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"Is that a spirit's hand," she said, laughing lightly and giving her own rosy fingers into his, "or could even the Justicer of Galloway find it in his heart to burn these as part of the body of a witch?" She shuddered and pretended to gaze piteously up at him from under the long lashes which hardly raised themselves from her cheek.
"I bid you remember," he said, speaking southland English, as he was wont to do in moments of excitement, "I bid you remember, sirrah, that I am the Earl of Douglas and Avondale, Justicer of Scotland and your father." William Douglas bowed, respectful but unmoved. "My lord," he said, "I forget nothing. I do not judge you. You are in authority over our house.
"'Tis one that had wrought much fear in his time," answered the soldier, for I had lighted on a sententious fellow "one that made many swift ends, and now has come to one himself." "You mean Gottfried Gottfried, the Duke's Justicer?" said I, speaking like one in a dream. "Aye," he replied. "The Duke Otho is mightily afraid of the plague, and will not have a dead body over-night in his castle.
"I am the son of the Hereditary Justicer of the Wolfmark," said I. "I had no stomach for such work. Therefore, as I was shortly to be made my father's assistant, I have brought letters of introduction to your Highness, in the hopes that you will permit me the exercise of arms in your army in another and more honorable fashion."
The usher appeared. "Show the Hereditary Justicer of the Mark to the Red Tower. Give him all that is necessary to eat and drink. Bid a man-at-arms attend him, and set a sufficient guard at the door!" So I went out from the presence, and the Duke and the Duke's new Justicer bowed to each other gravely as I stood a moment on the threshold.
But what was my surprise as the little maid came nearer to the bed with her pretty dancing movement, carrying the axe much as if it had been an over-heavy babe, to see the Duke's Justicer suddenly skip over the far side of the bedstead and stand with his red cloak about him, watching her. "What devil's work is this?" he said, frowning at her severely.
"It is two days before they can come," I answered. "I fear me all will be over before then." "Be not so sure," said Dessauer. "There is at present no Justicer in the Mark capable of carrying out the sentence, so long as your father lies on his bed of mortal weakness." "Duke Otho will not let that stand in his way or I am the more deceived," said I, with a heavy heart.
He turned upon his companion with a quick energy, as if he were afraid of losing himself again. "Who are you, lady, and what do you here?" "Is that spoken as William Douglas or as the Justicer of Galloway a country where, as I understand, there is no trial by jury?" The light of a radiant smile passed from her lips into his soul.
But if not, and he gather in his hand the various seditions and confused turbulences in the Dukedom, why, a worse thing may befall." "You advise me," said the Duke, lifting his head and looking at his Justicer, "to recall my nephew and risk all that threatened us ere he fled to the Prince of Plassenburg Karl, the Miller's Son."
Presently the voices lowered, and I knew also that the Duke Casimir was unbending as he did to none else in his realm save to the Hereditary Justicer of the Wolfmark. But I had my hands full with the little Princess. I dared not go down the stairs. I dared not for a moment take my palm off her mouth.
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