his bed
chamber, and to sleep outside the door in an anteroom, to do the
honours of the household in his lord's absence, gracefully, like a
true gentleman; to play with his lord, the ladies, or the visitors
at chess or draughts in the long winter evenings; to sing, to tell
romaunts or stories, to play the lute or harp; in short, to be all
things to all people in peace; and in war to fight like a Paladin.

Now he had to learn to wear heavy armour, and thus accoutred, to
spring upon a horse, without putting foot to stirrup; to run long
distances without pause; to wield the heavy mace, axe, or sword for
hours together without tiring; to raise himself between two walls
by simply setting his back against one, his feet against the other;
in short, to practise all gymnastics which could avail in actual
battles or sieges.

In warfare it became his duty to bear the helmet or shield of his
lord, to lead his war horse, to lace his helmet, to belt and buckle
his cuirass, to help him to vest in his iron panoply, with pincers
and hammer; to keep close to his side in battle, to succour him
fallen, to avenge him dead, or die with him.

Such being a squire's duties, what a blessing to Hubert to be a
squire to such a Christian warrior as the earl, a privilege he
shared with some half dozen of his former fellow pages--turn and
turn about.

In this capacity he attended his lord during the pursuit of the
foreign favourites to Wolvesham Castle, where they had taken refuge
with Aymer de Valence, whom the king, by the Pope's grace, had made
titular bishop of that place. We say titular, for Englishmen would
not permit him to enjoy his see; he spoke no word of English.

At Wolvesham the foreign lords were forced to surrender, and
accepted or appeared to accept their sentence of exile. But ere
starting they invited the confederate barons to a supper, wherein
they mingled poison with the food.

This nefarious plot Hubert discovered, happening to overhear a
brief conversation on the subject between the bishop's chamberlain
and the Jew who supplied the poison, and whom Hubert secured,
forcing him to supply the antidote which in all probability saved
the lives of the four Earls of Leicester, Gloucester, Hereford, and
Norfolk. The brother of the Earl of Gloucester did die--the Abbot
of Westminster--the others with difficulty recovered.

Hubert had now a great claim not only on the friendship of his
lord, which he had earned before, but on t