ed and cloaked as
though from a journey, standing in the door with a paper in his hand,
beckoning him. Even as he rose and went out, it came into his mind
that this was in some way a summons for him; the letter was from his
mother's brother, the Lord Ralph of Parbury, a noble knight; he had
been long away fighting in many wars, but on his return heard tell of
the illness of Marmaduke, and wrote to bid him send his son to him,
and he would train him for a soldier. They had great ado to read the
letter, and there was much putting of heads together over it; but the
messenger knew the purport, and the boy made up his mind to go, for he
felt, he had said to himself, like one of the silly and lazy carp
sweltering in the castle moat; so he dressed himself in his best and
went. The men-at-arms were sorry to see their playmate go, though they
had done him little but evil; and the old priest, half in tears,
brought a small book and gave it to the boy; the old nurse clung to
him and cried bitterly; but the boy felt nothing but a kind of shame
at the thought how glad he was to go; indeed he would hardly have gone
to wish farewell to his father, who was in one of his fits, and lay
muttering on his bed; but the boy went, and, the door being ajar, he
looked in and saw him, pale and fat, gibbering at his fingers, and
almost hated him. And so he mounted and rode away, on a hot still
summer afternoon, and was glad to see the castle tower sink down among
the oaks, as they rode by green tracks and open heaths, little by
little into the unknown land to the south.

The years flew fast away with the Lord Ralph; and Robert learnt to be
a noble knight. It was hard at first to change from the old sluggish
life, when he had none but himself to please; but something caught
fire within Robert's soul, and he submitted willingly and eagerly to
the discipline of Parbury, which was severe. He grew up strong and
straight and fearless, and worthy of fame, so that Ralph was proud of
his nephew; two things alone made him anxious; Robert was, he thought,
too desirous of praise, too much bent upon excelling others, though
Ralph tried to make him learn that it is the doing of noble things in
a noble way, for the love of the deed done, and for the honour of it,
that makes a worthy knight--and not the desire to be held worthy.
Moreover, Robert had but little chivalry or tenderness of spirit; he
was not cruel, for he disdained it; but he was hard, and despised