King may give Pevensey to Fulke. And our Manors go with it,"
said I. "Shall we tell our sons?"

'"No. The King will not wake up a hornet's nest in the South till he has
smoked out the bees in the North. He may hold me a traitor; but at least
he sees I am not fighting against him, and every day that I lie still is
so much gain to him while he fights the barons. If he were wise he would
wait till that war were over before he made new enemies. But I think Fulke
will play upon him to send for me, and if I do not obey the summons that
will, to Henry's mind, be proof of my treason. But mere talk, such as
Gilbert sends, is no proof nowadays. We Barons follow the Church, and,
like Anselm, we speak what we please. Let us go about our day's dealings,
and say naught to Gilbert."

'"Then we do nothing?" said Hugh.

'"We wait," said De Aquila. "I am old, but still I find that the most
grievous work I know."

'And so we found it, but in the end De Aquila was right.

'A little later in the year, armed men rode over the hill, the Golden
Horseshoes flying behind the King's banner. Said De Aquila, at the window
of our chamber: "How did I tell you? Here comes Fulke himself to spy out
his new lands which our King hath promised him if he can bring proof of my
treason."

'"How dost thou know?" said Hugh.

'"Because that is what I would do if I were Fulke, but _I_ should have
brought more men. My roan horse to your old shoes," said he, "Fulke brings
me the King's Summons to leave Pevensey and join the war." He sucked in
his cheeks and drummed on the edge of the shaft, where the water sounded
all hollow.

'"Shall we go?" said I.

'"Go! At this time of year? Stark madness," said he. "Take _me_ from
Pevensey to fisk and flyte through fern and forest, and in three days
Robert's keels would be lying on Pevensey mud with ten thousand men! Who
would stop them--Fulke?"

'The horns blew without, and anon Fulke cried the King's Summons at the
great door that De Aquila with all men and horse should join the King's
camp at Salisbury.

'"How did I tell you?" said De Aquila. "There are twenty Barons 'twixt
here and Salisbury could give King Henry good land-service, but he has
been worked upon by Fulke to send south and call me--_me!_--off the Gate of
England, when his enemies stand about to batter it in. See that Fulke's
men lie in the big south barn," said he. "Give them drink, and when Fulke
has eaten we will drink in my chamber. The Great