akers did I
hear them again; indeed, one voice I did recognize; it was that of the
Count of Brabant, with whom we had trouble before."
"That is good," the earl said, "because we have at least an object to
watch. It would never do to tell the king what you have heard. In the
first place, his anger would be so great that it would burst all bounds,
and would cause, likely enough, a battle at once between the two armies;
nor would it have any good effect, for he of Brabant would of course
deny the truth of your assertions, and would declare it was merely a
got-up story to discredit him with the king, and so to wipe out the old
score now standing between us. No, if we are to succeed, alike in
preventing harm happening to the princess, and an open break between the
two monarchs, it must be done by keeping a guard over the princess,
unsuspected by all, and ourselves frustrating any attempt which may be
made."
Cuthbert expressed his willingness to carry out the instructions which
the earl might give him; and, much disturbed by the events of the day,
both earl and page retired to rest, to think over what plan had best be
adopted.
The princess was staying at the palace of the bishop of the town; this
he, having another residence a short distance outside the walls, had
placed at the disposal of the Queen of Navarre and her suite; and the
first step of Cuthbert in the morning was to go into the town, to
reconnoiter the position and appearance of the building. It was a large
and irregular pile, and communicated with the two monasteries lying
alongside of it. It would therefore clearly be a most difficult thing to
keep up a complete watch on the exterior of so large a building. There
were so many ways in which the princess might be captured and carried
off by unscrupulous men that Cuthbert in vain thought over every plan by
which it could be possible to safeguard her. She might be seized upon
returning from a tournament or entertainment; but this was improbable,
as the queen would always have an escort of knights with her, and no
attempt could be successful except at the cost of a public fracas and
much loss of blood. Cuthbert regarded as out of the question that an
outrage of this kind would be attempted.
The fact that one of the speakers in the tent had used the words "my
sons," showed that one priest or monk, at least, was connected with the
plot. It was possible that this man might have power in one of the
monasteries, o
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