heat of iron plates such as Myles wore, from which the body
was only protected by a leathern jacket and hose. But men's bodies in
those days were tougher and more seasoned to hardships of weather than
they are in these our times. Myles thought no more of the burning
iron plates that incased him than a modern soldier thinks of his dress
uniform in warm weather. Nevertheless, he raised the umbril of his
helmet to cool his face as he waited the coming of his opponent. He
turned his eyes upward to the row of seats on the scaffolding above,
and even in the restless, bewildering multitude of strange faces turned
towards him recognized those that he knew: the Prince of Wales, his
companions of the Scotland Yard household, the Duke of Clarence,
the Bishop of Winchester, and some of the noblemen of the Earl of
Mackworth's party, who had been buzzing about the Prince for the past
month or so. But his glance swept over all these, rather perceiving
than seeing them, and then rested upon a square box-like compartment not
unlike a prisoner's dock in the courtroom of our day, for in the box sat
his father, with the Earl of Mackworth upon one side and Sir James Lee
upon the other. The blind man's face was very pale, but still wore its
usual expression of calm serenity--the calm serenity of a blind face.
The Earl was also very pale, and he kept his eyes fixed steadfastly upon
Myles with a keen and searching look, as though to pierce to the very
bottom of the young man's heart, and discover if indeed not one little
fragment of dryrot of fear or uncertainty tainted the solid courage of
his knighthood.

Then he heard the criers calling the defendant at the four corners of
the list: "Oyez! Oyez! Oyez! William Bushy Brookhurst, Earl of Alban,
come to this combat, in which you be enterprised this day to discharge
your sureties before the King, the Constable, and the Marshal, and to
encounter in your defence Myles Falworth, knight, the accepted champion
upon behalf of Gilbert Reginald Falworth, the challenger! Oyez! Oyez!
Oyez! Let the defendant come!"

So they continued calling, until, by the sudden turning of all faces,
Myles knew that his enemy was at hand.

Then presently he saw the Earl and his attendants enter the outer gate
at the west end of the barrier; he saw the Constable and Marshal meet
him; he saw the formal words of greeting pass; he saw the Constable
raise the umbril of the helmet. Then the gate opened, and the Earl of
Alban