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maid marian(女孩马丽安)-第11部分

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friar;   young   Gamwell;   and   the   foresters;   to   deliver   up   that   false…traitor; 

Robert;   formerly   Earl   of   Huntingdon。         Robert   himself   made   answer   by 

letting   fly   an   arrow   that   struck   the   ground   between   the   fore   feet   of   the 

sheriff's horse。       The horse reared up from the whizzing; and lodged the 

sheriff   in   the   dust;   and;   at   the   same   time;   the   fair   Matilda   favoured   the 

knight   with   an   arrow   in   his   right   arm;   that   compelled   him   to   withdraw 

from the affray。 His men lifted the sheriff carefully up; and replaced him 

on his horse; whom he immediately with great rage and zeal urged on to 

the assault with his fifty men at his heels; some of whom were intercepted 

in their advance by the arrows of the foresters and Matilda; while the friar; 

with an eight…foot staff; dislodged the sheriff a second time; and laid on 

him   with   all   the   vigour   of   the   church   militant   on   earth;   in   spite   of   his 

ejaculations of 〃Hey; friar Michael!             What means this; honest friar? Hold; 

ghostly   friar!     Hold;   holy   friar!〃till   Matilda   interposed;   and   delivered 

the    battered    sheriff   to  the   care   of   the  foresters。    The    friar  continued 

flourishing      his   staff   among      the   sheriff's   men;    knocking      down     one; 

breaking the ribs of another; dislocating the shoulder of a third; flattening 

the nose of a fourth; cracking the skull of a fifth; and pitching a sixth into 

the river; till the few; who were lucky enough to escape with whole bones; 

clapped   spurs   to   their   horses   and   fled   for   their   lives;   under   a   farewell 

volley of arrows。 

     Sir Ralph's squire; meanwhile; was glad of the excuse of attending his 

master's wound to absent himself from the battle; and put the poor knight 



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to   a   great   deal   of   unnecessary   pain   by   making   as   long   a   business   as 

possible   of   extracting   the   arrow;   which   he   had   not   accomplished   when 

Matilda;   approaching;   extracted   it   with   great   facility;   and   bound   up   the 

wound   with   her   scarf;   saying;   〃I   reclaim   my   arrow;   sir   knight;   which 

struck where I aimed it; to admonish you to desist from your enterprise。 I 

could as easily have lodged it in your heart。〃 

     〃It   did   not   need;〃   said   the   knight;   with   rueful   gallantry;   〃you   have 

lodged one there already。〃 

     〃If you mean to say that you love me;〃 said Matilda; 〃it is more than I 

ever shall you:        but if you will show your love by no further interfering 

with mine; you will at least merit my gratitude。〃 

     The knight made a wry face under the double pain of heart and body 

caused      at   the   same     moment       by    the   material     or   martial;     and    the 

metaphorical   or   erotic   arrow;   of   which   the   latter   was   thus   barbed   by   a 

declaration more candid than flattering; but he did not choose to put in any 

such claim to the lady's gratitude as would bar all hopes of her love: he 

therefore remained silent; and the lady and her escort; leaving him and the 

sheriff    to   the   care   of  the   squire;    rode   on   till  they   came     in  sight   of 

Arlingford Castle;  when they  parted in several directions。 The friar   rode 

off alone; and after the foresters had lost sight of him they heard his voice 

through the twilight; singing; 

       A staff; a staff; of a young oak graff;                    That is both stoure and 

stiff;   Is all a good friar can needs desire                   To shrive a proud sheriffe。 

And      thou;   fine   fellowe;     who    hast   tasted    so           Of     the   forester's 

greenwood game;           Wilt be in no haste thy time to waste                     In seeking 

more   taste   of   the   same:     Or   this   can   I   read   thee;   and   riddle   thee   well; 

Thou   hadst   better   by   far   be   the   devil   in   hell;        Than   the   sheriff   of 

Nottinghame。 



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                                            Maid Marian 



                               CHAPTER VII 



     Now; master sheriff; what's your will with me?                 Henry IV。 

       Matilda   had   carried   her   point   with   the   baron   of   ranging   at   liberty 

whithersoever she would; under her positive promise to return home; she 

was   a   sort   of   prisoner   on   parole:   she   had   obtained   this   indulgence   by 

means   of   an   obsolete   habit   of   always   telling   the   truth   and   keeping   her 

word; which our enlightened age has discarded with other barbarisms; but 

which had the effect of giving her father so much confidence in her; that 

he   could   not   help   considering   her   word   a   better   security  than   locks   and 

bars。 

     The baron had been one of the last to hear of the rumours of the new 

outlaws   of   Sherwood;   as   Matilda   had   taken   all   possible   precautions   to 

keep those rumours from his knowledge; fearing that they might cause the 

interruption of her greenwood liberty; and it was only during her absence 

at   Gamwell   feast;   that   the   butler;   being   thrown   off   his   guard   by   liquor; 

forgot her injunctions; and regaled the baron with a long story of the right 

merry adventure of Robin Hood and the abbot of Doubleflask。 

     The   baron   was   one   morning;   as   usual;   cutting   his   way   valorously 

through a rampart of cold provision; when his ears were suddenly assailed 

by  a   tremendous   alarum;  and   sallying   forth;  and   looking   from  his   castle 

wall;   he   perceived   a   large   party   of   armed   men   on   the   other   side   of   the 

moat;   who   were   calling   on   the   warder   in   the   king's   name   to   lower   the 

drawbridge       and    raise  the   portcullis;   which     had   both    been   secured     by 

Matilda's      order。   The   baron    walked     along    the   battlement     till  he  came 

opposite to these unexpected visitors; who; as soon as they saw him; called 

out; 〃Lower the drawbridge; in the king's name。〃 

     〃For what; in the devil's name?〃 said the baron。 

     〃The sheriff of Nottingham;〃 said one; 〃lies in bed grievously bruised; 

and   many   of   his   men   are   wounded;   and   several   of   them   slain;   and   Sir 

Ralph     Montfaucon;        knight;   is  sore   wounded       in  the   arm;   and   we    are 

charged   to   apprehend   William   Gamwell   the   younger;   of   Gamwell   Hall; 



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and     father   Michael      of  Rubygill     Abbey;     and    Matilda     Fitzwater     of 

Arlingford   Castle;   as   agents   and   accomplices   in   the   said   breach   of   the 

king's peace。〃 

     〃Breach of the king's fiddlestick!〃 answered the baron。 〃What do you 

mean   by   coming   here   with   your   cock   and   bull;   stories   of   my   daughter 

grievously bruising the sheriff of Nottingham?              You are a set of vagabond 

rascals in disguise; and I hear; by the bye; there is a gang of thieves that 

has just set up business in Sherwood Forest: a pretty presence; indeed; to 

get into my castle with force and arms; and make a famine in my buttery; 

and a drought in my cellar; and a void in my strong box; and a vacuum in 

my silver scullery。〃 

     〃Lord Fitzwater;〃 cried one; 〃take heed how you resist lawful authority: 

we will prove ourselves〃 

     〃You will prove yourselves arrant knaves; I doubt not;〃 answered the 

baron; 〃but; villains; you shall be more grievously bruised by me than ever 

was    the   sheriff   by  my    daughter    (a  pretty   tale  truly!);   if  you   do  not 

forthwith avoid my territory。〃 

     By this time the baron's men had flocked to the battlements; with long… 

bows   and   cross…bows;   slings   and   stones;   and   Matilda   with   her   bow   and 

quiver  at   their  head。 The  assailants;   finding   the   castle so   well   defended; 

deemed it expedient to withdraw till they could return in greater force; and 

rode   off   to   Rubygill Abbey;   where   they  made   known   their   errand   to   the 

father abbot; who; having satisfied himself of their legitimacy; and conned 

over   the   allegations;   said   that   doubtless   brother   Michael   had   heinously 

offended;     but   it  was   not  for   the  civil  law   to  take   cognizance     of   the 

misdoings of a holy friar; that he would summon aCHAPTER of monks; 

and   pass   on   the   offender  
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