Alfgar the Dane or the Second Chronicle of Aescendune Read online

  CHAPTER II. "ALFGAR, SON OF ANLAF."

  SUNDAY, November 6th.--

  Today I noticed Alfgar, the son of Anlaf, at the high mass, and felt alittle discomposed at the relaxation of discipline, which, contrary tothe canons of the church, permits the unbaptized, as well as personswho ought rightly to be deemed excommunicate, or at least penitents,to be present at the holy mysteries.

  But it is not this poor boy's fault that he is not a Christian, for Ihave seen him, and learned for a certainty the real state of his mind.

  The way in which it came about was this. I marked that after servicehe entered the woods, as if he shunned the society of his fellowworshippers, and there I followed him, coming upon him at last, as ifby accident, in a chestnut glade, the leaves of which strewed theground--emblem of our fading mortality.

  He started as he saw me, and at first looked as if he were inclined tofly my presence, but I gently addressed him.

  "Dominus vobiscum, my son," I said. "I am pleased to see you sometimesat the minster church."

  "I did not know I was noticed amongst so many," he replied.

  "You mean, my boy, that you would sooner your presence were notobserved. I can guess your reason too well."

  He looked so sad, that I was sorry I had spoken precipitately, and adeep red blush suffused his dark countenance. He has a most attractiveface--so thoughtful, yet so manly; his mother's gentle lineaments seemto have tempered the somewhat fierce and haughty bearing of his sire,as they meet in the countenance of their child.

  My sympathy became so deep that I could not restrain myself and spokeout:

  "My boy, will you not confide your troubles to me, for your dearmother's sake? Do you not remember how she commended you to my care?And never have I forgotten to pray daily that her God may be your Godalso."

  At the mention of his mother the tears filled his eyes. We weresitting together on the trunk of a fallen tree, and he covered hisface with his hands, but I could see that the tears forced their waybetween the fingers, and that he was sobbing violently. He is only asyet a mere boy, and such emotion is excusable.

  At last he looked up.

  "I long to be a Christian like her," he said; "over and over again shetaught me, during her last days on earth, of the Christ she loved, andwho, she said, was ever near her. I have heard all about the faith sheloved, yet I am an outcast from it. What can I do?--my father will notlet me be baptized, and I dare not oppose his will; yet I sometimesthink I ought to chance all, and to die, if death should be thepenalty."

  "Die? You do not surely think he would slay you?"

  "I know he would."

  "In that case, my child, your duty seems plain: your Lord calls you togive Him your love, your obedience, and to seek refuge in the fold ofHis church."

  "Ought I to leave my father?"

  I felt very much puzzled indeed what to say. I could have no doubt asto the lad's duty; but then his father was his natural guardian, andin all things, save the plain duty of professing Christ, had a claimto his obedience.

  "I think," I said at last, "my Alfgar, that when he knew you weredetermined to be a Christian he would oppose you no longer; that is,if you were once baptized he would tolerate a Christian son as he oncedid a Christian wife."

  "He broke her heart."

  "At all events I think that you should delay no longer, but shouldseek instruction and baptism, which we will afford you; and then,unless you really feel life is in danger, you should return to him andtry to bear your lot; it may not be so hard as you think."

  "I am not afraid of death; but he is my father, and from his hands itwould be hard."

  "He hates Christianity grievously then?"

  "He says it is the religion of cowards and hypocrites; that it forms aplea for cowardice when men dare not be men, and is thrown aside fastenough when they have their foes in their power."

  Alas! I could but feel how much reason the ill lives of Christians hadgiven him to form this opinion, and of the curse pronounced upon thosewho shall put a stumbling block in their brother's way. Theconversation of the Sheriff, Edric Streorn, rose up in my mind as anapt illustration of Anlaf's words.

  "My boy," I said, "there is nothing perfect on earth. In the visiblechurch the evil is mingled with the good. Yet the church is the foldof the Good Shepherd, and there is salvation therein for all who loveand serve their Lord, and strive humbly to follow His example, andthose of His blessed Saints."

  "May I think over all you have said, and meet you next Sunday? Youwill be here, will you not?"

  And he looked imploringly in my face. Poor boy! my heart bled for him.

  So we parted, and he went home.

  Friday, November 11th.--

  I feel thoroughly uneasy and anxious about the sheriff's proceedings.He has been about the neighbourhood today, and seems to have beentalking secretly with all the black sheep of my flock; thank God, I donot think there are many. What they can be going to do, or what plotthey are hatching, I cannot discover, only I fear that it is somedesign for vengeance upon the Danes--some dark treachery plottedagainst those in our midst; and, if such is the case, I can but feeluneasy for poor Alfgar. I wish the lad would leave his home, if butfor a short time, until the signs are less threatening; but he wouldnot forsake his father in danger, and I ought hardly to wish it.

  St. Brice's Day, Sunday, November 13th--

  This has been a harassing and eventful day. Early in the morning,before the high mass, whereat the neighbourhood is generally present,I received a missive from the sheriff, bidding me, in the name of theKing, to exhort my people to remain at home tonight, since danger isafoot, and there is likely, he says, to be a rising on the part of thepagans who dwell amongst us. Why, they are but one in five in thisneighbourhood; hardly that. I determined to give the message in my ownway, for I could not keep silent, lest, through fault of mine, any ofmy sheep should perish. So I preached upon the Saint of the day, whowas pre-eminently a man of peace, and I took occasion to tell mypeople that there were many hurtful men about, who, like their master,Satan, were seeking whom they might devour, and that, like thatmaster, they chose the night for their misdeeds, seeing they loveddarkness rather than light. So I said I hoped every good Christianwould keep at home, and go to bed early.

  At this point I observed a sarcastic smile upon many faces, notably onthose of the black sheep aforesaid, to whom the sheriff had spoken,and I concluded that they were very likely to be the ministers ofdarkness themselves. So I spoke on the Christian duties of love andforgiveness, and exhorted all present to take joyfully thechastisement of the Lord, even like holy Job; and that it would alltend to their eternal good, through Him who, when He was reviled,reviled not again. And so with this exhortation to patience I closedmy homily. I fear I spoke to many in vain.

  I am sure they are bent on immediate mischief, and that this notice ofthe sheriff has much to do with it. He wants to keep good people athome to have all the field to himself. I see him--the blackbellwether.

  After mass I mingled with the dispersing congregation. The weather wasvery gloomy--the faces of the congregation yet more so. All seemed toapprehend coming evil. Instead of returning cheerfully home they stoodtogether in groups, talking in low tones, as if they feared to speaktheir thoughts aloud.

  Most of them evidently were men of peace, but not all, as I havealready hinted; and, as I drew near a group standing behind the greatyew tree, I heard one of these latter discoursing to his fellows.

  "Heard you the prior's sermon?" said Siric, for that was the fellow,Siric of the Wold; "a fine homily he gave us on St. Brice--that manof peace."

  "It was easy for him to be a man of peace," returned another; "hehadn't got Danes for his neighbours."

  "Holy Job himself would have turned cutthroat if he had."

  "Then they have been insulting, robbing, and murdering all over thecountry."

  Just then I interrupted them, for I could no longer hear theblasphemy.

  "How now, Siric," said I; "hast thou c
ome to Aescendune to revile thesaints?"

  "Nay, Father," said he, with a mocking smile; "I was only rejoicingthat they were not exposed to such trials as we. Job's Chaldeans weregentlefolk in comparison with our Danes."

  "Thou blasphemest; and what didst thou say of the blessed St. Brice?"

  "Only that I wished he were living now to tame the cutthroats who livein our midst, and who murder and rob daily, just in mere sport, or tokeep their hands in."

  "What new outrages have occurred?" I asked.

  "A party of the heathen carried off the cattle from my farm down thewater early this morning, and slew the herdsman."

  "Dost thou know who the fellows were?"

  "All too well; they were Anlaf's men."

  I hardly knew what to answer, the outrage was so recent, and theexcitement of the speaker so pardonable, as I could but feel.

  Well, at this moment my brother Elfwyn came out of the church, wherehe had lingered to pray, as he generally does, at his brother's tomb,and, noticing us, came and joined the group. He seemed much concernedwhen he heard the details.

  "Siric," he said, with his usual kind way of speaking, "do notdistress yourself unduly; you know I am rich in flocks and herds. Iwill make up the loss of the cattle, my brother the prior will have amass said for poor Guthred, and he shall have the last rites performedat our expense; it is all we can do for him; the rest we must leave tothe mercy of God."

  "Nay, Thane," said Siric; "I thank you for your goodwill, but I maynot stand thus indebted to any man. I will repay myself at the expenseof the robbers. Still you may remember Guthred at God's altar."

  And he strode away.

  My brother was now joined by his children Bertric and Ethelgiva, andhis wife, the Lady Hilda. I saw that he was ill at ease, but we didnot mention the subject, which I am sure was uppermost in both ourminds, lest we should alarm the gentle ones.

  Just then I remembered that I had promised to meet Alfgar in the pinewood, and I hastened to the spot.

  I found him seated again on the fallen tree. He rose at my approach,and saluted me with some emotion, as if some inward excitement madeitself visible in spite of his efforts to suppress it.

  "My son," said I, "have you pondered my words of last Sunday?"

  "I have, and I am come to put myself under your instruction. I will beguided by you in all things, and fulfil thus the dying wish of theonly being who ever loved me."

  "But, my boy, there must be yet a higher, a holier motive."

  "I trust it is not wanting, my father."

  "Are you able to stay long today?"

  "O yes, my father is keeping high festival; a number of his countrymenare visiting him and holding revel; this morning they drove in anumber of oxen, I know not whence, and slaughtered two on the spot,and they have broached several barrels of mead; they will keep thefeast all day, and before night my father will not be in a state tomiss me; I always absent myself if I can on such occasions."

  "Then you must come home with me, and share the noon meat, after whichI can give you my time until evensong."

  He made no objection, and we returned to the Priory together, where hetook his noon meat in the guest chamber, and I devoted all the timebetween the meal and nones to an examination of my catechumen.

  I found that poor Kyneswith had impressed all the primary truths ofour holy faith deeply upon his mind, although he wanted much buildingup, and needed instruction in details; he seemed deeply impressed bythe main facts of the life and teaching of our blessed Lord,particularly His message of peace on earth, good will towards men,contrasting so forcibly with the faith of his own people.

  The time passed rapidly away, and we went to the minster church atthree, when nones and evensong were said together, for we could notkeep the people till the proper hour for the latter office, owing tothe darkness of November.

  When the holy office was over, I accompanied my brother part of theway home, for I wanted to communicate my suspicions, and to learnwhether he shared them.

  It was a dark and gloomy eventide: the sun, which had only made itsappearance at intervals during the day, was fast sinking behind aheavy bank of clouds which filled the western horizon; and the wind,which was freshening to a gale, seemed to bear the storm onward in itstrack, while it tore the few surviving leaves rudely from the trees,and whirled them in mazy windings.

  "Elfwyn," said I, "what do you suppose was the true object of thesheriff in bidding folks keep indoors tonight?"

  "I cannot divine, unless he has some deed of blood on hand which hewishes to have undisturbed, all to himself and his underlings."

  "Siric spoke mysteriously."

  "Yes; if there is aught going on amiss, he has a hand in it."

  Here I communicated my fears respecting Alfgar, whom I had invited,with my brother's permission, to sup at the hall.

  "Could you not keep the poor fellow with you all night? I fear hisfather is in some danger, as well he may be, acting as wickedly as hedid this very morn."

  "I will try to persuade him to stay, he is along with Bertric andEthelgiva; they are only a few steps behind. Cuthbert, I have orderedevery one of my theows and ceorls to be obedient to your warning ifthey wish to preserve their allegiance to Aescendune, or to escapechastisement, and I think none of them are likely to be abroadtonight."

  "Can you not find out what the sheriff has told them? I saw himspeaking to one or two."

  "I will try. You must be my guest tonight, or at least for a fewhours."

  "Nay, I must return to compline; I may be wanted tonight, and ought tobe at my post," said I.

  We arrived at the old home, dear familiar place! stronger and betterbuilt than most such houses, because, being burnt down in my father'syounger days, it had been rebuilt in a more substantial manner, andwas capable of sustaining a formidable attack successfully.

  We crossed the drawbridge, and entered the courtyard under thegateway; before us was the door of the great hall, merrily illuminedby its blazing fire.

  There, then, was the supper table bountifully spread, and the theowsand ceorls awaiting the arrival of their lord. We entered, Elfwyn andI, and soon after Bertric, Ethelgiva, and Alfgar followed.

  A loud horn was blown upon the battlements. Stragglers made theirentrance good; the drawbridge was drawn up, the doors closed, and Iblessed the meat.