MY LADY'S KISS.
PUBLISHED lit SPECIAL ABRANG£3fENI j
- aisroßiait I:OMANCiv. S' i;v xor.man JNN";-:. lathor c! " Th» sues* o? 'War." " i'.tn--)*? Croft," " Th« I Ouunl."" «to. " * fcopraiGnrj" -■ - ■ CHAPTEE XX. V -.c':- ■ , 1 iv,: ittit*. Tnr-si hdoEc m.it:i,--d the .'.alls of N - 'if*'.*, ciesa*. Ik-<wl>< -diivcted it -It-fer , • iiU -f Jo S;. Kilt had the pre •' the southern>d western quarters of ..'the- town, v.iilc tkvi nun parts from.the north jiate to beyond Ihc, ens'- were l.eld by the count Itini'-elf, end, 'in spite of lack of men and scarcity '.*t m - . t«al.< Septemlier had- run out and ti.tfe».,hctßy t-, had made but little impression upon tho place. ; The ,S4uton regiment,, murder : the funnwfta of Major \Vii.'.!e t. together -with thouallies from Kemmel, wt-rw hardly entire-cut : to under .the':-.siege; effectiw, and though v;-;:'-;? ..their cannon-had .breached-tho-'walls; in two places, assault after assault -bad been suc- ' cess fully batten ' off.- - Nor '. had, he - Sw< d*' T "come to -the,he! of. the l>c,it»gci> ; >jttstevtts:.;''-; - had. mated westwtdds "tent ! ' on A 'out hands upon the Rhine with* Duke -ifowmf ' , of AViemav. as *iih the >nei)t quarrtsht tf these. German .i»4lcl..W«ro beneath his UiUiiten nee or confides at ion. So the,siege,; ?h.rt; ; at one time had given promise of Jwing _ - speedily eonefudwl. was p>«l j}t'-d froin day to day, ami t.-ourad of Ki-mme! grew anvioun urged his son' to further ctforts. round-' , ly abused tho,Sa,\en major, and wa*f.U>C„ ever pe« in hand reckoning the eo. of Ill's warfare. -' ' '■ ; , " -" s ' - Weary of sitting idle, in Kemmel and hui patient for the humbling of his foe, ho h.M '■ gone to the camp :iikl wok Jodp-d at. a small inn not moiv than half-.* mile from he eastera gate. Here one day his son hrn.-.t found him, busy as usual with. his xeiteimw and his figure.--, and went far in lightening the miser's heart by the tidings he, brought. The younger ..man's lace was . bright- in I strange contrast to the ca.n-.vwrn sit- of his ~ ■ fathers "features"l have news," cried he, his tale iK-gttn ere the door had. closed behind him; '*ii Wit /.hot' prove true and these Saxons wotth their wages, by this tune upon tin* morrow Ave shall be in-Neuicls." "Heaven grant it, -sant," rejoined the Freilterr, looking' up more in bewilderment than in hope. " Hut how V" . "That I will show thee," cried the other, throwing himself upon a. -settle. " Thi;morning comes one from our go<«l friend within the town, the mistress of the BedHouse, which stands, its you know . ithltt the eastern gate." ; The father nodded as Ernst von Ketnmel paused for breath, '■ "This fellow, he was an Italian, tit n-h. of L'ood faith s l^-| * J - me the* lad\'s tmn psj, engraved wit . the anus of N' ufel.s, „and, , tells me that, his mistpledges hersoif- , that if I. will venture-within he placet Ins night, she will furnish me .with '10 .of ; . Her. reUiners, old fighters all, with whom 1 may over-power the guard." . " But how can you pass the gate?" interposed Miii Kemniel doubtfully. ' ... j "By this ring,' so she says. None, .will stay - me, none will, question me when I show it, say ing at the- same, l-ime 'thai I mine from the Imperial .iiinic-s" ' "Now, what time, and this holy's si-t----vants beset the guard from within," con- '•{- tinued the other, "a, beacon, will be, fi rot I , - upon the loof of the Bid House, as n.-*sten' that a pic d body of tun nun ■ attack too i.' J gate 'from without, while our whole force'' , . stand to arms ready t-o enter the town when the guard at tli" gatehouse is overpowered/* He paused for his' father's approval; the - elder was deep in thought. * •> 1 -' >. r . How if she play thee false/' aak ( c.d.tl>f> latter doubtfully. Ernst von/I£emmel laughed. t >. " Nov, I can trust her. , Our intercuts are .;-iters'/-'V ''. -"'vi;■'.'v!' :''i: :^ -iliiiftfc "What of l»n.itz of Neufet ? ..Does,, In , : tiiiht tho woman?" * ' , »r. .<u' "' v -j The son sliruyued his shoulders, "The "'worse for him," .-aid lie' 'w.itlf'ioi: V- 11 smile. . v t * ' ""'Vm ' I Now the. Freihen* loved his son as *' he loved nought else in life save himself and ! his treasure, and, - being''of a sUKpt;;ious - : untitle, pinned no great, faith to his new , ally, but- at- the same time could not find it hi -'f', his heart to let slip so fair an opportunity' of winning the town ami thereby having done with the expense of the- expedition. '/-[ ; ■ , "Go,* then," said he, "and Heaven 'go • with thee. About what hour .-dud! we look- -for th'.- signal'/' "At midnight, since the- Lady di. M'orini left -the details to my arranging:. I;shall ' " enter the town before sunset, sup with our -friend, and thereafter play my part from within, having, given you'warning by the -K aeon's flare that our attack has begun," On that same evening v,lieu, with the v Freiherr's permission, , Ertha yon ' Ihuith * and little Jean of tin' Swoid had arrived in the camp before Neufcls, Ernst of Kemmel, sat at supper in the Bed House in the >-J| very town that he besieged.' , '•' - Without qualm or doubt he had dashed up to the eastern gat about sunset, had cried to the li:,, d to .unbar the .wicket in haste, that he; was, punaied- -.-ome hm>einert labouring in the distance b'n-kH .his . tale—and that he bore letters from -Munich for the Lady of the , Bed House,. flinging .tin- men in, vainest . of good faith that Lidy's ring, firing they knew well, and .which, by., lb? Count's order, carried right of fret en' ' ' trance into Neufels, Forth at the .wicket peeied the wine-seared face of old Till Lorenz, who took stock of- the gallant., k looking him V[> and down with a pair <>! - - keen fox < ye.-. Nor v. as it loiilc before any doubts the captain of the e-tl > mi;xht have had were set at rest; As : !'or the-. - other men-at-arms, not- a shadow" of so?pit ion it seemed Jinked in fhrir midst: the Lady di Morini and those in her service came and went as they .liked to arid from the town. The gate iv.-is opened, the n» ,! - sender entered, leading hi.-« : how, monntrxl it, again oil, the further hide, arid <'»ntered - down the street to be lost, beneath Hie archway- of the ited House,' wot* -guessed that old Till Lorenz had followed hint up the street, having business at the palace in his mind. .So these two supped together, the young Freihcri' and the Lady Cattera; while Major Witzhof with a picked body of " 1 his Saxons lay in the shadow of a mined ■; homestead, - not three hundred vard.i / from the eastern gate, waiting the'feigns! > , . from "the Red House. They sat in a small \ *- loom opening from the corridor immediately at 1 the head of the great stairway, lighted by narrow windows that', looked into a dank," wild-grown courtyard. . ' Across these' were drawn heavy curtains''of darkblue velvet, and like curtains shrouded tltw entrance to a, further .chamber. The walls were covered with tapestry worked in blue, red, and brown, a carpet spread the floor, but save for three chairs, the table, and a high-buffet, on which were set tlagons and cups of every size and design, furniture there was none. But on the hearth the fire burned brightly, on table arid buffet ' " shone half a dozen candles,_and thomrh the - _ leaguer was close about ■ Neufelji and vie- [ tuals scarce in the 'town, there was'enough and to spare in the Red House," : ' Ernst von Kemmel, Heaven knows, - was but a. boy making .proof of his first campaign, - yet as he sat that . njght .in Jit? enemy's* Isold, eating little, drinking _mUjCh f , : ; with eyes on the woman, he mighiTliara been bent 011 the capture of a fairer "fort? i-s-s than Nenfels, aye, and a junker, .Jpr i all the town's lack of. men/'!As for the j\ Lady of the Red House, war and its hazard? seemed as far from her thoughts as from - ; her companion's. When,wives and mother' in Neufels were sick at- heart, the siege had r.. but brought a new brilliance to her eves. In a gown of orange velvet, slashed.with white silk, with gems at throat and wrists,, she sat beside her guest as though deepest peace reigned on either side of the Saxon, frontier. Neither had said a word.oh the matter that * should haye beep uppernjosb ,;m,. in their thoughts', nor had' the business ' that had brought the young Freihen* to the ; ; house been otu-e mentioned, .till, heated ~ ,- with the wine, the man must'needs tell her / with what ease he had passed Iso late.' . L {To be (ontiimed daily
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Bibliographic details
New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13745, 9 May 1908, Page 3 (Supplement)
Word Count
1,430MY LADY'S KISS. New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13745, 9 May 1908, Page 3 (Supplement)
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