only on account of his weakness, but because of
another hurt, now discovered for the first time, which in the end gave
him more trouble than did the dreadful and dangerous blow of Clavering's
sword. It seemed that when he had fallen suddenly beneath that murderous
stroke all his muscles relaxed as though he were dead, and his left
ankle bent up under him, wrenching its sinews in such a fashion that for
the rest of his life he walked a little lame. Especially was this so in
the spring season, though whether because he had received his hurt at
that time or owing to the quality of the air none could ever tell him.

Yet on that happy day he thought little of these harms, who felt the
life-blood running once more strongly through his veins and who awaited
Eve's long-promised advent. At length she came, stately, kind and
beautiful, for now her grief and terror had passed by, leaving her as
she was before her woes fell upon her. She came, and in Sir Andrew's
presence, for he would not leave them, the tale was told.

Hugh learned for the first time all the truth of her imprisonment and of
her shameful drugging. He learned of the burying of Sir John Clavering
and of her naming as sole heiress to his great estates. To these,
however, Acour had not been ashamed to submit some shadowy claim, made
"in right of his lawful wife, Dame Eve Acour, Countess de Noyon," which
claim had been sent by him from France addressed to "all whom it might
concern." He learned of the King's wrath at the escape of this same
Acour, and of his Grace's seizure of that false knight's lands in
Suffolk, which, however, proved to be so heavily mortgaged that no one
would grow rich upon them.

Lastly he learned that King Edward, in a letter written by one of his
secretaries to Sir Andrew Arnold and received only that morning, said
that he held him, Hugh de Cressi, not to blame for Acour's escape. It
commanded also that if he recovered from his wound, for the giving of
which Sir John Clavering should have paid sharply if he had lived, he
and the archer, his servant, should join him either in England or in
France, whither he purposed shortly to proceed with all his host. But
the Mayor and men of Dunwich he did not hold free of blame.

The letter added, moreover, that the King was advised that Edmund Acour
on reaching Normandy had openly thrown off his allegiance to the crown
of England and there was engaged in raising forces to make war upon
him. Further, th