Читать «Айвенго / Ivanhoe» онлайн - страница 42

“De Bracy,” said the Knight, “you are free—leave. But beware in the future, Maurice de Bracy, beware!”

De Bracy bowed low in silence, caught a horse and disappeared in the forest.

Then Locksley took from his neck the rich horn and baldric which he had recently won at the tournament and said, “Noble knight, keep this horn as a memorial and if at some point you need help somewhere in this forests, you will only need to blow it three times.”

Locksley then distributed the treasure. A tenth part of the whole was set apart for the church; a portion was put in a sort of public treasury; a part was given to the widows and children of those who had died in battle. The rest was divided among the bandits. The Black Knight was surprised to find that men who lived without law had such good order among them.

The portion given to the church still lay there.

At this moment the Friar appeared.

“Make room, my merry-men!” he exclaimed; “room for your godly father and his prisoner,”—And making his way through the ring, amid the laughter of all around, he appeared in majestic triumph, his huge partisan in one hand, and in the other a rope, one end of which was fastened to the neck of the unfortunate Isaac of York. The priest shouted, “Where is Allan-a-Dale, to chronicle me in a ballad?”

“For the love of God!” cried the poor Jew, “will no one save me from this mad—I mean this holy man?”

“Think about your ransom, Jew” said the Captain, “while I examine a prisoner of another sort. Here he comes.” At that moment two bandits brought before their captain Prior Aymer of Jorvaulx.

* * *

The Abbot’s face showed a curious mixture of offended pride and terror.

“Are you Christians,” said the Prior, “and treat a churchman in this way?”

“Unfortunately, reverend father,” said Locksley, “I know only one way in which you can escape our company. Pay us a ransom.”

“What ransom should I pay for walking on the road without fifty men behind my back?”

“Wouldn’t it be good,” said one of the bandits, “if the Prior named the Jew’s ransom, and the Jew named the Prior’s?”

“This is a brilliant idea!” said the Captain, “Here, Jew, step forward, look at that holy Father Aymer, Prior of the rich Abbey of Jorvaulx, and tell us what ransom we should demand from him? – I believe you know the income of his monastery.”

“O, yes,” said Isaac. “I have bought many things from the good fathers of Jorvaulx. It is a rich abbey.”

“Dog of a Jew!” exclaimed the Prior, “no one knows better than you, that our holy house of God is in debt for the finishing of our altar—”

“And for buying many bottles of Gascon wine,” interrupted the Jew; “but that—that is all small.”

“Isaac,” said the leader, “pronounce what he can pay.”

“Six hundred crowns,” said Isaac, “the good Prior can well pay to you.”

“Six hundred crowns,” said the leader, gravely; “you have well spoken, Isaac—six hundred crowns. – It is a sentence, Sir Prior.”

“A sentence! – a sentence!” exclaimed the band.

“We will keep you here,” said the Captain, “and send your followers to bring your ransom.”