleg su juicio, para gran satisfaccin suya, y pens que dara la bienvenida a cualquier sentencia, siempre que una nueva prisin no fuera parte de ella. Pero se equivocaba en esto. Se enfureci cuando se encontr con que lo describan como un "vagabundo tenaz", y que era sentenciado a dos horas de cepo por este cargo y por haber agredido al seor de Hendon Hall. Sus alegatos de que era hermano de su perseguidor, y heredero legtimo de los honores y patrimonio de Hendon, se desdearon sin prestarles atencin ninguna, pues ni siquiera fueron dignos de examen.
Bramaba y amenazaba en su camino al castigo, pero de nada le vali. Fue violentamente arrastrado por los oficiales, y en ocasiones reciba un bofetn por s conducta irreverente.
El rey no pudo abrirse paso entre la chusma que bulla detrs, y as fue obligado a seguir a la zaga, lejos de su buen amigo y servidor. Por poco se vea el rey condenado l mismo al cepo por estar en tan mala compaa, pero haba salido libre con un sermn y una advertencia, debido a su corta edad. Cuando al fin la multitud hizo alto, vol febrilmente de un lado a otro alrededor de sus orillas, cazando un lugar para atravesarla, y al fin, despus de muchas dificultades y tardanza, lo logr. All estaba su pobre criado, en el degradante cepo, hazmerrer y diversin de una sucia muchedumbre, l, el servidor personal del rey de Inglaterra! Eduardo haba odo dictar la sentencia, pero no se haba dado cuenta ni por asomo de lo que significaba. Su ira comenz a crecer a medida que el sentido de esta nueva indignidad que le infligan lo hiri en lo vivo; lleg a su paroxismo un momento despus, cuando vio un huevo cruzar el aire y estrellarse en la mejilla de Hendon, y que la multitud ruga de jbilo por el episodio. Cruz de un salto el crculo abierto, e hizo frente al alguacil de guardia gritando:
–Qu vergenza! ste es mi criado; djalo libre! Yo soy el...!
– Oh, calla! –exclam Hendon, aterrorizado–. Te perders! No le hagis caso, oficial, est loco.
–No temas que le haga caso, buen hombre, no tengo intencin de hacrselo; pero a ensearle algo s que me siento inclinado. –Volviose a un subordinado y le dijo–: Dale al tontito una o dos probadas de ltigo, para, enmendar sus modales.
–Media docena le bastarn –sugiri sir Hugo, que haba llegado un momento antes a caballo para de pasada echar un vistazo a lo que ocurra.
Prendieron al rey. No se resisti siquiera, tan paralizado estaba ante la mera idea del monstruoso ultraje que se proponan infligir a su sagrada persona La historia ya haba sido manchada con la marca de un rey ingls azotado con ltigo, y era reflexin intolerable el que l hubiera de proporcionar la copia de aquella vergonzosa pgina. Estaba en la red, no haba remedio, o aceptaba el castigo o rogaba que se le perdonara. Duro dilema! Escogera los azotes, un rey lo hara, pero un rey no poda suplicar.
Mas, entretanto, Miles Hendon estaba resolviendo la dificultad.
–Dejad ir al nio –dijo–, perros desalmados! No veis cun joven y frgil es? Dejadle ir, yo me llevar sus azotes.
–Justo! Buena idea!, y gracias por, ella –dijo sir Hugo, su rostro relampagueando de sardnica satisfaccin—. Dejadle ir y dadle a este tipo una docena de azotes; en su lugar, una docena justa, y bien puestos.
El rey iba a iniciar una furiosa protesta, pero sir Hugo lo hizo callar con esta eficaz advertencia:
–S; habla, hazlo y desahgate; pero advierte que por cada palabra que pronuncies l se llevar seis golpes ms.
Quitaron a Hendon del cepo y le desnudaron la espalda, y mientras le daban con el ltigo, el pobre reyecito volte la cara, y dej que por sus mejillas corrieran libres lgrimas poco regias.
–Ah, buen corazn valeroso! –se dijo–: Este acto de lealtad no perecer en mi memoria, no lo he de olvidar, pero ellos tampoco! –agreg con ardor.
Mientras meditaba, su aprecio de la magnnima conducta de Hendon fue adquiriendo dimensiones ms y ms grandes en su mente, lo mismo que su agradecimiento. De pronto se dijo:
–El que salva a su prncipe de heridas y de una muerte probable –y esto ha hecho l por m–, realiza un alto servicio; pero es poco, es nada, oh, menos que nada; comparado con la accin de aqul que salva a su prncipe de la vergenza!
Hendon no grit al ser azotado, sino que soport los fuertes golpes con nimo marcial. Esto, ms haber librado al nio sufriendo los azotes en su lugar, forz al respeto aun a aquella chusma infeliz y degradada all reunida; sus mofas y gritera terminaron, y no qued otro sonido que el sonido del caer de los golpes. La quietud que invadi el lugar cuando Hendon se encontr de nuevo en el cepo, contrastaba fuertemente con el clamor insultante que haba reinado muy poco antes. El rey se acerc lentamente a Hendon y le susurr al odo:
–Los reyes no pueden ennoblecerte, t, alma buena y generosa!, porque Aquel que est por encima de los reyes lo ha hecho ya; pero un rey puede confirmar tu nobleza ante los hombres. –Recogi el ltigo del suelo, toc levemente con l los sangrantes hombros de Hendon, y susurr–: Eduardo de Inglaterra te hace conde.
Hendon se conmovi. Las lgrimas fluyeron a sus ojos, pero, al mismo tiempo, la comicidad terrible de la situacin, y de las circunstancias min a tal grado su seriedad, que hizo lo que pudo para no mostrar ningn signo, de su regocijo interno. Verse de pronto, desnudo y manando sangre, elevado desde el cepo villano hasta la gran altura y esplendor de un condado, le pareca la ltima probabilidad en el terreno de lo grotesco.
–Primoroso oropel el mo, por cierto –se dijo–. El caballero espectral del Reino de los Sueos y de las Sombras me ha convertido en un conde espectral. –Vertiginoso vuelo para alas inexpertas!–. De seguir as pronto me colgarn adornado lo mismo que un mayo, con objetos fantsticos y lauros de mentirillas. Pero sabr valorarlos, tan sin valor como son, por el amor que los otorga. Mejores son estas pobres ficticias dignidades mas, que vienen sin pedirlas de mano limpia y espritu recto, que las verdaderas, compradas por el servilismo al poder envidioso e interesado.
El temible sir Hugo hizo dar vuelta a su caballo y, al apretar el paso, el muro viviente se dividi silenciosamente para abrirle paso, y tan silenciosamente se junt de nuevo. Y as permaneci; ninguno lleg tan lejos como para aventurar una observacin en favor del prisionero ni en alabanza, suya; mas no importaba: la ausencia de insultos era de por s suficiente homenaje. Un recin llegado que no estaba al tanto de las circunstancias y que lanz una burla al "impostor", y estaba a punto de continuarla arrojndole un gato muerto, fue inmediatamente derribado y echado a puntapis, sin palabra alguna, y luego el profundo silencio rein de nuevo. |
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