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Updated: June 21, 2025
For during the meal the fair lady, with no worse intention, perhaps, than that of teasing her tyrant, fell to open praises of Hereward's fair face and golden hair; and being insulted therefore by the Ironhook, retaliated by observations about his personal appearance, which were more common in the eleventh century than they happily are now.
But Hereward's chief danger lay behind rather than before; in the island rather than on the mainland. His accessions of nobles and commons had placed a strong body of men under his command, with whom he might have been able to meet William's approaches by ship and causeway, had not treason laid intrenched in the island itself.
Thou wilt find me a better master to thee than ever was Morcar, the English barbarian." The scoundrel, say the old chroniclers, made a request concerning Hereward's family which cannot be printed here. Hereward ground his teeth. "If thou livest till morning light," said he, "I will not."
It will be seen hereafter how Gilbert took his own advice about young Waltheof, but did not take Hereward's advice about the Lincoln manors.
And he set his teeth, and could not prevent stamping on the ground, in evident passion. There was a tone, too, of deep disappointment in his voice, which made Torfrida look keenly at him. Why should Hereward's nephew feel so deeply about that favor? And as she looked, could that man be the youth Siward? Young he was, but surely thirty years old at least.
"Kidnaped?" "The word I used was 'kidnaped. But I will spell it if you like. Or I will get a dictionary, that you may see its meaning." The duchess looked as if she was beginning to be not quite sure if she was awake or sleeping. She turned to Ivor. "Mr. Dacre, has the accident affected Hereward's brain?" The duke took the words out of his cousin's mouth.
She started, shuddering, to her feet, and spasm after spasm shook her galvanized frame, as she picked up her letter, found a match, drew it, set fire to the paper, threw it, blazing, down upon the marble hearth, and watched it until it was consumed to a little heap of light ashes. "There! That can never fall into the Duke of Hereward's hands now!" she said with a bitter laugh.
They left their horses at the manor house, which was garrisoned by Hereward's retainers, and broke their fast, gladdened by an enthusiastic reception; hope was not yet dead here. Afterwards, they all embarked in large flat-bottomed boats, which were sluggishly impelled, by oar and sail, towards the distant towers of Ely.
The peasants swarmed down like flies to a carcass; but they recoiled as there rose over the forecastle bulwarks, not the broad hats of peaceful buscarles, but peaked helmets, round red shields, and glittering axes. They drew back, and one or two arrows flew from the crowd into the ship. But at Hereward's command no arrows were shot in answer.
Honor to the last heroes of the old English race! These valiant gentlemen, with the housecarles whom, more or fewer, they would bring with them, constituted a formidable force, as after years proved well. But having got his men, Hereward's first care was, doubtless, to teach them that art of war of which they, like true Englishmen, knew nothing.
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