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"It is a pity that the innocent need suffer with the guilty," answered Delecresse, contemptuously. "But it mostly turns out so in this world." Belasez grasped her brother's wrists. "Cress, thou hast no thought of revenging thyself on Sir Richard of Gloucester for that boyish trick he once played on thee?" "I'll be even with him, Belasez.
She beat me with the broom, until Delecresse interfered and pulled her off. Then she spat at me, and cursed me in the name of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the twelve tribes of Israel. She threw dirt at my beard, child." The last expression, as Beatrice well knew, was an Oriental metaphor. "Is she satisfied now?" "Satisfied! What dost thou mean by satisfied?
Abraham could get nothing out of his son except some scornful platitudes concerning the "creeping creatures." Not a shred of information would Delecresse give. He was almost rude to his father a very high crime in the eyes of a Jew: but it was because he was so intensely dissatisfied with himself.
And each of them was positively convinced that he was serving God. The vengeful words of Delecresse made no impression whatever on the young Earl of Gloucester. He would have laughed with scorn at the mere idea that such an insect as that could have any power to hurt him. He danced back to Margaret's bower, where, in a few minutes, he, she, Marie, and Eva were engaged in a merry round game.
She was too ignorant to be sure, but she fancied they had been doing something wrong. "I should think," said Margaret warmly, "that you Jews must hate us Christians." "Christians are not all alike," said Belasez with a faint smile. "But do you not hate us?" persisted Margaret. "Delecresse does, I am afraid," replied Belasez, colouring. "But thyself?" "No. O my Damsel, no!"
The next minute Delecresse, who was just turning back to fetch the forgotten cap, heard a boyish voice calling to him out of a window, and looking up, saw his cap held out in the tongs. "Here, thou cur of a Jew! What dost thou mean, to leave thy heathen stuff in the chamber of a noble damsel?"
She showed me her baby thyself, Belasez; and encouraged me to play with Delecresse, who was then a lively child of three years. I came away, baffled, yet unsatisfied. I should have been better pleased had I seen thy father. But he, I was told, was again absent on one of his business journeys."
Earl Richard was disposed to think the same Father Bruno alone looked upwards, and saw God. But assuredly no one of them saw the moving cause in that tall, stern, silent Jewish youth, and the last idea that ever entered the mind of Richard de Clare was to associate this great grief of his life with the boyish trick he had played on Delecresse two years before.
At any rate, Delecresse, sternest of Pharisees to his heart's core, would not profane the Sabbath, even for life. But now there was a little stir outside, and a voice shouted "What ho! who cried for help?" "Who art thou, and where?" "I have fallen into the cess-pool; I pray thee, friend, whoever thou art, to bring or send me something on which I can rest till sunset, and then help me forth."
The old Jew, helped by Delecresse, repacked his wares with such care as their delicacy and costliness required, and the Countess desired Levina to summon the varlets to bear the heavy burden down to the gate. "Peace wait on my Lady!" said the pedlar, bowing low as he took leave. "If it please the Holy One, my Belasez shall be here at my Lady's command before a week is over."
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